HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - SC - 11/14/2018 T CQ%ASSET O
Cohasset School Committee Meeting
School Committee Minutes
Wednesday, November 14, 2018
Cohasset Middle-High School
Community Use Room
143 Pond Street
Cohasset, MA
In Attendance: Jeanne Astino, Chairman
Ellen Maher
Barbara Stefan
Jennifer Madden
Paul Kearney
Also in Attendance: Louise Demas, Superintendent
Dr. Patrick Sullivan, Assistant Superintendent
Michael MacMillan, Director of Finance& Operations
Chairman Astino called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. Roll Call Vote: Paul Kearney-Present, Barbara
Stefan-Present,Jeanne Astino-Present, Ellen Maher-Present,Jennifer Madden-Present.
Pledge-Recited.
Public Comment-Maura Sharry-15 Virginia Lane an advocate for the Start School Later initiative stated
all members of School Committee and the Superintendent have been made of aware of the health
issues caused by starting school before 8:30 a.m. Everyone is aware of the science that is out there.
Chairman Astino stated the Committee has this on their radar. They did discuss and agree to form a
committee. Ms. Sharry stated she just wants everyone to continue to be aware of the serious issues.
Also, she would like sleep hygiene added to the current health curriculum.
Warrant-Motion by Mrs. Maher to approve Warrant 19-07S,seconded by Mrs. Stefan. Roll Call Vote:
Paul Kearney-Aye, Barbara Stefan-Aye,Jeanne Astino-Aye, Ellen Maher-Aye,Jennifer Madden-Aye.
Superintendent's Report-ACT/SAT Trends-Dr. Sullivan reviewed the SAT and ACT Mean Scores by year
and the College &Career Readiness Benchmarks. He reviewed the results compared to other towns.
Cohasset continues to score above average. The SC had a brief discussion about results. Dr. Sullivan
stated this is just a snapshot of the results.
Seat Belts on Buses- Director of Finance & Operations Michael MacMillan reviewed with the Committee
the results from the research he did on Seat Belts on School Buses. He stated that school buses are the
safest way for a student to get to school. The seats on school buses are designed to keep the children in
a compartmentalized area which protects them from crashes by strong, closely-spaced seats that have
energy-absorbing seat backs. He reported that of the approximately 480,000 buses that transport 25
million students each day, less than 0.0001%of students are injured. He discussed the pros and cons
with seatbelts. The cost of installing seatbelts on the Cohasset buses would cost approximately
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$20,000-$30,000 over the life of the lease. The SC discussed other options that would improve safety on
school buses. They had a brief discussion about external 360-degree cameras.
2018-19 School Calendar Correction-Superintendent Demas advised the Committee there was an error
in the number of school days in September. They had to adjust the calendar and add a day so that the
last day of school is now June 17, 2019 instead of June 14, 2019. Motion by Mrs.Stefan to approve the
2018-19 school calendar as amended,seconded by Mr. Kearney and the vote was unanimous(5-0).
Finance-Draft FY20 Budget Priorities-Mr. MacMillan reviewed the Draft FY20 Budget Priorities. The
Middle School Study, Early Literacy recommendations, Social Emotional Learning and Universal Design
for Learning are ongoing from FY19. Digital Learning is fully rolled out with BYOD. District-wide
professional development is ongoing. They will include higher order thinking, using the SAMR model.
Curriculum advancement is ongoing with respect to diverse learners, special education delivery
requirements, enrollment trends and expansion of the co-teaching model at CMHS. Mr. McMillan
stated they added a new priority which is Safety& Facilities.
School Comments&Communications-2018-19 School Committee Goals-Assignments Discussion-The
SC reviewed the goals and assigned member(s)to each goal. The SC discussed having Guidance and
Child Study Teams come in for an Educator Spotlight at an upcoming meeting.
Reports from Sub-Committee& Liaisons-Mrs. Maher stated that the Budget& Finance sub-committee
met and reviewed Capital and Maintenance lists. They are currently working on a priority system. Mrs.
Maher attended the PEB meeting on 10/29. They are working with the Actuary on projecting out the
Town's approximate $42 million debt. They plan to present to the Board of Selectmen in early spring.
The Hall of Fame Induction event is this Saturday night. Anyone interested in going should contact Ron
Ford. Mrs. Stefan attended the Deer Hill Council meeting. They are reviewing the handbook section by
section. Mrs. Madden stated the Osgood/Deer Hill Fun Run went great and the kids enjoyed the Trunk
or Treat event. Mrs. Stefan stated the Circus at the Deer Hill was well attended. She stated it was one
of the best Social Emotional events she has been to. There was so much excitement, support amongst
the students, confidence building and cheering. Superintendent Demas advised everyone that the
National Honor Society Induction is tomorrow night. She also noted that the Spelling Bee was wonderful
this year.
Minutes-Motion by Mrs. Madden to approve the minutes of 10/3/18 as amended, seconded by Mr.
Kearney and the vote was unanimous (5-0).
Motion by Mrs. Stefan to approve the minutes of 10/24/18 as amended, seconded by Mr. Kearney
and the vote was unanimous(5-0).
Motion by Mrs. Maher to adjourn,seconded by Mrs. Stefan and the vote was unanimous (5-0).
The meeting adjourned at 9:35 p.m.
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Documents used at the Meeting
ACT/SAT Trends F-1
Seat Belt Info F-2
2018-19 School Calendar F-3
FY20 Draft Budget Priorities G-1
2018-19 SC Goals H-1
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