Ms. Thorp began the meeting by reading a statement
indicating that more detail was needed on a February Executive Session agenda
item. She apologized for the lack of detail and explained how the documents
from that meeting would be appropriately amended.
Supt. Taymore’s announcements included three items: *
Melrose teachers have been accepted into the Gateway Project, a year-long
program to develop a plan to implement technology and engineering at all grade
levels that is run by the National Center for Technology Literacy at the
Science Museum, Boston; * the state Kindergarten grant is in jeopardy for next
year with a potential impact on Melrose of $140K; * Dr. Michael Thompson will
present “The Pressured Student: Helping
Your Child Find Success in School and Life” on May 7th at the
MVMMS Auditorium and admission is free.
Items on the Consent Agenda showed that: * significant and
meaningful donations have been made recently to the schools; * food service is
running ahead of budget; * teachers retiring at the end of the school year are
beginning to announce their intentions; * the district is meeting budget for
FY15.
Recommended changes have been proposed to Policy JC: Elementary School Assignment and
Class Size Policy, including a reference to state guidelines, a focus on
the importance of class size, a reference to assessing placement decisions
yearly based on the respective cohort, the importance of timely registration,
and implementation of communication requirements for the Superintendent.
The district’s Five-Year Strategic Instructional Technology
Plan was provided and presented. The team developing the plan was made up of 34
administrators; city and school IT staff members; teachers; and parents. The
plan addresses current status; technology organizational and staffing;
technology infrastructure; action plans; evaluation and assessment for
technology; funding; and standards and expectations. The Plan is complemented
by the Melrose Technology Planning Committee Executive Summary, which
succinctly highlights salient points. Mayor Dolan will request that the Board
of Aldermen approve the leasing of computers ($300K) in order to begin
transformation of the technology in the district and the city.
FY16 budget discussion centered on technology funding and
substitute teaching. Technology positions and increases in software are in the
growth budget. Substitute teachers are paid $55/day, virtually the lowest in
the region, which is likely a barrier to attracting individuals with more significant education credentials. Next year it is estimated that the district will experience the
greatest number of Leaves of Absence in at least four years (29), driven by
state regulations/contractual obligations (e.g. paternity leave) as well as the
place in life of our staff (maternity leave and eldercare/FMLA leave).
Kindergarten enrollment is now counted at 311 students and
the Committee voted to approve the addition of one Kindergarten class so that
placements can be made and parents notified. (Notifications will be made by May
1st.) The Superintendent will continue to monitor enrollments and
return to the Committee with more information; she may need to recommend an additional classroom.
Classroom costs are estimated at $45K for a teacher and $20-$25K for classroom
materials/furniture/etc. Location of the approved classroom will be Lincoln or
Roosevelt depending on student addresses and the number of students registered.
(Physical classroom size is a factor.)
The next steps in the budget process are the Public Hearing
on the FY16 Budget on 4/28, and final deliberation and votes on 5/5 in order to
accommodate the state-required Joint Meeting of the School Committee and Board
of Aldermen on 5/11.
Find all documents at http://melrosecityma.iqm2.com/Citizens/Detail_Meeting.aspx?ID=1529
or watch the meeting on MMTV as your schedule allows. You can also follow our
budget process on the Budget page of the School Committee section of the
melroseschools.com web site.
Have a great school vacation week everyone!
