Love it, hate it, read it: DESE on what happens now

 The blog post title swiped, as some may remember, from Worcester Magazine, which used it as a tag line for a number of years. You may not like what you're reading here, but we ignore the state governing body (which they are!) at our peril. 

I don't go to those meetings for my health.

If you were following yesterday's liveblogging or read the MASC update from Tuesday's Board of Ed meeting, you may have caught just how much of a muddle we've been left in through the passage of the ballot question removing the MCAS as the state's competency determination. 
And it took until now, but with articles in State House News Service, Commonwealth Beacon, Boston Herald, and MassLive, it appears that maybe now this may be becoming more widespread information. 

Am I going to say that I told you so? Yes, I am. 

As a reminder, here's what the passage of the ballot question has left us with as a state law: 

all slides are from Tuesday's presentation at the Board of Ed

The meetings where I agree with Marty West are few and far between, but his characterization of this as "a mess" is, as I said in my earlier post on this, absolutely correct. 

Buses are an equity issue: in music

 Last spring, Jefferson County Schools in Kentucky (the district that includes Louisville) announced that they'd be cutting bus service this past fall for schools that were not the schools of the students' residence. Two parents took the district to court. Even with those cuts, the district still didn't have enough drivers for this fall.

One group of students protested the decision in a more musical fashion:

This was just brought to my attention this week, and it was too good not to share! I also cannot find any further updates; let me know if you do. 

Board of Ed: competency determination

 anticipate bringing recommendations to Board in February

Board of Ed: vocational tuition

 per pupil increase in coming fiscal year to $13,114 with $75 per pupil 
delegate authority to Commissioner to raise in FY26 in line with inflation

approved unanimously without discussion

Board of Ed: CTE admission subcommittee

 chaired by West who starts by thanking everyone
"are changes needed to promote more access" to vocational schools in the Commonwealth
this is West, Fisher, Rocha, Hills

Board of Ed for December: vision and mission

 Johnston: in 2023, planned for 2023-24 year
finalized educational vision "to better align our projects"
catalog of aligned supports 
"this is ongoing work...turning a shift together"

Board of Ed for December: Luisa Sparrow, Mass Teacher of the Year

 Luisa Sparrow, who teaches fifth and sixth grade students with disabilities at the Oliver Hazard Petty School in South Boston

Johnston in introducing her praises her for her presumption of competence in her students