FY15 capital plan includes money for science labs and Bromfield House
The School Committee heard two detailed assessment reports from George O’Neill of Gorman, Richardson, and Lewis architects, one on Bromfield House conditions and the other on Bromfield School science lab/classroom conditions. The estimated cost for the recommended work on Bromfield House is $685,000 and that for upgrading science labs and classrooms at Bromfield is $3,474,300. Following the presentation, the School Committee voted unanimously to approve the Five-year Capital Plan draft put forward by Interim Superintendent Joe Connelly which includes the over four million needed for Bromfield House and the science department, both projects showing for fiscal year 2015. While there was no discussion about the projects at the meeting, Chairwoman SusanMary Redinger said later that the committee had received the reports early in September and had inserted the costs into the Capital Plan as placeholders. She added that in the case of Bromfield House the committee was, and still is, “unsure of what our exact plan will be moving forward.”
FY14 special ed budget deficit likely
Connelly reported that there is currently a $116,000 to $160,000 budget deficit in Special Education, an area he said is difficult for a school system to anticipate or control. The increase in spending is in tuitions for imperative out-of-district placements. While different offsets are being put into play, Connelly said that this may be the year the schools have to dip into $200,000 that has been set aside for just such a contingency.
Schools look to NEC for help with strategic plan
As the schools look toward creating a new three- to five-year strategic plan, the committee voted unanimously to have Connelly ask New England Association of Educational Consultants to “hold a spot” for Harvard. Hiring NEC is “a good financial move,” remarked Connelly, as, with a matching grant, the cost of a consultant would be much less that what Harvard has spent in the past. A funding source is yet to be determined.
Bullying policy amended to include staff
The schools’ bullying policy has been amended to reflect new wording at the state level, Connelly reported. Rather than the policy describing just “student against student” it now reads to include “student or school staff member.”
Over the past few years, a subcommittee has reviewed school policies and the School Committee has adopted changes. Connelly stated that when the two remaining policies are done this year, “We [will] now have a five-year review plan for all school policies.”
Other business
In an update on class size k-12, Connelly reported that with the notable exception of grade 3, which is below, all grades are at their projected enrollment. The high school is now host to an official new club: the Bromfield Society of Economics and Finance.
