Colonel Deak invited School Committee members to attend a presentation regarding the housing project, on February 12, 2004. Contractors of this project will be on hand to answer questions. The project is expected to be completed by November of 2007.
Colonel Deak said that he would like to make a presentation at the January 29 meeting of the School Committee to explain the housing privatization plans and their implications for the school system. The School Committee welcomed this suggestion.
Colonel Deak was called back to work and left the meeting at 7:30 p.m.
Mr. Picker stated that Ms. Horton spoke to him earlier in the evening and due to a breakage of a water pipe in her home and heat problems, apologized for not being able to make the meeting tonight.
Mr. Peery said that Sue Hollingsworth was traveling and could not be in attendance tonight, but that she will be here for the next School Committee meeting.
Julie Dobrow reported that she along with Mr. Brandmeyer, Mr. Naso and Mr. Picker attended the parent meeting held by Christina Horner in Boston on January 13th. Parents were reassured that the School Committee has made a commitment to the currently enrolled METCO students. Mr. Naso stated he would work with teachers addressing the issues and concerns surrounding the METCO program that are arising with some of the students. At the parents’ meeting in Boston, A METCO parent expressed his wishes for the School Committee to hold meetings more often in Boston.
Mr. Peery thanked Gina Halsted for hosting a get together at her home for METCO supporters. Lincoln and Boston families attended. Plans are in the works to meet again in the spring.
Mr. Brandmeyer announced the following:
Ashton Peery moved to adopt the METCO warrant article and preamble which reads:
“The School Committee believes that Diversity is a critical component of the educational program offered to our children. This Diversity is most meaningfully embodied in our ongoing commitment to the METCO program. As the School Committee continues to evaluate this program, along with all our educational programs, in times of economic challenge, it would be helpful to understand better the town’s sentiments regarding METCO. This input, along with financial and other data, will be considered by the Committee as we set our educational priorities for the coming years.
The warrant article reads: “To see if the Town will vote to support the School Committee in its continuing plan to bring children from Boston to the Lincoln School for the purpose of education and as an element of its diversity education program, or take any other action relative thereto”
Dennis Picker seconded. Approved 4-0. Hanscom Representatives concurred.
Dennis Picker moved that the School Committee vote to include $31,800 of anticipated kindergarten grant money in the revenue projections for FY05, provided that the Finance Committee vote to allow a reserve fund transfer in the amount of $31,800 if the district does not receive a kindergarten grant, as anticipated. Jan Nyquist seconded.
Approved 4-0. Hanscom Representatives concurred.
Paul Naso shared information he gained from Team Leaders and Department Heads regarding the future spending of the $20,000 in the “restoral list” that has been labeled as “arts enrichment” and the $40,000 in the “restoral list” that has been labeled as “0.8 FTE Art Teacher.” Conversations with the grade leaders and department heads provided some different thinking as to how to allocate these monies. The teachers agree a portion should be used for the instrumental music program but they would also like to see positions that were cut in past budget cycles be restored; specifically a technology specialist faculty position. The teachers expressed that the students would see more benefit from efforts to augment our utilization of technology than from having an additional art enrichment specialist.
Mr. Brandmeyer modified his original suggestion for the recommended budget based on this feedback. He proposed that the money currently being spent on technology assistants be combined with a portion of the $40,000 that had been identified for use in art instruction to create a position for a second instructional technology teacher. This would return the system to the staffing level it previously had in this area. This would have the effect of strengthening the system’s efforts to integrate technology into the curriculum, and would align with the priority expressed by the teachers. The remainder of the $40,000 would be allocated to helping to fund instrumental music within the school budget, including an in-school performing ensemble. The $20,000 that was earmarked for enrichment would remain to be used as “arts enrichment”, to be allocated across the grades and spent on items prioritized by the teaching teams. After discussion, the School Committee concurred with this recommendation, and gave its strong support for this change to the Superintendent.
Julie Dobrow felt that some monies should also be set aside for consumable spending for the art teachers. Dennis Picker asked Mr. Brandmeyer to confirm that the intention was that the “arts enrichment” funding could be used for consumable art supplies if the teachers felt that was a priority, and Mr. Brandmeyer confirmed that this was the case.
The Superintendent suggested the Committee not vote a base or recommended budget at this meeting, but rather wait for further clarification from the Finance Committee regarding a possible revision in the size of the base budget. The Committee agreed with this suggestion, and scheduled an additional meeting on January 22, at 6:00PM to discuss and vote on a base and recommended budget to present to the Finance Committee at its meeting later that evening.
Approved 4-0. Hanscom Representatives concurred.
Ashton Peery moved to accept the Codman Challenge Grant. Julie Dobrow seconded. Approved 4-0. Hanscom Representatives concurred.
Members of the Committee expressed their excitement after hearing the report and thanked Mr. Naso for his work to date. Some discussion ensued as to the differences in the curriculum at Hanscom in various subject areas since the Hanscom graduates attend Bedford High School rather than Lincoln Sudbury High School.
Respectfully submitted by
Stephanie Brown