Passing along some mid-November notes from the superintendent

⁦@worcesterpublic⁩ educators are displaying their talents tonight 6-9 pm. Come by and be amazed. #educatorsrock #talent pic.twitter.com/CSWbiI91kE

— Rachel H. Monarrez, PhD (she/her/ella) (@drrmonarrez) November 11, 2022

Are you following Dr. Monárrez on Twitter?

 

from the weekly updates to the School Committee:

• It's been 100 days this week that Dr. Monárrez has been with us!
  
  
• There's some discussion happening and to be had further around schools being used as polling places. 
  
  
• Over 50 current staff members attended an information session on Performance Assessment for Leaders earlier this month. UPDATED for some more explanation: among the things an educator has to complete for a principal license are four tasks: data analysis; creation of a Professional Learning Community (PLC); supervision and evaluation (focusing on pre and post observation feedback) and family and community engagement. That's in addition to a 500 hour practicum. This session was designed to give aspiring principals more information ahead of Worcester forming another leadership cohort with a continued focus on diversifying our principalships.
  
  
• The Worcester Educational Collaborative recently published a report on Worcester Public Schools and early college.
  
  
• The Commissioner is moving forward the proposed Worcester Cultural Academy Charter Public School for the second state, which is an interview with the Department, public hearing. The administration will share with the School Committee that application once they have received it, and we'll coordinate response.
  Per the Superintendent's update: The Department will announce the date and details of the required public hearing in Worcester for the proposed WCACPS no later than Monday, November 14, 2022. In addition to a public hearing, the Department will also collect written public comment. Comments should be submitted by Wednesday, January 4, 2023 to: Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, c/o Office of Charter Schools and School Redesign, 75 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA 02148 or by email to charterschools@doe.mass.edu. Commissioner Riley will then review all of the materials and make his recommendation to the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education if he believes the proposal should receive a charter. The Board will vote at its February 2023 meeting if a recommendation has been made by the commissioner.
  I have many, many thoughts on this which I will share in a separate post at some point. This is coming from the same people that run the Old Sturbridge Village Charter School.
  
  
• Note that the pause in accelerated repair funding announced by the MSBA last week will have an impact on what was being considered for Worcester East Middle School.
  
  

Mass School Building Authority August meeting

I popped across the street this morning for the Mass School Building Authority meeting; there's some interesting projects on the agenda:

Those accelerated repair projects at the top are sizable: Norfolk Aggie has multiple buildings, and, for those in Worcester wondering, Challenge and Reach is the Harlow Street building, half of which would be covered by the state: $6M project, $3.1M funded by the state. 

Both approved

Coming in for Preferred Schematic Design is Leicester, which is a PreK-8 building on the site of the current Leicester Middle. It's a $69.5M project for construction, total cost of $86.9M.

approved

Preferred Schematic Design: Nauset Regional for addition/renovation in Preferred Schematic Design; total estimated cost of $140M

approved

invitation to Project Scope and Budget:

Amesbury: Amesbury Elementary for a new building at $60.5M: approved

Braintree: South Middle for a new building at $86.5M, which notes their East project will open next week: approved

Bridgewater-Raynham Regional: Mitchell Elementary PreK-2 for a new building for $80M

"thanks for all the support since our roof collapse": approved

Gardner: Waterford Street Elementary for a new building for $89.5M

will replace two elementary schools on a site on Pearl Street (so will they change the name?): approved

Holyoke: Chestnut Street Middle and Peck Middle both new, $62.4M and $70.4M respectively: 

nice mock-ups on these; Holyoke of course doesn't have a lot of space, and they're making some thoughtful use of space; the mayor notes that two projects at the same time is unusual 

approved

Millbury: Shaw Elementary for a  new building of $60.9M: approved (after comment sent in by Senator Mike Moore that his children both went there)

West Springfield: Coburn Elementary for a new building for $69M: approved

Dennis-Yarmouth's project once again on hold due to another lawsuit; will cost the towns "as costs are just going up"

Waltham was hoping to be on this agenda, but still facing eminent domain challenges; are in fact before the court right now

There's some interesting charts presented here about projected changes in project costs over time that are going up on the website. 

Five year plan on MSBA accelerated repair submissions (windows, roofs, boilers)

As I mentioned on Monday, part of the updated Facilities report is a five year plan on submissions to MSBA for accelerated repair. Those are the window, roof, boiler repairs that we've done across the district over the past several years. This isn't written in stone--submissions have to be approved by the School Committee and the City Council each year--but it does give us an idea of where we're heading, at least until we get the comprehensive master plan.

2016
Chandler Elementary: windows
Wawecus Road: windows
Belmont Street: windows
Creamer Center: boiler, roof, windows

2017
Midland Street: roof
Vernon Hill: boiler, roof
Thorndyke Road (rear): windows
Lake View: roof
Rice Square: windows, roof

2018
Elm Park: boiler, windows
Sullivan Middle: boiler
Lincoln Street: boiler

2019
Tatnuck Magnet: roof
Caradonio New Citizens: roof
UPCS: roof
McGrath: roof
WAMS: roof

2020
Gates Lane: boiler, roof
Burncoat Middle: boiler
Clark Street: boiler, roof
City View: boiler,
Union Hill: roof

Everybody loves education

...during an election.
Take a look at the candidate profiles in Worcester Magazine this week, and nearly every single one cites education, schools, funding for education, or the like as a top priority.
Don't get me wrong--this is great. I would urge those who are voting in those races,thought, to do more than take that at face value. Some of those who are citing those as priorities have an actual record on that as an issue. Does what they have done match what they are saying? Have they advocated and voted for more funding, better facilities, appropriate support for public education?
Some have, and some have not. If they haven't done it yet, putting them in a new position--or continuing them in the one they have--isn't going to fix that.

It's also important to know what you can and can't do in the position for which you're running. The above profiles have at least one candidate for state rep saying he'd fight for a Worcester Public Schools budget that "exceeds the minimum foundation budget." That would be great, but that can only be done at the Worcester City Council. 

...a City Council, just as a reminder, that hasn't done that in years. 

I was more disturbed, though, to come home today to a postcard in my mailbox for the First Worcester District Senate race that said this:

First of all, we do have a school replacement going on in the First Worcester District: Nelson Place School, which has been slated for replacement for quite a number of years, was voted into the MSBA process during the past two years, and is moving along nicely. Assigning credit for such things is always slightly ridiculous, but we certainly have had the support and attention of both Senator Chandler and Representative Mahoney for Nelson Place.

The rest of this is just scurrilous, but not really about the Senator: about the Worcester Public Schools. 

"School buildings with no heat"? News to me. We've had some rooms that have had heating issues (including what I suspect is the target here, at Doherty), but they're worked on and they're dealt with as they happen. We've also been replacing boilers at an impressive clip through the Mass School Building Authority these past years, so we're in better shape on heating than we've been, possibly ever.

"Rodent Infested School Buildings"? Really? Where? That's a health and code issue as well as a custodial issue, and this would be the first I've heard of it. The custodial staff--whose reputation here is being impugned, I'd point out--does not let any sign of any kind of infestation go by them, and they're not the only eyes on the building. As far as I know, this is just made up. If anyone else knows otherwise, they aren't reporting it to the people who can fix it. 

My assumption, 'though this went out to more than just the Worcester section of the First Worcester District, is that this is supposed to be a "you don't have a new Doherty yet" dog whistle. 

So let me--at the ongoing risk of being honest rather than politic--be blunt: we're not going to have a new Doherty for quite some time.

South--which has both open classrooms and an electrical plant under the swimming pool--is our number one priority, and rightfully so. Burncoat High and Middle is in tougher shape than Doherty (not just me saying that). That doesn't even get into the elementary schools that may need replacing during this next few years (which is why we need a facilities master plan). 

We are a single system city: we have a brand-new high school. We've had two new high schools in the past twenty years. Has it been going as fast as it could be? I'd say no. Are we moving along pretty well now? Yes, we are. We can't jump around in our building priorities, though, and not just because it isn't right. We can't because the state knows very well that our highest priority isn't actually Doherty, because it isn't our greatest need. And they pick up 80% of the bill. 

In fact, the fastest way to get a new Doherty is all push together to get the higher priority schools into the MSBA pipeline, and keep them moving. If anyone wants to start working on that, count me in.

Meanwhile, by all means talk about education, better yet, DO things about education, but don't make things up about the Worcester Public Schools. 

Accelerated repair programs on the MSBA agenda today

Not just Clark Street, West Tatnuck, Goddard, and Union Hill on the agenda today; there are schools from Auburn (the middle school and Bryn Mawr Elementary), Bellingham, Brockton, Dartmouth, Falmouth, Franklin County Regional Tech, Gardner (Sheffield Elementary), Gill-Montague Regional, Greenfield, Hampden-Wilbraham, Holyoke, Hudson, Leominster, Lynn, Medfield, Medway, Melrose, Middleton, Nashoba Regional (Florence Sawyer), North Attleboro, Northampton, Norwood, Orleans, Peabody, Quincy, Randolph, South Shore Regional, Southern Berkshire Regional, Springfield, Stoughton, Sudbury, Tri-County Regional Vocational, Tyngsborough, Wayland, and Wellesley...
...being invited to the Accelerated Repair Program.
Bourne, Ipswich, and Millis are being invited to eligibility for major renovation/rebuild.
Billerica and Braintree are being invited to Feasiblity for major renovation/rebuild.
more to come...


Executive Director's report: 37 project visits since March
accelerated repair: 60 schools in 39 school districts visited to evaluate for recommendations since March
3 groundbreakings, one ribbon cutting, one topping off
33 project visits coming up this summer
security: local decision making; not a school problem, a community problem
SOI period has closed: 227 applications for the core program

removals from eligiblity: Shrewsbury for Beal Early Childhood Center; town has concluded that they are unable to proceed for funding reasons
two being removed from accelerated repair: from Central Berkshire and from Dighton-Rehoboth

Three invitations to eligibility: Bourne, Ipswitch, Millis, all for elementary schools
these are from the 2013 SOI process

Two invitations to feasibility: Billerica, for Billerica Memorial High School; Braintree, for East Middle School


51 projects being invited to accelerated repairs
cruising through cities and towns now...comments from communities and schools
several communities glad to see 50 year old boilers go (I'm not going to bring up Worcester East Middle here)

Superintendent Boone points out that the average age of Worcester Public Schools is 75 years (and that's with one that's brand new!)
AND THEY'RE THROUGH!

Facilities update

Allen: Nelson Place approved for renovation/replacement
2012 projects are essentially complete, with exception of Chandler Magnet's windows
2013 happening this summer: Columbus Park window and boiler
Tatnuck Magnet windows
Worcester East Middle: boiler; change on windows/roof to expanded scope. This has been passed by School Committee; goes to City Council next before April 11 deadline.
fairly extensive work on school, primarily done when students are not there
"we cannot go another season with the boiler...working to replace that as soon as possible"
2014 submitted

Nelson Place approved preliminary design program; building committee approved looking at three options on site
now presented to MSBA; will give feedback once submitted
will be posted on Nelson Place

Novick: public hearing happening after vote, public documents posted after votes taken
Adams: comment that public venting session to deal with current issues
Economou: concerns incorporated in proposed plan that has yet to be developed
reverse it would be a benefit to both sides going forward
Toomey: much concern even afterward from public
Foley: not going to be a quick process
if it gives the appearance of after the fact, it really should avoid that
Ramirez: also heard of anticipation of construction and what that would do
Adams: abutters notified for next meeting

Here we go: boiler for Worcester East Middle

Worcester East Middle School boiler APPROVED!
also note that all of the list below were also approved for their respective recommended actions

Worcester East Middle before MSBA

Posting today from the Mass School Building Authority board meeting, where Worcester East Middle School's boiler replacement is on the agenda for authorization of the project funding agreement (aka: they're going to pay for, in our case, the 80% of the project).

Project total cost is $2,865,498 of which MSBA is recommending to their board payment of $2,064,010.

Also on the agenda for today are invitations to eligibility for Billerica, Carver, Hanover, Provincetown, Quincy, Somerville, and Stoughton.
Dedham is being invited to Feasibility for their Early Childhood Education Center.
And $37,611,713 in accelerated repair projects (including Worcester East Middle) are in for authorization of their project funding agreements; those are in 21 cities, towns, and districts.
Haverhill is putting forward a preferred schematic design for a $50 million new middle school.
Gloucester (West Parish School) and North Middlesex (for their high school) are being invited to project scope and budget. Gloucester's is a $39 million project and North Middlesex's an $89 million project.

I'll post as I have news!

This makes nine accelerated repairs for Worcester

And we're in!!

Expect to see those projects as early as next summer!

As a reminder: these projects are:

• Columbus Park: windows and boiler
• Tatnuck Magnet: windows
• Worcester Arts Magnet: windows
• Worcester East Middle: roof, windows, boiler

Best estimate we have right now is we're looking at projects totalling about $15 million.

MSBA meeting...

Just began. There are a boatload of districts being considered today for accelerated repair.  Executive Director Jack McCarthy speaks of the "Herculean task" in getting the accelerated repairs on this agenda. He says the rebuild/reconstruct will be on the October agenda (or that's the goal).

Review of past few months. 

Treasurer Grossman speaking of importance of technology but need for support of it, and also for schools that are not doing accelerated repair or major renovation. 

(He's referencing Sherwood Middle School in Shrewsbury, plus Billerica). 

Taunton dropping a boiler replacement. 

Scituate being invited to feasibility for their intermediate school (they're looking at a change in grade arrangements as part of the plan). 

City Council on Tuesday

...has a few education related items:

• Item 9.28 E is a request for a transfer of $225,000 for the five accelerated repair schools. We had an update on this Wednesday; it looks as though they're getting ready for summer work.
• Item 9.32 A is an update on Nelson Place being invited to feasibility.
• Coming out of the committee on education, item 10D is a request to come up with a plan to close the net school spending gap.
• Likewise 10E is a request that the superintendent and administration present a plan on how additional revenue would be spent. I suspect this last should include "subject to School Committee allocation."

Capital spending: repairs

Allen: $7.7 million work at 10 schools, all complete
ESCo: boiler/chiller replacement, boiler replacements are all completed this past year
SoI's last year on Nelson Place, plus accelerated repairs
5 schools in accelerated repair: work will start this summer

• Chandler Magnet will get windows this summer and next summer
• May Street will get new windows
• Lake View will get new windows
• Jacob Hiatt will get new boiler
• Caradonio will get new boiler and new windows

O'Brien: how much?
Allen: 80% state funding, bids received, contracts being awarded
$9 million in total, we're funding about $1.8 million
Allen reserving some for environmental work, plus Heard Street roof, masonry at Jacob Hiatt and Vernon Hill
Biancheria: additional sixth grades, in Worcester East Middle, which we promised a science lab
Allen: Worcester East Middle science labs should be bid this week, construction to begin by summer vacation to be done by next school year
completed by fall of 2013
Allen comments that getting bids that has been difficult, getting a successful bid will allow work to be completed for school year of 2013-14
"project budget is a little less than $350,000"
complete school painting jobs: not just classroom by classroom

Here's the next MSBA list:

...which we're getting tonight (and then full Committee, and then Council):

For major renovation and rehab:

• South High
• Burncoat High
• Doherty High

For accelerated repair:

• Worcester East Middle: Windows, Boiler, & Roof note here that WEMS is down to one boiler; if (and when) it fails, they're down to one boiler
• Columbus Park School: Windows & Boiler
• Tatnuck Magnet School: Windows
• Worcester Arts Magnet: Windows

Other things that need to be fixed (but aren't going to MSBA because they don't rise to the ):

•School Safety Equipment
• Heard Street Roof
• Vernon Hill Masonry
• Jacob Hiatt Masonry
• WEMS Boiler Room Repairs*
• Roosevelt School Walk-in Cooler Repairs
• Parent Information Center Boiler
• Underground Storage Tank Removal
• Playgrounds Maintenance & Repair
• Replace All Modular Units
• Univent Repair
• Facilities Equipment for Buildings

"I pretty much guarantee that tomorrow's snowstorm is going to kill our remaining snowplow equipment..." which is on a fifteen year replacement cycle.

Nelson Place and accelerated repairs before Council

Transfer for MSBA accelerated repairs goes through!

Councilor O'Brien: prosperity of our schools, what the future of the city depends on
"things we've put off for far too long in our schools"
to finally build a new Nelson Place
Thanks City manager, Superintendent, and their teams
City Council, School Committee
Thanks to Steve Grossman
O'Brien has sent around a list of work that has already been done for schools across the city (coming out of F&O)
substantial renovations at 12 schools across the city
repairs that are already being done
five year plan for next schools
"how do we address the needs of our high schools"


Councilor Economou:
all very important items: front line of our education, future in the city of Worcester
sent to the joint committee (Education/F&O)

Nelson Place has a building committee

...and the City Council is being asked to adopt a loan order for the 20% share (plus environmental remediation) of the accelerated repairs on this coming Tuesday's Council agenda. If you can't get the city council back-up, I've also loaded the City  Manager's memo here. 
This is the work at Caradonio New Citizens, May Street, Lake View, Jacob Hiatt, and Chandler Magnet. Note that the replacement of all the windows at Chandler Magnet is such an extensive bit of work that they're projecting that it may take both this coming summer and the summer after.
The building committee for Nelson Place has also now been set, which was the last remaining piece of what is needed to apply for the next step in MSBA's process. MSBA's board next meets on January 30. Much of this committee is somewhat fill-in-the-blank, as there are required people; the neighbors and the parents are the new information there.

Facilities meeting liveblog

Facilities meeting...posting as we go
Foley: "we're all smiling tonight...we've had some good news"
acknowledges that both he and Councilor Economou were past presidents of Nelson Place PTO
"we know that the building is safe, but the building must be replaced"
"timetable and a process for building a new Nelson Place School"
Boone:"this is an exciting night"
"when we submitted a lot of projects...by submitting a lot, we got a lot...we took the right approach"
"continuing (the committee's work) in keeping it before the community"

What happens now on school buildings?

What happens now?
We've got two things going on with the state now:

The Accelerated repair projects--May St, Chandler Magnet, Jacob Hiatt, Lake View, and Caradonio New Citizens Center*--are fast-tracked for their designated roofs, boilers, and windows. We'll have to use Mass School Building Authority pre-qualified Owner's Project Manager (who manage any project over $1.5 million, which both Lake View and Chandler Magnet are projected to be) and designers and be ready to move fast.
Note that "fast" doesn't mean this summer--we're a bit too close to that--but we can line things up so they're ready to fly next summer. Really this is internal management kinds of things on both finance and facilities ends, and, as the plan is to use the capital the city allocates for the Worcester Public Schools every year, there isn't an allocation complication, either. Mostly this will be happening behind the scenes.

Nelson Place, because we're talking either MAJOR rehab or a rebuild, is a different case. We've just been invited to the eligibility period for Nelson Place, which lasts 270 days ('though you don't have to take them all. Other districts pull these off in a couple of MSBA board meetings).  During that time, the district must:

1. execute an initial compliance certificate (ICC). This is a sign-off by the (in Worcester's case) superintendent, city manager, and chair of the school committee (thus, the mayor) that we've read the laws and regulations, that we understand them, and that we have and will continue to abide by them. Note that this makes sure that the district isn't replacing a building its sold. Note further that it certifies that the district has been meeting minimum foundation spending on building maintenance.
2. appoint a School Building Committee. This is done by the Chief Executive Officer of the municipality (thus, the city manager in Worcester), and it has some required membership, including the city manager, the superintendent, a school committee member, someone from MSBA, the facilities director, the principal, and others.
3. submit a summary of district funding capacity (basically, "yes, we can pay for this")
4. submit a summary of district maintenance practices ("and we're going to take care of it once it's built")
5. certify design enrollment: in other words, let's agree on how many kids we're building this building for. MSBA has all sorts of experience in this now.
6. confirm community authorization and funding.  This will be a City Council vote that they intend to build Nelson Place and they intend to pay for it. (And they have to get the wording right.)
7. execute the Feasibility Study Agreement. This says we're ready to go...lining us up for putting together the project team (that's lining up the professionals) and (we hope!) another MSBA Board vote on entering the feasibility study.

...which in sum is: several different votes from Council and Committee, some paperwork and evidence to pull together on both city and school sides, and a committee to appoint.

What do we think, folks? Can we pull this together for the October 3 MSBA Board meeting?




*it's windows and roof for Lake View, a boiler for Jacob Hiatt, windows for Chandler Magnet, windows for May Street, and a boiler and windows for Caradonio New Citizens.