Minutes
Quincy, Massachusetts – August 22, 2017
Special Meeting of the Quincy School Committee
Special Meeting
A special meeting of the Quincy School Committee was held on Tuesday,
August 22, 2017 at the Coddington Building at 6:00 p.m. The Superintendent called
the roll and present were School Committee Chairman Mayor Thomas Koch,
Mr. James DeAmicis, Mrs. Kathryn Hubley, Ms. Barbara Isola, Mrs. Emily Lebo,
Mrs. Anne Mahoney. Mr. Paul Bregoli, Vice Chair, was absent.
Chair Presiding
Also present were: Dr. Richard DeCristofaro, Secretary; Ms. Laura Owens,
Clerk; Mr. Michael Draicchio, Mr. James Mullaney, Deputy Superintendent
Kevin Mulvey, Mr. Jean-Jacques Niamkey, Mrs. Maura Papile, Mr. Keith
Segalla; and Citywide Parents Council Co-President Scott Alessandro.
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New Business
Athletics Director
Position Expansion
Mayor Koch reviewed the purpose of the meeting, expansion of the Athletic
Directors to two full-time positions and introduced Dr. DeCristofaro. Dr.
DeCristofaro shared the proposal to expand the positions from part-time to fulltime positions at each high school. Dr. DeCristofaro noted that some local city and
town Athletic Director positions have Wellness components and so has integrated
this into the Quincy Public Schools position description. With a participation rate
of 35% at NQHS and 37% at QHS, there is opportunity with both current positions
being open due to resignations for professional and family reasons. Previous
discussions at the Athletics Subcommittee meeting on May 30 and at the June 14
School Committtee meeting, included the offering of additional funding from
Mayor Koch. Mayor Koch has traditionally been supportive of closing funding
gaps, for example Athletics coaches, Kindergarten Full-Day Kindergarten aides,
and the recent Capital Improvement Plan funding for technology and
transportation.
Dr. DeCristofaro said the expanded Athletics Director positions will allow for more
consistent monitoring of academic progress of students, increased evaluation of
coaches through attendance at practices and games, increased collaboration about
facilities and building rentals, participating in the high school cabinet & council,
substance use education and prevention, in collaboration with Health and Student
Support Services. For the MIAA, consistent participation will be possible without
impacting student learning time. For middle school, increased opportunities for
intramural and intermural sports. In researching local cities & towns, when there
are two high schools, all have two Athletic Directors, one at each site.
In terms of funding, Mr. Mullaney shared an overview of the proposal costs. The
current structure has a 0.5 Athletic Director and 1.0 Site Coordinator at each high
school for a total of $157,451.00 in the FY2018 Budget. Increasing to 1.0 Athletic
Directors at each high school and eliminating the site coordinator positions and
hiring at the higher end of the posted range would have potentially a $22,549
deficit.
Dr. DeCristofaro said that if this proposal is approved, the position will
immediately be posted internally and through SchoolSpring.
Mrs. Lebo is disappointed that it took so long to get to this discussion. Very happy
to see the proposal as outlined, would like to see the funding offered by Mayor
Koch stay on the table for other items. Mrs. Lebo would like the hiring process to
allow for time for transition and allow time for the best candidates to be selected.
These positions are very important for the high school athletes and the
opportunities in middle school for students to broaden their horizons.
Mrs. Mahoney asked for clarification about the timeline for Athletic Directors and
the assessment of the success of the part-time position. Dr. DeCristofaro met with
the Athletic Directors monthly and knew of their concerns about balancing the
demands of being a classroom teacher and the Athletics department. Mrs.
Mahoney said that this wasn’t apparent to School Committee until the Athletic
Directors both signaled their intentions to resign.
Mrs. Mahoney asked what are the measures of success for these new positions.
Dr. DeCristofaro said clear communication and listening, evaluating where the
Athletics program has been and can grow will be important. Mrs. Mahoney
concerned about the timeline; Fall Athletics begins on Thursday, August 24. This
could have been discussed earlier in the summer and we are now rushing into this
the posting. Dr. DeCristofaro respectfully disagrees that Quincy Public Schools is
in any kind of distress about this situation, the current Athletic Directors have
been directing the startup of the fall Athletics season. Mrs. Mahoney said that the
timing may not surface the best person for the position. The ideal candidate is
going to have to be very organized and detailed as they will not have assistants.
Ms. Isola said that the original proposal had assistants and felt unable to support
four positions for Athletics. Ms. Isola would like more information about how the
potential deficit of $20,000 would be made up; the idea that there would be an
increase in participation is speculative. Ms. Isola appreciates the work of the parttime Athletic Directors, they worked very hard to balance their competing
responsibilities. The additional opportunity for middle school outreach will
provide continuity for students throughout their middle and high school careers.
Ms. Isola has confidence in the management team and the effort that will be put
into selecting the appropriate candidate and providing mentorship and support to
ensure an effective transition. Ms. Isola supported the idea of Mrs. Papile
participating on the interview committee because of the Wellness & Student Support connections. These expanded positions are an opportunity for our
students, a piece of the rebuilding that has taken place over the last eight years.
Ms. Isola seconded Mrs. Lebo’s request to consider additional funding for QPS,
perhaps there is technology or testing materials that could be funded if there are
available funds.
Mrs. Hubley appreciated Superintendent DeCristofaro’s work on integrating the
Wellness and Student Support, would also like to see Mrs. Papile on the intervie
committee.
Mrs. Lebo said that through the Health & Wellness and Physical Education
connections, these Athletic Directors will have an impact on all students. Mrs.
Lebo asked who the Athletic Directors would be evaluating, Dr. DeCristofaro said
they would be evaluating coaches and contribute to Physical Education staff
evaluations. Mrs. Lebo asked who would evaluate the Athletic Directors, the high
school principals would be the primary with contributions from the middle school
principals and Superintendent.
Mayor Koch said that in the past, when he was the Park Department
Commissioner, the two full-time Athletic Directors allowed for tremendous
collaboration and interactive planning. Budget ups and downs for the city caused
the positions to be cut back and this is an opportunity to grow beyond where
Quincy Public Schools has been for the last few years. Mayor Koch feels that this
makes sense, hopes for an increase in participation and that these people can be a
mentor to students, helping keep them on track, The potential for middle school
opportunities is directly linked to substance use prevention, keeping students
busy is as important as it always has been. In terms of the selection/interviewing
process, Dr. DeCristofaro and Mr. Mulvey have the demonstrated track record for
selecting the appropriate candidates as they always do.
Ms. Isola made a motion to accept the proposal for two full-time Athletic Directors
as presented. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Lebo and on a roll call vote, the
ayes have it, 5-1. Mrs. Mahoney voted NO and Mr. Bregoli was ABSENT.
§
Adjournment
Mr. DeAmicis made a motion to adjourn for the evening at 6:40 p.m. The motion
was seconded by Ms. Isola and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.