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    Education

    Last Night At School Committee

    A bite-sized summary of Boston School Committee meetings, and “Deep Dives” on the biggest issues impacting public schools nationwide.

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    Latest Episodes:
    Ep. 38, Last Night @ School Committee: 9/22 Meeting Recap Sep 23, 2021
    Show notes

    In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s Boston School Committee meeting. The meeting began with the Superintendent’s report, in which she promised an update on exam school simulations at the next meeting. She also discussed the ongoing transportation issues and painted a rosy picture of the timeliness of buses, in spite of the fact that hundreds of students are still unable to get to school, hundreds more are not arriving on time, and families are still facing troubling uncertainty. Following a short public comment period, the School Committee heard two reports on an update to the Code of Conduct and library services, and the Committee took a vote on ESSER funding that has already largely been allocated.

    Even as school has started and students will begin their third week on Monday, we are still left with the following questions:

    • What is the plan for ensuring students receive healthy food rather than plastic wrapped, processed food?
    • How will BPS continue to address transportation issues? How will they ensure this issue will not continue?
    • How many staff have been vaccinated and / or signed on for weekly testing?
    • We heard many testify during public comment about the Mission Hill School. What is the plan and strategy for MHS and supporting their school community?
    • What is the plan for the Horace Mann School for the Deaf? What is the plan for a long term strategy for the EMK?
    • Is it now too late to take any action on the new exam school admission policy?
    • How will we measure the impact of the ESSR funding to help inform round 3 of ESSR funding. Especially considering a plan must be submitted by October 4th?

    The School Committee will meet again on October 6th tentatively at 6pm.

    Ways to Engage and Resources:

    • Vote for a new Mayor in September and November. Education should be a core issue for all elected officials and your vote matters.
    • As the Supt team said on the news last night and this morning, if you know of 25k of space for EMK please let them know.
    • If you have issues with busses, school food, water, safety, or other basic human needs, email Sam Dipina. His email address is sdepina@bostonpublicschools.org
    • Advocate to the School Committee members to increase their accountability of the Superintendent and her team.
    • Chair Jeri Robinson: grobinson@bostonpublicschools.org
    • Vice Chair Michael O’Neill: moneill2@bostonpublicschools.org
    • Dr. Hardin Coleman: hcoleman2@bostonpublicschools.org
    • Ernani DeAraujo: edearaujo@bostonpublicschools.org
    • Quoc Tran: qtran2@bostonpublicschools.org
    • Meeting Presentations and Materials
    • Tentative Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Boston School Committee and the Boston Teachers Union regarding Health and Safety for School Year 2021-2022
    • FY22 Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Funding Implementation Plan
    • Code of Conduct Update PowerPoint
    • Library Services Strategic Plan, 2022-2026 PowerPoint

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    Ep. 37, Last Night @ School Committee: 9/1 Meeting Recap Sep 02, 2021
    Show notes

    <<

    In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s Boston School Committee meeting. With school starting next Thursday, the Superintendent and her team presented on back-to-school and reopening updates. While the updates began on a positive note with a recap of summer programming and backpack distribution, it quickly turned to a discussion of major operational deficiencies that remain unresolved one week before school starts: a severe bus driver shortage that will impact transportation for an unidentified number of students, a food service shortage that will prevent kids from eating fresh, healthy food, and a lack of data or accountability on how many school staff have complied with the vaccine requirement.

    Following a public comment that featured the outcries of community members from Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers about the fact that they still have not been provided with adequate learning space, the School Committee received two presentations: one on reforms to the Boston Student Advisory Council, and another on updates regarding federal relief funding.

    Given that students will be sitting in classrooms a week from today, we are left with the following questions:

    • How will students get to school in one week? When will families know if they have transportation or not?
    • What is the plan for ensuring students receive healthy food rather than plastic wrapped, processed food?
    • How many staff have been vaccinated and / or signed on for weekly testing?
    • What is the plan for the Horace Mann School for the Deaf? What is the plan for a long term strategy for the EMK?
    • When will we see a simulation for the exam school admissions policy? Will it also be too late to take any action?
    • How will we measure the impact of the ESSR funding to help inform round 3 of ESSR funding?
    • What will happen if the Superintendent does not pass her licensure exam? This should be made available on September 10th.

    The School Committee will meet again on September 22nd at 5pm.

    Ways to Engage and Resources:

    • Watch the Boston Mayoral Debate on September 9th at 7pm, and learn where candidates stand on Education in Boston
    • And, of course, Vote for Mayor in September and November. Education should be a core issue for all elected officials and your vote matters.
    • Advocate to the School Committee members to increase their accountability of the Superintendent and her team.
    • Chair Jeri Robinson: grobinson@bostonpublicschools.org
    • Vice Chair Michael O’Neill: moneill2@bostonpublicschools.org
    • Dr. Hardin Coleman: hcoleman2@bostonpublicschools.org
    • Ernani DeAraujo: edearaujo@bostonpublicschools.org
    • Quoc Tran: qtran2@bostonpublicschools.org
    • Meeting Presentations and Materials
    • Preparing for School Year 2021-2022
    • Boston Student Advisory Council (BSAC) Reform Update PowerPoint
    • FY 22 Budget: Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Funding Update PowerPoint

    >>

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    Ep. 36, Last Night @ School Committee: 8/4 Meeting Recap Aug 05, 2021
    Show notes

    In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s Boston School Committee meeting. Just before the meeting began, the public was made aware of a bombshell story, broken by the Boston Globe, that Superintendent Cassellius’ license had expired. We also learned that state officials had notified the Superintendent multiple times in the six months prior about the pending expiration, and yet the Superintendent did not take the assessment necessary for renewal.

    The meeting began with the Superintendent’s Report, with the Superintendent honoring the late Thomas Payzant, former Superintendent of Boston Public Schools. She then addressed the report on her license expiration, deflecting blame for her failure to renew her license, and she went on to provide updates on summer learning. While the Superintendent and her team showed some of the highlights of summer learning, it was reported earlier this week that thousands of students did not attend any summer programming and were not contacted about these opportunities. After the School Committee voted to approve a policy allowing students to complete their degrees even if they are over age, and to renew their existing Memorandum of Understanding with Unlocking Potential, an organization that operates two schools in Boston, members heard two reports on back to school planning and the BPS Wellness Policy. However, their discussions did not respond to the concerns and outcries of families and community members during public comment, which focused largely on the lack of adequate learning space for students in the Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers (“EMK”).

    Given the significance of many of the topics discussed last night, we are left with the following questions:

    • Who will carry out the Superintendent's duties until she is licensed to do so?
    • Are the facilities for the EMK, Horace Mann, and Jackson Mann students sufficient and serving the needs of students while we wait for their new buildings to be built?
    • When will we see simulations released on the approved exam school admission policy which was different from the final task force recommendation?

    The School Committee will meet again on September 1st at 5pm.

    Ways to Engage and Resources:

    • Advocate to the School Committee members to increase their accountability of the Superintendent and her team. Help them identify the rocks.
    • Chair Jeri Robinson: grobinson@bostonpublicschools.org
    • Vice Chair Michael O’Neill: moneill2@bostonpublicschools.org
    • Dr. Hardin Coleman: hcoleman2@bostonpublicschools.org
    • Ernani DeAraujo: edearaujo@bostonpublicschools.org
    • Quoc Tran: qtran2@bostonpublicschools.org
    • Meeting Presentations and Materials
    • Suspension of the Maximum Age Policy, School Year 2021-2022
    • UP Academy Boston Charter Amendments
    • Preparing for School Year 2021-2022
    • Wellness Report SY 2019-20
    • Understanding the Rocks and Sand Allegory

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    Ep. 35, Last Night @ School Committee: 7/14 Meeting Recap Jul 15, 2021
    Show notes

    In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s Boston School Committee meeting. The five-hour meeting began with the Superintendent providing an update on summer learning, the hiring of new positions in the district, and more.

    The bulk of the meeting focused on the Superintendent’s proposal for a new Exam School entrance policy, which was different from the previous proposal presented to the School Committee at the last meeting. The new policy sets a weighted composite score consisting of a test score and grades to rank students via tiers based off of census tracts, with additional points going to students living in Boston Housing Authority housing, in the care of the Department of Children and Families, and experiencing homelessness, or to students who attend a school with 40% or more of students from economically disadvantaged families. Even as many during public comment offered their support for distributing 100% of seats via tiers, many opposed the policy and argued for using the previous admissions policy, while others offered their concern for approving the new policy given the lack of simulations running the new policy and no opportunity for the public to provide feedback.

    Even with many of the members expressing confusion and wishing to review the policy further, the School Committee unanimously approved the proposal and agreed to revisit the policy at a later meeting in September.

    The School Committee will meet again on August 4th at 5pm.

    Ways to Engage and Resources:

    • Email School Committee members feedback and questions about the Exam School admissions policy that was voted on last night
    • Chair Jeri Robinson: grobinson@bostonpublicschools.org
    • Vice Chair Michael O’Neill: moneill2@bostonpublicschools.org
    • Dr. Hardin Coleman: hcoleman2@bostonpublicschools.org
    • Ernani DeAraujo: edearaujo@bostonpublicschools.org
    • Quoc Tran: qtran2@bostonpublicschools.org
    • Meeting Presentations and Materials
    • Exam Schools Admissions Policy Recommendation
    • Horace Mann In-District Charter Renewal: Dudley Street Neighborhood Charter School
    • UP Academy Charter Amendments

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    Ep. 34, Last Night @ School Committee: 6/30 Meeting Recap Jul 01, 2021
    Show notes

    In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s Boston School Committee meeting. The six-hour meeting began with the Superintendent preemptively framing the evening’s conversation around the recommendation from the Exam School Task Force for a new admissions policy to the three exam schools. The Superintendent also provided updates on summer learning, saying, with just a week before summer programs begin, 75% of seats are filled. The meeting then moved to public comment, in which nearly every commenter spoke in opposition to the new admissions policy, with many advocating for a return to the decision that was reached just two days earlier before it was subsequently revised. The School Committee then voted to approve the Superintendent’s performance evaluation and extend her contract by two years, coming just one week after a new report showed overwhelmingly low morale and disengagement from district leaders.

    The School Committee then heard a report from Tanisha Sullivan and Michael Contompasis, co-chairs of the Exam School Task Force, on the Exam School Task Force’s recommendation for a new admissions policy to the three exam schools. The proposal uses a weighted composite score consisting of a test score and grades to rank students first city-wide (20%), and then via tiers based off of census tracts (80%). While the task force co-chairs presented the final policy, multiple members dissented and expressed their discontent with the new policy. The meeting concluded with a report regarding the federal funding coming to the district and how funding could be spent.

    With summer programming starting next week and the committee set to vote on the exam school admissions policy at the next meeting, we are left with the following questions:

    • How will the school committee vote on approving the recommendation of the Exam School Task Force if questions of implementation haven’t been resolved?
    • Will BPS be able to fill the empty summer school seats, and do we know who still needs a plan for the summer?
    • Where will the Horace Mann students attend school until their new school is built? How are the issues being resolved with the McCormack BCLA merger?
    • How many teachers have been hired for the 2021/22 school year and how many vacancies remain?
    • What are the updated enrollment projections for next year based on the first round of student assignments?
    • What are members of the graduating class of 2021 doing next?

    Ways to Engage and Resources:

    • Attend the next exam school task force listening session on July 7
    • The commission to advise the superintendent on how to spend the incoming $400m will have 5 public meetings, which you can attend. They will meet on the following date:
    • Thursday, July 1, 5:00pm
    • Read each of the school committee member’s individual evaluation of the Superintendent’s performance:
    • Superintentendent's SY20-21 Evaluation - Hardin Coleman
    • Superintentendent's SY20-21 Evaluation - Ernani DeAraujo
    • Superintentendent's SY20-21 Evaluation - Michael O'Neill
    • Superintentendent's SY20-21 Evaluation - Jeri Robinson
    • Superintentendent's SY20-21 Evaluation - Quoc Tran
    • Meeting Presentations and Materials
    • Exam Schools Admissions Task Force Policy Recommendation
    • Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Funding Update
    • Suspension of the Maximum Age Policy, School Year 2021-2022
    • Horace Mann In-District Charter Renewal: Dudley Street Neighborhood Charter School

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    Ep. 33, Last Night @ School Committee: 6/16 Meeting Recap Jun 17, 2021
    Show notes

    Last Night at School Committee Recap: June 16, 2021 Meeting Recap

    In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s Boston School Committee meeting. The first meeting since the resignation of two committee members, Lorna Rivera and Alexandra Oliver-Dávila, the meeting began with the election of the new chair, Jerri Robinson, with Michael O’Neill remaining as vice chair. The Superintendent provided an update on the end of the school year and summer programming, which starts in a few weeks and currently has 73% of its seats filled and a need for staffing. The meeting then featured an emotionally-charged public comment period featuring 42 speakers, covering numerous topics of concern. Following public comment, the school committee heard a report from the co-chairs of the Exam School Admissions Task Force with an update on the task force’s considerations for a new admissions policy to the exam schools. Despite the fact that this recommendation is expected to be finalized by the next school committee meeting in two weeks, the report contained a wide spectrum of options without any consensus. The meeting concluded with a review of the Superintendent’s composite performance evaluation.

    With the last day of school tomorrow, June 18th, we are left with the following questions:

    • How will the momentum created last night by the school committee for the creation of another exam school influence decisions moving forward? What will the task force proposal ultimately include? And how will the conversation about high quality high schools continue once the policy is approved by the School Committee?
    • 73% of seats for summer programming have been filled. The district promised months ago to know the plan for every student in BPS. Does every student have a plan for the summer, and how will the district address staffing needs for the summer?

    Ways to Engage and Resources:

    1. Attend an exam school task force committee meeting, which will be meeting weekly in May on Tuesdays, starting at 5pm
    • Attend one of the listening sessions for the exam school task force. They will meet on June 22nd at 6pm, and June 23rd at 4pm. You can find previous information and data from previous meetings hereSunday, June 27, 5:00pm
    • Thursday, July 1, 5:00pm
    1. The commission to advise the superintendent on how to spend the incoming $400m will have 5 public meetings, which you can attend. They will meet on the following dates:
    • Read each of the school committee member’s individual evaluation of the Superintendent’s performance:
    • Superintentendent's SY20-21 Evaluation - Hardin Coleman
    • Superintentendent's SY20-21 Evaluation - Ernani DeAraujo
    • Superintentendent's SY20-21 Evaluation - Michael O'Neill
    • Superintentendent's SY20-21 Evaluation - Jeri Robinson
    • Superintentendent's SY20-21 Evaluation - Quoc Tran
    • Meeting presentations and materials
    • Exam Schools Admissions Task Force Update: Potential Areas for Consideration
    • Superintendent’s Composite Performance Evaluation, School Year 2020-2021 PPT
    • Renewal of Transdev Transportation Contract

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    Ep. 32, Last Night @ School Committee: 5/26 Meeting Recap May 27, 2021
    Show notes

    In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s BPS School Committee meeting. The meeting began with the Superintendent’s report, which included the revised policy for retention, and an update on an investigation regarding the Boston Student Advisory Council (BSAC), which was reported in length in a recent Boston Globe article. Following the Superintendent’s report, the Committee heard and voted on facility plans and the naming of the library at the Nathan Hale Elementary School. Concerns about some of the discussed topics were voiced during public comment, which featured multiple students and parents speaking about the ongoing BSAC crisis as well as staff and parents from the Horace Mann School. The meeting then concluded with two reports, one from the Boston Special Education Parent Advisory Council and another regarding systemized grading throughout the district. Overall, the plans presented last night outlined a positive vision for BPS grounded in equity and student achievement but lacking important detail around implementation.

    We are left with the following questions:

    • What further steps will the district take to ensure that the current and former students of BSAC are okay? How will the district manage BSAC rather than outsource it in the future?
    • What is the plan for summer? The district promised months ago to know the plan for every student in BPS. Do we have a plan for every student?
    • Where will the Horace Mann students attend school until their new school is built?
    • How many teachers have been hired for next year and how many vacancies remain?
    • What are the updated enrollment projections for next year based on the first round of student assignments?
    • When will we hear a draft policy on exam school admissions?
    • What is happening with our graduating students? How many are attending college? If they aren’t going to college, what are they doing next? Does the district have any of this data?

    Ways to Engage:

    • Attend an exam school task force committee meeting, which will be meeting weekly in May on Tuesdays, starting at 5pm.
    • The commission to advise the superintendent on how to spend the incoming $400m will have 5 public meetings, which you can attend. They will meet tonight at 5pm and on the following dates:
    • Thursday, May 13, 5:00pm
    • Thursday, May 27, 5:00pm
    • Thursday, June 10, 5:00pm
    • Sunday, June 27, 5:00pm
    • Thursday, July 1, 5:00pm

    Resources

    • Boston Globe article regarding the BSAC Investigation
    • Meeting Presentations and Materials
    • Boston Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SpedPAC) Annual Update
    • Equitable Grading PowerPoint

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    Ep. 31, Last Night @ School Committee: 5/12 Meeting Recap May 13, 2021
    Show notes

    In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s BPS School Committee meeting. The meeting began with the Superintendent’s report, which included an update and summary of the results of the one-year, temporary exam school admissions process. The meeting then followed with a presentation and vote on changing graduation requirements and implementing Masscore standards across the district. While the Committee ultimately adopted the proposal, there was dissent from one member who expressed hesitation on the district’s ability to implement Masscore standards in all BPS high schools. The meeting concluded with a presentation on the capital budget and an ambitious plan for replacing all BPS schools older than 50 years.

    As the School Committee voted in a new graduation policy and shared a vision for new buildings, there were many things that were not addressed in the meeting, including attendance numbers in schools, updates on the return to full in-person learning for high school students, and detailed plans for summer learning.

    We are left with the following questions:

    • How many teachers have been hired for next year and how many vacancies remain?
    • What are the updated enrollment projections for next year based on the first round of student assignments?
    • What is happening with our students who are graduating without any graduation standards? Are they attending college, the job market, does the district have the data?
    • What is the plan for summer? The district promised months ago to know the plan for every student in BPS. Do we have a plan for every student?
    • Where will the Horace Mann students attend school until their new school is built?

    Ways to Engage and Resources:

    • Attend an exam school task force committee meeting, which will be meeting weekly in May on Tuesdays, starting at 5pm
    • The commission to advise the superintendent on how to spend the incoming $400m will have 5 public meetings, which you can attend. They will meet tonight at 5pm and on the following dates:
    • Thursday, May 13, 5:00pm
    • Thursday, May 27, 5:00pm
    • Thursday, June 10, 5:00pm
    • Sunday, June 27, 5:00pm
    • Thursday, July 1, 5:00pm
    • Members of the commission include:
    • Sam Acevedo, GBLN, HERN, OAG CO-Chair
    • Celina Barrios-Millner, Equity and Inclusion, City of Boston
    • Rahn Dorsey, Stakeholder
    • Pam Eddinger, Bunker Hill Community College
    • Ivan Espinoza-Madrigal, Lawyers for Civil Rights
    • Theresa Garcia de Quevedo, Mildred Ave School
    • Roxanne Harvey, Boston Special Education Parent Advisory Council
    • John Jackson, Schott Foundation
    • Karla Jenkins, Principal of Higginson Inclusion School (K0-2)
    • Suzanne Lee, ELL Task Force
    • Margaret McKenna, Human Rights Commission
    • Xyra Mercer, Boston Student Advisory Council (BSAC)
    • Keith Motley, Urban League
    • Alex Oliver-Davila, BPS School Committee
    • Lee Pelton, The Boston Foundation
    • Paul Reville, Harvard Graduate School of Education
    • Ruby Reyes, Boston Education Justice Alliance (BEJA)
    • Nicol Riley, Citywide Parent Council
    • Valerie Roberson, Roxbury Community College
    • Jeri Robinson, BPS School Committee
    • Jim Rooney, Boston Chamber of Commerce
    • Ayele Shakur, OAG Task Force
    • Chris Smith, Boston After School and Beyond
    • Marcelo Suarez-Orozco, UMASS Boston Chancellor
    • Tanisha Sullivan, NAACP
    • Neil Sullivan, PIC
    • Jessica Tang, Boston Teachers Union
    • Pastor Matt K Thompson, Jubilee Church
    • Dania Vazquez, Head of School - Margarita Muniz
    • Grace Wai, School Superintendent & Executive Team Member
    • TBD, Boston Student Advisory Council (BSAC)
    • TBD, District English Learner Advisory Committee
    • Boston Globe article on last night’s meeting
    • Meeting Presentations and Materials
    • Boston Public Schools MassCore Graduation Requirements Update
    • Proposed BPS Graduation Requirements Policy
    • Heat Map - High Schools Road Map to MassCore
    • FY22 Capital Budget PowerPoint
    • Capital Budget and BuildBPS Update Summary of Projects

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    Ep. 30, Last Night @ School Committee: 4/28 Meeting Recap Apr 29, 2021
    Show notes

    In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s BPS School Committee meeting. The meeting began with the Superintendent's report on the status of the return to in-person learning for K-8 students. Following this report, the School Committee unveiled their goals and values for student achievement over the next five years. These goals set the bar notably low for student proficiency, with an aspiration of one in two students graduating unprepared for college or the workforce, and that bar was set even lower for students of color and students with disabilities. Despite hesitation from the members, and unanswered questions about how these goals will be monitored and enforced, they were approved unanimously.

    Last night’s meeting also included a vote on the revised attendance policy and on an agreement between the Boston Teachers’ Union and the Boston School Committee regarding Family Liaison Classification. The meeting ended with a report on equitable policy.

    Missing from last night’s conversation were a number of topics on the minds of students and parents across the city, including the exam school invitations that were just sent out and any plans for the fast-approaching summer.

    We are left with the following questions:

    • Where are the students? How are they doing? Mentally, emotionally, academically?
    • What do we need to do to plan for next year given that we don’t have measures in place to discern where kids are?
    • No plans for the summer-- why didn’t this make it on the agenda? When will this be communicated to parents? And how?
    • How many graduates are going to college? What is going to happen to the rest of the senior class?
    • Families received a notification about the results of the exam school admissions process. What are the results of this?

    Ways to Engage and Resources:

    • Attend an exam school task force committee meeting, which will be meeting weekly in May on Tuesdays, starting at 5pm
    • The commission to advise the superintendent on how to spend the incoming $400m will have 5 public meetings, which you can attend. They will meet on:
    • Thursday, May 13, 5:00pm
    • Thursday, May 27, 5:00pm
    • Thursday, June 10, 5:00pm
    • Sunday, June 27, 5:00pm
    • Thursday, July 1, 5:00pm
    • Members of the commission include:
    • Sam Acevedo, GBLN, HERN, OAG CO-Chair
    • Celina Barrios-Millner, Equity and Inclusion, City of Boston
    • Rahn Dorsey, Stakeholder
    • Pam Eddinger, Bunker Hill Community College
    • Ivan Espinoza-Madrigal, Lawyers for Civil Rights
    • Theresa Garcia de Quevedo, Mildred Ave School
    • Roxanne Harvey, Boston Special Education Parent Advisory Council
    • John Jackson, Schott Foundation
    • Karla Jenkins, Principal of Higginson Inclusion School (K0-2)
    • Suzanne Lee, ELL Task Force
    • Margaret McKenna, Human Rights Commission
    • Xyra Mercer, Boston Student Advisory Council (BSAC)
    • Keith Motley, Urban League
    • Alex Oliver-Davila, BPS School Committee
    • Lee Pelton, The Boston Foundation
    • Paul Reville, Harvard Graduate School of Education
    • Ruby Reyes, Boston Education Justice Alliance (BEJA)
    • Nicol Riley, Citywide Parent Council
    • Valerie Roberson, Roxbury Community College
    • Jeri Robinson, BPS School Committee
    • Jim Rooney, Boston Chamber of Commerce
    • Ayele Shakur, OAG Task Force
    • Chris Smith, Boston After School and Beyond
    • Marcelo Suarez-Orozco, UMASS Boston Chancellor
    • Tanisha Sullivan, NAACP
    • Neil Sullivan, PIC
    • Jessica Tang, Boston Teachers Union
    • Pastor Matt K Thompson, Jubilee Church
    • Dania Vazquez, Head of School - Margarita Muniz
    • Grace Wai, School Superintendent & Executive Team Member
    • TBD, Boston Student Advisory Council (BSAC)
    • TBD, District English Learner Advisory Committee (DELAC)
    • Boston School Committee’s Goals and Values
    • Boston School Committee Goals and Values PowerPoint
    • Revised Attendance Policy and Procedures SY21-22
    • Equitable Policy Review PPT
    • Letter from Superintendent Cassellius to BPS Community in response to the guilty verdict in the Derek Chauvin case

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    Ep. 29, Last Night @ School Committee: 4/7 Meeting Recap Apr 08, 2021
    Show notes

    In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s BPS School Committee meeting. This meeting began with the Superintendent's report on returning to school, including the plan to return many students in k-8 to 5 days a week of in person learning beginning April 26th. The Superintendent also announced a major reorganization of her leadership team. The final presentation provided an overview of a policy regarding attendance and course completion and discussion about chronic absenteeism. Notably there was a concerning conversation about the lack of consistency in teaching and learning between and within schools in BPS.

    There were two votes removed from the agenda on the day of the meeting; school committee goals and guardrails, and using masscore for the district’s graduation policy. Public comment featured 16 speakers, nearly all of whom advocated for suspending this year’s MCAS exam. The Biden administration has already granted one waiver to a school district to postpone their standardized testing.

    We are left with the following questions:

    • We didn’t hear a summer school update. How many openings are there? Are they in person or virtual? How many students have already signed up for a summer program?
    • What is the update on teacher and school leader hiring to ensure an effective opening in September?
    • How is the district thinking about using the federal stimulus funding?
    • School assignments have been released for most students. What are the enrollment numbers for next year?
    • With pending litigation, when will assignments go out for 7th and 9th grade students and exam school applicants?
    • Which assessments will the district use for the end of year for both the social emotional needs and academic needs of our students?

    Ways to Engage and Resources

    • Boston’s City Council approves the school department’s budget that was voted on last night. It is the biggest part of the city budget. Make sure that they know what you think about the budget and where you have questions or would like to see changes. Advocate for a clear strategy on how the influx of recovery money will be spent for long term positive change for BPS.
    • Attend an exam school task force committee meeting on Tuesday nights from 5-7pm
    • Here is a recent article on the Biden Administration rejecting requests from states to cancel standardized testing
    • Composite Superintendent’s School Year 2019-2020 Performance Evaluation
    • Operational Readiness for the Return to 5 day In-person Learning on April 26
    • Revised Attendance Policy and Procedures SY21-22
    • Op-Ed from Superintendent Cassellius in The Boston Globe
    • 2021-2022 Boston Public Schools calendar

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