School Committee Agenda #20 – July 14, 2016

ORDER OF BUSINESS

ACTION

aor #6-17 –   Clerk
(June 27, 2016)

To consider approval of the Minutes of the School Committee Meeting of Thursday, June 16, 2016.

gb #6-207.1   –  Administration/Mr. O’Connell/Mr. Foley/Ms. Colorio/Miss McCullough/Mr. Monfredo/ Miss Biancheria/Mayor Petty
(June 28, 2016)

To recognize the SHINE Initiative, with gratitude and appreciation, for its donation of $7,900 to the Worcester Public Schools, to train WPS staff in Youth Mental Health First Aid, “a program that helps adults to better understand adolescent mental illness and respond to emotional and mental distress in young people.”

To recognize Stacy Lord, a Worcester East Middle School Art Teacher, upon her selection for the Distinguished Visual Arts Educator Advocate Award by Arts/Learning.

To recognize David Peterson, General Manager of the Worcester Bravehearts Baseball Team, for partnering with the Worcester Public Schools on the many literacy initiatives throughout the year including the distribution of 1,000 tickets to a Bravehearts game to the students who participated in the Home Run Reading Club as an incentive to read.

gb #6-152.1  –  Administration/Mr. Monfredo/Mr. Foley/Mr. O’Connell/Miss Biancheria/Miss McCullough/Mayor Petty
(June 30, 2016)

Response of the Administration to the request to set up tentative dates to meet with our local delegation in late October 2016 and in January and March 2017.

• a report indicating what .8 means in reference to teachers who travel
• report on how other cities and towns handle monies received by McKinney Vento by either putting the monies into their school district’s accounts or the city/town general funds
• information with regard to the Instructional Assistant involved in the processing of the CORI checks in Section E. – Other

To consider development of a Strategic Plan for the Worcester Public Schools.

Request that the Administration provide a copy of the job description of the new position created as a compliance position to oversee Durham Transportation and also include:

 –   a list of the present positions in the Worcester Public Schools’ Transportation Department
–   a copy of the Durham Transportation contract and
–   a payment schedule to Durham Transportation

To extend the proposed contract of Attorney Sean P. Sweeney for three years.

Claremont Academy – Akua Sarpomaah
Doherty Memorial High School – Morgaine Payson
North High School – Elena Jacques
Worcester Technical High School – Kimberly Davis

To accept a donation from Furniture Trust Organization, Inc. in the amount of $2000.00 for students at St. Casimir’s receiving first place in the 2016 Furniture Trust’s Eco Carpentry Challenge.

To accept a donation from Ryder System, Inc. in the amount of $200 to go towards South High School’s Diesel Tech Program.

To accept a donation from UMASS Memorial Health Care, Inc. in the amount of $2,800.00 to help support the Belmont Community School’s summer physical education and healthy eating programs.

To accept a donation from Main South Community Development Corp in the amount of $75.00 to Goddard School of Science and Technology.

To set a date to recognize AbbVie, with gratitude and appreciation, for the time and effort devoted by its staff to refurbishment of the Burncoat High School Library, as part of its “Week of Possibilities” volunteer initiative.

To accept donations in the total amount of $785 for the Special Education Transitions Program.

To review the technology capabilities of the Worcester schools, to determine whether they are equipped to implement the computer-based MCAS testing regimen in grades four and eight during the 2016-2017 academic year, as to number of computers available, internet bandwidth, and device compatibility, without significantly impeding computer-based instruction during the weeks of testing.

$1,619.70 from Jesse Kim
$1,000 from METSO and
$500 from Nouria Energy Corporation

• Finding that an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining position of the School Committee, the committee votes to go into Executive Session for the purpose of discussing strategy with respect to litigation and strategy for collective bargaining for a denial of access.
• To discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining for the following Collective Bargaining Agreements, if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the collective bargaining position of the School Committee and the chair so declares:

Plumbers and Steamfitters

Tradesmen

Custodians

Nurses

Drivers and Monitors

Cafeteria Workers

Administrative Secretaries

Teachers

• Finding that an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining position of the School Committee, the committee votes to go into Executive Session for the purpose of discussing Grievance #15/16-18.
• Finding that an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining position of the School Committee, the committee votes to go into Executive Session for the purpose of discussing strategy with respect to a Collective Bargaining request for voluntary recognition and accretion for speech Pathology Assistants.

Helen A. Friel, Ed.D.
Clerk of the School Committee