School Committee policy section passes

AND BACK: vote of interim contract

Note that this is an amendment to his current contract, which he will go back to, should he not be the person appointed permanently 

15% increase in salary for Dr. Rodrigues
transporation stipend as in current superintendent's contract
not precluded from applying for permanent position

Begins December 1; ends upon appointment of new superintendent or July 1
passes on a 5-2 vote, Biancheria and O'Connell opposed

RFP approved to be sent out
due by November 4
school committee will do screening and do community input with search firm

Worcester School Committee meets at 7 (and we're taking interim appointment out of order)

The agenda is here.

taking interim out of order

"tidal wave of updates"

Posting entirely because I'm entertained by the lede:

How do you know if Tracy O’Connell Novick is at an event? If you are following her on Twitter, you can tell by the tidal wave of updates and links to her blog, all of which keep interested Worcesterites up to date on the latest in education and school politics.

We did charter schools on Tuesday, and we'll do Foundation Budget Review Commission tomorrow!

Note that the link above is to Worcester Magazine's profiles of all Worcester School Committee candidates. Please give it a read! 

MCAS? PARCC? Meh.

They're more or less a wash in predicting college readiness, EXCEPT:

PARCC appears to be a better predictor of better college math* grades than MCAS.
We can make of that what we will, and it appears that Secretary Peyser already is.


*note the asterisk; only math's difference is stastically significant.

A couple of reports that you may have missed yesterday

This one, from the Mass Association of School Committees, on who is actually being served by Massachusetts charter schools. A couple of charts from that:

This one, from the Annenberg Institute (thus a national perspective), on recommendations for charter school reforms. Those include:

• transparent and representative charter governance
• equal access
• fair and transparent discipline
• better monitoring and oversight

The above are things that must be dealt with. Not a cap lift.

Morning after thoughts

for those not on Twitter...

Post from me later today on #keepthecap hearings, but a few thoughts this morning for #MAEdu (1/x)

— Tracy Novick (@TracyNovick) October 14, 2015

The press is getting better about the "teacher's' union v. " narrative, but still are missing the full range of #keepthecap voices (2/x)

— Tracy Novick (@TracyNovick) October 14, 2015

Particularly true yesterday, unless you stayed til the end and heard #MAEdu Boston parents and students talk #keepthecap (3/x)

— Tracy Novick (@TracyNovick) October 14, 2015

While for-profit charter orgs can't operate schools in #MAEdu, I continue to be concerned about the massive $ poured into raising cap (3/x)

— Tracy Novick (@TracyNovick) October 14, 2015

School buses aren't cheap, nor is breakfast at the Omni Parker House #keepthecap #MaEdu (4/x)

— Tracy Novick (@TracyNovick) October 14, 2015

Also, the fundamental dismissal of local govt by some who came out of local govt (& yesterday including Boston's mayor) is crazy (4/x)

— Tracy Novick (@TracyNovick) October 14, 2015

(that deserves a blog post of it's own at some point)

...either that or a power grab. But it's dissonant from so much else that goes on (or we say goes on) in state/local govt (5/x) #MAEdu

— Tracy Novick (@TracyNovick) October 14, 2015

We spent 8 hours—EIGHT HOURS—yesterday taking about a 1/2% number of schools in the state of Massachusetts #MaEdu #keepthecap

— Tracy Novick (@TracyNovick) October 14, 2015

it wasn't our most needy schools, or the ones that serve the most needy kids, or the ones doing the most innovative things in #MaEdu (7/x)

— Tracy Novick (@TracyNovick) October 14, 2015

It isn't even a set of schools that are being forced by @MASchoolsK12 , MGL aside, to really grapple with those #MAEdu issues (8/x)

— Tracy Novick (@TracyNovick) October 14, 2015

We have a #MAEdu system that is AT LEAST $2 billion underfunded. At least! #keepthecap (9/x)

— Tracy Novick (@TracyNovick) October 14, 2015

And we spent yesterday hearing not about fixing that, but expanding it. (10/x) #MAEdu #keepthecap

— Tracy Novick (@TracyNovick) October 14, 2015

The right response to @MassGovernor on this issue is "This is a joke, right? We keep hearing that you're a good manager." #MaEdu (11/x)

— Tracy Novick (@TracyNovick) October 14, 2015

Likewise any mayor with underfunded public schools who lobbies to expand charters in their district loses all fiscal creditability (12/x)

— Tracy Novick (@TracyNovick) October 14, 2015

For #mapoli who pushed for a cap lift yesterday: you haven't followed thru in accountability or in funding. You're mismanaging #MaEdu (12/x)

— Tracy Novick (@TracyNovick) October 14, 2015

There are clocks ticking in #MAEdu, but this isn't one. It isn't close to the most urgent issue we face, @SenStan. #keepthecap (13/x)

— Tracy Novick (@TracyNovick) October 14, 2015

To argue for a "strong bill" on charters while working for a milquetoast #FBRC report is not to represent real need in #MAEdu (14/x)

— Tracy Novick (@TracyNovick) October 14, 2015

As someone whose @worcesterpublic are owed at least $76M/yr from the state, I'm telling you: my kids deserve better from you #MAEdu (15/15)

— Tracy Novick (@TracyNovick) October 14, 2015