Worcester School Committee meets Thursday, May 1

We have our May Day meeting at 7 pm; you can find the agenda here.

First up: recognitions! Science fair award winners, safety poster winners, and volunteers at Worcester State.
Then we're going to say goodbye to Jim Bedard, our facilities director, who is going to work for WPI (who is amazing and will be greatly missed...but I'll save that for the floor).

Report of the Superintendent is a new Seven Point Financial Plan, on which more anon; most of these are things we either already explicitly or implicitly do in our budgeting in the Worcester Public Schools.

Standing Committee reports from yesterday's Finance and Operations meeting and hearing are coming back to the full committee.

We have a report back that administration did ask that students be given access to library materials during MCAS testing (did anyone hear anything around this?).

The United Way is making a donation to Belmont Community School and Burncoat High (of $500 each).

Mr. Monfredo (who always remembers these) is asking that we remember Teacher Appreciation week (May 5-9) and Nurses Appreciation Week (May 5-11) and that we recognize the Teacher and Nurse of the Year (which we'll do at our final regular year meeting on June 19). Write a note!

North High got a grant for a garden!

Miss Biancheria has a transportation request, and is also looking for an update on the Worcester Tech graduation.

We're being asked to approve a prior year (a prior prior year? 2012-13) payment of $2652 for a guidance counselor stipend.

We're being asked to approve the new fingerprinting policy required by state law.

And we have the quarterly Central Mass Special Education Collaborative report. They're looking for new space, and it appears they're doing some marketing (?).