Dear Friends,
This update is for the 2/11/2019 Newton School Committee meeting:
Superintendent Update
- Memorial-Spaulding teacher Alexandra Escovitz has been named Art Teacher of the Year
- Steven Rattendi has been hired as the permanent Director of Information Technology (IT)
New Business
- Mary Eich, Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning, was joined by Steven Rattendi, Director of IT, to present an Update on Information Technology and Libraries. This included an overview of the department, as well as information on database management, the new 1:1 laptop initiative in the high schools, network infrastructure, and G (Google) Suite Expansion.
- Liam Hurley, Chief Financial Officer, and Julie Kirrane, Director of Business and Planning, presented an FY19 Fiscal and Operations Update showing NPS in good fiscal health.
- Liam Hurley and Julie Kirrane also presented the Facilities Update, which included information regarding the Cabot School Building Project, the Lincoln-Eliot/NECP School Building Projects, the Cabot and Horace Mann School moves, the MSBA Accelerated Repair Program, the Lincoln-Eliot Heating and Building Envelope Project, 225 Nevada Street (Carr) improvements. They also provided updates on heating issues, the Franklin Kindergarten wing, and the revised plans for solar panels at Brown Middle School.
- We reviewed the System-wide goals for 2018 – 2019 followed by a mid-year check in on the Superintendent’s Goals.
Old Business
- We reviewed new language for an “Online Fundraising and Solicitation – Crowdsourcing” Policy.
Consent Agenda
- The School Committee voted unanimously to approve several grants.
- The School Committee voted unanimously to approve E-Rate Funds.
- The School Committee voted unanimously to not approve a donation to Zervas Elementary.
- The School Committee voted unanimously to approve a 1-Day liquor license to Mason-Rice Elementary.
- The School Committee voted unanimously to approve the 1/28/2019 minutes.
Next Meeting
Our next meeting is a special meeting on Monday March 4 at 5:30 p.m. This meeting with include a discussion of NPS’ use of academic data, as well as votes on the Countryside Statement of Interest to the MSBA and the Brown solar panels. While there is no public comment at special meetings, you can always reach us by email or phone.
We hope you found this summary useful. You can access all School Committee meeting documents via the NPS website (www.newton.k12.ma.us/schoolcommittee). Additionally, if you are interested in watching an SC meeting from home or a recorded meeting, you can obtain access via www.newtv.org.
As always, we are very happy to answer any questions or discuss any concerns you may have. Please feel free to contact us via the email address below.
Sincerely,
The Newton School Committee