April 4 meeting of the Worcester School Committee

Please enjoy these daffodils from my walk from work in Boston.

While school in Worcester was cancelled, the meeting was not; my meeting was, so I got to this one in person to find that the balcony now has some who are interested in good governance of the district attending in person to keep an eye on things. Excellent. Let me know if you're coming; I'm bringing snacks. 

The agenda is here. The video of the meeting is here. 

September Board of Ed: amendment to special ed regulations

 backup is here; regulation changes here

West: how many districts are more or less in being in compliance already
Department doesn't track, did contact publishers; 300 districts have one of the approved tool, but we don't know how many of the districts are using across district
Mohamed: metrics that clearly delineate among schools?
Johnston: regulation grounded in what we have in practices right now
screen, intervene, and progress monitor
some efforts underway to understand at Department level; districts to reflect on what's working and what's not
Stewart: how do you get to the guidelines
Johnston: Mass Literacy is integrated
immediate and equitable access to reading support
Moriarty: strongly in favor, very happy
stronger document than what was here
was disappointed by some of the comments from superintendents
students not reading on third grade level: "that's what's poisoning the well of the entire educational system for generations"
think that more educators get it then don't
of the Department: "genuinely collaborative, forward-thinking...Department putting its best face forward, its best face forward"
to the Legislature: last had a literacy bill in 2010
"a good 'right to read' legislation is needed for Massachusetts"
"if you look at what Mississippi did...if Mississippi gets ahead of Massachusetts, we'll have to move"

Peyser: opportunities in the regular classroom
support for students who don't actually require a special ed referral
science of reading available to all students

Stewart: 

regulation change passes

September Board of Ed: opening comments

 The agenda for today is here; livestream will turn up over here.

They've started late due to traffic. Hearing the Orange Line is slow today, too.

Public comment: none (no one commenting)

Peyser: celebrating the Ch.766 50th anniversary tomorrow
Forerunner of the IDEA law, ADA law
STEM week is coming: October 17-21
next meeting is in STEM Week "so I am sure you will all dress accordingly and wear your party hats"
Craven: mother and sister of people with Down's Syndrome
father used to talk about Ch.766 all the time
shows book given to her parents when her sister was born
"adding color to the law" is really important
"these things didn't happen without groups of dedicated parents"
today's efforts on dyslexia are also championed for parents

Election of vice-chair
reworking of subcommittee, as well
Moriarty nominates Hills as vice chair; passes
Craven appoints Rouhanifard and Canavan to teacher diversity
Mohamed and Plankey to budget (along with Stewart)
wants to have a special committee on pandemic literacy recovery
Moriarty to chair, Rouhanifard, West, Lombos

Riley: most schools have been back for a month
"quiet opening, quiet is a good thing"
Staffing challenges
licensure flexibilities and ways of getting people into the field
"President said yesterday that the pandemic is over, and while we know that is technical true, we have to live with it"
have asked districts to have supplies on hand
MCAS scores coming next month: think a 3 to 5 year recovery
"as we predicted on this Board being out of school would have two major impacts" mental health (this is actually not supported by research) and academic
process prior to the pandemic: Boston coming in

Hills: be very clear about flexibilities that could and couldn't happen if there is a surge
remote schooling not counting towards 180 days
Riley: may have seen snow days are going to be snow days; kind of a side note but important to say
Moriarty: "lean harder into them" on receiverships
have to understand where they're at
Rouhanifard: underscore 3-5 year
"typically...where there's disregulation...there are academic challenges as well"
"high dosage tutoring" being used in some districts
"creating sustainable solutions"
Riley: "people are using SOA... to avoid a cliff effect"
Rouhanifard: West mentioned Medicaid funds (municipal districts don't get the Medicaid reimbursements, generally)
Canavan: speaking of program in Tennessee; scaling
"like the idea of a statewide strategy"
Plankey: some districts have clubs run by students for tutoring
conversations between students, helping social-emotional pieces
Riley: have chances to go look at things in the field

Lisa Graf: public comment
bullying: aggressor expanded to include member of school staff
hope will consider adversives used to control students as examples of bullying

Board of Ed: dyslexia

 Peyser: is reading a whole series of test numbers and I can't possibly follow this
it's also weird he's the lead on this? 

upshot is current screening doesn't identify students who need assistance in a timely manner
Peyser makes a motion to approve draft regulation
not in order; motion to send to public comment

Moriarty: very accessible document that speaks to best practices in all early education settings
Morton asks if other states have taken this on and done it successfully
Peyser notes that some states have enacting laws, in fact
Moriarty: "small facet" of states have enacted laws; cites Mississippi
Carris Livingstone: think this is really exciting, hopes state will continue to engage in work in early literacy
hears stories of learning issues that are not caught early, goes beyond literacy
noted disparities among students who are learning English as a second language; very important that students have reading materials in their first language
Morton thanks Peyser, seconds motion
Fernández: will this allow us to set goals?
Peyser: short answer is yes
Stewart hope that those who comment bring forward broader goals down the road, to really strengthen that piece

motion passes

The Board of Ed meets at 9: opening comments

 You can find the agenda online here; the meeting will livestream here.

updating as we go

The Boston Teachers Union and others are in Malden outside the meeting:

We’re gathering outside the BESE meeting today to show our commitment to keeping unnecessary state intervention out of BPS and holding the Board accountable. Tune in as we live-tweet this morning’s meeting! pic.twitter.com/peIX7lBBQ7

— BostonTeachersUnion (@BTU66) June 28, 2022

The Commissioner is remote, as he tested positive for COVID yesterday.

Mayor Michelle Wu and Chair Robinson of Boston School Committee speaking first

Wu quips that COVID can't be worse than what we've been going through recently. "We are ready and eager for the work ahead."
"local communities know best...and local communities are best" positioned to deliver that change
Thanks those who have weighed in, "this is not the end, but this is the point at which we are requiring you to stay at the table"
Sunday night meeting BPS "were never pushing back" on data oversight 
We "refused to enter anything less than a partnership because that's what our kids deserved"
"our standards are higher than" those outlined in this agreement
outside this agreement, focused on Green New Deal for BPS, many ways we'll engage with our students across the state
notes School Committee selects new superintendent tomorrow
Robinson: "has been quite a journey"
"has been long overdue"
"we know signing this deal is not just about what we will do internally in the schools"
"how do we help every single constituent in our city" see themselves in this agreement
"we've done done well by some, but we have not done well by all"
laser focused starting Thursday after selection
"this is a hundred years of inequities and problems"
"but we honestly have to begin and we honestly have to stay laser focused"

Gery Mroz on Commissioner's performance evaluation
"districts don't need to do better in Mass, because your policies say they don't need to"
"the complacency of this Board is one reason this education system hasn't improved"
Policy development isn't a school year thing; can't afford a summer vocation

BTU President Jessica Tang: "I'll just say: I didn't want to be here today"
"We have so much work to do in our district"
"this roller coaster ride we've been on has turned our time, energy, and resources away from that work"
"I'm disappointed, because these threats should have never been on the table in the first place"
"there's critical and important work to do, and we have solutions: you just have to ask us"
Things like inclusion done right, facilities, diverse staff, ratios that more adequately support our students
"we're going to continue to show up, because we care"
"we need to focus and get back to the work, and we'll continue to fight for the schools our student deserve"

BEJA ED Ruby Reyes
BEJA filed a public records request with DESE about receivership
at ten day mark, saying would receive in two weeks; now in week ten with no information
how are we to expect data transparency when they cannot complete a simple public records request
"there is a layer of hypocrisy that I would like to point out" given the data concern raised by state on Boston
BPS parents "do not trust you, Commissioner Riley"
ongoing lack of support for schools under state receivership despite being under state control
Commissioner Riley has clearly not moved the needle on these districts and schools
Citywide parent group was turned away from public testimony
voices have not been heard and valued

Decoding Dyslexia Massachusetts: Nancy Duggan commenting on initial discussion on dyslexia today
early intervention can greatly change outcomes for students
asks that the Board move forward with public comment on the revised regulations

Chair Craven: we spent a lot of time on Boston, but there are 950,000 students we have to talk about in Massachusetts
learning loss, and how do we understand the impacts
"as a Board that doesn't have appropriation authority, we do have a policy seat"
listen to superintendents, principals, and "the disturbing amount of turnover we're seeing"
asking for a meeting in July to talk about the competency determination (aha!)
teacher turnover "it's a problem that we're not talking about at this Board"
know July meeting is unorthodox, but think it's necessary

Peyser: on Boston, engage deeply with one another
Do what was in the best interest of students and families of Boston
last meeting was day of Ulavdi shooting: thank educators for keeping schools safe

Commissioner: thank families and educators for "getting kids back on track"
continues to argue that the "disconnection" is why there has been mental health 
thanks all around
Boston: thanks superintendent and school committee
"at the end of the day, it's the mayor we need to thank"
"they think they can do it; we want to help them do it"
DESE "used to be all compliance all the time...but we also need to be a supportive organization"
think that during COVID "have been pivoting"
Russell Johnston: seven areas in plan...and I can't type that fast
DESE will provide certain levels of support: $10M, technical assistance and school support
"very defined timelines and very clear procedures in place" for a three year plan
Craven asks if the Board has any questions, noting that they've had very limited time with the plan
Stewart asks if section on facilities is full detail; Johnston notes Boston commitments beyond
Stewart asks for discussion at July meeting
Carris Livingston asks for what she calls "continued engagement"
Moriarty: "I don't celebrate the too long resolution of these negotiations"
and he's arguing that adults were fighting over money and power
urges Riley to "drop the other shoe" if needed
"I hope my skepticism is not" warranted
at home (in Holyoke) people ask what the steps are out of receivership: "I don't know"
but says they need to support the receiver
Lombos: didn't want receivership. Glad partnership worked out
my seat "represents organizations"
union members and families said "we support teachers and families and the mayor"
"I represent an organization" and don't know that we don't
"receivership is not okay for Boston Public Schools, for the state, or for any district"
state should be representing the best interest of parents and teachers and families
representing not just individuals
working class families 
Moriarty argues that he wasn't calling for a receivership
Craven: was our audit in 2020 "which was undisputed" (uh, not sure) and the update "which was basically undisputed as well" (not actually the case at all) that brought us here
Carris Livingstone says anything besides discussing moving forward is a waste of time
Fernández time is really challenging
would like more creativity in how we address these issues
"would like Massachusetts to do better and to be better"
"everyone needs to be held accountable" (this is interesting in light of the Commissioner's evaluation today)
would like Board to have better and more information to continue input
Morton: a lot of questions that remain; "I want to know these details"
"these are our children...think that this agreement is a reflection that everybody is doing the best we can for our children"

Newly elected student member Eric Plankey (?) from Westford Academy introduced by outcoming student representative Eleni Carris Livingston 
lots of praise for Carris Livingston at her last meeting; the Commissioner says she could be an administrator in the Department

Commissioner on COVID: 
DESE will provide self-tests for the summer; will not provide anything for the fall
recommends districts limit to "symptomatic testing only"
recommends superintendents put test kits aside in case there is a spike in the fall
co-signed letter with DPH which recommends vaccinations and boosters

October Board of Ed: dyslexia

Johnston: early literacy screening panel
2018: Chapter 272 requires screening procedures and protocols including for dyslexia
process of vendor for this process
received no bids to RFR posted in December 2018
put out an RIF: request for information
what would it take to change our RIF to get vendors the second time out
may have packed too much into request: may not find a vendor who can do guideline development and screening and training
new RIF in the spring
contracted with new vendor Pivot Learning
completed in September
plus training for educators across the state: dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia; popular course
have launched website relative to dyslexia
continue to bring attention to that site
"I worry that these recommendations could sit on a shelf" unless we consider how they can get into an IEP, for example
what is found in a screening process "needs to lead to intervention"
stakeholder meetings in January 2020 for input and materials review
feedback cycles on draft materials
make sure that it is well-understood what districts are already doing and how does this fit with that
"This all needs to work together and this needs to fit together"
Craven: how are advocacy groups being involved?
Johnston: continuing updates

Moriarty: really am pleased to hear the depth of work
most pleased by the depth of interest in field
"have to learn differently, have to be taught differently"
"I don't claim to have genuine expertise" but an interest: getting kids the right instruction
"a lot of work the Department is doing with multi-tiered system of support"
"a screening is not a diagnosis"

Peyser: potential scope and scale of this challenge
concerned about it being solely a special education issue
more general approach towards early reading and instruction

June Board of Education: Our Way Forward from Commissioner Riley

You can find his report here.
Riley: said he'd take the year to meet with stakeholders
does not replace strategic plan: road map that denotes where we've been and ponders where we should consider going
Ed reform act ushered in a new era
propelled Massachusetts to the top on various national assessments
"so much to be proud of and grateful for"
"my fear is that we may be like Blockbuster video in 1992...thinking that we're the next great American company when we're about to be taken over by Netflix"

Worcester School Committee meets Thursday

The agenda for the December 6 meeting of the Worcester School Committee can be found here.
Note that the item on the foundation budget is not only back on (I believe it was held?) but it is also on the agenda as a public petition of the Educational Association of Worcester. I still think the number and date are a mistake, HOWEVER, please note that this is an EXCELLENT week to contact your reps and senators to remind them that advancing an updated foundation budget should be a MAJOR PRIORITY of their next session!

Also, looking back at that last agenda...did we hear literally a single thing about the superintendent's midyear evaluation? That would seem rather important.

There are recognitions and such, as well as another round of appointments, retirements, and resignations.
The Governance subcommittee is reporting out, largely that they're filing a large number of items (there are a few revised policies here, 'though they look to be the legally required or otherwise recommended updates).
There is a response on the Worcester State cohort (this is essentially the "making new administrators" program).
There is a response back that for the most part, no, Worcester didn't get any more money from the last federal budget; the one exception is about half a million more dollars in Title IV, going to safe and healthy schools, technology, and "well-rounded educational opportunities."
There is a response back that the Federal Education Innovation and Research Program from the same budget didn't have a ready application to the Worcester Public Schools.
...and likewise on federal safety money.
There is a response on advertising that senior citizens get lower admission prices at games and on proposed additions to coaching.
Mr. Monfredo is requesting monthly school newsletters, put online.
Mr. O'Connell is requesting email addresses from parents and online grading (...which makes me wonder if he's talked to parents at all?)
Mr. O'Connell suggests the adoption of the Orton-Gillingham model for dyslexia.
Mr. O'Connell proposes that the Positive Directions Program be replicated at all secondary schools.
The administration is requesting that the School Committee adopt the administration's own locally created policy on homeschooling to replace the language adopted previously (which is common in many other districts).
There is a request to approve a prior year payment of $680 for Madison Security Group.
There is a request to accept a grant of $5000 for the STARS Residency at Columbus Park School.

There is a request that the following donations be accepted:
 – $250.00 from WEDF to Canterbury Street Magnet School
 – $1,000.00 from Re-Elect McGovern Committee to Canterbury Street Magnet School
– $500.00 from New England Dairy & Food Council to South High Community School
– $500.00 from Harvard Pilgrim Health Care to Tatnuck Magnet School
– $125.00 from College of the Holy Cross to Woodland Academy
– $1,000.00 from Harvard Pilgrim Health Care to WTHS
– $100.00 from Hanioti Licensee Inc./DQ Grill & Chill to Belmont Street Community School
– $95.00 from Nicole Webley-Roberts to Tatnuck Magnet School

And there is a posted executive session for negotiations and a grievance.

October Board of Education: opening remarks and STEM panel

The meeting begins at about 8:30; the agenda is here. Posting as we go once it starts.
Sagan calls the meeting to order and has no opening comments
no public comment today

Riley: "I was under the impression that I could cancel the Board meeting if the Red Sox win; I was disappointed to find that this was not the case"
Sagan quips that it is the reverse; he can cancel for a period of reflection if they lose