Schools

[The following minutes fetched from the district site on 2009-12-02 --webmaster]

WESTBOROUGH SCHOOL COMMITTEE

WESTBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS

MINUTES

Wednesday November 4, 2009

The Westborough School Committee meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m by Chairman, Karen Henderson. Committee members present included Mr. Bruce Tretter, Mrs. Ilyse Levine-Kanji, Mr. Stephen Doret and Mr. Craig Harris. Administrators present were Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Anne Towle; Assistant Superintendent, Marianne O’Connor; Principals, John Smith; Pattie Berkey, Reene Hatherley, Maryann Stannard, and John Mendes.

The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.

MINUTES

Upon a motion by Mr. Tretter seconded by Mr. Harris, the Committee voted 5-0 to approve the minutes of October 21, 2009.

SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT AND HIGHLIGHTS

Dr. Towle announced a report from the Stipend Committee will be presented at the next meeting.

The Superintendent presented High School Librarian, Diane Libbey, with a Certificate of Achievement for having received the Central Area Directors’ Award by the Massachusetts School Librarian Association. Ms. Libbey is on the Library Board of Trustees in Grafton and is a Central Massachusetts Regional Library Director.

Hastings School students, Shirley Wang and Ellen Sharon, were recognized by Dr. Towle for being finalists in the ADL’s A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE Institute’s 25^th Anniversary 2010 Calendar Art Award.

The Westborough Board of Health has received 100 H1N1 vaccines that will be distributed to high school seniors. Another 100 will be available November 10 and distributed between 2:30 and 4:00 p.m. Because of the close proximity of this group of students, the decision was made to start with them. Parents are asked to keep students home if they show signs of illness.

Mrs. O’Connor extended an invitation from Mr. and Mrs. Don Chouinard and Mr. and Mrs. Bill Szymczak to join them at a Welcome Reception November 15 for two principals from China that will be visiting Westborough schools for a week.

A total of 179 children have been identified to date as entering kindergarten next year. That total will change.

A meeting on Global Education was hosted by Westborough and will be followed up with two more sessions.

Mrs. O’Connor commented on the recent Math Technology Conference, co-sponsored by the MASS. The keynote speaker talked on “New Literacy Skills for On-line Learning”. Grant applications encourage partnering literacy with technology. A new type of reading and navigating skills are needed when going to web sites.

Mr. Doret asked for Mrs. Libbey’s opinion on the news some colleges are doing away with textbooks. Mrs. Libbey noted students absorb information in different ways; some need a book; others can search a website and gather pertinent information.

COMMITTEE REQUESTS AND REPORTS

Afeefa updated the Committee on High School events. Today is the end of the first term. The play, “Splendor in the Grass” will be presented this weekend and Boys Soccer, Girls Volleyball, Girls Field Hockey and Boys Cross Country teams are in post season competition. On November 17 a “Band O Rama” will take place at the school, and on November 19 the National Merit Breakfast will take place.

Mr. Tretter presented the Committee with a draft of a proposal put together for a District Standards Steering Committee. He feels in these tough economic times, some priorities should be discussed. The Overview states,

School Committee Meeting 2.

November 4, 2009

“Cannot afford the school services we provide in the current and foreseeable financial climate. Need to develop a plan that involves all stakeholders to adjust how we deliver school services.”

Mr. Doret noted under Ed Reform, the administration has certain responsibilities and the school committee is responsible for fiscal management and direction to the superintendent.

Dr. Towle added she is chairing a panel at the MASS/MASC Conference on fiscal financing and the next logical steps.

The topic will be placed on an agenda after November 18.

A short discussion was held on combining and expanding purchasing power for supplies.

Mrs. Levine-Kanji announced the Fales and Hastings Schools are holding their annual Book Fair and Ice Cream Social this evening. The Transportation Sub Committee met and among the topics discussed were changes to the start time at schools to allow for combining bus trips.

Mrs. Levine-Kanji thanked David Jost for the time he has spent on putting together the Fine Arts Grant and the expanded tour he gave her of the Fine Arts Department.

Mr. Harris reported the Fee Sub Committee met and will bring forward a proposal in December.

Committee members extended thanks to the townspeople for attending Town Meeting.

Mrs. Henderson reviewed the meetings she attended in the past week. In addition to Town Meeting, Mrs. Henderson attended the Mill Pond Parent Group Meeting, taped a Chalk Talk TV show, attended the Transportation Sub Committee Meeting, the Bi-weekly Luncheon at Armstrong School, will be in Lynnfield November 5 to attend a meeting on negotiating and at the Trivia Bee November 9 at 6:30 p.m.

The Superintendent Search Survey is on the district’s web site through November 6. Dr. Towle was asked to post the superintendent vacancy internally. A 45 minute block of time is to be set aside on the next agenda to discuss superintendent search procedures and the timeline.

Fales, Hastings, Armstrong and Mill Pond Schools submitted their School Improvement Plans for 2009-10. Mr. Tretter was assured the three K-3 schools will share this information at one of their joint meetings.

Principal Hatherley stated the Mill Pond Improvement Plan involved many hours of preparation and most of the language comes from many people. In response to a question of resources, Mrs. Hatherley replied people work very hard to meet the needs of the students. Mill Pond School will be reapplying for the “School of Character” grant.

The Committee discussed the Professional Learning and Observation program. The peer partnership has had many rewards and advantages that are invaluable and will be scheduled throughout the district. Grant money is used for substitutes.

ACTION ITEMS

On behalf of the WTA leadership, Mr. Louis Cornacchioli has requested dates to commence negotiation for the newly formed Tutors union.

MOTION

Mr. Tretter made a motion, seconded by Mr. Doret, to open negotiations with the Tutors. The Committee voted 5-0 in favor of the motion.

School Committee Meeting 3.

November 4, 2009

KINDERGARTEN FEES

The administration recommends raising the Full Day Kindergarten fees from $2800 to $3000. Massachusetts law requires half day kindergarten; full day participants pay all expenses for the additional time. No other programs are funded by the tuitions. Community Ed and PreSchool fee recommendations will be forthcoming.

The Committee requested cost information from surrounding towns and private kindergartens.

POLICY

The Committee will review Policy JRD, Student Photographs, and take a vote at the next meeting.

The Committee signed bills.

MOTION

Upon a motion by Mr. Tretter, seconded by Mr. Harris, the Committee voted 5-0 in favor of adjournment.

.

Respectfully submitted

Ilyse Levine-Kanji

Secretary

These minutes are as recorded by the secretary to the school committee and do not become an official part of the record until so noted in a subsequent record.

[The following minutes fetched from the district site on 2009-12-02 --webmaster]

WESTBOROUGH SCHOOL COMMITTEE

WESTBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS

MINUTES

Wednesday October 21, 2009

The Westborough School Committee meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m by Chairman, Karen Henderson. Committee members present included Mr. Bruce Tretter, Mrs. Ilyse Levine-Kanji, Mr. Stephen Doret and Mr. Craig Harris. Administrators present were Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Anne Towle; Assistant Superintendent, Marianne O’Connor; Director of Finance and Administration, Daniel Hendricks; Principal, John Smith; Director of Fine Arts, David Jost.

The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.

MINUTES

Upon a motion by Mr. Tretter seconded by Mr. Harris, the Committee voted 5-0 to approve the minutes of October 7, 2009.

SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT AND HIGHLIGHTS

Dr. Towle introduced and congratulated Cameron Piper for achieving the Boy Scouts of America Eagle Scout Award. As his project, he gave 110 hours to restore the green house at the Gibbons School.

The Superintendent also recognized and presented Certificates of Achievement to National Merit Scholarship Commended students. Those present to receive the certificates were Madeline Fryer, Veronica Hilton, George Lee, Samuel Silverman, Emily Van Dam and Rahul Vetekat. Also receiving a certificate were Kevin Gao, Tony Lin, Andrew Lu, Kelly Reilly, Jacob Reske, Narayanan Sadagopan, Ruisi Shang, and Daniel Sullivan.

Dr. Towle announced Diane Libbey, High School Librarian, was honored by the Massachusetts School Library Association with the Central Area Directors’ Award for her work in the field of school librarian.

Staff members, David Jost, Susan Saari, Sky Headland, John Hayes-Nikas, Pam Rourke-Dupuis, Joe Stillitano, Matt Lefebvre, and Brian Schlegel were thanked for their time and commitment as representatives of the school district at the town’s October 2 Arts in Common event.

Holy Cross College recently honored Anthony Liu for a perfect score of 36 on the ACT. Less than 1% of the 1,480,469 students who took the exam achieved this level of performance.

Superintendent Towle highlighted the achievement of the Westborough High School Math team in the Worcester County Math League. The team broke a twenty-six year record for a varsity team by scoring 103 points. Team members are Anthony Liu, Xiao-yu Wang, Bianca Homberg, Keith Saver and Ningrui Li.

The Mill Pond School will sponsor a United Nations Summit at the end of the year involving 100 sixth graders. The event was highlighted by the Character Education Partnership in its newsletter. Students play the role of historic or contemporary “persons of character”.

Hastings School students, Shirley Wang and Ella Sharon, are finalists in the ADL’S A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE Institute’s 25^th Anniversary 2010 Calendar Art Award from out of over 1000 submissions.

Mrs. O’Connor announced receipt of emails from college students who praised the preparation they received at Westborough High School. A Tufts University and Johns Hopkins University student praised the physics department and Mike Fontaine for the preparation that is serving them so well in college.

The Trivia Bee, sponsored by the Westborough Education Foundation, will be held November 9 at the Doubletree Hotel. The school department has fourteen teams entered.

Mrs. O’Connor acknowledged the time and effort Maria Homberg has spent on bringing the Math team together.

School Committee Meeting 2.

October 21, 2009

Mr. Hendricks reported attending a workshop featuring Noel Berger, Director of the Budget and Policy Center. The event was also attended by Lt. Gov. Tim Murray, who spoke on the state’s fiscal realities. Mr. Murray stated the state is projected to have a $600 million dollar deficit, which will impact reductions in this year’s budget.

COMMITTEE REQUESTS AND REPORTS

Afeefa reported Coach Colleen Debish was honored for her 300 field hockey wins. The Math Team placed 7^th out of 85 teams at the WPI math competition. Seniors are being fitted for caps and gowns this week and the Multi Cultural Council is hosting a banquet.

Mrs. Levine-Kanji congratulated the participants in the Fales Family Fun Day last Saturday. It was a great success and the enrichment programs will benefit.

Mr. Doret quoted from an article in boston.com that states are using money from the economic stimulus to plug budget holes instead of boosting aid to schools. “The inspector general singled out Connecticut, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania for cutting state spending on education and replacing it with stimulus dollars.”

Mr. Harris reported the unemployment numbers have risen again. Westborough has 699 unemployed residents, or 6.9% of the town population. WASA will be holding a food drive on Halloween to help replenish the Food Pantry.

Mrs. Henderson reminded the community the Special Town Meeting will be held Monday, October 26, at the high school. The school department does have an article on the warrant. The Transportation, Fee and Grant sub committees are meeting and will bring forward a report to the full School Committee. The Armstrong Fundraising Benefit will be held this weekend with funds benefiting the entire community. Mrs. Henderson also noted she attended the recent Hastings Parent Organization meeting.

MOTION

Mr. Tretter made a motion, seconded by Mrs. Levine-Kanji, to approve Policy IHBAA, Observations of Special Education Programs, as amended. The Committee voted 5-0 in favor.

MOTION

Mr. Tretter made a motion, seconded by Mrs. Levine-Kanji, to accept with sincere thanks the generous grant of $1800 from the Civic Club, for the purchase of laptops for guidance counselors to work with students. The Committee voted 5-0 in favor of the motion.

Mrs. Rebecca Pittorino of the Armstrong Parents Group requested permission to sponsor a fundraiser, Holiday Shoppe, consisting of many Westborough home businesses. Each vendor will pay $50 for a table.

MOTION

Upon the Superintendent’s recommendation, Mr. Tretter made a motion to approve the APG fundraiser. Mr. Doret seconded the motion and the Committee voted 5-0 in favor.

Richard Hager, High School Orchestra Director, requested permission to schedule a concert trip to Washington, D.C. April 23-27, 2010, with the String Orchestra. Performances will be held on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, and the Marine Museum. The Honors String Quartet and String Chamber Ensemble will perform at the Old Post Office Pavilion. A mandatory meeting of parents and students will be scheduled. The trip is estimated to cost $650 by Suburban Tours.

MOTION

Mr. Doret made a motion to approve the request. Mr. Tretter seconded the motion and the Committee voted 5-0 in favor.

School Committee Meeting 3.

October 21, 2009

MASC RESOLUTIONS MASC/MASS Joint Conference November 18 Hyannis, MA

Resolution #1 School Funding

Mr. Doret made a motion to give the School Committee voting representative full authority to vote her conscience on the Resolution after hearing all opinions in Hyannis. Mrs. Levine-Kanji seconded the motion and the Committee voted 5-0 in favor.

Resolution #2 METCO

Mr. Harris made a motion to support the Resolution. Mr. Doret seconded the motion. The Committee voted 3-2 on the motion with Mr. Tretter and Mrs. Levine-Kanji voting in the negative.

Resolution #3 MEDICAID

Mr. Tretter made a motion to support the Resolution. Mr. Harris seconded the motion and the Committee voted 5-0 in favor.

Resolution #4 READINESS SCHOOLS

The Committee expressed disagreement with the language of this Resolution. Mr. Tretter made a motion not to support the Resolution. Mr. Doret seconded the motion and the Committee voted 5-0 in favor of the motion.

Resolution #5 CHARTER SCHOOLS

It was noted the school districts lose $12,000 for each student attending Charter Schools. Mr. Tretter made a motion to support the Resolution. Mr. Harris seconded the motion and the Committee voted 5-0 in favor.

Resolution #6 DISTRICT RESTRUCTURING

Mr. Harris made a motion to support the Resolution which has local control over regionalization. Mr. Tretter seconded the motion and the Committee voted 5-0 in favor.

Resolution #7 SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLANS

Mr. Tretter made a motion to support Resolution #7 which restores school committee approval over Improvement Plans. Mr. Doret seconded the motion and the Committee voted 5-0 in favor.

Resolution #8 REAUTHORIZATION OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION ACT

Mr. Tretter made a motion not to support the Resolution. Mrs. Henderson seconded the motion.

Mr. Doret made a motion to authorize Mrs. Henderson after debate to vote her conscience on the Resolution. Mr. Harris seconded the motion.

The Committee voted 3-2 on the first motion with Mr. Doret and Mrs. Levine-Kanji voting in the negative.

Resolution #9 CHARTER SCHOOL REIMBURSEMENT

Mr. Doret made a motion to loudly support the Resolution. Mr. Tretter seconded the motion and the Committee voted 5-0 in favor.

Resolution #10 RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF EDUCATOR EXCELLENCE

Mr. Tretter made a motion to support the Resolution. Mr. Doret seconded the motion and the Committee voted 5-0 in favor.

Resolution #11 INCLUSION OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBERS ON STATE TASK FORCES, SPECIAL COMMITTEES AND COMMISSIONS

Mr. Tretter made a motion to support the Resolution. Mr. Harris seconded the motion and the Committee voted 5-0 in favor.

Westborough School Committee 4.

October 21, 2009

LEE PROPERTY

MOTION

Mr. Tretter made a motion to appoint Mr. Harris to the Lee Property Ad Hoc Committee with voting rights. Mr. Doret seconded the motion and the Committee voted 5-0 in favor.

DONATION

MOTION

Upon the Superintendent’s recommendation, Mr. Tretter made a motion to accept with gratitude a $4000 fitness station for the Gibbons School from Jim Meikle. Mr. Harris seconded the motion and the Committee voted 5-0 in favor.

YOUTH RISK SURVEY

Roger Anderson, who oversees the Health and Wellness Program at the High School, reviewed the results of the MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey administered in 2008 through a grant to Westborough High School and Middle School students.

Alcohol is the number one abused substance in the Metro West area and nationally. At the 12^th grade level, over half of the student population abuses alcohol, with 40% binge drinking. Districtwide 24% binge drink. Marijuana use has increased possibly due to reductions in penalties. One ounce equals 50-70 joints and has a $100 fine. It is a gateway drug that leads to others.

At the High School skills are being taught with the ninth grade curriculum focusing on decision making. The survey points out 23% of the participants have driven in a car with someone who has consumed alcohol, and 13% have driven in a car with a person under 21 years of age who has consumed alcohol.

Mr. Anderson reported Westborough will be participating in AlcoholEdu for High School which addresses underage drinking with an evidence based online program designed specifically for today’s youth. It is a ninety minute online program that will be seen by all ninth grade students. A grant will cover the cost. Alcohol abuse rises from 20% to 40% in the freshman year.

Mr. Doret requested Mr. Anderson keep the School Committee informed of program funding. He felt the program needs to continue.

Mr. Anderson noted freshmen college students are at risk so the 12^th grade curriculum strongly emphasizes refusal skills. The first six weeks of college see a dramatic increase in binge drinking and lack of sexual abstinence.

Mr. Anderson continued with the information that friends sometimes make choices that make a student feel uncomfortable. By frequent role playing, a student becomes more at ease in refusing bad behavior and making better decisions. If a student is asked what he/she would do in a situation often enough, the right decision is often easier to make when it matters. The survey found the majority of ninth grade students are at social risk.

Of concern at the Middle School is the amount of bullying that occurs, both in person and electronically. Mr. Anderson pointed out everyone has a camera in his/her pocket. One inappropriate picture circulated is very traceable and is a felony. The middle school student also shows an increase from 8% to 16% for alcohol abuse.

Principal Smith noted all incoming students are given a Student Handbook and must sign off that it has been read. Problems of stress and suicide are more prevalent the junior year when stress is at its highest. He also noted bullying is being talked about so that students are aware of what is bullying. This topic has shown an increase at the high school level.

Data has also shown that a student having “5 dinners at home” has less substance abuse problems.

Mrs. Levine-Kanji was pleased to see that the students felt they had someone to talk to either at home or at school.

Westborough School Committee 5

October 21, 2009

The Committee will review the Gibbons School Improvement Plan at the next meeting.

The School Committee discussed the timeline and needs for the superintendent search.

Needs:

Next 2 years financial management of the schools in the face of declining resources

Maintaining quality academic standards

Maintaining quality of services

Maintaining quality of facilities

Adjustments – class size is going to go up

Prioritize needs of the district for the best possible way to assure student achievement.

Ability to make difficult decisions

Communication and relationship skills

Educational leadership – goals, curriculum

Demonstrate understanding of education in terms of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Involvement in educational organizations

Understand compliance with state and federal regulations

A discussion of the role of the Search Committee took place. Mr. Doret stated it is the responsibility of the Committee to hire a superintendent under Education Reform, and therefore the school committee should be the search committee. Mr. Tretter disagreed and felt there should be a broader range of individuals on the committee. Either way, the School Committee would seek input from stakeholders.

MOTION

Mrs. Henderson made a motion that the School Committee be the Search Committee. Mr. Doret seconded the motion.

Mrs. Levine-Kanji felt there should be a public forum. Mr. Tretter felt all other committees have a broader membership. The stakeholders represent their constituents. Mr. Harris respectfully disagreed. Ed Reform took away other responsibilities of school committees, but left the hiring and firing of the superintendent and budget process. The responsibility lies with the school committee. Mr. Doret agreed that is the job of the school committee under Ed Reform. Input will be gathered from other sources, but the responsibility lies with the school committee. Mrs. Henderson felt the committee would receive input through survey and focus groups.

The Committee voted 3-2 in favor of the motion with Mr. Tretter and Mrs. Levine-Kanji voting in the negative.

Questions for the survey will be drawn up, a time limit set, and the results will be coded to go only to the School Committee.

The Committee signed bills.

MOTION

At 8:30 p.m. upon a motion by Mr. Tretter, seconded by Mrs. Levine-Kanji, the Committee voted 5-0 to adjourn.

.

Respectfully submitted

Ilyse Levine-Kanji

Secretary

These minutes are as recorded by the secretary to the school committee and do not become an official part of the record until so noted in a subsequent record.

The Comedy Hour

For more details about the production, please see the Westborough News article:
Gibbons theater students take the stage.

The following is a message from the Westborough Public Schools regarding the H1N1 Flu. Click on the READ MORE... link below to view the entire message.

WESTBOROUGH PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Message sent - 10/29/2009
H1N1 Important Information

This is a much longer email than what we usually send to parents. However, we want to give you the most up to date and important information about the H1N1 flu. There are three major information sections included: 1) about the safety of the H1N1 vaccine; 2) about vaccinating Westborough students; 3) that provides a parent fact sheet.

[The following minutes fetched from the district site on 2009-10-28 --webmaster]

WESTBOROUGH SCHOOL COMMITTEE

WESTBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS

MINUTES

Wednesday October 7, 2009

The Westborough School Committee meeting was called to order at 5:30 p.m by Chairman, Karen Henderson. Committee members present included Mr. Bruce Tretter, Mrs. Ilyse Levine-Kanji and Mr. Craig Harris. Administrator present, Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Anne Towle

Upon a motion by Mr. Tretter, seconded by Mrs. Levine-Kanji, the Committee voted 4-0 in favor of entering Executive Session under Chapter 30A, Section 21, by roll call vote to discuss negotiations.

The Committee returned to Open Session at 6:00 p.m.

Assistant Superintendent, Mrs. Marianne O’Connor, Director of Finance and Administration, Mr. Daniel Hendricks; and Student Representative, Afeefa Bhatti joined the meeting.

The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.

MINUTES

Upon a motion by Mr. Tretter seconded by Mrs. Levine-Kanji, the Committee voted 4-0 to approve the minutes of September 23, 2009.

SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT AND HIGHLIGHTS

Dr. Towle introduced and congratulated the following teachers who have attained professional status: Rachel Abrahams, Karen Apuzzo Langton, Cheryl Carlson, Roxanne Donahue, Marion Johnson, Kimberly Lambert, Robyn Lawyer, Julie Matson, Mary Lonergan, Kathleen Sabet, Cheryl Tucker, Jacqueline Vandesteen, Jean Weiss, Chris Gildea, Lisa Grimm, Sky Headland, Marie Hopkinson, Megan Kirby, Joseph Marrella, Michele Mercurio, Lorin Reed, Susan Saari, Dara Snider, Ann Taylor.

The Superintendent also recognized and presented Certificates of Achievement to National Merit Scholarship semifinalists Sukmin Moon, Anthony Liu and Xiao-Yu Wang. Also recognized were Michael Fisher and Anthony Liu for achieving Honors in the 2009 U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad. Michael was also named a commended student in the 2010 National Merit Scholarship Competition.

Noah Rhein was recognized for achieving the rank of Eagle Scout awarded by the Boy Scouts of America. Noah spent 180 hours on his trail projects at the Mill Pond School area.

MASC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Glen Koocher, Executive Director of MASC, reported last year there were 64 turnovers of superintendents in the state. To date, there are 24 scheduled departures for this year, which most likely will double by the end of the year. The school committee appoints a superintendent when a vacancy exists and addresses three areas: (1) why the person is leaving; (2) any particular special needs of the district; (3) has district done any leadership planning or cultivation, starting with teachers and career building. The next step is to ask: (1) do we look internally; (2) do we look externally, locally, statewide, nationally. A third of the districts are making internal promotions. Key to any decision is to keep it public and transparent.

Mr. Koocher noted the ongoing significant economic crisis results in people reluctant to leave a secure position and the real estate shock in eastern Massachusetts. Weather has an impact on some and the regulatory climate of Massachusetts and the 110 filing deadlines also have an impact.

It was noted there is no charge for the service of assisting with the superintendent search by MASC. Mr. Koocher suggested following the “Westborough” model that was used in the hiring of the present superintendent, which includes public exposure to the candidate and public interviews. Mr. Koocher noted the media is not bound by any restrictions, and in some instances the faculty likes to hire the candidate.

School Committee Meeting 2.

October 7, 2009

At a recent Department of Education meeting the serious economic news was emphasized, the state revenues are falling below projections, and there is a potential for 9C (current budgeted figures) cuts at the end of this month. In the 2011 budget, the federal stimulus funding will be gone, and the state will be hard pressed on Chapter 70 state aid. The year 2012 will not be much better and is impacting the fiscal stability of every school district. The economic climate has not been like this since before World War II.

Mr. Tretter asked how the districts maintain education standards with diminished resources. Mr. Koocher replied in the most general terms elements of education reform, the Readiness Bill, and giving communities czar like authority. Freeze every expense over what a school committee has discretion. He noted the reductions in human services, health and medical services are going to have a greater impact. A district will have to use extreme conservation with every dollar that it spends.

At Mr. Harris’s request the Committee will establish a timetable for the superintendent search at the next meeting.

SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT AND HIGHLIGHTS

Dr. Towle extended congratulations to Alex Cincotta, Massachusetts High School player of the Week by the American Volleyball Coaches’ Association. On September 30, Coach Colleen Debish earned her 300^th career field hockey victory for the Westborough High School with a 2-1 win over Quabbin.

The Superintendent’s Advisory Committee held its first meeting and will continue to meet monthly. The October Town Meeting was discussed, information about the transportation and fee sub committees was shared and fundraising was discussed

Mrs. O’Connor announced a Chinese school administrator will be visiting the district November 15 to 21. In the spring Mrs. O’Connor will visit his school. Arrangements are being made for translators to be available throughout the day. A visit to the Rotary Club is being arranged as well as a reception in the district.

The Grant Committee has obtained a $2000 grant from SADD to be used for underage drinking programs. Roger Anderson will incorporate it into his Wellness curriculum. Westborough has to supplement the Grant with $2000.

Homecoming was very successful at the High School. The Trivia Bee will be held November 9 at 6:30 p.m. at the Doubletree. Fourteen teams will participate from the school department to support the sponsor, Westborough Educational Foundation.

Mr. Hendricks reported a meeting was held with the current transportation vendor preparing for bid figures that will be incorporated into the next budget. Mr. Hendricks also attended a meeting at Assabet to discuss common issues.

COMMITTEE REQUESTS AND REPORTS

Afeefa reported the High School Athletic Department is having a phenomenal year; football, field hockey and volleyball are all doing great. School spirit is very high and the Event of the Week is very successful. Fundraising took place at Homecoming; Picture Day was held; college applications are being written, a Financial Aid night is being planned, and the Juniors are having a Brainstorming night.

Mr. Tretter announced Homecoming was very successful. He attended a Stipend meeting September 30 and questions were raised for the Joint Labor/Management Board. A standardized form has been drafted for new positions. An activity has to be in place for two years to be eligible for a stipend.

Mrs. Levine-Kanji reminded the community Town Meeting has been changed to October 26. Mrs. Hatherley is reapplying for the National School of Character Grant, and the National Grant for Music is being assembled.

School Committee Meeting 3.

October 7, 2009

State Representative, Carolyn Dykema, is sponsoring a bill to eliminate the transportation requirements and let the districts decide whether to transport/charge those students within and without two miles of a school.

Committee members felt the Transportation sub committee should review this information.

Mr. Harris reported WASA will be holding a food drive for the Westborough Food Pantry on Halloween at Stop and Shop. The organization has made a $1000 donation in response to the low inventory. WABA and WMPA are taking orders for pies as a fundraiser.

Mrs. Henderson announced the School Committee met with the Finance Committee to discuss the article on the town Warrant. FinCom has voted to support the article requesting $160,000 for the unexpected students moving into the district that have Special Needs. These are legally mandated costs.

MOTION

Mr. Tretter made a motion to approve the request from all school PTO’s to participate in the program at Stop and Shop that will return a percentage of the total purchased to the schools. The program begins October 9 and runs through March 25.

MOTION

Mr. Tretter made a motion to appoint Johanna DiCarlo as the school department member on the Lee Property Committee, Ad Hoc, as requested by the Town Manager. Mr. Harris seconded the motion and the Committee voted 4-0 in favor.

The Committee was in receipt of Policy IHBAA, Observations of Special Education Programs, for its review. A vote will be taken at the next meeting. The Policy is a result of a new law. The Superintendent recommends approval.

The Committee was in receipt of the Westborough High School Improvement Plan for 2009-10. Dr. Towle highlighted Curriculum, Facilities, Technology, Communication and Providing access to internal and external resources and services that address the academic and social needs of all students.

Mr. Hendricks announced the Massachusetts School Building Authority has approved a feasibility study for the potential repair of the Gibbons School. This is not an approval of the project, but strictly an invitation to work with MSBA to explore solutions to the problems identified. The request was submitted last year and could result in a 40-50% reimbursement. This is for roof and electrical repairs and should fall in a $1-3 million dollar amount. This is the first step in the process and there is no cost to the town at this time.

The School Committee will meet with the Board of Selectmen October 13 to give an overview of school finances and to inform them it appears there will be a 12% reduction in Chapter 70 funding. A slide presentation has been prepared for the meeting. There is a consensus this should be a living document and updated monthly.

Mr. Harris pointed out it is unusual for the Committee to go before the Board of Selectmen with budget information. The Committee is doing this so everyone can identify the serious problem at hand. The Committee will communicate the same message to the Selectmen that it has to the Finance Committee. It was suggested the School Committee members go before the PTO’s to get the seriousness of the financial message out to the community.

The Superintendent announced the H1N1 Survey results. 82.6% responded they would have their children vaccinated at a no cost clinic sponsored by the Board of Health in Westborough. 52% would like the clinics to be held during school hours and 30% preferred after school hours. This is an optional vaccination. Questions raised in the survey will be addressed by the Board of Health web site.

Westborough School Committee 4.

October 7, 2009

The Committee signed bills.

MOTION

At 8:00 p.m. upon a motion by Mr. Tretter, seconded by Mrs. Levine-Kanji, the Committee voted 4-0 to adjourn.

.

Respectfully submitted

Ilyse Levine-Kanji

Secretary

These minutes are as recorded by the secretary to the school committee and do not become an official part of the record until so noted in a subsequent record.