Pierce School PTO Minutes - May 9, 2007

In attendance: Tammy Texiera, Ellen Ball, Laurence Mialot, Pipier Smith-Mumford, Laurence Mialot, Nicole Lapidus, Chandlee Dickey, Josh Frank, Karen Szeto, Dave Szeto, Debra Costello, Qiqi Wizowartz, Emma Jenkins; Tracy Bare, Kate Rissek, Eileen Regis, Laura Bradford; Cherie Gaedhe; Anelinda Taylor, Phillip Hosnadoz, Yapty Tej, Jin Yu Chin, Deborah Swedberg, David Weinstein, Ginny Carroll, and many more.

Co-chairs’ report:

1. We need another PTO co-chair for next year. We hope that one co-chair will take on a fund-raising role. This is a three year commitment. Interested parents should contact the PTO. Election is June 13, Wednesday am.
2. Pierce Picnic is scheduled for June 11^th with rain days on the 12^th and 13th.

Treasurer’s report

1. Approved: kindergarten trip to the beach; third grade field trips to $320.50 (four trips); $32 for tripod for camera; $49 math backpack project; $800 for laminating; unclear amount for 6^th graders to go to MIT museum

Principal and Treasurer’s report

1. The budget for next year is unusually tight across Brookline. The Northeastern work-study student position has been cut across town. We also lost building substitute teachers and building aids. This is a significant loss for Pierce and other schools as it means fewer hands helping out across the school. Dr. Smith-Mumford asked that the PTO pay for 2 Northeastern students, each working ½ of the year, for a total of $10,000. The student’s responsibilities including greeting the bus in the morning and helping them back on the bus in the afternoon; helping with reading in the first grade; shelving books in the library; helping at lunch and recess; and helping with MCAS. It also has an educational role for the Northeastern student. Emma, our current aid, was present at the meeting. Mr. Weinstein is a former Northeastern student with this program
1. Issues raised in favor of supporting this expenditure:
1. Lessens the burden for teachers to fulfill these roles, particularly recess, cafeteria duty, when their time is already crunched
2. Offers an educational experience for the students
3. Allows Mr. Frank to perform other duties before school
4. Lessens the total impact of the other losses (building aid and building substitute)
5. The principal and vice-principal have not previously come to the PTO asking for this kind of expense. They are trying to safe-guard the time and goodwill of the teaching staff.
2. Issues raised in favor of NOT supporting this expenditure:
1. Not enough time to allow for a thoughtful discussion
2. Money was raised by the PTO for student activities, not salaries
3. Ours is a public school. By the PTO paying a salary we begin a “slippery slope” toward taking on more financial responsibilities which lie more appropriately with the town. Any PTO board’s ability to augment salaries may lead to more inequities across districts.
3. A motion was raised to postpone the vote to allow for more in-depth discussion of these issues.
4. When a formal vote occurs, it will be by paper ballot due to the sensitivity of the issue.
2. MCAS testing later in the spring.

Art Council presentation

1. Goal of this is to bring the arts to students in Brookline. Many of the performances are coordinated across town so that our students have access to a wider range of arts.
2. This year we had: Celloman, Techsporation, Living Voices: The Right to Dream; Cashore Marionettes, Living Voices: Through the Eyes of a Friend. The total cost was $5208.34. This was less than the $6,000 pledged by the PTO.
3. For next year we hope to bring SunSteel (Afro-Caribbean Pants Jazz—drumming on pants), Boston Ballet, Nikki Hu (workshop); Faustwork (story telling theme), an AIDS themed program; and Berkshire Hills group (disabilities theme). We approved $6,500.

Principal’s Forum—Courageous Conversations Continued

Last night we were treated to hearing about the experiences of seven articulate and courageous 8^th grade students. We are grateful for their frankness and their bravery for coming to the school at night to talk with parents and teachers about their experiences at Pierce.

The topic was “language”. By this it was meant how the words we teachers and parents use with the students either “encourage” or “discourage” their success. Students comments varied across the groups, but some themes emerged:

1. What encourages one student might discourage another
2. Students also have a huge impact on encouraging and discouraging each other with their language
3. Students beam when they are encouraged or told that they did a good job
4. Students need encouragement—there are a lot of forces making success difficult at times
5. Students need to feel a “friendship” with their teachers and language and non-verbal methods help promote that “friendship”