MIDDLETOWN SCHOOL COMMITTEE
MIDDLETOWN, RHODE ISLAND
May 18, 2022
SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING
Members Present: Theresa Spengler, Chair
Douglas Arnold, Vice-Chair
Tami Holden
William O’Connell
Liana Fenton
Also Present: David Annese
Robert Pacheco
Michelle Fonseca via Zoom
Benjamin Scungio via Zoom
The Middletown School Committee Meeting was called to order at 3:34 p.m. by Chair Theresa Spengler. Administrative staff members present Erica Bulk, William Niemeyer, and Rebecca Silveira.
There were no requests to speak at the Public Forum.
· Student of the Week – The following students were introduced by their Principal and recognized by the School Committee:
· Fernando Cardona Cano - Grade 1, Aquidneck School – Principal Bulk
· Alden Oschefski - Grade 2, Aquidneck School – Principal Bulk
· Ethan Choi – Grade 6, Gaudet Middle School – Principal Niemeyer
· Brodey Cheever – Grade 6, Gaudet Middle School – Principal Niemeyer
No “Student Activities” for May 18, 2022.
(Minutes of May 18, 2022 School Committee Meeting, Page Two)
No “Spotlight on Teaching and Learning” for May 18, 2022.
Mrs. Spengler noted the following items of information:
· Donation Letter
· 2021 Highlights Report on EBCAP
No “Correspondence” for May 18, 2022.
MOTION: 1) Douglas Arnold, 2) Liana Fenton. That the School Committee approve the Consent Agenda. Unanimous vote.
| Middletown Public Schools | ||
| Vouchers | ||
| 04/06/22 - 05/12/22 | ||
| | | |
| | | |
| Vouchers | Date | Total |
| 1248 | 4/14/2022 | $535,923.97 |
| 1259 | 4/25/2022 | $453,264.72 |
| 1260 | 4/28/2022 | $829,407.99 |
| 1270 | 2/1/2022 | $342,611.08 |
| 1271 | 2/17/2022 | $6,159.08 |
| 1272 | 3/4/2022 | $343,782.51 |
| 1273 | 3/23/2022 | $6,177.19 |
| 1274 | 4/6/2022 | $343,976.41 |
| 1275 | 4/22/2022 | $6,197.82 |
| 1276 | 5/10/2022 | $3,066.90 |
| | | |
| | | $2,870,567.67 |
o Minutes of April 13, 2022 School Committee Meeting
o Minutes of April 13, 2022 Executive Session
o Minutes of April 28, 2022 Building Committee Meeting
· Regionalization Update – Town Council passed the proposal, which now requires General Assembly approval. The proposed legislation focuses on what the regional school board will look like. There will be three members from each community, with the top vote getter receiving the 7th seat. A Finance Committee made up of the Town Administrator, City Manager, and designees from the Town and City Council would be created. If one community has more representation on the School Board, the other community would have more representation on the Finance Committee. Bargaining units, location of administration, and special education services still need to be figured out. This would be on the ballot for November. Mr. O’Connell asked if teachers would be interchangeable. A new bargaining unit and new contracts would be created. There will be no contracts after June 30, 2024
Mrs. Fonseca attended a meeting with Middletown and Newport regarding curriculum and what is good for the students. Another meeting will be held on Monday to answer the questions many have and to set up some community meetings regarding getting information out to the community
No “Old Business” for May 18, 2022.
Mrs. Spengler said that the Committee is obligated by law to announce layoffs at the May School Committee Meeting with the hope to rescind the layoffs once the budget process is complete.
Positions 1-10 are layoffs
Positions 11 -15 are building-based substitutes
Positions 16 and 17 are long-term substitutes and one year only positions
REDUCTION IN FORCE
MOTION: 1) Douglas Arnold, 2) Liana Fenton. That the Superintendent’s Report be accepted and adopted and the necessary letters sent out. Unanimous vote.
(Minutes of May 18, 2022 School Committee Meeting, Page Four)
MOTION: 1) Douglas Arnold, 2) Liana Fenton. That the School Committee approve the “Title IX Policy and Protocol for Reporting and Investigating Sexual Harassment and Retaliation”, 2nd Reading. Unanimous vote.
POLICY 6172.3 - ”HOME SCHOOLING” –2nd READING
MOTION: 1) Douglas Arnold, 2) Liana Fenton. That the School Committee table the motion to approve the “Home Schooling” Policy, 2nd Reading. Unanimous vote.
The policy has been sent to legal counsel and will be approved after review. Melissa Robb, Member Advocate from EnrichRI, spoke regarding the home school policy. Grade level and start date are two items discussed. Some school districts use “approximate” as their grade level because they could be in a different level for different subjects. Regarding the start date, some students are continuously home school during the entire year and their schooling flows from one year to the next. The term “regular students” should be replaced with “public school students” Ms. Robb thanked the district for offering a meeting with the Superintendent prior to home school. Middletown is the only district that offers this.
Jen Currier, from RIGHT, Rhode Island Guild of Home Teachers, stressed the importance of the policy stating that Home Schooled students would not receive a diploma from Middletown. A formal graduation ceremony is held every year for the home schooled students.
RESIGNATION
MOTION: 1) Douglas Arnold, 2) Liana Fenton. That the School Committee approve the following resignations. Unanimous vote.
· Holly Lunson, Special Education Teacher Assistant, GLA, effective 04/14/22
· Philip Ventura, Facilities Department, effective 04/21/22
· Christian Pidru, Facilities Department, effective 04/22/22
· Lisa Harris, 4-Hour Teacher Assistant, Aquidneck School, effective 05/20/22
HIRE EFFECTIVE APRIL 25, 2022
Trisha Rapoza 4-Hour Teacher Assistant, Forest Avenue School
(Minutes of May 18, 2022 School Committee Meeting, Page Five)
HIRE EFFECTIVE MAY 12, 2022
Michael Coffey Building-Based Substitute, Forest Avenue School
BEYOND THE BELL INTERVENTION TEACHER HIRES EFFECTIVE JULY 5, 2022
Catherine Butler
Regina Chase
Erin Doorley-Forman
Abigail Duffy
Shannon Dugan
Samantha Judson
Lauren Neilson
Kristen Pacheco
Kim Pearce
Christa Robinson
Kelsey Vieira
Kyla Vieira
RESIGNATION EFFECTIVE APRIL 14, 2022
Holly Lunson Special Education Teacher Assistant, Gaudet Learning Academy
RESIGNATION EFFECTIVE APRIL 21, 2022
Philip Ventura Facilities Department
RESIGNATION EFFECTIVE APRIL 22, 2022
Christian Pidru Facilities Department
RESIGNATION EFFECTIVE MAY 20, 2022
Lisa Harris 4-Hour Teacher Assistant, Aquidneck School
Curriculum – Mrs. Fonseca reported that there will be a Career Fair tomorrow at Middletown High School from 8:15 - 10:45 a.m. in the cafeteria. The Bio-Med Pathway at Middletown High School has been approved. Over 30 districts submitted proposals through RIDE and only 10 were approved.
Finance – No Report
Facilities – Mr. Pacheco reported that the team completed 63 work orders this month. On March 11th there was a water leak in the gymnasium at Gaudet School. The insurance provider was
(Minutes of May 18, 2022 School Committee Meeting, Page Six)
contacted and it was determined that the gym floor has been entirely cupped. Floor replacement will take place over the summer.
Technology – Mr. Annese reported that 350 new access points were installed in April using CIP money and ERate funding. Last month the new Cox phone system was installed. This was done overnight with no student interruptions. The Registration Team met with the ELL team to discuss improvement of processes to provide a better experience for parents. There were 124 help desk requests with 108 completions.
MOTION: 1) Douglas Arnold, 2) Liana Fenton. That the School Committee receive the Superintendent’s Reports. Unanimous vote.
Mrs. Fenton - Attended the R.I. State Committee Regional Meeting on May 7th. There was discussion around social emotional skills and dealing with difficult situations. Mrs. Fenton forwarded videos of the sessions to all School Committee Members. The National School Board Association will be putting some of their lectures from the NSBA Meeting on line for all to view. Education as a Right is at the General Assembly again. Massachusetts has this, but Rhode Island does not. This passed the Senate and is now in the House. If it passes the House within the next couple of weeks it will go on the ballot in November.
Mrs. Holden - There is a Building Committee Meeting at 6:00 p.m. at Oliphant Administration on May 19th.
Mrs. Spengler – Regarding the regionalization plan, the new high school would be building on the former drive-in property and the middle school would be attached to that. There would be one kitchen, but two cafeterias. Gaudet School and the planetarium would be taken away. Where Gaudet School currently is located would become fields. After the high school and middle school building is built, the current high school would be taken down and a new structure would be built housing PK to grade 5. There would be 2 campuses with 3 schools. It is in the deed that Aquidneck School always be used for school purposes. Forest Avenue School would potentially be used for affordable housing.
(Minutes of May 18, 2022 School Committee Meeting, Page Seven)
MOTION: 1) Douglas Arnold, 2) Liana Fenton. To adjourn from School Committee Meeting at 4:36 p.m. unanimous vote.
Respectfully Submitted,
Theresa Spengler, Chair