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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-11-14-SC-min LEXINGTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING Tuesday, November 14, 2023 Meeting Minutes AGENDA: CALL TO ORDER AND WELCOME: 6:05 PM SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT Sara Cuthbertson, Chairperson Deepika Sawhney, Vice-chair (joined virtually) Kathleen Lenihan, Clerk Eileen Jay Larry Freeman SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS PRESENT Dr. Julie Hackett, Superintendent,joined after her class. 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. October 20, 2023 - BMO in the amount of$49,699.77 b. October 20, 2023 -AP Warrant in the amount of$1,246,246.46 c. October 20, 2023 - Payroll in the amount of$4,790,266.60 d. November 3, 2023 -AP Warrant in the amount of$1,732,116.48 e. November 3, 2023 -AP Warrant in the amount of$250.00 f. November 3, 2023 - Payroll in the amount of$4,980,730.74 g. November 17, 2023 - BMO in the amount of$72,937.75 h. November 17, 2023 -AP Warrant in the amount of$1,152,624.19 Ms.Jay read the following consent agenda items: • Minutes a. August 29, 2023 b. September 12, 2023 c. September 19, 2023 JK 11/1423 -APPROVED d. October 30, 2023 Ms. Lenihan moved to approve the entire consent agenda, Mr. Freeman seconded. Ms. Cuthberston took a roll call vote:Ms. Sawhney-yes, Ms.Jay-yes, Mr. Freeman-yes, Ms. Lenihan-yes, Ms. Cuthbertson-yes. Passed 5-0. SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS AND LIAISON REPORTS Mr. Freeman gave an update from the Human Rights Committee. They are planning for the 2024 Martin Luther King Day celebration and looking for volunteers (information on how to sign up is on their website). Ms. Sawhney wished everyone a happy Diwali, which was this past weekend. She also thanked the Town Celebrations Committee for the Veterans Day celebration and all of those who participated. Ms. Lenihan attended the MASC (Massachusetts Association of School Committees) conference. She also attended the first LIPS Calendar Working Group meeting, the goal is to have a recommendation to the School Committee in March. She also had a meeting with a Diamond student who is in Boy Scout Troop 119, he is earning his civics badge. The last thing Ms. Lenihan announced that she would be running for reelection to the School Committee, this will be the third and last time she will run. Ms. Jay announced that on Tuesday, November 21st there is a Community Forum meeting for the LHS building project at 6:30 pm. There is now a designer/architect on board and they will be presenting at the forum. In October, Ms. Jay testified in front of the Joint Committee on Education on the bill (S.288/H.542) that the School Committee wrote a letter of support for. The committee will review the bill and will report on it in January. Ms. Jay also wanted people to know about a program for students called the Legislative Next Gen Fellowship, this program is intended for students from underrepresented communities and students of color to be able to participate in a four-month legislative internship. The selected students will participate in the Commonwealth Seminar which promotes civic engagement and learning about the legislative process. Ms. Jay also attended the MASC conference, her highlight was meeting the Secretary of Education, Patrick Tutweiler. Ms. Cuthbertson announced that there have been lots of celebrations; a few weeks ago some members of the School Committee went to the Harrington celebration that was put on by the Lexington Parents Association. On October 29th, she celebrated Diwali with the Indian Americans of Lexington (IAL). The other event a few School Committee members attended was the celebration of Hastings teacher De'Shawn Washington, who won Massachusetts Teacher of the Year! Ms. Cuthbertson also announced that last week was the Fall Town Meeting. She thanked the Select Board, the Town Manager, staff, and our Town Moderator for a quick and relatively painless process. She also thanked Ms. Sawhney for being the delegate for the MASC conference. JK 11/1423 -APPROVED Ms. Sawhney added that some of the resolutions at the MASC conference were tabled, some were approved, and some of them had modifications or amendments. MASC will send out an update on each resolution. Ms. Jay added the reminder that the next School Committee meeting will be held in Boston, it will not be virtual. COMMUNITY SPEAK Jennipher Burgess: She is an educator at Hastings and has been thinking a lot about negotiations between Unit D, Tech, and Unit C. She wants to point out that Andover just reached a tentative agreement, they will be starting their education support professionals at $40,000 a year and matching sick days. She also pointed out that In Lexington, Unit C members get 12 sick days while Unit A members get 14. Ms. Burgess also looked at Dr. Hackett's contact and she noticed that Dr. Hackett is getting between 2 and 2.5 COLAs until 2029. Ms. Burgess would like COLAS for the Units to be slightly more generous. She also mentioned that Dr. Hackett gets $5,000 for travel, and the Tech Unit travels a lot. It is frustrating for Ms. Burgess to hear that 3 million dollars were given back to the town. She would like all of these things to be considered during negotiations. NEW BUSINESS Superintendent of Schools Contract Ms.Jay made a motion to approve the Superintendent contract with Dr.Julie Hackett for the period of July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2029, Mr. Freeman seconded. Ms. Cuthbertson took a roll call vote:Ms.Jay-yes, Mr. Freeman-yes, Ms. Lenihan-yes, Ms. Sawhney-yes. Passed 5-0. Discussion of Policy C - ue Deadlines and Schedules Mr. Coelho, Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations, joined the School Committee. He explained that back in the spring, we talked about replacing the date that we presented to the School Committee to the second Tuesday in January. He is asking for the policy to be changed from the first Tuesday to the second Tuesday. Ms. Jay asked that if we are making changes to the policy, could we also change "Selectman" to "Select Board"? Ms.Jay made a motion that the School Committee revise policy DBC-Budget Deadlines and Schedules to change the presentation of the School Committees fiscal year budget to no later than the second Tuesday in January and that all references to "Selectman"in the policy be changed to "Select Board", Mr. Freeman seconded. Ms. Cuthbertson took a roll call vote:Ms.Jay-yes, Mr. Freeman-yes, Ms. Sawhney-yes, Ms. Lenihan-yes, Ms. Cuthbertson-yes. Passed 5-0. PRESENTATION: YOUTH RISK BEHAVIOR SURVEY 2023 HIGHLIGHTS JK 11/1423 -APPROVED Dr. Maureen Kavanaugh, Director of Data, Assessment and Strategy, Eamon Sheehan, K-12 Coordinator of Physical Education and Wellness, and Julie Fenn, Assistant Coordinator of PE and Wellness,joined the School Committee to present the slideshow. Results from four major sections—substance abuse, bullying and harassment, mental health and suicide ideation, and sexual health—were highlighted. School Committee Questions/Comments: Substance Abuse section: • Ms. Lenihan commented on marijuana use and how it's down substantially, she is pleased to see this. • Ms. Jay noted the increase compared to 2021 in students reporting riding in a car or other vehicle driven by someone who had been using marijuana. She pointed out that 2021 was our hybrid year so there was likely far less socializing and driving with others. Dr. Kavanaugh added that this is a pattern across other results; they looked at pre-pandemic results for comparisons. • Mr. Freeman stated that there seem to be a lot of interventions in place for the high school, he asked if there needs to be more intervention at the middle schools to get the high school number down. Ms. Fenn explained that there is a gap in health education in sixth grade. Mr. Freeman also asked if there is any conversation going on about people from marginalized groups using more substances than others. Dr. Kavanaugh replied yes and that substance use is a coping mechanism for students in some of those groups. Mr. Freeman added that all of these things are connected and that it's all about relationships and being able to connect. Bullying and Harassment sections: • Mr. Freeman is very grateful for this data and for all the time and effort put into this presentation, but it is "heartbreaking" to know that 26% of LGBTQ students feel like they're getting bullied. • Ms. Cuthbertson is hopeful that these numbers go down year after year. She also commented on how this is connected to MCAS, you can't expect students to perform well when they are experiencing bullying and harassment. • Ms. Sawhney mentioned the policy about electronic use and misuse and how Al will impact these issues, she is wondering if that policy can be updated to include electronic bullying. • Ms. Lenihan echoed Mr. Freeman and spoke about LGBTQ students feeling unsafe in places. She encouraged the adults of Lexington to step up and do what they can globally and locally. • Ms. Jay is disheartened and reflected on Dr. Kavanaugh speaking about the nature of harassment and how it differs depending on what group you are in. Ms. Jay looked at the more detailed questions, specifically the one on the percentage of students who said that they had been harassed because someone thought they were gay, lesbian, or bisexual. She is surprised to see the percentage of African Americans, Hispanics, Latinx, Middle Eastern, North African, and Arab Americans is high at 10 - 11%. Ms. Jay asked why those ethnic groups are being harassed at higher rates. Mr. Sheehan and Ms. Fenn JK 11/1423 -APPROVED responded that it could have something to do with language. • Ms. Lenihan added that if someone is being bullied because they are Jewish, that isn't captured. This comment reminded Dr. Kavanaugh of an error she forgot to fix, a section has been added about being harassed because of religion. Mental Health & Suicide Ideation: • Mr. Freeman is alarmed to see that 62.5% of transgender, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming students feel hopeless and sad. Ms. Fenn added that students are reporting that their experience in Lexington Public Schools is improving but we need to do more. • Ms. Cutbertson spoke about a news story and how it's upsetting to hear that these issues are still happening. • Ms. Jay commented that the numbers and percentages are telling us that those groups, even though they may be smaller in number, are experiencing mental health issues in larger proportions. She also spoke about the number of respondents and that we should be attending to the groups where the percentages are high. • Ms. Lenihan would like to draw parents' attention to how many students report feeling sad and hopeless every day for two weeks, almost one-third, and with suicide ideation parents often don't think it could be their kid. • Ms. Sawhney commented that these are the numbers that she saw two-three years ago, she wrote a report on it. She spoke about the importance of hiring educators so children feel that they have role models and student allies. She also asked if there was a way to get the information in this presentation down to one page for parents. • Ms. Cuthbertson asked if there are response protocols for staff. Ms. Fenn replied that there are crisis intervention response teams in each building and resources are provided throughout the year during staff training or staff meetings. Ms. Fenn went on to speak about the importance of prevention. Sexual Health: • Ms. Sawhney asked if students were asked about the internet and non-humans. Dr. Kavanaugh replied that we have "Internet" as one of the choices. • Ms. Lenihan asked if there is any discussion in health class about HPV and the fact that there is a vaccine for it, Ms. Fenn replied yes, in middle and high school it is in the lesson. It is talked about in terms of prevention efforts. • Ms. Jay liked how this data was broken up into four highlighted topics. She asked what we do with this data, and Dr. Kavanaugh replied that this becomes a core data set for our counseling department, for our PE, health, and wellness department and it gets integrated into curriculum reviews, projects, and conversations among many other things. • Mr. Freeman asked how we can give more tools to students, particularly the high school students, on stress management. Ms. Fenn responded that lessons around sleep have been added and that there will be more opportunities to talk about this in I block. The School committee took a break and came back at 8:34 PM. JK 11/1423 -APPROVED SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT Dr. Hackett reviewed her Superintendent's Report with the School Committee. The highlights from her report include: 1. Congratulations and Celebrations o De'Shawn Washington - MA Teacher of the Year! 2. We All Belong o Upcoming Holidays & Observances o Crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh 3. School Building Committee Update o October School Building Committee Meeting o New LHS Community Forum #2 4. LPS Universal Screening for Risk of Reading Struggle 5. Early Literacy Screener Results: Fall K- 5 Snapshot DIBELS/MCLASS 6. Elementary Mathematics Screener Results: Fall 2 - 5 Snapshot-Aimsweb 7. Diverse Representation in Athletics & Extracurricular Activities 8. LPS Youth Risk Behavior Survey (discussed earlier in the meeting) School Committee Questions/Comments: Ms. Sawhney would like to talk through the DIBELS and Aimsweb data with someone to understand it better, Dr. Hackett suggested that she speak with principals. UNFINISHED BUSINESS SC-Supt Collaborative Goals, 2023-2024- Discussion and Vote Dr. Hackett reviewed the above-linked PDF that was displayed. The four Collaborative Goals are: 1. Address and Narrow Equity Gaps 2. Redefine Success 3. Cultivate Student Agency 4. Innovate for Sustainable Change Ms. Lenihan moved to approve the 2023-2024 Joint School Committee-Superintendent Collaborative Goals, 2023-2025, Mr. Freeman seconded. Ms. Cuthbertson took a roll call vote. Passed 5-0. FY 2025 Punts Mr. Coelho presented information about Student Activity Checking Accounts. Ms.Jay made a motion that the School Committee approve to establish the following minimum balances for student activity accounts as follows:$1,000 per elementary school, $2,500 per middle school, and$5,000 for the high school, Mr. Freeman seconded. Ms. Cuthbertson took a roll call vote. Passed 5-0. JK 11/1423 -APPROVED COMMUNITY SPEAK Jennipher Burgess: She spoke about seeing Mr. Coelho at the Hastings celebration for Teacher of the Year and how that was the same day as a "blip" in the pay happened and she appreciated how Mr. Coelho responded to the situation. Ms. Burgess also spoke to Dr. Hackett about something that was "really hurting" her heart, and she was receptive. It was about how she "hates the term subgroups." Ms. Burgess wanted to point out how amazing Mr. Freeman is and how Ms. Sawhney has come. She is very thankful and loves that Dr. Hackett said "more help can hurt sometimes." Ms. Burgess also spoke about training support staff and students who are reporting feeling harassed. POSSIBLE ACTION ITEMS • Organize an Elementary Subcommittee meeting to review mClass/DIBELs and TeacherEase was added. ADJOURNMENT Ms. Lenihan made a motion to adjourn at 9:56 p.m., Mr. Freeman seconded. Ms. Cuthbertson took a roll call vote. Passed 5-0. JK 11/1423 -APPROVED