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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-01-24-SC-minLEXINGTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING Tuesday, January 24, 2023 Meeting Minutes CALL TO ORDER AND WELCOME: 6:06 PM SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT Sara Cuthbertson, Chairperson Deepika Sawhney, Vice -chair Kathleen Lenihan, Clerk Larry Freeman Eileen Jay (joined remotely) SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS PRESENT Dr. Julie Hackett, Superintendent Dave Coelho, Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations The minutes were taken by Julie Kaye, School Committee Meeting Recording Secretary. The School Committee convened at the School Committee Meeting Room at Central Office and remotely. Members of the public can view and participate in person or in the meeting webinar from their computer or tablet by clicking on the link provided with the meeting agenda. Please note that this meeting is being recorded and that attendees are participating by video conference. This evening's meeting is being broadcast live and also taped by LexMedia for future on -demand viewing. All supporting materials that have been provided to members of this body are available on the Town's website unless otherwise noted. PUBLIC HEARING ON THE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS' FY2024 RECOMMENDED SCHOOL BUDGET The Lexington Public School Committee held a public hearing to discuss the Superintendent of Schools' FY2024 Recommended School g2dget. Ms. Cuthbertson stated that there will be a brief recess after. Update • Dr. Hackett explained that we reached an agreement with the town resulting in a 3.89% increase over our FY 23 budget. We worked out an agreement where the Town is going to put more money into the Special Education Stabilization account so that we can make sure the needs of our students are met. • Mr. Coelho added that the additional percentage points give us an additional $358,000. He also mentioned that there will be more flexibility with the use of the stabilization/reserve fund. • Dr. Hackett stated that the process in Lexington is different than in some places, Lexington is highly inclusive with many meetings. The next Summit meeting is January JK 01/24/23 -DRAFT 30, 2023 and we typically don't go into that last summit meeting until we reach an agreement which we did. School Committee Questions/Comments • Ms. Cuthbertson asked to add some information about the reserve fund since it will be coming to Annual Town Meeting and it is something new. • Mr. Coelho responded that in 2018 the State put out The Useful Modernization Act. This allows for the creation of a second specialized stabilization fund. This is a reserve fund, not an appropriation fund. It would require a Town Meeting vote to set up and it would give us more flexibility because use of funds only requires a vote of the School Committee and Select Board. • Ms. Sawnhey asked about the caps on the funds and how to access them. Mr. Coelho responded that there is a 2% (or 2.8 million dollars) cap on the reserve fund, and the stabilization fund has no specific cap. • Mr. Freeman asked: Once the account gets set up, do we always go to the reserve fund first? Mr. Coelho responded that yes, the first stop would be the reserve fund, which is the most flexible of the two. Then the stabilization fund. Mr. Freeman asked if we have to deplete the reserve before going into the stabilization fund. Mr. Coelho replied that you wouldn't specifically have to but that it would make sense to. Public Comments Ms. Cuthbertson invited the public to make comments about the budget. Lisa Sullivan - LPS Teacher: She is speaking on behalf of the Intensive Learning Program (ILP) teachers team at Fiske and Estabrook. They provide highly specialized instruction to students with autism and related disabilities. These teachers were attracted to the ILP program at Lexington because of the quality of services and support provided, but they are seeing these supports be reduced. The program is constantly growing and they have been assigned more students but the request for supplement staff was denied. Ms. Sullivan also brought up the proposed elimination of Elementary half days which would result in the removal of prep and planning time as well as weekly ILP classroom meeting time. The ILP is questioning the future of the program. Avon Lewis - LEA President (in person): "Good evening. My name is Avon Lewis and I am the president of the Lexington Education Association. In September, you voted on 13 budget guidelines. These guidelines are directions to the superintendent about how to spend approximately half of the town's $266 million dollar, fiscal year '24 budget. The first directive is to "ensure the safety, security, and emotional well-being of our students." The proposed budget does not do this. The assessment of many staff in the buildings is that right now, the kids are not okay. Stress from academics, omnipresent cell phones, delayed social skills development, family struggles, and so much more are driving students into isolation, others to tears, and others to behavioral outbursts that may leave students and staff traumatized or physically injured. We need more mental health and behavioral support for all students. We need training for all staff. We need to stop the onslaught of "new stuff" that the School Committee directs us to squeeze JK 01/24/23 -DRAFT in and focus on what our students need, and what our students deserve. The second directive is "to ensure all legal and contractual mandates are met." The proposed budget does not do this, either. Many special education students are not receiving all of their legally mandated services because we are short-staffed. Some short staffing is by design - the persistent efforts to be "fiscally responsible" means that positions that are needed are not posted in a timely manner, or in some cases, at all. We max stuff out, and then add one more student, and then another, because that is cheaper than hiring another person. When we do add a position, we struggle to hire because our working conditions are not sustainable and our compensation is not competitive. Furthermore, staff who do some of the most difficult and demanding work choose to do that work because it is personally fulfilling; however, you are taking advantage of them. Many of them can, and have, left to work somewhere else for better salaries, where they will not get hurt on the job. We recognize that you added a number of FTE this year, but those added positions were mandated by student IEPs. Our staffing levels remain insufficient to meet the demands of all our students. And you want to know the mind-boggling part? It is only January. Based on the referrals to special education we are seeing, dozens more students will be identified with disabilities that impact their learning by the end of the year and will qualify for services. Lexington has money to do right by the kids we have right now. You are putting money into savings, which makes good fiscal sense, but at what cost to our kids? The students we have right now should not be asked to pay for a building many will never experience. These are kids. They only get to be 6, 12, or 15 once. I urge you to listen to my colleagues who will be speaking. Please reconsider this budget and how you will meet your own priorities. If necessary, we urge you to reject this budget and come back with one that meets the needs of today's students and educators." Laura Sheppard -Brick (in person): She teaches math at Lexington High School. She read a letter written by Kyle Virgin, a spouse of a Lexington teacher. His wife is Liz Virgin, who has taught in Lexington for seven years. She stays an hour after school, four times a week, and arrives an hour early. She also plans lessons at night. Mr. Virgin asked to have the maximum class limit be four classes and 100 students. Jessica Antoline - 40 Elmwood St, Somerville MA: She is a teacher of 125 students, and is overwhelmed. She states that "we cannot stand by and watch elementary educators experience exactly what we feel like every day at the high school level, having our time constantly disappear that was put there to help students." Teachers do not have time to meet with counselors and support staff. Students have been out of class because of severe mental health needs, she believes we are unable to meet these needs. Cara Johnson - First -grade teacher at Fiske (in person): "Did you know..." Many Lexington educators with children struggle to live in Middlesex County. According to the MIT Living Wage Calculator, a Lexington educator with one child who has a Master's degree and has been working in the district for 10 years does NOT earn a living wage in Middlesex County. All educators in all units deserve a living wage. We deserve professional respect for the important work we do. We deserve recognition for the countless hours that we spend outside of our contractual time to ensure all our students have the best instruction and environment to meet their educational, social, and emotional needs. Teaching and building relationships with our JK 01/24/23 -DRAFT students is what happens during the school day. During the hours we are not working directly with students we are planning, analyzing student data to inform instruction, learning new curriculum, attending professional development, setting up the classroom for a new school year, preparing for a new unit of study, college/private school recommendations, and many other things all happen beyond the contracted hours we work and the salary we make. Lisa Wallace, first -grade teacher at Fiske (in person): "Consider this: Most professions allow for professional growth and compensation for that growth. You put in your time, you work your way up the ladder, and you earn more as you gain more experience. Maybe you get a bonus, but you would certainly get a cost of living increase each year. In contrast, most unit A members, who have been in the district for more than 12 years with Master +45, barely even earn a cost of living increase each year. Teachers reach a ceiling, but yet we are still expected to continuously learn new curricula and put in time outside the contracted hours, without a bonus or any other compensation. The proposed pay schedule does not address this issue. Without a fair COLA increase AND a fair payment schedule, where is our incentive? More to the point, where is the professional respect? It's becoming harder and harder to want to put in the extra hours, extra professional development, extra anything because we are not compensated for what we do. Instead, our plates are continually loaded with more, without regard to our mental health or our financial well-being. Simply stated, "We aren't asking for a bonus, we are asking to make a living wage" Without fair and competitive wages, teachers will and are leaving LPS. And when those teachers leave, our students lose out. We need you to work together with us, to do what's best for teachers because this is what's best for students. To think that you can separate the two clearly states we are not a team. "Teachers who love teaching teach children to love learning, and districts who respect educators, work hard to compensate them for their efforts and show their appreciation" Thank you" Cassie Stephens, Hudson, MA: She is speaking in support of Lisa Sullivan's statement with regard to conditions for teachers and students in the ILP program. She teaches adapted physical education at Fiske and Estabrook. Her current caseload is 33 students all with ISPs, she anticipates ending up with 39 students for the year. Students are affected by the amount of support staff. Andre Verner (in person): He teaches math at Lexington High School, he is reading a statement on behalf of a pre -professional status teacher who would like to remain anonymous. The letter mentions the feeling of pride after a good lesson. In this person's previous district, they would get this feeling often and they were confident that the needs of the students were met. This person has not felt this way in Lexington after starting four months ago. They constantly feel that they "shortchange" the students. Their list of tasks results in late nights, early mornings, and busy weekends. They feel like a worse teacher than when they started. They don't have time to work with 125 students individually or create lessons that close gaps and understanding. They asked the School Committee to adjust the teacher workload to 100 students and 4 classes. Sarah Daggett, 11 White Pine Ln, Lexington, MA: She is a parent of two students at Bowman Elementary School and one at Clarke Middle School. She is in support of the amazing educators who have helped her children. She is advocating for teachers to have the time they need to do JK 01/24/23 -DRAFT their jobs well and to support students. She supports paying our teachers a living wage, it is unfair that we have teachers teaching in our school system who can't afford to live in our town. She is forever grateful for the support of the special education teachers at Bowman and Clarke. Those educators depend on having time to plan. She believes that removing time from the curriculum and adding more academics does not seem to meet the needs of either the students or teachers. Fay Chen, 14 Suzanne Rd, Lexington (in person): She is a parent of a child with an ILP at Fiske. It is hard for her to hear that we are having a difficult time collaborating with one another about the half-day on Fridays. She is concerned her son's teachers and therapist are not going to have time to collaborate with one another and that it would impact all kids with IEPs. She asked the School Committee to reconsider the half-day Fridays. Many students use the half day on Fridays for outside therapies, if the half day goes away then those students will have to give up those therapies. Gosia, 7 Holmes Rd, Lexington, MA: She has lived in Lexington for 17 years and her children started school here in Kindergarten, her son is now in Middle School and her daughter is in the high school. They have wonderful, caring teachers at both schools. She would like to express her support for the teachers in advocating for fair compensation. She asked the School Committee to reconsider the budget and to improve the compensation of the teachers. Cassandra Biette - 53 Chester Rd, Belmont (in person): "I came across a Facebook post from a fourth-grade colleague in another community, showing a picture of the quilt her class made celebrating the accomplishments of colonial America as a part of their study of immigration and US regions. As I looked, I was struck by the differences between what these fourth-grade students were learning, and what my fourth-grade students are learning here in Lexington. Just last week the rest of my fourth-grade colleagues met to plan our upcoming unit about the Midwest, where we will be teaching about the Lakota and their connection to the land. In fourth grade, we also learn about the ways enslaved people resisted slavery in the Southeast, the ways Jewish factory workers worked together to unionize in the Northeast, and more. When I tell my family and friends the things that I teach my fourth graders, they are amazed at the cutting-edge work that we are doing and wish that they learned these things in fourth grade. This always reinforces something that I already feel, and that I'm sure many other people in this room feel: Lexington students get the best education in Massachusetts. But this cutting-edge teaching and learning don't just happen. My colleagues and I spent our half day last week learning about this unit. Next week on our half day, I will meet with a group of educators at Harrington in our Equity Team meeting, and discuss the ways that we can push our school community to be even more inclusive and welcoming to all students, families, and educators. Last year on a half day, I went with a group of colleagues including teachers, administrators, ESPs, and even kitchen staff, to the METCO headquarters in Dorchester to meet with the METCO director. We talked about ways that Lexington can strengthen our connection with METCO and how we can better support our METCO students in Lexington, and then later put these discussions into action. All of these things I've described that allow us to be on the cutting edge of teaching and learning in Lexington happened on half days. Without our half day, Lexington teachers will no longer be able to provide this high-quality education to our students. JK 01/24/23 -DRAFT I am asking you to reconsider eliminating the half day so that our elementary students can continue to receive what I consider to be the best education in the state of Massachusetts." Robin Strizhak - 15 Juniper St, Chelmsford, MA: She is an English teacher at the High School. She is in support of her colleagues and parents who have spoken. Taylor Singh - 40 Hancock St, Lexington, MA (in person): She thanked the School Committee. She stated the Lexington Teachers Union is requesting caps on the number of caseloads. She is a parent of a child in special education and addressed the School Committee with questions about why teachers have to bargain for caseload caps. Our children need support staff in order to learn, and our community needs to retain its faculty. She made a comment about putting funds aside for a building while ignoring teachers is going to become an untenable situation. Our teachers are advocating on behalf of our students and she is in support of them. Amanda Laskowski - Burlington, MA: She is a special educator at Bridge Elementary school. She is speaking to urge the School Committee and Dr. Hackett to bargain in good faith when it comes to implementing five full days. This is the only time she is able to meet with her Specialized Instructional Assistants to conduct professional development, discuss best practices, and to discuss students' needs. She also does not support adding more curricula. She added that there have been no concrete plans shared with staff and families on what a five -full-day schedule will look like. She asked for a pause until these issues have been resolved. Jessica Khamarji - Arlington, MA (in person): She is a visual arts teacher at Lexington High School. She is reading a statement from two of the World Language teachers at the high school. They love teaching but are severely overwhelmed. There have been 51 different language classes listed in the program of studies across 7 languages, taught by 23 teachers. There is no team to divide the labor of developing curriculum and assessments. The department has committed to "un-textbooking" Rather than using a textbook, teachers use materials created by native speakers. Researching these materials takes an enormous amount of time and they need to be updated frequently to keep current. The World Language teachers are also responsible for assessing students on their reading, writing, listening, and speaking of their target language and this grading is very time-consuming. Teachers have been declining and passing up on many community activities because they can not squeeze one more thing into their day. Ms. Khamarji echoes this. Amy Shew - Maynard, MA: She is a first grade teacher at Fiske elementary school. She supports her first -grade colleagues, Lisa Wallace and Cara Johnson. Matt Daggett - 11 White Pine Ln, Lexington, MA: He is a Town Meeting member in Precinct 2. He wanted to express his appreciation for the comments that were shared and to echo some of the other parents. He has children at Bowman and Clarke and has worked closely with Special Education staff. At his first year in Town Meeting when he saw the budget come up, there was a point in the presentation that showed a comment that we were number two in the State with respect to special education and there was a comment made after that "we can be number one." He extends his thoughts and gratitude to everyone who has spoken tonight. JK 01/24/23 -DRAFT Michele Carter (in person): She teaches at Fiske and has been in the District for 34 years. She would like to speak up for everyone who has spoken tonight and to all who have worked hard to try to get us to the point that we were back when she first started here. She is proud to be a colleague. Allie Bradley - Westford, MA: She is a speech-language pathologist at the high school and she works with students who all require lots of support. She has experienced firsthand that the teachers she works with can not do their jobs well with a high caseload and low staffing. Without having collaboration time and availability, she is not able to provide a wraparound approach. She commented that she can work in many other settings (corporate, hospital, private practice) but she loves the students she works with at the high school. She hopes that we can figure something out so she can continue to work here. Lori King (in person): She is reading on behalf of another teacher. She reads, "I work very hard to create a learning environment that is safe, welcoming, inclusive, collaborative, emotionally supportive, fair, predictable, and motivating," but the administration is not ensuring a work environment that meets those same standards. This person has worked in many other districts and claims that Lexington has "the most problematic culture." Disrespect has been observed between students and colleagues and toward teachers from students and parents that seems to be a symptom of poor leadership. This person would like to encourage our administrators and superintendent to consider repairing our broken culture as a top priority. Kimberly Michael (in person): She is a fourth-grade teacher at Fiske. She is in support of the comments from her colleagues, Cassandra Biette, Lisa Wallace, and Cara Johnson. Her heart is "so uplifted" by all of the support from her parents and families. We want to give the most outstanding educational experience that we can, this takes time. Ms. Michael is so proud of her colleagues and thanked everyone for their support. Katie Bonitatibus - 31 Smith St, Waltham, MA: She is a teacher at Fiske who has previously taught in the ILP program and now she is a moderate resource teacher. She agrees with her colleagues and parents who have spoken and hopes for a fair contract. Gretchen Segars 3 Chestnut Ln, Lexington, MA (in person): She states that the students of LPS need more attention. She has seen many kids crying at the high school this week, kids need more emotional support. Her colleagues teach more than just content, they also teach things such as time management, how to be social again, and how to regulate emotions. Teachers are having to model these things to their students as their stress levels are increasing because of extra demands. Ms. Segars asked for a 100 -student cap per teacher so that the needs of students are met. Megan Klein Hattori - 44 Forest St, Lexington, MA: She has three elementary students (one with an IEP) and she volunteers in the elementary school. She sees that our kids and teachers are burnt out and overwhelmed. She is asking for us to support our teachers to the fullest extent possible. JK 01/24/23 -DRAFT The School Committee took recess from 7:03 PM to 7:12 PM CONSENT AGENDA Ms. Sawhney read the following consent agenda items: Payroll and Accounts Payable Warrant Approval a. January 13, 2023 - Payroll Warrant in the amount of $4,157,819.62 b. January 20, 2023 - AP Warrant in the amount of $1,924,497.46 c. January 20, 2023 - BMO Warrant in the amount of $49,548.11 Ms. Jay read the following consent agenda items: Minutes a. June 14, 2022 b. September 27, 2022 c. November 15, 2022 d. November 29, 2022 (Ms. Jay stated that these minutes need to be amended to include the student representative Aditi, who attended the meeting) e. January 10, 2023 Ms. Lenihan read the following consent agenda items: Donations a. Anonymous Donation to the Madrigal Singers in the amount of $300.00 Mr. Freeman made a motion to approve the entire consent agenda including the amendment of the November 29th minutes, Ms. Sawheny seconded. Ms. Cuthbertson took a roll call vote, passed 5-0. SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS AND LIAISON REPORTS Ms. Jay exclaimed that last week was an extremely busy week. The Martin Luther King Day event last Monday was terrific, kudos to the organizing team and the Human Rights Committee. She attended an author talk last Wednesday at Cary Library with Natasha Warikoo, her book is "Race at the Top: Asian Americans and Whites in Pursuit of the American Dream in Suburban Schools." It was apparent at this event that we need to continue this conversation. The LEF had its Trivia Bee last Thursday; unfortunately, the School Committee had a conflicting meeting at that time. This past Sunday was the first day of the Lunar New year. CAAL and a number of co-sponsors had a wonderful performance and cultural food event at Cary Hall. CAAL will also be offering a Lantern Festival on February 5th and CALex will be having a lunar new year event of their own on February 4th. Ms. Lenihan also attended the Lunar New Year event and the MLK Day celebration. She also attended the concert on MLK Day which was amazing. There was a joint meeting of the School Committee, Select Board, Recreation Committee, and Capital Expenditures Appropriation Committee, they discussed the LHS building project, work that the library needs done, and JK 01/24/23 -DRAFT other projects. Ms. Lenihan encouraged everyone to watch the recording on LexMedia. Mr. Freeman attended the MLK Day Community Conversation on Race. This year's topic was fear and how fear separates us. He also attended the CAAL Lunar New Year event, the performances, and food were great. Ms. Sawhney also attended the MLK Day and CAAL events. She requested that a finance Powerpoint be shared with the School Committee. Ms. Sawhney also explained there will be a writing competition that will be judged by many members of the community, it will be for children in grades 3 through 12 to tell their stories. Mytruthis.org is the website, she would like us to encourage kids to write! The goal is to have an award ceremony and for the stories to be e -published. Grace met with the LHS Senate. They are working on a report based on a survey that shows that students don't feel connected to their teachers. They are trying to find ways to monitor this, by possibly creating focus groups. At the Student Advisory Committee meeting, affinity groups were discussed and how to create inclusive spaces. Ms. Cuthbertson stated that the MLK Day of service was wonderful and well attended by the community and a lot more people were willing to participate. She also had a wonderful time at the CAAL event, she got to be in the dragon! Last Thursday Ms. Cuthbertson, Mr. Coelho, and Dr. Hackett all attended a Chair Plus One meeting with the Town Manager and his finance staff, as well as representatives from the Appropriations Committee and the Capital Expenditures Committee. They talked about budgets becoming more challenging. After we are done with the FY 2024 budget they will start to look at the FY 2025 budget. Ms. Cuthbertson mentioned that a large number of move -ins of students with substantial needs was not anticipated. The Budget Summit will be on January 30th. COMMUNITY SPEAK Amber Iqbal - 49 Courtyard PI, Lexington (in person): She thanked LHS and the Principal for talking about having a prayer room. She pointed out that Ramadan is at the end of March, typically Muslim kids do not pray throughout the year but during Ramadan spirits are high and students like to perform more religious activities during that month. Ms. Iqbal asked if it was possible for teachers to excuse kids during that time so they can perform their prayers. She also wanted to point out that other schools have introduced new meal options, for example during Hanukkah they offer kosher meals. She asked if we could introduce meals like this around times of festivities. Ms. Cuthbertson asked if Amber received an email from Mr. Cole, and Ms. Iqbal said that she just did. Ms. Cuthbertson also added that Kevin from Whitsons has been really collaborative working with many different groups in the past. Kristen DePesa - 4 Weston Rd, Reading, MA: She wants to talk about the ongoing contract negotiations that we are having with the LEA and the Superintendent and School Committee. JK 01/24/23 -DRAFT She is a teacher at Lexington High School and every year our staff's compensation falls further and further behind other districts around Lexington. She loves a lot about Lexington, however, according to the LEA they calculated that a Lexington educator with one kid, one master's degree (which is a required element to be a teacher), and who has devoted 10 years to working at LPS does not earn a living wage in Middlesex county. Ms. DePesa has two kids (a third due in April) and she has exhausted all of her sick time so the thought of working unpaid is a constant stress and reality. She has many certifications and yet her family is struggling. She would appreciate it when the School Committee is thinking of allocating funds, to think about how teachers are struggling in the district. Chris Brainard - Maynard, MA (in person): She started teaching in Lexington in 2010, and became a "real teacher" in 2012. She currently teaches 230 fourth and fifth graders across the district, and almost 70 middle school students, and she co -directs the All -Town orchestra. All -Town orchestra invites fourth and fifth graders who have at least one year of strengthening experience from any elementary school in the district to learn how to play as an orchestral ensemble. They meet for one hour during the Friday half-day and have done so for over 50 years. This year over 80 students signed up for the All -Town orchestra. She has not heard of any plans about what might become of her program in the event that the half day at the elementary school is eliminated. Ms. Brainard invited the School Committee to come to the concert on February 4th at LHS to experience what they do firsthand. Abigail Chaffer - 34 Allston St, Charlestown, MA: She is a high school teacher at LHS and is calling in from her second job. She came in front of the School Committee five years ago and stated that she needs multiple jobs to make ends meet. She speaks to the School Committee now as a 6 -year educator with a master's degree, advanced credits, and professional status and has spent countless hours with students and the community of Lexington and she still cannot make ends meet. She mentioned that she has to pay out -of -network therapists to address the anxiety and depression she struggles with from working in Lexington, as well as student loans she had to take out in order to work in Lexington. Ms. Chaffer declares that we need a fair contract and livable wages. Amy -Jo Conant - Stowe, MA (in person): She is a Fiske library teacher. She states that teachers have been trusted to do the difficult work of educating children but are not trusted to know what is best for students. It's not a vanity ask for teachers to have smaller caseloads and planning time. She is looking for support with basic needs. SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT Dr. Hackett reviewed her Su2edntendenfs Report with the School Committee. The highlights from her report include: Congratulations and Celebrations • Shout out to Estabrook teacher Mark Taggart who was chosen as one of the elite 100 teachers for 2022 IXL. • The Clarke Frozen cast and crew had a full-day workshop with Broadway star Patti Murin. JK 01/24/23 -DRAFT Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion • Author Jen Wang joined the 8th graders at Clarke and Diamond for a virtual visit to discuss aspects of her novel, The Prince and the Dressmaker, as well as to share her thoughts on authorial craft and how she generates ideas as a writer. • Students from the DEI Student Advisory Council continue to bring diverse literature to the elementary schools, expanding their Diversify Lexington Literature project to Harrington Elementary School later this month with LHS student -led read -aloud for 2nd and 3rd -grade classrooms. Kindergarten Registration Opening Soon • Registration for the 2023-2024 School Year opens on Monday, February 13, 2022 at 8 a.m. 4. Youth Counseling Connection • Volunteer with Youth Counseling Connection, Lexington's independent and free mental health service provider for kids and families. Snow Days and Early Release • Dr. Hackett discussed what steps go into making an early release or snow day call. Families are encouraged to update their emergency contact information in the event of an emergency or future early release. School Committee Questions/Comments: Mr. Freeman is glad to hear the update about student -led DEI initiatives. This makes him feel good after hearing what's happening in Florida about how African-American studies are being called illegal and not being approved. Ms. Sawhney asked for more information about contacting the parents of our Boston students. Dr. Hackett responded that we have a parent contact or a family member and then we put the communication out and then Ms. Hamilton, the METCO director, reaches out with a separate communication. We are constantly circling to make sure that everybody's taken care of and that all students make it home safely. No questions from Ms. Jay. Grace mentioned that Diversify Our Literature changed its name. She does not remember what it was changed to but she will get back with that information. Ms. Cuthbertson announced that the Diamond Team, BEEm Us Up won the Lexington Education Foundation Trivia Bee! Mr. Freeman read this contract negotiation update on behalf of the School Committee. POLICY SUBCOMMITTEE Ms. Cuthbertson explained that the School Committee has been working with Mr. Small. He has reached out to DESE and is working with a new point person. The School Committee will hold JK 01/24/23 -DRAFT off on some policies until Mr. Small hears back. a. Second Reading of the Revised Policy JFABD: Homeless Students: Enrollment Rights and Services Ms. Lenihan made a motion to approve the amended JFABD Policy, Mr. Freeman seconded. Ms. Cuthbertson took a roll call vote, passed 5-0. b. Hold off on the Second Reading of the Revised Policy JF: School Admissions Policy c. Hold off on the Second Reading of the Revised Policy JFAR: Policy on Non -Resident Students d. Second Reading of the New Policy JFARF: Educational ®��ortunities for Children in Foster Care Ms. Sawhney made a motion to approve the New Policy JFABF. Educational Opportunities for Children in Foster Care, Mr. Freeman seconded. Ms. Cuthbertson took a roll call vote, passed 5-0. e. Second Reading of the New Policy JFABE: Educational �p�ortunities for Military Children Ms. Lenihan made a motion to approve the New Policy JFABE: Educational Opportunities for Military Children, Mr. Freeman seconded. Ms. Cuthbertson took a roll call vote, passed 4-0. (Ms. Jay did not respond). Third Reading of the Revised RDA - School Committee Organization MeetinE Policy Ms. Lenihan made a motion to approve the revised BDA - School Committee Organization Meeting Policy, Ms. Sawheny seconded. Ms. Cuthbertson took a roll call vote, passed 5-0. UNFINISHED BUSINESS A. Food Waste Reduction Petition Ms. Cuthbertson explained that the Green Team created this petition for the inclusion of the words "reducing food waste" in the Massachusetts science curriculum guidelines in grades 5, 7, and 8. Mr. Freeman asked if this is just a wording change or if this would be a new initiative. Ms. Cuthbertson replied that the curriculum already talks about practices that include reducing, recycling, composting, and using renewable energy. This requested the addition of "reducing food waste" would just be added to those already established lessons. Mr. Freeman is all for this, he is just concerned about the messaging and it is additional work. Ms. Sawhney spoke about this being a "baby step." Ms. Cuthbertson stated that she thinks this is a very minor add. Ms. Lenihan added that there is a difference between a new initiative and a tweak. She suggested that Dr. Hackett talk with science coordinators. It was decided that the School Committee will wait to vote on this. JK 01/24/23 -DRAFT Ms. Jay added that this is about science curriculum standards and DESE. What is being asked here is a statement of support. She thinks it would be worthwhile to hear from our own science coordinators. She also assumes that the Green Team is asking many individuals to sign the petition. She has not heard of School Committees as a body supporting things that will be changing curricular standards at the state level. Ms. Cuthbertson will ask MASC and other districts, if these process questions are important. NEW BUSINESS A. Vote to Ratify the emorandum of AEreement Regarding Substitutes Dr. Hackett stated that the agreement has been ratified by the LEA membership, and she recommends the School Committee take a vote on this. This includes language about sick leave; any LEA member who runs out of sick days before the end of the year will be given 5 additional sick days, with the possibility of an additional 5 days to be handled on a case-by-case basis. There is also language about substitute coverage. Ms. Lenihan made a motion to approve the Memorandum of Agreement between the Lexington Education Association and Lexington Public Schools Substituting for absent staff and unfilled vacancies from January 1, 2023 through June 30, 2023, Ms. Sawhney seconded. Ms. Cuthbertson took a roll call vote, passed 5-0. COMMUNITY SPEAK Avon Lewis - LEA president (in person): She thanked the School Committee for the vote on the MOA and that this is the process that we want to see. She is glad there was a conversation and they worked things out. She responded to the statement that Mr. Freeman read, one point was about the average teacher making $95,000. According to the MIT living wage calculator, for a single adult with a child in Middlesex County, the living wage is $96,465 a year. This means that approximately half of our staff are not making a living wage. The other point is about teachers working 184 days, that is our contact year but most teachers work at night, on weekends, and on vacations. Dr. Lewis hopes that in the future this is explicitly recognized. Catie Sawka - 21 Florence St, Bellingham, MA: She is a teacher at Bowman, and she would like to piggyback on what Dr. Lewis just said. She has been teaching for twelve years, she holds a professional license as well as a master's degree along with many other achievements, qualifications, and certifications. She has worked for LIPS for nine years and she does not qualify to make a livable wage to live in Middlesex county. She commutes over an hour every day to work in a community she values. Jess Quattrocchi - 102 Pleasant St, Lexington, MA (in person): She is very emotional, it is hard for her to hear that her child's teacher is struggling. She is the LexSEPAC co-chair and a nurse. She wants teachers to have a living wage, but she acknowledges that everything takes time. She asked for the statement that was read to be shared, and Mr. Freeman responded that it will go out to the community. She appreciates all of the hard work that everyone does. JK 01/24/23 -DRAFT POSSIBLE ACTION ITEMS Updates: • Ms. Cuthbertson followed up with Ms. Hai about AEDs being on fields for games but not for practices and they are not there for the general community. Ms. Hai suggested that Ms. Lenihan put in a proposal or request. • The Select Board does not intend on bringing up air quality in schools as an action item because they feel like it is being adequately monitored. • Ms. Cuthbertson also talked about our harassment policies, they will be in an updated manual. Proposals/additions: • Ms. Sawhney brought up warrants with complex issues. Ms. Cuthbertson suggested creating a standard form. The two of them will work something out. • Ms. Lenihan brought up students who receive special education services not being well represented in AP and honors classes. She thinks it would be helpful to have a presentation sometime this year that dives into this specific issue by year so we can see how we are trending. Ms. Jay added that as we are changing some of the leveling in certain classes, it might be difficult to go year by year. She asked what kind of data we can use to show how these changes are playing out. Students change levels and there is stretch placement. Mr. Freeman would like to see detailed information. Dr. Hackett spoke about DESE and disproportionality and how she feels unsettled by the request from DESE to look at data in a certain way. She feels like it's a larger systemic issue. She believes we have made great strides. Mr. Freeman is only asking to see the results of our efforts. He said, "if we don't measure ourselves at some point, how are we going to know if our efforts need to be shifted or adjusted to make better gains?" Presentation or data -sharing on trends of Honors and AP enrollment for students with disabilities to be included in the Systemic Barriers presentation was added to Possible Action Items. ADJOURNMENT Ms. Lenihan made a motion to adjourn at 9:00 PM, Ms. Sawhney seconded. Ms. Cuthbertson took a roll call vote, passed 5-0. JK 01/24/23 -DRAFT