Draft:  May 26, 2005                                                                                    
Approved:June 1, 2005                                                                                       

School Committee meeting May 25, 2005

Under Report of the Secretary

 

Business Meeting

Mr. Radtke called the meeting to order at 7 p.m.

 

Members present:  Jonathan Radtke-Chairperson, Ellen Alcorn, Stephen Spring, Ben Meiklejohn, Jason Toothaker, Teri McRae, Tae Chong (arrived at approximately 8:20pm), Sophia Njaa (arrived at approximately 8:20pm)

 

Members not present:  Otis Thompson, James DiMillo, Michael Imbergamo

 

Report of the Chair

Mr. Radtke extended an invitation to anyone who is interested to join a committee to be convened in September to review the elementary facilities task force report.

 

Report of the Superintendent

Superintendent O’Connor:

 

 

Barbara Dee, Director of Student Support Services, and Nancy Connelly, Coord. of State Agency Clients and Director of Interagency Affairs, addressed the Committee on the educational program at Spring Harbor Hospital that the Portland Public Schools will provide for students ages 4-20.  Ms. Connelly indicated that there will be no cost to the PPS.  The state will be picking up 100% of costs for staff, etc.

 

Retirements:

    1. Kenneth Gordon, Teacher/Moore Middle School, 35 years, effective August 31, 2005
    2. Edith Davidson, Guidance/Portland High School, 17 years, effective August 31, 2005

Resignations:   Effective 06/30/2005

Steven Connolly            PHS/Assistant Principal                      6 Years

 

Effective 08/31/2005

Aanika DeVries            King/Science                                       1 Year

Laury Maass              Lincoln/Learning Strategist                      2 Years

Melissa Ross                 Hall/Many Rivers 3-4-5               .5 of 1.0 position

 

Reports of Committees

  1. East End Area School Building Committee – Ms. Alcorn reported on the meeting held on May 24th.  $100,000 grant from the Utility Commission will allow for the replacement of all LEEDS items.   Librarians reported to the Committee on the joint efforts of the school/community library in the new school.
  2. Policy Committee – Mr. Spring indicated that a flyer resolution will be on the June 1st agenda.  The Policy Committee will meet on June 1st at 4 p.m.
  3. Finance Committee – Ms. McRae indicated that the committee met prior to the School Committee meeting and will be presenting a list of recommended reductions at the June 1st meeting.   The Budget Advisory Task Force will meet on Friday, June 3, 2:30 p.m. at Central Office.
  4. Legislative Affairs – Mr. Toothaker briefly mentioned the Charter School Act has been carried over to the second session of the legislature.
  5. Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound High School – Mr. Allen indicated that currently there are 87 students enrolled.  He indicated that the closing date for acceptances will be May 31, 2005.  However, any decisions regarding out-of-district placements will be made in mid-August.    Ms. McRae inquired about the possibility of the Committee weighing in on out-of-district placements and requested a breakout of the student population for the ELOB High School.
  6. Other Committees and/or member concerns:  Mr. Meiklejohn attended the May 16, 2005 City Council meeting.  He mentioned that the dialogue was supportive of the School Committee and extended his gratitude for the Council’s support of the School Committee budget.

 

Report of the Secretary

  1. Consideration and action to accept the meeting minutes of the May 11, 2005 and meeting.

 

Mr. Toothaker moved, seconded Ms. Alcorn and voted  unanimously to approve the meeting minutes of  the May 11, 2005 meeting.

 

Consent Items  

Superintendent O’Connor reviewed the consent item and thanked the contributor.

 

Old Business

1.      Consideration and action to approve the 2005-2006 school calendar and to instruct the superintendent to convene a task force in the fall to consider an alternative calendar.

 

Ms. McRae moved, seconded  Mr. Toothaker to approve the 2005-2006 school calendar and to instruct the superintendent to convene a task force in the fall to consider an alternative calendar.

 

Public Comment: Cindy Rotolo, Ken Farber, and Kathleen Casasa addressed the Committee regarding the 2005-06 school calendar.

 

Board Discussion/Debate:

Ms. McRae moved, seconded  Mr. Spring and voted 3-2 to divide the original motion.

 

Mr. Toothaker – shared his conversations with teachers at Clifford School regarding the calendar.  He supports calendar, but would like to look at the issues.

 

Mr. Toothaker moved, seconded Mr. Meiklejohn to amend the calendar to reinstate holiday names.

 

Ms. Alcorn – suggested leaving names off.

 

Mr. Spring – supports amendment.

 

Ms. McRae – holiday are federal not religious

 

Mr. Meiklejohn – supports amendment.

 

Mr. Radtke – supports amendment.

 

Superintendent O’Connor – indicated that PDC originally suggested only listing holidays versus specific names.

 

Vote on amendment: It was voted 5-1 to amend the calendar to reinstate holiday names.

 

Back to main motion.

 

Mr. Spring – shared his conversations regarding the calendar with staff at Reiche and King.

 

Ms. McRae – does not support calendar.  Feels that calendar committee has not involved the School Committee in the process.

 

Ms. Alcorn – spoke about calendar process and inquired about amount of time that could be added to early release days.

 

Superintendent O’Connor – indicated that one hour added to early release days would seem reasonable.

 

Ms. Alcorn moved, seconded  Mr. Toothaker that Early Release Days be no shorter than four hours.

 

Vote on amendment:  It was voted unanimously that Early Release Days be no shorter than four hours.

 

Mr. Radtke – spoke about the calendar and comments, etc. he has received regarding this issue.

 

Superintendent O’Connor – looks forward to the work of a calendar task force.  PDC and PEA did a great job this year of getting out in front of the calendar development process with a survey.

 

Clarifying questions:

Ms. McRae – asked what flexibility schools had in adding/changing days on calendar once it is approved.

 

Superintendent O’Connor – indicated that at times there are situations where some schools make a request to the superintendent to add/change days.

 

Mr. Spring moved, seconded  Mr. Meiklejohn that there be a permanent School Committee representative on the calendar committee.

 

Vote on amendment:  It was voted unanimously that there be a permanent School Committee representative on the calendar committee.

 

Motion as amended:  Consideration and action to approve a 2005-06 calendar indicating all federally recognized holidays, requiring all Early Release days to be no shorter than four hours, and the calendar committee to include a permanent School Committee representative.

 

Vote on motion as amended:  It was voted  unanimously to approve a 2005-06 calendar indicating all federally recognized holidays, requiring all Early Release days to be no shorter than four hours, and the calendar committee to include a permanent School Committee representative.

 

Second part of motion:  Consideration and action to instruct the superintendent to convene a calendar task for in the fall to consider an alternative calendar.

 

Mr. Spring moved, seconded Ms. McRae to request that the calendar task force report their findings to the School Committee no later than December 21, 2005.

 

Vote on amendment:  It was voted  unanimously (Mr. Chong abstained) to request that the calendar task force report their findings to the School Committee no later than December 21, 2005.

 

Vote on motion as amended:  It was voted  unanimously to instruct the superintendent to convene a calendar task force in the fall to consider an alternative calendar and to request that the calendar task force report their findings to the School Committee no later than December 21, 2005.

 

New Business - None

 

Personnel

  1. Consideration and action to approve the Personnel items as listed.

 

Mr. Toothaker moved, seconded  Mr. Chong and voted  unanimously to approve the Personnel Items as listed.

 

a.  Unpaid LOA:  Effective  09/01/2005-08/31/2006

Sally Reagan            PHS/Social Studies       .5 of 1.0 LOA            Extended                                                                                                                                Childrearing

 

Irving Williams            PATHS/Early Childhood  .5  of 1.0 LOA            Personal

 

Effective:            3/10/2005 -8/31/2005

Nancy Smith-Jewel            PREP/Psychologist                 1.0                   Childrearing

 

b.  Second Year Probationary Contracts:

 

SCHOOL

 

NAME

 

ASSIGNMENT

 

CLIFFORD

ANNE M COLUCCI

NURSE

 

NANCY W RAWLINGS

GRADE 2

 

 

 

DEERING HIGH

DOUGLAS DREW

GUIDANCE

 

MARKOS MILLER

FOREIGH LANGUAGE SPANISH

 

 

 

KING MIDDLE

JENNIFER C. MACOY

ESOL

 

ANNEMARIE ORTH

FOR LANG SPANISH

 

 

 

LINCOLN MIDDLE

MARGARET LANE

LANGUAGE ARTS/SOCIAL STUDIES

 

SARAH M MARTIN

ESOL

 

 

 

LONGFELLOW

PATRICK CONNOLLY

GRADE 4

 

NANCY BLAKE ENTWISTLE

SPEECH

 

MARGARET J LEWIS

LITERACY TITLE V INNOVATIVE EDUCTION

 

 

 

LYSETH

MICHELLE LEAR

SPECIAL EDUCATION

 

TARA PIASECKI

SPECIAL EDUCATION

 

 

 

MOORE MIDDLE

KATHLEEN ARCHAMBAULT

SPECIAL EDUCATION

 

BRAD HUMPHREY

MATH

 

MATTHEW KING

SPECIAL EDUCATION

 

PAIGE PEPPER

SPECIAL EDUCATION FLS

 

LAURIE PIASIO

LANGUAGE ARTS

 

 

 

PATHS

DOUGLAS H ARMSTRONG

VOC-CULINARY CONCEPTS

 

MATTHEW P WENTWORTH

VOC MASONRY

 

 

 

PORTLAND HIGH

KATRINA B BROWN

HEALTH

 

SOPHIA PAYSON-RAND

SOCIAL WORKER

 

AMY SHERBURNE

GUIDANCE

 

 

 

PEAKS

ERIN FRAZIER

SPECIAL EDUCATION

 

 

 

REICHE

KEVIN BREWSTER

GRADE K

 

LAURIE DANIELS

GRADE 5

 

REBECCA JEAN STUART

GRADE 1

 

 

 

RIVERTON

ANDREW S CHIPMAN

MUSIC

 

TARA HILDRETH

GRADE 4

 

 

 

ADULT EDUCATION

JONATHAN M DODSON

ADULT EDUCATION

 

 

 

 

 

c. First  Year continuing contracts:

 

SCHOOL

 

 

2005-06 1ST

NAME

 

 

 

 

ASSIGNMENT

 

 

DEERING HIGH

 AUDREY JANE COOK

 MATH

 

 

 JAMIE ROMANO

 ENGLISH

 

 

 PRIYA NATARAJAN

 MATH

 

 

 SARAH M WELCH

 ENGLISH

 

 

 

 

 

HALL

 CHRISTINE A FRICKE

 LIBRARY/MEDIA SPECIALIST

 

 

 

 

 

KING MIDDLE

 ANN Y YOUNG

 MATH

 

 

 CATHERINE B BOWDEN

 READING 

 

 

 DEBRA TREADWELL

 MATH

 

 

 JENNIFER S LINDSAY

 SPECIAL EDUCATION

 

 

 SUSAN MCCRAY

 LANGUAGE ARTS

 

 

 

 

 

LINCOLN MIDDLE

 DENISE PREISSER

 PHYSICAL EDUCATION

 

 

 HEIDI CAMERON

 ESOL

 

 

 JEAN ANN MECTEAUX

 READING 

 

 

 

 

 

LYSETH

 ALISON P SKOCZENSKI

 LIBRARY/MEDIA SPECIALIST

 

 

 

 

 

MOORE MIDDLE

 CLAIRE MURRAY ROSS

 LANGUAGE ARTS

 

 

 JEANNE KITA BURKE

 LIBRARY/MEDIA SPECIALIST

 

 

 JOHN J FABISH

 MATH

 

 

 MARGUERITE P MUSGNUG

 SPECIAL EDUCATION

 

 

 MAUREEN M TEVANIAN

 LANGUAGE ARTS

 

 

 

 

 

PATHS

 VINCENT OLSEN

 AUTO TECHNOLOGY 

 

 

 

 

 

PORTLAND HIGH

 JAN CROSSMAN

 BUSINESS     .5

 

 

 NICOLAS BRESINSKY

 ENGLISH

 

 

 SUSAN L MULLEN

 GUIDANCE

 

 

 SUZANNE MCCLUSKEY

 SPECIAL EDUCATION

 

 

 TROY K CRABTREE

 SOCIAL STUDIES

 

 

 

 

 

REICHE

 PAMELA A BREWER

 SPECIAL EDUCATION

 

 

 ROBIN CHERYL STEVENS

 GRADE 2

 

 

 

 

 

RIVERTON

 LYNN J MCCARTHY

 LIBRARY/MEDIA SPECIALIST

 

 

 

 

 

ADULT EDUCATION

 PAMELA L KASABIAN

 ADULT EDUCATION

 

d.  First Year Probationary Contract (hired after September 30, 2004)

ADAMS

EILEEN GLAUDE

 LEARNING STRATEGIST

 

 

 

 

 

LINCOLN MIDDLE

CELESTE B BIRON

SPED-RESOURCE

 

 

CHRISTINE M HEY

NURSE

 

 

CHRISTINE A LIBBY

SPECIAL EDUCATION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MOORE MIDDLE

PATRICIA BRINKMAN

GUIDANCE

 

 

JULIE MYERS

MATH

 

PORTLAND HIGH

 

ANN MURRAY

ESOL .50

 

 

DISTRICT

CAROL B RAYMOND

HEALTH COORDINATOR

 

 

Committee Focus on Educational Issues

 

Public Comment Prior to 11:00 PM

Kathleen Casasa – addressed the Committee regarding the school calendar and the superintendent using discretion on allowing a school to take a half-day that might not be included in the calendar.

 

Cindy Rotolo – addressed the Committee regarding her impressions of some of the things she hears from the Committee.

 

Adjournment

Mr. Toothaker moved, seconded  Ms. Alcorn and voted  unanimously to adjourn the meeting at 8:30 p.m.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

 

 

Mary Jo O’Connor

Superintendent of Schools