Worcester School Committee meeting tonight!

The Worcester School Committee has its regular meeting tonight at 7 pm at City Hall. You can find the agenda here. The first agenda is just a hearing on school choice, which we are required to have every year to confirm that we want to allow students from other districts in the system (space available).

• We are starting our meeting by honoring Patricia Ryan and Kevin Chviruk, who received the Thomas S. Green Awards last month.
• We're being asked to open negotiations with Locals 125 and 135 (plumbers and tradesmen).
• We don't have a report of the superintendent, but we do have three subcommittees reporting out: Governance and Employee Issues; Teaching, Learning, and Student Support; and Accountability and Student Achievement.
• We are setting dates for budget deliberations: June 6 and 20 at 4 pm.
• We've got lots of people to appreciate and thank: donations, awards, and plenty of good news!
• We have four items tonight on inBloom: requesting our delegation look at a New York state bill on student privacy; a request that we abide by 201 CMR 17.00; a request that parents know who is getting their children's information and how to refuse to allow it; and a request that we report on who gets our information, why, and how it's protected.
• We're being asked to accept a grant from the state on setting up a career academy at North.
• We're being asked to accept a grant from the state on financial literacy for Worcester Tech. 
• We're being asked to accept a truck for our summer food programs (!).
• We have an item requesting that access to the DCR area be reviewed on behalf of our crew team.
• The administration is asking us for input on the 2013 student, teacher, and parent surveys. This is going to Accountability, so please plan to weigh in!
• There are three items on the proposed slots parlor: one requesting a report from the City Manager on impacts on schools and youth; one asking the superintendent for a parallel report; and one setting a public hearing on the proposed parlor as to its impacts on youth and schools.
• There's a number of items going to administration: summer reading kickoffs, the Worcester Police Summit (which is May 15 at 5), rail safety education, science kit use, alternative ed use.
• We have a prior year fiscal payment and overtime account transfers. 
• And some proposed new classes are going off to subcommittee.

It all starts at 7 pm at City Hall!