Minutes - Wayland School Committee
Regular Session   January 11, 2010  

A Regular Session of the Wayland School Committee was held on Monday, January 11, 2010, at 7:00 P.M. in the School Committee Room of the Wayland Town Building.

Present were:
Dr. Louis Jurist, Chair
Mr. Jeff 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 7:05 P.M. and asked for public comment.

1. Report from Finance Committee:
Cherry Karlson reported that due to new information related to new growth in the Town, the FinCom voted a new guideline for FY’11. This equates about $210,000 less in school department reductions. She also stated that the FinCom is still looking for a long-range structural change to have expenses match revenue.

2. Special Matter – HSBC Update:
HSBC member Mary Lentz discussed the need for a construction attorney and the process for finding a finalist. The HSBC recommends Bob Garrity and requested the School Committee vote to approve their recommendation.

Upon a motion duly made by Mr. Astley, seconded by Mr. Dieffenbach, the School Committee voted unanimously (5-0) to approve Bob Garrett as the construction attorney for the HSBC project.

3. Comments and Written Statements from the Public:
• A community member commented on the current budget and requested the School Committee to consider pay reductions to both union and non-union employees.
• A parent asked that the School Committee consider several cuts, including reductions to the Middle School administration and Middle School guidance.
• A parent asked a question related to capital vs. operational expenses.
• A student commented on the makeup of the Arts Department related to possible cuts.
• A student commented on the quality of Wayland teachers.
• A community member asked about transportation offsets.
• A community member asked what time the School Committee would discuss the court ruling.

4. FY’11 Budget Review and Preparation – Technology Capital Plan:
Mrs. Leisha Simon discussed the current technology capital plan and answered questions posed by the
School Committee.

Upon a motion duly made by Mr. Dieffenbach, seconded by Mr. Astley, the School Committee voted unanimously (5-0) to approve the Technology Capital Plan in the amount of $750,000.

5. Approval of Accounts Payable and Payroll Warrants:
Upon a motion duly made by Mr. Dieffenbach, seconded by Mr. Astley, the School Committee voted unanimously (4-0) (Mrs. Fletcher stepped out of the room) to approve the following:
• School Department Payroll warrant, dated 1/14/2010, in the amount of $1,119,046.19

6. Acceptance of Gifts:
Upon a motion duly made by Mr. Dieffenbach, seconded by Mr. Astley, the School Committee voted unanimously (4-0) (Mrs. Fletcher not present) to accept with gratitude the following gifts:
• A donation of $2,500 from HMFH Architects to the WHS Robotics Program.
• A donation to the Wayland Middle School bands a pair of Paiste crash cymbals from Scott Crago and Elisabeth Pedersen and family of Wayland.

7. Court Ruling re: Superintendent’s 2004 Evaluation:
Dr. Jurist and Mrs. Cohen summarized the recent court ruling related to the Superintendent’s performance evaluation. The ruling will result in the release of the individual comments in 2004 and may result in other changes to the process.

Upon a motion duly made by Mr. Dieffenbach, seconded by Mrs. Fletcher, the School Committee voted unanimously (5-0) release the two individual comments from the 2004 Superintendent’s evaluation.

8. Enrollment Update:
Dr. Burton provided the School Committee with the current enrollment numbers.

9. Discussion re: Boston Parent Meeting:
Dr. Burton provided the School Committee with possible meeting dates. He will bring another date to the next meeting.

10. Approval of Minutes:
Upon a motion duly made by Mrs. Fletcher, seconded by Mrs. Cohen, the School Committee voted unanimously (4-0) (Mr. Dieffenbach abstained) to approve the following minutes:
• Regular Session of January 4, 2010

11. Discussion re: Race to the Top (RTTT) Memorandum of Understanding (MOU):
Dr. Burton presented information related to the Race to the Top (RTTT) Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). After the discussion, he recommended the School Committee vote to sign the MOU for the RTTT funds.

Upon a motion duly made by Mr. Dieffenbach, seconded by Mrs. Cohen, the School Committee voted unanimously (5-0) to authorize Chair Louis Jurist to sign the MOU.

12. School Choice:
Dr. Burton discussed the feedback from the Admin Council related to School Choice. The administration would like to look further at the implications of becoming a Choice community. The Committee consensus was to begin creating a plan to answer several of their concerns.

13. Comments from the Public:
A parent asked a question regarding School Choice.
A community member suggesting increasing Professional Development funds for Technology.

14. Continued Budget Discussion re: Offsets:
Mrs. Fletcher informed the School Committee of the actual for the current fee-based transportation costs and the projections for FY’11. The Committee consensus was to change the way we account and include the full amount of the revenue in the offset budget. The Committee would also like to revise the offsets by increasing the net revenue by $25,000 for the student transportation fee.

15. School Committee Attends FinCom Meeting:
At 9:32 P.M. the School Committee moved to the Large Hearing Room and presented the School Department’s Capital Budget.

The School Committee resumed their regular meeting in the School Committee Room at 10:38 and continued their discussion of the presentation to the FinCom.

16. Continued Discussion of Offsets:
Lois discussed the costs associated with the swim team. The School Committee’s consensus was to eliminate from the offsets the fee for the rental of the pool. Increasing offsets from other areas including WSCP, the Middle School athletic fee, WSCP adult education and music, and advertising were discussed.

The Committee also discussed several comparisons of staffing to Weston’s staffing. Members also discussed other possible cuts that would enable the restoration of the other cuts.

17. Comments from the Public:
There were no public comments.

18. Adjournment:
Upon a motion duly made by Mr. Dieffenbach, seconded by Mrs. Fletcher, the Committee voted unanimously (5-0) to adjourn the Regular Session at 12:03 P.M.

Respectfully submitted,

Gary A. Burton, Clerk
Wayland School Committee