Schools on the City Council agenda

This week on the Worcester City Council agenda, there are a few items pertaining to schools:

• William S. Coleman, III request City Council place on the November 3, 2015 Municipal Election Ballot the following non-binding question: "Should Massachusetts rescind its decision to adopt the National Common Core Education Standard for Math and English, and revert back to the curriculum frame work that was previously in place? Yes or No."

Were this to go on the ballot, it presumably would be calling on the Board of Ed to reverse their 2011 vote in favor of adopting the standards (interestingly, I heard over the weekend that the Board vote on PARCC is projected to be at their November 17 meeting).

• William S. Coleman, III request City Council request the City Manager provide an update as to the placing of a a plaque honoring Worcester Technical High School's Graduating Class of 2014 and President Barack Obama.

In Finance, they have the following:

• Recommend the adoption of a Loan Order in the amount of Seven Million Twelve Thousand One Hundred Dollars And No Cents ($7,012,100.00) be appropriated to fund four building improvement projects of the Worcester Public Schools.

This is the funding for next summer's MSBA projects: Flagg, McGrath, Grafton Street, and Jacob Hiatt (all for windows, Hiatt for a boiler as well). The city has to borrow the entire amount of the projects, 'though the state will reimburse the city 80% for these projects, as they have all the others we've done.

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Request City Manager forward a copy of the Worcester Public Schools' safety audit/plan to the City Council. (Lukes)

I'm assuming Councilor Lukes is referring to the school safety audit, which we discussed the Request for Proposals of at our last school committee meeting. We should have it back this fall.

• Request City Manager consider updating City Council relative to the status of rehab/replacement projects for Burncoat Senior High School, Doherty Memorial High School and South High Community School. (Palmieri)

The only one of these the City Manager could update Council on is South, as we're in the first round of documents to prepare and committees to appoint for that, as South has entered into the MSBA process. Doherty has been submitted to MSBA, but we won't hear anything on renovation/rebuild submissions until this fall, and Burncoat hasn't been submitted to anything (note the Councilor's careful use of alphabetical order in his submission!)

• REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON TRAFFIC AND PARKING Upon the Petition of Councilor George J. Russell on behalf of Patrick Donahue request installation of school zone speed limit and thickly settled speed limit signage in Crowningshield Rd.: recommend adoption of the accompanying Order to install “School” signage in Crowningshield Rd.

That's for Rice Square School.

• REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON TRAFFIC AND PARKING Upon the Petition of Gina Tangney request speed limit signs and/or stop signs at the school crossing portion of Harrington Way, as well as toward the bottom of the hill, as a way to slow down traffic: recommend adoption of the accompanying Order to install “30 MPH,” “Thickly Settled,” and “School” advisory signage in Harrington Way.

That's for North High.