SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING * * * * * * *

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The GLOUCESTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS

__________________________________________________________________________________

Our Mission is for all Students to be Successful, Engaged, Lifelong Learners

SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING

Wednesday, February 26, 2014 7:00 pm

Central Office – Superintendent’s Conference Room 2 Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930

AGENDA

I. CALL TO ORDER/Statement of Mission II. SALUTE TO THE FLAG

III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS

IV. COMMENTS FROM THE CHAIRPERSON V. RECOGNITIONS

VI. GHS STUDENT ADVISORY COUNCIL VII. CONSENT AGENDA

A. Approval of Minutes

*1. School Committee Minutes and Executive Session (Confidential) of February 12, 2014

*2. Special Building & Finance Sub-Committee Minutes of January 29, 2014

*3. Special Building & Finance Sub-Committee Minutes of February 3, 2014

*4. Special Building & Finance Sub-Committee Minutes of February 4, 2014

*5. Amended School Committee Minutes of January 22, 2014

*6. Program Sub-Committee Minutes of February 6, 2014

*^B. Approval of Warrants – Cover Sheets C. Approval of Transfers

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School Committee Agenda – February 26, 2014 Page 2

*^D. Acceptance of Grants

1. DESE “District and School Assistance Grant” $8,918 2. DESE “District and School Assistance Grant” $8,452 3. DESE “Title I, Part A Grant” $18,323

4. DESE “FY14 Innovation School Enhancement & Sustainability Grant”

$30,000

VIII. DELIBERATIONS ON EDUCATIONAL ISSUES/SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT

*^A. FY 2015 Proposed Budget

B. Report on the Joint City Council/School Committee Meeting

*^C. Superintendent’s Report

IX. SUB-COMMITTEE REPORTS (Items listed under X. ACTION may be brought forward with reports)

X. ACTION

DISCLAIMER: Listed below are all known items that may require action but action may not be taken on all items listed; i.e., action items that are known including all votes taken by all sub- committees previous to the Friday before a Wednesday School Committee meeting and items that may flow from the Superintendent’s Report

*^A. Second Reading Approval of Revised Wellness Policy, File ADF XI. DISCUSSION/OTHER COMMUNICATION/OLD AND NEW BUSINESS

A. Massachusetts School Building Authority Project Update XII. EXECUTIVE SESSION

XIII. ADJOURNMENT

List of upcoming meetings – Meetings will be held at the Central Office, Superintendent’s Conference Room unless otherwise noted:

• March 12 & 26

• April 9 & 30

• May 14 & 28

• June 11 & 25

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VII.A.2.

THE GLOUCESTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Our mission is for all students to be successful, engaged, lifelong learners.

Special Building & Finance Subcommittee Meeting Minutes

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Superintendent’s Conference Room – District Office 5:30 p.m.

Members Present Administration Present

Kathy Clancy, Chairperson Dr. Richard Safier, Superintendent

Jonathan Pope, Member Hans Baumhauer, Dir. of Finance and

Melissa Teixeira, Alternate Operations

Telena Imel, West Parish Principal _________________________________________________________________________________

I. CALL TO ORDER – Chairperson Clancy called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. and stated the mission of the Gloucester Public Schools.

II. REPORTS/DELIBERATION/DISCUSSION

A. Review of West Parish FY15 Budget Proposal – Dr. Safier and Ms. Imel reviewed the non-salary line items in the West Parish proposed budget. Ms. Imel stated that the increase in classroom equipment primarily reflects the need for cafeteria tables and additional storage at St. Ann’s. Dr. Safier indicated that those items could be moved to another school once West Parish leaves St. Ann’s. He also stated a need to talk with the other elementary principals to see what they would like from West Parish once they leave St. Ann’s.

Ms. Imel stated that parent volunteers intend to provide library services at St. Ann’s. She indicated that rolling carts could be used for the library books, which would be rotated in and out of circulation every couple of months. A laptop will be needed to check books in and out. Dr. Safier stated that the students at St. Ann’s could also go to the Sawyer Free Library. Ms. Imel noted that Deb Lucey will make the O’Maley library available for fifth graders and that all three fifth grade teachers have large classroom libraries. There will not be a computer lab at St. Ann’s, but the Macs from the current computer lab will be placed in each classroom.

Finally, the committee discussed morning drop-off locations at St. Ann’s, the need for a crossing guard at Prospect and Pleasant Streets, the possibility of busing all students from St. Ann’s to O’Maley for afternoon pickup, and teacher parking.

(Ms. Imel left the meeting at 6:03 p.m.)

(Principal Carol Bratt joined the meeting at 6:04 p.m.)

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Special B&F Subcommittee Minutes of January 29, 2014 – Page 2

B. Review of East Gloucester FY15 Budget Proposal – Dr. Safier and Ms. Bratt reviewed the non-salary line items in the East Gloucester proposed budget. There was a discussion about the proposed outdoor art classroom, and Ms. Bratt discussed her request for a part- time school adjustment counselor.

(Ms. Bratt left the meeting at 6:26 p.m.)

(Special Ed Director Patty Wegmann joined the meeting at 6:27 p.m.)

C. Review of Special Education FY15 Budget Proposal – Ms. Wegmann stated that the report by the Walker Partnerships on the assessment of the special education program should be available by the beginning of March.

Dr. Safier and Ms. Wegmann reviewed the non-salary line items in the Special Education proposed budget. Ms. Wegmann reviewed out-of-district tuition costs and noted that the increase is a result of students moving into the district as well as DCF moving students around and the district having to share in the cost of a more expensive placement.

Mr. Baumhauer discussed Circuit Breaker funds and the possibility of prepaying out-of- district tuition costs. Chairperson Clancy indicated that she would like to know the dollar amount for students that have been moved into the district through DCF. Mr. Pope suggested that these costs be discussed at the upcoming School Committee/City Council joint meeting.

Mr. Pope asked Ms. Wegmann for her input on Tammy Morgan’s request for a learning center at Plum Cove. Ms. Wegmann stated that Dr. Safier has asked her to look into the matter but indicated that Plum Cove does a very good job responding to the needs of their students. She noted that the makeup of the students there is very different from some of the other schools and indicated that the caseloads of the two special education teachers at Plum Cove are not comparable to the other special education staff in the district.

Ms. Wegmann acknowledged that Plum Cove does need a time-out room. She stated that she would like to review some data on how many students have left Plum Cove because they do not have a learning center. To her knowledge, there have only been two students that were sent out to other learning centers in the last three or four years.

Dr. Safier noted that there are two types of learning centers, behavioral and academic. Of the 31 students on IEPs at Plum Cove, nine are receiving speech and language or

counseling only, leaving a caseload of 22 students for the two special education teachers.

With respect to the students that need specially designed instruction, Dr. Safier stated that it is one of the responsibilities of teachers to provide differentiated curriculum.

Ms. Wegmann believes the district needs to keep special education students in the least restrictive setting and compel teachers to provide differentiated instruction. If we start self-containing students that need just a little help, we run the risk of moving the district backwards. Dr. Safier noted that, to the contrary, the co-teaching model seeks to pull students out of substantially separate programs. He stated that he will have another conversation with Ms. Morgan about co-teaching at Plum Cove.

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Mr. Baumhauer indicated that he will get an estimate from the GHS vocational program on what it would cost to put an addition on Plum Cove. Ms. Teixeira noted that we could also submit an application to the North Shore Tech for such a project. Finally, there was a discussion about the condition of the modular unit at West Parish.

(Ms. Wegmann left the meeting at 7:13 p.m.) III. ACTION – None.

IV. ADJOURNMENT – On a motion by Mr. Pope, seconded by Ms. Teixeira, it was unanimously

VOTED: 3 in favor zero opposed, to adjourn the Special Building & Finance Subcommittee Meeting of January 29, 2014 at 7:22 p.m.

All reference documents and reports are filed in the Superintendent’s office.

Maria Puglisi Recording Secretary

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VII.A.3.

Monday, February 3, 2014

Jonathan Pope, Member Gregg Bach, Assistant Superintendent

Melissa Teixeira, Alternate Hans Baumhauer, Director of Finance and Operations

_________________________________________________________________________________

A. Review of Professional Development FY15 Budget Proposal – Mr. Bach reviewed the line items in the budget that are contractually negotiated over which he has no control, which represents the bulk of the Professional Development account. He then reviewed the other line items in the proposed budget.

Mr. Bach stated that since the Investigations math program is ten years old and was not designed for intervention groups or to support teachers in small group instruction, he believes there will be very strong support by teachers for a new math program. He has therefore budgeted for substantial summer professional development for such a program.

Mr. Bach stated that teachers would not be forced to adopt the new program in the first year because of all the initiatives that are out there now, but he is hopeful that most teachers will choose to attend the publisher’s professional development over the summer and that those teachers could then lead others throughout the year with in-house

professional development.

There was a discussion about the math curriculum at O’Maley. Dr. Safier reported that the district is looking at integrating the work that is being done at O’Maley so that it is consistent with the Common Core pathways and standards. In addition, the same exams that are given to students at the high school will be assigned to seventh grade algebra and eighth grade geometry students to see how they are doing.

Mr. Bach stated that the net increase to the Professional Development budget is $89,000, the largest part of which is $65,000 for a new math program. With respect to other possible increases to the budget, Dr. Safier noted that there has been a lukewarm response to postings for committees to develop District-Determined Measures, which may result in the district having to invest in standardized assessments.

(Mr. Bach left the meeting at 5:35 p.m.)

(IT Operations Manager Grant Harris joined the meeting at 5:35 p.m.)

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B. Review of Information Technology FY15 Budget Proposal – Dr. Safier and Mr. Harris reviewed the non-salary line items in the IT proposed budget. Mr. Harris discussed printer contracts, an increase in bandwidth for the district, and the staff Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program. The committee discussed the possibility of providing Internet access for students in the GHS library and/or cafeteria, the Mathletics program, email archiving, and whether all staff have district email accounts. Mr. Harris indicated that classroom computers at O’Maley and the high school will be replaced with more energy efficient all-in-one PCs with Windows 7. There was a discussion about whether the requested budget will make the district more competitive with other districts in the area.

(Mr. Harris left the meeting at 6:22 p.m.)

(Principal Debra Lucey joined the meeting at 6:25 p.m.)

C. Review of O’Maley FY15 Budget Proposal – Dr. Safier and Principal Lucey reviewed the non-salary line items in the O’Maley proposed budget. The committee discussed the installation of security cameras, the replacement of desks with tables and chairs in two sixth grade classrooms to facilitate group work, interactive white board upgrades, the difference between iPads and Chromebooks, and the implementation of a 1:1 digital environment.

III. ACTION – None.

VOTED: 3 in favor zero opposed, to adjourn the Special Building & Finance Subcommittee Meeting of February 3, 2014 at 7:07 p.m.

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VII.A.4.

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Jonathan Pope, Member Hans Baumhauer, Director of Finance

Melissa Teixeira, Alternate (5:34 p.m.) and Operations

Ann-Marie Jordan, Preschool Administrator

_________________________________________________________________________________

A. Review of Preschool FY15 Budget Proposal – Dr. Safier and Ann-Marie Jordan reviewed the non-salary line items in the preschool proposed budget. Ms. Jordan discussed the Lively Letters program; Teaching Strategies GOLD, a web-based

assessment tool purchased with a grant; the need for additional storage, a special vision screening tool, and a therapeutic swing; and replacement of aging furniture/equipment necessary for accreditation. There was a discussion about the capacity of the preschool and which line items represent new expenses.

(Ms. Teixeira joined the meeting at 5:34 p.m.)

Ms. Teixeira reported that one of the preschool teachers expressed a need for an additional classroom. Ms. Jordan stated that she would follow up with her to see what she meant by that because Ms. Jordan does not believe the preschool is at that point yet.

She anticipates that within the next month or two, she will have a better sense of whether space will be an issue.

(Ms. Jordan left the meeting at 5:38 p.m.)

(Transportation Manager Kathy Verga joined the meeting at 5:40 p.m.)

B. Review of Transportation FY15 Budget Proposal – Dr. Safier and Kathy Verga reviewed the non-salary line items in the Transportation proposed budget. There was a discussion about transportation of homeless students living out of town. Ms. Teixeira suggested talking to the superintendent of the North Shore Tech about using their bus service to transport some of our homeless students between Gloucester and Middleton.

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Special B&F Subcommittee Minutes of February 4, 2014 – Page 2

Ms. Verga reviewed the out-of-district transportation expenses, noting that two more students have been added since she prepared the budget. She stated that she increased last year’s costs by 5%, which she believes is realistic.

(Ms. Verga left the meeting at 6:05 p.m.)

C. Review of Employee Benefits FY15 Budget Proposal – Mr. Baumhauer reviewed the non-salary line items in the Employee Benefits proposed budget. He noted that the number for health insurance will most likely change after the GIC open enrollment period in April/May and that he will be speaking with Kenny Costa about how to handle retired teachers’ health insurance. There was a discussion about negotiating settlements with employees who have been receiving workers compensation for over ten years.

D. Review of Central Office FY15 Budget Proposal – Dr. Safier and Mr. Baumhauer reviewed the non-salary line items in the Central Office proposed budget. There was a discussion about legal fees and the need for storage. Mr. Baumhauer stated that movers will be needed to move all of the records from the Fuller building to Blackburn Drive.

With respect to next steps, Mr. Baumhauer stated that his goal is to have the salary line items completed and then prepare summaries. He will also look at the revolving accounts to see how much can be used to offset the budget. Chairperson Clancy stated that she would like to review the revolving accounts, as well. Mr. Baumhauer would also like to have Mr. Bach present the status of grants to the subcommittee. In addition, he would like to invite Mike Hale to a meeting to review what the DPW is requesting for the schools.

III. ACTION – None.

VOTED: 3 in favor zero opposed, to adjourn the Special Building & Finance Subcommittee Meeting of February 4, 2014 at 6:45 p.m.

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VII.A.5.

Amended School Committee Meeting Minutes

Wednesday, January 22, 2014 City Hall – Kyrouz Auditorium

7:00 p.m.

Jonathan Pope, Chairman Dr. Richard Safier, Superintendent

Melissa Teixeira, Vice Chairperson Gregg Bach, Assistant Superintendent

Kathy Clancy, Secretary Hans Baumhauer, Director of Finance

Tony Gross and Operations

Michelle Sweet Erik Anderson, GHS Principal

Jack O’Maley

__ Recorded by Cape Ann TV 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 – None.

V. RECOGNITIONS – None.

VI. GHS STUDENT ADVISORY COUNCIL – Jordan Westling and Casey introduced themselves and updated the committee on the following events at Gloucester High School:

JROTC rifle drill; students accepted to North Shore Community College; students

interviewed by Harvard, MIT and Yale; mid-terms; class dues; parking problems at school due to parking ban; and the “Rule of 90” (students who have a 90 or above in a class should be exempt from taking the final).

VII. CONSENT AGENDA A. Approval of Minutes

1. School Committee Meeting of January 8, 2014

2. Building & Finance Subcommittee Meeting of January 15, 2014 B. Acceptance of Gift – $500.00 from Exxon Mobil Corporation and Sandy Bay

Service Center to GHS

C. Approval of Warrants – Cover Sheets D. Approval of Transfers

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Amended School Committee Meeting Minutes of January 22, 2014 – Page 2

E. Acceptance of GEF Grant – $7,992.80 to O’Maley Innovation Middle School for the upgrading and repair of theater equipment

On a motion by Ms. Teixeira, seconded by Kathy Clancy, it was unanimously

VOTED: 6 in favor zero opposed, to approve the Consent Agenda as noted above.

VIII. DELIBERATIONS ON EDUCATIONAL ISSUES/SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT At this time, the agenda was taken out of order.

B. Advanced Placement/SAT Report – First, Principal Erik Anderson reported that the

“Rule of 90” has been officially reinstated at the high school. He then gave a

presentation on MCAS performance, PSAT participants, SAT scores, and the average number of SAT and ACT test takers. He noted that his goal is to increase the number of test takers and to increase their performance. Mr. Anderson also reviewed the benefits of the AP program, current AP course offerings and enrollment, the number of test takers, scoring, 2013 AP Scholar Award recipients, and challenges to be addressed.

The following matters were discussed:

• Increasing awareness of the ACT and PSAT

• Guidance department’s role in increasing the number of test takers

• Career Awareness Day

• SAT prep courses

• John and Abigail Adams Scholarship

A. Bay State Reading Institute – Overview – Dr. Safier reviewed the BSRI Schools 2013 MCAS data report, including the key findings, improvement in school

pedagogy, MCAS gains, closing of the proficiency gap, and progress towards goals.

Reading coaches Peggy Brown (East Gloucester), Alexandria Osburn (Plum Cove), and Adrienne Ricci-Munn (West Parish) shared how BSRI has supported their schools, and Ed Moscovitch, Chairman and co-founder of BSRI, spoke about the BSRI model, including the challenges of making changes in the classroom, reciprocal teaching, and giving teachers and principals a sense of ownership.

(A 5-minute break was taken at this time.)

C. Mid-Year District Improvement Plan – Mr. Bach reviewed the evidence of effectiveness with respect to curriculum mapping and the progress towards meeting the ELA PPI and SGP. He stated that the energy that was going into development of a benchmark/common assessment system has been redirected to develop District- Determined Measures (DDMs).

Dr. Safier reviewed the evidence of effectiveness with respect to Professional Learning Communities and implementation of BSRI at all five elementary schools.

He encouraged committee members to visit classrooms and sit in on data meetings.

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Mr. Bach reported on the use of data to support and inform instruction, including analysis of common assessments. He stated that a DDM advisory team will be meeting soon to survey existing and potential DDMs and develop a plan that will be presented in May.

Finally, Dr. Safier reported on development of a professional culture,

communications and public relations, implementation of Second Step in all five elementary schools, the updated special education policy manual, and improvement of academic performance of special education students.

There was a discussion about funding for the development of DDMs. Mr. Bach noted that the Race to the Top grant has been helpful but that it is ending this year. He is not aware of any additional funding for this purpose.

Dr. Safier noted that the regulations and our new contract agreement indicate that the DDMs will be determined by the superintendent. However, the way they measure impact on student achievement will be negotiated. He stated that the union has already indicated which ones they feel have an impact on working conditions. Dr. Safier noted that the process will be as inclusive as possible so that there is an investment on the part of the teachers.

D. Superintendent’s Goals – Dr. Safier reviewed his goals for calendar year 2014.

On a motion by Mr. Gross, seconded by Kathy Clancy, it was unanimously VOTED: 6 in favor zero opposed, to accept the Superintendent’s Goals.

E. Superintendent’s Report – Dr. Safier updated the committee on the following matters:

1. School Choice – Kathy Clancy suggested publicizing all of the opportunities available at O’Maley and the high school, as well as offering tours for parents and students and printing testimonials in the local paper.

2. PARCC

3. Update on House Bill 524, An Act Raising the School Dropout Age On a motion by Kathy Clancy, seconded by Ms. Sweet, it was unanimously VOTED: 6 in favor zero opposed, to accept the Superintendent’s Report.

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Amended School Committee Meeting Minutes of January 22, 2014 – Page 4 IX. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS

A. Personnel Subcommittee of January 14, 2014 – No report necessary (mediation session).

B. Building & Finance Subcommittee of January 15, 2014 – Chairperson Clancy reported that the Building & Finance Subcommittee discussed the food service lunch balance, the Sentinel Health Insurance overage, and unanticipated special education out-of-district expenses at its meeting on January 15, 2014.

After discussion, on a motion by Kathy Clancy, seconded by Ms. Sweet, it was

VOTED: 5 in favor, 1 abstained (Ms. Teixeira) to authorize the CFO to transfer the amount of $5,000.00 from the Central Office Contingency Fund to the appropriate account for the purpose of pursuing legal action for the collection of bad debt owed to the Food Service Department.

Ms. Teixeira noted that she abstained from this vote to avoid any potential conflict of interest that may arise from her employment at Gloucester District Court. She also explained the issue with the GIC and Sentinel Health Insurance.

After discussion, on a motion by Kathy Clancy, seconded by Ms. Sweet, it was unanimously

VOTED: 6 in favor zero opposed, to authorize the CFO to transfer the amount of

$92,000.00 from the Central Office Contingency Fund to the appropriate account to pay for the unanticipated Sentinel Health Insurance overage.

After discussion, on a motion by Kathy Clancy, seconded by Ms. Teixeira, it was unanimously

VOTED: 6 in favor zero opposed, to authorize the CFO to transfer the amount of

$68,000.00 from the Central Office Contingency Fund to the

appropriate account to pay for unanticipated special education out-of- district expenses.

Dr. Safier reported that the $68,000 covers the cost of a half year of expenses for two special education students who moved into the district this year and that we can expect double that cost plus the usual cost of living increase for next year.

Kathy Clancy stated that since we are asking for free cash, it is important to draw down the contingency fund so that the City Council knows that we have these unanticipated expenses. The free cash would backfill the contingency fund in the event other expenses arise in the spring.

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Amended School Committee Meeting Minutes of January 22, 2014 – Page 5 X. ACTION

A. Approval of Transfers – See Item IX.B.

1. To approve a transfer of funds to pursue legal action for collection of bad debt owed to the Food Service Department

2. To approve a transfer of funds to pay unanticipated Sentinel Health Insurance overage

3. To approve a transfer of funds to pay unanticipated Special Education out-of- district expenses

XI. DISCUSSION/OTHER COMMUNICATION/OLD AND NEW BUSINESS

A. MSBA Project Update – Dr. Safier reported that a pre-approval meeting was held at the MSBA on January 16th to look at the status of the agreements and documents to ensure everything is in place. The vote by the MSBA board to approve the West Parish project is set for January 29th.

Dr. Safier noted that the City Council Planning & Development Committee met today and approved the special permit application for a height variance. The application will go before the City Council on January 28th for a public hearing and vote. He stated that the CIAB will be reviewing the West Parish proposal on January 23rd.

Finally, Dr. Safier stated that on January 30th, a subcommittee of the School Building Committee will be conducting interviews for the Construction Manager at Risk. The next building committee meeting will be held on February 6, 2014 to discuss the schedule going forward, etc.

B. Note from Chairperson Pope – Chairperson Pope noted that the health insurance issue should be added to the joint City Council/School Committee meeting agenda.

C. School Committee Directory and Subcommittee Assignments – Kathy Clancy and Michelle Sweet will be added as liaisons to the Sick Bank. Ms. Teixeira will be added as liaison to the Special Education Parent Advisory Committee, and Kathy Clancy will be added as liaison to Information Technology and Youth

Initiatives/Teen Mentoring. Finally, Ms. Sweet indicated that she will call Joan Whitney at the Health Department to find out about Healthy Lifestyles.

D. Early Release Day – Dr. Safier stated that GHS administration has requested that the early release day on January 28, 2014 be rescheduled to another date in light of midterms, etc.

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On a motion by Ms. Teixeira, seconded by Ms. Sweet, it was unanimously

VOTED: 6 in favor zero opposed, to revise the 2013-2014 School Calendar to reflect a full day of school at the high school on January 28, 2014 and an early release day at the high school on a future date to be

determined.

XII. EXECUTIVE SESSION – None. Chairman Pope noted that the committee is still waiting to hear back from the nurses.

XIII. ADJOURNMENT – On a motion by Ms. Sweet, seconded by Kathy Clancy, it was unanimously

VOTED: 6 in favor zero opposed, to adjourn the School Committee Meeting of January 22, 2014 at 9:59 p.m.

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VII.A.6.

Program Subcommittee Meeting Minutes

Thursday, February 6, 2014 Room 114 – District Office

5:00 p.m.

Michelle Sweet, Chairperson Gregg Bach, Asst. Superintendent Melissa Teixeira, Vice Chairperson Patti Wegmann, Special Education

Jack O’Maley Director

Cindy Juncker, Nurse Leader

_________________________________________________________________________________

I. CALL TO ORDER – Chairperson Sweet called the meeting to order at 5:05 p.m. and stated the mission of the Gloucester Public Schools.

II. REPORTS/DELIBERATIONS/DISCUSSION At this time, the agenda was taken out of order.

D. Implementation of Audio and Video Recording of Meetings – Ms. Wegmann stated that this policy was drafted by Attorney Michael Joyce due to the fact that some parents and advocates have been recording IEP meetings. She indicated that this creates a lot of discomfort among staff because they feel they are being scrutinized and that something they say could be misconstrued. She believes that people are much more relaxed and speak more freely when they are not being recorded. Mr. O’Maley stated that he feels that teachers are compromising their professionalism if they do not say what they are doing.

Ms. Wegmann noted that the draft policy allows parents who have certain disabilities that impact their ability to hear what people are saying to audiotape or videotape a meeting after requesting authorization from the superintendent.

Ms. Teixeira and Mr. Bach expressed concern that simply discussing this policy will result in an increase in the frequency of meetings being recorded. Mr. Bach suggested that Ms. Wegmann get a sense from other districts on how frequently IEP meetings are recorded.

Ms. Teixeira expressed concern with parents using their iPhones or some other personal device to record meetings and stated that if we are allowing recording of meetings, the district should have the equipment to do so and provide copies to parents. She

requested that Ms. Wegmann do more research on what other districts are doing and how they are doing it before this policy is recommended to the full School Committee.

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Program Subcommittee Minutes of February 6, 2014 – Page 2

After discussion, on a motion by Mr. O’Maley, seconded by Ms. Teixeira, it was unanimously

VOTED: 3 in favor zero opposed, to continue this matter to the next meeting to receive more information.

(Ms. Wegmann left the meeting at 5:20 p.m.)

A. Revised Wellness Policy, File ADF – Cindy Juncker reported that this policy was revised in accordance with the recommendations made by the subcommittee back in December. She stated that BMI data is still being collected but is only sent home when parents request it. With respect to the paragraph regarding the Summer Food Service Program, the phrase “has volunteered and” was inserted before the word

“will.”

After discussion, on a motion by Ms. Teixeira, seconded by Mr. O’Maley, it was unanimously

VOTED: 3 in favor zero opposed, to recommend to the full School Committee that we adopt the Wellness Policy, File ADF, as amended by the Program Subcommittee on February 6, 2014.

Ms. Juncker reported that students are going to participate in the Wellness Committee meeting on February 25th to address concerns with food service. That committee’s report will go to the superintendent, together with the goals set by the committee.

(Ms. Juncker left the meeting at 5:34 p.m.)

G. Update on Writing Across Content Area Initiatives – Mr. Bach reported on what is happening at the middle school with respect to this matter and stated that he would like to invite J.P. Ware, a part-time writing coach at O’Maley, to the next meeting to discuss it. The subcommittee agreed.

E. Update on Standards Based Report Card Initiative – Mr. Bach distributed and reviewed the generic report card currently in use at the elementary schools, which does not align to the Common Core standards, does not have a professional appearance, and is slightly different at all of the schools.

Mr. Bach also distributed and reviewed a proposed report card and indicated that teachers will have two opportunities to provide feedback on the standards that are included in it, with a final draft completed in June. He stated that math, reading and language will be done next year and that writing, science and social studies will be done the following year. A mid-term progress report will also be included on the report card.

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Mr. Bach also reviewed a scoring rubric from the Billerica Public Schools, which provides teachers with prompts to assist in determining students’ grades.

Finally, Mr. Bach stated that the new report cards will be in iPass, which will

streamline the process for teachers and allow parents to log on to look at their child’s report cards and attendance. There was a discussion about getting confirmation from parents that they have seen the report cards and translating it for parents who cannot read English.

F. Update on Possible Math Exploratory – Mr. Bach reviewed the status of the Investigations math program, noting that it is now ten years old, is not aligned to the Common Core, provides no guidance for teachers, and requires significant

supplementation by teachers, who all use something different. Consequently, the district is in the exploratory phase of consideration of a new math program.

Mr. Bach reviewed the responses to a recent survey he provided to teachers on the Investigations math program, indicating that 76% of them are supplementing the program, 71% believe that assessments are not well-aligned, and 78% believe math instruction is inconsistent across the district.

Mr. Bach stated that during February and April, the exploratory committee will be looking at two new programs, “Go Math” and “Math in Focus.” The committee will do some site visits to other districts and present their findings to the full staff.

Teachers will then have an opportunity to weigh in confidentially on whether there is a need for a new program and whether they are ready for a new program. If some teachers are ready to implement a new program and others are not, volunteers could take the publisher’s training during the summer, use the program, and become the trainers for the following year.

Mr. Bach noted that if we do not change the math program, using the math portion of the new report card is not going to work. If we stay with the Investigations program, we would need to put some work into it to comply with the Common Core standards.

Finally, there was a discussion about MCAS math scores. Mr. Bach stated that we made gains this year but that we still have an achievement gap that needs to be addressed. At the very least, he believes we need to adopt something for our special education teachers to use.

B. School District Annual Report Policy, File CM – Given the amount of reporting to the School Committee that takes place throughout the year, including facilities reports, special education reports, professional development reports, assessment reports, the district improvement plan, and the superintendent’s goals, Mr. Bach asked what the School Committee is looking for that is not already being reported on.

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Ms. Teixeira stated that years ago, a former School Committee member received an annual report from another district, which she believes is more of a promotional document showcasing the schools to the public. Ms. Teixeira thinks it would be nice to have such a document but stated that the district probably does not have the resources to do it. Mr. O’Maley suggested that this information could be put on the website and noted that he had difficulty finding certain information on the website.

After discussion, on a motion by Ms. Teixeira, seconded by Mr. O’Maley, it was unanimously

VOTED: 3 in favor zero opposed, to request from the full School Committee a decision on whether to adopt the practice of the current School District Annual Report Policy, File CM, or to refer the policy back to the Program Subcommittee to amend it to reflect the needs and goals of the district.

C. Athletic and Cheerleading Booster Organization Policy, File KJAA – Chairperson Sweet stated that the Docksiders, JROTC and theater booster organizations should be included in this policy. Ms. Teixeira recommended that someone reach out to MASC to find out what policies exist with respect to this matter.

On a motion by Ms. Teixeira, seconded by Mr. O’Maley, it was unanimously

VOTED: 3 in favor zero opposed, to continue this matter to the next meeting to receive more information.

III. ACTION – See Items II.A, II.B, II.C and II.D.

IV. ADJOURNMENT – On a motion by Ms. Teixeira, seconded by Mr. O’Maley, it was unanimously

VOTED: 3 in favor zero opposed, to adjourn the Program Subcommittee Meeting of February 6, 2014 at 6:43 p.m.

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+

The Gloucester Public Schools

School Committee Operating Budget

Our mission is for all students to be successful, engaged, lifelong learners

Proposed Operating Budget: FY15 Presentation to the School Committee

February 26, 2014

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+ Draft Budget Development Process

  Presentation of Draft Budget February 26, 2014

  Individual Principal/Dept. Budget Meetings January 9-30

  Leadership Team Budget Meeting January 9, 2014

  Supt./CFO Review Budget Proposals December 15 ff.

  Principals/Dept.s Submit Level Service December 20, 2014

  FY15 Level Service Budgets Prepared Nov.-Dec., 2013

  Supt./CFO Present FY15 Budget Guidelines November 14, 2013

1

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+ Draft Budget Development Process

  School Committee Final Vote by June 25, 2014

  City Council Final Vote by June 17, 2014

  City Council Review and Public Hearing (45 days)

  Mayor’s Draft Citywide Budget to CC May 6, 2014

  SC Final Vote for Submission to Mayor April 9, 2014

  Public Hearing April 2, 2014

  SC Vote for Public Hearing March 12, 2014

  SC Review Feb.-Mar., 2014

2

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+ FY 15 Proposed

Level Service Budget

Date FY14

Approved FY15

Proposed Amount

Increase Percent Increase

02.26.14 $36,998,750 $39,618,230 $2,619,480 7.08%

3

Level Service provides the necessary additional funds to allow the school budget to cover all salary and non-salary expenses necessary to maintain the same level of services and staffing that existed in the prior school year.

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+ FY15 Proposed Adjusted Budget

Date FY14

Adjusted FY15

Proposed Amount

Increase Percent Increase

02.26.14 37,381,750* $39,618,230 $2,236,480 5.98%

4

*The FY14 Adjusted Budget includes the $383,053 of Free Cash Supplemental Appropriation.

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+ FY14 Free Cash

Supplemental Appropriation

 Special Education Paraprofessionals $150,000

 Special Education Out-of-District Tuitions $68,000

 Preschool Teacher $26,553

 Sentinel Benefits $92,000

 Misc. Preschool Central Office Move $46,500 $383,053

5

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+ FY15 Proposed Budget Summary

FY14

July 1, 2013 FY14

Adjusted FY15

Proposed Percent

Salary $25,760, 475 $25,937,028* $27,148,593 4.67%

Ordinary $11,238,275 $11,444,775* $12,469,637 8.95%

Totals $36,998,750 $37,381,803 $39,618,230 5.98%

6

*Adjustment to the Base = $383,053 (see previous slide) Increase = $2,236,427

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+ Losses in Grants

 

Tower Grant $ 30,560

 

Race to the Top $183,377

$ 213,937

Anticipated Grant Loss

Est. 5%-9%

 

Title I $ 25,000-45,000

 

Title II Part A-140 $ 6,600-12,000

7

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+ Significant Increases to FY15 Draft Proposed Budget (Benefits)

 COLA for FY15 $ 520,143

 Track and Step GTA $ 616,509

 Step Increase GAEP $ 49,574

 Medical Insurance $ 100,000

 Anticipated Health Insurance “Savings” $ 50,000 $1,336,226

8

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+ Significant Increases to FY15 Draft Proposed Budget (SPED)

 Out-of-District Placement $359,550

 New Tuition Cost for Compass Program $ 70,000

 Out-of-District Transportation $104,103 $533,653

9

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+ Significant Increases to

FY15 Proposed Budget (Other)

 Veterans’ BSRI Cost (Loss RTTT) $ 36,000

 New Math Program $ 65,000

 PD for Math Program $ 21,500

 Transportation Fuel/Supplies/Lease $ 59,540

 Transition to St. Ann’s $ 30,000

 Credit Recovery $ 20,000

$232,040

10

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+ Significant Increases to

FY15 Proposed Budget (Staff)

 Beeman Grade 5 Teacher $ 55,000

 Veterans’ Grade 5 Co-teaching (offset) $ 45,230

 Preschool Teacher (mid-FY14 hire) $ 55,000

 Preschool Para (mid-FY14 hire) $ 18,000

 SPED Teacher .5 (West Parish) $ 27,000

 ELL Teacher (partial offset by tutor) $ 41,000 $196,000

11

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+ Significant Increases to FY15 Proposed Budget

12

Benefits - 53.20%

SPED - 21.25%

Other - 9.24%

Staff - 7.80%

Grant Loss - 8.52%

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+ Requests Not in Proposed FY15 Budget

  Beeman

  Social Worker; Noon Supervisor; Administrative Assistant

  East Gloucester

  .5 Adjustment Counselor

  West Parish

  1 Additional Crossing Guard at St. Ann’s

  Plum Cove

  Additional SPED Teacher and Paraprofessional

  O’Maley

  Increase STEM Lab Consultant 18 days

13

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1

VIII.C.

The Gloucester Public Schools

Our mission is for all students to be successful, lifelong learners

Report of the Superintendent of Schools

School Committee Meeting February 26, 2014

1. District-Determined Measures Update

The DESE has provided us with a template to submit District-Determined Measures (DDMs) Implementation Plans. Completed plans are to be emailed to the DESE by June 1, 2014. At the time of submission, districts may request a one-year extension for specific grades/subjects or courses for which DDMs have not yet been identified. Such extensions will be conditioned on ongoing district progress in implementing DDMs and a clear plan for utilizing the extension.

Sample of the Template

DDM Name

DDM Source

Grade Span

Subject Area

Type of Assessment

# Educators Using DDM

Comments

1. Common writing assessment w

focus on vocabulary and

writing to text

District- developed

Grades 9-12

ELA Writing

Prompt/

Essay/

Rubric

11-20

2.

3.

4.

2. Technology: Meetings with Grade 8 Team and with High School Program Leaders As part of our movement toward the development of an implementation plan, the Assistant Superintendent and I met with the Grade 8 team at the O’Maley Innovation Middle School. That team is on board and is prepared to implement a 1:1 environment in September.

The next step for the Assistant Superintendent and I is to begin meeting with HS staff.

We are getting together with the HS school program leaders on Tuesday, February 24 to discuss ways in which a 1:1 environment can be implemented at the high school. We also expect to meet with Grade 9 teachers on March 4 as well. The level of preparedness at the high school is not the same as the middle school. We have embarked on preliminary efforts to prepare the high school for such a venture; namely, we have subscribed to an online program, Lynda.com, dedicated to preparing teachers for integrating technology into the classroom as well as providing each HS teacher with a Chromebook, and we have sent a select group of high school teachers to a major conference with November Learning over the summers.

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2 What must now be established is the best means for implementing a 1:1 environment.

We will report out on these preliminary discussions. It is important to bear in mind that Grade 8 students in 2014-15 will have had a year of a 1:1 environment and they will be entering the ninth grade in 2015-16.

3. Evaluation Training

As part of our ongoing professional development efforts to improve the quality of teacher evaluation, the district has contracted with Ribas Associates. Bill Ribas, the CEO of the firm is personally conducting six training sessions with our leadership teams. Trainings are divided into two phases.

Phase 1 is designed to achieve the following:

1. Increase inter-rater reliability by calibrating teacher evaluation ratings within and across

2. Write clear and consistent feedback to teachers using the standard/benchmark, judgment, walkthroughs, formative assessments, formative evaluations, and summative evaluation.

Phase 2 is designed for administrators to accomplish the following:

1. Conduct effective teacher interviews and conferences related to teacher performance that standards.

2. Gather evidence through observations and interviews, and calibrate all elements in

2. Provide the district with in-district capacity to increase maintain and increase calibration efforts/accuracy in

The increased use of short, unannounced observations has changed the purpose and types of conferences held between teachers and their evaluators. The traditional pre- observation conference and post-observation conference may still be used in some circumstances. However, in many cases these conferences are replaced with teacher interviews. The teacher interview is a meeting between teacher and evaluator when evaluators gather data about the teacher’s performance related to the multiple parts of the performance standards. In addition to what may have been observed during one or more observations, discussions also include the review of artifacts, questions about teacher practice during lessons not observed, and about non-lesson activities. In this phase of the professional development, the Leadership Team will learn to conduct teacher interviews to gather evidence on all four standards.

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3 4. City Budget and Finance Committee

On Thursday, February 20, the City Council’s Budget and Finance Committee voted 3-0 in favor of $383,000 in Free Cash requests. This included funding for Special Education Paraprofessionals, Out-of-District tuitions, a Preschool teacher, the increase in medical insurance co-payments, and the Central Office/Preschool move to 2 Blackburn Drive.

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X.A.

THE GLOUCESTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS

File: ADF

WELLNESS POLICY

2^nd Reading for School Committee Approval on 2/26/14

The development of this policy is mandated by the federal Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004, P.L. 108-265, Section 204 and Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, Sec. 204 of P.L. 111-296. No funds have been attached to the mandate.

INTRODUCTION

This policy should be read in conjunction with the School Committee’s Comprehensive Health and Sex Education Policy (File: IHAM) and be read and interpreted in that context.

The Gloucester Public Schools recognizes the important relationship between wellness and academic success. The district shall have an ongoing commitment in support of wellness in the areas of nutrition, physical activity, and other school-based activities that promote health and wellness.

The district will take a comprehensive approach to reviewing and incorporating changes in policy, curriculum, and operating procedures to promote healthy lifestyles and appropriate nutritional and physical fitness practices for all students.

The Gloucester Public Schools will operate in compliance with all applicable state and federal laws and regulations (Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004, P.L.

108-265, Section 204, and Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, Sec. 204 of P.L. 111- 296).

The School Committee recognizes that while it has a responsibility to promote and encourage health and wellness, families also have a key role to play in the development of good habits and healthy choices.

SCHOOL MEALS

• Meals served through the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs must meet, at a minimum, the regulations of the Secretary of Agriculture pursuant to subsections (a) and (b) of Section 10 of the Child Nutrition Act (ACT U.S.C.

1779) and Sections 9(f)(1) and 17(a) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1758 (f)(1), 1766(a), and the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (Sec. 204 of P.L. 111-296). The district will work towards meeting the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans published by the Department of Health

& Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) (http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/) as resources allow.