MEETING MINUTES of the BREWSTER SCHOOL COMMITTEE

MEETING MINUTES of the BREWSTER SCHOOL COMMITTEE

MEETING DATE AND TIME: Thursday, November 18, 2021 @ 6:30PM

This meeting took place remotely pursuant to the law signed by Governor Baker on June 16, 2021 ? An Act Extending Certain COVID-19 Measures Adopted During the State of Emergency, which includes an extension, until

April 1, 2022, of the remote meeting provisions of his March 12, 2020 Executive Order Suspending Certain Provisions of the Open Meeting Law.

MEMBER ATTENDANCE: Dave Telman, Katie Jacobus, Judi Lech, Casey Mecca, Sarah Sherman

NON-MEMBER ATTENDANCE: Brooke Clenchy, Interim Superintendent; Dr. Robin Millen, Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment; Keith Gauley, Principal Brewster Schools; Kari Hoffmann, Brewster Select Board; Robert Tobias, Brewster Finance Committee; Marissa Cyr, Brewster Parent and Cape Cod Young Professionals Board Member

Call to Order & Declaration of a Quorum, Meeting Participation Statement and Recording Statement: Chair Telman called the meeting to order at 6:33PM, and read the meeting participation and recording statements.

Agenda Changes: There were no Agenda changes.

Citizens Speak: Chair Telman opened the floor to citizen's comment(s)/public participation. There were no citizen comments.

PRIORITY BUSINESS:

Superintendent's Report: Interim Superintendent Brooke Clenchy's report was included in the Committee packet. Updates included October storm recap; Nauset Twitter accounts are up and functioning; Superintendent Goals will be presented at the December Joint School Committee Meeting; the Nauset website revamp is now well underway with the help of Kristen Callahan, Director of Technology Integration; MASC/MASS Conference was attended by Superintendent Clenchy as well as many of our School Committee members.

Principal's Report: Keith Gauley reported the Principal's Report to the Committee. Highlights included the retirement of School Psychologist Barbara Doucette after 14 years, as well as the resignation of Head Custodian Jeff Bernard. The report was included in the Committee packet. Mr. Gauley also let the Committee know that COVID numbers are on the rise; many of the cases are outside of school transmission, and he asks the community for support to work together in keeping number of cases down. Mr. Gauley also reported that he and Assistant Principal Joy are working very well together to cover both Eddy and Stony Brook Elementary Schools.

FY22 Expenditure Report Review: Director of Finance & Operations Giovanna Venditti was unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts; the report was included in the packet to the Committee, and for any questions about the report to please contact Giovanna's office.

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MASC Conference Update: School Committee members Katie Jacobus and Judi Lech attended the MASC Conference and reported a great experience over three and a half days. The conference had many panels and breakout sessions that highlighted particular districts' successes. A stand out session was Initiatives for Developing Equity and Achievement for Students. At the conference, data collection was emphasized to ensure direction in making decisions going forward. All nine resolutions passed.

Policy BEDH ? Public Participation at School Committee Meetings: Judi Lech reported the Policy Subcommittee updated the BEDH policy and is now being shared with the District's School Committees.

MOTION: It was moved by Sarah Sherman, seconded by Katie Jacobus and voted unanimously (5-0) to approve Policy BEDH.

Update on School Consolidation Project: Principal Gauley updated the Committee that both he and Assistant Principal Allyson Joy have reviewed the 116-page draft report and offered feedback to Habeeb & Associates. They will be meeting November 19th with Habeeb & Associates to review changes and edits that they have noted. There will be a presentation to the Brewster Select Board on January 10th. Chair Telman will check with the Town of Brewster to see if the scope of work has allowance for a meeting with the School Committee prior to that meeting. Discussion around a possible Joint Meeting between the Select Board and School Committee on January 10th.

MASC Proposal for Policy Manual Development: The proposal was included in the packet for the Committee. Superintendent Clenchy gave an overview of the process and emphasized how important and necessary the policy manual development is for the District.

MOTION: It was moved by Katie Jacobus, seconded by Casey Mecca and voted unanimously (5-0) to approve MASC Proposal for Policy Manual Development from MASC as presented to the Brewster School Committee and to authorize Interim Superintendent Brooke Clenchy to sign on behalf of the Committee.

Preschool Discussion: Marissa Cyr, Brewster parent and Cape Cod Young Professionals Board Member presented on the need for a universal preschool program for Brewster. Discussion on accessibility, affordability and the dynamics of child care on the Cape and in particular in Brewster; Principal Gauley did state that a universal preschool program allowable space is a topic in the consolidation of the two Brewster elementary schools. The Committee ultimately suggested the topic go to the Brewster Select Board and Brewster Finance Committee.

REPORTS & INFORMATION:

A. Cape Cod Collaborative: Casey Mecca reported on the last meeting with highlights as follows: Many districts are facing a lack of staff, but the Collaborative continues to support districts and students in need of therapies; it was offered to provide to Brewster School Committee the approved minutes from the Cape Cod Collaborative meetings, and the Committee agreed that would be helpful.

B. PTO Liaison: Sarah Sherman reported on the last meeting of November 9th. Highlights included cultural outreach programs including outdoor theater performances and Hip-Hop classes; discussion of $35,000 reserve in their budget and ways to allocate funds, and tighten up the process for requests of monies; the Plimouth Plantation field trip was a success; the PTO provided food for parent-teacher conferences; upcoming Papa Gino's fundraiser on October 23rd; upcoming Recreation Holiday Drive-Thru on December 18th.

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C. School Council Liaison: No report.

D. Policy Subcommittee: Judi Lech reported that the Subcommittee met on November 8th, and are working on the Regional District School Committee Handbook.

E. Behavioral Health Task Force: Katie Jacobus reported that the Subcommittee met on October 26th. Highlights included the needs are up considerably for both parents and children around anxiety, depression and substance abuse; very clear Nauset staff is working very hard to provide supports and services; outside supports from Care Solace to coordinate outside mental health support; Gosnold is providing in-school counseling during the day for students having difficulty accessing supports outside of the school day, and the BRYT program helps to provide wrap around services for students coming back from an extended medical leave; two new grants to support additional social and emotional needs.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:

MOTION: It was moved by Katie Jacobus, seconded by Judi Lech and voted unanimously (5-0) to approve the minutes of October 21, 2021.

EXECUTIVE SESSION:

MOTION: It was moved by Casey Mecca, seconded by Sarah Sherman and voted unanimously (5-0) to move to Executive Session and not return to Open Meeting at 7:58PM.

Respectfully Submitted, Sarah Miller Recording Secretary

Documents Reviewed and Available Upon Request

Superintendent Report, Principal Report, October 15 Brewster Schools Enrollment, School Expenditure Report, Policy BEDH, MASC Proposal for Policy Manual Development

Minutes of October 21, 2021

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November 18, 2021

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