School Committee meeting for 12/20/2021 recording Item numbers based on agenda provided . At 00:08:30 … Public Speak : During public speak there was a discussion about whether e-mailed statements would be read. The current rule is for them not to be read, but a subcommittee is considering a future change. One statement was read because of a special circumstance that would otherwise prevent this person from participating in public speak. Kristen Blake (Johnson teacher) read from a letter from 19 JES teachers and staff. She noted that teachers have generally not been involved in the process, and cannot answer parents’ questions about the details of closure. This includes the possibility of accelerated closure of grades or classes due to attrition. One speaker expressed concern about mid-term and final structure (presumably at NHS) given learning loss and remote learning during the pandemic. Questioned weighting of exams. One speaker criticized Jefferson Wood’s statement from the last meeting. At 00:22:42 Consent Agenda Calendar and donations were moved out of the consent agenda. Other two items - approval of minutes and warrant review - were approved. Donations were approved separately. At 00:25:06 2. Approval of the 2022-2023 School Calendar. First day of school moved up a day to Tuesday with Friday off because of absences (creating a 4-day weekend with Labor Day). Jefferson Wood said teachers saw advantages and disadvantages of either start day. At 00:32:10 Discussion of letter to Select Board asking for Columbus Day to be changed to Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Superintendent’s Report 1. Recognition of Girls Soccer Team was postponed as they had to leave. It was suggested that recognition occur before executive sessions in the future. 2. Johnson Phasing Plan - no update from previous meeting (which was 5 days earlier). At 00:39:42 3. Review Superintendent’s Professional Practice Goals and Student Learning Goals. Discussion of “Early Evidence of Success” and “Evidence of Effectiveness” goals for students identified to have a goal-attainment plan through the response-to-intervention (RTI) process. Catherine Brunell commented she would like to see defined, quantifiable goals set at the start of the review process. Julie McDonough and Donna McKenzie said that deciding on specific metrics ahead of time restricted the flexibility of the Superintendent in deciding how best to meet the goals. There was further discussion of how RTI works, what students are involved, how it is implemented, and how the school committee should define the Superintendent’s goals. At 01:16:14 4. Special Education Staffing Update Looking to fill a psychologist position at preschool/NHS that has been empty all year. Open para positions at Johnson and Ben-Hem, and Lilja is shorthanded. Looking for a nurse’s assistant to reduce administrative work. Hiring of paras tends to be within weeks, positions with greater qualifications take longer. At 01:41:32 5. Overview of the Proposed FY23 Budget. Budget is now required to be submitted to the town on February 1st. Anna Nolin stressed that the budget is created by the School Committee, unlike the Town Budget which is created by the Administrator and voted on by the Select Board. This statement was contradicted by Donna McKenzie during the discussion for the budget subcommittee motion, who said it is the Superintendent’s budget. Budget summary is the general fund budget, and does not include federal grants. Catherine Brunell made a motion to create a budget subcommittee with the members of the “financial advisory group” (members of the school committee and the administration). Some members responded that the school committee should not be deciding on details of the budget, and others said that the whole committee should make all the decisions without an added layer of a subcommittee. Voted down 5-2.