HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-10-11-SC-minLEXINGTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING
Tuesday, October 11, 2022
Meeting Minutes
CALL TO ORDER AND WELCOME: 6:03 PM
SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT
Sara Cuthbertson, Chairperson
Deepika Sawhney, Vice -chair
Kathleen Lenihan, Clerk
Eileen Jay
Larry Freeman
Student Representative - Grace Ou
SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS PRESENT
Dr. Julie Hackett, Superintendent
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.
CONSENT AGENDA
Mr. Freeman read the following consent agenda items:
• Payroll and Accounts Payable Warrant Approval
a. October 7, 2022 - AP Warrant in the amount of $453,541.06
b. October 7, 2022 -Payroll in the amount of $4,359,901.01
c. October 7, 2022 - Supplemental Payroll in the amount of $17,050.00
Ms. Jay read the following consent agenda items:
• Donations
a. $2,000 Anonymous Donation for Wind Ensemble Trip to the Pacific Basin
Ms. Lenihan read the following consent agenda items:
• Minutes
a. May 24, 2022
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Ms. Sawhney made a motion to approve the entire consent agenda, Ms.
Lenihan seconded. Passed 5-0.
SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS AND LIAISON REPORTS
Mr. Freeman announced that the Human Rights Committee is sponsoring "No Hate November."
There will be a kindness calendar. He hopes to get a lot of participation from Lexington Public
Schools. They have also started to have conversations about the Martin Luther Day celebration.
Ms. Lenihan stated that on October 17th there will be a joint School Committee, Select Board,
and Planning Board meeting to have a presentation about the Vision for Lexington 2021 survey.
Ms. Jay announced that on October 20th at 6:30 PM there will be a screening of the film
"Normal Isn't Real: Succeeding with Learning Disabilities and ADHD" sponsored by LexSEPTA
and SEPAC in the Hastings Cafeteria.
Ms. Sawhney mentioned the Budget Summit. She also got her vaccines at the Vaccination Clinic
and she spoke with Karen Rufo, Director of School Health Services.
Ms. Cuthbertson did not have any announcements.
COMMUNITY SPEAK
Avon Lewis - LEA President (in person): "My name is Avon Lewis and I am the president of the
Lexington Education Association, the Local that represents more than 1,000 employees of the
Lexington Public Schools. I am here with my colleagues tonight to present a petition, as well as
some context, about COVID leave. COVID leave has been a part of the LEA's agreements with
the Lexington School Committee since March 2020. There have been unmetered sick days
available to staff who test positive for COVID who are told to quarantine or to care for a family
member who has COVID or has to quarantine. For the last two years, staff were required to
submit documentation alongside their request, verifying their need. Given that we are in a
pandemic, and we are still in a pandemic, COVID leave has been one of the most humane
examples of living our oft -quoted core value of "Care for yourself and others" imaginable. Staff
are often put in a position where they are expected to give that care to students, but they often
do not feel the same consideration from the district. Meanwhile, the vast majority of LPS staff
have not used any COVID leave, but for people who have needed it, it has been there. COVID
leave gives peace of mind to several different groups. Because we still have unpaid parental
leave in Lexington, many of our staff of childbearing age, especially women, spend years
carefully managing their sick days so they can take paid time off after the birth of a child. If we
require them to use their sick days for COVID, we are forcing them to choose between coming
to work sick and having time to bond with their little ones. Because we still have unpaid
parental leave in Lexington, many of our staff who have recently had a baby, start the year with
a severely depleted sick bank which means they are put in a position where they have to choose
between taking care of themselves if they get COVID or saving days to take care of their kids, or
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perhaps, going unpaid and having no money to pay the bills. Similarly, our new hires start with a
very limited amount of sick time and one bout of COVID could wipe it out. Finally, our
immunocompromised staff members work in an environment where almost every COVID
mitigation has been lifted. We do not test. We do not ask kids or adults to mask. We do not
send kids with COVID symptoms home, and yes, people are coming to school sick. We aren't
keeping track of how many cases or doing any sort of contact tracing. For these staff, knowing
that their colleagues are being put in a situation where they feel pressure to come to work sick
because they are saving days for their kids or because they are out of time, feels like one more
way Lexington is telling them that their health is not valued. We recognize that COVID leave is
not a thing in many communities, but why does that matter? Every day, the educators of
Lexington show up and give their best to the kids of Lexington. We do many things that other
communities don't do, and the district asks for more every year. Right now, your staff is telling
you that COVID leave is still needed in order for us to come and give our best to these students.
We hope you listen. Thank you."
Lori Giterman - 26 Eldred St, Lexington, MA: She supports the previous statement made by Dr.
Lewis and believes that our educators should have COVID leave. She also states that she thinks
that October 25th is too early to vote on the proposed schedule change. She believes that the
proposed start time, 7:40 AM is too early. Ms. Giterman added that Kidsborough can provide
before -school care if that is an option that LPS is willing to explore.
Jennipher Burgess - Belmont, MA: She is an SIA at Hastings and she echoes the importance of
COVID leave. She has had COVID twice from school, as well as other illnesses. Ms. Burgess
would like to put some importance on allowing people to have more access to the sick bank and
providing our professionals with the time that they need.
Rachel Athens - 53 Rhinecliff St, Arlington, MA: She is an educator speaking about the impact of
no COVID leave. She states that it creates great stress on families with young children,
especially those who have taken maternity leaves and have had their own sick banks depleted.
This is her eleventh year working in the district, and she explained her sick days. The suggested
solution of offering access to the sick bank only after personal sick time has been depleted is not
sufficient. Her husband is also a teacher in Lexington and they need both incomes to pay their
bills. Having one salary not paid in full would create great financial hardship for their family.
Jessica Khamarji - 24 Grove St, Arlington, MA: She is a visual art teacher at LHS and she read a
letter to show her support and solidarity with the LEA in trying to keep our sick leave available
for this year's contract. "On a weekly basis thousands of people are continuing to die from
COVID and more continue to be infected and disabled from COVID infections. The government
claims that the pandemic is over and that our health and safety are tied to individual choices
rather than community care. In this community that sets a mission to be inclusive and equitable
to all, a decision to remove COVID sick leave from our contracts would disproportionately affect
those with marginalized identities and less privileged than others. The community has removed
other layers of protection and now we are faced with choosing between going to work feeling
unwell and paying our bills. I'm someone who is in the high-risk category. In the past years, I
have applied for and been denied medical accommodations so I personally have taken sick days
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from my bank to have medical leave. When I was required to return to work, I did get COVID
with severe symptoms. I needed to use COVID sick time to recover and being newer to the
district I have very few sick days to begin with. So I just want to again share the important
emphasis on the community care aspect that we continue to talk about at our school and in our
community to keep ourselves and others safe and cared for. Thank you so much for your time."
SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT
Dr. Hackett reviewed her SuperintendentBs Report with the School Committee. The highlights
from her report include:
a. Congratulations and Celebrations
o 6-8 Math Department Visits.
b. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
o Equity Teams are up and running.
o Eighth Grade Critical Literacy happening.
c. Diverse Staffing Update, 2022
o This will be given by Mr. Cole and Dr. Kavanaugh later in the meeting.
d. October 1st Enrollment
o Elementary enrollments have increased by nine students from last year, Middle
school enrollments have increased by 18 students, and Lexington High School
enrollments have increased by 47 students. For more information, community
members can view monthly enrollments, posted on our district website along
with other LIPS reports. Public statewide enrollment reports can be found here.
e. Elementary Start Time Parent Forums
o The Lexington School Committee will hold two parent forums on Monday,
October 17, 2022, at 12:00 p.m. and one on Tuesday, October 18, 2022, at 6:00
p.m. Both of these forums will be held via Zoom. After staff and families from all
elementary schools have had a chance to weigh in on the proposal, the
Superintendent will meet with school and district leaders to review the data and
make any necessary adjustments to the proposal.
f. LHS Dean Update
o Two Deans are coming on board, Habiba Davis, currently a METCO Social Worker,
and Linda Bartlett, currently an Evaluation Team Supervisor (ETS).
g. Community Information
o Be a Part of the Process—Serve on a Town Committee!
h. Upcoming Events
o Elementary Literacy Family Information Session on October 13, 2022, at 7:00
p.m.
o Elementary Math Department Family Information Session on October 13, 2022,
at 6:30 p.m
i. Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) V -Dr. Hackett made the statement, "At your next
SC meeting on 10-25-2022, and for the reasons outlined in this memo, I recommend that you
vote yes on MOA V—with the exception of the LEA's COVID-19 leave provision." There is more
background information in this attached memo that Dr. Hackett read.
JK 10/11/22 - APPROVED
DIVERSE HIRING UPDATE
Dr. Hackett spoke about Carolyn Bertozzi who won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry and who is a
Lexington graduate. Caroline is an advocate for diversity and in this speech she makes a
compelling case for why diversity matters in her science labs. Dr. Hackett read this part of her
speech: "I think that diversity of people created an environment where we felt we didn't have
to play by the same old rules as scientists... We could do things like organic chemistry in living
animals. Why not, right? We didn't have to play by the rules. If there weren't the right
chemistries to get the job done, we could invent new chemistries. Why not? We didn't have to
play by the same old rules... I was very fortunate that I could play a supportive role in my lab
and let that diverse group of students find their voice, realize their curiosity, break the rules,
and do something that, 25 years later, some people found impactful."
Dr. Hackett introduced Mr. Johnny Cole, Director of Equity and Student Supports, and Dr.
Maureen Kavanaugh, Director of Data & Strategy to give a diverse hiring update.
Mr. Cole stated that we are continuously updating our policies and guidance for hiring managers
and the students' voice has been a really important part of our diversification processes and
attracting diverse staff.
Dr. Kavanaugh spoke about data, the racial demographics of our staff have changed slowly but
steadily over the last four years. There is an increasing percentage of staff identifying as
African-American/black, Asian, and from other racial -ethnic groups. The percentage of staff of
color and/or Hispanic, and Latinx can vary among roles. She mentioned that we welcomed three
new administrators and eight internal candidates who took on new leadership roles, out of
those eleven leadership positions, four identified as employees of color. Over the past five to six
years, retention has been stable, between 2018 and 2021 hovering around 90%. There was a
decline in the last year, 2021-2022, down to 85%. Dr. Kavanaugh pointed out that other districts
have experienced a similar drop and this is something that will continue to be monitored.
School Committee Questions/Comments:
Mr. Freeman asked if there has been any interest from staff who are members of the global
majority to meet with Dr. Hackett and the School Committee about their concerns. Mr. Cole
responded that he knows of several people who have taken up the opportunity to meet with Dr.
Hackett over the time that he has been in the district. He also mentioned the stipend for affinity
group facilitators, part of that is to share feedback. He and Dr. Lyons meet with Employees of
the Color group twice a year and the other affinity groups as requested. He will invite them to
speak with the School Committee. Mr. Freeman stated that this would be a good idea, especially
as we bring in more BIPOC staff. Dr. Kavanaugh added that one practice that we just had a
conversation about with our members of Joint Council is how we can incorporate the practice of
having "stay" conversations, particularly with our more diverse staff. Dr. Hackett brought up how
this would be a perfect role for the School Committee DEI liaisons and representatives. Mr. Cole
added that the work of supporting our staff with diversity is more than just working directly
with those staff members but also working with the entire staff. Mr. Freeman also asked Mr.
Cole if BIPOC staff members seem to be happy, and do they feel supported. Mr. Cole responded
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that he thinks that it is challenging being a member of a historically -marginalized group,
particularly in a predominantly white institution like Lexington. He himself is a staff member of
color and he considers this to be a "loaded question." He loves his job but it can be challenging
being a part of marginalized groups and he hears similar sentiments from other staff members.
He does think that the attempts to shift culture have been noticed, but there are definitely still
examples of people having really hard experiences.
Ms. Jay thinks that it is wonderful that affinity groups exist. The two DEI liaisons will help to
share the experiences of those group members and how the School Committee can help
support them. Ms. Jay recommended having the staff read a book about understanding cultural
differences. Mr. Cole shared that the majority of our staff engage in this kind of reading on their
own and in addition, there are two options for third -year staff requirement courses. In addition,
the K-5 Literacy Department has been doing a lot of book groups. There is also work being done
in PLCs and individual buildings are taking on some of that work too. Ms. Cuthbertson brought
up some book titles she learned about from a Zoom meeting she attended in the summer of
2020 that a lot of other Lexington community members also were on. She pointed out that so
many of our educators are invested in this work.
Ms. Lenihan brought up the HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) grant funding
that may provide relocation stipends in 2022-2023. Lexington is a very expensive part of the
country and she likes that we are looking at grants that would provide relocation money. This
has also made her think about the lack of housing and issues associated with this and think
about things we can do to advocate for better housing policies.
Mr. Freeman asked about LGBTQ+ staff data, and Mr. Cole responded that we don't collect that
information. He explained that we publish data on race because we are required to collect that
data for Federal and State reporting purposes and that someone's LGBTQIA+ status is very
personal and some people are not a part of that community at work. Even though we do not
have that data, there is an LGBTQIA+ affinity group. The facilitators of that group do not share
names but they have shared that at the first meeting of the year, they had a couple of dozen
people attend which is more than the past two years of the group founding, so there's definitely
a growing amount of participation. Dr. Kavanaugh explained that there is work being done on
an anonymous staff demographic survey that is scheduled to be administered this year. The goal
of this is to get a fuller idea of how well rounded our staff really are.
Ms. Cuthbertson likes the possibility of using grant funding to support our own staff members
who may want to get educator or administrative licenses.
Student representative Grace commented on the Elementary start time portion of the
Superintendent's Report. LHS Senate discussed this and there is a general consensus of not
supporting an earlier Elementary start time. Students stated that it would be harder to take care
of their younger siblings if this happens. She also spoke about the unleveling committee and
students in the Senate are not in favor. The School Committee and Dr. Hackett discussed the
details of this issue. Ms. Lenihan learned from her prior teaching experience that there is a huge
difference between random and heterogenous classes. Ms. Jay spoke about how the math
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department combined CP1/CP2 but preserved honors. Dr. Hackett will share a presentation.
011 XTTA1.11111014:1
A. FY22 EOY Finance Report - Tabled.
B. LEA Bargaining School Committee Representative
Ms. Cuthbertson made a motion to appoint Mr. Freeman as the Unit A
Representative, Ms. Jay as the ALA Representative, and Ms. Lenihan as the Tech
Unit Representative, Mr. Freeman seconded. Passed 5-0.
C. Confirmation of Voting Delegate and Alternate Delegate for Joint MASS/MASC Annual
Business Meeting
Ms. Cuthbertson made a motion to appoint Ms. Sawhney as the delegate and Ms.
Jay as the alternate delegate, Mr. Freeman seconded. Passed 5-0.
D. MASC Resolution - Discussion and Vote
• Ms. Cuthbertson made a motion to be in favor of Resolution 1, Passed 5-0.
• Ms. Cuthbertson made a motion to be in favor of Resolution 2, Passed 5-0.
• Resolution 3 - No position taken, the School Committee will come back to this
one.
• Ms. Cuthbertson made a motion to be in favor of Resolution 4, Passed 5-0.
• Ms. Cuthbertson made a motion to be in favor of Resolution 5, Passed 3-2 (Ms.
Cuthbertson and Ms. Lenihan opposed).
• Ms. Cuthbertson made a motion to be in favor of Resolution 6, Passed 4-0 (Ms.
Lenihan was not in the room at the time of vote).
POLICY SUBCOMMITTEE
A. Second reading of the revised AC -Non iscri ina °on Polio, ACA- ondiscri ination on the
Basis of Sxual
arassmen Polio✓
Dr. Hackett went back to legal council and reviewed these policies, a few things were slightly
adjusted. Ms. Cuthbertson addressed Ms. Jay's requests and she made changes. The School
Committee looked at the policies together and the revisions that were made.
For reference: Current AC -Nondiscrimination Polio, current ACA -Nondiscrimination on
the Basis of Sex Policy, current ACE -Nondiscrimination of the Basis of Handicap Polio,
current ACAB Sexual Harassment Polio
Mr. Freeman moved to approve the revised Policies AC, ACA, ACE, and ACAB, Ms.
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Lenihan seconded. Passed 5-0.
B. First reading of the e Policy ®iverse epresentation of rou s
The School Committee discussed this policy.
COMMUNITY SPEAK
Parent in person: He is speaking on behalf of numerous Lexington Elementary school parents
who are against the early school start time. There was a meeting of 50 parents to discuss not
supporting this issue. He mentioned transparency and trust issues that parents are also having
and is requesting more back -and -forth dialogue.
Jennipher Burgess: She brought up the language in the nondiscrimination policy, and how it
didn't talk about institutional issues. She does not think that the language is inclusive. She loves
working in Lexington and loves that we are on a brighter path than other districts, but she is
requesting to be included in the conversation.
Parent in person: She has a kindergartener in Estabrook and is opposed to the early Elementary
start time. She started the online petition that grows with support every hour. She states that
the problem the early start time is trying to solve is unclear. Also that there is a waitlist for
after-school care and is requesting this issue to be resolved.
Hanna Starobinets - 62 Turning Mill Rd: She is opposed to the early Elementary start time
proposal. She brought up the issue of parents having to pay for child care and that a 90 -minute
earlier shift in sleep schedules is not in the best interest of our children's health. She finds that
the proposal process is rushed and lacks transparency and parents' opinions.
Sherry Yu - 12 Denver St: She has a first grader at Hastings and is opposed to the early
Elementary start time. She also mentioned the long waitlist for after-school care with
Kidsborough, she is worried that they will not be able to handle this change.
Wei Croteau - 60 Middle St: She has a daughter that goes to Hastings and she is opposed to the
early Elementary start time. She states that this change is very abrupt and impactful for a lot of
Lexington families, especially working parents. Ms. Croteau explained that her daughter is in
special education and even now their morning routine is challenging.
Catherine Nehring - 45 Peacock Farm Rd: Her family goes to Bowman and she is strongly
opposing the early Elementary start time. She states that this would put a disproportionate
disadvantage on elementary school families. She would have to put her son in after-school care
5 days a week, she does not think this is a workable solution.
Berith Isaac - 31 Fletcher Ave: She strongly opposes the early Elementary start time. She hasn't
seen any convincing reasons for this abrupt change.
POSSIBLE ACTION ITEMS
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The following items were added:
• Proposal to consider Sustainability Champions in each school. Will require some form of
a stipend, consider LEF grant; public/private partnership, etc.
• Supt. to share English Dept's "unleveling presentation"
• DEI SC Partners and Superintendent to meet with new BIPOC staff; could consider a
common read.
ADJOURNMENT
Ms. Sawhney made a motion to adjourn at 9:35 PM, Mr. Freeman seconded. Passed 5-0.
JK 10/11/22 - APPROVED