Approved: March 8,2006
School Committee meeting March 1, 2006
Under Report of the Secretary
Ms. Alcorn called the meeting to order at 7:10 p.m.
Members present: Ellen Alcorn-Chairperson, John Coyne, Lori Gramlich, Jonathan Radtke, Susan Hopkins, Benjamin Meiklejohn, Stephen Spring, Otis Thompson, Jason Toothaker, Joshua Waxman, Sarah Muzzy
Report of the Chair
Ms. Alcorn:
Superintendent O’Connor:
Mr. Radtke - asked if there were any types of student discounts during the year. Mr. Mallory indicated that Metro has a student fare structure already in place.
Mr. Meiklejohn – indicated that pretense of the joint Finance Committee recommendations was to eliminate transportation for high school students by having Metro establish routes for high school students.
Mr. Spring – mentioned that the joint Finance Committee recommendation was to obtain free passes for students to ride the Metro.
Mr. Thompson – felt that the Joint Finance Committee put forward concepts without research.
Superintendent O’Connor indicated that there would be an approximate savings of $120,000 if the Casco Bay High School remained at PATHS for another school year.
Mr. Allen provided an overview of the plans and rationale for Casco Bay High School remaining at PATHS for a second year. He indicated that a task force would be formed to look at years 3 and 4 of the high school with recommendations to the superintendent by the end of the 2005/06 school year.
Mr. Spring – would like to discuss moving school committee meetings from Room 250 to accommodate the high school and their use of the space.
Mr. Meiklejohn – asked Superintendent O’Connor to speak on the East End Community School as a school of choice.
Superintendent O’Connor – provided a brief overview of how schools of choice came about as a result of her entry plan developed six years ago. She also indicated that there are currently 186 applications for the East End Community School of which there are 29 students who are either home schooled or attending private schools.
Mr. Spring – inquired about other schools of choice that have transportation provided. Superintendent O’Connor indicated that Many Rivers is a program of choice and students will now be bussed. East End Community School is first school of choice.
Consent Items - Superintendent O’Connor reviewed donations
and thanked contributors.
Report of the
Secretary
Mr. Radtke moved, seconded Mr. Coyne and voted unanimously to approve the meeting minutes of the February 8, 2006 meeting. (Students voted with majority)
Mr. Radtke moved, seconded Mr. Meiklejohn to approve the LAU Plan revised 2005.
Mr. Radtke briefly spoke to the motion. Grace Valenzuela and Don Bouchard provided a brief background of the LAU Plan.
Vote on motion;: It was voted unanimously to approve the LAU Plan revised 2005.
(Students voted with majority)
Mr. Radtke reviewed the following policies as a first reading -
Mr. Toothaker moved, seconded Mr. Coyne to hold School Committee business meetings in schools on a rotating basis.
Mr. Radtke moved, seconded Ms. Hopkins to hold School Committee workshops in schools on a rotating basis.
Mr. Meiklejohn – indicated business meetings have also been held in schools.
Mr. Spring – requested that if this did happen that information of location be posted online.
Superintendent O’Connor – indicated that a live feed from another site is problematic. This would require the creation of a new hub which would need to be worked out with Time Warner.
Vote on amendment: It was voted 8-1 to hold School Committee workshops in schools on a rotating basis. (Students voted with majority)
Discussion/Debate:
Mr. Thompson – spoke to issue of broadcasting live meetings and having meetings in the same location at all times. Should consider reinstating broadcasting of workshops.
Mr. Meiklejohn – concerned about broadcasting of meetings.
Mr. Spring moved, seconded Mr. Toothaker to table the motion.
Vote on motion: It was voted unanimously to table the motion. (Students voted with majority)
3. REVISED Motion.
Consideration and action to approve that under and pursuant to the provisions of Title 20-A M.R.S.A. Sections 1001 and 1055, the Superintendent of Schools be and hereby is authorized to execute and deliver a tax-exempt lease purchase agreement with Gorham Savings Leasing Group, LLC in the name and on behalf of the City of Portland, a municipal school unit, acting by and through its School Committee (the "Issuer") for Apple Computer PowerSchool student information system software costs, including licensing and support, in the principal amount of not more than Two Hundred Forty Thousand Three Hundred Forty Dollars ($240,340), in such form as the Superintendent may approve; and that the appropriate officials of the Issuer be and hereby are authorized to execute and deliver on behalf of the Issuer such other documents and certificates as may be required in connection with such tax-exempt lease purchase agreement; and that no part of the proceeds of said tax-exempt lease purchase agreement shall be used, directly or indirectly, to acquire any securities and obligations, the acquisition of which would cause the tax-exempt lease purchase agreement to be a "private activity bond" or an "arbitrage bond" within the meaning of Sections 141 and 148, respectively, of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"); and that the Superintendent be and she hereby is authorized to covenant on behalf of the Issuer to file any information report and pay any rebate due to the United States in connection with the issuance of said tax-exempt lease purchase agreement, and to take all other lawful actions necessary to insure the interest portion of the rental payments under and pursuant to the tax-exempt lease purchase agreement will be excluded from the gross income of the owners thereof for purposes of federal income taxation and to refrain from taking any action which would cause such interest portion of the rental payments to become includable in the gross income of the owners thereof.
Mr. Coyne moved, seconded Mr. Spring to approve that under and pursuant to the provisions of Title 20-A M.R.S.A. Sections 1001 and 1055, the Superintendent of Schools be and hereby is authorized to execute and deliver a tax-exempt lease purchase agreement Gorham Savings Leasing Group, LLC in the name and on behalf of the City of Portland School Department, a municipal school unit, acting by and through its School Committee (the "Issuer") for Apple Computer PowerSchool student information system software costs, including licensing and support, in the principal amount of not more than Two Hundred Forty Thousand Three Hundred Forty Dollars ($240,340).
Mr. Radtke and Mr. Spring – spoke in favor of this program.
Mr. Thompson – requested clarification of confidentiality of student information. Mr. D’Ascoli, PowerSchool Regional Manager, indicated that information is encrypted.
Mr. Coyne – inquired about savings by using PowerSchool. Mr. Paulson indicated that it would save $40,000 in maintenance and two personnel to oversee 4,500 ports.
Vote on motion: It was voted unanimously to approve that under and pursuant to the provisions of Title 20-A M.R.S.A. Sections 1001 and 1055, the Superintendent of Schools be and hereby is authorized to execute and deliver a tax-exempt lease purchase agreement Gorham Savings Leasing Group, LLC in the name and on behalf of the City of Portland School Department, a municipal school unit, acting by and through its School Committee (the "Issuer") for Apple Computer PowerSchool student information system software costs, including licensing and support, in the principal amount of not more than Two Hundred Forty Thousand Three Hundred Forty Dollars ($240,340). (Students voted with majority)
4. Consideration and action to
identify Portland Public Schools as being receptive to offers of discounted
heating oil from the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and/or Citgo Petroleum
Corporation. (Spanish translation attached)
Mr. Toothaker moved, seconded Ms. Hopkins to identify Portland Public Schools as being receptive to offers of discounted heating oil from the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and/or Citgo Petroleum Corporation.
Mr. Spring – spoke to motion
Mr. Thompson – asked what process would be as a result of motion. He indicated a preference of bringing this to administrative staff to discuss with the City to see if this would be a viable motion. Mr. Spring mentioned that this would be a way of indicating that the PPS would be receptive to receiving oil from Venezuela if the opportunity should arise.
Ms. Gramlich – requested clarification on how contracts for oil are obtained.
Mr. Paulson – advised that the City has a bidding process of which the school department then participates in the contracts obtained through this process.
Mr. Thompson moved to refer to administrative staff to enter into discussions with the City to look at Venezuelan oil as a point of negotiation and bring back to the School Committee for consideration. (Mr. Thompson withdrew motion)
Public Comment – Todd Ricker spoke to the Committee regarding this motion.
At 8:54 p.m. the meeting was recessed for 5 minutes.
At 8:59 p.m. meeting was called back to order.
Mr. Radtke – questions how actively the City can be pursuing this.
Mr. Toothaker moved, seconded Ms. Gramlich to identify Portland Public Schools as being receptive to offers of discounted heating oil from the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and/or Citgo Petroleum Corporation and to direct the administrative staff to enter into discussions with City Council.
Mr. Spring – called for a vote and then subsequently withdrew his request.
Mr. Meiklejohn – original motion is harmless.
Vote on amendment: - It was voted 6-3 to identify Portland Public Schools as being receptive to offers of discounted heating oil from the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and/or Citgo Petroleum Corporation and to direct the administrative staff to enter into discussions with City Council. (Students voted with majority)
Mr. Radtke – agrees with sentiment of motion, but does not support motion as amended.
Vote on main motion as amended : It was voted 7-2 to identify Portland Public Schools as being receptive to offers of discounted heating oil from the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and/or Citgo Petroleum Corporation and to direct the administrative staff to enter into discussions with City Council. (Students voted with majority)
Personnel
1. Consideration and action to approve the Personnel item listed:
Change in Degree: Effective 01/03/2006
Susan Steinkeler Teacher Foreign Language CAS, USM 0.50 + 1234
Lincoln
Mr. Radtke moved, seconded Mr. Thompson and voted unanimously to approve the Personnel item listed. (Students voted with majority)
Mr. Meiklejohn moved, seconded Mr. Spring and voted unanimously to adjourn the meeting at 9:14 p.m. (Students voted with majority)
The Committee then moved into a workshop session to discuss the work at Deering High School with the Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence.
Respectfully submitted,
Mary Jo O’Connor
Superintendent of Schools