Worcester School Committee meets Thursday, May 17

The agenda is posted here.
There are recognitions and such.
The report of the Superintendent is "An Overview of the Process for District Site Visits" and I don't know what that means.
Teaching, Learning, and Student Supports is meeting Monday afternoon and is reporting out (on gifted programs, ice hockey, Mandarin Chinese, summer programs, and the future teachers' program at Worcester State).
There will be (only one is posted) responses from administration on free drivers' ed and on Earth Day.
Miss McCullough is requesting a report on vocational programs not at Worcester Tech.
Mr. O'Connell wants to appropriate the funding the state has allocated for students evacuated due to Hurricane Maria; he's going to be told that they'll do that at the FY19 budget hearing, as that's been said several times. 

Mr. O'Connell (co-sponsored by five other members of the committee) has an item: "review the recommendations of the proposed Strategic Plan and assign them to appropriate Standing Committees of the School Committee, and/or to the Administration, for further analysis, consideration, discussion, and development." Two things: that puts the strategic plan on the agenda (important if you'd like to comment) and sets up a committee public process of review (which we haven't had so far).

Mr. O'Connell also wants to set up an English Learner Parent Advisory Council, per the LOOK bill; maybe we should have regulations first. Comments are due this Friday! 

There is a request for approval of a prior fiscal year payment of $1,496.50 for services rendered to a Special Education student who was placed in the Uxbridge Public Schools.

There is a request that the Committee accept donations of:
 - $4,000.00 from the WEDF for the Leap Program in collaboration with the Worcester Art Museum
- $250.00 from donors to Heard Street Discovery Academy for the purchase of a new classroom rug
- $1,000.00 from donors to a Doherty Memorial High School football player in memory of Thomas Walles
- $1,000.00 from Alliance Energy LLC to Grafton Street School
- $1,000.00 from a Foundation to the Goddard Scholars Academy for the purchase of a tuba for the their Band
- to Woodland Academy: - $122.31 from CEC Entertainment Inc. - $250.00 from the College of the Holy Cross
- $2,583.87 from the City of Worcester for being selected as a recipient of a Worcester Arts Council 2018 Award for their project “Making the Impossible Possible”
- to Tatnuck Magnet School: - $4.50 from Box Tops for Education - $85.00 from various donors - $300.00 from I.U.O.E Local No. 4 Social Action Committee - $500.00 from Country Bank

There is a request for approval of a High-Quality Instruction grant of $20,000 for working groups on curriculum.

There is an annoucement about Reading in our City week from Mr. Monfredo.
Mr. Comparetto has three related items on middle school sports: one on partnering with Recreation Worcester, and two on reports.

There is also (THIS IS IMPORTANT) a request that the committee accept a donation and approve an agreement with/from Berkshire Bank, successor to Commerce, of $500,000 for naming rights to Foley Stadium (extending the agreement) and replacing the turf field.

There is a non-specific posting around collective bargaining and/or litigation for executive session.