Live from the Board of Ed: Lawrence

 the backup is here though there should be a presentation, too

Presenting: Deputy Commissioner Russell Johnston; DESE Strategic Transformation Director Lauren Woo; Interim Superintendent/Receiver Juan Rodriguez; Patricia Mariano, Interim Chair of the Lawrence Alliance for Education

Rodriguez is talking about photos that are on the screen...
science of reading modules for PreK-2 educators through HILL for Literacy; will expand next year through grade 5
"Lawrence Leadership Consultancy Cohorts": 26 schools with instructional vision statements, targeted instructional priorities
increased co-teaching classrooms in special ed and multilingual
monthly learning walks; PD

Promoting paraprofessionals with BAs into teaching through emergency licensure
partnerships with post-secondary institutions: Regis, Merrimack, UMass Lowell
(That's diversifying the workforce)

family engagement specialists at all schools

SOA: 

Mariano: thanks lots of people, talks about early college and such

Craven: "this receivership was basically a function of the town wanting to work with the state"
that's...one spin
"and we know that a lot of the lessons learned can apply to other districts in the state"

Hills: how you see the governance model helping you or not in what you want to achieve?
what you expect to see over the next few years?

Rodriguez: have been in the district since 2005
Currently don't see anything inhibiting us from anything we want to do
continue to meet with elected School Committee
Met with City Council on school safety
"as far as the governance structure, to me it's working well right now. I don't see it inhibiting anything we want to do right now."
Mariano (chair): "I believe our structure is working very very well"
think that moving forward "we'll be ready to take the district back"
Rodriguez: strategic literacy plan to increase reading at every level 
"takes me back to a lot of things we were doing 30 years ago"
increase students in after dark programs
two people in his house: one at UMass Lowell, one an electrician
both "doing great"
doing more things for more students 
"amplify programs that are working well for our students right now"

Lombos: appreciate hearing an update
great to see how you're taking advantage of the SOA "which we all fought so hard for"
(the Board largely did not)
Lombos: Who decides when a district exits receivership?
Riley: decision is up to the Commissioner of education
Lombos: so, you
Riley: yes
Lombos: what do you need? What is the criteria?
Riley: stepping down over time
"hope that this will be the final step down...obviously will have to see how this works out"
updates part of that
"think we're in the next phase of that...yes, that's where we're at"

Moriarty: you're very new, inherited strategic plan for literacy
heartened with background in literacy

Rodriguez: attendance liaisons increased last year (in response to Q from Moriarty)

Canavan: do you set goals annually? "we hope that our Dibels scores will be X?"
Rodriguez: done by schools during budget process
setting goals in growth
SEL goals: out of school suspensions, mediation, training in restorative practices
Mariano: schools have evolved to a point, where initially they weren't looking at the data, but now more focus on the data and what the tests are telling them
"planning action steps to meet the needs of the kids"
"think the whole focus of the district has changed in the past four or five years"
(uh...so Riley didn't do that? Interesting timeframe there)

Craven: know that you were on School Committee under the old model
"things you want to keep about the receivership model"

"what are those things you'd say we need to keep as part of the learnings of receivership"
Mariano: I hope that the district just continues to move forward with the successes
Craven: I'm actually looking for these specific things that you could not do under an elected school committee, but CAN do now
Mariano: would like to keep the budget process running the same way
curriculum focused on data when planning for instruction
just want to see the successes continue

Q on DESE's involvement
Johnston: so pleased about the changes that have been mutually agreed upon 
support in mayor's office