Minutes - Wayland School Committee
Regular Session    November 30, 2009  

A Regular Session of the Wayland School Committee was held on Monday, November 30, 2009, at 7:00 P.M. in the School Committee Room of the Wayland Town Building.

Present were:
Dr. Louis Jurist, Chair
Mr. Jeff R. Dieffenbach, Vice Chair
Mr. Malcolm Astley
Ms. Deb Cohen, Esq.
Mrs. Barb Fletcher

Also:
Dr. Gary A. Burton
Superintendent of Schools
Mr. Brad J. Crozier
Assistant Superintendent

Ms. Joy E. Buhler
Business Administrator

Dr. Marlene M. Dodyk
Director of Student Services

Chair Louis Jurist convened the regular meeting at 7:03 P.M. He welcomed the observers and asked for public comment.

1. Comments and Written Statements from the Public:
A community member commented on the high tax rate in Wayland. He suggested the School Committee reduce costs to the community with union give-backs and increased efficiencies and cost savings by using technology.

2. Curriculum Specialists’ Presentation:
Maggie Helon and Mindy Johal each presented current methods of Differentiated Instruction in the elementary school classrooms. They answered questions posed by Committee members.

3. 2009 Staff Deployment and Class Size Report:
Mr. Crozier presented the 2009 Staff Deployment and Class Size Report and answered questions posed by the School Committee members.

4. 2009 MCAS Report and Analysis:
Mr. Crozier presented the 2009 MCAS Report and Analysis and answered questions posed by the School Committee.

5. Approval of 7th Grade Cape Cod Trip:
Upon a motion duly made by Mr. Dieffenbach, seconded by Mr. Astley, the School Committee voted unanimously (5-0) to approve the Cape Cod trip.

6. Draft of Capital Plan and Warrant Articles:
The School Committee reviewed the draft of the School Department’s Capital Plan. Mrs. Leisha Simon reviewed the current state of the Capital Spending Plan. She answered several questions from the Committee members.

Upon a motion duly made by Mrs. Fletcher, seconded by Mr. Dieffenbach, the School Committee voted unanimously (5-0) to submit a technology warrant article for Town Meeting in the amount of $750,000.

7. Approval of School Committee Policies:
• Late Night & Overnight Policy
• Field Trip Policy

Upon a motion duly made by Mr. Dieffenbach, seconded by Mrs. Cohen, the School Committee voted unanimously (5-0) to approve the Late Night & Overnight Policy and Field Trip Policy, including a review of current field trip documents to include safety procedures on trips.

8. Discussion re: Naming School Committee Policies:
Mrs. Cohen reviewed information collected from Newton and other Massachusetts’ communities. The Committee members will begin to reflect on a common vision for the Naming Policies and research funds received by districts.

9. Final Review of Annual Town Report:
The School Committee reviewed a draft of the Annual Town Report. Changes will be submitted by Dr. Burton.

10. Discussion re: School Choice:
A brief discussion of possibly moving toward being a School Choice district was engaged in by the School Committee. Dr. Burton will survey other districts and their experience with School Choice.

11. Approval of Accounts Payable & Payroll Warrants:
Upon a motion duly made by Mrs. Fletcher, seconded by Mr. Dieffenbach, the School Committee voted unanimously (5-0) to approve the following warrants:

• School Department Accounts Payable warrant, dated 11/30/2009, in the amount of $163,973.80
• School Department Payroll warrant, dated 11/19/2009, in the amount of $1,965.68 (missing wages)
• School Department Payroll warrant, dated 11/23/2009, in the amount of $2,466.60 (missing wages)

12. Superintendent’s Report:
(a) Enrollment Report: Dr. Burton reviewed current enrollment numbers.

(b) HSBC Update: Project Scope and Budget Agreement
Upon a motion duly made by Mrs. Fletcher, seconded by Mr. Astley, the School Committee voted unanimously (5-0) to approve the Project Scope and Budget Agreement pending a consultation with Town Counsel regarding appropriate contract language.

(c) National Honor Society: The School Committee reviewed a letter submitted by High School Principal Tutwiler related to the National Honor Society. Dr. Burton answered questions posed by the Committee members. Several members of the School Committee may reach out to Mr. Tutwiler for more details.

(d) Survey Options for Students, Staff & Parent Feedback: Dr. Burton asked the School Committee for feedback on the survey information he sent to the members. The Committee feedback was to not proceed with the survey as it is designed.

13. Approval of Minutes:
Upon a motion by Mrs. Fletcher, seconded by Mr. Dieffenbach, the School Committee voted unanimously
(5-0) to approve the following minutes, as amended.
• Regular Session of November 9, 2009
• Executive Session of November 9, 2009
• Regular Session of November 18, 2009
• Executive Session of November 18, 2009

14. Comments from the Public:
• A parent expressed concerns about the differences in MCAS scores between Claypit Hill and Happy Hollow.
• A parent asked about the process for hiring a new Middle School principal.
• A community member supported VHS as an option, but to make that happen, capital funds need to be invested in the district for the hardware.
• A parent supported providing feedback to teachers by parents. He also hoped that the Iparent modular in our SIMS be implemented.
• A parent supported the use of VHS.
• A parent commented on children using reflective practices in their own learning as students.

15. Executive Session:
Upon a motion duly made by Mrs. Fletcher, seconded by Mrs. Cohen, the Committee voted unanimously (5-0) in a roll call vote to convene in Executive Session at 9:12 P.M. for the purpose of matters pertaining to Collective Bargaining, as set forth in Section 23B of G.L. Ch. 39.

The Chair announced that the Committee would reconvene in Open Session immediately following the adjournment of the Executive Session for adjournment purposed only.

16. Adjournment:
Upon a motion by Mr. Dieffenbach, seconded by Mrs. Fletcher, the Committee voted unanimously (5-0) to adjourn the Regular Session at 11:17 P.M.

Respectfully submitted,

Gary A. Burton, Clerk
Wayland School Committee

Observers:
Tom Sciacca, WVN
Kim Reichelt, 11 Coolidge Road
Betsey Brigham, Rice Road
Jeffrey Sklar, 18 Brooks Road
Robin Sklar, 18 Brooks Road