After the vote, Heinstadt thanked the group for their vote of confidence.  {sidebar id=1}

A Duxbury citizen since 1976, Heinstadt is currently the Chief Financial Officer of Wentworth Institute of Technology.  He was elected to a three-year seat on the committee last year and said he brings the same thing to the position of chairman as he promised during the election.

“I think I bring common sense,” he said after the meeting.  “Between myself, my kids’ experience and my wife’s experience as a teacher at Duxbury Middle School, I think I have a number of perspectives that have proven valuable in the school committee and will as chairman.”

Heinstadt said that in his new role, he wants to make a few changes, including a recommendation by George Cipolletti during this year’s election that the school committee hold additional meetings to solicit public input before voting.

“At our last committee meeting, there were some things we voted on that people in the audience felt they did not have enough time to consider, so Mr. Cipoletti suggested we could maybe schedule input meetings and I think that is a good idea,” he said.

Heinstadt also plans to work on the budget for fiscal year 2006 a lot sooner than the $22.9 million budget they passed earlier this year for FY05.

“[Superintendent Eileen] Williams expressed the feeling to me that this was the first time in a long time that they had to cut the budget, so again it was a little bit of a shock,” he said.  “It could’ve gone a little smoother than it did, so I think if we start earlier this year it will benefit the committee.”

The committee also reappointed Paul Desmond as vice chairman and Ruth Ann Metcalf as secretary to the committee and individual members of the committee volunteered for nearly a dozen sub-committees on a number of topics from contract negotiations to policy review.  Wednesday also marked the first meeting for newly elected members George Cipolletti and Karen Wong.{sidebar id=4}

In other business at Wednesday’s meeting, the school committee:

*Announced that Christopher Trombly will assume the role as interim principal and Karen Fruzzetti as interim assistant principal at Alden School next year.   Trombly is currently assistant principal at Alden and Fruzzetti is a K-6 curriculum coordinator for the school system.  This was a result of the appointment of current Alden principal Susan Skeiber as interim assistant superintendent at the March committee meeting. 

*Heard from Business Manager Mickey McGonagle regarding contracts for vending machines in the schools.  McGonagle asked the committee if they wanted him to investigate healthier options for the machines for their next meeting in order to decide on options for the next school year.  Committee member John Magnarelli was a strong proponent of healthier options, saying it was time to get soda out of the schools and investigate other options such as water, fruit juices and healthier snacks for students.

*Approved the following scholarships for graduating seniors: The Richard C. Miller Thespian Scholarship Award for a member of the International Thespian Troupe#335; the Duxbury Appalachia Service Project Scholarship awarded by Holy Family Church for an ASP member; and the Robert S. and Robert H. Means Memorial Scholarship for a member of the First Parish Church.

*Approved the first reading of several policies, including eight for new job description of school administrators.  The new descriptions include jobs reallocated to these positions as a result of the elimination of an administrative position in the FY05 budget.  The committee will vote whether or not to adopt these policies at a future meeting.