6:00 PM Executive Session for a Parent Appeal
7:00 PM Business
Meeting
Central Administration Building
“Challenging Student
Excellence”
|
Minutes
The meeting was
called to order at
The meeting was
moved to open session at
I. Pledge of Allegiance
II.
Roll Call Present: Chairperson
Absent:
Kevin Mulvey
Administration Present: James M. Halley, Ed.D, Superintendent of
Schools; Daniel J. McGregor, Ph.D, Director of Pupil
Personnel Services; Barbara Fitzsimmons, Ed.D, Director of Curriculum; Joseph
F. Quinn, Jr., Director of Administrative Services; William J. Daly, Director
of Human Resources; Maureen Buck, Controller
III. Presentation:
Dr. Doug Pierson, Principal of
Dr. Pierson thanked the
Dr. Pierson stressed that this would not
have been possible without the help of the central office. Dr. Halley gave him encouragement and
support, Dr. Fitzsimmons and her clerk did a tremendous job in procuring
materials. They were physically loading cars and vans to ensure materials were
delivered.
Dr. Pierson wanted to recognize three custodians
who worked all summer to empty, clean and restock the entire school. They worked tirelessly both mentally and
physically to provide outstanding support to open Fishing Cove.
He presented plaques of appreciation to
Brian Jennings, Roger Pearson and Donald Jones.
Dr. Pierson also wanted to recognize and
present a plaque to Liz Tilley who worked behind the scenes to guarantee that
all materials that were needed reached Fishing Cove on time. He thanked all who did a wonderful job in a
short time frame to make the opening a success.
Barry Martasian thanked Dr. Pierson
personally for the great job that he did in opening Fishing Cove. He said the
Pat Watkins complimented Dr. Pierson on
the enthusiasm that the Fishing Cove teachers have for his leadership of the
school.
IV. Open Forum
- Mark Zarcharia thanked the committee for the
education his daughter is receiving in
- Muriel Camara spoke about the NK Taxpayer
Organization having a great deal of passion about the teachers’ contract
negotiations. She said we must
appreciate the job our teachers are doing but she also supports the
- Eileen Daily moved into
- Al Swonger thought that there is no excuse for
the current impasse in negotiations.
He said these are not hard economic times. If other surrounding towns don’t have
the problem
V.
Routine Items
A. Correspondence:
- Barry Martasian received a letter
about Kathleen Mellor being selected Teacher of the Year. Parents have called and e-mailed that
they wanted open houses rescheduled.
A parent of a high school student felt they were not being serviced
in regard to homework help, etc.
- Barry Martasian made a request that
the committee members would like to see these items before they are
introduced in minutes.
-
- Carol Hueston received the same
e-mails and phone calls as previously stated. She said that most were positive
regarding the
- Pat Watkins received letters
supporting both sides. She also
received a letter from the RI Art Education Association dated September 17th announcing the Timothy Belt has been
selected Art Teacher of the Year.
There is also a reminder in the mail about a SORICO KeyWorks
meeting on
- Dr. Halley announced that there will
be a Teacher of the Year reception for Kathleen Mellor on
B. Calendar – Dr. Halley reviewed
the calendar for September and October with the
- On September 25th there
is an open house at the high school.
- On September 26th
Hamilton Elementary and the high school have a professional development
day.
- September 30th is the
next scheduled teacher contract negotiation session with October 1st
a tentative negotiation session.
- October 8th is a
- October 20th is a
scheduled joint meeting with the School Committee and the Town Council in
the high school at
- October 26th there is a
NEASC meeting at the high school media center at
- There will be a briefing with the
NEASC team for a general overview of the visit on October 29th
at
- Through no fault of reporter, Beth
Bottis, the Standard Times incorrectly reported that there was no school
on Friday, September 19th.
Letters were sent to all parents in the district correcting the
report.
CONSENT
AGENDA
Approved
items on the
consent agenda are marked with * on
a motion by Pat Watkins and seconded by Carol Hueston (6/0).
Approved items that were exempted or amended within the consent agenda are marked
with ** as indicated immediately following the item.
Withdrawn or Tabled Items from the consent agenda are marked with *** as indicated immediately
following the item.
C.
Approval of Minutes of Prior Meetings
1.
2.
a.
Bill
Mudge would like the RGB presentation comments to reflect:
·
There
are no safety issues with our schools today
·
The
presentation was based on 19 students per class
·
A
budget follow up is needed with maintenance project as opposed to new
construction project
·
The
presentation was based on full time K-5 configuration
Carol Hueston/
D. Financial Reports*
·
Monthly
Deficit Monitoring Report ending August 2003
·
Revenues
·
Grants
·
Food
Service
·
School
Fund Expenditure Report
·
Town
of NK Monthly/Quarterly Summary ending
·
Year
to Date Expenditure Report as of
E. Textbook
Adoptions*
1.
Art
in Focus
2.
Art
Talk
F. Bids and Awards
Addendum
– Ratification of Vote taken for Replacement of Roofs at the Davisville,
Motion
to approve addendum to the agenda by Pat Watkins/Carol Hueston.
Approved
5/1 with Bill Mudge voting no.
G. Personnel Items*
1.
Appointments,
Certificated Staff:
a)
Jean
MacMillan, .8 FTE English Teacher at the North
Kingstown High School, Step 10 + Bachelors plus 30 credits with an annual
salary of $59,678, pro-rated in the 2003/2004 school year for 178 days with a
total salary of $56,503 plus any negotiated increases, effective September 15,
2003.
b)
Donna
Rogers, .2 FTE Occupational Therapist for the North Kingstown School
Department, Step2 plus a Master’s with an annual salary of $7,773, pro-rated in
the 2003/2004 school year for 168 days with a total salary of $6,945 plus any
negotiated increases, effective September 29, 2003.
c)
Stephen
DeMeo, .2 FTE Social Studies Teacher at the North
Kingstown High School, Step 3 with an annual salary of $7,248.40, pro-rated in
the 2003/2004 school year for 178 days with a total salary of $6,862 plus an
negotiated increases, effective September 15, 2003.
2.
Appointment,
2003 Summer
Mike
Kelly Basketball II $686.40
3.
Request
for Unpaid Leave of Absence, Certificated Staff:
a)
Brenda
Young-Runner, 1.0 FTE Itinerant Music Teacher from
4.
Appointment,
Certificated Staff: (Correction from
a)
Michele
Haskell, .6 FTE Music Teacher at
5.
Appointments,
Non-Certificated Staff:
a)
Eileen
McGiveney, Account Clerk for the Business Office of
the Central Administration Building, 3.5 hours per day, 5 days a week for a
total of 17.5 hours per week, Step 1 @ $11.23 per hour plus an hourly stipend
of $1.00 for a total hourly rate of $12.23, effective September 29, 2003.
b)
Cynthia
Plante, Food Service Worker at Wickford Middle
School, 3 hours per day, 5 days a week for a total of 15 hours per week, Step 1
@ $8.02 per hour, effective September 15, 2003.
c)
Nancy
Primeau, Special Education Paraprofessional at the
North Kingstown High School, 6 hours per day, 5 days a week for a total of 30
hours per week, Step 1 @ $9.51 per hour plus a Bachelor’s Degree, effective
September 15, 2003.
d)
Deborah
Montanaro, Special Education Paraprofessional at
Fishing Cove School, 6 hours per day, 5 days a week for a total of 30 hours per
week, Step 4 @ $11.00 per hour, effective September 15, 2003.
e)
Deborah
Gardiner, Account Clerk for the Pupil Personnel/Curriculum Offices at the
Central Administration Building, 7 hours per day, 5 days a week for a total of
35 hours per week, Step 4 @ $12.24 per hour plus an hourly stipend of $1.00 for
a total hourly rate of $13.24 per hour, effective September 19, 2003.
f)
Rene
Hartman, Food Service Worker and Breakfast Supervisor at Wickford Elementary
School, 3 hours as Food Service Worker and 1 hour as Breakfast Supervisor for a
total of 4 hours per day, 5 days a week for a total of 20 hours per week, Step
1 @ $8.02 per hour, effective September 22, 2003 .
g)
Kimberly
Fetter, Food Service Worker at Wickford Elementary School, 2 hours per day, 5
days a week for a total of 10 hours per week, Step 1 @ $8.02 per hour,
effective September 22, 2003.
h)
Joann
Tymon, Special Education Paraprofessional at Wickford
Elementary School, 6 hours per day, 5 days a week for a total of 30 hours per
week, Step 2 @ $10.04 per hour, effective September 22, 2003.
i)
Kathleen
Carlson, Special Education Paraprofessional at Hamilton Elementary School, 6
hours per day, 5 days a week for a total of 30 hours per week, Step 4 @ $11.00
per hour, effective September 22, 2003
END OF CONSENT AGENDA
VI.
New Business
A.
Consent Agenda Format
·
Bill
Mudge requested that information on certified staff appointments be put on one
form.
·
Barry
Martasian asked that position budgeted or unbudgeted status be identified and
rationalized.
·
Pat
Watkins stated that if a position is not budgeted the reasons must be stated on
a separate sheet because of confidentiality issues.
Motion to amend
the consent agenda to add budgeted or unbudgeted status and still include
backup information by Pat Watkins/ Carol Hueston.
Motion approved
6/0.
B.
Policy on Minutes of Meetings
·
Don
DeFedele stated that the size of the minutes has grown considerably and there
is a great deal of difficulty to scan every submitted document to put on the
website. Computer generated documents
are manageable to include, but items needing to be retyped or scanned present a
daunting task. If a document can be sent
through e-mail, it can be included in the website minutes. Other items are made available in hard copy
in the Central Office.
·
Pat
Watkins said it was impossible to have a 20 hour employee to keep up with the
website and all the other
·
Don
DeFedele remarked that it can be reflected in the minutes if a document is only
available in the Central Office.
·
·
Denise
Coppa noted that not everybody has access to a computer and to scan or retype
documents is ludicrous and a waste of office time.
·
Don
DeFedele stated that all items are made available on the official minutes.
·
Dr. Halley
reminded everyone that there is only one set of official minutes that are
complete with every document and those are located at the Central Office. The website minutes are not official minutes
and are put there as a convenience. He
also stated that posting every remark that anyone makes and amending minutes is
an exercise in futility. The only thing
that has meaning is the vote that is rendered on an issue.
·
Barry
Martasian agreed that the website is just a convenience. There is nothing that directs a school
department to have a website.
Motion made by
Approved 4/2
with Bill Mudge and Barry Martasian voting no.
C.
Reorganization of Grant Writer Position
·
A
job description for a Resource Development Manager was in the
·
Dr.
Halley would like to reorganize the grant writer’s position to make it a
coordinator of resource development. The
draft page of the job description listed duties and responsibilities that would
fall under the resource development manager’s position. He would like the
·
Bill
Mudge asked what salary this position would hold. Dr. Halley responded that it would be a
supervisor’s range of $50,000 - $60,000.
·
Pat
asked if this salary was covered by the amount of money in grants that were
brought into the district. Dr. Halley
responded that the salary was not in grant money specifically but the district
received much more in grants than was in the position’s salary. The district is increasing responsibility in
this position, and getting more done for the school system.
·
Denise
Coppa thought this reorganization was a good idea and would like to see
management skills added to the requirements.
Motion by Pat
Watkins/Barry Martasian to support the superintendent’s recommendation.
Motion approved
5/1 with Bill Mudge voting no.
D.
Policy JCAA – School Districting
- It was recommended by RIDE that the
district amend or rescind policy JCAA.
- Pat Watkins asked if the committee
should take action or refer it back to the policy subcommittee
- Denise Coppa sated that the policy
was updated two years ago and it was tied to a previous reconfiguration
which doesn’t necessarily apply today.
- Dr. Halley suggested rescinding from the point “on the occasion when
such action is deemed necessary . . .”
- Denise requested that Dr. Halley
submit regulations to go along with this policy.
- Bill Mudge remarked that the RIDE
decision officer states that the district voided the policy by its actions,
but the committee never voted not to follow the policy. He said that Dr. Halley stated that we
might not be able to follow the policy during major redistricting and the
decision officer agreed. Mr. Mudge
would like to add to the policy that the policy is voided when major
redistricting occurs.
Motion by Pat
Watkins/Carol Hueston to amend policy JCAA by deleting from the point “on the
occasion when such action is deemed necessary . . .” up to the conclusion of
the policy and request the administration to provide regulations to JCAA.
Motion approved
5/0 with Bill Mudge abstaining.
E.
School Bus Procedures
·
This
item involves a kindergarten student getting on the wrong bus and the district
procedures that are followed.
Motion by Pat
Watkins/Carol Hueston to continue this matter to the next
Motion approved
6/0.
VII.
Unfinished Business
A.
School Modernization Implementation
·
The
Robinson, Green and Beretta architect presentation that was made to the
·
Dr.
Halley asked the
·
Don
DeFedele wanted RGB to provide the next step as to what should be looked at
first.
·
Dr.
Halley stated the action that needs to take place this year includes a proposal
to the Town Council as to what the committee would like to present to the Board
of Regents which must be submitted by
b.
take
one or two schools at a time and request a bond each time, but this is not
recommended.
c.
between
now and May 2004 discuss new construction compared to renovations.
Dr.
Halley reminded the committee that there is not much time to submit to the
Board of Regents and asked the members to think about what action they would
like to take.
·
Pat
Watkins pointed out that there is a potential for two meetings before the joint
meeting with the Town Council to discuss a concrete presentation to the
Council.
·
Denise
Coppa would like RGB to present the committee with a priority list of what
items need to be done first.
·
Dr.
Halley has asked RGB to list all of the things that need to be done to bring the
buildings up to current code.
·
Bill
Mudge would like to know if we are not adding on to the buildings what would we
have to do to fix the buildings.
·
Dr.
Halley said we will use the current code to upgrade existing buildings.
·
Pat
Wakins suggested scheduling a time-limited meeting on October 15th
to discuss the priority issues.
·
Joe
Quinn reminded the committee that RGB were returning to the October 8th
School Committee meeting with a complete report and priority list.
Recess at
Return to open
session at
B.
School Security
Motion
was made by Pat Watkins/Carol Hueston to move this item to the next School
Committee Worksession.
Motion
approved 6/0.
C.
2002-2003 School Budget
This
item will be continued until the final report is submitted.
D.
2003-2004 School Budget
No
discussion
E.
2003-2004 Goals and Objectives
Don
DeFedele stated that the 2003-2004 goals and objectives discussions will be
back on track in November.
F.
NEANK Contract Negotiations
·
Negotiations
are on-going. Members of the audience
urged the
·
·
An
audience member asked about neighboring districts and why they don’t have the same
problems. Mr. DeFedele explained that
·
Dr.
Halley stated that
·
·
·
Mr.
DeFedele also stated that all non-unit employees have voluntarily agreed to pay
the health insurance co-pay.
VIII.
Reports
A.
Enrollment
Report
Barry
Martasian was encouraged by the class sizes in all schools.
B.
Food
Services Report
There
were no questions about food services.
C.
Grant
Status Report
No
discussion.
D.
Subcommittee
Reports
No
reports.
IX.
Comments
There were no comments from the audience or from the
At
this point a vote was taken to approve Home Schooling requests, as all were in
favor of not adjourning to executive session for this matter. Vote to approve Home Schooling requests: 6/0
X.
Adjourn to Executive Session pursuant to RIGL 42-46-4 and 42-46-5 (1)
and (2) for Personnel Issues*, Negotiations, and Home Schooling requests. *At the election of the employee, the
personnel matter may be heard in public.
A
motion was made by Pat Watkins/Carol Hueston to move to executive session. Vote was to approve 6/0.
At
At
9:45 PM the Committee returned to open session.
A
motion to adjourn was made by Pat Watkins/Carol Hueston.
Vote
was to approve 6/0.
Meeting
adjourned
Please note that executive
sessions are closed to the public. Individuals requesting interpreter
services for the hearing impaired must contact the School Department at
268-6402, at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting date. Copies of all backup materials for this
agenda are available at the School Department Central Office or at each school
building. For further information,
please call
Respectfully submitted,
________________________
Karen
A. Nutini
Administrative
Assistant
Superintendent’s Office
Appendix A
-----
Original Message -----
From:
<Cschubert535@cs.com>
To:
<don_defedele@nksd.net>; <bmudge2@cox.net>;
<denise_coppa@nksd.net>; <carol_hueston@nksd.net>;
<barry_martasian@nksd.net>; <kevin_mulvey@nksd.net>;
<patricia_watkins@nksd.net>
Sent:
Subject:
NKSELAC position on addition to SAC
>
>
> This
letter is to clarify NKSELAC's position on the
creation of a seat
> on
each school's SAC committee for a parent of a child with special
> needs.
When this
> idea
was presented orally to the NKSELAC on
>
McGregor
it
> was
well received by the group as a whole, but nothing was given to us
> in
writing. Concerns that were obvious right away were: "Who would
> fill
this position?"; "How would each school fill this position?";
>
"How would this
person
>
communicate the concerns at each building to NKSELAC?"
>
> It was
our understanding that part of the reason for the creation of
> this
position, and its mention at a NKSELAC meeting, was because the
>
position
was
>
intended to assist NKSELAC in fulfilling its duties according to the
> RI
reg
>
300.150. At the very least, according these state regs,
NKSELAC should
advise
School
>
Committee about unmet needs of the special education population. A
> parent
of
> a
special needs child on each SAC would certainly be an avenue for
>
NKSELAC
to
> gain a
better understanding of the needs at each building and report
> to
the
> school
committee accordingly.
>
> At the
>
proposal
was
>
presented to the School Committee in writing. This proposal was never
given to
>
NKSELAC in writing before that meeting. Sharon Schubert gave all of
> the
School
>
Committee members, Dr. Halley and Dr. McGregor a copy of SELAC goals,
> RI
reg
>
300.150 and a letter which stated our support of the SAC position for
> a
parent
> of a
child with special needs. Mrs. Schubert also stood before the
Committee
> and
expressed her concern for the issues stated above, which were
> issues
that
> needed
to be worked out with Administration, each SAC and NKSELAC.
>
> Larry Ceresi and Sharon Schubert have met with Dr.McGregor and with
> the
NKSELAC to further iron out exactly how this position will assist
>
NKSELAC
in
>
fulfilling its obligations. It was made clear to Dr.McGregor
that this
> one
parent on
> each
SAC committee should not be seen as an avenue to bypass NKSELAC,
> and
that a directive from the Administration should be made to each
> building
principal as to the role this parent plays in helping NKSELAC
>
advocate for
and meet
> the
needs of the special education population at that building. This
> was
done by
> Dr.McGregor, and is below this letter.
>
>
NKSELAC does support the creation of this position, but there needs to
> be
support and communication on the part of the Administration, each
> SAC
and
NKSELAC
> to
make this a success.
>
>
>
Sincerely,
>
> Larry Ceresi, Chairperson
> Sharon
Schubert, Co-Chairperson
>
>
> This
was received by NKSELAC from Dr. McGregor:
>
>
Principals.
>
>
> As you
know, the School Committee last week approved the addition of a
>
special education parent as a member of the School Advisory Committee.
This
>
position will be elected just as all the other positions on the SAC
> are.
The purpose of this position is to assist SELAC in better
>
representing the interests of the special education population within
> each
building as the
SAC
>
considers various issues throughout the school year.
> The
Special Education Local Advisory Committee will remain the
>
official advocacy group for the school district and will continue to
>
advocate for
all of our
>
special needs students in
> SELAC
will write to the elected SAC members and inform them of their
>
membership, meetings and purpose as an advisory committee. The SELAC
> will
facilitate communication with the elected SAC member at each
>
building to better serve
and
>
understand all special education needs throughout the district. and
> this
has the
full
>
support of the administration.
> If you
have any questions about SELAC or the new membership of a
>
special education parent on the SAC, please feel free to call me
>
directly. Have a great year.
>
> DJM
>
Appendix B
----
Original Message -----
From:
"Quinn, Joseph" <Joseph_Quinn@NKSD.NET>
To:
"Bill Mudge" <nkri@cox.net>
Cc:
"Coppa, Denise" <Denise_Coppa@NKSD.NET>; "DeFedele,
Don" <Don_DeFedele@NKSD.NET>; "Carol Hueston" <huestonc@ride.ri.net>;
"Martasian, Barry" <Barry_Martasian@NKSD.NET>; "Mulvey,
Kevin" <Kevin_Mulvey@NKSD.NET>; "Watkins, Patricia"
<Patricia_Watkins@NKSD.NET>; <Edolan@northkingstown.org>;
<Dgrogan@northkingstown.org>; <Amiccolis@northkingstown.org>;
"Robin Porter" <Rporter@northkingstown.org>;
<Jpatterson@northkingstown.org>
Sent:
Subject:
RE: 3 roofs
Mr. Mudge
The project
is being coordinated by the Town not me and the additional time was needed to
accomplish an insulation dryness test of all three roofs. You are obviously
entitled to both your opinion and your vote. Mr. Quinn
-----Original
Message-----
From: Bill
Mudge
Sent:
To: Quinn,
Joseph
Cc: Coppa,
Denise; DeFedele, Don; Carol Hueston; Martasian, Barry; Mulvey, Kevin; Watkins,
Patricia; Edolan@northkingstown.org; Dgrogan@northkingstown.org;
Amiccolis@northkingstown.org; Robin Porter; Jpatterson@northkingstown.org
Subject:
Re: 3 roofs
Mr Quinn
The
original roof cost estimate that you submitted to both the school committee and
the town council was far less than $767,0000.
As you are
aware you have not answered my questions concerning this bid and I still want a
life cycle cost estimate evaluation to determine if this procurement is the most
efficient expenditure of town resources. I need to understand why our three
elementary school buildings should not have the same type of roof that we recently spec'd
and installed on the "new" high school only two years ago. What
engineering, financial or other argument supports your recommendation.
Also, I
would like an explanation why the original bid specification and the subsequent
bid opening date of May 22 was ultimately extended by bid addendum No.4 to
I am very
disappointed that you would suggest that, because there is "extra"
undesignated capital reserve we should spend the "extra" $122K. We
need to be more cost efficient and conscientious of spending the tax payers
money and it must be economically justifiable in all cases.
At this
time, I do not support this acquisition and will recommend to all school
committee and town council members that more product, engineering and cost
analysis must be undertaken to insure that this expenditure is in the best
overall interest of the town.
Bill Mudge
-----
Original Message -----
From:
"Quinn, Joseph" <Joseph_Quinn@NKSD.NET>
To:
"Bill Mudge" <nkri@cox.net>
Sent:
Subject:
RE: 3 roofs
Mr. Mudge:
The
voluntary alternatives were asked for in case there wasn't enough money to
cover the base bid. There are sufficient
funds to cover the lowest qualified base bid. As a result we are compelled to
remain in the base bid selection criteria.
The Municipal representatives have qualified Wayne Roofing with my
concurrence as they have performed very well for us in the past. The base bid
also takes care of some drainage problems we have had particularly at DE. Joe
Quinn
-----Original
Message-----
From: Bill
Mudge
Sent:
Mr Quinn
I have the
following concerns regarding this contract award to Wayne Roofing for $767,0000
in light of the fact that there were three other alternative bids submitted
($488K by
My review
of the submitted bid proposal documents brings me to the attention of the Eagle
Cornice alternative bid of $655,572 for the installation the same type of
membrane roof that was installed on the new high school and included a
warrantee for 20 years vice the 15 year warrantee offered with the Sarnafil manufactured roofs. I believe that the $112K cost
differential calls for a more in-depth assessment of this bid. I need further
engineering rational to convince me that an extra $112K is worth the added
expense. Consequently, I recommend that an independent engineering firm be
immediately retained to do a life cycle cost analysis and report their
recommendation back to the school committee ASAP.
It is my
understanding that Eagle Cornice was the firm that was retained by your office
to correct the emergency problem at
Thank You,
Bill Mudge
-----
Original Message -----
From:
"Quinn, Joseph" <Joseph_Quinn@NKSD.NET>
To:
"Bill Mudge" <nkri@cox.net>
Sent:
Subject:
FW: 3 roofs
Bill
The
attachment has the results of the roof bid for DE, FP, and SL. It is our
recommendation that Wayne Roofing be awarded $767,000 for the project which
will be completed within 60 days of the award. Please provide your approval by
-----Original
Message-----
From: Buck,
Maureen
Sent:
To: Quinn,
Joseph
Subject:
FW: 3 roofs
Bev sent this to me but I think you should have
it. M
-----Original
Message-----
From:
Beverly Wood [mailto:BWood@northkingstown.org]
Sent:
To: Phil
Bergeron; John Nelson; Rich Kerbel; Buck, Maureen
Subject: 3
roofs
Analysis
sheet
<<ss_Roofs,
School, July 10, 2003.xls>>