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Mr. Picker reported that he was in attendance at the new teacher orientation meeting on August 31st and the back-to-school meeting for teachers on September 1st and that he had addressed both groups.
He also reported that the Committee had received a thank you note from Poppy Milner for the Committee�s recognition of her years of service in Lincoln.
Mr. Picker also noted that he will write a letter on behalf of the Committee to David Birney, former Hanscom representative to the School Committee, thanking him for his service. Mr. Picker added that the Base Commander is expected to make a new appointment soon.
Mr. Picker concluded his report by expressing his optimism for the year and his desire to help the Committee and the school department remain on task.
Ms. Dobrow reported that she and Mr. Peery recently attended a dinner organized by Sara Mattes to welcome the new Hanscom Base Commander. She added that she has had occasion to see the beginning-of-year excitement at the Lincoln School.
Mr. Peery acknowledged the work of the custodial and maintenance work crews and thanked them for the many improvements to facilities that were made over the summer months.
Mr. Picker acknowledged that Cheryl Lecesse, a new reporter for the Lincoln Journal, was present in the audience and welcomed her.
Mr. Brandmeyer provided background and explained the law requiring a School Committee to grant approval to private schools operating within its district. He added that neither Carroll School nor the Lincoln Public Schools had evidence in their files of approval having been given. Mr. Brandmeyer also explained the process for approval.
In response to Ms. Nyquist�s question, the Committee and Mr. Brandmeyer discussed the differences between Department of Education approval and School Committee approval. They also discussed what could be regarded as due diligence in this process.
Mr. Peery suggested that a visit to the Carroll School occur before making a decision. The Committee agreed. Mr. Peery will schedule a visit prior to September 30th. The Committee agreed to take up the issue again at its meeting on September 30th.
Mr. Peery suggested edits and revisions.
Mr. Picker moved that the Committee approve the letter with edits discussed at the meeting and further grammatical edits Mr. Peery would pass along to Mr. Picker. Ms. Dobrow seconded the motion. The Committee unanimously agreed to submit the letter for the State of the Town Report.
Mr. Picker moved that the Committee post this letter on the School Committee web page. Ms. Dobrow seconded the motion. The Committee unanimously agreed to post the letter on the website.
Ms. Dobrow asked for more personnel information to be reported at the November 4th meeting.
The Committee discussed possible difficulties the public may have getting onto the Hanscom Air Force Base for the October 14th School Committee meeting.
Mr. Peery suggested that mid-year review items appear earlier than January 13th.
The Committee discussed work plan �owners� and their specific assignments.
Mr. Brandmeyer mentioned that typically there are two Boston meetings per year and suggested that the Committee keep open the possibility for a different type of session for the second Boston meeting. He and Christina Horner are discussing other formats.
Mr. Picker asked the Committee to review the draft. There will be further discussion at the September 30th meeting and the School Committee will be asked if it is ready to adopt the long-term agenda.
The Committee discussed their desire to receive more data about students leaving the district. Mr. Brandmeyer agreed to get data for later this fall. The Committee discussed mechanisms for collecting that data.
Ms. Hessler asked why sections were not reduced when the Hanscom Middle School enrollments at grades 7 and 8 decreased. Mr. Brandmeyer explained that it was not possible to see that until late in the summer and by that time there were already employment commitments to teachers. In addition, it is difficult to collapse sections in middle school without disrupting the curriculum delivery model.
Ms. Koning explained that she anticipated possible reduced enrollments at Hanscom over next few years because of the housing rebuilding project.
Mr. Peery asked for a more detailed trend analysis of this enrollment data.
Mr. Brandmeyer welcomed Cheryl Lecesse who began recently as a reporter for the Lincoln Journal.
Mr. Brandmeyer also thanked the Public Works Department for their assistance with the summer facilities and grounds projects.
Mr. Brandmeyer summarized steps being taken to improve traffic flow and safety conditions near the Lincoln School.
Mr. Brandmeyer mentioned that an auditor�s report was in the back of the Committee�s information packet and noted the positive assessment included in the report. Ms. Nyquist commended Mr. Jack for his success at addressing financial issues.
Mr. Naso also explained a complication that has arisen concerning the scheduling of a main speaker for Institute Day, set in the school calendar for March 18th. He asked that the Committee consider rescheduling of Institute Day---which appears on the calendar as a vacation day for students---to March 11th.
Mr. Picker moved that the Committee reschedule Institute Day to March 11th. Ms. Nyquist seconded the motion. The Committee unanimously approved the change.
He reported that there was a delay in the plans to remove the failed canopy at the Hartwell pods due to problems with bid responses.
Mr. Jack explained the status of the facilities studies for both the Hanscom campus and the Lincoln campus.
He reported that there were two unanticipated expenses. There was one instance of vandalism that required an expense to remove paint from the exterior of the Lincoln School. The other was a result of a mistake by a subcontractor that caused a leak that required carpet removal and tile replacement in one Lincoln School classroom.
Mr. Brandmeyer reviewed his conversation with Tim Higgins. He also explained the processes being followed to track improvements and monitor needs for classroom rehabilitation.
Mr. Brandmeyer also proposed that the Committee submit a �maintenance� technology capital plan to address the needs for existing and most likely continuing practices. This is an interim step until the long range technology plan is completed later this year. He also indicated that the phone system needs a close look.
He referred to a capital planning category named �rolling stock� and the request to purchase a vehicle for school department needs and his intent to do an analysis of the current van that serves many purposes.
Mr. Picker asked that the district determine if there may be additional actions to increase energy savings.
Mr. Peery suggested that the subcommittee bring enrollment projections and tell the Capital Planning Committee that future space needs are being investigated and the results may have an impact in upcoming years.
Ms. Nyquist and Mr. Picker expressed interest in serving on a capital planning subcommittee. Mr. Picker moved that the Committee form such a subcommittee. Ms. Nyquist seconded the motion. The Committee unanimously approved the formation of the subcommittee for capital planning.
Mr. Jack especially commended Stephanie Brown for her scheduling work and her efforts to resolve the route problems. He observed that these transportation details required approximately four weeks of work this summer.
Mr. Peery moved that the Committee approve a warrant dated September 9th in the amount of $1,806,164.72. Ms. Nyquist seconded the motion. The Committee unanimously approved the motion.
Ms. Dobrow described two areas of focus: ways to disseminate information in a timely manner and ways for the community to offer input to the School Committee.
Ms. Dobrow proposed dates for upcoming School Committee coffees which will occur about once per month. She moved that the Committee accept those dates. Ms. Hessler seconded the motion. The Committee unanimously approved the motion.
Ms. Nyquist suggested that the Committee revisit the schedule at a later date to assess the response to attendance.
Ms. Dobrow also explained that the Subcommittee plans to use bulletin board space at various points within school facilities and around Town, at Hanscom and at METCO, Inc. to disseminate information. The Committee discussed the items of information that they wished to have posted in that manner.
Ms. Dobrow moved that the Committee approve the posting of information in this manner. Mr. Picker seconded the motion and asked that such efforts not have a work impact on the administrative staff. The Committee unanimously approved the motion.
Ms. Dobrow also discussed the efforts of the Subcommittee to prepare explanatory information about the organizational structure and management of the School Committee and the school district administration. They envision three �tiers� of information: an organizational chart with an accompanying letter of explanation, an explanation of the different levels of management and the responsibilities, and a statement explaining the evolution of the roles of administrators.
Ms. Dobrow distributed a letter providing an overview of the communication plan. There was discussion and suggested changes. Mr. Picker moved that the Committee approve the letter with edits. Mr. Peery seconded the motion. The Committee unanimously approved the letter.
The Committee discussed the complications of getting volunteers to assist with the videotaping of the School Committee meetings and the various types of coordination needed.
Mr. Picker explained the status of the email opt-in list and reported that the service is now operational. He moved that the Committee grant permission to put the subscription information on the website. It will provide options for School Committee news and District news. Ms. Dobrow seconded the motion. The Committee unanimously approved the motion.
Respectfully submitted by
Paul Naso, Assistant Superintendent