GROTON-DUNSTABLE
SPEDPAC
MEETING
MINUTES
Wednesday, 4 April 2007
Middle School North Project Room
Present: Nancy Bugbee, Sarah Campbell, Lisa McLaughlin, Melissa Sweeney
President Nancy Bugbee called the meeting to order at 9:40a.m.
I. Acceptance of Minutes from February, 2007 meeting
The February meeting minutes were reviewed and unanimously approved after minor text editing.
II. Treasurer’s report
On behalf of Treasurer Maryanne Squeglia, MS. Bugbee reported that the Ladies Agape Society at the Saint Philip’s Greek Orthodox Church in Nashua, NH, donated $250.oo to the PAC. With private donations, this brings total donations to the PAC for this year to $505.00, all of which will be applied toward the cost of the Maria Trozzi lecture.
The current bank balance is $3932.95. Ms. Squeglia will meet soon with Accountant Cindy Thomas to finalize the PAC’s non-profit status and year-end tax information.
The PAC’s status as a non-profit means it will require a small but steady revenue stream in order to maintain that status, and one option would be offering ad space in the newsletter as one way of obtaining that revenue. Members agreed that this year’s Tupperware fundraiser was not sufficiently profitable in relation to the work put into it, and that the PAC should consider the idea of selling ad space in greater detail at a future meeting.
It was also suggested that the PAC consider writing more grants to the Commissioners of Trust Funds and the Groton-Dunstable Education Foundation to pay for developing communication and reference materials for teachers and parents.
April, 2007 Meeting Minutes Page
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III. 2006 Special Education Survey Update
Ms. Squeglia and Ms. Bugbee have spent considerable time compiling and preparing the data from the 2006 survey for the Superintendent and the PPS Director. The Council briefly reviewed the draft report for the Swallow Union School reports, and made editorial and layout changes.
Once compiled, the data will be presented to the School Committee by the end of the academic year.
IV. SpedPAC Website Update
PAC webmaster Lisa McLaughlin reported that she has posted the most recent version of the SpedPAC newsletter on the Council’s website, gdspecpac.org. She continues to work on redesigning the site, which will be unveiled later this spring.
V. Education Resource Library Follow Up
Ms. Bugbee said that all of the books purchased this year for the Education Resource Library have been distributed to the school with the exception of the Prescott School. Since the Superintendent requested that the books be presented at school faculty meetings, it has been more difficult than expected to arrange distribution to Prescott, which has its meetings at 3:30 when PAC officers all have other commitments. Ms. Bugbee said she and Vice President Sarah Campbell will find a time to get the books to Prescott as soon as possible.
VI. Preparation for Maria Trozzi Lecture
Press releases for the Maria Trozzi presentation later this month have been completed. It was suggested that the press release also be forwarded to the Autism Support Group.
The PAC discussed protocol for speakers who wish to sell their books when they make presentations, as Dr. Ned Hallowell did earlier this year. After some discussion it was agreed that it should be permissible for speakers to stay after to sell books or bring staff to make sales, but that PAC members will not be directly involved in selling books for Lecture Series presenters.
April, 2007 Meeting Minutes Page
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VII. SpedPAC Business Meeting Schedule
The PAC has received an inquiry about scheduling business meetings in the evening. In recent years business meetings have been scheduled during the day so that the evening time slots could be devoted solely to the lecture series. In previous years evening business meetings were poorly attended (usually just the officers showed up), and so they were moved to daytime to avoid the attendant costs to family/homework time and childcare. There should be a mechanism, however, for those who work in the daytime to contribute to PAC business discussions. All agreed that this issue should be identified at the annual meeting and subsequently addressed by the incoming PAC officers for 2007-8.
VIII. Planning for 2007-8 Lecture Series
Ms. Bugbee presented an outline of potential lecturers for next year on the following topics:
Discussion and follow up:
Ms. Campbell will follow up on the Estate Planning presentation.
The PAC discussed what an evening devoted to reading programs might include, noting that it involves a broader curriculum discussion that addresses all students, not just those having difficulty learning to read. It was agreed that this session requires careful planning that includes the Superintendent, the Curriculum Director and the PPS Director.
Ms. Bugbee will research the possibility of an Asperger’s presentation by AANE.
The
PAC is still looking for an ideal presenter for the annual Basic Rights
Workshop. While the Federation offers these workshops, the quality of
their presenters varies. Private practitioners have often given good
lectures but are
often unavailable. PPS Director Joan Endicott has made some good referrals in the past, but if her suggestions don’t work out, the PAC can try to request a specific person from the Federation to avoid the pitfalls of the past.
It was also suggested that augmentative communication and mindful listening would be good topics for lectures if some of those on the original list don’t materialize.
April, 2007 Meeting Minutes Page
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IX. 2007-8 Grant Applications
Ms. Campbell and Ms. Bugbee wrote and submitted the grant application for the Groton Trust Fund in March, and an answer is expected in May. The grant used the list of lecturers in the previous agenda item as a basis for the request.
In February, Ms. Bugbee met with the Commissioners of Trust Funds to request funding from the Butler Fund for books for the Education Resource Library at the High School. Last year’s request to the Groton-Dunstable Education Foundation covered only the elementary and middle schools because the PAC was alerted to the existence of the Butler Fund, which is devoted exclusively to educational initiatives at the GDRSD High School. The Commissioners approved the high school book request and the PAC subsequently purchased $183.00 worth of books, which will be presented to the new high school principal this fall.
The PAC will also work to develop a mini-grant application for the Education Foundation’s Fall 2007 Grant cycle with the intent of adding more books to the education resource library.
X. Annual Business Meeting Agenda
The Pac’s annual meeting in June will include an overview of the year’s activities and initiatives as well as electing officers for 2007-8.
Ms. Sweeney also suggested that the PAC discuss a possible initiative for next year: a collaborative project with the District to create roadmaps to guide families through the special education process. These maps might include descriptions of the various services children can receive and the phases of intervention in regular education that can lead to eligibility for special education services (i.e., child study teams, accommodations, 504 plans, etc.). PAC members agreed the roadmaps proposal deserves attention and energy and expressed hope that the PAC can take this on next year once the survey analysis is complete.
Ms. Bugbee adjourned the meeting at 11:45 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Sarah T. Campbell
5 June 2007