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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-09-27-SC-minLEXINGTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING Tuesday, September 27, 2022 Meeting Minutes CALL TO ORDER AND WELCOME: 6:04 PM SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT Sara Cuthbertson, Chairperson Kathleen Lenihan, Clerk Eileen Jay Larry Freeman (remotely) Deepika Sawhney (remotely) Student Representative - Aditi Swamy SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS PRESENT Dr. Julie Hackett, Superintendent Tom Martellone, Director of Innovation & Instructional Technology 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 Ms. Sawhney read the following consent agenda items: Payroll and Accounts Payable Warrant Approval a. September 23, 2022 - AP Warrant in the amount of $969,690.38 b. September 23, 2022 - BMO Warrant in the amount of $52,549.03 c. September 23, 2022 - Payroll in the amount of $4,483,535.80 Mr. Freeman read the following consent agenda items: Minutes a. May 10, 2022 SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS AND LIAISON REPORTS Mr. Freeman stated that at the last Human Right Committee (HRC) meeting on September 14th, JK 09/27/22 - Approved planning for No Hate November started. The HRC will be reaching out to schools again this year, particularly regarding the Kindness Challenge. The HRC is also planning for Martin Luther King Day in 2023. Ms. Lenihan did not have any announcements. Ms. Jay announced that LexSEPTA/SEPAC is hosting an event on Thursday, October 20th from 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM. This will be a screening of the documentary "Normal Isn't Real - Succeeding with Learning Disabilities and ADHD" Ms. Jay was asked to encourage her colleagues to attend the full Cary Library Board Meeting on 10/19/22 at 12:00 PM, this will be a virtual meeting. The Children's Library renovation project and replacing the HVAC system are in question. Ms. Sawhney had a meeting with Koren Stembridge (Cary Library Director), they discussed the HVAC issues and that the library is being used a lot by teenagers. She wished the Indian Americans in Lexington who celebrate a happy Navratri, this is a nine -day festival that celebrates the victory of good over evil. There is an event happening at Harrington this weekend that will include some traditional dancing. Ms. Sawhney has also been attending the Permanent Building Committee (PBC) meetings, the police station process has been discussed (from the design to construction and solar canopies). We have the design money but she is not sure we have the construction money, this may come to Town Meeting in the Fall or Spring. Lifecycle costs and construction costs are a concern, they were raised by a PBC member. Ms. Cuthbertson announced that October 8th is Lexington's Discovery Day, and members of the School Committee can sign up for shifts to interact with the community. Ms. Cuthbertson also announced that the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) conference is coming up in November. Ms. Sawhney is the delegate that will attend. At either the end of last year or over the summer, the School Committee took a position supporting a resolution regarding sanctuary for transgender students. Since we were the first one of five committees needed to get that on the resolution docket for the MASC Conference, we are the official sponsor and will need to answer questions at the meeting. Aditi Swamy brought up sustainable development plans. She and Grace spoke to students and everyone seemed to agree that we should plan ahead and keep a green school. People were excited to see solar panels on the roofs of the new schools. Phone policies were also discussed, it really depends on the teacher and grade level. Dr. Dunne came and visited Aditi's history class to explain the process of ethnic studies courses. The History Department either needs to cut other courses or hire more staff. Also, all of the API History courses are full for seniors, and many seniors who want to take them can't. Consent Agenda (con't) Mr. Freeman had a question about the Payroll and Accounts portion of the Consent Agenda. He would like to know what the $4,787.94 charge for Community Education is for. Mr. Coelho replied that those are payments to individuals who are on the School payroll who also work for Community Education, they are paid through payroll instead of paying them as a vendor. JK 09/27/22 - Approved Ms. Lenihan made a motion to approve the entire consent agenda, Mr. Freeman seconded. Ms. Cuthbertson took a roll call vote, passed 5-0. COMMUNITY SPEAK Avon Lewis, President of the Lexington Education Foundation (LEF): Ms. Lewis stated that over the summer Lexington educators worked additional hours and days doing curriculum writing, essential preparation for the arrival of many high -needs students, as well as assessing, scheduling, and working with students who are new to the district. Much of this work was done in July and yet many of these educators were not paid until the end of September and others have not yet been paid. Ms. Lewis stated that this is a violation of the most basic relationship between employers and employees and it is illegal under the Massachusetts wage law. Jennipher Burgess, 25 Creeley Rd. Belmont: She is an educator in Lexington, she would like to know how the Elementary World Language program is being funded and how it going to be sustainable. SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT a. Congratulations and Celebrations o Dr. Hackett had a METCO Department Visit o New Asian American History class at the High School Elementary World Language Survey o Memo with the survey link here. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion o Addressing Hate and Bias in School Athletics, the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) pledge, and future trainings were discussed o Unit C Trainings - now offering a series of five professional learning opportunities, they will align with the four domains of the Social Justice Standards o K-5 Literacy Department chose three books, each written by a Black educator d. Progress toward a New or Renovated High School o School Building Committee (SBC) will meet tomorrow, the MSBA process will be discussed. This meeting is hybrid and all community members are welcome to join in e. Multi -Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) Needs Assessment o Tiered interventions differ by school, leaders are asking to systematize the structures f. Vaccine Clinics o 500 vaccines were administered at the last clinic, 279 were COVID-19 boosters and 262 were flu shots. g. Technology Capital Budget Update o Mr. Martellone, Director of Innovation & Instructional Technology, spoke about the technology budget process. The full Superintendent's Report can be viewed here. School Committee Questions/Comments: JK 09/27/22 - Approved Ms. Sawhney stated that it is annoying to hear that these systems that were put in place 8 years ago now need to be replaced. She believes that efforts and funds were wasted and it's a terrible consequence. She would love to see a little more detail in the FY24 budget, how much we allocate. Mr. Martellone responded that he has a spreadsheet he will share that includes data on the lifespans of devices; they also recycle. Dr. Hackett doesn't believe that we ordered the wrong systems. Mr. Martellone reiterated that some technologies don't last that long, it depends on the technology, which changes rapidly. Ms. Lenihan is curious about how often the third to fifth graders use their Chrome books. Mr. Martellone replied that the use is incidentally based on the types of projects teachers are doing, "kids are not tethered to a device all day." Ms. Jay stated that it would be quite useful to have the breakdown by category of the technology budget, it would be useful to see how much is spent on infrastructure. Mr. Martellone said that he will share more information with the School Committee. Dr. Hackett added that she asked Mr. Martellone to keep this presentation short. Mr. Freeman asked if the FM microphone system is in every classroom. Mr. Martellone responded that there is someone who works in the district who has a lot of systems that she uses for students who may have specific hearing impairments. He also mentioned that there are built-in speakers for teachers at Hastings and Estabrook. Ms. Jay would like the syllabus and reading list for the Asian Studies course. She also asked about Elementary World Language, it has been a year since the proposal so an update on what it will look like would be helpful since there are still a lot of outstanding concerns. Ms. Cuthbertson forgot to mention in SC announcements that she went to the Franklin Park Zoo to see the lights with Lexington's METCO parents. kill:reral W11(AA i IfLT� I:1111J:t97%�1e1I Dr. Hackett and Maureen Kavanaugh, Director of Data & Strategy, presented the slideshow. Dane Despres (Clarke Middle School Principal), Barbara Hamilton (K-12 METCO Academic Director), Andrew Stephens (Lexington High School Principal), and Meg Colella (Bridge Elementary Principal) were all promoted to panelists. School Committee Questions/Comments: Mr. Freeman asked if he heard Dr. Hackett correctly that the real issue we are trying to address here is transportation. Dr. Hackett replied "yes." Mr. Freeman said that on Slide 4, Number 6 (LPS currently used 36 buses. Buses are shared across grade levels. All buses used to pick up and drop off at the high school level and then pick up/drop off at the elementary level) and number 7 (When LPS athletic transportation is delayed, it is due to the need to wait for the elementary school bus runs to finish) seem to be the only things impacted by changing the start time. Mr. Freeman asked what time METCO students would have to wake up to catch the bus and get to Lexington at 7:45. Ms. Hamilton replied, "that's a difficult question to answer." Traffic JK 09/27/22 - Approved patterns in the city, transportation glitches of the MBTA, and being caught in the Boston Public Schools bus runs at the same time all cause delays. He asked the reason why there isn't more data on Elementary. Mr. Freeman stated that it seems like there is a lot of High School data in the presentation, he asked if that is because we don't have data regarding Elementary students. Dr. Hackett replied that at the Elementary level the time when kids start can be earlier. What the research says is that this is not so for Middle and High School. Dr. Kavanaugh added that we will continue to collect data. Dr. Hackett went back to her response about this being a transportation problem, what she meant to say is that we could resolve this in many different ways if it weren't for the tired system that we have in place. The fact that kids are getting to school later is a problem and that getting the buses in earlier at the Elementary level will hopefully alleviate some of the problems we're seeing at the high school level. Ms. Jay stated that with regard to Elementary starting earlier, we have heard arguments from both sides. She does think that Elementary starting earlier has some advantages. Her concerns include kids waiting for the bus in the dark during the winter months. Ms. Jay thinks having Elementary start at 7:45 AM is ambitious, she is worried about starting any earlier. She brought up maybe having the Middle school start time 5 minutes earlier. Dr. Hackett added that if there is a later start time, then the children will be in the dark at the end of the day. Ms. Lenihan shared that she took some experiences from being on the start time task force when she first started on the School Committee. Dr. Stephen suggested that she speak to a School Committee member in Duxbury because they did the switch in start times between Elementary and High School. Ms. Sawhney asked if the buses from Boston are multi -aged, Ms. Hamilton replied that no, there are two Elementary (Kindergarten -Grade 5) buses, two Middle School buses (Grade 6 - Grade 8), and a High School bus. She added that the Middle and High School buses have been mixed up for budgetary reasons. Ms. Hamilton sometimes mixes buses up on occasion for late buses. Ms. Sawhney is glad that we do it that way, she mentioned that we will have to see what the community input is. Ms. Cuthbertson was also on the Start Time Task Force, she remembers discussing civil twilight. She pointed out that Wayland and Sudbury also have early start times, she knows people who work in both towns and they have both said that the earlier start time has worked really well for Elementary. One of the things that was discussed in the task force is the research that is out there about the benefits for Middle and High school and circadian rhythms affecting students of all ages. Ms. Cuthbertson added that there isn't a ton of comprehensive data on how earlier start times impact elementary students. She did some research and found that 30,000 students (believed to be) in Colorado did show significant benefits for middle and high school students having later start times, and having elementary start an hour earlier saw minimal impact. Ms. Cuthbertson is concerned with Elementary starting late and having students waiting around. Ms. Colella said that more and more students are being picked up early in order to get them to after-school activities. She also stated that the last bus often comes at 4:00 PM or after (at no fault of the transportation department), but staff leaves at 3:45 PM. Administrators stay with students after 3:45 PM, sometimes for three or four buses. JK 09/27/22 - Approved Mr. Despres spoke about how it does not make sense to switch the Middle School start time, after school activities being one example as well as athletic struggles. Dr. Hackett added that one thing that was talked about as a team was that this needs to happen early if we are going to do it. If we're going to make any changes, there needs to be communication that goes out so parents can plan ahead. Dr. Stephens added that he was in a district that did the flop with their earlier elementary time, there was some angst at the start but it has been about ten years and that district has not changed it back since then. Ms. Hamilton said that back in 2017-2018 our earliest bus was 6:20 AM and now it is 6:50 AM. Ms. Colella pointed out that Elementary students are most attentive in the morning, so by starting earlier she thinks we will see an increase in their attention. Dr. Hackett asked Ms. Colella what she has heard from the staff. Ms. Colella said the last hour is hard for teachers to keep the students' attention and her staff has been advocating for an earlier start time. She mentioned that there will always be pros and cons but the majority of the Bridge staff have advocated for an earlier start time over the past couple of years. NEW BUSINESS A. FY2024 Budvet Guidelines and Calendar Mr. Coelho stated that every year a budget calendar is produced to give the School Committee an idea of the process in which we are undertaking. He reviewed the document. o Ms. Cuthbertson stated that at the School Committee retreat, they discussed how they will divide up work. The Financial Subcommittee is comprised of herself and Ms. Sawhney. they would like to meet with Mr. Coelho more regularly. o Ms. Jay asked about adding an item for the High School Building project. o Ms. Lenihan was wondering the same thing as Ms. Jay. o Ms. Sawhney would like to look at previous years' budget guidelines, she is hoping to do a "deeper dive" when she and Ms. Cuthbertson meet with Mr. Coelho. B. Bargaining Team Assignments Ms. Lenihan was the liaison to the LEA Unit A negotiating team last school year. She asked if anyone else would be interested in being the liaison for this year. Members requested to give time to think about it and wait to make this decision at the next meeting. C. Recreation Committee Voted to Appoint the Director of Recreation Melissa Battite and Recreation Committee Chair, Rick DeAngelis to the School Master Planning Advisory Committee JK 09/27/22 - Approved No action is needed, Dr. Hackett just wanted to let the School Committee know who will be attending. UNFINISHED BUSINESS A. DEI Guidebook Update Dr. Hackett explained that there was a request to have input before it was published, this has happened. Ms. Jay and Mr. Freeman, the DEI reps, can still make changes to the document. Dr. Hackett asked Mr. Freeman if he is ok with checking this off, and he agreed. B. Flu & COVID-19 Vaccine Breakdown Dr. Hackett addressed Ms. Lenihan since she requested this update. The data was announced in the Superintendent's Report. POLICY SUBCOMMITTEE A. Second reading of the revised AC -Nondiscrimination Policy, ACA -Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex Palicy, ACE -Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability Polio, ACAB-Sexual Harassment Policy Ms. Cuthbertson mentioned that this needed legal answers, which Dr. Hackett has, and they will review them before the next meeting. For reference: Current AC -Nondiscrimination Polio, current ACA -Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex Policy, current ACE -Nondiscrimination of the Basis of Handicgp Policy, current ACAB Sexual Harassment Policy Dr. Hackett explained that "sex" for example is a legal term, broader terms are more useful from a policy standpoint. Ms. Sawhney wanted to alert the School Committee that Green Teams have reached out to her with the idea of creating a Sustainability Champion. She has requested that they tighten up their proposal. Ms. Sawhney also brought up electric school buses. She suggested that the experts working on this come forward with a project plan or proposal. COMMUNITY SPEAK Jennipher Burgess, 25 Creeley Rd., Belmont: She is also a building rep for Hastings and she has been getting a lot of questions about where the COVID funding has gone. She asked if there is an itemized list so that people can see where that money has gone. Ms. Burgess has also received lots of questions and input from staff at Hastings about the early start times, she personally loves an early start time. She asked if Middle and Elementary school start times could be switched, and how we support the students traveling the longest, earliest, and latest. Nicola Rinaldi, Bellflower St., Lexington: Her son has been getting to school at 9:00 AM or after for the past two years (his bus picks him up around 8:50 AM - 8:55 AM), because of this he has JK 09/27/22 - Approved been late to almost all his specials. He has some executive functioning challenges so getting to school right as they are supposed to be starting the day has been challenging for him. She thinks it could be beneficial to have a little bit more time before school to help get settled into the day. Lori Giterman, 26 Eldred St., Lexington: She is calling in to speak about the start times. She mentioned that in Duxbury, kindergarten through second grade starts at 9:10 AM at their Chandler School. They only have an earlier at their Alden School which is grades 3-5. She stated that we need to find a way to continue to support the high school students' needs for a later start time without sacrificing the healthy development and education of our elementary students. We need to ensure that our youngest students are safe, have adequate sleep, and have valuable family time in the evening. She also brought up after-school care and how it would be affected, as well as thought about before -school care. Ms. Giterman would also like to look at the scheduling impact, and specificly lunches (what is the earliest lunch going to be?). She stated that the presentation is very heavy on the high school benefits and not heavy enough on the elementary consideration and that she does not think that this is the right change. Alice, Lexington: She has a son that goes to Bridge. She thinks that the early start time would have a huge impact on elementary students, and she asked if we could explore any solutions on the transportation side. It seems like we have a challenge with buses. She is also concerned about how much sleep kids get and asked if there was a schedule of meetings about this that could be shared. Ms. Cuthbertson replied that those dates will be sent out in an email. Erica Traub, Brighton: She is a special educator at Estabrook. Ms. Traub would like to know if there is any data that shows that the community really wants a World Language Program. She also wanted to raise the point that a World Language Program will increase her amount of work. She will also have to take time to coordinate meetings with language teachers to create any modifications or accommodations for her students to be able to participate. She has not heard anything about how special education will be supported with this new program. Dihua Xu, 455 Waltham St.: She has a preschooler and two children in elementary school. She stated that the new start time would be difficult for her family. She does agree that high school students need more sleep, but so do middle and elementary students. The transportation issue has been discussed for years, she asked what has been done to solve this issue. Catie Sawka: She is a teacher and union rep at Bowman. She has had not only faculty and staff reach out to her with various concerns about the earlier start time, but families as well. She believes that an earlier start time will negatively affect kids, but it could also drastically impact the lives of teachers. She thanked parents for taking the time to reinforce the need for sleep and safe travel for our students. She also asked if we could revisit the bus issue. Alex Kuschel, Charlestown: She is the K-5 Social Studies Curriculum Coordinator. She brought up the earlier start time having an impact on our families that have younger children that they have to coordinate care for. She also wanted to highlight the mention of kids coming in at 7:45 AM, students actually enter the classroom 15 minutes before the official start of the day. She is JK 09/27/22 - Approved concerned that students won't get enough sleep. Ms. Kuschel also wanted to share that she has had conversations with staff about it being harder to have a later start time (this is compared to when we had an 8:45 AM start time). The proposed new start time would be a big shift, she encouraged the School Committee to look at all aspects of this. Joy, 58 Farmcrest Ave., Lexington: She has two children, one is in the Intensive Learning Program (ILP). She stated that if the start time is moved up to 7:45 AM her child would have to be ready by 7:00 AM and "that's impossible" and her child would be late every day. She also asked if the data from surveys could be shared to see if a better solution could be found and to see if any data could be missing. Ms. Lenihan encouraged anyone with concerns to email the School Committee. POSSIBLE ACTION ITEMS Ms. Cuthbertson stated that we already covered possible action items (unfinished business). ADJOURNMENT Ms. Jay made a motion to adjourn at 8:57 PM, Ms. Lenihan seconded. Ms. Cuthbertson took a roll call vote, passed 5-0. JK 09/27/22 - Approved