School Dept. has Technical Difficulty..Agenda below

Gerry: School Committee member Jim Leary saw my Post on the Meeting Notice and had someone from the School Dept. let me know that they are experiencing some technical Difficulty with their Email and Posting ability. Which is why the agenda isn’t posted anywhere.

They faxed me a copy which I was able to have scanned and it includes several interesting items:

AGENDA – LOWELL SCHOOL COMMITTEE REGULAR MEETING DATE, Wednesday. July 21, 20 10
TIME, 7:00 PM PLACE: City Hall, Council Chamber

SALUTE TO FLAG:
ROLL CALL:

SPECIAL ORDER OF BUSINESS:

MINUTES:
I. Public Budget Hearing FY 2011 [Meeting of May 27, 2010]
2. Public Budget Hearing FY 2011 [Reconvened Meeting of June 1, 2010]
3. Regular School Committee Meeting Minutes of June 16, 2010

PERMISSION TO ENTER:

MEMORIALS:
(Committee as a Whole):

1. Rita Lekiche, Mother of Deborah Krupkoski, Lincoln School Literacy Specialist
2. Kevin R. Marsh, Father of Melissa Marsh Marsh, Special Education Psychologist.
3. Andrew L. Paquette, retired City of Lowell Custodian.
4. Tracy Riopclle-Odom, Daughter of Sandy Riopelle, retired Lowell High School Clerk.
5. Esther Francisco , Mother of Bailey School Teacher Anna Collupy and Wife of retired Custodian
Anthony “Tony” Francisco.
6. Catherine McCarthy, retired central office Clerk and Mother of Reilly School Teacher MaryAnn McCarthy.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS:
PUblic PARTICIPATION:

MOTIONS:
I. (by David Conway and Alison Laraba): To request the School Committee to begin contract negotiations with Superintendent Scott

2. (by James Leary and John Leahy): Request the Superintendent to develop a budget specific to each
Lowell Public School as it relates to short-term sick leave costs . The budget would create an allocation of monies specific for each school which provides for the costs of substitute administrators. teachers and other personnel.

3. (by James Leary and John Leahy): Instruct the Superintendent to provide an additional $ 125,000 to the LHS Athletic budget and an additional $25 ,000 to the LHS Activities/Club budget by deducting $150,000 from the short-term sick leave account

4. (by James Leary and John Leahy) : Request the Superintendent provide a plan which will create a
Central Office Library Media technology position or positions in an effort to off set the cut s made at each school during the 2010 /2011 budget.

5. (by James Leary and John Leahy): Request that the Lowell School Committee enter into negotiations with each Lowell Public School’s union, where it is applicable. and to allow for releasing both the union and administrations negotiating position to the public in writing on a regular basis.

6. (by Jackie Doherty): Request the Superintendent report to the Committee on a plan for parent /teacher
meetings during the 2010·2011 school year that demonstrates the most effective use of staff time to engage parents in their children ‘s education. The plan should encompass a coordinated effort between school ls regarding meeting times that will enhance parent participation,such as shortly after the first marking period and at staggered days/times to make it easier for parents to attend multiple schools. The report should include the dates and formats of both parent /teacher meetings (one evening and one afternoon) for each school as weIl as rationale for choices and plans for outreach.

7. (by Jackie Doherty): Request the Superintendent report to the Committee on a plan for how each
school will make the most effective use of staff orientation day in preparation for the 2010-2011 school year. In addition to scheduling and student assignments, orientation day should include professional development, such as student data analysis and grade-level team meetings. to launch the new school year.

8. (by Alison Lareba): Request the Committee review and revise the current Superintendent evaluation tool specifically to craft un evaluation tool that is in line with evaluation tools used statewide that reduces the number of questions overall and keys in on agreed upon core areas of concern ; provides questions that can be answered in quantifiable ways; and. reduces the number of purely subjective responses. The objective is to provide the Superintendent with a tool that discusses past performance as well as providing set and measurable e goals for the upcoming year .

SUBCOMMITTEES:
1. Facilities Subcommittee: Report & Approval of the Minutes of the Meeting of June 24, 2010
[John Leahy, Chairman]

2. Special Education/Student Support Services Subcommittee: Report and Approval of the Minutes
of the Meeting of June 24, 2010 [Jackie Doherty, Chairman]

REPORTS OF The SUPERINTENDENT:
1. Charter School Funding Reimbursement
2. Reduction in Workforce Update
3. Massachusetts 211 ‘ Century Community Learning Centers – High School Innovation Grant
4. Motorola Grant Award
5. Morey School Student Exhibition at the New England Quilt Museum
6. End of Year Health Services Report
7. List of Eligible Teachers
8. Personnel Report

NEW BUSINESS:
1. Proposal for Vision Van
2. School Committee Bullying Policy and Handbook Language

CONVENTION/CONFERENCE REQUESTS,

COMMUNICATIONS:
I. Thank you note from the family of Edward P. Jezak.
2. Lowell Telecommunication [Channel 10 Broadcast of School Committee Meetings: Live on the
1st and 3rd Wednesday of the Month; Thursdays @ 6PM; Saturday and Sundays @ 2PM; Tuesdays
@ 1OAM.

PROFESSIONAL PERSONNEL:

I. The Members of S.E.I.U.. Clerical Unit hereby requests to donate sick leave days to the following
employees : Anita Verdi , Special Education Department Clerk, [8] eight days.

CIVIL SERVICE;
ADJOURNMENT;

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3 thoughts on “School Dept. has Technical Difficulty..Agenda below

  1. I asked why the last two meetings were not posted and they said that the woman that posted them was laid off. Not sure if that is the technical difficulty.

  2. The women was laid off. The person who is now going to do it has email and posting issues (a virus) that needs to be cleaned and the person who does that is on vacation. JL and the Supt. assure me that this will be done by the next meeting.

  3. Here is my thoughts on tonight’s meeting…
    1) How do you negotiate with someone who has not agreed to enter into negotiations? She does not need to start negotiating until December.
    2) Putting a budget on the principal whose hands are tied by union negotiations seems crazy. The principal position is one that is already hard to fill over concerns of being terminated over MCAS. I understand that management in private business is responsible for their budget however they also have say in their employee’s time off and rate of pay. The way the motion ended asking for a number to be associated with the substitute budget made much more sense. This motion got very heated and as far as I am concerned became rather petty. Mr. Leary and Mr. Leahy wanted to know who chooses to hire a $65 student vs. a $100 a day retired teacher on a ½ day. Mr. Lang had a wonderful and professional response that no matter what day it is he would want the more qualified teacher. My children are entitled to 180 days of education and I find it very petty to squabble over a $35 a day difference for an inferior educator.
    3) The superintendent presented a budget and the committee went through the whole budget and approved it. It was a public meeting. The members cannot just arbitrarily decide to give X number of dollars to LHS Athletic and clubs with no thoughtful and public discussion and no explanation of what the money will be used for. I would like to see a city wide library specialist back and middle school sports. My opinion…does it matter
    4) Could we suggest using the Charter school money that we do not even have yet for this too?
    5) Noble idea but won’t hold my breath
    6) This would be so helpful to parents. I have received less than a weeks’ notice on a few of the open houses. I also agree that there should be an open house after the first marking period. As a parent of children in the LPS I often felt disconnected at the start of the school year. Adding another open house should be negotiated with the unions and I feel they should be scheduled like other towns do. The teachers will always meet with parents anyways so this would help the union too if the teachers did not have to have so many private meetings after school.
    7) I was not crazy about this motion. The union did not meet the committee or the parent’s needs to make a concession on orientation day which could have saved jobs. This left me a little annoyed with Mr. Georges and I know where this motion is coming from. However, my sister is a teacher and I know how much time she puts in the weeks (not just a day) prior to school to get her classroom ready and organized to welcome her students. No matter how much I disagree with Mr. Georges on this I would never expect the teachers to be anything less than professional and putting in more than enough time doing the right thing. Not sure what they work on that one day needs to be dictated from above.
    8) OK…Always worth looking at better ways to evaluate

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