WES School Committee Meeting
Date: October 26, 2016
Start: 7:00pm
In Attendance:
Committee Members
Joe Bergeron
Dan Caplinger
Joe Johnson
Catherine Keating
John Skavlem
Adjourn: 8:57pm
Also Present
Joelle Brookner, Principal
Doug Dias, Superintendent
Elea Kaatz, Assistant Principal
Nancy Rauscher, Business Director
I.
The meeting was called to order by D. Caplinger at 7:00pm.
II.
Minutes for Approval
a. September 28, 2016
DISCUSSION:
MOTION to approve the minutes by J. Skavlem,
SECONDED by J. Johnson
VOTE: Aye 5 – Nay 0. Motion passes.
III.
IV.
V.
Public Comment
a. None
WES PARCC/MCAS Level 1 Analysis & Results
a. J. Brookner presents presentation as included in handout. Only items
not mentioned in the handout are included in minutes here:
i. Last year was 1st year of PARCC
ii. Common theme is that we have made progress year over year
in testing (MCAS previously, PARCC represents progress over
prior year).
iii. Timed nature of PARCC vs. untimed MCAS was a new and
perhaps challenging aspect of PARCC for especially 3rd grade
students.
iv. Online / computer driven nature of PARCC is something new
and that we need to make sure we address.
Subcommittee / Working Group Reports
a. Building Renewal
i. No news.
b. Finance
i. FY 2017 Q1 Budget update
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WES School Committee Meeting
1. J. Bergeron presented:
a. The school is on track with the budget YTD (as of
the close of Q1); the Finance Subcommittee did a
detailed walkthrough with the administration
during the most recent committee meeting.
b. Current Munis reporting does not allow the
school to compare YTD this year to YTD last year.
This deficiency makes the process more
susceptible to human error and decreases
institutional knowledge and continuity year to
year. Working toward better reporting will
increase fiscal safety nets and improve the
process.
2. N. Rauscher presents budget cycle, including timeline of
of meetings and public touchpoints for budget planning.
c. Policy First Reads
i. D. Dias presents desire to update policies across the district to
be consistent with MASC best practices. This first batch of
policies is largely not included in our current handbook.
ii. D. Caplinger requests background on where the policies came
from, how they have been customized, etc…
iii. D. Dias indicates that the model policies have not materially
been customized from the “model policy” documents from
MASC and MGRHS and have been approved by the school’s
legal counsel.
iv. AB – The People and Their School District
v. ACA – Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Sex
1. J. Bergeron – who fills the role of Title IX Compliance
officer and how do we prepare them for compliance?
2. D. Dias – roles like these typically fall on the Principal of
the school and the administration educates and upholds
the policies.
vi. ACAB – Sexual Harassment
1. D. Caplinger – similar to ACA question, the Grievance
Officer, their role and who will fill it?
2. D. Dias – discussion will happen with Principal over the
next month to determine who will fill required roles
and how.
vii. ADC – Tobacco Products on the School Premises Prohibited
1. D. Caplinger – what defines the “premises?”
2. J. Brookner indicates that it’s the entirety of the school
property, including playing fields.
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WES School Committee Meeting
VI.
3. C. Keating asks for clarification around the distinction of
e-cigarettes, nicotine, tobacco and other details.
viii. ACE – Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Disability
1. Same question about role for Title II Compliance Officer,
same answer of it will be something determined prior
to the final read.
ix. AE – Commitment to Accomplishment
x. Update Policy AA – School District Legal Status
1. Group questions official name of school as
“Williamstown Public Schools” and use (required by law
or not) of the town’s official seal.
2. A note for a later date: we also need to review Policy BB
and its relationship to this one.
xi. Update Policy AD – Mission Statement
1. The policy revision simplifies to consist of only the
mission statement; question of where the rest of the
current policies “Goals and Objectives,” indicated to be
in Policy ADA, reside now and in the future. Policy ADA
appears to be missing from the current policy binder.
xii. Rename/Update ADD – Background Checks
xiii. Rename/Update ADDA-R – DCJIS Model CORI Policy
xiv. Rename/Update ADF – School District Wellness Program
1. Question is whether the change is a change in name
only?
xv. Rescind ADDA-E2 (this is a form)
d. School Committee goals
i. Group broadly indicates that the goal, along with doing what
the committee is charged to do by the government, is to
achieve the most it can with respect to the Long Term Strategic
Plan and School Achievement Plan. Yearly self-evaluations also
seem to make sense.
ii. D. Caplinger indicates that the school committee will align
goals with the long term strategic plan and that he will learn
more about MASC best practices during the MASC annual
meeting in the fall and report back.
e. Other subcommittee / working group updates
i. None
Superintendent’s Report
a. Strategic Long-Range Plan Update / Future Presentation / PTO Forum
i. D. Dias presents timeline of activities and accomplishments in
recent and coming months, all included in handout.
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WES School Committee Meeting
VII.
VIII.
IX.
X.
XI.
ii. D. Dias presents long term strategic plan update including an
emailed survey that will go out tomorrow (10/27),
participation in a PTO meeting in December and hopeful first
draft at the end of December.
Assistant Superintendent’s Report
(Notes read by D. Dias in place of Kim Grady)
a. Summer programming update
b. English language learning update
c. Grants update
Principal’s Report
a. Words are Wonderful
i. J. Brookner – wonderful event, many thanks to Cecilia Hirsch
for leading the effort.
b. Personnel update
i. J. Brookner – welcome to Carol Stein-Payne (sp?) as School
Nurse and thank you to Amy Nolan, longtime paraprofessional,
in helping fill the gap as the nurse position was filled
c. WESE grant process
d. Shakespeare Fall Festival update
Other Business
Upcoming Meetings
a. Finance Subcommittee: November 16, 2016 at 11am
b. School Committee: November 30, 2016 at 7pm
Motion to Adjourn
MOTION to adjourn by J. Bergeron,
SECONDED by J. Skavlem.
ROLL CALL VOTE: Caplinger – Aye, Johnson – Aye, Keating – Aye,
Bergeron – Aye, Skavlem - Aye.
Motion Passes 5-0.
Meeting adjourned at 8:57pm
Respectfully Submitted,
Joseph Bergeron, Secretary
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