Worcester School Committee meets Thursday

and it's a light agenda...
There's an executive session to discuss collective bargaining with IAs, OT/PT assistants, and administrative secretaries, plus a grievance from an HVAC technician.

There is a report on social-emotional learning (as yet, no backup).

There are some appointments, retirements, and recognitions.

Mr. Monfredo wants to ask the state to fund full-day preschool and wants to discuss a program for four year olds. Please consider this your reminder that the Foundation Budget Review Commission "recognized" preschool; also recall that it is not, by any means, the biggest dollar concern on the foundation budget for Worcester. Eyes on the prize, people.

Miss Biancheria would like a report on adult education in the vo-tech programs.

Miss McCullough is advocating for a sharing table (I think we already have them some places.)

Mr. O'Connell wants to fly the national, state, and city flags at all schools, and he wants a list of who is on CPPAC.

The committee is being asked to accept a $52,000 grant for MassGrad Promising Practices, which will work on competency-based education at the alternative programs.

The committee is being asked to accept donations:

• $1,000 from Chapter 9 of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Association to Worcester Technical High School for a graphic communications scholarship for a deserving student
• $560 to Tatnuck Magnet School from Gomez Enterprises, LLC (Trade name-McDonalds)
• $ 35 from various donors to Tatnuck Magnet School

The committee is being asked to appoint three nurses.

The committee is also asked to authorize an "up to" five year lease of thirteen full-sized school buses. As Scott O'Connell covered in yesterday's T&G, this is about covering the after-school sports transportation, which didn't receive a single bid. If you read the backup memo (as always in finance, recommended), the proposal is to do this by reallocating funds. It also is a possible lead in to bigger changes:

Worcester meetings this week

It looks like a bumper crop of school-related meetings this week:

Monday morning at 7:30, there is a meeting of the negotiations (with the superintendent-elect) committee. As those are negotiations, I'd assume they'll immediately vote to go into executive session. As we're now at six weeks and counting since the vote to appoint, one wonders what the hold-up is on the contract.

Monday night at 5, there is a Joint Education (City Council) and Finance & Operations (School Committee) meeting. It appears that the discussion is budget. 

Tuesday at noon (erg!) there is a Governance and Employees Issue meeting.  There are a few issues on that agenda: cell phones is on there, though I assume there will not be student or staff comment, given the time of day. The item on a major overhaul of WPS policy (looooong overdue) is also on there.

Also on Tuesday at 5:30 is an Accountability meeting. That has the amount of testing on the agenda. Also, the "Arrested Futures" on student arrests is on the agenda, which certainly warrants attention, as well as the October 1 student count. 

And the full committee meets Thursday.  They'll be opening with the annual school choice hearing (Remember this means school choice IN; school choice OUT is allowed, at the state level). There are a number of recognitions, both happening and requested, plus all of the above subcommittees reporting out. There is no report of the superintendent. Ms. Biancheria, interestingly, is asking that a grievance be reconsidered.
Bill Coleman, adding the School Committee to his rounds of public petitions, is asking that a portrait of the new superintendent be installed in every school. I will leave the historical and literary analogies to others, but they do leap to mind, don't they?
Mr. O'Connell is asking that the School Committee consider the Rise Act (which has passed the Senate; I assume they'd be weighing in on House action).
Mr. O'Connell is also requesting the update of a couple of policies--administration of medication to students and student activity accounts--from recent MASC updates. He's also asking that they update their substance abuse prevention policies (which MASC hasn't updated yet, as the regulations from DESE haven't been issued yet).
The audits are coming! (not attached; I'm assuming you should look for them to turn up in F&O)
Mr. Monfredo is asking that the School Committee go on record supporting the Fair Share amendment.
The School Committee is being asked to set the dates for their budget hearings: there's no backup attached; my best guess is June 2 and 16 at 4 pm.
Mr. Foley is asking that the Committee invited Treasurer Goldberg to talk about the $eedMA program of saving for college.
And there are donations! $100 from Worcester Refugee Assistance Project to Greendale Head Start; $1000 from  Worcester District Medical Society to support the CPR project; and $10,000 from Digital Credit Union  and the DCU for Kids Charitable Foundation for scholarships for graduating seniors.
Finally (but coming first) there is an executive session scheduled to reconsider the grievance (as requested by Ms. Biancheria above) and to update the committee on the superintendent-elect negotiations.
Executive session is at 6; the school choice hearing at 6:45; the regular meeting at 7.
On blogging: I won't be there for the full meeting Thursday; I plan to blog the joint meeting Monday night. 

Worcester School Committee meets Thursday, April 7

The Worcester School Committee meets Thursday, April 7. You can find the agenda here.
The report of the superintendent (and the big thing on the agenda) is setting budget priorities. It's worth reading the backup for this (the PowerPoint you've already seen from the preliminary presentation in February). It lays out what you probably already know if you've been watching this: the increases in the budget ($4.6M) don't come close to covering a level budget ($11M), never mind the increases the district actually needs ($11.7M at least!).
The meat of the message (from the memo) is here:

 Given uncertainty as to student enrollment and demographics, the state’s foundation budget inflation factor, adoption of the Foundation Budget Review Commission Report, fixed cost increases, and additional contractual or compliance spending demands, it is likely that a reallocation, reduction, and deferred spending on positions and non-salary items will be necessary in order to have a balanced budget. This means that while some areas of the budget will see increases, there will be other parts of the budget may also see a reduction of teachers, other positions and non-salary spending.

So, pay attention. I'd further note that the time frame on all of this is going to be somewhat compressed due to the superintendent transition (just the fact that they're setting priorities in April is late).

That's the big one.

There are a few recognitions.
There's a communication coming in from a citizen regarding the MOU between the schools and the police department.

There are several midyear resignations.
The School Committee is being asked to approve a prior year payment for  $3,536 for McKinney-Vento transportation for homeless students.
There are several requests for recognitions.
It looks as though the School Committee got an email on the Goddard Scholars program, as there are not one, but two items regarding expanding it.
Mr. Monfredo wants administration to create an early learning committee to consider lobbying for full-day preschool funding, discussing a two year kindergarten program, and "gradually advancing 4 year olds yearly, based on readiness" (and I don't know what that means).

The vet tech program at Worcester Tech is getting a grant of $347,882.

There are donations of $500 for the Worcester Tech robotics team; $100 for the CPR project; and $1000 for the CPR project.

There is a Rice Square/Lake View sharing best practices grant coming in for $6658.

There is an executive session before the meeting for negotiations with the incoming superintendent (no contract as yet); collective bargaining (no group specified); and two grievances.

The policy handbook is going off to subcommittee. 

I do not plan to be there; here's hoping the press coverage is good!

Worcester School Committee meets tomorrow!

The Worcester School Committee has its first April meeting tomorrow at 7 pm. You can find the agenda here. 
First up, several recognitions: of students, of teachers, of staff, and of the ski team!
The report of the Superintendent is on the wraparound zone (it's not up online yet, but you can find it here).
We have some new school nutrition help being appointed, as well as one bus attendant.
We have several reports coming back from administration:

• results of the first year of the Gateway to College program at QCC
• observing September 2 as World War II commemoration day
• on the establishment of debate clubs (Doherty has one!)
• on the establishment of Mock Trial 
• response on Reading in Our City week for 2013
• response on summer reading posters
• response on the 2013 Worcester Police Summit
• response on participation in the 2013 Summer Youth Works Program
• response to guided tours at the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial at Green Hill Park
• response to Teacher of the Year distribution (if you're a WPS employee, you can make a nomination! So can site council members and PTO members!)

Mr. O'Connell has an item on developing a protocol for inviting elected officials to significant WPS events.

Mr. Monfredo (I suspect, not alone!) is lauding Doherty's production of Guys and Dolls.

Mr. Monfredo wants administration to create a plan to communicate with our local delegation.

We're asking for letters to go to our science fair winners and to students whose art is up at UMass Memorial. 

Mr. Monfredo is encouraging participation in the Home Run Reading Club (you can get a ticket to the Bravehearts for this summer!).

We're asking for appreciation for those who organized the Women in Science Conference at the Ecotarium.

Mr. Monfredo also recognizes the poster winners in the "Safe Jobs for Youth" contest. 

Ms. Biancheria is asking for Fall 2014 and Spring 2015 baseline reports.

Ms. Biancheria is asking for the number of art and music teachers and the number of study halls at the secondary schools, and the number of teachers and students per high school (PLEASE NOTE: budgetary implications!).

Miss Biancheria is asking what programs are happening during the summer months.

And we have donations: $5000 to Worcester Tech for work with the Ecotarium; $1000 for Jacob Hiatt Magnet for their playground renovation (!).

And BUDGET HEARING DATES: June 5 and June 19 at 4 pm! Mark your calendars! This is when the Worcester School Committee, line by line, account by account, deliberates and passes the FY15 budget.

We also have an executive session tomorrow night: several collective bargaining issues, one litigation update, and a grievance.

And remember: it's live on Channel 11! 

Worcester School Committee meets Thursday

The FIRST Worcester School Committee of the new term is on Thursday at 7pm. You can find the agenda here.
First of all, we have (as usual) an executive session at 6 pm. As I mentioned, the reasons for the executive session now are posted as part of the agenda (it's the final item). On Thursday, we have three disciplinary hearings, a grievance, negotiations with the Coordinator of Nurses (one on that list of positions whose contract is with the School Committee), and negotiations with the union of the administrative secretaries.
At 7 pm (or thereabouts), the public session begins.
We have a public petition regarding the naming of the new North High softball field.
We'll have both the Joint (F&O/Education) and Finance & Operations subcommittees reporting out (Remember, F&O meets tomorrow at 5 pm).
We have a beginning-of-year flurry of personnel items: resignations, appointments, transfers.
We have a response to some queries Mr. O'Connell had on preschool, including a list of service providers and options for the other half of the day.
At Miss Biancheria's request, we have a list of STEM events (she asked for February and March, but it looks as though this is the year).
We have a response on middle school sports.
My One Library item is on again, so I can ask a few questions (still no MOU, though, so I'm going to ask that we hold it again).
We have an extensive answer to Mr. Monfredo's questions on summer school and its efficacy.
We also have another preschool item coming back.
We have an answer to my question of where the $1 per pupil recess money went. (Bonus points to whomever put the chart together and added relevant clip art!)
We also have an answer to which schools have bike racks: Claremont Academy, North, South, Worcester Tech, Burncoat Middle, Sullivan Middle, Chandler Elementary, and Flagg Street. (Anyone out there who wants to work on this?)
We have a response from administration on dealing with increasing enrollment, as well as one on questions about items at North.
We also have the awaited FY14 additional budgetary allocation! And, sorry, it's not an exciting recommendation from administration, but it's a necessary one.
We have items coming in asking for honors and thanks!
We also have items asking that admin work with CPPAC on their annual expo and on parent enrichment activities, that the POW/MIA chair be available to schools for programs, that the process for using School Dude be reported on, that the WPD set up a text line for reporting unshoveled sidewalks, that we get a list of every school to which graduating seniors have been admitted, that we get a report on fitting out of North High (and remaining funds), that safe routes to schools be reported on, and that teachers get their retroactive pay in full at the next check.
Administration will be sending along new courses to subcommittee!
We have a prior year payment of $1072 and one of $3088.20 up for approval.
We also donations: $6408.01 to Lake View School from the parents; $1000 from National Grid for Doherty robotics; $500 from a Mobil retailer to Grafton Street.
And Mr. Monfredo wants to be sure that we celebrate Read Across America Day!
At City Hall at 7 pm and live on Channel 11!

Grievance being held

...pending meeting of admin and EAW. Decision announced September 1.