HWRSD School Committee

HAMPDEN-WILBRAHAM REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
Green Meadows Elementary School Library
April 10, 2007 at 7:00 p.m.

Present:
School Committee Members : Scott Chapman, Chair; William Bickley, Marianne Desmond, D. John McCarthy, Lisa Morace, Peter Salerno and Rebecca DeSanti.
Administrators : Paul Gagliarducci, Donna Scanlon and Beth Regulbuto
Guests: Deborah Thompson, Principal of Green Meadows; John Flynn and Duane Mosier, Hampden Selectmen; Doug Farmer,The Times; Levon Kinney, The Reminder; Ed Gorski, Hampden resident.
Absent : Gilles Turcotte

Chairman Chapman called the meeting to order and immediately turned it over to Principal Deb Thompson.

  1. Welcome to Green Meadows Elementary School – Deborah Thompson
    Mrs. Thompson welcomed everyone to Green Meadows. She chose to talk about the positive impact of the Elementary School Counseling Grant, which provides for a full-time adjustment counselor, and the safety and security measures undertaken at the school with the parents and community full cooperation. She also gave a special thank you to the many volunteers at Green Meadows. As is customary when the School Committee visits a school, Ms. Morace presented Mrs. Thompson with a book for their library, The Three Questions, which is in keeping with the school’s “character counts” theme.
     
  2. General (see attached)
    1. Public Comment
       Mr. Gorski requested that the topic of “legacy costs” be discussed in the future. Mr. Flynn and Mr. Mosier both thanked the School Committee for their hard work and their partnership working closely with the Town of Hampden.
    2. Minutes
      • Regular Meeting – March 27, 2007
         The Minutes of the March 27 th meeting were reviewed. Mrs. Desmond made a motion to accept the Minutes as written. Mr. Bickley seconded and it was approved. Mr. Salerno abstained.
    3. Student Representatives
      Student Representative Rebecca DeSanti reported that everyone is just gearing up for next week’s vacation!
  3. Financial Issues (see attached)
    1. FY08 Budget Update
      Dr. Gagliarducci explained what was happening with the latest budget figures released recently and how it affects the district. Even though the legislators’ approved more money overall, the district is getting less than anticipated from the Governor’s budget, although still more than last year. Fortunately our budget did not include all of the money from the Governor’s budget, but there is a $285,000 “problem”, which will be handled through budget cuts and some E&D funds. The Superintendent contacted both towns to alert them that he would be asking the School Committee to revise assessments, although still within their cap, which by statute we can do up to April 13 th. Mr. Salerno made a motion to rescind the previous budget vote. Mrs. Desmond seconded and it was unanimously approved. Mr. Salerno made a motion to adopt the “Joint Chambers 4/9/07” budget version and vote $36,731,934 as the budget for the next fiscal year. Mrs. Desmond seconded. During discussion, Mr. Salerno expressed his thoughts that if we get any more “bad news” we will need to look at cutting expenses, as he is reluctant to hit the E&D account further. The motion was unanimously approved.
    2. Approve Warrants
      The warrants were approved.
  4. Other Business (see attached)
    1. Superintendent’s Evaluation
      Mr. Chapman explained that he and Mrs. Desmond had recently completed Dr. Gagliarducci’s evaluation. He read the “Public Letter to the Citizens and Students of Hampden and Wilbraham”, which included comments such as, “We are pleased to publicly announce that again this year Dr. Gagliarducci has shown that his leadership, professional and management skills are exemplary” and “His performance, continuing efforts, and endless time devoted to the District and its students is greatly appreciated and recognized, and serves as a benefit to this District”.
    2. Job Sharing Requests
      Dr. Gagliarducci presented three requests for job sharing next year. Two of them are current situations, Green Meadows and Stony Hill, and one of them is new, Mile Tree. There was general discussion about the various educational benefits of job sharing. It was noted that according to policy, only one employee can receive the insurance benefits. Dr. Gagliarducci recommended that the School Committee allow him to approve the job share requests. Mr. Salerno made a motion that the School Committee approve the job shares as explained by the Superintendent and according to district policy. Mrs. Desmond seconded and it was unanimously approved.
  5. Correspondence/Written Reports Received (see attached)
    1. Superintendent’s Report
      In addition to his report, the Superintendent announced “Senior Citizens Day” at MRHS on May 9 th and the receipt of a donation from the Richard J. Moriarty Trust Fund, through the Community Foundation of Western Mass, for Green Meadows. He also read an excerpt from a letter from Mr. Quigley recognizing some Minnechaug hockey players’ wonderful involvement in the Special Olympics skating program, and an excerpt from the annual report of Camp Sunshine recognizing Wilbraham Middle School for their substantial donation to their program.
    2. Enrollment Report
      The 4/1/07 enrollment figure is 3795. There was no further discussion.
    3. Misc. Correspondence (green folder)
      The names of the two HWRSD students who won honors in the MSBA “My Ideal School” contest were announced – Patrick Leary from Mile Tree and Skylar Kolisko from Green Meadows. The winners and their families are invited to attend a special State House ceremony on May 11 th, where the grand prize winner will be announced.
  6. Personnel
     The School Committee noted the following appointments, resignations, leaves of absence, and retirements:
    1. Appointments (replacements unless noted otherwise*)
      • Patricia Downes, PT MCAS Math Tutor @ TWB, eff 01-23-07
      • Carol McCarthy, Food Service Staff @ SHS, eff 02-05-07
      • Jennifer Nelson, Para @ GM, eff 02-09-07
    2. Resignations
      • Nan O’Connor, Gr 2 Teacher @ SHS, eff 02-12-07
    3. Leaves of Absence
      • None
    4. Retirements
      • Mary King, Food Service Staff, eff 01-23-07
  7. New Agenda Items (for upcoming meetings)
    1. Policy Manual Subcommittee (ongoing)
    2. Capital Projects Review (April)
    3. System Wide Curriculum Review (May)
    4. Review of Course Selections (class size, etc) (April 24)
  8. Executive Session
    The discussion about safety and security was tabled until a future meeting.

Mr. Chapman asked for a motion to adjourn. Mr. Bickley so moved, Mrs. Desmond seconded, and it was unanimously approved. The meeting adjourned at 8:00 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Karen W. Belsky
Recording Secretary

Next Meeting Scheduled For:
Tuesday, April 24, 2007,
at Minnechaug Regional High School