Worcester meetings this week

Crucial reminder: tomorrow at 7 pm, the Finance and Operations subcommittee has a public hearing on the FY20 Worcester Public Schools budget (4th floor, Durkin Administration Building).

This usually includes an update on the state budget, and, as the House Ways and Means budget came out since the last time the Worcester School Committee met, there is something to look forward to. In fact, it looks as though the T&G got the report ahead of time. There are LOTS of things to say about the budget--and remember, everything costs money!--so go and be heard!


The Worcester School Committee meets Thursday at 7 pm in public session. Along with recognitions and thanks, it appears Superintendent Binienda will not be doing a report which speaks of how the goals of the district and her own performance goals are being met, but instead will be having a sort of speed dating show and tell by principals.

There is a single page response to the request for updates on health education under the new marijuana law.
There is a report on AEDs.

There is a response to a request for graduation rates, disaggregated by different categories. The administration, along with a note, has chosen to include this information in the form of a spreadsheet. I thought we might find it more useful in the form of a graph, and I added all the years available online:

All data from DESE, as submitted by WPS; I've gone back as far as DESE has data online. 

 And because that bunches up at the end, I'm going to do something I usually rail against and rescale that to just the part changing (note the axis starts at 40%):

And yes, that multi-race non-Hispanic line dives for 2016 in the data reported to DESE.

Note what happens to most of the lines from 2014 on.

It is also important to note--and troubling to note that not included in the report is the information--that four year graduation rate is among the contents of the new accountability system:

In 2018, the Worcester Public Schools did not meet the targets for four year graduation in the categories of all students, high needs students, economically disadvantaged students, English learner and former English learner students, students with disabilities, and black students. The district made no change in the graduation rate of Latino students. Only in white and multirace non-Hispanic students did the district exceed its targets.
This is the sort of information that would be relevant to have included in a report of the superintendent to the School Committee. Better that the superintendent call attention to it than DESE does.

Apparently, the week of March 24 was Public Schools Week.

Most of Mr. Comparetto's items from the last meeting were held. There are now responses from administration on the mentorship request (in which they talk about early childhood ed programs and the Worcester Future Teachers program, neither of which is the sort of program Mr. Comparetto is speaking of like iMentor or  Classroom Champions; perhaps this is actually the response to another item?); the Farm to School program; an internship management program (which again doesn't appear to be responding to the query); and an update on the strategic plan (just that it is coming in July).

Mr. O'Connell suggests the use of a "see something say something" app, which will go nicely with the cell phone ban.
Mr. Monfredo is requesting an "action plan" for children to read on grade level, plus a "quality primary summer school reading program."
He'd also like a presentation on vaping.

There are a whole lot of donations coming in for votes of acceptance:

• $22,008.00 to the Worcester Public Schools Athletics Department from the Office of District Attorney Joseph D. Early, Jr. to assist with Freshman Basketball Teams to involve youth in programs that help to prevent crime, gang activity and substance abuse. 
• $2,303.00 to South High Community School from Andy’s Attic to assist with the purchase of Chromebooks 
• $28.50 to Tatnuck Magnet School from Yankee Candle 
• $225.00 to Tatnuck Magnet School from Sports Alive 
• $500.00 to Tatnuck Magnet School from I.U.O.E. Local No.4 
•  $2,354.00 to Tatnuck Magnet School from various donors through fundraising efforts 
• $10.00 to Lake View School from Ruben Ardon 
• $1,000 to New Citizens Center Secondary from Herlihy Insurance 
• $9.070.19 to South High Community School from the “Class of 1963 Scholarship in Memory of Robert Aucoin” 
• $450.00 to the Worcester Public Schools Transition Program for assistance with research from Boston University 
• $75.00 to Lisa Wolfe and family from the South High Community School Black Student Union

There's also a prior year payment of $7,103.53 to the City of Springfield (I'm going to guess special education?).

The administration is proposing language for the handbook for next year for the Seal of Biliteracy (which is great, but let's get some vetting of this proposal!).

Mr. Comparetto and Mr. Foley are asking for an update from the Sex ed task force.

Mayor Petty is requesting:

Request that the Superintendent produce the last 10 number of years of suspension and discipline data for review by the public and School Committee and a full review of data collection, storage and dissemination procedures to develop best practices for transparency.

Dang! That's a strong statement in the form of a motion.
In line with his public statement prior to vacation, Mayor Petty is also requesting (I'm going to post the full items here; note how the co-sponsorship changes):

• gb #9-161 – Mayor Petty/Mr. Comparetto/Mr. Foley/Miss McCullough/Mr. Monfredo/Mr. O’Connell (April 9, 2019) 
  Request that the Superintendent provide estimated budgeting needed for a Chief Diversity /Equal Opportunity Officer and her organizational plan for implementation.
  
• gb #9-162 – Mayor Petty/Miss Biancheria/Mr. Comparetto/Mr. Foley/Miss McCullough/Mr. Monfredo/Mr. O’Connell (April 9, 2019) 
  Request that the Superintendent report on district processes and compliance with MGL c222 and make any necessary proposals for changes in policy and procedure.
  
• gb #9-163 – Mayor Petty/Miss Biancheria/Mr. Comparetto/Mr. Foley/Miss McCullough (April 9, 2019) 
  Request that the Superintendent reengage with Worcester State University in order to refresh and update the 2014 report, “Suspensions in Worcester: A Continuing Conversation.”
  
• gb #9-164 – Mayor Petty/Mr. Comparetto/Mr. Foley/Miss McCullough/Mr. Monfredo/Mr. O’Connell (April 9, 2019) 
  Request that the Superintendent inform the School Committee on her plan and timeline for professional development and training on cultural differences, unconscious bias and diversity.
  
• gb #9-165 – Mayor Petty/Miss Biancheria/Mr. Comparetto/Mr. Foley/Miss McCullough/Mr. Monfredo/Mr. O’Connell (April 9, 2019) 
  Request that the Superintendent report to the School Committee on her plans to introduce trauma informed care into our schools as well as budgeting requirements for Fiscal Year 2020.
  
• gb #9-166 – Mayor Petty/Miss Biancheria/ Mr. Comparetto/Mr. Foley/Miss McCullough/Mr. Monfredo/Mr. O’Connell (April 9, 2019) 
  Request that the Superintendent report on school funding of community nonprofits such as African Community Education, the Latino Education Institute and the South East Asian Coalition.

There is an executive session for contract negotations with the superintendent.