| Agawam School Committee Minutes – February 26, 2008
Chair, S. Dawson, called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. in the Agawam Middle School auditorium and then turned the meeting over to vice chair, A. Bonavita.
Present: A. Bonavita, J. Burns, R. Doering, D. Juzba, L. Galarneau, & S. Reed Dr. Czajkowski, J. Kane
Absent: W. Sapelli
During Citizen’s Speak Time, no one from the public came forward.
Under Superintendent’s Notes, Dr. Czajkowski reported on the following items: · Announcement that AJHS secretary and substitute coordinator, Cecelia Daigneau, had passed away. · FY’09 Budget Books will be delivered to Committee members on February 29, 2008 · Participation at “Region-on-Call” School Safety Exercise earlier that day from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Smith & Wesson. · Announcement that a new traffic flow pattern for the high school has been developed by the town’s Engineering Dept. Phase I will begin on March 24, 2008, and Phase II will entail a new combination entrance/exit to the high school parking lot from Mill Street. · Announcement that Mr. Kane has spoken to Mr. Albro regarding the lack of outdoor lighting at the AJHS, and Mr. Albro will contact WMECO, as they are in charge of the lighting. · Announcement that Mr. Albro is preparing a final cost breakdown for construction of the autistic classroom at the middle school.
Under Highlights on Education, AHS student, Mario Bonavita, was joined by autism consultant, Joanne Odato-Staeb, in a presentation entitled, “Life with a Pervasive Developmental Disorder.” During his PowerPoint presentation, Mario shared some of the concerns and anxiety he faces as a teenager with autism, as well as his hopes for the future.
Under Unfinished Business, on a motion made by R. Doering, 2nd by S. Reed, the Committee voted to approve SCR-08-02, Approval of Brenton Schively Memorial Scholarship. Vote: 7 – 0
On a motion made by L. Galarneau, 2nd by R. Doering, the Committee voted to approve SCR-08-03, Adoption of 2008-2009 School Calendar. Vote: 7 – 0
Then, on a motion made by R. Doering, 2nd by J. Burns, the Committee voted to approve SCR-08-04, Approval of Donald J. Charest Memorial Scholarship. Vote: 7 – 0
Next, on a motion made by S. Reed, 2nd by R. Doering & D. Juzba, the Committee voted to approve SCR-08-05, Approval of Use of the AJHS Auditorium by Dare to Dream for Dance Recital on June 14, 2008. Vote: 7 - 0
Under Business Meeting, on a motion made by D. Juzba, 2nd by J. Burns, the Committee voted to approve the February 12, 2008, regular meeting minutes. Vote: 7 - 0
Then, on a motion made by R. Doering, 2nd by D. Juzba, the Committee voted to approve the February 12, 2008, workshop minutes. Vote: 7 - 0
Under Calendar/Correspondence, R. Doering said she had not received any correspondence.
Agawam School Committee Minutes – February 26, 2008 Page 2
Then, on a motion made by R. Doering, 2nd by D. Juzba, the Committee, via roll call, voted to approve the following warrants as read: SW-08-39 in the amount of $84,046.68, SW-08-40 in the amount of $36,401.88, and SW-08-41 in the amount of $79,921.22. Vote: 7 - 0
Under Reports, the first of the evening was a High School Student Advisory Committee Update as presented by student representative, Kaitlyn Weyant. In her report, Kaitlyn noted that the group’s 16 members have been very busy this year. Some of their projects/activities are as follows: - Collected $500 from students and staff which was used to purchase gift cards for the needy
- Conducted a mock election which resulted in a Republican nomination for Mitt Romney and a Democratic nomination for Barack Obama
- Plans to make blankets for cancer patients
- Visit to the Mayor’s office in March
The second report was a Financial/Personnel Update as presented by J. Kane, Assistant Superintendent for Business/HR. In his Personnel Update, Mr. Kane noted that 1 additional teacher had notified the district of her intent to retire in June 2008, 1 additional teacher had notified the district of her intent to retire in June 2009, 2 teachers had returned from maternity leave, and 1 teacher assistant was granted a practicum leave. In his Financial Update, Mr. Kane estimated, to date, a FY’08 Budget surplus in the amount of $262,810.00.
Next, under Subcommittee Updates, none were given.
Under Student Representative's Comments, Kaitlyn congratulated the following winter athletic teams: - Girl’s & Boy’s Swimming teams for winning the Sportsmanship Award
- Girl’s Indoor Track team for winning 2nd place honors for Western Mass
- Hockey team for making the Western Mass Quarter-Finals tournament
- Wrestling team for winning the Western Mass Individual Championship
Kaitlyn also reminded the Committee that the Social Studies National Honor Society Induction will take place on March 6th, at 7:00 p.m. and that the SATs will be administered on Saturday, March 1st.
Under New Business, SCR-08-06, Acceptance of $1,500 Donation to Rosie Robotics from Hartford Steam Boiler, and & SCR-08-07, Acceptance of $600 Donation to Rosie Robotics from the Coe Family Fund, were moved to the March 11, 2008, meeting where they will appear under Unfinished Business.
Under Items, L. Galarneau questioned why S. Dawson turned the meeting over to the vice chair. S. Dawson said it was something she had been considering for some time and for another reason, which she would discuss privately. L. Galarneau also asked if more lighting could be added to the junior high school grounds. J. Kane said he would forward her request to Mr. Albro. R. Doering said she had distributed two articles from her recent conference in Washington, DC, which she thought her colleagues would find enlightening and enjoy reading. J. Burns reported that Springfield College professor, Janice Fedor, had recently presented to the Rosie Robotics team. He also reminded the Committee that Rosie Robotics would be competing at Pathfinder Regional High School on Saturday, March 1st, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The group also will be competing in Hartford and in Boston during March. D. Juzba thanked Mario Bonavita for his wonderful presentation regarding autism. She also said that she would be attending two of the forthcoming Rosie Robotics competitions. A. Bonavita asked that the Chair consider establishing an Ad Hoc Subcommittee of the school committee to investigate the possibility of bringing the school nurses and building maintenance department back under the auspices of the school department. He suggested the subcommittee could study the feasibility of this move and the impact these two bargaining units would have on future school department budgets. Mr. Bonavita also asked Mrs. Ferioli to forward a list of all upcoming events to the Committee, as there are so many taking place during the next few weeks.
Next, on a motion made by D. Juzba, 2nd by J. Burns & R. Doering, the Committee, via roll call, voted to go into Executive Session for the purpose of discussing contract negotiations. Vote: 7 – 0 Agawam School Committee Minutes – February 26, 2008 Page 3
Mr. Bonavita announced that the Committee would reconvene for the sole purpose of adjournment.
A. Bonavita reconvened the meeting at 8:16 p.m.
There being no further business, on a motion made by D. Juzba, 2nd by J. Burns, the Committee voted to adjourn. Vote: 7 - 0 Time: 8:18 p.m.
____________________________________ Alexis Ferioli, Committee Stenographer Roberta G. Doering, Committee Secretary |