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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-02-04-SC-minLEXINGTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING Tuesday, February 4, 2025 Meeting Minutes CALL TO ORDER AND WELCOME: 5:09 PM SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT Eileen Jay, Chairperson Deepika Sawhney, Vice -Chair Sara Cuthbertson, Clerk Larry Freeman Kathleen Lenihan (joined the meeting during Exec Session) 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. EXECUTIVE SESSION Ms. Jay moved that the School Committee enter Executive Session under Exemption 3—to discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining or litigation if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining or litigating position of the public body and the chair so declares (LEA, Unit A, Level 3 Grievance). Ms. Cuthbertson seconded. The motion passed 4-0. The School Committee entered Executive Session at 5:10 PM and returned to Open Session at 7:06 PM. Kathleen Lenihan has joined the meeting. CONSENT AGENDA Ms. Sawhney read the following consent agenda items: • Payroll and Accounts Payable Warrant Approval a. January 24, 2025 - Payroll in the amount of $5,109,145.99 b. January 31, 2025 -AP Warrant in the amount of $1,942,791.78 Ms. Freeman the following consent agenda items: • Minutes a. January 7, 2025 Ms. Lenihan the following consent agenda items: • Donations b. $900 Donation to Class of 2025, Class of 2026, Class of 2027, and Class of 2028 from the 111110-121101 c. $5,000 Donation for First Robotics Club for Parts and Registrations Ms. Cuthbertson made a motion to approve the entire consent agenda, Ms. Sawhney seconded. Passed, 5-0. SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS AND LIAISON REPORTS Ms. Lenihan highlighted the importance of the U.S. Department of Education and its many responsibilities. She encouraged everyone to familiarize themselves with the work of the Department. Ms. Sawhney expressed gratitude to Mr. Coelho and Ms. Kosnoff for a successful summit held last Thursday, which focused on funding available for 2026. There was a presentation about the funds needed for the new High School project and discussion on the debt impact on taxes. The presentation and information packet from the summit will be available on the town website. Ms. Sawhney also wished a happy Vasant Panchami and Saraswati Puja to those who celebrate. Mr. Freeman enjoyed attending all ofthe Lunar NewYear events in January; he also announced that February is Black History Month. Ms. Cuthbertson saved her announcements in the interest of time. Ms. Jay attended a SEPAC monthly meeting where she had the opportunity to learn and hear from others about their questions and concerns, particularly regarding the budget and special education. Last week, she attended the LCP Joy in Learning celebration, where Dr. Hackett and Dr. Lyon were present. Ms. Jay participated in several Lunar New Year events, including a performance by CALex and the student -run CAAL Festival of Food, which had a great turnout. There's one more Lunar New Year event this Saturday, the Lantern Festival, co-sponsored by multiple organizations. There will be lantern -making, performances, and an outdoor parade at the First Parish Church. COMMUNITY SPEAK Michael Bruce - 7 Stetson St: He is a parent to three children in LPS and is speaking in regards to the cell phone use policy. Mr. Bruce, along with many other parents, are concerned about cell phone use in classrooms. He is pleased that smartwatches have been included in this policy. He explained that Massachusetts has recently introduced bills that limit cell phone usage at schools from bell to bell, he would like LPS to strive for this. John Goodwin (in person): He is a Clarke staff member who also grew up in Lexington and graduated from LHS. He is here to speak about Unit C contract negotiations and how he believes that a vote on the budget tonight would be premature. Mr. Goodwin stated that Unit C staff are vital to the district's success, particularly in special education, and how their compensation does not reflect that. Mr. Goodwin has been a member of Unit C for 15 years and highlighted how Unit C employees have always faced challenges, such as not being able to afford to live locally and facing budget constraints that prevent them from achieving a living wage. Mr. Goodwin expressed frustration with the district in the lack of conversation about this and for campaigning for a new High School. He respectfully asked for the School Committee to consider the needs of Unit C. Miriam Wright: She is a SIA at Hastings and a parent of a child with special needs in LPS. She gave shout -outs to many LPS staff members who helped with her daughter over the years. She is speaking to point out the importance of Unit C employees and how grateful she is for them. Monica Davis - 26 Hayes Ln (in person): She is responding to the Opinion piece published in the Boston Globe by Dr. Hackett and Nancy Carlsson -Page titled, "The fallacy of settled science in reading." She is a concerned parent involved in advocating for improved literacy education in Lexington and highlights ongoing efforts to reform the district's literacy practices. While strides have been made with new programs like Wilson Fundations and Heggerty Phonemic Awareness, the speaker critiqued the continued use of the "Units of Study" literacy curriculum. Ms. Davis advocated for greater transparency in literacy assessments, urging the School Committee to publicly share data on student performance from the mClass/DIBELS and Renaissance STAR assessments with parents. She also requested a community update on the literacy curriculum review process. Janet West (in person): She is a math teacher at Lexington High School and has three children, two have graduated from LPS, and one is currently going through the system. She expressed her appreciation for the Superintendent's message about DEI and social justice. She shared her support for Unit C members, who have been dedicated professionals in her classroom for several years. This year, she hasn't had an IA or SIA, which she notes are essential and legally required positions in Lexington Public Schools. She emphasized the need for Unit C members to receive a living wage and professional learning opportunities. Ms. West highlighted the importance of collaboration time, which is currently lacking, and expressed concern that the budget is being settled while the contract for these employees is still outstanding. Robin Strizhak - LEA President (in person): Ms. Strizhak emphasized that attracting and retaining quality Unit C educators starts with paying them a living wage. She advocated for respecting educators' roles by involving them in meetings, offering consistent supervision and evaluations, and recognizing that what was once an entry-level job has evolved into a possible career. Ms. Strizhak urged the Lexington School Committee to advocate for the necessary funds to pay Unit C educators a living wage, delay the vote on the budget, and engage in a more thorough discussion to ensure that LPS supports its educators and students. Jennifer Elverum - 3 Penny Ln (on Zoom): She expressed frustration about the lack of progress in addressing literacy issues in the district. She also criticized Dr. Hackett's recent opinion article, stating that the claim that young readers improve simply by reading is factually incorrect and damaging to struggling students. Ms. Elverum also emphasized that children who are struggling to read need proper instruction, including phonics, vocabulary, and grammar, which the current curriculum does not provide. She urged the School Committee to hire an independent company, like Hill for Literacy, to assess the district's needs and develop a comprehensive literacy plan. Lisa Sullivan (on Zoom): She is an ILP teacher at Fiske, and is advocating for a delay in the budget vote. Her class has rarely been fully staffed with qualified SSIs (Specialized Support Instructors) this year. Filling these roles is difficult due to the pay level not matching the demands of the job. She also noted that many talented SSIs have left LPS for better pay and roles in other districts. She emphasized that the children need these specialized instructors, who have been working without a contract for too long, and urged that creative solutions be found. Lana Panasyuk - 28 Saddle Club Rd (on Zoom): She is a candidate for the School Committee, and is speaking to express her concerns about literacy in Lexington Public Schools. She has five children, three of whom are still in school. She mentions that two of her middle school children have refused to read due to the books being assigned and that the literacy program has failed her youngest child in elementary school. Ms. Panasyuk finds that the current approach in Lexington focuses on pictures and memorizing words rather than teaching spelling, sounding out words, and comprehension. She is requesting a plan and the data to demonstrate how this issue intends to be addressed. Finally, she expressed her full support for Unit C. Jennipher Burgess (on Zoom): She is an SIA at Hastings and is the Unit C representative to the Lexington Education Association Executive Board. Ms. Burgess is here to speak on behalf of an anonymous Middle School teacher. They emphasize the importance of support staff, particularly from Unit C, in classrooms with diverse student needs. The anonymous staff member describes how a member of Unit C helps not only their assigned student but also supports other students in the class by providing guidance without giving direct answers. The speaker advocates for Unit C members to receive a livable wage and stresses the importance of continuing the partnership between Unit A (teachers) and Unit C (support staff) to provide quality education. They request a delay in the budget vote to allow for further consideration of how to better support Unit C members. Olga Guttag - 273 Emerson Rd (on Zoom): She expressed shock at the Boston Globe article co-authored by Dr. Hackett. Ms. Guttag is dyslexic and so are some of her children. She shares their personal experience of discovering that their children were not being taught to read. Despite her financial ability to hire an Orton -Gillingham specialist to help their children, Ms. Guttag highlighted the broader issue that Lexington is using an outdated literacy curriculum. She urged the School Committee to adopt a phonics -based curriculum and to allocate resources for additional literacy specialists to help struggling students. Sarah Carter - 5 Spencer St: She is speaking on behalf of the Special Education Parents Advisory Council (SEPAC). Recently, some special education parents, particularly those with children who have dyslexia or other reading challenges, have raised concerns about a lack of transparency in sharing literacy data. Ms. Carter stated that when significant delays are indicated, this data is not being shared automatically with parents. She and SEPAC are requesting that LPS take immediate action to ensure full transparency in sharing data and accountability in literacy assessment and reporting. Ms. Jay explained that the School Committee typically doesn't respond to public comments, but acknowledges the significant interest in literacy data. Although the School Committee cannot deliberate on this issue during the current meeting since it's not on the agenda, she wanted to emphasize that it is the responsibility of the School Committee and the school system to ensure that every child learns to read. Ms. Jay plans to add a report on this data to a future meeting agenda. Dr. Hackett added that evaluating the impact of the curriculum and instruction requires end -of -year data. She agreed with having a conversation about the available data. Ms. Jay requested to see past data, as it can provide insight into current progress. She will add this topic to have an agenda item of its own, separate from the Systemic Barriers Report. Dr. Hackett then expressed confusion over claims made about the middle school's performance. A caller stated that the middle schools are performing "three times below benchmark," but we don't have a benchmark yet because we just started using the STAR assessments. She also responded to the claim that "one in three students are not meeting reading and MCAS," stating that the data does not support this and provided specific MCAS data showing higher percentages of students meeting or exceeding expectations. Dr. Hackett lastly addressed the opinion piece about literacy that she published. She hears the concerns that people have expressed but states that she was respectful in it. She plans to have it available for the community to read. SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT Dr. Hackett reviewed her Su2erintendent's Report with the School Committee. The highlights from her report include: 1. LUES Response to Executive Order o Dr. Hackett reaffirmed Lexington Public Schools' commitment to its core values of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). She emphasized that Massachusetts state laws protecting against discrimination remain unchanged and assured that DEI efforts within the district will continue. Dr. Hackett encouraged everyone to feel safe and supported in the school community. 2. February is Black History Month 3. A Joy in Learning Celebration at Lexington Children's Place 4. FY24 Recap o Update from Mr. Coelho, Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations: On January 23, 2025, Dave Coelho shared this FY24 excense re ort for the fourth quarter with the School Committee. On Friday, January 31 st, he met with the Finance Subcommittee members to discuss it. It provides a clear overview of spending across all departments. It summarizes spending by line item and is structured like the standard Quarterly Reports. It consolidates total expenditures by budget line number, including salary and expense categories. 5. Happy Year of the Snake o Dr. Hackett read a blurb that two LHS students, Ashley Wu and Emily Wu, wrote about being thankful for having Lunar New Year as an official school holiday this year. They brought a basket filled with goodies to the School Committee to show their appreciation. 6. High School Building Project Updates o The next Community Forum will be on February 6, 2025, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m at Cary Hall and on Zoom o Ms. Sawhney requested a town hearing or public meeting where the School Committee and Select Board come together to support the High School project. UNFINISHED BUSINESS A. Vote Superintendent's FY 2026 Bgdget Dr. Hackett gave an update to clarify that on January 24, we received $104,000 more in Chapter 70 and $250,000 more in Special Education Reserves. The amount of $764,000 was available to both municipal and schools. The revenue allocation model was applied, and the schools received $565,000 more, and the town received $198,000 more. The additional funds came from updated State aid, updated Minuteman assessment, updated debt service projections and revisions to facilities shared service budget. Dr. Hackett and Mr. Coelho did a presentation of the budget slideshow. The FY2026 recommended budget is $146,033,333.00. Dr. Hackett mentioned that the initial request from the Town was a 4.98% increase, but a budget to maintain current services would require around a 6.S% increase. The 4.98% already accounted for some cuts. Although this figure isn't ideal, Dr. Hackett acknowledged that everyone is working hard to help meet budget needs. She also emphasized that the budget still has significant support, with many positions that others may not have. While she would like more resources to fulfill all desired goals, she understands the current limitations. Regarding negotiations, Dr. Hackett explained that we use the same practices that are used in school systems everywhere. She also discussed the elimination of an administrative position in counseling through attrition and highlighted the significant increase in counseling support, especially post -pandemic. The increase was partly funded by ESSER funds, allowing for more social workers than in the past. Additionally, a 504 coordinator position was added, which did not exist previously. She emphasized that they are now focused on finding ways to reduce the budget with the least amount of pain possible. A plan for consolidation/restructuring will be brought back to the School Committee. Dr. Hackett emphasized that the clinical supervision model in the counseling department is important, and will not be forgotten during the restructuring process. School Committee auestions and comments: Mr. Freeman asked why the budget needs to be voted on tonight. Mr. Coelho explained that we need to because the Town will be putting together the "Brown Book," the final version, which will be voted on during Town Meeting. Ms. Lenihan would like the School Committee to commit to reevaluating the counseling department's reorganization next year to ensure that whatever plan is developed is working. Ms. Jay asked to see slide 8, which lists the things that the administration recommends to keep the budget balanced. Ms. Cuthbertson is concerned that "We go down this road, and we don't look back." She is someone who would not get through her workday without the support of counselors, and she knows how hard it is for them to support students and staff. Ms. Cuthbertson would like to make sure that all of the protocols that have been put in place in the Counseling Department remain and that we do not put more strain on our counseling and social work staff. Mr. Freeman brought up Unit C negotiations and how we still have not had an Executive Session about it. He asked if we are moving any closer to having a signed contract. Dr. Hackett responded that Mr. Coelho and Dr. Lyons, along with legal counsel, are meeting with Unit C tomorrow. She added that she doesn't see how any creative financing is going to get us more money, and we won't be getting any more from the Town, and that's why she is recommending that the School Committee vote on the budget tonight. Ms. Jay asked how we would incorporate any increases that may result from negotiations into the budget. Mr. Coelho replied that part of it is built into the steps/longevity changes inherent in the group and the Cost -of -Living Adjustment (COLA) amount that is decided on. Ms. Jay followed up by asking, "If the amount expected goes over, do we have enough flexibility within your operating money to cover that?" Mr. Coelho responded that nothing is ever perfect, so there's always flexibility; those estimations are built into the upcoming budget. Ms. Lenihan moved that the School Committee approve the Superintendent's recommended fiscal year 2026 budget; Ms. Cuthbertson seconded. The motion passed 4-0-1, Ms. Sawhney abstained. Ms. Cuthbertson left the meeting. B. Second Reading of Policy INJDBA - Student Standards for Acceptable Use of Technology/Marked-up draft INJDBA Mr. Freeman asked if students still get a handbook; it is online. Ms. Lenihan likes the part that says, "Parents should not send personal electronic devices to school with their child(ren) students, expecting they will have access to them anytime during the school day." Ms. Jay brought up time outside of the school day and the concern of how that would be monitored. Mr. Freeman pointed out that sometimes the term "administrators" is used, and other times "Principals." The policy was updated to say "Principal or designee." Ms. Lenihan would like to ensure that the word "must" in the sentence "All personal electronic devices must be placed in a teacher's designated holding areas during class time" is what people want. Ms. Sawhney explained that principals did not request a change to this. "The use of personal electronic devices to take pictures is not permitted on school property without the expressed consent of the administration" was removed. Ms. Sawhney moved to approve Policy INJDBA - Student Standards for Acceptable Use of Technology as amended, Ms. Lenihan seconded. The motion passed 4-0. SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT (Continued) • National School Counseling Week • K-12 Curriculum & Instruction Highlights • What's Happening in Performing Arts • FY24 Recap • We All Belong o Seal of Biliteracy o Professional Learning on the Armenian Genocide o Upcoming Holidays & Observances • Association of Black Citizens of Lexington (ABCL) Celebrates LPS Educators o Mr. Freeman explained that the ABCL held a dinner for our teachers of color. • Black History Month (Continued) o Congratulations to Rachel Jayson, LHS Orchestra Teacher, for being one of only seven educators of color nationwide to be awarded the prestigious 2024-25 Foundation for the Advancement of String Education (FASE) Diverse String Teachers Fellowship. Rachel and the other six educators of color will be recognized at the American String Teachers Association (ASTA) Conference in March. COMMUNITY SPEAK Olga Guttag - 273 Emerson Rd (on Zoom): Ms. Guttag is requesting an "Org Chart" that would identify the responsibilities and what the positions in LPS cost. Her goal is to see if there is money in our current budget that can be reallocated to additional staff to bring our grade 4-12 students to grade -level reading proficiency. She made a comment that Lexington has a "severe literacy problem" Dr. Hackett addressed this comment by listing the percentages of our literacy scores. • Kindergarten - On or above grade level: 79%g • Grade 1 - On or above: 80% • Grade 2 - On or above: 85% • Grade 3 - On or above: 86% • Grade 4 - On or above: 85% • Grade 5 - On or above: 81% Mona Roy - She pointed out the concern about special education voiced throughout the meeting. She also looked up that the last time a Special Education survey went out was in 2019. Ms. Roy is requesting that the School Committee work with LexSEPTA to see if another survey could be put together. POSSIBLE ACTION ITEMS Items added during this meeting: • Conversation on Math and Literacy Data • Vice Chair is reaching out to SB Chair to inquire about joint outreach, such as Town Hall meeting on MSBA LHS Project ADJOURNMENT/Calendar for the year Ms. Lenihan made a motion to adjourn at 9:28 PM, Ms. Sawhney seconded. The motion passed 4-0.