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Quincy Citywide Parent’s Council Minutes from October 15, 2007 Broad Meadows Middle School Schools represented at this meeting: Atherton Hough, Broad Meadows, Beechwood Knoll, Central, Lincoln Hancock, Merrymount, Montclair, NQHS, Parker, Point Webster, QHS, QPAC, Squantum, Sterling, and Wollaston The meeting was called to order at 7:03 pm, with Co-President Fiona Canavan presiding. The minutes from the September 10, 2007 meeting were passed around. Fiona asked for any changes and since there were none, a motion was made to accept the minutes. The motion was seconded and unanimously approved. Fiona reported that Treasurer Marybeth Dooling was not able to be present tonight. There was very little activity in the Citywide account this past month. Fiona said anyone who had due payments tonight could give them to her. Otherwise, $25 annual dues from each PTO should be mailed to Marybeth Dooling at 122 Presidents Lane Quincy, MA 02169. Dues should be paid by the end of December 2007. Fiona announced that Citywide still needs someone to attend School Committee meetings twice a month. She sent a signup sheet around asking people to volunteer to cover the meetings. Roseanne Russell reported on the Oct 3rd meeting. She noted several issues that were discussed: · Because the Registry of Motor Vehicles is now doing school bus inspections there are more buses being taken off the road with some delays as a result. · Recent report of a gas leak at QHS—Keyspan was replacing a meter, which required a small release of gas, which alarmed some people. Rumors spread and some students were mistakenly sent home, others were told to report to another part of the school. As a result of the confusion, Mike Ryan, Facilities Director, and Paul Phillips President of the Quincy Education Association, will now attend weekly staff meetings to review the upcoming construction activities and make sure everyone is informed. Paul Phillips spoke at Open Forum and said that some teachers felt that an evacuation was called for. The QEA will support teachers who make their own decisions when the safety of students is an issue. · The job description for the Assistant Superintendent position was discussed. Fiona reported on some communication she had with Colleen Roberts, Director of Curriculum, about the discrepancy between the two arts programs at the high school. A decision has been made that no electives will receive advanced grades unless they can feed into an Advanced Placement course. Honors grades will be offered instead. This decision will be effective next school year since they felt it was not fair to implement this year without any advance notice to students and parents. Fiona read a letter from Paul Phillips, QEA President, asking for understanding and patience from parents given the strike that took place last year. He offered to answer any questions that parents have about the strike. A discussion of traffic issues took place with parents noting problems on Sea Street near Broad Meadows and at NQHS. The Citywide Candidates Night for School Committee will be held on Thursday October 25 at 7:00 at Broad Meadows. Questions to be addressed to the candidates can be sent to Fiona who will pass them on to the committee. People are needed to help out the night of the event and Fiona will email her Citywide list asking for volunteers. Each Citywide representative is asked to bring 2 people to the event. Fiona introduced Dr. DeCristofaro, Superintendent, who was the scheduled speaker. Dr. DeCristofaro said that it was a pleasure to be invited and he offered his support and that of his staff to Citywide. A copy of Dr. DeCristofaro’s presentation outline, which he handed out, is entered into the record as part of the meeting’s minutes. The agenda was as follows:
· District Improvement Plan · School Improvement Plan · Professional Development Plans · Team Organization and Alignment · QPS Budget · Enrollment and Class Size · Professional Staff
· Pre-K · Elementary · Middle School · High School · Alternative Programs
During his presentation, Dr. DeCristofaro provided additional information and comments on several topics. He said that since a science MCAS test will be coming, a technical education curriculum is being added to the 5th grade. The kids will go to the middle schools and work with the tech Ed person there. Also, a ½ time tech Ed person will go to each elementary school and work with the kids in the media time slot. In talking about the QPS budget, Dr. DeCristofaro noted the increases over the past 5 years. He also described the increases in several subsections of the budget. For example, the school supplies budget per student has increased and he noted that he does not want PTOs to have to fund basic school supplies. He touched on the current construction at QHS and said that he believes it is going well with minimal disruption. He said that the use of the Coddington building is working out well. Dr. DeCristofaro addressed that topic of the impact of last June’s teacher strike. He said that while there was fear that QPS would lose teachers as a result, he presented figures (in the presentation outline) that show the number of resignations is similar to previous years. He said the most common reason teachers cite for leaving is family (usually the desire to stay at home with their own children). Dr. DeCristofaro said that Contact Cards has been provided to Principals on October 3rd. Several parents said that they had still not received them and there was a discussion of the process and timeline for updating information via the Contact Cards. Several parents indicated that the process was too slow, leaving gaps in information. He said that the Dept of Ed Accountability System has scheduled a Coordinated Program Review to take place this winter and spring. The review will evaluate: career and vo-tech Ed, special Ed, civil rights, ESL, and safe/drug free schools. Linda Perry, parent rep for Sterling, and president of the Quincy Parent Advisory Council for special education announced that QPAC would be hosting the reviewer for special education at a meeting on October 24 at 7:00 at Lincoln Hancock School. Following the presentation, Dr. DeCristofaro took questions: · Were there any building improvements to Central? He said that a new boiler system and new lighting were installed. They are awaiting notification from the Mass School Building Commission about Central and expect to hear in November. · The 21st Century Learning Centers seem to be more focused on Prep for Success? He said that they do tend to focus more on academics, but should also focus on enrichment. · Does the new technology focus in elementary schools include keyboarding? He said that they need to develop a Program of Studies for tech in elementary school and consider including keyboarding. · A parent noted that her child, now a freshman in college, had remarked on how good the teachers were in QPS and that another QPS grad she knows told his parents that he was well prepared by QPS for college. · A parent said that the summer programs were good, but were all on weekdays so they were not available to children of working parents who need to enroll their children in full-day programs. · How long is recess at the elementary level? Dr. DeCristofaro said that while he supports giving kids a break during the day, scheduling of recess is up to the individual teachers and Principals. He does not get involved in these decisions. He suggested that parents address the issue with their Principal. · Is there a required time by which a school is supposed to call if a child is not in school? He said it should be 11:00. · In several recent cases, school busses have not been available for school field trips, which means that the PTO has had to pay 3 times as much for a private bus company. He suggested that the parent should ask the Principal to call him about this issue. · Is the Children’s Development Center a QPS building? Not at this time. · Why do Lincoln Hancock school students still not have their Agendas? Dr. DeCristofaro said that the Agendas are not ordered through the school system, but usually by the PTOs or the Principals. Ann Mahoney, School Committee member, who was in attendance, said that she had brought the issue of Agendas up at the School Committee meeting because not all schools used them and she thought it was important to address organizational issues in elementary school. The issue has been referred to the Policy Subcommittee. · Is the format for Interim Report Cards changing? He said that he knows parents have been unhappy with the interim report cards and they should be revised soon. · What is the status of the Assistant Superintendent position? The position has been posted and the closing date is October 26th. Then a group (including a rep from Citywide) will interview 2-3 finalists. Dr. DeCristofaro will then recommend one candidate to the School Committee, which makes the official appointment. · What is the purpose of the School Surveys? They are a tool to gather parent feedback and they provide input for the School Improvement Plans. · Given the new focus on tech Ed in the elementary schools, will the computer labs be upgraded? Dr. DeCristofaro said that the elementary students would go to the middle schools for tech Ed because some of the elementary computer labs are not up-to-date. Fiona thanked Dr. DeCristofaro for his presentation. A motion was made to approve expenditures of up to $100 for the Candidates Night. The motion was seconded and unanimously approved. A motion was made to adjourn the meeting. The motion was seconded and unanimously approved. Meeting was adjourned at 9:24 pm. |