June Board of Education meeting: ABBREVIATED MEETING

The Board of Education is having their June meeting in Malden this morning at 8:30. The agenda is here. 
Posting as we go.
Chair Sagan just took a call and has gathered the rest of the board (not a quorum here) around him; members of staff coming in teary-eyed and exchanging hugs. 

Chair Sagan opens the meeting by announcing that Commissioner Chester died last night "after a short but difficult illness."
They will conduct an abbreviated meeting.

Public comment is declined, as are comments from the Board.

There are several votes that will need to be taken today
Motion to approve the early college high school passes

Public testimony from LGBTQ Safe Schools Program will be postponed to fall

Change in teacher licensure:
Moriarty reserves right to reconsider later, but will vote today, due to timeliness
change in licensure passes

going with written report on Level 5 schools

Wulfson: not much update on budget: in conference committee, once we see that, "we'll know where we need to nip and tuck"

Waiver on posted time requirements for charter schools
passes

Calendar for next year passes

Noyce "as you can see, we gave the Commissioner an outstanding evaluation"
impressed that the Department did pull off the change to a really challenging scheduling
impressed by the reorganizing schedule
"everyone felt that they were part of a high achieving high quality team"
"respect that this staff had for the Commissioner"
"inspired by his leadership"

Sagan to Nathan Moore (on his last meeting as student rep) "I don't know how you give so much time"
"what are you doing in school?"
acknowledges Hannah Trimarchi of Marblehead High, who is a rising senior

Delegation of authority: Sagan instead makes a motion to appoint Deputy Commissioner Wulfson as Acting Commissioner
does not move to delegate authority over summer; believes a summer meeting will be necessary
"will have the appropriate public process to figure out going forward"
Wulfson: "speak on behalf of all my colleagues here at the department of the privilege it was to have Mitchell as our Commissioner"
"will dedicate ourselves to the great work that he led us in"
approved

Board will go forward with executive session as previously posted (for pending litigation)