Record Brookline School Committee Meeting 9/19/13 Vol
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RECORD BROOKLINE SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING 9/19/13 VOL. 2013 REGULAR MEETING PAGE 102 _______________________________________________________________________ RECORD OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE BROOKLINE SCHOOL COMMITTEE HELD ON THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013 AT 6:00 PM IN THE JAMES F. WALSH SCHOOL COMMITTEE ROOM, 5TH FLOOR, TOWN HALL. STATUTORY NOTICE OF THIS MEETING WAS FILED WITH THE TOWN CLERK. School Committee Members Present: Mr. Morse (Chairman), Ms. Ditkoff (Vice Chairman), Mr. Chang, Ms. Charlupski, Ms. Cox, Mr. Pollak, Ms. Scotto, and Ms. Stone. School Committee Members Absent: Ms. Kershaw. Also present: Dr. Lupini, Mr. Rowe, Dr. Fischer-Mueller, Dr. Allen, Mr. You, and Ms. Coyne. Others Present: Steve Lantos. 1. ADMINISTRATIVE BUSINESS a. Calendar Mr. Morse called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM. He noted upcoming events on the calendar. b. Consent Agenda i. Acceptance of $2,064.62 from the 21st Century Fund - Frieze Fund Unexpended Balance Ms. Charlupski asked whether the unexpended balance will be earmarked for a plaque explaining the friezes. The School Committee agreed to hold this vote until September 26, 2013 so that the Superintendent can look into this issue. 2. WELCOME TO CHINA EXCHANGE VISITORS Dr. Lupini introduced Steve Lantos, China Exchange Coordinator at Brookline High School. Mr. Lantos noted that this is the 14th year of program. They will be planning an event to honor the 15th anniversary. Mr. Lantos expressed his appreciation to the School Committee, school administration and teachers, and the host families. Mr. Lantos then introduced the students and their teacher (Bai Yujie, Chen Xizhou, Teacher Liu Jin, Liu Ruoxuan, Shi Yixin, Su Kaixian, Sun Zhaole, Yang Xilin, and Zhang Qimen) who described their experiences and initial impressions of Brookline and the Brookline High School. They expressed their gratitude for this opportunity. The School Committee members welcomed the students and talked about the value of international exchanges. 3. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS a. Finance Mr. Morse reported that the Finance Subcommittee will be meeting on September 23, 2013. The agenda will include review and approval of the FY 2015 Budget Calendar and review of the final FY 2013 Financial Report. b. Capital Improvements Ms. Charlupski reported that meetings have been scheduled to address the request for a variance for the Lawrence School modulars. The first meeting will take place on September 19, 2013. RECORD BROOKLINE SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING 9/19/13 VOL. 2013 REGULAR MEETING PAGE 103 _______________________________________________________________________ c. Curriculum Ms. Scotto reported that that the Curriculum Subcommittee will be meeting on September 24, 2013. The agenda will include a presentation/discussion on the Massachusetts Accountability and Assistance System-Level Determinations d. Government Relations i. Appointment of Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) Delegate Ms. Stone reported that the School Committee needs to appoint a Delegate to the Massachusetts Association of School Committees. ACTION 13-65 On a motion of Ms. Stone and seconded by Ms. Ditkoff, the School Committee VOTED UNANIMOUSLY to appoint Ms. Charlupski to the position of Massachusetts Association of School Committees Delegate. e. Negotiations Ms. Stone had nothing to report at this time. f. Policy Review Ms. Stone reported that the Policy Review Subcommittee met on September 18, 2013. The Subcommittee discussed the schedule for 2013-2014 and the policies to be reviewed (Proof of Residency; Ethics Umbrella, including Social Media, Discipline, Outside Tutoring of Students by Employees, and Staff Gifts and Solicitations; Graduation Requirements; Intellectual Property; Housekeeping Amendments; and Out of School Time). Ms. Stone reported that she met with the Town Clerk to get more information on intersected properties. She also met with Ben Vivante from the Information Technology Department who has been working to make the on-line Policy Manual searchable using key words. This will be demonstrated at the next Policy Review Subcommittee meeting on October 9, 2013. She will be asking each Subcommittee member to update a section of the Policy Manual Index so that it is compatible with the search function. In response to a question from Ms. Charlupski, Ms. Stone explained the Town Clerk’s procedure for determining where residents of intersected properties vote. g. Override Study Committee Ms. Ditkoff reported that the Override Study Committee had an organizational meeting on September 16, 2013. The Committee plans to meet every other Wednesday from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. The next few meetings of the Committee will take place on September 25, 2013 (municipal finance), October 2, 2013 (school finance), and October 9, 2013 (consolidate questions hope to answer). School Committee members strongly recommended that the Committee ask BATV to broadcast the meetings and stressed the need to communicate with and engage the public. RECORD BROOKLINE SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING 9/19/13 VOL. 2013 REGULAR MEETING PAGE 104 _______________________________________________________________________ h. Additional Liaisons Ms. Cox provided an update on Hancock Village. Chestnut Hill Realty submitted a new Chapter 40B proposal at the end of June. The Town of Brookline submitted a letter to the state outlining various issues of concern. Mr. Chang reported that the September 18, 2013 meeting of the Human Relations Youth Resources Commission was adjourned for lack of a quorum. Ms. Scotto reported that the Brookline Community Foundation met this week. Lincoln School Principal Kristen Herbert and Educational Technologist Sabrina Avnor discussed the integration of technology into the classroom. Ms. Scotto reported that the Brookline Education Foundation will be presenting the Sperber Award to Vicki Milstein on September 28, 2013. 4. PUBLIC COMMENT There was no one signed up for Public Comment. 5. STUDENT REPORT Mr. You reported that classes started at the high school on September 9 (Grade (9) and September 10 (Grades 10-12). The opening went very smoothly thanks to the wonderful job done by the administration and faculty. Dean Alexander talked about unity. The new scheduling system helped students identify and address conflicts early on. Implementation of the new attendance and technology policies has been going very well. There is overcrowding in the cafeteria. Hopefully the situation will resolve itself. If not, Ms. Holman and Mr. Mason have said that they will work with the students to look into solutions. The Brookline Teen Center had its grand opening on September 15. It is a beautiful facility. Ms. Holman and Teen Center staff have been discussing possible collaborations. 6. SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT Dr. Lupini provided the following report: Introduction of New Administrators Scott Butchart, Interim Dean (Brookline High School). We are delighted that Mr. Butchart has agreed to serve as Interim Dean at Brookline High School for the 2013- 2014 school year. Since 1984, Scott has served as World Language teacher of both French and Spanish. In 2007, Scott was appointed as Associate Dean. Additionally, Scott has vast leadership experiences at BHS as the Scholarship Committee Chair, Yearbook Advisor, on Hiring Advisory Committees, and as a Critical Friends Group Facilitator. He also serves as the MCAS Coordinator and now oversees the BHS Summer School as the Director. Prior to joining PSB, Mr. Butchart served as a French teacher in Cony High School in Maine and in Richmond Middle School in New Hampshire. Scott has a Bachelor of Arts in French and Spanish from Colby College and a Master of Arts in French from Middlebury College. RECORD BROOKLINE SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING 9/19/13 VOL. 2013 REGULAR MEETING PAGE 105 _______________________________________________________________________ Nadia Chamblin-Foster, Director of Steps to Success. We are pleased to announce that Nadia Chamblin-Foster has joined The Public Schools of Brookline as the new Director of Steps to Success. Ms. Chamblin-Foster previously served as a Regional Director of Community Health Benefits (Community Relations) for the Steward Health Network (MA Southcoast Region). Prior to this position, she spent five years at the Boston Medical Center HealthNet Plan as the Manager of Community Relations and Outreach. Additionally, Nadia served as Student Support Leader at Boston Public Schools; Director of Development at the Boston University School of Social Work; Boston Pilot Schools Network Associate for the Center for Collaborative Education (CCE); Boston Public School Retention Program Coordinator at Bentley College; and as a Social Worker at Dimmock Community Health Center. Beyond the breadth of over 15 years of professional experience with corporate and foundation relations, community and non-profit relations and social work, Nadia serves as a trustee for Pine Manor College, and has served as Co-President of the Boston University School of Social Work Alumni Board. Ms. Chamblin-Foster holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology with a concentration in Education from Pine Manor College and a Master of Social Work with a concentration in Non-Profit Leadership from Boston University. Jeanne Farwell, Out-of-District Coordinator. We are delighted to announce that Jeanne Farwell has joined The Public Schools of Brookline as our Out-of-District Coordinator, having served as the Interim Director during the spring of 2013. For nearly eight years, Jeanne served as the Program Director for The Children’s