Minutes - Wayland School Committee
Regular Session    November 9, 2009  

A Regular Session of the Wayland School Committee was held on Monday, November 9, 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

Dr. Marlene M. Dodyk
Director of Student Services

Chair Louis Jurist convened the regular meeting at 7:05 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 need for a community to have a vision that comes from the leadership.

Dr. Jurist stated that at 7:15 p.m. he would attend the Board of Selectmen’s meeting.

2. Special Matter – Update on the “G4” Superintendents’ Working Group:
Mr. Dieffenbach reported on the history, goals, and next steps of the “G4” Superintendents’ Working Group meetings. He reported that at the next meeting of the group, they would begin to draft recommendations and findings. Dr. Burton and Mr. Dieffenbach answered questions from the Committee members.

3. Curriculum Summer Work Report:
Mr. Crozier summarized the Summer Work Report and answered questions posed by the Committee members.

4. Approval of Accounts Payable & Payroll Warrants:
Upon a motion duly made by Mr. Astley, seconded by Mrs. Cohen, the Committee voted unanimously (4-0) (Dr. Jurist absent) to approve the following payroll warrant.
• School Department Payroll warrant, dated 11/5/2009, in the amount of $1,086,301.24

5. Acceptance of Gifts:
Upon a motion duly made by Mrs. Fletcher, and seconded Mrs. Cohen, the School Committee voted unanimously (4-0) (Dr. Jurist absent) to accept with gratitude the following gifts:
• A donation in the amount of $300.00 to The Children’s Way from Jennifer Nichols and John Crawford, 25 Three Ponds Road.

6. HSBC Update:
Dr. Burton reported that the HSBC has added an additional forum for the community. Mr. Dieffenbach reported that the HSBC asked him to send out a communication to the School Committee Listserv.

7. Enrollment Update:
Dr. Burton reported on the current enrollment of the five schools. He also reported that NESDEC should be issuing their enrollment report in the upcoming months.

8. WSCP Financial Report:
Dr. Burton provided the School Committee with a summary of the WSCP year-end accounting. Dr. Burton answered questions from the School Committee.

9. Inclement Weather Communication:
Dr. Burton provided the School Committee with the inclement weather memo and confirmed his intention to safely keep the schools open on days of inclement weather.

10. Alpine Property:
Dr. Burton presented a map of the Alpine Property. He stated that he will continue to research the possible sale to offset the cost of a new building project.

11. Approval of Minutes:
Upon a motion duly made by Mr. Dieffenbach, and seconded by Mrs. Fletcher, the School Committee voted unanimously (5-0) to approve the following minutes as amended:
• Regular Session of October 13, 2009
• Regular Session of October 26, 2009

12. Field Trip Regulations and Guidelines:
The School Committee reviewed the Field Trip Regulations and Guidelines as discussed at the last meeting. Mrs. Fletcher will review School Committee policies to ensure the new guidelines do not conflict with other existing policies related to transportation of students in personal automobiles.

Upon a motion duly made by Mr. Astley, and seconded by Mrs. Fletcher, the School Committee voted unanimously (5-0) to approve the Field Trip Regulations and Guidelines.

13. Parent Survey:
Dr. Burton presented the framework for a survey of the parents. The School Committee discussed the focus and outcomes of the survey. The School Committee would like a formalized structure to ask parents for feedback about their child’s experience for the purpose of teacher use for self-improvement.

14. Fall Forum and Future Meetings Discussion:
The School Committee discussed the meeting schedule for the next four meetings. They are as follows:
November 30, 2009 – MCAS Report/Staff Deployment Report/DI Elementary
December 7, 2009 – Dr. Burton’s Budget
December 21, 2009 – School Committee reaction to budget
January 4, 2010 – Forum and Budget Work Session

15. Comments from the Public:
A community member advocated for a more free-flowing discussion. He also suggested asking elementary teachers to come to a School Committee meeting to present how they are using technology in the classroom. Finally, he supported controlling wage costs in future negotiations.

16. Executive Session:
Upon a motion duly made by Mr. Dieffenbach, seconded by Mr. Astley, 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 purposes only.

17. Adjournment:
Upon a motion by Mr. Dieffenbach, seconded by Mrs. Fletcher, the Committee voted unanimously (5-0) to adjourn the Regular Session at 9:55 P.M.

Respectfully submitted,

Gary A. Burton, Clerk
Wayland School Committee

Observer: Tom Sciacca, WVN