Falmouth School Board
Regular Meeting
Monday, June 20, 2005

1. The meeting was called to order at 7:04 p.m. in the Falmouth High School ATM room. Present were Chairman Beppie Cerf, Linda Cote, Karen Farber, Beth Franklin, Kathy Hillman-Reed, Mark Terison, Student Representative Chris Murry, Superintendent George Entwistle and approximately 10 others (Lydick out).

2. New School Board members Karen Farber and Beth Franklin were sworn in by Town Clerk, Kathleen Babeu.

3. Executive Session: Mrs. Hillman-Reed with a second from Ms. Franklin moved the Board go into Executive Session to consider leadership assignments for School Board members for the new school year pursuant to 1 M.R.S.A. § 405 (6) (A). The motion passed 6-0 and the Board went into Executive Session.

4. Report out from Executive Session: Board members came out of Executive Session at 7:28 p.m. and announced leadership positions as follows:
Chairman: Beppie Cerf
Vice Chair: Kathy Hillman-Reed
Policy Committee Chair: Beth Franklin
Policy Committee Members: Scott Lydick, Linda Cote
Finance Committee Chair: Kathy Hillman-Reed
Finance Committee Members: Linda Cote, Scott Lydick
Facilities Committee Chair: Mark Terison
Facilities Committee Members: Beth Franklin, Karen Farber
Drop-Out Prevention Committee: Scott Lydick
CPAC Representative: Karen Farber
Legislative Liaison: Linda Cote
PATHS Representative: Karen Farber
Student Representative: Rachel Bennett

5. Pledge of Allegiance: All in attendance recited the Pledge of Allegiance.

6. Adjustments to Agenda: The Superintendent added an item under Item 16, B6 – appointment of a guidance counselor at Plummer-Motz and Item 16 C – authorization for the Superintendent to hire during summer months.

7. Minutes: Mrs. Hillman-Reed with a second from Mr. Terison moved the Board approve the minutes of May 16, 2005. The minutes were approved with a vote of 6-0.

8. Communications
a. A letter was received from the New England School Development Council (NESDEC) announcing that Superintendent Entwistle was elected to a three-year term on the NESDEC Board of Directors.

9. Comments from the Public: There were none.

10. Recognition:
a. Mrs. Hutton, High School Principal, recognized Bob McCully received the American Red Cross Educator Award for Maine 2005 for his unselfish service.
b. Mrs. Hutton recognized Ogden Morse who received the Codie “Education Newcomer” Award, a prestigious award in software, for his development of the program, “Literary Companion”.

11. Superintendent’s Report: The Superintendent pointed out that he has requested the Leadership Council members to reflect on the past year in their reports this month. He thanked Mrs. Powers and Ms. Palfrey for their excellent work coordinating the NCLB review which produced no citations and many commendations. Superintendent Entwistle presented the first edition of “The Portal”, the district wide newspaper, which he hopes to publish again before budget time next year and at the end of the school year.

12. Leadership Council Members’ Reports
a. Lunt School: Ms. Johnson reported that 37 staff members will be working on summer projects and Kindergarten enrollment did not warrant a full-day class. Mrs. Cerf thanked Ms. Johnson for her many contributions to the district and wished her well in retirement.
b. Plummer-Motz School: Mrs. Boffa announced that the 4th grade Principal’s Award was presented to Marissa Winslow and the Frances Richards Citizenship Award was presented to Seamus Powers. Many Plummer-Motz staff members will also be working on summer projects.
c. Falmouth Middle School: In Mr. Rodman’s absence, Ms. Girard highlighted several student events including “Greek Week”, the first Civil Rights Day, Passport through Time, Grade 8 Farewell Reception, and Step-up Day. Mrs. Cerf thanked Ms. Girard for her leadership and service to Falmouth and wished her well in her new position in Freeport.
d. Falmouth High School: Mrs. Hutton announced that five enrichment courses would be taught this summer: Art, Photography, Graphic Design, Humanities and Creative Writing.
e. Assistant Superintendent: Mrs. Powers provided information on June 20 and 21 teacher learning days. She explained that a draft proposal of a Supervision and Evaluation system for Continuing Contract Teachers has now been completed and will be in place for the fall. A Summer Academy for remedial support will be offered at the High School this year as well as a study skills class to support students transitioning from the 8th to the 9th grade.
f. Technology Integration Coordinator: Ms. Palfrey highlighted gains in the level of technology integration in the classroom. She then explained the plan for laptops in the 10th grade and pointed out that next year will be the last year of a five-year contract with ATM.

g. Business Manager: Reflecting on this past year, Mr. O’Shea thanked the Leadership Council and the Board members for their collective hard work in developing and supporting a responsible school budget. He commended Topper West for his incredible efforts on the buildings and grounds upkeep. Mr. O’Shea announced the district received a grant in the amount of $235,000 for the Youth Alternatives Program. In addition, this year the buses will be running on bio-diesel fuel which is an alternative fuel produced from domestic, renewable resources. Biodiesel fuel is biodegradable, nontoxic, and essentially free of sulfur and aromatics. This will greatly reduce emissions and toxicity. Formal mediation on the High School construction legal issues will take place on June 29. Our attorney, David Ray, feels good progress has been made. A section of the Motz roof will be replaced this summer and an audit has been scheduled in the central office for late August. Finally, the administrative offices will be renovated.
h. Athletic Director: Mr. Hurley provided updates on all varsity sports. The Forecaster Spring Most Outstanding Athlete awards went to Antonio Floridino and Eileen Brandes. He reported the fall sports season starts on August 15. He hopes to incorporate “Sports Done Right” into the district’s program. Outstanding sportsmanship commendations were received from the MPA.

13. Committee Reports
a. Finance: Mrs. Hillman-Reed expressed her appreciation to the Leadership Council and Board members for their hard work on this year’s budget.
b. Facilities: Mr. Terison is hoping to settle the high school construction issues on June 29.
c. Policy: Ms. Franklin will chair this committee during the 2005-2006 school year.

14. Items for Information
a. Margaret Merrill was awarded the Einstein Fellowship, an extraordinary accomplishment, and will be studying in Washington, D.C. next year.

15. Unfinished Business: There was none.

16. New Business
a. Evaluation Process for Continuing Contract Teachers. Mrs. Powers explained that the National Board Teachers Guidelines were used to direct the evaluation of probationary teachers. For Continuing Contract Teachers, the committee wanted evaluation to be part of learning. She presented a draft to the FEA Executive Committee and was pleased to report that the FEA approved. The district is going to ask teachers to use the five Standards for Accomplished Teaching as self- reflection.

b. New Hires:
1. Mrs. Hillman-Reed with a second from Ms. Franklin moved the Board appoint Michelle Brown as a grade 3 teacher for one year. The motion was approved 6-0.

2. Mrs. Farber with a second from Mrs. Cote moved the Board appoint Bree Bianchi as a grade 3 teacher for one year. The motion pass 6-0.
3. Ms. Franklin with a second from Mrs. Farber moved the Board approve Carrie Boudreau as a grade 7 Science teacher for one year. The motion was approved 6-0.
4. Mrs. Cote with a second from Mrs. Hillman-Reed moved the Board appoint Katherine Zema as a (.5) grade 5/6 Health Teacher. The motion was approved 6-0.
5. Ms. Franklin with a second from Mrs. Farber moved the Board approve Debra Smith as a Kindergarten teacher. The motion was approved 6-0.
6. Mrs. Hillman-Reed with a second from Mrs. Farber moved the Board approve Tammy Serra as a Guidance Counselor at Plummer-Motz School. The motion was approved 6-0.
c. Hiring Authority for Superintendent During Summer: Mrs. Hillman-Reed with a second from Mr. Terison moved the Board grant approval for Superintendent Entwistle to hire and offer contracts to new personnel during July and August pending final Board approval in August. The motion was approved 6-0.

17. Misc: Mr. Terison wanted to respond to concerns raised by Student Representative Chris Murry in an email. Mr. Terison moved the Chair appoint three committee members to sit down and address the concerns and come back to the Board with suggestions. Mrs. Hillman-Reed seconded the motion. As some Board members had not received or had an opportunity to review Mr. Murry’s concerns, it was suggested that the Board could act on a consensus basis. Another suggestion was made to further discuss the process of addressing concerns before taking a formal vote. The Board approved the motion 6-0.

18. Adjournment: Mr. Terison with a second from Ms. Franklin moved the Board adjourn. The motion was approved 6-0 and the meeting adjourned at 9:35 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

George H. Entwistle 3rd
Secretary

Last Updated: 8/22/05

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