Worcester School Committee meets Thursday, October 4

The agenda is posted here.
The report of the Superintendent is on "Innovation Pathways" (and it's impossible to miss that someone else put this PowerPoint together and got it scanned), which looks like an extention of the vo-tech paths within the district; non-Tech kids are being bussed to Tech to take four sorts of vocational programs after school.
There are resignations, hires, transfers, as per usual this time of year. There are also congratulations of various sorts.
Mr. Monfredo is requesting a report on Buddy Benches, the Middle School Kindness Challenge, and a comparison of Worcester with other Gateways and Boston on financial aid, assessments, dropout rate, graduation rate, chronic absenteeism. With the exception of financial aid, if one assumes he means college aid, that would more or less be the report that Mr. O'Connell should probably request instead. 
Mr. O'Connell is requesting a report on 2018 MCAS scores; two thoughts: one would expect that to be this week's report of the superintendent, and one might do better requesting a report on accountability results. 
Miss McCullough is asking for a report on ALICE training to include I'm not Scared...I'm Prepared programming.
Miss Biancheria would like a report on transportation that was moved to Fremont Street (the new full-size buses run from there, as the WPS-operated special ed buses always have), a report on those ten new buses, and a report on snow removal equipment (is this going to be a list of snowblowers at every school?).
And Mr. Foley has the following:

Request that the Administration consider the implications of excessive heat and humidity upon the learning environment in the classrooms and the schools without air conditioning and the adverse conditions for students, teachers and staff. The Administration should develop a policy to be followed when the city has experienced consecutive days of excessive heat and humidity and the conditions in many of the schools are intolerable.

There is a request to approve a prior year payment $2,060.20 to a parent for transportation of a McKinney-Vento student.

There is a request to accept:

• a Project Lead the Way grant for $7500 (for "higher-order thinking") at Jacob Hiatt Magnet
• $399.21 from Lifetouch to Lake View School - 
• $50.00 from American Income Life Insurance Company to Belmont Street Community School 
• $24.50 from American Income Life Insurance Company to Tatnuck Magnet Elementary School  
• $515.16 from Lifetouch to Woodland Academy 
• - to Worcester Technical High School: - $5,920.00 from Sarah Daniels Pettit & William O Pettit, Jr Fund/Greater Worcester Community Foundation - $560.00 from Saul A. Seder Fund/Greater Worcester Community Foundation for participation in Skills USA - $291.00 from Thurston E. Solomon & Everett J. Morter Memorial Fund/Greater Worcester Community Foundation for participation in Skills USA - $500.00 from Air-Tite Products Co., Inc./Mr. & Mrs. Neil Garnache to be used as a scholarship for a student who will be furthering their education beyond high school in memory of Donald P. Garnache, graduate of Boys’ Trade 
• - to Worcester Arts Magnet: - $100.00 from various donors to be used for Chromebook licenses - $500.00 from JMH Solutions 
• - to support the Exhilarate Worcester Initiative at Woodland Academy: - $4,414.65 from various donors - $125.00 from On the Rise Baking - $500.00 from Blaine Warren Advertising - $750.00 from Commonwealth of MA Mid-District District Attorney’s Office

The administration is also requesting the school committee approve a five year lease for Chromebooks and a six year lease on desktops and such.
And there are some new nurses to approve the hire of.

They've also once again posted a non-specific executive session, which isn't cricket.
7 pm, City Hall. If an item is on the agenda, members of the public may request a suspension of the rules in order to speak to the item.