February 7, 2006

Wellesley Public Schools
School Committee Meeting - Tuesday, February 7, 2006
Wellesley High School Library

The meeting was called to order by the Chairman at 7:33 pm. Ms. Jablonski, Ms. Littlefield, Mr. Murphy, Ms. Newman, and Ms. Sereiko were present. Also present was Ms. Wong. Representing the Student Congress was Ryan Speers. Dr. King was absent.

Ms. Jablonski reported that Superintendent King’s absence from the meeting is due to illness.

PERSONNEL ANNOUNCEMENTS
Appointment
Aimee Sharrow, 1.0FTE Elementary Teacher, Bachelor’s, Step 1, effective January 17, 2006
Leave of Absence
Mary Gaynor, 0.7FTE Speech-Language Pathologist, 0.1FTE leave for the 2006-2007 school year
Dorothy (Dot) Lucci, 0.5FTE School Psychologist, 0.5FTE leave for the 2006-2007 school year

CONSENT AGENDA
Upon motion made by Ms. Sereiko, seconded by Ms. Littlefield, it was unanimously VOTED:
Minutes
To approve minutes of Regular School Committee Meeting dated January 24, 2006
Acceptance of Gifts
Contribution ($3,489.59) for purchase of Poster size Printer for use by Art Department, from Wellesley High School PTSO
Refrigerator (estimated value $200) for Upham School faculty room, from Kate Sample
Books (value $2,000) for the Schofield School Library, from Schofield PTO
Butterfly garden ($1,500) for installation at Schofield School, from House & Garden Club, Wellesley
Contribution ($500) to purchase Spanish books for Classical & Modern Languages Department, from Wellesley High School PTSO

Owing to the absence of Dr. King, there were no Recognitions, and no Superintendent’s Report.

SCHOOL COMMITTEE’S REPORT
A committee of inter-board representatives is meeting periodically to address the town’s FY07 budget shortfall. Many departments have reduced budget requests for next year, and the school department is being asked to do the same. The inter board committee will meet again on February 9. The Permanent Building Committee will manage the installation of modulars at Schofield and Fiske, assuming Town Meeting approval of the necessary funding. There may be an issue relative to the timing of installation. The middle school project is continuing to progress well, although because of a problem in the newly installed gym floor, a section will be torn up and re-laid, which will delay the opening of the gym until after February vacation. Student Congress Representative Ryan Speers reported that the junior pass program will begin February 13. Report cards were distributed this week. Student Congress supports the school committee in its work not to reduce the FY07 budget request that was approved several weeks ago.

CITIZEN SPEAK
KC Kato, Moderator of Central Council: With thanks to the School Committee and administration for developing a budget that tries to maintain level service and quality, Ms. Kato observed that some quality has been eroded due to cuts in previous years’ budgets. Class sizes have gone up; many classes are over guideline; and the system has lost some programs. Some schools have lost dedicated space for instruction in art, music, and library. The trend of eroded quality cannot continue. Fees or private donations may be necessary. Class size at all levels across the system should not be compromised. It is important to include the community throughout the process. She encouraged the School Committee to ask for input and provide opportunities for citizen input.

Sarah Pedersen, Precinct C: Ms. Pedersen encouraged the School Committee to continue to advocate on behalf of children. Restoration of the Humanities class and academic labs is important because the system should provide niches for all children. Program cuts are exceedingly difficult at the middle school because children still require supervision and do not make good use of allotted time in study halls. Class size is of particular concern at the middle school. The proposed addition of a new grade six teacher will alleviate the situation and offer flexibility, should more new families with sixth grade children move into town during the summer. Ms. Pedersen urged preservation of the middle school reading intervention program.

DISCUSSION ITEMS
Kindergarten Entrance Bates Principal Amber Bock and Director of Student Services Dorsey Yearley described the outreach that occurs in parallel across all elementary schools to families of incoming Kindergarten students. Parent information evenings about the curriculum and program in the early spring are followed by formal screening, school visits and follow up meetings with educators, as necessary. The district wide Kindergarten population graphs into a typical bell curve in relation to the September 1 entry date.

FY07 Budget In light of the Town’s anticipated FY07 deficit, School Committee discussed possible options for reducing its operating budget request.

High School Project Proposal Project liaison Anna Sereiko summarized the status of the proposed high school project. The presentation included a proposed timetable of activity by the School Committee to continue to advance the project.

CITIZEN SPEAK
Steve Pini, WHS’07: Mr. Pini advocated for retention of the industrial technology program at Wellesley High School. The program teaches important skills and offers an opportunity for students to access coursework that is not as stressful as the academic classes are. The community supports the program through gifts of specialized equipment.

Terry Tsagaris, Precinct D: Ms. Tsagaris is encouraged by the School Committee’s budget discussion and reluctance to make quick decisions about possible cuts. Class size guidelines, the curriculum, and the quality of the educators in our classrooms remain a very important priority. She urged the committee to go forward with the approved budget without making reductions that will affect students directly. Let the issue go to Town Meeting and the voters. There is broad support for the schools within the community and a better understanding in the community about what is necessary to maintain excellence in the education program.

John McDermott, WHS ‘07: Mr. McDermott advocated for retaining the industrial technology program, which attracts diverse types of students, receives significant support from the community, and offers opportunities for students to learn unique skills and use specialized equipment. The program allows students to expand their view of possible career options.

Susan Doran, Precinct C: Ms. Doran is encouraged by the School Committee’s budget discussion this evening. She supports retention of the Industrial Technology program at the high school. She thanked the committee for its thoughtfulness and hard work as it advocates for the needs of the schools.

ADJOURNMENT

The public session was adjourned at 9:50 pm.

Executive Secretary