HWRSD School Committee

Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District
School Committee Meeting
Thornton W. Burgess Middle School
September 11, 2007 @ 7:00 p.m.

 Present:
School Committee Members : Scott Chapman, Chair; William Bickley, Marianne Desmond, D. John McCarthy, Lisa Morace, Peter Salerno, Gilles Turcotte and Student Representatives Greg Boilard and Amanda Carron.
Administrators : Paul Gagliarducci, Donna Scanlon
Guests: John D. Flynn, Hampden Selectman; Marty O’Shea, Principal MRHS; Nancy Dugre, MRHS Teacher; Gina Kahn, Risk Prevention Services Coordinator; Melissa Fales, Wilbraham Hampden Times; and Ed Gorski, Hampden resident.
Absent : Beth Regulbuto

Mr. Chapman called the meeting to order at 7:10 p.m. and asked for a moment of silence in observance of the anniversary of September 11, 2001.

  1. General (see attached)
    1. Public Comment
      2. There were no comments.
    2. Minutes
      • Regular Meeting – August 28, 2007
         The minutes from the August 28, 2007, meeting were reviewed. Mr. Turcotte made a motion to accept the minutes as written, Mr. Bickley seconded, and they were approved.
      • Executive Session – August 28, 2007
         The minutes from the August 28, 2007 Executive Session were reviewed. Mrs. Desmond made a motion to accept the minutes as written, Mr. Turcotte seconded, and they were approved.
    3. Student Representatives
      The new Student Representatives introduced themselves - Greg Boilard and Amanda Carron, both sophomores.
  2. Financial issues (see attached)
    1. Approve Warrants
      The warrants were approved.
  3. Other Business (see attached)
    1. Safety & Security Power Point Presentations
      "Considering Regional Hazards in School Emergency Planning: Snowfall in New England”: Mrs. Kahn was invited to attend a national school safety conference in Washington DC and was asked to make a presentation on school emergency planning for snow emergencies. She reviewed her presentation based on how the HWRSD handles such emergencies.
      “A Visitor’s Guide: Safety and Security Procedures”: Mrs. Kahn briefly reviewed the new district-wide procedure for visiting our schools. She noted that safety should be on everyone’s agenda and the importance of the public being our partners in promoting safety in our schools.
      EdLine Presentation – Mr. O’Shea*: Mr. O’Shea and Ms. Dugre demonstrated the new EdLine program and showed its many capabilities including private, secure student-specific reports, such as homework assignments and upcoming tests; c lass–specific content, such as course description and syllabus, homework assignments and test dates; student activities information such as meeting dates and names of advisors; and g eneral school information, such as news, daily announcements, and calendar of events. Edline is designed to be used by teachers, students, and parents. Eventually grades and progress reports will be available online, but Mr. O’Shea cautioned that this is the first year and it will take time to fully implement .
      “Welcome Back 2007” and “Shift Happens” Presentation:       Dr. Gagliarducci reviewed the presentation shown to all staff on the first day back regarding quality education and how much the district has accomplished in the past few years. In addition he showed a segment entitled “Shift Happens” which is loosely based on the “world is flat” concepts of the Thomas Friedman’s book.
    2. Policy Manual Review – Mr. Salerno
      Mr. Salerno noted that he is getting together with Dr. Gagliarducci and Mrs. Belsky to review what has been done to date. He asked that the letter from Attorney Toomey be shared with the other members of the subcommittee and that a meeting be scheduled.
  4. Correspondence/Written Reports Received (see attached)
    1. Superintendent’s Report
      In addition to his report, Dr. Gagliarducci announced that representatives from the MSBA will be visiting MRHS on Wednesday, September 19 th, for about two hours as a follow up to the previous visit. Also, as a result of the School Committee’s conversation and Dr. Gagliarducci’s letter, the Wilbraham Board of Selectmen have invited members of the Committee to their meeting on Monday, September 17 th, to discuss the Bennett farm in executive session.
    2. Misc. Correspondence (green folder)
      Miscellaneous correspondence included the latest WMS newsletter and the most recent enrollment report. Dr. Gagliarducci noted that the enrollment numbers are not “official” until the October 1 st count. However, he reviewed the figures and discussed some of the implications of them, including not replacing a teacher at both Mile Tree and Thornton Burgess due to some enrollment decreases.
  5. Personnel
    The School Committee noted the following appointments, resignations, leaves of absence, and retirements:
      • Dawn Barillaro, PT Bookkeeper @ MRHS Food Service, eff 8-29-07
      • Donna Duchesne, Para @ WMS, eff 8-27-07
      • Maureen Gullberg, Para @ MRHS, eff 8-27-07
      • Douglas King, LT Sub @ TWB, eff 8-27-07
      • Krishna Longanecker, Gr 4 Teacher @ SRS, eff 8-27-07
      • Charlene Morse, Para @ MEM, eff 8-29-07
      • Deanna Murzda, Para @ GM, eff 8-27-07
      • Kelly O’Connor, Para @ WMS, eff 8-27-07
      • Carol Ouellette, PT School Psychologist *
      • Roy Scott, PT Crossing Guard @ SHS, eff 8-29-07
      • Cynthia Stewart, Para @ GM, eff 8-27-07
      • Charlotte Worthington, Para @ TWB, eff 8-27-07
    1. Resignations
      • Christine Ayers, Occupational Therapist Assistant, eff 8-14-07
      • Judith Shannon, PT Phys Ed/Health Teacher @ MRHS, eff 9-4-07
    2. Leaves of Absence
      • Dana Housey, Math Teacher @ MRHS, eff 11-2-07, childbear/rear
      • Gina Pantuosco, Teacher @ TWB, eff 9-28-07 (childrear)
    3. Retirements
      • None
  6. New Agenda Items (for upcoming meetings)
    1. Policy Manual Subcommittee (ongoing)
    2. Negotiations Subcommittee Convene (ongoing)
    3. Grants Update (September)
    4. SPED Legal Issues Update (September)
    5. Review Home Education Plans (October)
    6. Budget Subcommittee Convene (October)
    7. Reading Recovery & MCAS Update (October)
    8. School Improvement Plans (October)
       
  7. Executive Session
    As there was need for Executive Session to discuss negotiations, Mr. Chapman asked for a motion. Mr. Salerno so moved, Mr. McCarthy seconded and roll call was taken with Mr. Bickley, Mr. Chapman, Mrs. Desmond, Mr. McCarthy, Ms. Morace, Mr. Salerno and Mr. Turcotte voting in favor of convening Executive Session with Dr. Gagliarducci, Dr. Scanlon, and Mr. Flynn in attendance. The Committee returned to open session and immediately adjourned at 8:46 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Karen W. Belsky
Recording Secretary

Next Meeting Scheduled for:
Tuesday, September 25, 2007 @ 7:00 p.m.
*STONY HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL**

Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District
School Committee Meeting @ 7:00 p.m.
Minnechaug Regional High School
September 11, 2007

 Present:
School Committee Members : Scott Chapman, Chair; William Bickley, Marianne Desmond, D. John McCarthy, Lisa Morace, Peter Salerno and Gilles Turcotte.
Administrators : Paul Gagliarducci, Donna Scanlon
Guest: John D. Flynn, Community Representative on the Negotiating Subcommittee
Absent : Beth Regulbuto

The meeting convened at 8:28 p.m. The Committee discussed upcoming negotiations. No votes were taken.

Mr. Salerno made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Mrs. Desmond seconded and it was unanimously approved. The meeting adjourned at 8:45 p.m. to return to open meeting.

Respectfully submitted,

Gilles Turcotte
School Committee Secretary