March Board of Ed: Springfield Empowerment Zone

 Backup is here
Springfield appears to be coming in remotely? Superintendent Warwick and Mayor Sarno on camera
Sarno: "the empowerment zone has been a success here in the city of Springfield"
"I think hybrid is key, what your system does well"
"it's all about relationships"
Warwick: and there's a whole long thing here about MSBA
"it's good to have options"
"We definitely needed more flexibility with" our unions
"we needed fast action for our schools"
"part of it is our governance framework" (which is not having the school committee as the governance board)
"model that engages the community" put "in collaboration with the community"
flexible model made a difference for our schools

Craven: really wanted to have this discussion today "in stark opposition to other topics"
place where we're working together

co-executive directors of the partnership board
Matt Brunell, Colleen Curran co-executive directors of empowerment zone
"productive impact"
seven years in 
school-level autonomy
"transparent benchmarking"

They have this image:

Launching nine new schools
"of the eight original principals, only two remain" and they now manage multiple schools
example of data being used: lifetime learnings
restructuring
early adopters of diversification grant: gap on Latinx educators and leaders
variability among schools: pathway to equitable leadership
corrective actions given by state on special ed students
multiyear approach to improve outcomes for students: four special education director-level hires added
building educator capacity
school-based model for developing IEPs
fifth year programs for a sheltered college experience (how can they fund that?)
Discovery High School: long term diversification program and for science
freshmen in college classes 

Caris Livingston: exciting to hear about putting students at the forefront
ask how trust was developed: "I think it begins with courage"
Listening

Hillst: how decided which schools are in the Zone?
and whose approval is needed?
Curran: primarily Level 4 designation 
High School of Commerce added
Woo adds superintendent allows for non-profit to run schools
West: is the bargaining unit just those at the school?
Curran: contract is bargained with SEA
carves out a "terrific amount of conditions that can be set at the school level"

West: question I want to ask is 'what's the end game?'
"and if it is a better model of governance, why not turn the whole district into the empowerment zone, or would that raise matter of scale"
Brunell: says his Jesuit education is going to come out in his answer
larger policy questions not for him
"But for us the work is the sixteen schools in front of us"
Sarno: having gone through financial receivership in city
"we sort of incorporated it with the flexibility; it works"
Warwick: to take away contractual flexibility would be difficult
"and there's no public demand"

Moriarty: looking at state data with caution
a challenge
comparative analysis of what is happening with your graduating students
Sarno notes Springfield has universal pre-K, Warwick says launching this year