Lincoln School Committee
Minutes of April 14, 2003
Hartwell Building, Lincoln MA

  1. Greetings and Call to Order
    The meeting was called to order by Sue Hollingsworth, Chair, at 7:03 p.m.
    Members present included: Sue Hollingsworth, Chair; Ashton Peery, Vice Chair; Jan Nyquist, Mark Masterson, Jurrien Timmer, (arrived at 8:45 p.m.); and Ron Deak, Hanscom Representative.
    Also present were Michael Brandmeyer, Superintendent; and Dave Jack, School Business Administrator.
    Members absent: Sherice Horton, METCO Representative; Michelle Gardner-Ince and Mark Smith, Hanscom Representatives.

  2. Public Comments
    No Discussion

  3. Chairperson’s and Members’ Report
    Sue Hollingsworth attended the performance Iolanthe at the Lincoln School last week and sent kudos and compliments to Pip Moss and the cast for a fabulous performance.

  4. Superintendent’s Report
    Mr. Brandmeyer congratulated Pip Moss and the Lincoln School 7th and 8th graders for their wonderful performance in Iolanthe. He also gave credit to the teachers and support staff who worked behind the scenes to assist in making the production a success.

    The Superintendent announced that art teacher Sue Ludden from the Lincoln School has informed the community that over 100 students have art on display at the Lincoln Public Library where a reception will be held on Wednesday April 16th at 12:45 p.m.

    Lastly, Mr. Brandmeyer congratulated Kathy Maloblocki’s and Fred Lipton’s sixth graders who participated in the Tuft’s sponsored Lego Robotics competition on April 5th. The students took 3rd place in the competition.

  5. Time Scheduled Appointments
    1. Quarterly Budget Report FY2003
      Dave Jack presented the Quarterly Budget containing financial data through March 30th 2003. Mr. Jack reports that the budget is in very good shape at this point in time but he recommended that we proceed with caution nevertheless. Mr. Jack stated that there may be some upcoming costs associated around Special Education.

      Administrators are working with central administration in planning the next three months in terms of expenditures within the FY’03 year.

      Some discussion took place around the topic of snow removal on the Hanscom campus. Committee member Ron Deak offered to seek information regarding the contractor Hanscom base is using to maintain the roads on the base. He said they are doing an excellent job.

      Ashton Peery thanked Dave Jack, Mr. Brandmeyer, and the Principals for keeping a watchful eye on the budget, as he said this brought back credibility to the Town and also helped with the success of the override.

    2. Discussion and Vote on Lincoln School Foundation Grants
      Lindsay Clemens, a member of the Lincoln School Foundation Board, presented a report on the thirteen grants awarded this year. Grant proposal requests totaled $75, 568 this year and the thirteen grants awarded total $35,065. The Foundation set aside an additional $3000 for out- of- cycle grants that may be written in the FY’04 school year.

      Ashton Peery moved to accept the Lincoln School Foundation grants as presented. Mark Masterson seconded. Approved 4-0. Hanscom Representative concurred.

    3. Grade 6 Staffing Proposal for 2003-2004
      Members of the sixth grade team and Mr. Brandmeyer presented an alternative proposal to the School Committee regarding the changes the team and the Superintendent agreed upon for the FY ’03-04 school year. The adjusted proposal creates a savings of $48,000 that can be reallocated to hiring a social studies teacher for grade 7. Each of the current 6th grade teachers will have 20% of their time assuming different, additional teaching responsibilities, thus allowing a shift of existing resources to provide staffing in ESL and math enrichment. Members of the Committee asked questions pertaining to credentials in the subject areas where the 6th grade teachers will be spending 20% of their time. Mr. Brandmeyer stated that DOE regulation allows 20% of a teachers day to be spent teaching out of their subject area.

    4. Lincoln Athletics Program
      Scott Burke, Lincoln School Athletic Director, presented a brief history of and a report on the Lincoln Interscholastic Athletic program. Mr. Brandmeyer stated that currently the program is funded fully outside the school budget and that he would like to see the Athletics Program back in the budget in the future.

      Athletic Program goals presented for the future were:

      1. To have funds allocated from the school budget to help support the Interscholastic Sports Program.
      2. To continue to improve our existing sports program.
      3. To add more sport opportunities.
      4. To improve the percentage of students who continue playing sports in high school.

      Mark Masterson stated his concerns that we are sending the wrong message to kids by charging a fee for every sport. He asked Mr. Burke if he had an idea of the number of kids who do not play sports due to the high fees. Mr. Burke felt the number was 50%. Mr. Masterson suggested the school look at offering a single sports fee that allows the parents the option of paying one fee only if their child decides to play sports.

    5. Personnel Update: Planning for 2003-2004
      Mr. Brandmeyer gave a handout to the School Committee highlighting the thirteen positions open for the 2003-2004 school year and the number of applicants who applied. He also presented a draft of the job descriptions for the Assistant Superintendent and the Curriculum Specialist for Mathematics.

      The Superintendent would like to invite the three finalists for the Assistant Superintendent position to meet with the School Committee for an interview to conclude the search.

    6. Planning for Forums: Update
      The School Committee is in the initial planning stages for each of the following forums: METCO, Class Size, and the Middle School Model.

      Mr. Brandmeyer reported that a planning session with Dr. Wu has been scheduled for Tuesday, May 6 as one of the first of a series of discussions regarding the METCO Forum. The Committee is looking to the latter part of May or first week in June for the METCO Forum.

      School Committee members discussed the possibility of placing the class size issue on a future School Committee agenda as preliminary hearing on the policy rather than holding a specific forum. Sue Hollingsworth made a suggestion to invite parents to the May 15th School Committee meeting to make a short presentation about class size then aim for the Committee to re-visit the policy in September or October.

  6. Curriculum
    No Discussion.

  7. Elect Chair; Appoint Vice Chair
    Mark Masterson moved to elect Sue Hollingsworth as Chair of the School Committee for the coming year. .Jan Nyquist seconded. Approved 5-0. Hanscom Representative concurred.

    Sue Hollingsworth appointed Ashton Peery as Vice Chair. Mark Masterson seconded. Approved 5-0. Hanscom Representative concurred.

  8. Policy
    1. Field Trips: First Discussion
      At the last School Committee meeting the Committee agreed to revise the current field trip policy. The proposed policy addresses both day and overnight field trips. Mr. Brandmeyer reviewed the proposed policy with the principals and presented it to the School Committee for discussion tonight. After some discussion about field trip funding and the process of relating field trips to the curriculum, the Committee felt that with a few edits the policy would be ready for a vote at the next meeting.

  9. Budget and Financial
    1. Proposed Amendment: Hanscom Contract Payment Schedule
      Mr. Jack presented the amendment to the DODEA contract that was proposed by James Church, Contract Manager for DODEA. The amendment would change the current schedule of five payments to four payments with the first payment coming on August 25th for 40% of the total followed by three payment of 20% in December, February and April.

      Mark Masterson moved to approve the amendment to our contract with the Department of Defense. Jan Nyquist seconded. Approved 5-0. Hanscom Representative concurred.

    2. Warrant Approval
      Jan Nyquist moved to approve the warrants totaling $614,696.78.
      This warrant consisted of one payroll and one accounts payable.
      Mark Masterson seconded. Approved 5-0. Hanscom Representative concurred.

  10. Old Business
    No discussion.

  11. New Business
    1. Set Graduation Dates
      The Lincoln School is requesting that the graduation ceremony for its 8th grade students be held on Monday, June 16th. The Hanscom Middle School is requesting Tuesday, June 17th for its 8th grade graduation ceremony.

      Mark Masterson moved to approve the requested dates for graduation for both campuses. Ashton Peery seconded. Approved 5-0. Hanscom Representative concurred.

  12. Approval of Minutes
    Ashton Peery moved to approve the minutes of the School Committee on April 3, 2003. Mark Masterson seconded. Approved 4-0. Sue Hollingsworth abstained.

  13. Adjournment
    Mark Masterson moved to adjourn the meeting. Ashton Peery seconded.
    Approved 5-0. Hanscom Representative concurred.
    The meeting adjourned at 9:40p.m.

Respectfully submitted by
Stephanie Brown