##VIDEO ID:Y1eqWz-LJaY## e I good evening calling to order the school committee meeting of uh Tuesday September 17 2024 we'll all rise and salute the flag to the flag of the United States of America and to the repu for it stands one nation God indivisible with liy and justice for all Mr guchi would you call the RO Mrs Bronson Rizzo present Mr kiano here Mr Kingston here Mrs Milbury Ellis present Miss monteroso pres Mr sella pres mayor Keef here the first item on our agenda is recognition RZ just a point of information just want to let everyone know I had submitted um former School Committee Member Carol Tai and also the past um president for the masss M Mass I can't even speak Mass Association of superintendant Tom Scott for um this year's award for Lifetime Achievement so hopefully um Carol will be able to attend um on November conference and hopefully um some of you will attend the conference not only to get educated but also to honor Carol also thank you any other recognition can I just mention that um I found out late last week that we lost Toby Cassidy who was an educator in the district for nearly half a century maybe even over half a centur century um he was a tremendous colleague in and an incredible educator he just absolutely loved students all of them every single one of them I don't know how many people in this room um benefitted from from Toby's teaching but he was a a real gem right right to the end and so I just want to recognize Toby thank you thank you Mr Kell Mr Kelly uh also when in Toby's retirement uh he served on multiple boards throughout the city uh and supported in many different ways and he was also a great deal of guidance not just to myself as an early mayor but also the former mayor and so we we did want to offer a moment of silence at this point in time will you offer one H also please make a motion to um have a moment of silence um and for Toby Cassidy please second all all in favor I thank you Mr Kingston um the maera family sent us a note I would just like to read it your sympathy and thoughtfulness will always be gratefully remembered and deeply appreciated um this was sent to the r school committee and also to the r school department um on behalf of on behalf of the Materia family I just wanted to acknowledge that we received this note thank you thank you okay have the consent calendar motion to accept the consent calendar second all in FA all in favor I I so there's no student representative report but uh I know that um U Miss mono so we going to be uh I know that there was a re request to get some information to help support the student representative so that we have a the rightful representative next meeting which would be good and I think just to provide context um to the community the students will now have one one rep that they'll vote on that will represent um City lab and the high school so they're working on that through their elections we'll support them and then um they'll have their chosen rep but until then um the rep from last year will continue to be the one here until they vote on a new one also I sent information to ER after her um email out to us and I also pointed her into the direction of our Mass Association for school Representatives which is a very um good organization that will help them get started and get going thank you thank you okay at this point we'll open the meeting up to public speak anyone in the audience wishes to come up and speak yes so Mr Mayor um we're going to have the sheet brought up and then I'll call folks um if anyone is do we have someone signed up okay so um for folks signed up you have two minutes please state your name and address and then P people can continue to sign up or line up until the end of uh public speak and we have 15 minutes for that period so I apologize if I mispronounce or misread your name um first we have Nancy yes Nancy Mar good evening my name is Nancy Martell I reside on 50 Library Street in Rivier I'm the principal of the Hills School but I'm speaking to you tonight as a parent of a junior at Rivier high school I just want to thank the administration of rhs for that they have been doing for the students and families in light of recent events my son's a junior and we have talked at Great Lengths about his experiences at rhs he has had nothing but positive things to say about the school he feels safe in the cafeteria in the hallways and walking to and from school I appreciate the administration giving the parents of students accurate information in a timely manner regarding the recent unfortunate events in a school this large the majority of the kids are productive members of this building while a relatively small number of students need some additional supports I believe the staff at rhs is working hard to address these needs it saddens me that inaccurate information being sent to the media has portrayed rier students in a negative light there are many students that I have talked to who are upset by these generalizations I have lived in Rivier for close to 40 years and I've worked with the students and families of the city for over 25 years I know that these incidents do not Define our community as a parent and educ in this District I feel very fortunate to be led by Diane Kelly and the team at central office they continue to prioritize students when making difficult decisions in the current climate of the city I hope that as a city we can all turn our focus on the best way we can support our students and celebrate the good that this community has to offer thank you next next we have Joanne Willet what willth my apologies good evening my name is Joanne wette I reside on Malden Street in Rivier I am principal of the Susan banthony Middle School I am here tonight to express my unwavering support for Dr Diane Kelly as a parent of two students who are proud graduates of Rivier public schools and are now thriving in college and as an educator who has chosen to return to the district that shape me I have excuse me I have seen firsthand the positive impact Dr Kelly has had on our community the recent challenges at Rivier High School are not isolated to our district they reflect broader issues happening across Massachusetts and the nation blaming Dr Kelly for these incidents ignores the tremendous work she has done throughout her tenure Dr Kelly was named super Massachusetts superintendent of the year a testament to her vision leadership and dedication to improving our schools she has been recognized for her exceptional work in advocated advocating Equity academic rigor and student well-being I am proud to work alongside Dr Kelly and my staff and colleagues across the district to continue building a district we can all be proud of her leadership has guided us through some of the most difficult times and even when we are spread thin her door is always open for support and she continues to push for Meaningful lasting improvements in our schools thank you for your time thank you next we have Christopher Bowen good evening uh my name is Chris Bowen I am principal at Rivier High School I reside on Sydney Street in Boston Massachusetts um I want to begin by um addressing the fact that some bad things happened by students who made some decisions that weren't good and two weeks later we are still talking in the media about our kids about our youth in ways that students across this country particularly youth in urban areas particularly youth of color and immigrant youths are consistently discussed as scary as criminal and as dangerous based on false statements that were made it's wrong it's unjust it makes me sick to my stomach at the same time there's this narrative out there that we as a school don't collaborate with the Educators in our build building to try to improve this place over the past 2 years we've spent over $25,000 stiening Educators to work with me and my leadership team to develop programs routines systems and new positions dedicated exclusively to student support and students who are most at risk none of that would be possible without the support we've received from our school committee from our city council and from our superintendent who has given me every single thing that I've asked for as leader of this building to support the needs of our community and it is there is not one thing that has made me more um sick to my stomach about the way people talk about our school talk about our students than the way that they so disconnectedly talk about the support we don't receive from our school School District administration particularly Dr Kelly um I want to I want to point out that sorry this is it this is an emotional thing to say like our kids are amazing people our kids do amazing things here every single day supported by excellent Educators that I'm proud to work with I think as Educators we all have friends who are Educators we have friends who are teachers I've Got Friends in other roles and other districts who do the same job and I can say like without any uh any concern of this not being true that every single educator or administrator that I'm friends with in other district is beyond surprised and jealous of the support I get in the relationship that I have with my superintendent I'll be out to dinner or out with friends and on a on a weekend texting about work things with Diane about the work we need to do here and the way things are going the way things are being spoken is untrue about our kids and about the support I have received as leader of this building thank you are there any other members of the public any we're just going to check to see if anyone online wish to speak no okay okay uh motion to adjourn public speak have a second second all in favor I thank you uh for your comments I know that it's at times uh can be challenging because you're putting yourselves out there but I I I I think I can agree with everything you said I just want to bring it up again like many of the members of this board we chose to send our children to the Rev Public Schools or still have children in R public schools and couldn't be more proud of those decisions uh and it is very very disheartening and I and and I understand some people's views but when you do things just to tear a community down and then drive home 20 30 miles away to another Community to your head uh I live here I'm very proud of this community I know that everyone that sits up on this board feels the same way uh we love our city we have a great school system yes like every school system especially in a in a very large uh dense population like the city of Rivier there're always there are going to be instances and issues uh and we will continue to work together to make sure that we resolve those issues and we continue to better our school system and we continue to better our entire Community as a whole uh but just know that every time you cast those stones it's it's really it's Reckless it is very Reckless I can just say that because my son is in Oklahoma right now and he's doing his best to make sure that he represents Rivier and he hears it on the news in Oklahoma and it's unfair because he just left this building four months ago my daughter's at Salem State going to be an educator to hopefully come back to this District to teach with the other 800 teachers that work in this unbelievable district and to hear those things when you go into other communities to talk how how negatively about about the city of Rivier it's it's not something that they like to hear they know that for the most part it's very untrue uh and it's very unfortunate so I hope that the the truth will continue to Prevail and I hope that we'll continue to work together to get to the outcome that we all want to get to and that's to have the best school system the best city and the best relationships throughout so thank you Miss montoso if I can just build on that I think we all know that there's real issues that we're working to fix and the incidents that have happened are unacceptable but I also want to voice our community that we have to acknowledge that the false headlines and misinformation from this past week have also harmed our student body to know that there are adults who are calling our students animals and Savages and racial slurs that thats and false headlines don't fall on deaf ears they fall on the ears and hearts of of our students we are here to serve our students and take care of their well-being just as the well-being of our Educators but it's important for the adults in this community to know that their words and actions are having consequences that are affecting our students our students now feel like they can't trust certain teachers because of what they know those teachers have put in the news or that they can't trust community members who are part of their you know Boys and Girls Club or YMCA and so I hope our city can get get to a place where students have to where students can stop fighting to be at the table when they're being spoken about where our students don't have to go up to beg for public comment in a city council meeting to be taken seriously and to be part of the conversation and not an afterthought because our students deserve better from from the Greater Community of the city thank you thank you all okay superintend report sure if I could just before I go into the superintendent's report I do want to um thank the the the principles and the other administrators um and colleagues who are here with us tonight it does mean a lot to me I'm good I'm good um it's this is one of those jobs where you don't get to hear the good stuff and sometimes um the negativity can be a Sease banging gong inside your head um so I appreciated uh that you all took the time to be here tonight in the kind words um that you said about me and I'm I'm thankful that this committee um gets to hear some opinions about the work that we do and the work that I do that might be a little bit different than what they're used to hearing from um some some other friends and and neighbors and constituents that they speak with probably more regularly so it you've warmed my heart um so under the superintendent report I really have just one item and that is an update on where we are um with the reier high school incident that happened a couple of weeks ago um Mr Bowen and his team have been working endlessly to um finish the work that needs to happen with all of those students in terms of their status as students um and I can update you that there have been seven students who have completed the process uh through their expulsion hearings and those uh have all been completed there are five more who are still in progress we continue to work with the Rivier Police Department to investigate um the altercation that happened on Beach Street and four additional students have been identified and removed um um while that criminal investigation is continuing um so it could be that in the end we have as many as 16 students that are involved in that situation um but we we continue to work on it um our administrative team has been incredible and I don't mean just the principes and the assistant principles at the high school but also our curriculum directors who are housed here have given their time to make sure they're present in the hallways engaging with students um and talking to them on a variety of different fronts um we have our new SRO raaza who's here with us tonight um we're certainly excited to have a female Latina SRO on our team with us uh which is helpful in addition we have the behavioral health unit which is um another police officer and a social worker who are going to be housed out of Rivier High School uh for the foreseeable future um meet the teacher night I know Mr Bowen offered an open Forum to all of the parents and they did have uh a a couple of dozen or so who took advantage of that overwhelmingly he said the parents were very positive and eager to collaborate with the school uh and help build the kind of culture and environment that um member m Roso talked about making sure kids feel belonged and welcomed and seen and heard and humanized um we are going to follow up on that you may have seen in the notice that the mayor's office put out um that there is going to be a community meeting for all high school folks staff students parents anybody who wants to come that is next Tuesday the 24th at 5:30 in the learning Commons um we have a meeting scheduled for this Friday Mr Bowen and I will be meeting with Roa to talk about partnering more closely uh with them and we'll be figuring that out and uh Mr bone will continue his communication with staff students and families he's been putting out a weekly memo since before the school year started but also putting out spec specific memos um on different topics like cell phone use um I think the one that's going out today is about how to move and transition from one class to another um and continue to communicate with parents students and staff to try to improve um the environment at the high school um one of the questions that Mr Bowen asked me when we were reviewing today is if the school committee members would like to be added to his parent Square account and that way you will see all of the communications that he does um to all of his staff I feel like that might bring a closer coupling between the school committee and what's happening at the high school definitely okay so we can we'll make arrangements for that Mr Moen um and then I just wanted to also mention that there is another safety subcommittee meeting of this spotty um tomorrow I don't have the time in front of me one at at 1:00 if folks uh want to join in on that that's it thank you Dr Kelly Miss montoso uh yes um Dr Kelly for the community Forum can you um I know you're all planning it right now and I know there's going to be a safety subcommittee tomorrow so you probably already have this idea but I think it would be really beneficial we had like some plan on paper that folks can see to then give us feedback so they know all that we've been doing before what you've been doing since then and then the new stuff so we can really gather that stakeholder feedback as we work moving forward sure and one of the things that we were planning to do is start with the sheet that Dr guchi um gave when when we had the press conference that identifies all of the resources that are currently in place and then add on the additional resources that we're trying to work out we're hoping by the time we meet on Tuesday we will have uh worked things out with Roa and can talk a little bit more about what that partnership is going to look like we'll be adding the piece about the behavioral health unit being housed here um and the additional SRO and um talking what we're hoping to really do is talk to parents and students about what they feel they need um and what kind of resources I know the committee talked a lot about this at their Committee of the whole meeting previously but are there guest speakers that they want to he come in are there other groups or organizations that we can bring in to help kids even more with their social emotional learning make sure parents are aware of the restorative practices program that we have the resources through our student support Specialists and our student engagement coordinators for each of the five houses that we have in addition to the social workers and guidance counselors that are on hand and my my last point was are you all considering some type of parent or caregiver engagement campaign districtwide just to get parents even more involved in every part of of their child's education yeah and one of the things that we've because we've been focused on parent engagement so significantly um through the last four years one of the things that we've discovered in looking at that is that the parents engage more at the school level than they do at the district level um and so we're going to continue to work on that and that's one of the pieces I was talking about with particular to the high school uh Mr Bowen's Weekly Newsletter that he's sending every Sunday um with updates on what's going on and just trying to build that connect I know he's also doing the monthly parent coffee times and one of the suggestions we had um today that is that we introduce more of our um support staff at those coffees so that we could have a coffee that's themed by student resource officers and maybe charie could come and visit um and that we have another one that might be the you know themed around the work that our social workers do and give parents and caregivers the opportunity to meet these people that we all talk about uh but they might not know oneon-one and and and in that environment understand better what their role is and how they are available to help individual students is needed thank you Mr Kingston I'm not sure who to thank but I'll thank the mayor I'll possibly I'll thank the mayor I'll thank the city council and I'll thank the police chief for giving us the fourth SRO I know firsthand that the police department is short-handed that they deal with a lot of things outside of you know just they deal with a lot of things I'll just leave it at that and I just wanted to say thank you um while someone might say you know this isn't the end all be all and I know it's not but it's the it was the quickest somewhat easiest thing we could do to kind of get started the other processes that we're talking about I think it going to take some time um but this is kind of a more of immediate this is gives us a hand the three SRO we have are awesome I I think the world of all three of them but to to add a fourth um and be a woman um and um also you know speak another language I think it'll be really helpful and I just want to thank the mayor and and the councel and whoever else had a hand in it I don't want to leave anyone out so I'm going to say the mayor the councel and the chief for allowing us to have another officer I really appreciate it I think it's important um and I just wanted to say thank you publicly thank Youk you any uh anyone else down there um Mr Kingson I I I I would I'm going to thank the chief I mean I did I did ask ask him I did I didn't give him an option but uh he was very willing to support what the additional SRO and also the behavioral health unit but as Miss Kelly said um you know listen no one no one on this board is suggesting that nothing happened you know we we would be ignorant to say that we do recognize that there was there was there was you know there was something that happened something that we weren't happy about no one's satisfied with uh but we continue to use that as a building block on what we can do to further prevent uh future issues uh throughout the school year and throughout future school years uh so so good things do come out of that and that is the addition of the SRO but also the communication pieces that will come out of that the uh reassurance to our families and staff and the reassurance to our students like Miss mon Roso mentioned making sure that they feel comfortable walking into this environment every day just as much as we want our faculty to feel but having this forum next week will be very nice even if it's not so structured because we're doing it so quickly it's about having good Di dialog between families and caretakers and and students and uh faculty to be able to talk about what is the best option because I don't spend seven days a week in this building uh the people that do can help offer some guidance that doesn't mean everything that they want or or think should happen is going to happen but it's that good back and forth dialogue that we'll be able to have but know that the everyone you have we everyone has our attention we have we have everyone's best interest in mind we're not going to make every decision in Silo we'll do it together uh so the community will come together on this and that's all we're asking for so I think that you got to always take what good comes out of every event and this is something that's good that's happening right now so thank you and thank you to the chief for your support as well Mr mono so Mr Mayor would it be possible to get the information on Tuesday so that we may be able to attend yeah so T yes um 5:30 uh the in the learning Commons uh for the uh 5:30 here on at the learning commment we'll send out an official invite as well correct there was an email sent out with a statement but uh 5:30 we'll send out an official address and invite and I know Mr Bowen is send it out to his students as well his facult um families correct okay great thank you anything else Miss no okay great hearings there are none uh reports of the subcommittees uh policies and procedures Miss Milbury Ellis sure with um the chair and and Madame Vice chair's permission I'd like to provide my report for our subcommittee meeting and then disseminate the meet uh minutes for approval next month the policy and procedure subcommittee met on September 4th of this year um on the agenda were several topics we spent great Great Lengths talking about the issue of attendance and absenteeism in our schools um obviously it's an issue that's plaguing not just our district but the nation and we're trying to come up with ideas to come to combat it um so Dr Kelly was able to provide us with some background information um as far as the data that is accumulated here within the school um out of this meeting meeting we will be the school committee will be receiving um quarterly is it US ewis Reports US Reports am I saying that right okay um and reports from the engagement officers as well this will give us a better idea of any patterns that we're seeing um and so that way we as a community uh committee can have you know a Hands-On approach and see firsthand what's happening with respect to absenteeism in our schools um the second issue that we confronted during our subcommittee meeting was an issue raised by my colleague Mr Kingston on grading um there was a misnomer as to a 50% start off grade um and it was further explained to us that essentially um 50% is the lowest that you can receive correct Dr Kelly yes um and the idea about this is is that students who were failing and say they're getting a 30% in class in in a grade A particular class um teachers find it often impossible to re-engage them um and so one of the things to making sure that is to make sure that the grades reflect what the kid knows what the student knows um and to incentivize students to pull that grade up so I mean if you're getting a a 40 or a 50 you're not passing but if you're on that cus and you get this additional motivation it may pull you out of that rut so that's the understanding that we have um on that we discussed the professional development for the school committee um we have some additional classes that we're going to take um but more interestingly we also discussed an onboarding handbook that um Miss monteroso had suggested we begin working on as a committee through a Google doc application um and this will allow new committee members who are on boarding to have some sense of the rhyme of reason of this thing called the school committee um and so that's a great suggestion and I look forward to to working on that and having the committee's input on that handbook um the last two items that we discussed were um briefly the formalization of minutes this is something that we've talked about in the past um where we've just looked to um to provide a mechanism where if a Committee Member wants to have their position made known and reflected in the minutes that that would happen um we also should we oh actually I'm going to use this time I supposed to put forth a motion to the full committee um to recommend to the full committee that we create a job desri description and position um with a student intern to take minutes this could be one or multiple positions um but it would allow a student to have um some exposure to our subcommittee meetings they'd have to review the notes that would be um either already transcribed or have to you know review the video but at some way we'll be working with students in order to provide us with our subcommittee meet meetings minutes it's another way to get students engaged and to perform a service that would be super helpful to the committee um is there a second on that motion second clear roll call any discussion roll call Mrs Bronson Rizzo can I have a clarification the motion is on is it you're talking about stud do you want me to repeat the motion yes please motion to create a job description and position for student intern plural um to take the minutes sub subcommittees any questions yes so if you're having a meeting at 1:00 are you asking that student to come out of the class no so all of our subcommittees are available via um YouTube so the idea would be that the intern would be able to do this on their their own time time um and at some point prior to us voting on the minutes okay but you wouldn't necessarily have to use a student in trying to do Ms correct okay I would suggest that if the meetings were at a time that was conducive to that student intern that hopefully they would take the opportunity to come in and sit on the me the inperson meetings um I think it would be to to both the committee the subcommittee and that students um benefit and I I believe some of the internships actually are at that time too correct I know that some have asked to come to City Hall to work at that time yep okay on the motion um yes Mr kiano yes Mr Kingston yes Mrs Milbury Ellis yes Mrs monteroso yes Mr sella yes mayor Keefe yes motion passed excellent um and finally the com the last topic on the agenda for the subcommittee was donors choose um and there was a a um an addition in our the most recent employee handbook um faculty handbook where principles will now seek authorization um when establishing a donor's choose account um the reason for that was because there were individuals who were putting projects up that the admin didn't necessarily agree with and projects that don't um perhaps reflect what is actually needed um it is cumbersome for for teachers um we do note the inconvenience of it I think um Dr K do you want to elaborate at all yeah I'll just just just one little bit of a clarifier it's when teach before teachers put up a position they need approval from their principal corre and um there were a couple of cases that we talked about where um teachers may have been requesting things that aren't necessarily practical in the classroom like there was one who had a plan to make a living room set um which might not be something that the administration wants to see in a classroom for a variety of reasons and so just uh and we talked to the principles about this so they're all aware of it um and we've shared it with staff so they're all aware of it that just when they have their idea they have to notify the administration we're not trying to do a huge burdensome protocol of paperwork but they just have to talk to their administrator and and make sure the the project is approved different administrators are doing this differently some of them are having them fill out a Google spreadsheet where they just get a little check mark when it's all set others are are doing it um where they do fill out just like a one pager not a giant burdensome um piece of paperwork others are printing um their jobs as they've entered the data before the project goes live to get approval for it uh we're leaving that to the building to determine what's best for them they're doing different things based on the size of their buildings so okay and the expectation is that um you know these requests would be acted upon promptly correct and and for the most part there should be teachers should not be faced with any issues with respect to um you you know just having to go through this extra process correct and the and the administrators are invested in helping teachers think innovatively about their classrooms in their instruction um so they're motivated to help the teachers get what they want when they're putting an Innovative uh academically appropriate project up on um donors choose um and just making sure that they realize that one of the school committee protocols is that whatever they get from donors choose belongs to the school department because they've used the school department as a link to get that project and so whatever materials they do get uh remain in the office and by having this administrative approval it also makes administrators aware of what projects have gone up and been funded so that if a staff member does transfer out of District we have some knowledge of of what may have come in through that venue great thank you that concludes the report of the policy and procedure subcommittee thank you thank you oh so uh Miss mbery Alis uh we could you also mention how we spoke about using the um AI otter software or YouTube transcript until we find an intern I believe there was a a recommendation to the full committee to start using otter for the minute I use that all the time and it works very well you uh so and I would like to yes I make a motion to approve the use of AI specifically otter sof sofware for the transcription of subcommittee minutes of a chair so wishes to Second and to clarify for folks it is free so we wouldn't be putting any money towards using it right any discussion all in all in favor I I it's awarded thank you Jackie parent involvement uh tomorrow 1:00 we have another safety meeting and we'll be talking about student involvement adding more security and some uh security initiatives and that will end my report thank you thank you any questions from Mr cajano okay great this res would this also be a zoom is there a link for Zoom or is it just in person yeah yeah okay yes I will thank you thank you Mr M mon Roo just a note for the public all our meetings are in person on zoom and they're also live stream on YouTube and recorded for future viewing if anyone wants to see them thank you Miss montosa if I could clarify one thing the subcommittee meetings are on YouTube they're not on Zoom because there's not a public comment during the subcommittees but they're live streamed on YouTube so members can yeah they are still open to the public if people want to come thank you okay and ways and Mean subcommittee Mr Kingston the ways and mean subcommittee met on Thursday September 12 2024 at 1:30 in the fan school committee room and it was via Zoom I attended as well as Anthony member Anthony kiano and member Fred sella Miss melbury Ellis also attended um we did discuss um two main items one is the carry forward item which I'd like to just read individually um 50,000 for district Improvement plan consultant that's to help the the district with the district Improvement plan 35,000 for student engagement meetings what those were hopefully to do is have more parent and um parent uh engagement hopefully the reason we were putting the money in was um you know sometimes food is a good enticement for people to come so maybe offer some food or some child care to eliminate some barriers for people not wanting to come to a meeting um 990,000 for three uh parttime pars at the par School the par schools uh some of the classrooms are overcrowded it was uh asked of us to provide Paris to help the teachers in those classrooms 140,000 for an operations administrator position at the rney marsh this is to help free up the administrators to be in the classrooms and hallways and see the students and be forward- facing another 140,000 for the gothfield Middle School same position that 140,000 does include benefits and other things that's not just a salary just so no one's misled and another 140,000 for uh operations administrative operations administrative position at the Susan B Anthony 100,000 for another nurse um nurses uh are in demand and we need to um continually hire so we want to add one 50,000 for Lincoln School door knobs um basically knobs are not ADA Compliant so we're going to switch to handles some people have trouble with knobs and the Lincoln schools uh knobs will be replaced we will not be doing the ones at the high school only because you know eventually hopefully the building will be we'll have a new building hopefully um 77,4 $57.90 uh hold for unexpected needs and finally 65,000 for the Lincoln School playground this is not the public playground this is the playground that the Early Childhood uses um it's in need of repair um the other item that we discussed oh that's it so just to Sor I apologize just to carry forward uh monies in the Lincoln School playground and I mentioned I read the 35,000 yes and the 35,000 for the meetings thank you Mr Kingston M monteroso CL verify is it 35 or 30 cuz 30 is what's in the yes the meeting was at 35 I think that's a typle okay 35 was discussed at the meeting I have it written in my notes I think it's just the typ them I would I would suggest then that the um $77,000 figure that you would be reduced to 72 yes ma'am agreed okay that ends my report Mr Miss mon Roo not on this but because we are on the ways and means subcommittee um I'll introduce a motion but I would like the committee to explore if there's something we can do about Transportation so Matt Cruz sent us an analysis that I requested on how much it would cost to reduce the bus restriction from 2 miles to one we saw it's millions that we do not have so I understand that uh but I was surprised to see that we have um around 1,33 high school students who have to walk which is almost half of our student body because they don't qualify and so it may not be fully reducing it but it could be you know Transportation passes just i' like the committee to explore if there's something financially that we can do to get more students on Safe Transportation home so they don't walk so with that I like to make a motion to refer to the ways and means subcommittee expirations of bus transportation finances exploration exploration yes thank you I second that discussion discussion don't we have transportation subcommittee that we would refer to no we don't have a transportation subcommittee we do who's the chair P of plant and maintenance so you plant maintenance it falls under plant maintenance but it's not called that okay so would you recommend sending it to the so I would a friendly amendment to my motion to First refer the exploration of Transportation alternatives to the plant maintenance subcommittee do we have a second second discussion all in favor I so Mr Kingston uh with your subcommittee report did you have any um was it just a report out earlier oh okay thank you thank you um just another kudos to our CFO for doing such a wonderful job making sure that we stay in the not in the red we are in the the black good job appreciate you we don't want to be in the news again this week thank you okay motions the district Improvement plan Miss Kelly uh sure I probably should have put this on the superintendent report um but I didn't know uh I just want to share this is the last year of our 5year strategic plan um and so we worked with the administrative team uh the principles the assistant principles and the curriculum directors and we looked at all of the Strategic initiatives that we had made back in 2020 and tried to identify those ones where we thought we needed a little more work um and so you see those highlighted probably better in the online version which is in color um there was one Strate strategic initiative 6.1 that we had named way back 5 years ago um that we didn't get to and um I didn't I didn't know if this committee wants to pursue that um it's something that we can put under the new plan going forward but that was reviewing existing school committee protoc policies critically through the lens of equity and identify areas needing Improvement um but the the rest of them are a combination of goals that we've had previously that we feel like in the 5 years have maybe been deemphasized and need a little bit more attention um or some that we just hadn't gotten to yet so for this school year the last year of this um plan our strategic initiatives include um ensuring that all staff members feel supported and included in our diverse Community might found sound familiar to the next one 1.3 which is making sure students feel the same way and that's a goal that we had uh on our priority list in previous years but we feel like we need to revisit it um in light of recent events uh and then we have um objective 3.4 which is ensuring that parent groups like the PTO the CPAC and the Alpac are representative of the racial diversity of our school Community we have made progress in that area but we felt this was still an area we needed to work on more um and so we included it in this year's plan next we have 4.1 which is to increase the district's capacity to provide social emotional mental health um mental and Behavioral Health interventions and again reemphasizing that in light of um the events over the last few weeks and then finally our last one is to ensure teaching practices across classrooms focus on effective Student Center deeper learning experiences and this is another goal that we're revisiting that had been a priority in previous years um but we wanted to reemphasize what exactly is happening in the classroom and make sure that that rigor is evident and that um the academics are really a focal point uh for the school year so those are our goals for this year and I don't know if anybody had questions comments concerns Miss Rizzo yes Dr Kelly I when I look through this um and I know we specified it was going to be um including everyone deib um but I also look at when I look at the district profile for student retention in the past um five years I always keep seeing the high needs as the top one for being retained um so I'm wondering if maybe next meeting you can kind of let us know what work is being done um to change that because it has been the high needs every year as they taught definitely and I think uh one of the reasons for that is that the majority of our students almost 80% of them qualify as high needs uh that encompasses all of the kids that um are on IEPs because they have special learning needs it includes all of the kids who are English Learners and all of the kids who live in poverty um almost all of our kids fall into one of those three categories which hits the high needs um but we can definitely do a report next month um sharing out what our student support teams have been doing at the school level um and help um bring that bring that information to the surface thank you m m very Dr Kelly could you just repeat those three categories I just want sure it's special education English learner is that it poverty it does on desie though it has lowincome high need English language all separated yes so desie identifies the separate categories individually and then High need is defined as all of those three combined there are some kids who fall into more than one of those categories so when we just disaggregating the data and just looking at different subgroups we want to look at them individually and then also combined in the high need but that's why the high need category is so large because it's every kid who falls into any one or more of those three categories i' like Miss mon Roo I'd like to make a motion out to approve the district Improvement plan second discussion all in favor I it's ordered the carry Forward Motion so there was a clarification at the committee of the whole that this will now be by line item um so this motion has been adjusted in agreement through the C and so if someone wants to make a motion for the first line item and then we can start from there i m Mr Kingston would you like to make a motion um yes I would like to just with the edification of everyone watching um we're going to take up the uh school committee it's under term school committee allocations I will read them one by one and then we will take a roll call vote on each on each item item for item there are two four six eight there are 10 items so so I'll start with the first one um superintendent contractor Services $50,000 District Improvement plan consultant so move second roll roll call Mrs Bronson Rizzo yes Mr kiano yes Mr Kingston yes Mrs milis yes Mrs monteroso yes sorry Mr sella yes mayor Keef yes second superintendent other costs $35,000 this is for student engagement meetings M mon Roo I'd like so do you want to withdraw your motion so I can do the other one I'll withraw the motion okay so then I actually would like to make a motion to suspend our subcommittee structure a structure for the approval of the 35,000 for student engagement meetings and just for um the community's content context because this is an urgent matter with student safety we want to avoid going through another two to three months of getting this approved so that is the motion do I have a second second second all uh discussion roll call Mrs Bronson Rizzo yes Mr cajano yes Mr Kingston yes Mrs melis yes Miss monteroso yes M Mr sella yes mayor Keith yes bring it in Mr uh motion uh for regular education excuse me motion for superintendent of the cost 35,000 for student engagement meetings so move oh sorry sorry I'm it's the long night you made the motion great thank you m second discussion roll call Mrs Bronson Rizzo yes Mr kiano yes Mr Kingston yes Mrs Milbury Ellis yes Miss monteroso yes Mr sella yes mayor Keef yes the next motion the next motion is for regular education reg regular education par professionals 990,000 this is for three parttime Paras at the par R elementary school second second discussion call Mrs Broner Rizzo yes Mr kiano yes Mr Kingston yes Mrs melis yes uh Miss monteroso yes Mr sella yes mayor Keef yes the next motion is for the rney assistant principal 140,000 operation and administrative position second discussion roll call Mrs Bronson Rizo um yes Mr ciano yes yes Mr Kingston yes Mrs melis yes Miss monteroso yes Mr sella no mayor Keef yes next item is gothfield assistant principal 140,000 operations administrative position second discussion roll call Mrs Bron Rizzo yes Mr kiano yes Mr Kingston yes Mrs melis yes Miss monteroso yes Mr sella no mayor Keefe yes Susan B Anthony assistant principal 140,000 operations administrative position second discussion discussion roll call Mrs Bronson Rizzo yes Mr Casiano yes Mr Kingston yes Mrs murialis yes Miss monteros yes Mr sella no mayor Keef yes a nurse's position 100,000 again for a nurse second discussion roll call I have a question yes has it m has it been decided where that nurse would be placed Dr guchi uh not to my knowledge I I didn't know if that was discussed at the subcommittee meeting okay I mean we have a few potential Landing spots okay will we be getting the second one at Hill school I'm not sure I don't think that we've sorted it all out yet yeah okay we already have one at a second one at Hill school and she's fabulous but we already discussed this years ago I any other discussion roll call please Mrs Bronson Rizzo yes Mr ciano yes Mr Kingston yes M mil Miss Mrs Milbury Ellis yes Miss monteroso yes Mr sella yes mayor Keefe yes next item is maintenance of buildings 50,000 to replace all the Lincoln School door knobs with handles to make them uh handicapped accessible second discussion roll call Mrs Bronson Rizzo yes Mr kiano yes Mr Kingston yes Mrs milb Elis yes Miss monteroso yes Mr sella yes mayor Keefe yes the next item is contracted services for the amount of $72,400 this is to be be held for unexpected needs that may pop up during the year second discussion roll call Mrs Bronson Rizzo yes Mr kiano yes Mr Kingston yes Mrs melis yes Miss monteroso yes Mr sella yes mayor Keef yes the next item is extraordinary maintenance 65,000 for the Lincoln School playground this is not the city's playground this is the I'm calling it The Tot Lot I don't know what the exact term is but it's the lot used by the early childhood class it's not accessible to the public it's a separate lot uh used for the Early Childhood uh students thank you thank you do we have a second second Mr uh discussion Mr chairman I thought it was going to be referred to PL maintenance plant maintenance no that was the so plant maintenance was M Miss montoso I would like to introduce a sub subtitute motion to actually refer this to plant and maintenance in accordance with our subcommittee structures do I have a second second okay so now the the vote will be on the substitute motion substitute motion any discussion on the substitute motion none okay roll call please Mrs Broner Rizzo yes Mr kiano yes M Mr Kingston yes Mrs Milbury Alis yes Miss monteroso yes Mr sella yes mayor Keef yes and that is it for motions Mr Kingston which one yeah oh I meant for financial motions correct the next uh motion is to approve the asme contract M um yes so um I was able to sit on negotiations with um my colleague Mr kiano um and I have to say that it was a very pleasant and collaborative experience um we came to an agreement on 3 and a half three and2 and four um and it seems that everyone left actually quite happy so this was a success story and I'm happy to report it um I will introduce a motion to accept the asme contract which includes 93 and 93a do I have a second second any discussion Mrs Bronson Rizzo yes Mr kiano yes Mr Kingston yes Mrs melis yes Miss monteroso yes Mr sella yes mayor Keefe yes congratulations yeah good stff to the ask me Members yeah next we have motion by Miss monteroso uh yes I'd like to make a motion to approve the cola benefits um that will now be extended to the non-union employees second Mr Kingston substitute motion substitute motion motion to approve Cola benefits to all non-union employees I just want to include the word all um okay I can make the friendly amendment to my own and just include all soine with me thank you and uh just for everyone's edification this would be basically a parody for the nonunion members correct great fantastic any other discussion roll call please Mrs Bronson Rizzo yes Mr kiano yes Mr Kingston yes Mrs milb Alis yes Miss monteroso yes yes Mr sella yes mayor Keef yes congratulations motion motion passed any unfinished business see none any new business Mr Kingston uh two items I'd like to talk about in the future I know they're on the agenda but these are for future conversations and to give the superintendent a heads up the first one would be um I would like the SP director to come before us and discuss how the um the new model is working it doesn't have to be at the October meeting if November meeting works better for her that's fine with me I was just looking for an update how's it going um anything that we need to help to support that a little better um in any suggestions you know um I I not that I don't want to hear everything's great but if there was something needed or something you know whatever that we just have an update so we can see how that how that it was a lot of money a lot of work and I was just wondering how it was progressing uh that's number one excuse me um Mr Kingston I will be having a committee meeting with them included okay I will do my best to attend um the second item was for our non-union employees I would like to ask the superintendent to do a salary survey of the area um I think the unions do a good job of fighting for their um fighting for their uh union members but the non-union members really don't have a voice um so I would like to see a salary survey done for the non-union positions just to see that we're keeping pace and that um they're getting what they you know what what they need to be fair turnover is a huge problem and I you know if we can avoid someone leaving the district because they're going to go somewhere else and get some more money I'd like to just make sure that we're competitive we don't have to lead the pack but at least be competitive thank you thank you any other new business motion to a second roll call are all in favor all in favor have a great night thank you very much thank you --------- ##VIDEO ID:4GmCN0yDfYI## good great uh so welcome everyone it's 502 at this moment I'd like to call to order our committee of the whole meeting uh for September 17 2024 we'll begin uh with all who are able to p priz and salute the flag to the flag of the United States of America and to the for stands Nation indivisible and Justice thank you uh the mayor will join us shortly until then I will chair our meeting uh could we please have a roll call of all present sure uh Mrs Bronson Rizzo here Mr kiano here Mr Kingston here uh Miss milber Ellis pres uh Miss monteroso pres Mr sella Pres okay so first order business is our conent calendar do we have any questions on the minutes okay uh any questions on the warrants I just have clarification on one had to do with curriculum at the last page one the the pilot yeah the pilot cul pilot divid any more clarification on that which line item is it the last one science from scientist science oh okay yeah that's the I don't know why it says pilot but uh we've been working with them for a long time they're scientists who come in and give instruction in our elementary schools okay UMR they're awesome they are awesome great J when I said pilot like I said when I said pilot say that's probably an original descriptor TI to that organization years right yeah probably just the way that the title one Department submitted the requisition thank you anything else in Awards okay H any we have no Financial reports no food service financials uh did we have we had some late Communications I believe yes two are around finances so one was just to make sure the committee is on the same page that uh the sr3 grant as an end date of September 30th we have been hustling to make sure that as much as possible of that Grant is properly obligated and invested in the best possible way for what our hopes had been for the grant that has included the investment in the McKinley Early Childhood portion of the McKinley School Rehabilitation project so we just wanted to make sure that you're seeing that we're doing some work to make sure that we maintain our commitment of the $6.9 million from this grant to the project but because of some allowable expenses we had to do some work at the last hour to make sure that things were slotted properly so I wanted to let you know that that's happening tomorrow they should be opening the price proposal and bid from the designer and once we have that uh price proposal if the committee that's working with that says yes to that proposal we'll be able to work backwards on some of these numbers but the allowables not going to change what we're able to invest overall in that project happening so we wanted you to just see that and to know that's happening in the next couple of weeks and to to be a little bit more transparent with it we did talk to the Department of Education um because these contracts are taking so much longer than we thought they would take and we're running up on the timeline and uh desie actually suggested um that so what we had hoped to do was uh pay a portion of the OPM fees a portion of the design fees and a portion of the construction fees that would bring us to the total of $6.9 million which is what we planned all along but we are just getting the design contracts together now or I should say the city's just getting the design contract together now there's no hope that we will have a Construction contract by September 30th so we met with desie and said what do we do and they are the ones who said pay the uh 53% of the OPM the 53% of the design contract and then we're going to take the balance of that and actually put it toward Transportation because there's no supplant rules on sr3 so we are going to put the balance of that on sr3 and then the city sorry we're going to put the balance of that on transportation and then the city will allocate the equal amount to a separate account that goes specifically to the McKinley and in that way we still get the 6.9 million that we wanted to from sr3 to go toward the Early Childhood Center um and we don't lose any of our s funding due to the time constraints of September 30th perfect yes thank you for always being top of it yeah that was going to be my question are we leaving anything on the table I do have a question with the September date um is there any risk to the money no if the project falls through no what what we're doing is obligating These funds in time will do a late liquidation of the payments over the next 12 to 14 months I think the window will be but they want to know and see that we've done all the contractual work to obligate the funds I was just worried if the cost came in higher than they originally thought well the city will have to me so the city is paying the bulk of the charge for this whole project um I think right now it's estimated at 27 million but most of it's at 15 million Grant right they go off for the yeah so there's a lot of it coming from that and then just our portion uh which is why we're making sure that our portion is at its full amount so that the project doesn't get jeopardized I don't think there's a question about the project being jeopardized it's just the way time goes by before things my my concern was that the cost increased and the city real City you know couldn't for whatever reason yeah I think they're on top of it okay I didn't that they're not I don't mean like that I wasn't being negative I just gee you know the numbers came in a lot higher we don't have that kind of money now what we've paid for all that fre liim work so to speak and and goes the obligation for the project manager is done we've committed to that signed the contract okay tomorrow they open the envelope and see the proposal they were expecting suar in that 4.2 but I'm thrilled I think it's gonna be great I just worry and then the second is and uh sorry that this was a little late but we just met with the Ways and Means Committee at the end of last so uh pulled together for your vote tonight at the second meeting the appropriation of the carry forward funds flowing from last year to this year so the three things just to be aware of as we do that is we have $8 million of classroom teachers that we had been anticipating to be paid from previous years carry forward so that plan is solid and in the numbers we've worked diligently to build that reserve and maintained it through this budget cycle and now we'll begin to use those funds in the coming budget Cycles so you see that transparently at the center of this and then on top of that there was another 800,000 in change to be mobilized for what the needs were this year so the Ways and Means Committee worked on this that this week and you can see the handful of places that that funding will go in the bottom third of this report so in a in a similar way at the six o'clock meeting we just have to take a moment to say the committee is appropriating the carry forward according to the recommendations of the Ways and Means Committee and then when the city closes is its fiscal year which should be soon we'll be able to get this money where it is and then start to give you updates on how the year is going so typically we'll wait till October but there's some uh positions here that we'd like to get moving on as quick as we can and since we know what the bottom line will be your vote tonight may not hit the books for a few weeks but I'll be ready to go through that go where because you will have given the permission to do that tonight miss Bron so I just want to talk about the carry forward and this in no means means that I'm for or against any of the items um one like student engagement meetings were not on the agenda for that meeting um so no conversations have been had about it um where it wasn't listed on the agenda it shouldn't be brought up right now um and I also the Lincoln School playground is something I feel should go to plant and maintenance so that the appropriate people can um do the homework and the leg work and then make the recommendations to us um I mean they're both great um items to have but in our fairness one should go to the appropriate subcommittee and one was not on the agenda and should be I mean be on the next agenda of conversations and maybe some ideas of um who might be able to come in and at the cost again not saying I'm for or against they're great ideas but you know I look at like the Lincoln playground you're limited it's a very small area and for years like the PT always wanted to put some structures in there but by law you couldn't put certain structures because the limited space that they had and how um children can be hurt by it so I I think I would like to listen to um not me particularly but the plant and maintenance any professionals and if El wants to come in that's fine I built six playgrounds in this city so I do value her opinion um but we also need to look at maybe there's grants within that we can utilize that's how I feel thoughts anyone um so the $30,000 that I had requested was to um ensure that we had the funds I know it was backwards you're absolutely right um the Safety Committee is meeting tomorrow where we will have the first of many discussions about this um but I think the idea was at least I was under the impression that this money was going to be spent and I just wanted to ensure that some of it at least was allocated towards this purpose and again think it's great I think no I'm all about the process and I and I agree with you um but that's the rationale behind it and I'll and I'll just share that any any carry forward funding that is not allocated doesn't disappear it sits there you can decide at any point during the year that you want to allocate a portion of that um you know following your protocols or or or whatever it's still there and then just if we come to the end of the year and there's some that we haven't spent it just goes into the carry forward for next year I think my thought was that it was going to be all because everybody has ideas they cost money yeah so I gotta right and the vote that you're taking is just saying have those funds available there's been no incumbrances or commitments on the playground or on the student engagement meeting right so there's multiple steps before money actually gets encumbered approved and expended this is the budgeting process to say we have to tell them where to put this money so let's get it in these slots for now and then as we take step forwards if the committee says hey can we talk further about that we are not demanded to spend these things in that direction we're getting it set up to do that should we keep going forward so Stacey just so I understand you you're saying it should have went to the safety and um State subcommittee first and then not on the agenda so open Jes anything that you want to speak about and vote on which there was four votes I asked for it to be on the agenda I didn't know it was not on the agenda but there was also four votes taken to um put that money into it which would only supposed to be a recommendation to the school committee and not a vote for it so I you know what I'm trying to cover the the votee was to send it to the full committee though wasn't it that's what I thought the vote was yeah no vote to move it forward to the full committee and no that's not what was said and I had to watch it today so if it was last week I'd say I don't know I don't remember but it was today so I thought it was I thought I said motion to carry forward to the full committee to be voted on today I recall that was my words but regardless it wasn't on the agenda I just don't want to get us in a place that I have seen before with um people finding open mutant law violations and I don't want this committee to go where I I've already seen and this is the first time I'm hearing about this and I know student engagement meetings sounds like it's on the agenda for tomorrow's subcommittee meeting so first could I just get a little bit more context on what what this is what this request was for exactly is it like for the school committee to post the request was made um this is what we talked about during the Ways and Means Committee so the request was made um offic of singer and I were talking about ways in which we could um connect with the kids that are finding themselves in trouble and um one of the ideas that we broached was the idea of having um you know he had said um his words I'd like to have all the kids in a room and be able to have like a real talk with them and be able to have speakers come in and we kind of elaborated on on that notion it was a brief conversation it was not um something that we were able to obviously work out all the details with with the time that we had spent towards it but I knew that the Ways and Means Committee was coming up and that they were allocating the carry forward funds so I just wanted to get some of those funds reserved for that um in addition to those types of real talk I'm calling it real talk we call it whatever we want but just so you guys know what I'm talking okay that's okay so yeah so in addition to that the funds would also allow the school committee if we wanted to host um maybe a parent Forum or a a students only Forum where those members of of the public can come to us directly and kind of have a a one-on-one chat with us um we would have the funds to pay um the custodial staff and and for Refreshments or whatever it is that we might need in order to do that and we had talked a little bit too about having maybe a guest speaker or two yeah guest speaker exactly and we talked a little bit about how they're feed typically to come in and do a seminar like that depending on if it's a couple hours or a full day could be like3 to $5,000 so uh I think that's what we were talking about when coming to the 30 like what's a what would be a right number to kind of encapsulate all of those ideas while we while they get flushed out and I think the idea was that when we have the community Forum on the 24th that students and parents would be able to to what are the right ideas who are the right speakers to come in and um so usually we vote on this in October right so we would still have a month to vote on it if it if it didn't happen tonight it's right we could vote on it next month if sure we could you could vote on this in October no problem the reason that we put it before you hold clarify um we are going to vote on the carry forward tonight so that we can move forward but any unspent carry forward could still be voted on October November December right January whenever to the money is allocated right the timing is more around for example if the committee does not take the ways and means committee's recommendation and vote tonight then we can't start moving on the nurse that we need because the money's not been committed so if it was recommended by the committee maybe I'm just yeah maybe you're no I'm just saying first I with the carry forward I personally would like to see each item voted to at the next meeting each item and not taken up as a whole pack um that's doable yeah I I think that's fine okay so we'll know that and so what we're saying is any money that is discussed and talked about and voted on at the next meeting is not written in stone for that particular thing because I'm going to go on there and I'm going to save that video Even if we voted yes but it's allocated it's not then the come the official authorization to use it once there's a plan and everything am I sorry I got distract for a minute say again am I following that right that I what I heard Matt and Stacy and Miss brono explain is that this is the allocation but it's not set in stone and so there's an actual project and then it comes to authorizations but I think it is set in stone I'm I'm going to but it is we're voting on these items tonight to go into play it's not to just sit back and wait now you lost me because right before that you said just because we do it not that in stone it's not well no I was going by what Matt had said and I'm saying if that's what everyone's agreeing to and it's not set in stone I'm taking that recording and reminding people later on down the road that that's what they agreed to yeah I think what we meant is we're dealing with budgeting here so the committee is saying we want to do this for example flooring and repair of the Lincoln School playground and we're committing 65,000 to it then work is done on what are we spending that $65,000 on who are we contracted with right um is it 58 that we spent we but this is a commitment we wouldn't then use that money instead for something else something something else but how the $30,000 for student engagement we don't have to settle on that now we have to have a so my next question is if if this was the ways and means recommendation for each line item here I'm faing to see the Gap because I could see how it could be a concern if there was a vote on a recommendation and now there's a line item here that wasn't talked about and wasn't included in that boat there I would see a concern so maybe I'm just not understanding where is the gap between if this was a full vote and recommendation by the committee the issue with it being on here could you explain a little bit more like maybe I'm just missing that I I think I missed what you just said but my understanding of of the issue Stacy raised was that procedurally this issue should have been discussed first in the safety subcommittee and then should have been um referred to Ways and Means for the for the for the funding okay so since this was oh go ahead joh but does it but I don't but does it have to be I guess is my question yes I don't know everything has to it wasn't on the agenda so first of all if it's not on the agenda it didn't happen no sent it to be on the agenda so it should have been on the agenda I request right now we're just voting on I don't remember remember what the agenda this money put in the budget and it will be under separate line items correct right and again I thought I saw it on we can vote any way that you want sure we probably don't want to set a practice we have $152 million budget we probably don't want you as a committee saying yes or no to $30,000 at a time right so the idea is the Ways and Means Committee is putting this before the whole committee tonight to say hey we did our work we had our hourong conversation here's the best use of carry forward in line with the superintendent collaboration and vision so we're going to vote this in one shot and then we'll get busy to spend it with the and then we can go forward and make a motion uh to use the money for that has to go and for the committee as a whole so right now we're just voting on it's going into the budget period yeah it's being allocated it's being allocated doesn't mean it's going to be used till we get voted on as a committee as a whole right okay which which which that's what they're asking for which that's what typically we'll wait till October there's no rush that it's getting but there's a few positions in here that we would like to abut not have to just do the whole thing go begs back to the question does the um I don't know what to call it does the suggestion wish whatever the word we want to use for like the playground for instance is it required is it a rule rig whatever word you want to use that it has to go to subcomittee I mean you want to te treat it was on the agenda when you said that I got let me start by saying with the agenda whatever you're putting down the public needs to have a clear view of what you're going to be speaking about just to put down Lincoln School Pro playground doesn't mean anything to the average person well it says carry forward and I didn't do that well no one knows what a carry forward is either so it needs to be more detailed when it comes to the agenda I'm not saying it's her fault I'm not saying it's their fault it's our fault as chair of our subcommittees that we're not saying what we're going to be discussing as far as the Lincoln school project goes yeah out of respect for each one subcommittee I mean um if but the ways of Means Committee discussed it and it's recommending that we vot on it collectively so we're splitting his I'm missing something yeah I mean did I don't think the vote because it we had a difference in opinion on the vote it was the the vote was to submit to the full committee for their vote your vote doesn't 100% yeah and if I misspoke at the sub meeting I apologize I know I know it had to go another vote obviously that's the purpose of this but I did put it on the agenda and I didn't I I thought I be honest I put it on the agenda um which I did and I also it went before Ways and Means which I thought that's the place it should go I understand maybe it should have gone somewhere else but it didn't and I don't know if there's no rule of reg I don't know why it can't be voted tonight if if it gets voted down this the same thing and I do bring this up time and time again with you we need to respect each other's subcommittee and what their purpose is then we don't need the subcommittee for anything John Kingston wants to spend money on this this and that then why have it go to a subcommittee to do the homework on it it did go to a subcommittee once away it mean and the homework was done on it no it didn't plant a maintenance I'm talking about that one so I see two things here I think if a member has a request to vote line by line we've done that before and I'm perfectly okay with that I think I'm I would like to vote line by line to respect bushes because that has been passed practice so that's one Sol that's on that part on the part of these two items I'd like to hear from the people who brought them what what you're thinking we could wait until October for two of these specific ones I just I mean I don't know who put up the lincol one but I'd like to hear from each well how come mine isn't on the agenda I know was it on the agenda it's not I I asked to get the agenda I don't think it I don't think it came out to be on I don't recall it being before the I don't recall I remember knowing it Aisha because I I don't know if you emailed or somebody else did but I remember seeing it because the term that you used um real talk real talk for the safety one I Googled it to see I thought that was a company oh and I googled real talk so I know that I saw it I thought it was a company too yeah yeah that's tomorrow's subcommittee meeting but I maybe where I saw it I guess I didn't see it I mean apologize was oversight on my must have been if the mck if the um Lincoln School discussed at the regular meeting we just recommended go to plant maintenance and the monies was still not earmarked though but we could 30,000 we could earmark it in October like we usually thoroughly discussed yeah and I I would also just to add to the conversation like I know it didn't specifically say um um I forget um real talk on on the agenda but the true conversation the true topic of the agenda was how to spend the carry forward money again it's not clear to the public or to any one of us like if should I just assume and carry forward other things were going to come up I didn't I don't even agree with some of them I never mind imagining something else uh I feel like we had talked a little bit about it before in terms of the the the items that I had put together and we talked about the nurse position um yeah we knew that there was going to be some yeah funds and this was on the heels of the the our original carry forward so I could I'd like at the regular at the regular meeting we'll vote them up or down um and if someone doesn't want to vote Yes they can I I think that's the I to me that's the fairest way but does my um topic get bumped because it wasn't on the put on the agenda if you had requested it to be put on the agenda I think that's a separate conversation you can have with the chair of that Committee in case it was missed I think at this point well not only was it on the agenda but it was thoroughly discussed during the ways a means committee meeting I mean we spent the hour I put I assumed it was part of the carry forward discussion so that's that's on me I do that's on me I'll take you know would you be okay voting with it in October after especially the subcommittee tomorrow where you'll explain more to that subcommittee what that idea looks like if you people feel like we need to do that then that's fine right but the money will always be allocated any right the money's there money there the money's there anyway so it's just a formality we will do that so that' be the same thing with the Lincoln School then yes Mr well no the the 30,000 wasn't on the agenda my error I guess no we can the recommendation from from the subcommittee can State X Y and Z refer it to plant maintenance discuss it and in October it'll be there if just for a clerical from what I'm hearing is that correct yeah I guess the issue is that like I and it's not just my um item and the issue I'm having right now is that like I take the time out in order to attend as many meetings as I can and when we've spent considerable time talking about these issues it's just really frustrating um and I understand the process and the purpose of having a a correct process but it's really frustrating to have to go back to another meeting and allocate more time that I'm that honestly I'm pressed and that I don't have to just have the same exact Tom to say have the same exact conversation do you know but that meeting is not exclusive to this issue but it is on the agenda it's on the agenda for this is Sor that is what I was thinking of I just found the email yes it is on the agenda but the point was to have it a part of the carry forward money that was going to be voted on voted on tonight I and and one thing I would say in defense of that and I know this might not follow protocol but where we are in a a space where the community and the parents and the students and the staff are looking for us to do more of this work I don't want to say to people well we I can't do anything until October 17th or 15th or whatever the date of the meeting is until it get vote gets voted then do you know what I mean um so there's there's two things we can do then at the 6 PM meeting someone could put in EM motion to just suspend the subcommittee structure for this specific item and if people vote for that then we could vote on it now without having to go through the subcommittee process that's another Avenue we can also see and then if they get suspended for this specific for urgency because our operating procedures do say that we can suspend certain structures if there is an urgency and it would need a majority vote then we could vote on it now to continue talking about it tomorrow and then at the community Forum so that's another Avenue that I could recommend you propose as the proponent of that item okay and then no no offense but I don't think the linkoln is a critically important I wanted to say what's the urgency in the same way right yeah but um you know so if protocol needs to happen there that would be different I think than the protocol for trying to have this money to help support the kids and the urgency Bron I was referring to wasn't about the playground it was about how the student engagement meetings are something that it looks like our district is trying to implement to help with the Urgent issue in our schools but I thought we already discussed that that would still be allocated that more conversation would be had had on it like who might the speakers be like a years back we used to have Chris hering come and talking about drugs and I mean strong speakers not a speaker just to come in and talk about disruption people that have been there in their shoes but it's only allocated if we vote on it and otherwise it's gon to beated in October which you know what is whatever you guys want to do I'm all about the protocol I understand Stacy's concerns and Technically she's absolutely right um but you're right as well as far as there's an exception as to how we can go about it so I heard we shouldn't vote on this item because it wasn't on the agenda so I'm just providing the whole committee with different procedural options that we can all take as a body at 6 pm. if there's urgency which I believe there is people can suspend to vote on it but it won't be allocated as it's been explained unless we vote on it so those are the options that folks can now decide if you want to make different motions at the 6 pm to have it or not have it and we'll vote on each thing line by line by line sounds good only recommend something I don't know of any subcommittees that I've been on to say that we took a vote no you the rest of you yeah you recommend okay so just to the recommendation was and then to go forward okay right when when we're saying vote line by line the Ways and Means Committee has said to the bigger committee we did our work four four of us were there and we have to tell the city auditor where to put this $18 million and the sooner the better for our superintendent trying to get her work done in this so these are our recommendations that goes to vote at six o'clock any of the six of you can say I don't want to put $330,000 toward that or yes or no yeah but the committee as a whole has to give me the permission to allocate it as a whole of what to do okay and uh as opposed to I I don't I don't give them line by line yeses or NOS I have to give them the bottom line so that we can vot with it yeah and you'll do that I think this is like whenever we have like two things in a motion and one person may say can I vote them both separately so you'll still do your part as a whole for the sake of folks motions and votes records we'll separate it yes so which brings me to um coordinator of operations and data would this position be considered more data driven in the work is that what we're looking at where the the three operation oh administrator so there's three assistant principles and a principle for each sticks to 700 600 700 students is that what we're talking about so if we're talking data driven why wouldn't we have an assistant to Jamie is the data person why wouldn't we have an assistant to work on these items and I I look at we're doing contracts right now and people want more money people want cost to living people want everything and to these are large items these are large positions I know it makes a daily or we like to think it would make the dayto day work easier um it's not even easier it's that the amount of work that's now required really for the testing piece is the big piece with the number of kids that are having access testing and then mcast um and really being able to use that data to drive the instruction is where we're struggling and then on top of that the work around any Title Nine or harassment or bullying charges that we're now required to do by the state which is great it's a great process but it's very labor intensive and one issue could take a an assistant principal or a principal out of their role for three or four days just to in investigate one situation and then if it's the middle of the testing season which happens now basically virtually all year long the principal is the one who right now is spending all of their time scheduling the rooms scheduling which kids have accommodations what the accommodations require it's just become so burdensome that the principles and the assistant principles can't get into the classrooms to do the work around rigor and um making sure that their presence helps kids understand what the expectations are for behavior and so it becomes a vicious cycle because they're not getting into the classrooms kids are acting up more and getting sent out and then all they're doing is discipline and there's no one who's spending the time to really um get dig into the data share it with teachers and so this person would almost be uh mostly focused on the data looking at the kids attendance who's chronically absent trying to end that before it gets to Chronic absenteeism connecting with the families using the family working with the family liaison to connect with the families and get kids in and then doing the test in the data analysis but also supporting the principles the assistant principles with the discipline and the um title n regulations so there's an overlapping there is an overlapping yeah and this person will be very busy at certain times of year just doing the testing and that's what their focus will be but when they're not testing that's when they'll be supporting the other stuff and Richie and I kind of had the same thought when I I looked at it and how I describe it is um they do use data in all facets of what they're doing but every data point they're going to be acting on so if you think about accommodations across a school they have to determine whose IEP has accommodations for small group testing who has one-on-one they have to be able to then schedule that based on the data same thing with discipline they're going to be logging oh well every sixth period uh student a seems to be getting into trouble I'm gonna have the family in and say what's going on in that period you know what I mean so they are using data all day long but it's really the subsequent action from the data that I think right now our Middle School staff just can't get to they don't have the bandwidth and where does this person fit in the hierarchy I believe equal to assistant principle equal to an assistant principal pardon what equal to an assistant principal correct so it' be like um you know how we have some assistant principles just like for example we have superintendents with different titles so this would be like an assistant principal for data and all and assessment answering to the principal not to other assistants correct other question I you know I just feel like everyone is overburdened right now in all facets of our education system I I don't know I do I have a hard time when people are out there asking for cost of living or they're asking for raises and stuff it's a lot of money it's 140,000 person of living raises and also want to acknowledge we not that you're talking about negotiations but that we're talking about salaries for non-administrators that it's a separate conversation and a separate space not for now but appreciate folks sharing their I want to acknowledge the mayor is here mayor we have no enrollment update um we are now at Personnel items the folks have questions or thoughts and I'll pass it back to you oh thank you appreciate I just love some negotiations as well so fun every contract for the entire City's up in one year awesome reink that schedu yeah I know we should okay so we already W over new hires or yeah any questions or comments there thank you okay you got it new high was that a I think thank you Matt said thanks Matt thank you than you so um Dr Kelly I guess that was you and mrci um she was asking about the new highes the 100 new hires how they doing they doing good fitting well so far so good great uh we do still have 10 positions that we're trying to to fill teaching positions um five of them a special education actually really you could say seven a special education because but to a speech pathologist um and then we've got a couple of other positions that we have budgeted for that we want to fill but we're not as desperate to fill those we can function uh without them but we're still going to push ahead and try to fill those uh that includes one more school psychologist position other than that we are fully staffed with our school psychologists which is a great improvement over where we've been the last couple of years um we've got an El English learner language acquisition Coach position open again we want to fill that we're not desperate to fill that I mean I I don't know how to say this appropriately we can function without the position but we really want to fill it um so all together with including everything um we have a total of 16 positions that we're trying to fill for teachers um and then for par professionals um we have one two three eight part-time positions left open to fill uh we have one full-time position open from a recent resignation but we feel like that one's going to fill very quickly um so we're we're in good shape much better than we were at this time last year so um still working at it the high school made a recommendation for one of their open positions today so if that goes through we can decrease that number that I gave you by one um and everybody is just continuing to work on it thank you the um 100 you said that were high the last time we met this is 27 more so you're replacing 127 it's 17 this is 17 more it's a total of 17 miscounted by 10 I'm sorry that's okay um you were a naap teacher teacher or an English teacher a handful of them are new positions and the rest are uh Replacements retirements resignations Etc what's the assistant at the high school the new one is that which one which one are you looking at new High Assistant Principal R High School no first oh Carla is replacing um somebody who left Pina margarito Santa is is that a new position or she replacing an assistant who left she's replacing an assistant who left okay so at the high school now we have a principal Deputy principal seven assistants six six six see that that could be ptty a problem in the morning coming in um you know notth the sound sexist you got one male and six females luy guys you know I mean somebody got hurt got pushed and everything else it it it just did you ever seen me deal with a fight I take you out I could take you down in a minute one end of Broadway to the other read the room Mr sella and there's more than one male on it team I will say as well it is not as balanced as the middle schools out the general there's five women and two males to Mr sel's point so there are there is a yeah no doubt yeah I mean I can talk ancient history when you had principal at the high school and one assistant now I mean you're creating four more positions I can see a lawsuit coming it's it's everything it's just everything everything's Administration Administration teachers are looking for support as as we mentioned salaries I don't see it coming to a root of anything it just it's just going to perpetuate itself I mean I I get what Freddy's saying as far as being top heavy you know any type of organization that runs you can run into problems when that's the case um but we also have 1600 students so if we're 1600 over 2000 almost 2200 oh 2200 I again I guess it's all relative right it is but I'm also going to say that this district is not topheavy and if you compare us to other districts of uh equal or even lesser size they have five far more administrators than we have well you know I realize times change and and and good better and different uh and I'll use myself as an example Wayland School K through 8 principal and assistant principal 805 kids but times Chang things have to be programmed different things everything else but it seems that every time something comes up it's administrat these new three positions the people who are doing the job now knew what they were doing when they took the job you saw fit to take some of their duties so now instead of a principal and two assistants it's a principal and three assistants it just goes on and on and on but also to the classrooms are a lot smaller than what we were when we were at school to I think half the size well and the demands right there's a lot of red tape and a lot of Demands that the state puts on the school but I mean we're talking about having having nurses who work elsewhere because they can go up to $500 a day yet we're putting in three or $400,000 into a new administrative position and serving x amount of students where nurses are serving thousands of them it it just seems everything is imbalan and that's my opinion sure so I I do want to point out that in the last couple of years since s SOA came on into place we've added over 100 teaching positions that's so we now have over 800 teachers in this District I don't know how many there were when when at the times that you're talking about I know it was far fewer every single one of those teachers needs to be evaluated seven to 10 times a year that didn't used to exist mcast didn't used to exist the title n laws didn't used to exist the number the number of IEPs didn't used to exist the number of English Learners didn't exist all of the work that we have to do for all of these kids it's a very different environment now than it used to be and I think that our administrators our principles especially um are in a position where they can't do their jobs they can't get to the curriculum the instruction and and making sure what's happening in classrooms is the right thing because they're so bogged down with all of the other and it has definitely helped having two assistant principles instead of one because there was a time when we only had one assistant principle at each of the middle schools um but the need has just increased that significantly and we have to make it so that their jobs are doable people don't want principal jobs anymore because they're so difficult and they deal with so much in their in their daytoday um we need to find a way to make it so that their job is doable and they're not ready to quit after three or four years in each session well and they're effective yeah and that they can be effective is he look Dr Kelly can I interrupt sure for a question could I talk to just a minute I'm so sorry but she are in touch okay okay can I just say though and I I get where people outside look at administrative get larger and I I in some ways I do feel it because like I said Educators play adjusted field and are expected to do more in the classroom and deal with more in the classroom with um the social issues um but 10 years ago is when we went from one assistant principal and we decided to add to help the principal and the assistant principal then it was a few years after that we needed a second assistant principal because it was there was just too many difficulties now such as the operator one we did family layers ons to help out and they were working great but now even the family layers ons need help and we're adding another Administration I I think that's where people have a hard time um we can sit here and we can say yes today's world it's changed we need all that but I think it's hard for people on the outside to really take this all in and see the need for it well I think anyone on the outside who has questions should come and Shadow our school and all the work that our entire School District does to run and serve all of our students so I know our administrators and our school committee members are always open to answer those questions so folks don't understand they can become an educator and join us or they can Shadow our school come to a forum and hear the millions of things all our Educators at all levels have to do each and every day every second to serve our students yeah Jack and Miss mono so I feel the same way you know sometimes from the outside looking in even years ago you know you you felt a little bit of it you kind of had these same feelings but when the more and more you spend time in this building or in any of our schools you realize the amount of work and this goes from the top to the bottom everyone left and right um it's it's wild and uh it's it's something that I don't know how you do it and I say this all the time I know that um you know sometimes Administration can be looked at as as the the tough people uh making the tough decisions but the amount of work that's done and the hours that are put in there's not a t both both both these two here and of course the rest of the team when I call at six o'clock at night they're still here and not every night but and if they're not here they're still involved uh this these incidents that happened last week or two weeks ago you know that consumed an entire just you know because I know you handle a lot of the discipline um Mr guchi and that consumed at least two weeks of your work and it's still consuming right now yeah and so that that's not something that you could just pass off to uh someone that you know just kind of came on came on so I appreciate what you do and I know it's not easy because not everyone appreciates it and there's you know the state of Massachusetts it's it's very easy to point at school districts and and and use use political um you know kind of sound bites sound bites to to to to vilify the state of Massachusetts has the best educational system in the country what definitely in the top top okay I I will I will say it's the best but you know it's definitely in the very very high tops in the city of rier is one of the highest performing Urban school districts in the state I get all the time I got calls from Vice chairs from other districts who we just like how do we how do we match mcast Force like how do we you know mat you all and sometimes it's hard to appreciate it when you're inside of it it's just like everything else you don't always appreciate the bill Bell checks until the bill Bell checks are no longer there and you're not you know you're four four 12 can I just address what Mrs monosa had said mon mono okay so just that you know to say people need to come in and see and ask questions it's so easy to say that I was a parent in this district for 12 years I participated in everything I was also in the nurse's office for 20 years but until you sit in these roles and see actually the workings you do not know so to become an educator doesn't necessarily mean you know exactly what's going on in their roles um I wish our Educators could understand what they're doing but they can only see what they're dealing with at that point and they have a lot of work too and they have a lot of work thank thank you to all of them Mr Kingston when when you talk to us at the ways of mean subcommittee you hit you hit something a point that was in my head my dad retired about 30 years ago from being an elementary principal in this district for over 30 years and his biggest complaint in his last few years was how much time he had to spend in the office and how little time he could spend with the kids and if you knew my dad he wanted to spend as much time as he could with the kids and and bother and it bothered him a lot he said I'm tied to that blank blank computer and I can't get out of the office and I don't like my job anymore and I you know obviously he lived at my house in my whole life and I never heard my dad say that for those last few years so when you said that about principles not being able to get out of the office or the assistant tied up doing scheduling it really hit me and and with all the respect you did a much better know you did a great job of of I won't say selling it because I'm not being sold you did a great job of explaining the role um that didn't happen tonight unfortunately but I I that's why I'm saying it now I remember my dad telling me that no and 30 years ago was not today it isn't but for my dad to tell me that and for me to remember it 30 years and I'm sitting in that meeting in the in the school committee room and you said that and I'm like wow that's what my dad said and it just really hit me because I do agree about creating more spots but I do know how important it is to have those administrators in the hallways especially at the middle schools because hopefully if we can get the kids I'll say squared away I don't know what word to use get them out of get them out there get them in not in their office so they you see them and I think if we can help get the Middle School um not to say it's not good if we can improve I'll say I don't want to use the wrong words improve the middle school or make it a little better or have more engagement learn how to do school yes so that when they when they reach the school we won't you know no offense we won't be on the news every week because um I think you know if someone's locked in their office they don't know what's going on so if it if this position allows those people to get out um and also the other thing too and you pointed out the meeting and you didn't say it tonight we might have an assistant principal now that loves data and is GNA say he is she I want that job yeah yeah yeah and that might help that person stay in the district that might help that person's professional growth or personal growth whatever the words you want to use and then we hire another person that's going to be the more forward- facing because maybe they want to do that MH because during the ways of Means Committee I had said to you about it being a lesser position because it wasn't so forward facing maybe we should do a different tier but you came back to me and said what if one of our current assistants wanted that job and I agreed with you and no offense that doesn't happen that often and you you made a great point so that didn't happen tonight because I thought about it let's save a few bucks let's have a second tier so this person wouldn't be an assistant princip be one step below because they're not doing the same thing but you explained how that might hurt someone I agreed with you and that's why I think we need to have our admins in the hallways not in the not in the for the most part in the hallways in the hallways in the classrooms forever jge King the district I'm sorry I know we're all the time but I had to say that because tonight didn't I didn't get the same vibe from you no offense I didn't get the same VI view of why you thought it was important tonight as I did in that meeting you did a great job in the meeting and I meant that sincerely we have about two minutes and I just wanted to know if we wanted to run down a few more before we got into the regular so whatever you like just acknowledge um Mr Kings and the work that his father had done and the small things that make it work so much easier by not being in the office by not being on the computer the man would be out front doing traffic and having kids come into school and could grab the problem issues right on the sidewalk also grab the parents that might not come in for those meetings and always had those discussions first thing in the morning the end of the day would have his arm around the kid and say I think we need to have a CH body and I've never seen a more welcoming I mean don't get me wrong I love what who we have now and everyone has a different personality but it was my the best style that an administrator could have um so you know what I'm GNA say George was the best person I ever worked with and I will never getet him that's for sure thank you um so the ne the next item the uh American Income Life Insurance I can table that till next month it's not okay and then I know we have U promoting acceptance of donations and Gifts real real briefly uh we did uh recognize and uh acknowledge an unbelievable accomplishment by a former R High graduate and teacher Anna denzo who received uh the biology uh Mass bioed Champions Award here we had a a celebration here last week uh and she also received $5,000 uh that she can use towards her um needs her classroom needs her personal needs that are involved in her educ her I encourage the spa visit you did you you you encouraged some um self-care which is always good and then promoting a safey and healthy learning environment grants award which is $50,000 I don't think anyone's going to turn that away no you don't know what that's for that's uh $50,000 for teams of teachers to uh work on developing out the curriculum that goes along with the new standards for health and PE uh the 20 Jessie put out new standards in 2023 and the teachers are going to work together to um build out that curriculum great think a motion to adjourn