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School Committee
School Committee Nixes Center School Renovation Article To recommend budget increase of $600,000-$800,000
by Derek Dobachesky
March 5, 2009 —
The Hopkinton School Committee
examined and made changes to drafts of the 2009-2010 School Year
Calendar and school committee policies at regular meeting on
Thursday, March 5.
Absent from the meeting, which began
at 7:30 p.m., was member David Stoldt.
The meeting commenced with
Superintendent Dr. John Phelan praising firefighter Tim Healy's
efforts in training Hopkinton Public Schools faculty in CPR.
Healy held five CPR training and certification sessions from
January to March, at which he trained 19 employees, with another
11 preschool employees to be trained at his March 13 session.
The Committee then recognized the
Hopkinton Parent Teacher Association's upcoming silent auction,
which takes place Saturday, March 7 at the Doubletree Hotel in
Westborough. Committee chair Nancy Alvarez Burdick stated that
this will the HPTA's largest fundraising event. Bidders can also
participate online at the HPTA's Web site. Online bidding closes
the evening of Friday, March 6 at 11 p.m. Burdick then informed
the Committee of a meeting of the Municipal Cabinet, chaired by
Lieutenant Gov. Tim Murray. The meeting will take place in
Ashland on Friday, March 6 and members of the Committee will ask
the cabinet about how federal stimulus money will be disbursed,
as well as other questions on behalf of the Committee and Dr.
Phelan.
The Committee then opened the floor
for public comments. Adult services librarian Susan Marshall
from the public library pledged to work with the school to
provide enough copies of books on students' summer reading
lists.
"I'm going to keep pleading," for
enough books, Marshall said. One step she will take is
encouraging the donation of books on the lists during the Go
Green Event on March 21. The Go Green Event will be sponsored by
the Hopkinton Women's Club, and will take place from 10 a.m. to
2 p.m. at the St. John the Evangelist's Hall at 20 Church
Street.
Following public comments, Committee
Vice-Chair Phil Totino provided an update on the FY10 budget.
Totino said he had spoken to town manager Clayton Carlisle about
the budget, and while Carlisle would present the flat-funded
budget the Committee had drafted to the Board of Selectman, he
would recommend an increase in funding from $700,000 to
$800,000, with the remainder of the Committee's desired $1.2
million increase coming from the public schools' $440,000 rainy
day-type fund.
Burdick had also spoken with
Carlisle, and relayed to the Committee Carlisle's idea to
potentially save the town up to $600,000 by transferring its
provision of health care benefits into a private trust. Dr.
Phelan and Committee member Rebecca
The Committee then moved onto new
business, which comprised of two updates to its policies, which
were drafted and presented by Assistant Superintendent Mary
Colombo. One proposed policy would update the School Committee
Policy Student Records JRA, in order to include updates to 1995
regulations that the state Board of Education enacted in 2006.
"It's a policy that will outline the
broader responsibilities and not the details," Colombo said.
Likewise, Colombo's draft of an update to the School Committee
Policy Student Conduct JIC removes specific language from
regulations and references the regulations themselves. Both
policies received input from the Committee, which will examine
them again at its next meeting. The draft policies will be
posted on the Committee's Web site for public comment. The committee then addressed old business. Dr. Phelan informed the Committee that town counsel Raymond Miyares had recommended the Committee remove the Center School renovation town meeting article. According to Phelan, this is because a feasibility study and an outline of the budget scope — as well as several other steps — would have to be completed before the article could be considered. The Committee unanimously voted to dismiss the article.
Committee members Richard de Mont
and Rebecca Robak also noted that this would also create a
longer Thanksgiving break. The Committee agreed to the change,
and will reconsider the calendar at its next meeting.
"It just makes sense that there's
more opportunities," de Mont said of the change.
Dr. Phelan stated he was pleased
with the changes changes made and not concerned that the
calendar will be considered at a third meeting.
"I think at two consecutive meetings
now we have given people the key point, which is that school
starts before Labor Day," Dr. Phelan said. The Committee adjourned the meeting at 8:50 p.m. The Committee's next regular meeting will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 19. |
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