THE GLOUCESTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Our mission is for all students to be successful, engaged, lifelong learners.
School Committee Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, January 22, 2020 District Office Conference Room 2 Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA
7:00 p.m.
Members Present Administration Present
Jonathan Pope, Chairman Dr. Richard Safier, Superintendent
Melissa Teixeira Prince, Vice Chairperson Gregg Bach, Asst. Superintendent
Laura Wiessen, Secretary Gary Frisch, Director of Finance
Kathy Clancy and Operations
Joel Favazza (8:10 p.m.) Ann-Marie Jordan, Preschool Administrator
Samantha Verga Watson Cindy Juncker, Nurse Leader
Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken James Cook, GHS Principal
Recorded by 1623 Studios
I. CALL TO ORDER – Chairman Pope called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. and stated the mission of the Gloucester Public Schools.
II. SALUTE TO THE FLAG
III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS – None.
IV. COMMENTS FROM THE CHAIRPERSON – Chairman Pope stated that this meeting is going to be very long and rigorous because there is a lot of business that must be taken care of tonight.
V. RECOGNITIONS – Kathy Clancy recognized Tina Raimo, who recently retired as Executive Director of the Gloucester Education Foundation, for everything she did for Gloucester over the last eight years. Chairman Pope reported that Rockport superintendent Rob Liebow expressed his gratitude for the response they received to last week’s incident from Dr. Safier, our guidance counselors and other staff who helped out there.
VI. GHS STUDENT ADVISORY COUNCIL – Isabella Canning updated the committee on the Gloucesteropoly fundraiser, Secret Pals, and senior class fundraisers.
VII. CONSENT AGENDA A. Approval of Minutes
1. Personnel Subcommittee and Executive Session of November 12, 2019 2. School Committee of November 13, 2019
B. Approval of Warrants C. Approval of Transfers D. Referrals
E. Approval of Out-of-State Field Trips
1. GHS Docksiders to Durham, New Hampshire on Saturday, March 14, 2020 to perform at the University of New Hampshire Clark Terry Jazz Festival
2. GHS trip to Peru from Thursday, April 15 to Saturday, April 24, 2021 3. GHS trip to Spain from Wednesday, April 14 to Friday, April 23, 2021 F. Acceptance of Donations
1. Donation of refrigerator from Linda Devoe to Veterans’ Memorial Elementary School teachers’ lunchroom
2. Donation of refrigerator from Carlos and Ann Marie Santos to GHS Life Skills classroom
G. Approval of Scholarships
1. Spiran Lodge #98 Scholarship in the amount of $500.00 2. BankGloucester Scholarship in the amount of $2,500.00
Chairman Pope removed Items E.2 and 3 from the Consent Agenda.
On a motion by Kathy Clancy, seconded by Ms. Wiessen, it was unanimously VOTED: 6 in favor, 0 opposed to approve the Consent Agenda as noted.
Alyssa D’Antonio discussed the GHS service-based learning trip to Peru next year and fundraising for same.
On a motion by Ms. Teixeira Prince, seconded by Kathy Clancy, it was unanimously
VOTED: 6 in favor, 0 opposed to approve the GHS trip to Peru from Thursday, April 15 to Saturday April 24, 2021.
Celestino Basile discussed the GHS trip to Spain next year. There was a discussion about chaperones, and Mr. Basile indicated that the ratio is six students per chaperone.
After discussion, on a motion by Kathy Clancy, seconded by Ms. Wiessen, it was unanimously VOTED: 6 in favor, 0 opposed to approve the GHS trip to Spain from Wednesday, April 14
to Friday, April 23, 2021.
Chairman Pope requested that Ms. Wiessen send thank you notes on behalf of the committee to the people who donated the refrigerators.
VIII. DELIBERATIONS ON EDUCATIONAL ISSUES/SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT
A. Advanced Manufacturing GE Foundation Grant – Mary Saris of the North Shore Workforce Investment Board discussed what the board does, the labor shortage in the manufacturing industry, and the GE Foundation grant to expand the GHS Advanced Manufacturing program. Mr. Cook spoke about partnerships with local agencies such as Wellspring, Action, and Open Door and recruitment of people who are unemployed or underemployed in the community. The committee discussed the following matters:
· Use of GHS equipment for the program
· Qualifications for participation
· Training for instructors
· GHS principal’s involvement
· Donation of materials from local companies (Mr. Favazza joined the meeting at 8:10 p.m.)
After discussion, on a motion by Ms. Wiessen, seconded by Ms. Teixeira Prince, it was
VOTED: 6 in favor, 1 present (Mr. Favazza) to suspend the School Committee Rules of Procedure.
Ms. Teixeira Prince made a motion, seconded by Ms. Wiessen, to accept the Advanced Manufacturing GE Foundation grant as presented. After discussion, the motion was amended as follows:
Amended Motion
After discussion, on a motion by Chairman Pope, seconded by Ms. Teixeira Prince, it was
VOTED: 6 in favor, 1 present (Mr. Favazza) to accept a continuing grant from the Essex County Community Foundation to support the Advanced
Manufacturing Training Expansion Program at GHS proposed by the Northeast Advanced Manufacturing Consortium for the term of up to two years, as presented.
(At this time, the agenda was taken out of order.)
C. Youth Risk Behavior Survey – Ms. Jordan discussed the history and importance of the Gloucester Youth Health Survey, which is based on the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Amy Epstein presented a slide show on highlights of the 2019 survey, including data on mental health and safety, substance use, physical and sexual health, and school connectedness. She noted that the use of alcohol, electronic cigarettes and marijuana in Gloucester is greater than the state average for high school students. Mayor Theken
expressed concern with comparing the results of Gloucester’s survey to other cities in the state. She suggested holding a workshop on youth mental health to review the data and get help for teachers. Lt. Jeremiah Nicastro reported that the police department has been working closely with the health department on dealing with childhood trauma and indicated he recently shared a proposal on how the police department can help with that.
B. Elementary School Data –Mr. Bach presented a slide show on the 2019 Elementary Level MCAS Review, including average scaled scores, achievement levels, student growth percentiles by school, notable areas of achievement, and areas for
improvement/review.
D. School Committee Annual Calendar – Tabled.
E. Location of School Committee Meetings – Chairman Pope distributed a list of possible locations for meetings and the dates they are available, noting that it has not yet been discussed by the Building & Finance Subcommittee. This matter was tabled.
IX. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS
A. Building & Finance Subcommittee Meeting of January 15, 2020 – Kathy Clancy reported that the Building & Finance Subcommittee discussed the GHS fieldhouse floor, the GHS library carpeting, installation of kitchen equipment, a pilot program for CO detectors, and bus parking at its meeting of January 15, 2020.
Chairman Pope stated that the School Committee as a whole is supposed to review the warrants, not just the chair of the Building & Finance Subcommittee. He indicated that there are some issues with making the warrants public documents (i.e. identification of special needs students), which have not been worked out yet. He stated that School Committee members can view the warrants by going into the business office on Thursdays or first thing on Friday mornings.
Ms. Teixeira Prince expressed concern with one member signing the warrants and suggested having Mr. Frisch send a summary to members the day the warrant is signed about what is included in the warrant and highlight anything unusual to give members an opportunity to ask questions. Kathy Clancy noted that there used to be a more detailed cover sheet to the warrants with a breakdown of expenses. Chairman Pope stated that since there is such a short window to raise any objections, the members need to rely on the chair of the Building & Finance Subcommittee to forward anything she thinks is questionable and that item can be pulled off the warrant.
VIII. DELIBERATIONS ON EDUCATIONAL ISSUES/SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT (Cont’d)
F. Superintendent’s Report – Dr. Safier updated the committee on the following matters:
· O’Maley Turnaround Site Visit (TSV)
· Student Opportunity Act – Three-Year Plan
On a motion by Ms. Teixeira Prince, seconded by Kathy Clancy, it was unanimously VOTED: 7 in favor, 0 opposed to accept the Superintendent’s Report.
IX. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS (Cont’d)
B. Personnel Subcommittee Meeting of January 15, 2020 – Ms. Teixeira Prince reported that the Personnel Subcommittee discussed the superintendent search process at its meeting of January 15, 2020 and reviewed her written report previously shared with the committee.
After discussion, on a motion by Ms. Teixeira Prince, seconded by Kathy Clancy, it was unanimously
VOTED: 7 in favor, 0 opposed that there not be School Committee members on the superintendent screening committee.
After discussion, on a motion by Ms. Teixeira Prince, seconded by Kathy Clancy, it was unanimously
VOTED: 7 in favor, 0 opposed that the superintendent screening committee consist of the following members:
1 administrator 1 principal
1 elementary teacher 1 middle school teacher 1 high school teacher 1 student support specialist
1 vocational teacher or a person in the trades 1 elementary parent
1 middle school parent 1 high school parent 1 student
1 municipal employee 2 community members
On a motion by Ms. Teixeira Prince, seconded by Kathy Clancy, it was unanimously
VOTED: 7 in favor, 0 opposed that we instruct the superintendent screening committee to nominate no less than three and no more than five finalists.
On a motion by Ms. Teixeira Prince, seconded by Kathy Clancy, it was unanimously VOTED: 7 in favor, 0 opposed that we authorize MASC to conduct the following
focus groups: two for teachers, two for parents, one for community
members, one for municipal employees, one for administrative staff, and one for students.
After discussion, on a motion by Ms. Teixeira Prince, seconded by Kathy Clancy, it was unanimously
VOTED: 7 in favor, 0 opposed that we approve the Superintendent Search Timeline as presented.
The committee discussed the three surveys shared by MASC.
After discussion, on a motion by Mr. Favazza, seconded by Ms. Wiessen, it was
VOTED: 6 in favor, 1 opposed (Mayor Theken) that we remove from consideration Survey Monkey Style II (third option).
The committee discussed questions to be included in the online survey.
(Mr. Frisch left the meeting at 10:40 p.m.)
On a motion by Mr. Favazza, seconded by Kathy Clancy, it was unanimously VOTED: 7 in favor, 0 opposed to extend the meeting for ten minutes.
On a motion by Mr. Favazza, seconded by Ms. Wiessen, it was unanimously
VOTED: 7 in favor, 0 opposed to approve the online survey as constructed in tonight’s discussion (see attached).
C. School Committee Governance Workshop of January 15, 2020 X. ACTION
A. Acceptance of Gloucester Education Foundation Grant – On a motion by Kathy Clancy, seconded by Ms. Wiessen, it was unanimously
VOTED: 7 in favor, 0 opposed to accept a grant from the Gloucester Education Foundation in the amount of $34,000.00 for the following:
· $20,000.00 in tools and equipment for the new makerspace/engineering lab
· $14,000.00 for a number of items to support inquiry-based teaching and learning across the various STEM disciplines
B. Approval of Travel Reimbursement – On a motion by Kathy Clancy, seconded by Ms.
Watson, it was unanimously
VOTED: 7 in favor, 0 opposed to approve the payment of $526.99 to the transportation facilities manager for travel reimbursement.
C. School Committee Members on Superintendent Screening Committee – See Item IX.B.
D. Instructions to Superintendent Screening Committee – See Item IX.B.
E. Authorization to Conduct Focus Groups – See Item IX.B.
F. Approval of Search Committee Member Groups – See Item IX.B.
G. Approval of Superintendent Search Timeline – See Item IX.B.
H. Approval of Format for Superintendent Search Online Survey – See Item IX.B.
XI. DISCUSSION/OTHER COMMUNICATION/OLD AND NEW BUSINESS
A. MSBA Project Update – Chairman Pope reported that the School Building Committee met last week and indicated that the design work will be presented to the School
Committee at a future meeting. There was a discussion about determining the cost of the design.
B. Communication from MASC – FYI.
C. Review of School Committee Operating Protocols and Rules of Procedure – Tabled.
XII. ADJOURNMENT – On a motion by Mr. Favazza, seconded by Ms. Wiessen, it was unanimously
VOTED: 7 in favor, 0 opposed to adjourn the School Committee meeting of January 22, 2020 at 11:16 p.m.
All reference documents and reports are filed in the Superintendent’s office.
Maria Puglisi Recording Secretary
Gloucester Public Schools Superintendent Search Survey
The Gloucester School Committee is conducting a search for a new Superintendent. The School Committee is very interested in receiving input that will assist it in developing a profile for the candidates. Thank you for participating in our survey.
1. Please select the category that best describes you.
◌ Parent/Guardian of a Gloucester Public Schools Student
◌ Employee of the Gloucester Public Schools
◌ Resident of Gloucester without children enrolled in the Gloucester Public Schools
◌ Student enrolled in the Gloucester Public Schools
◌ Other, please specify:________________________________________________
2. Please select the three (3) most important areas of expertise that the new superintendent should possess:
◌ Budget development/management
◌ Curriculum development and evaluation
◌ Goal setting/strategic planning and implementation
◌ Facilities management and development
◌ Human resources management and staff evaluation
◌ Community relations and communication
◌ School-based technology and digital learning
◌ Data analysis
◌ Building construction projects
◌ Collective bargaining/negotiations
◌ Vocational/technical education
3. Please select the seven (7) most important experiences and skill areas that the new superintendent should possess:
◌ Ability to develop and direct an effective Administrative Leadership Team
◌ Maintain visibility and accessibility to staff
◌ Maintain visibility and accessibility to parents/guardians
◌ Maintain visibility and accessibility to students
◌ Maintain visibility and accessibility to the community
◌ Demonstrated ability to work with elected officials beyond the School Committee
◌ Exceptional written communication skills
◌ Demonstrated skill in digital and social media
◌ Excellent speaking skills with large and small groups
◌ Fosters professional development of staff
◌ Strong knowledge of and experience with school finance
◌ Success in improving/maintaining high academic performance
◌ Experience in development and implementation of curriculum
◌ Successful administrative experience
◌ Understands and recognizes good teaching
◌ Experience in promoting professional development for all staff
◌ Understanding of Special Education
◌ Demonstrated knowledge of Social Emotional Learning
◌ Demonstrated track record of valuing equity in staff, students and community
◌ Demonstrated track record of promoting diversity and inclusion of staff, students and community
◌ Demonstrated knowledge of trauma informed teaching practices
4. Please select the five (5) most important personal characteristics that the new superintendent should possess:
◌ A problem solver
◌ Ethical and honest
◌ Visionary
◌ A strong communicator
◌ A strong listener
◌ A risk taker
◌ Collaborative
◌ Approachable
◌ Assertive
◌ Goal-oriented
◌ Culturally competent
◌ Inclusive
◌ Commitment to equity
5. What do you believe is/will be the most important issue facing the next superintendent?
6. In choosing the next superintendent, which path or strategy below do you think the School Committee should take?
◌ Find a candidate who will stay the course and continue the good work of the current administration
◌ Find a candidate with the same basic educational and management philosophy as the current administration, but who can make some necessary changes
◌ Find a very different kind of candidate - one who is ready to take the Gloucester Public Schools in a significantly different direction
Tell us why you chose your answer above. If you think the district should stay the course, what aspects of the district give you confidence in its leadership? If you think the course of the district should change, what changes would you like the new superintendent to make and why?
