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At the 5/6/2021 BPS School Committee meeting ~

The School Committee made a decision to restart the School Committee Briefs in order to keep the community informed regarding updates, district work and upcoming discussions happening at the School Committee level. The School Committee meetings are held on Zoom, which are open to anyone with links in the agenda posted 48 hours before each meeting and available on the district website. The recordings are also available on the district website a few days after each meeting here. The minutes for each meeting are approved at the following meeting and then available on the Secretary of State website as well as the district website.  A. SUPERINTENDENT REPORT

1. Re-entry Update: Mr. Messore provided an update on the return of many students to 5 day per week schedules.  

 2. Transportation Update: The transportation task force is continuing to work to expand the number of students who are able to ride the bus within the guidance of the BPS Transportation Policy.  

 3. Financial Update - April Expenditures - $6,012,544.41: Approved by the School Committee after review of certain lines that are either above or below budget. April Financials 

4. FY22 Budget Update: Mr. Fiore provided an update following the Committee on Appropriations (COA) meeting earlier in the week at which there seemed to be a suggestion from two COA members that they would like to see further cuts in the proposed school budget. The School Committee expressed support for the budget as presented and will attend the COA meeting next week.  

 5. Building Committee Update: Mr. Fiore provided an update regarding how the BMS Building Committee will finish out the project. The fields are, and have been, scheduled to be completed for the fall 2021 season and that is on track. Once the project is fully completed, the surplus will be transferred to the town at which time how that money will be used will be determined.  

6. Discuss and Act on Proposed Solar Project at Barrington Middle School: Ms. Kim Jacobs, member of the BMS Building committee, and Dr. Andrew Anderson, principal of BMS, presented an option for moving forward with installing solar panels on the BMS roof and possible shade structures on campus. The building is solar ready. After some discussion, the School Committee voted to have the administration create an RFP for a consultant who would first determine viability of a solar program, and, if viable, help to create an RFP for a company to do the installation. BMS Proposed Solar Project 

 7. Presentation on Freshman Academy: Mr. Hurley, principal of BHS, presented the current status of the Freshman Academy project. Initially there had been plans to have a pilot next fall, but instead, the teachers who will be involved in the Freshman Academy will be meeting regularly next year to finalize plans for the following school year. The Freshman Academy does not affect student schedules or opportunities, and is not like the cluster system at BMS; it is focused on having teachers working together to support the freshman class more effectively. Freshman Academy Presentation 

 8. Update on lessons learned during COVID information gathering: Dr. Dillon explained that all of the schools are working to gather the information from their school communities and that information will be brought together at an upcoming administrator meeting. It will be discussed at the next School Committee meeting as well as being included in planning for next year.  

9. Update on Active Shooter Drills in schools: Mr. Messore provided an update to some changes in the Active Shooter/Lockdown Drills which are required twice a year by state law. He will be increasing the communication prior to the drills, including sending notices to families at least 24 hours before the next drill. The administration is aware of the stress related to the Lockdown Drills and will continue to look at ways to reduce that stress while still meeting state requirements and ensuring the safety of our students and staff. 

B. PUBLIC COMMENT

C. SCHOOL COMMITTEE BUSINESS   

1. Student Representative to the School Committee Update: Ms. Mohammadi made a brief presentation representing feedback from some BHS students regarding the changes in the ELA classes for 9/10th grades and changes in conceptual and level 3 classes. Student Rep Update 

 2. Discuss and vote on charge for High School School Improvement Team regarding an evaluation and communication plan for the restructuring of program of studies: The School Committee clarified their charge for the BHS School Improvement Team/BHS Administration regarding the restructuring of the program of studies, which is to determine a communication strategy and an evaluation plan during the first quarter of next year. The conversation included clarification by legal counsel regarding the new legislation defining the role of the SIT in each school.  

 3. Approve Revised School Calendar: The revised schedule which is based mostly on the state calendar with some days specific to Barrington was approved. 2021-2022 Revised School Calendar 

 4. Discuss rescheduling of Community Forum on Budget/New Initiatives: Due to the changed schedule of this spring related to the budget, there is not a clear time for the regular community forum looking at new initiatives. Instead, Mr. Messore suggested that we have a Community Forum to gather more information from the community about what programs, such as an expanded foreign language program, they would like to prioritize in the budget process.  

5. Discuss and Approve Revised School Committee Calendar: Chairperson Bae provided an update to the School Committee meeting calendar for the remainder of the school year which will be updated on the District website. 

6. Discuss and vote on RFP for Equity Audit from Diversity, Equity, Inclusivity Advisory Committee: The School Committee voted to charge the administration with creating an RFP for a consultant to provide an equity audit as outlined in the document provided by the DEI Advisory Committee.  

7. Discuss Use of School Committee Briefs: It was decided to retry sharing a paired down version of the School Committee briefs to improve timely communication with the members of the community.  

8. Policy Committee Update: School Committee input regarding updates to the Decision-Making Policy: Due to the late hour, the School Committee voted to defer the discussion of the Decision-Making Policy to the next meeting.  

9. First Read: Diversity, Equity, Inclusivity Policy 

10. First Read: Smoking, Vaping, and Other Use of Nicotine Policy 

 11. First Read: Alcohol Sensor Device Policy 

12. First Read: Communicable Disease Policy 

13. Archive: Alcohol Breathalyzer: The School Committee voted to archive the redundant alcohol breathalyzer policy.  

14. Archive: Control of Exposure to Blood Borne pathogens: The School Committee voted to archive this policy which is now included in the Communicable Disease Policy. 

D. CONSENT AGENDA: The consent agenda was approved by the School Committee. 

E. PUBLIC COMMENT 

F. AGENDA SETTING: The following items will be included in future agendas: 

  • Re-entry Update
  • FY22 Budget Update
  • Discussion on lessons learned during the pandemic from School Committee and Advisory Committee perspective
  • Discuss Summer Schedule of School Committee meetings
  • Update from the Advisory Committees
  • Discussion of guidance for the Decision Making Policy
  • Workshop with the School Committee, District Administration and the District’s DEI Consultant. 

G. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Mr. Messore made the following personnel announcements, wishing all those who are moving on from Barrington Public Schools the best and thanking them for their service to the district.              

a. Appointments:

Alicia Pereira - Part-time Guidance Clerk - High School

Bryan Dunphy - Assistant Football Coach - High School

Jacob Nutter - Assistant Football Coach - High School

Julia Soares - Assistant Lacrosse Coach - High School

Story Salit - Assistant Boys Tennis Coach - High School

Dustin Walbridge - Head Golf Coach - High School

Tim Scott - Unified Basketball Coach - High School  

b. Resignations:

Justine Boisvert - Girls Assistant Basketball - High School

Nicholas Guadagno - Girls JV Basketball - High School

Colleen McMichael - School Nurse - High School  

c. Retirements:

Sarah Poland - Special Education Teacher - Middle School

Donna deChauny - Special Education Teacher Middle School  

 d. Leave of Absence: Greg Tedino - Elementary Teacher - Grade 5 - Hampden Meadows