Last Night At School Committee

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 18, Last Night at School Committee: 10/21 Meeting Recap Oct 22, 2020

Show notes

In this episode, Jill and Ross discuss the highlights of last night’s Boston Public School Committee Meeting. The meeting was centered around the proposed exam school admissions policy, presented by the Exam School Admissions Working Group. Lasting almost 9 hours, we heard from students, families, teachers, city councilors, and even Mayor Walsh regarding the new recommended policy.

Although it was announced on Wednesday that Boston Public Schools would be going fully virtual with another uptick in the city-wide COVID-19 positivity rate, there was a focus on the exam school admissions policy and the vote taking place. The working group presented on the policy, and we heard from many asking school committee members to vote yes, including Mayor Walsh and other city councilors from across Boston.

Public comment featured almost 180 speakers, with many discussing their feelings about the new exam school admissions criteria. After hearing from 180 speakers, the School Committee ultimately voted to approve this new admissions policy for this school year.

This morning, Chair of the School Committee Michael Loconto resigned from his position with many urging him to do so after appearing to mock names during public comment.

You can find more information on the School Committee’s website.

Resources:

Recommendation of Exam Schools Admissions Criteria for School Year 2021-22 Update PowerPoint

Exam Schools Admissions Criteria for School Year 2021-2022

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Ep. 17, Last Night at School Committee: 10/8 Meeting Recap Oct 09, 2020

Show notes

In this episode, Jill and Ross discuss the highlights of last night’s (10/8) Boston Public School Committee Meeting. As the district announced earlier this week that the district would delay their reopening plan, there was a lot of discussion about the reopening plan among committee members and pleas from parents, teachers and students about prioritizing safety and the needs of the students. The School Committee also heard a proposal on using an alternative model for admission to Boston’s exam schools for this school year.

The Superintendent first updated the public and Committee on the district’s reopening plan, with special guest, Mayor Walsh, discussing the importance of supporting students with the highest needs.

School Reopening Update

Public comment featured reactions and thoughts from City Councilors, students, teachers, and families urging the district to prioritize safety in reopening as well as the importance of servicing students with disabilities at this time and how meaningful reopening school has been for students with the highest needs.

There was only one proposal presented by the Exam School Admissions Working Group. Due to the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of inequities on many students, the working group proposed moving away from using an admissions test and using previous student academic records (GPA or MCAS scores) to create an admissions pool. As the district previously has been criticized and questioned about their admissions processes and invitations, there were many questions about the implementation of this recommendation while praising the work presented.

Exam School Admissions Criteria and Policy for School Year 2020-21 Admissions Cycle

The School Committee will reconvene on October 21st to vote on this recommendation presented by the working group.

You can find more information on the School Committee’s website. If you’d like to hear more about issues and topics surrounding the exam schools, you can listen to our podcasts focusing on the exam schools.

Resources:

Boston Public Schools Reopening Website

Boston Public Schools Reopening FAQs

Conversation with former Superintendent Michael Contompasis on the Exam Schools

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Ep. 16, Last Night at School Committee: 9/30 Meeting Recap Oct 01, 2020

Show notes

In this episode, Jill and Ross discuss the highlights of last night’s Boston Public School Committee Meeting. As schools reopen today to welcome some of the in-person priority students, there was a lot of discussion about what has been done and concerns from teachers, families, and community members.

As the City of Boston has been designated a red zone in Massachusetts, the Superintendent and her team provided an update about how remote learning has improved and updates on the phased-in reopening plan.

Many families, teachers, parents, and community members expressed their concerns over reopening safely as well as raising frustration over School Committee members wanting to limit the number of public comments made.

Students with in-person priority were welcomed back to their schools today, despite the rising case rates throughout Boston. Starting October 12th, in-person priority students can return to school 4 days a week, while hybrid instruction for all students is scheduled to start on October 15th.

You can find more information on the School Committee’s website.

Resources:

Boston Public Schools Reopening Website

Boston Public Schools Reopening FAQs

Division of Equity, Strategy, and Opportunity Gaps Update Presentation

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Ep. 15, Last Night at School Committee: 9/16 Meeting Recap Sep 17, 2020

Show notes

In this episode, Jill and Ross discuss the highlights of last night’s Boston Public School Committee Meeting. Almost 7 hours long, the meeting covered a lot of ground, with a lot of focus -- and concern -- on reopening plans.

The Superintendent and her team presented on a few items:

The School Committee heard from over 50 members of the BPS community, expressing their concerns about reopening and the student information sharing policy. These concerns are echoed in an article from The Boston Globe.

The meeting was concluded with unanimous votes to pass action items regarding a revised information sharing policy, a universal pre-kindergarten connector system, and Memorandum of Agreement between the Boston Public Schools and Boston Teachers Union.

Boston Public Schools will officially start on Monday, September 21st, remotely, before offering hybrid learning no earlier than October 1st.

You can find more information on the School Committee’s website.

Resources:

School Reopening Update PowerPoint

MOU of BPS and BTU PowerPoint

Boston Globe article on Reopening Concerns for BPS

Boston Public Schools Reopening Website

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Ep. 14, Last Night at School Committee: 8/19 Meeting Recap Aug 20, 2020

Show notes

In this podcast, Jill and Ross discuss the highlights of last night's Boston Public School's School Committee Meeting. Families, teachers, administrators and staff are anxiously waiting to learn how BPS will implement its school reopening plan for the Fall.

Last night's meeting included:

The BPS School Reopening Plan,
Policy regarding preparing and sharing student information, and
Changes to the district's policy on early childhood education

As referenced in the episode:

Example of the health and safety measures in the Bolling Building administrative offices
See an example of a BPS meal as discussed by Ross and Jill in this episode, below. According to Superintendent, Brenda Cassilius, BPS has given out 1.6M meals to kids in Boston.

Resources:

To review last night's presentations, click here.
Find more information on the School Committee's website.

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Ep. 13, Last Night at School Committee: 8/5 Meeting Recap Aug 06, 2020

Show notes

In this podcast, Jill and Ross discuss the highlights of last night's Boston Public School's School Committee Meeting. The meeting was about 8 hours long, running past 1 am.

The Superintendent's team and school committee discussed:

The Reopening Plan for School Year 2020-21,
A Task Force for Exam Schools, and
The Superintendent's first-year Performance Evaluation

Links to the Committee's comments on the Superintendent's Performance Evaluation:

Chair Loconto

Vice-Chair Oliver-Davila

Find more information on the School Committee's website.

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Ep. 12, Last Night at School Committee: 7/22 Meeting Recap Jul 23, 2020

Show notes

In this podcast, Jill and Ross discuss the highlights of last night’s Boston Public School’s School Committee Meeting. It was a long night, with over 600 participants joining the 6 hour ZOOM meeting.

The Superintendent’s team and school committee presented on and discussed two important items:

A draft re-opening plan for School Year 2020-21, and
The new exam school admissions exam, and a special task force that has been established by the Superintendent to recommend whether it is used this year.

Additionally, reports were provided on the Columbia Point Parcel RFP and placemaking for Boston Youth.

Find more information on the school committee's website.

Resources:

Link to Presentations

Link to Community Reopening Meetings

Link to Video

Password: k2b!2dp.

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Ep. 11, Last Night at School Committee: 6/24 Meeting Recap Jun 25, 2020

Show notes

Yesterday's school committee meeting was held over Zoom. The important information discussed included:

Ambassador Raymond L. Flynn Sensory Room Dedication Recommendation at Tynan Elementary School
Up Academy Boston Charter Renewal

Find more information on the school committee's website.

Resources:

Link to Presentations

Link to Video

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Ep. 10, Last Night at School Committee: 6/10 Meeting Recap Jun 11, 2020

Show notes

As we continue to shift toward a new normal, we hope you and your family are well. Once again, yesterday's school committee meeting was held over Zoom. Valuable information discussed included:

The FY20 Budget Update: Impact of COVID-19
English Language Learners Task Force Update
Superintendent's Performance Evaluation Update: Proposed SMART Goals and Educator Development
Transdev One-Year Contract Extension

More information can be found on the school Committee's website.

Resources:

Link to Presentations

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Ep. 9, Last Night at School Committee: 5/27 Meeting Recap May 28, 2020

Show notes

This week's school committee meeting was once again virtual. A lot of important information was discussed: Update on technology and what is being done to engage those who aren't participating Summer learning plans MassCore Report High School Redesign Report and more More information can be found on the school Committee's website.

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