Minutes – Mar 3, 2016
BERKSHIRE HILLS REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
Great Barrington Stockbridge West Stockbridge
SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING
MONUMENT VALLEY MIDDLE SCHOOL
March 3, 2016
Present:
School Committee: S. Bannon, R. Bradway, R. Dohoney, D. Weston, A. Potter, J. St. Peter, W. Fields, K. Piasecki, F. Clark, C. Shelton
Administration: P. Dillon, S. Harrison
List of Documents Distributed:
-Proposed Change to MMRHS Scholarship Fund
-Memo: Scholarship Funds move to Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation
RECORDER NOTE: Meeting being transcribed from recorded DVD provided by CTSB after the fact. Length of meeting: 1hr 21min
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CALL TO ORDER
Steve Bannon called the meeting to order 7:00pm
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PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
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The listing of agenda items are those reasonably anticipated by the chair, which may be discussed at the meeting. Not all items listed may in fact be discussed, and other items not listed may be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by law. This meeting is being recorded by CTSB and will be broadcast at a later date. Minutes will be transcribed and made public, as well as added to our website, www.bhrsd.org once approved
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AGENDA
Superintendent’s Report- Peter Dillon, Superintendent
Good News Item(s)- Skip
Vote on District Insurance / Collaborative Proposal-
Note Before Motion: P.Dillon: We worked very closely with the 3 bargaining groups; Unit A, Unit C and the Collaborative Bargaining Group to come up with a shared proposal around insurance. All District employees agreed to shift to a certain kind of plan which would offer and mitigation plan. A real win-win for the district and the employees. Process has been relatively smooth and underwritten. It happens over a period of three years and when it’s done it will save the district a good amount of money that can be used for other resources.
Rich Dahoney reads motion:
Move that beginning July 1st 2016, as a fiscal year 2017, the Berkshire Hills Regional School District offer only so-called deductible plans and no longer offer so-called Value Plus Plans through the Berkshire Health Group. I move that the District offer a transition plan for 3 years to current insurance enrollees as negotiated with the BHEA Units A & C and the cooperative contract group, a full copy of which will be attached to the meeting minutes that provides that for family members $750 for FY17, $500 in FY18 and $250 in FY19. Individual memberships: $225 FY17, $166.66 FY18, $83.83 FY19.
Motion Seconded by Bill Fields
Discussion:
R.Dohoney:Quick Comment: “The enormous effort the unions put forth to do this. They DID NOT NEED to do this, done purely out of benevolence and love of the district. I’ve been involved in all forms of bargaining, both public and private, and I have never seen anything like this before and I think the union should be applauded.”
Steve Bannon: In absolute agreement. Nice collaborative agreement.
All in Favor: Passes Unanimously
Rich Dohoney speaks as a member of the Finance Sub Committee:
2 years into the process of having a finance subcommittee. Meet year round and has a hand in writing the budget rather than it being written by only administration. This year’s budget, which was submitted three or four weeks ago, was subject to the public hearing last week that garnered a lot of analysis. The major points of personnel cuts and their effects on all 3 schools warranted for their analysis and the finance subcommittee met again last evening to review some things.
Items looked at: A proposal by the music department that was submitted after the budget was put together. The proposal addressed employment application of the music department. The budget proposed cutting 5 full-time employees to 4 full-time employees and the music department’s proposal came in with a more workable solution at 4.6 employees. That option was the primary reason for the finance subcommittee meeting last night. The overview of the meeting was that financially 4.0 employees would work but operationally it would not, according to the music department. A lot of consideration when into the 4.6 proposal and worked with the configuration of the current staff. The finance committee saw this as a workable and doable solution. Similar conversations were held regarding the second grade teacher position. The subject needed more scrutiny as well. Principal Burley and her team put together the best analysis of any school district matter that he has ever seen. It gave a lot of clarity to the effect of the potential ramifications of the change of enrollment at the second grade level. There was consensus to reevaluate that proposal as well by Atty Dohoney and the Committee. Not as much conversation about the art position but the general feeling is that cutting that position at this time would not be beneficial to the district. Surmising a two and a half to 3 hour conversation it became clear that the school committee could not continue to thrust the cost of this on the town’s. Other committee members budget.were there and it led to a very creative and very blunt reevaluation of other aspects of the budget. Developments that came to light were that originally there was a $100,000 allocation for maintenance at the high school and improvements and not of major capital projects. Not a lot of Maintenance and improvements have been done at the high school over the last 3 or 4 years and they were early recommendations from the buildings and grounds committee on ways to use that money. Not a lot of clarity was given even after that money was allocated but there were greater issues with the furnace at the high school than were originally understood at the beginning of the budget process. Just understood in the last couple of days is that money was to be reallocated towards the repair of the furnace- an appropriate capital item But not with the intention of that hundred thousand dollars was for. So the decision was made to move that furnace repair to a capital item and at that point the decision was made to eliminate the hundred-thousand-dollar extraordinary maintenance for the high school from the budget. Also a lot of advancement in the technology area where is $100,000 in the budget from previous use was believed to be able to get by with less; $25,000 was supposed to be cut from that allocation. At that point, the place of last resort was looked at so that we could keep the assessment to the towns at the level it was originally proposed and most fair- so it was decided to reach a little deeper into the E&D fund, against recommendations of some, for the needed additional $25,000.
Attorney Dohoney’s position tonight is to make a motion to approve a budget which is different than what was proposed last week, different than what was proposed by the finance committee but maintains the same level of assessments to the towns. That includes 4.6 staff members in the music department, full staffing at the art department level and maintains four teachers in second grade. There was also some reallocation of money to the supply budget of the middle school that have been originally cut.
Committee Member Rich Dohoney invites Michael Gillespie to speak on behalf of the music department, if he chooses and the Chair permits.
Michael Gillespie: Thanks the committee for allowing him to speak this evening which is outside of normal protocol. Feel the importance of the music department has an opportunity to speak, especially after last week’s meeting where no one came up to the microphone to speak. The 4.6 collaboration began a few weeks ago with Mike Gillespie taking a leadership role with the pending retirement of Jeff Stevens. The new proposal will allow us to fully keep the robust PK/EK program for our youngest students. The third and fourth grade select chorus can now be maintained; they’re preparing to perform at the Berkshire Hills Choral Festival right now. At the middle school, the sacrifice would have most likely been The Ensemble Band. The high school keyboarding class will be maintained now, Which allows students who are not part of the band or the orchestra or the chorus experience., a participating musical experience. The probably the smallest the greatest impact was on the high school music theory class. Smallest enrollment by far with only three to five students per year but it is the one course that prepares our music students for college. Music students need music theory to be music majors. When applying for a musical college, students are given in music theory test and that determines acceptance or not. If that cut had been made it probably would have been the deepest because no Monument student would have been able to apply as a music major in college, And we would have been the only High School in the county and not able to offer that. We saw the 4.0 cut as very impactful on the music department and worked very hard for the 4.6 to maintain the programs that are so important to the students and to the school district, We want to say that the 4.6 proposal is not what we want, the 5.0 is really what we need and the 4.6 will cause a cut to the band program on some level. Hoping for all cuts to be taken off the table so that the music department can continue to be the best for years to come.
Motion made by Rich Dohoney to approve a FY16 gross operating budget of $25,475,059 which results in an operating budget of $23,290,470 after the use of School Choice and Tuition funds with a total net assessment to member towns is $19,697,002.
Seconded by W.Fields
Discussion:
F.Clark: Sat in on last night’s meeting. The letters and comments that were sent in by the public. He loves the school and the school district and thinks that is just where it needs to be right now as it’s doing things and putting these items back in the budget and finding a way to fund these proposed cut back into the budget really satisfies the educational needs of the district. The other side of that, the job of the school committee is to balance the educational needs against the resources and this budget does not do that very well. If this whole exercise has Illustrated anything that we are in or near a financial crisis in this District. That word is not used to lately. The increase to the towns are 6,7,8%t and we’re doing this every year. Years from now, if we don’t make any changes, we’re going to be back here again. An important factor is the renovation of Monument and not seeing how we can go back to the towns after saddling them with so many increases and asking them to pay another $1-$2 million a year to renovate Monument .
The district owns that building and its renovations are going to have to be addressed. This budget covers our educational needs but doesn’t line up very well with our resources.
W.Fields: Supports this budget even though he’s not 100% satisfied with it but the chairman of the finance sub-committee has said, “the votes weren’t there”.See the compromise as a necessary approach. The compromise by the music department shows a give-and-take on both sides. The concern for Mr. Fields is in the renovation of Monument Mountain High School happening not in five years from now and not relying on the state for funding to make it happen; We’ve asked the state twice already for financial assistance through a SOI (Statement Of Interest) and both times they have denied. SECOND factor: Ripple effect for the cuts on both music and arts departments, especially music @ MBE & DBM. Quotes a letter from MMRHS student Caroline Sprague:
“The struggle for arts education of this caliber is felt in every publicly funded school in the nation: the virtuosi of music are often called to further study and performance rather than to teaching; there is barely time in the school day to teach even the core subjects, and music costs money. Monument somehow overcomes these issues. This kind of music program in a public high school is not entirely unique – Taconic High School’s choir is so strong ……. However, it is a particular boon of Monuments, and truly a credit to the district in a nation where funding for arts programs is constantly being culled. At the Western Massachusetts District Jazz Band, two of eleven students selected were Monument musicians. From a public high school, such attendance is unprecedented, especially when their company in the band was mostly made up of student musicians from the Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter School. Monument has somehow found a way to still support music education, and do so with amazing effect, despite the adversity.”
Ends her letter saying:
“… to learn in more ways than the bloodless, standardized way that is slowly becoming the status quo for education in America. Do not rob Monument of its defining feature. Do not rob Monument of that which makes it special.”
Mr. Field’s reply to her, “ I do not plan on doing that.”
Quoting Michael Wise who said his two-music-teacher-for-1,200 students growing up was “adequate”. Mr. Fields does not consider “adequate” as good enough for this school and it’s students.
SECOND GRADE POSITION-First grade to second grade: 35% receive free/reduced lunch. 42 receive Title 1 reading services, 16% have IEP (Individual Educational Plans), 9% receive ALL Services, 4% have 401 modification. Current class numbers at 14/15, but individual needs at this grade are VERY high. 7 out of the 56 currently enrolled in Grade 1, 12.5% need significant support with daily contact w paras and Mrs. Thompson. 7 currently are in need of a 1-on-1 and don’t have and only one para per grade level. Teachers often alone in the classroom and balancing needs of the all the students is very challenging without the support of a para. This is Grade 1. Teachers have noticed an increase in secondary stress and anxiety of the other students due to the significant behaviors of those mentioned 12.5%. Adding 5 more students / classroom would strain the system even further.
FUNDING: In FY2003 the state gave us 18.6% of our budget in state aid. That’s down to 10.5% in FY2015. Where’s the outcry? Where are the politicians to help us? Governor levels funds and then expands charter schools to 36 in MA. Those schools are not performing as well as their direct public school matches. Choice: Should be opened back up again. It’s revenue, staff, and programs. Tuition and Choice revenue is down. Down because less students opting in? Maybe. That is happening.
BUDGET PROCESS: Like watching sausage being made… not pretty. Committee was accused of being “insincere and fake”and of being “liars”. That insinuation caused outrage assuming what the Committee did was fake, insincere and a veil pulled over everyone’s eyes only to be lifted and perceived as wizards. Be part of the solution not the problem, run for the committee.
Andy Potter: Costs go up, bills go up. We are paying the bills NOT adding services.. What are the educational priorities for next year? Protect? Advocate for when delivering a budget to our 3 towns? Not seeing a big change for next year. Political view: lowered income tax rate push up town taxes and assessments, costs of education and town services and that’s where the burn is felt. Need to find a rational education funding source outside of the property tax. BUDGET: I will vote yes because last night was so thought out and sincere. I’d like to see more restored, but this budget works.
Rich Bradway: I agree with all Bill Fields said. Additionally, cuts over the past few years have been initiated as cuts at the high school but they really trickle down to the elementary school, so what is left is a patchwork quilt of positions, where there’s 10-20% more teachers for the positions because each position represents a fraction of a full time position. Feels it is a grossly inefficient way to run a school. Right now the music program is running with 3 teachers at the elementary school. With the proposed cut, there would be 2 art teachers at the elementary school. Feel it’s something that needs to stop happening. Having an elementary age child, there frequently, and see the growing need for focus to shift to MBE. SPED overview: 25% of our kids are on IEP, that was ~16% three/four years ago. Feel we are strangling the elementary school and that doesn’t serve the district down the road. Rich is a product of the MMRHS music department and holds Jeff Stevens in the highest regard. Didn’t support these cuts right from the start. Cuts are looked at very closely. At MBE the band and orchestra programs happen BEFORE the school day, not within and that does not look like it’s being supported because it is outside of the school day for MBE students and automatically eliminate students whose parents can’t drive them to the school early to participate in the music program. That is not inclusional, that is wrong. ALSO, there was no 6th grade music this year do to a scheduling issue NOT a staffing issue. Staff is not being utilized as best as possible if scheduling is preventing a music class. Jeff Stevens sent a letter to the Committee members asking to consider the 4.6 and that will work, but I’m holding this District accountable for making music programs more inclusional and with appropriate staffing, hoping next year it will need to go back up to 5. Content with going forward with 4.6 and will stand to vote in favor of this budget.
Kristen Piasecki: Feel badly the community was put through such turmoil over the past two weeks for what turned out to be an average tax increase of $30 for the Great Barrington taxpayer. It’s hellish. We’ve been to the school twice and then to lay this out and make everyone fearful and unhappy and have it spin out of control. It should have been thought through more carefully and presented to the school committee ahead of time so it could be talked about as a group before it was announced that these cuts were going to happen.
Rich Dohoney: No kids from the Elementary School spoke at last week’s meeting. All of these operational cuts trickled down to the elementary school. The children who have entered our elementary school in the last few years were born during the worst recession of our lifetime. Their parents are dealing with that. They’re living and working in the worst drug epidemic that this county has ever seen and that’s having an effect on the kids in the elementary school. Wants to see the assessment for the three towns go down next year but wants to see the elementary school held harmless for these operational cuts going forward. Will obviously support his own motion.
Jason St. Peter: Glad to see these cut reinstated in the new budget but disappointed to see the hundred thousand dollars taken away from the high school fund for the buildings and grounds committee. That money was to update a science lab and to assess the asbestos problem and this feels like just another year of kicking the can down the road. The 50 year old school where every year 100 kids go through and graduate from it and have to do so under deplorable conditions.Given the choice, he would definitely choose tonight’s budget proposal which puts back the music and arts programs but also feels this District would support a budget that would support the high school and the educational needs of it. Will support this budget but would like to next year a proper allocation The funds to support the infrastructure of the high school and believes this community would support that.
Andy Potter: Agree wholly with Kristen Piasecki about the preparation of the budget and it’s presentation to the Committee. Does not believe that assessment will go down in the town’s next year and we need to be prepared for that.
Rich Bradway: If a budget is voted on tonight then the budget plan for next year should start next week. Would like to see a review of every program. Not because of cuts that may be proposed But because next year we won’t get to the deficit and go to our principles and ask for the cuts so late in the process. Every program, every teacher so that we know they are being provided with the resources they need to do their jobs. With the opportunity for community members and parents to come in and voice their opinions about those programs.
Steve Bannon: The gross operating budget is only going up this year 3.1% probably not as much as people would think when they look at the assessment remember town. We are having problems with revenue and it’s not going to get any better next year. We will begin shortly to look at every program in this district that affects the budget. That will be very help helpful. It may not make a difference but believes it will. The finance subcommittee did a sincere and hard working job. The outcome may not have been what people wanted but the process has improved over the last couple years and we know we will continue to improve next year, we have to. This committee will meet next week for a Meet & Confer to debrief on this process as it’s only agenda item while it’s fresh in our minds and to talk about programmatic review and how we can do it better. It has to get better. There have been improvements but it has to improve more. Need to start now not next November. The other thing, if we have to start looking at the renovation of the high school. We have to keep moving forward in trying to figure out how to get that done with the same amount of enthusiasm from the community as we saw last week. The renovations need to be community driven this time. Three challenges for the School Comittee and it will be a lot of work 1) Work on the process for the finance subcommittee and the whole budget. Look at the whole budget process from beginning to end and do it soon. 2) Sup. Dillon’s reimagining of our programs. 3) Get the high school project back on track. We’ve taking a deep breath and we’ve let our wounds heal. We have to do something. BUDGET: Not happy with the allocation and the assessment brought to the taxpayers. We’ve done our best but I’m not happy with it and it’s not just Great Barrington. This is a systemic problem that is State and nation wide. We are not the only ones with this problem but it is a problem. Will support the budget all the way through to the town meeting but knowing we have to do a better job next year. Need to know in his heart that we’ve looked at every program and did their very best for the students and for the town taxpayers.
Dan Weston: Great Community Support at these meetings recently and also a commitment to turn out at the Town meetings but there are lots of meetings in between that would help increase the understanding of the process for the community.
Chairman, Steve Bannon calls for a vote:
Roll Call Vote: Passes 9-1 ( Fred Clark – No)
Chairman Bannon calls for another motion:
Motion made by Rich Dohoney to approve the FY17 Capital Budget of $1,929,879. The total net assessment to the towns of $808,941.00 Seconded by W.Fields
Role Call Vote: Passes 9-1 ( Fred Clark- No)
Peter Dillon: We all have a lot of work to do. 5 things to think about; Ways to encourage enrollment, remove barriers for all kids, getting instruments into the hands of kids who may not be able to afford them. We need to do all that we can on every level to get more kids in the classes. We need to look again on time and busing and piggybacking on other things. We need better communication. Participate more in town meetings. Making this more palatable going forward, it needs to be perceived as not cutting but growing. We should take every opportunity to look at reasonable and thoughtful growth.
Steve Bannon: The leadership in this school district is incredible and we are a great School District. We will get better, we have area for gross, but we are a great School District. We need to keep this momentum going forward and work together to build on this to make it an even better District. As one superintendent said a few times. “ This is not a problem, this is an opportunity.”
Proposed Change to Monument Mountain Scholarship Fund-
Memo Attached from MaryAnn Young: Explained that significant interest is not being earned on the fund and are now finding some scholarships cannot be awarded because to do so would drop the fund into the principle and moving beyond the threshold the families who established the scholarships want to maintain. OR only partial amount of a scholarship can be awarded.
Berkshire Taconic Foundation established a way the fund account can be managed without losing oversight of awarding the scholarships. Berkshire Taconic Foundation will give a check to BHRSD for annual awards. The Foundation now will use this model to use with other schools in this same way. We are doing a better job as stewards of these funds awarded by families to honor their loved ones through the scholarship program.
Sharon Harrison: Supporting MaryAnn’s work and the plan. Clarifying that the funds are already separate in a financial institution, and this would only be a moving of the funds to Berkshire Taconic Foundation.
Dan Weston Moves to accept the proposed change to Monument Mountains Scholarship Fund as outlined in MaryAnn Youngs attached memo Seconded: Rich Bradway
Discussion: Fred Clark: Does this mean our fiduciary obligation to keep the money safe? When you have it in the bank you may not be getting too much interest but it is covered by FDIC. Are these monies being used for mutual funds and therefore unprotected?
- Harrison: She asked all the questions and got a 2 year history on the growth and feels comfortable with the changeover. Yes, the money is in the market. No,it is not insured. There is a little bit of risk there but if we look at the long-term return, they’ve maintained the principal and their accounts.
F.Clark: Concerned about the risk in assuming there will be returned based on previous performance. There is a very high threshold of responsibility with this money and there’s a lot of concern with moving it into the market. Would rather see us working on a program to increase the underline endowment rather than to be chasing returns.
Rich Dohoney: Share some of same concerns but will vote in favor because the committee recommends it. The fiduciary question is a good one because it does not mean just protecting what you’ve been entrusted with but making the best use of it. A fiduciary can get in trouble if they leave money in a low earning account if in fact it can produce more by moving it. The question is do we have an obligation as the fiduciary to make it grow?
- St.Peter: What are the administrative fees are? What is the percentage?
- Harrison: It is 0.75%
D.Weston: Stockbridge Fire plans to use Berkshire Taconic for that funding. There is the risk but it seems like a good program.
Chairman, Steve Bannon calls for a vote:
Vote: Passes 9-1 ( Fred Clark – No)
Updates:
-Southern Berkshire Shared Services Project (SBSSP)- State and MassIT are coming out on St. Patrick’s Day. Continuing to reach out to Shaker Mt,, Farmington River, and Lee for further discussions.
Discussions with Shaker Mountain, Lee & Farmington River
SUB-COMMITTEE REPORTS
-Policy Sub Committee- NA
-Building and Grounds Sub Committee- Meet next week at 5pm before the Meet & Confir @ District Office
-Superintendent’s Evaluation Sub Committee – NA
-Technology Sub Committee- NA
-Finance Sub Committee- Covered
-Regional Agreement Amendment Sub Committee- Ongoing discussions next meeting March 15th @ 5pm at District office.
-District Consolidation & Sharing Sub-Committee- touched on already
PERSONNEL REPORT -NA
BUSINESS OPERATION -NA
EDUCATION NEWS -NA
OLD BUSINESS -NA
NEW BUSINESS -NA
Public Comment- Student from last week spoke to say thank you to the committee for pushing for a better education and giving people a purpose and that education matters. Thanks for listening to us and working on the compromise.
Written Communication -NA
Motion to adjourn Public Session: Dan Weston Seconded: Rich Dohoney Approved: Unanimously
Meeting adjourned at 7:20pm
The next meeting is scheduled for March 10, 2016 – 6pm Meet & Confir – District Offices
Submitted by:
Rebecca Burcher, Recorder
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Rebecca Burcher, Recorder
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School Committee Secretary
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