PIONEER VALLEY REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT COMMITTEE Thursday, December 17, 2015 7:00 p.m., PVRS Library MINUTES Present: Committee members, Jim Bell, Debbie Gilbert, Peggy Kaeppel, Jeanne Milton, Martha Morse, John Rodgers, Pat Shearer, Dave Shoemaker, Bill Wahlstrom Superintendent of Schools, Ruth Miller; Assistant Superintendent, Gail Healy; NES Principal, Tom King; SPED Coordinator, Sharon Jones; PVRS Faculty, Gina Johnson; PVRS Students, Kayla Hubbard, Julia Wallace; Bernardston officials, Bob Raymond & Jane Dutcher; Northfield citizen, Scott McKusick; Recorder reporter, Rachel Rapkin The meeting was called to order by Pat Shearer at 7:05 p.m. I. Citizen’s Concerns: Scott McKusick appeared before the committee to request that the District reconsider the Central Office move to 168 Main Street, Northfield. He had reviewed the mold assessment and believes the remediation of the building can be completed for a modest sum of money. He noted the more costly remediation of the records will need to be completed regardless. McKusick stated he believes the move will not be budget neutral as reported but rather will cost the district approximately $30,000. Miller noted the plans to move could not be changed at this time as considerable work had already been done in particular with technology. Gail Healy spoke of the history of capital improvements not being supported and noted the HVAC repairs had been budgeted at $48,000 but bids came in at $96,000. McKusick suggested a better heating/cooling alternative would be heat pumps. John Rodgers said the Building & Grounds Subcommittee did not feel a need to revisit the decision and noted they intend to take down the modular buildings. He believes the move to be budget neutral. McKusick disagreed. He was invited to attend the January subcommittee meeting. IX. New Business 6. Northfield Public Hearing Notice: Paul and Leslie Cameron appeared before the board to discuss their recent application to pour wine at their winery and an upcoming public hearing. The Camerons explained the difference between a “tasting” license and a “pour” license. Kaeppel and Shoemaker did not have concerns with the application but Tom King expressed concerns about the traffic situation at dismissal time and noted the winery is just across the street from the elementary school. It was noted this issue appeared later in the agenda. On a motion by Kaeppel and second by Rodgers the committee unanimously agreed to move out of order to continue discussions. King requested a letter from the school committee requesting police coverage at dismissal. Milton moved to send a letter to the selectboard recommending police coverage during dismissal time. Voting in favor were: Gilbert, Shoemaker, Milton, Shearer, Wahlstrom, Rodgers & Morse. Bell abstained and Kaeppel opposed. Miller will draft a letter for Shearer to sign. II. Minutes: On a motion by Morse and second by Rodgers the minutes of November 19, 2015 were unanimously approved with amendments to Item IX-1 correcting line 6 “Opposed:

Kaeppel, Fontaine, Milton and Shearer.” III. Treasurer’s Report: no report was provided because not all bank statements had been received. A cash flow report was distributed. IV. Accounts Payable: The accounts payable report from 11/24/15-12/21/15 was distributed electronically. No questions were raised. V. Expenditure Report: The expenditure report from 7/1/15-12/21/15 was distributed for review. No questions were raised. VI. Warrants: warrants were circulated and signed. VII. Appearances: 1. Athletic field trip – on a motion by Rodgers and second by Wahlstrom the committee unanimously approved a request by Gina Johnson for the wresting team to attend the Lowell Invitation match. 2. Model Congress – on a motion by Rodgers and second by Gilbert the committee unanimously approved an overnight field trip to Springfield for the Model Congress. VIII. Old Business: 1. Audit Report – no changes. 2. Net Meter Credit – the contract has been finalized and this item will be removed from the agenda next month. 3. Entry Report – the report was electronically distributed before the meeting. Miller requested feedback from the school committee about her observations and findings. She will use this report as the basis for an action plan. There was some discussion about researching a report from the Education Collaborative showing PVRSD having the greatest number of students leaving the district. The committee was in favor of basing an action plan on the report. IX. New Business 1. Retirement list – a list of pending retirements was distributed for review (Caldwell, Pierce, Laplante, and Englehardt). Concerns were raised by Milton regarding the November decision to grant a precedent setting early retirement incentive to R. Englehardt outside the contract agreement. Per Miller, the president of the union will be issuing a memo to the union members noting the Committee’s action will not be used in future as a “past practice” example. Miller read a letter from Tom King regarding his decision to retire effective 6/30/16. The NES principal search will begin in January 2016. 2. NMH Donation – on a motion by Rodgers and second by Bell the committee unanimously agreed to accept the donation of football uprights by the Northfield Mount Hermon School and send a letter of thanks. 3. Burning Bush – Representing the Envirothon Team, Kayla Hubbard presented information about the team’s efforts to id, flag and removed the invasive species burning bush from the school property. She noted they are working on a proposal to remove the remainder and replace with native species. She expressed thanks to Snow and Sons for their assistance with proper disposal of a full tractor trailer load of removed plants. 4. Subcommittee assignments – the list of new subcommittee assignments was distributed for review. It was noted Sharon Fontaine is the new Chairperson of the Budget Subcommittee and Martha Morse is the new Chairperson of the Negotiations Subcommittee. 5. Superintendent Goal Form – on a motion by Rodgers and second by Morse the committee unanimously approved Superintendent Miller’s goals as submitted.

X. Principals and Administrators’ Newsletters – were distributed electronically. Sharon Jones reported on SPED activities, noting the typical upswing of anxiety and depression generated by the holiday season. The staff is working hard to meet the needs of students especially the inclusion specialists. The department is in the midst of a “Coordinated Program Review” and expects there may be some findings after two past reviews with no findings. One SPED teacher is retiring and Jones is in the process of determining the best way to fill the vacancy. XI. Personnel: 1. Staff Changes – an updated list 7/1/15 to 12/10/15 was distributed for review. XII. Subcommittee Reports 1. Policy – on a motion by Wahlstrom and second by Rodgers there was a first reading of the “Physical Restraint” and “Parental Involvement” policies. If the full committee is in agreement there will be a recommendation and final vote next month. XIII. Miscellaneous Updates 1. Tech Update – a report dated 12/14/15 was distributed electronically. The department has been very involved in the Central Office move. Miller noted she had requested a data audit from the DESE. The auditors completed their work in two days rather than three and were impressed with the quality of the data reviewed. Reports will be shared when finalized. Miller expressed thanks to Scanlon and the team of administrative assistants who worked on the audit. 2. Lunch Report: small steps are being taken to reduce the deficit of the program. It was noted the salad bar and smoothies at the high school remain popular. XIV. Other Business – Shearer reported receiving a letter regarding the passing of Albert Stoddard, one of the last surviving members of the original district school committee. There was some discussion to think of a suitable permanent tribute or acknowledgement to be sent to the family. XIV. Meetings: 1. Full committee – the next meeting will be held Thursday, January 21, 2016 in the PVRS library. 2. Budget subcommittee – future meetings to be announced. XV. Executive Session – none. XVI. Adjournment: On a motion by Rodgers and second by Milton the committee unanimously voted to adjourn at 8:50 p.m. Respectfully submitted,

Anne Harding, Recording Secretary