HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-01-21-SC-min LEXINGTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING
Tuesday,January 21, 2020
Lexington Town Office Building
Selectmen's Meeting Room
1625 Massachusetts Avenue
CALL TO ORDER AND WELCOME: 6:01 p.m.
Chair Eileen Jay welcomed and introduced committee members
SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT
Eileen Jay, Chairperson
Kate Colburn, Vice-Chairperson (6:55 p.m.)
Kathleen Lenihan, Clerk
Deepika Sawhney
Scott Bokun (6:07 p.m.)
STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE
Sara Mei
SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS PRESENT
Dr. Julie Hackett, Superintendent
Mr. David Coehlo, Assistant Superintendent for Finance & Operations
Dr. Christine Lyons, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction,
and Professional Learning
Dr. Maureen Kavanaugh, Director of Planning &Assessments
The minutes were taken by Kristen Cronin, Executive Assistant to the School Committee and
Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent.
Ms.Jay opened the Public Hearing on the FY2021 Superintendent's Budget
Mr. Coehlo reviewed the FY2021 Superintendent's Budget presentation initially presented at the
School Committee meetings on January 7, 2020 and January 14, 2020.
Ms. Lenihan asked about the total per pupil expenditure. She noted that generally when the
budget presentation is given during Town Meeting, information about per pupil expenditure is
usually included for comparison to peer communities. Mr. Coehlo said that this information
would be included for the Town Meeting.
Ms. Lenihan commented on the budget process and timeline going forward. Ms. Jay said that
she will contact the chair of the Select Board to see if a plan could be devised for some policy
discussions prior to the fall in preparation for the Summit Meetings.
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Ms. Sawhney had many comments, questions, edits and observations regarding the budget
book which Mr. Coehlo and Dr. Hackett addressed.
Community Comment:
Mr. Lauren Black, 143 Bedford St: Mr. Black thanked the administration for the work put into
the FY2021 budget. He commented that initially budget reductions seemed to be focused on
the Special Ed. Department and advised the administration and School Committee to use
caution in future years and reductions that may be coming. Mr. Black noted, in particular, that
because IEP's are mandated, the thought of cutting aides would be very challenging because
those aides are accounted for in somebody's IEP. Mr. Black recommended the administration
try to be creative and think of other ways to cost save so it's not just a focus on Special Ed.
Dr. Hackett thanked Mr. Black for his remarks and for the parents that have been actively
engaged and involved. She noted the administration and School Committee are aware of the
challenges raised and stated that no one group or area in the budget is targeted for the majority
of the reductions. Dr. Hackett commented that she is trying to lead by example with the Central
Office and will be looking at savings and reductions there first.
Ms. Jay closed the Budget Public Hearing at 7:05 p.m. to continue on to the regularly scheduled
School Committee meeting.
SCHOOL COMMITTEE ANNOUNCEMENTS& LIAISON REPORTS:
Ms. Sara Mei, Student Representative reported on the following topics:
During the LHS Student-Faculty Senate, there was discussion about the hammer and discus
situation at the high school. She commented that there are some students who participate in
Track and Field and expressed relief to hear that the School Committee is working with the
Town to create these add-ons to the field.
There was also a Senate discussion around the School Calendar for 2020-2021 and Labor Day
weekend. They agree with Ms. Lenihan that with the start of the school year, students need to
get into a schedule which means that school should be in session the Friday before Labor Day
weekend. A four-day weekend is a short vacation and there does not need to be a short
vacation when students have only been in school for two days. It was noted that currently
there is a half-day on the last Monday of school and that disrupts some students' summer
plans. If there was to be a three day Labor Day weekend, perhaps the school year could end on
a Friday which would better suit some people's summer plans.
Ms. Mei continued her report on the school visit from Michelle Ciccolo, Massachusetts House
Representative for Lexington. Topics discussed were how young people can be involved in
government, addressing housing, poverty, education, gun violence, and climate change.
Ms. Mei went on to explain about Sunrise Lexington, a group of climate activists that Ms. Mei
participates in. Sunrise Lexington wrote a Climate Emergency Declaration and presented it to
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the Select Board last Monday. Some students also went to testify at the House Hearing for Bill
2810, which would promote Green Infrastructure and reduce Carbon Emissions.
Students are in the process of creating Teacher Feedback Forms for the high school so students
can give every teacher feedback for things that are going well in certain classes and ways that
they could improve their teaching.
Ms. Mei reported it is the time of year that 8th graders start thinking about the transition to
high school. She noted the course selection process is pretty complex with the need to reach a
number of required credits while balancing course loads. The Senate is trying to organize a
forum and events to talk to 8th graders about how to strike a balance with courses. The forum
would include current high schoolers and allow them to share their opinions about the courses
they took.
Ms. Mei completed her report by updating members about the Mural Competition. The Senate
will be taking a look at the submissions and working with the Art Department to vote on an
option.
Dr. Hackett commented on Ms. Mei's report regarding the Teacher Feedback Forms. Through
discussions within administrative circles and educator circles, LPS administration is looking at
incorporating student feedback as part of the evaluation system. Dr Hackett reported that Ron
Ferguson, a well-known education speaker, will be attending a full-day Professional
Development session sometime in April. Dr. Hackett invited Ms. Mei and a few other students
from the Senate to attend this all-day event. She will reach out to Ms. Mei with the correct date
once confirmed.
Mr. Scott Bokun announced the upcoming meeting for the Sunrise Movement that was
mentioned in Ms. Mei's report. They will be hosting a community meeting at 3:00 p.m. on
Saturday, January 25, 2020 at the Community Center.
School Committee members attended multiple events held over the past weekend in honor of
Martin Luther King Jr. Events were hosted by LHRC (Lexington Human Rights Committee) as well
as ABCL (Association of Black Citizens of Lexington).
Ms. Sawhney reported on the Appropriation Committee and Capital Expenditure Committee
meetings she attended. She noted that both committees discussed the upcoming warrant
articles for Annual Town Meeting and the financial implications of the warrants.
Ms. Colburn provided a brief summary from the Summit III meeting and expressed thanks to the
Select Board for a productive meeting. Ms. Colburn commented that the Select Board has
made a commitment to work with the School Committee, early and often to address a lot of the
policy issues that shaped some of the budget challenges this year. She explained that the
School Committee requested meetings starting as early as this Spring to come to an
understanding on issues, before going into the next budget season. Ms. Colburn noted some of
the issues School Committee would like to address for better understanding: (1) OPEB—how
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much is being contributed to the trust fund; (2) what is the current model being used for the
Capital Stabilization Fund, whether that is working, and if it will work long term with a high
school project coming; (3) how do you balance saving more in that fund with the potential
impact on the Operating Budget; (4) looking at the allocation in general and if it's still working
for the town; and (5) what is the impact on the long term economy of Lexington if you make
certain choices in all these different areas?
Liaison Report: Ms. Colburn, along with Mr. Bokun and Dr. Hackett, attended the SEPAC
Community meeting on January 9th.
Ms. Jay thanked Ms. Colburn for the summary of Budget Summit III. She went on to thank CAAL
(Chinese American Association of Lexington) for organizing the Lunar New Year Celebration on
January 11th.
Congratulations & Celebrations:
Dr. Hackett announced she would be attending the WGBH High School Quiz Show on Sunday,
January 26, 2020. All are welcome to attend and watch Lexington students compete against
Mansfield during this live production beginning at 8:45 a.m. at One Guest Street, Boston.
SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT:
Dr. Hackett reported on the following items:
Hastings Elementary School:
Dr. Hackett noted that she provided an update on Hastings during her last report and wanted to
provide an updated timeline to be clear about what will be open to the public and when. She
went on to report about the demolition of the old Hastings building and explained that
demolition would be complete by the end of April school vacation week. Demolition of the
building will start at the modular end of the building (near Wilson Road), using a machine that
will deconstruct the building. The machine operator will use a claw to break apart the building,
separating the materials into piles for recycling. The operator will place concrete in one pile,
steel in one pile, light gauge metal in a third, and so on. Since there is a portion of the old
building that is very close to the new building, it will be taken down during April vacation. Dr.
Hackett noted once the building is down and removed from the site, the old foundations will be
extracted and removed. By May, we should be able to see the faint outline of the new
parking/drop off area.
Inclusion Community Input Team (CIT)
Dr. Hackett went on to report about the Inclusion Community Input Team (Inclusion CIT). She
noted that, in the DEI: Our Call to Action paper, the Inclusion CIT was identified as a concrete
action step that would be used to engage the Lexington Public School school community in a
collaborative, sustainable problem-solving process. The power of the CIT process is to engage
school change, forging stronger meaningful partnerships with our school community in the
process. Mr. Johnny Cole and Ms. Ellen Sugita will co-chair the Inclusion CIT. Dr. Hackett
announced the first CIT meeting will be held on January 29, 2020 from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. at the
Central Office.
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Medicaid Reimbursement and School Billing
Dr. Hackett reported on the changes Medicaid has made recently. She noted that Medicaid has
made changes to the procedures that districts use to get reimbursed for the services they
provide to Medicaid-enrolled students. Purportedly, the changes were introduced to make
more students eligible for reimbursement; however, they appear to have implemented a higher
threshold for what constitutes a Medicaid-eligible reimbursement. It may come as a surprise to
many people that the new requirements will adversely impact the reimbursements
municipalities receive and that changes in the procedures themselves are a likely source of the
problem. Dr. Hackett noted that, ultimately, reimbursements that are harder to obtain will put
more pressure on school systems across the Commonwealth. Specifically, the new regulations
remove the requirement that students must be on IEPs in order for the districts to file for
reimbursement, yet they now expect service providers to log medical diagnoses, making it
harder to access funding.
Complete copy of the Su erintendenfs Report
Ms. Colburn remarked that given that the Medicaid issue is a Federal Policy, she wondered if the
school should be working with Congressional Delegation to raise this issue. If so, is it something
the School Committee could help with? Dr. Hackett agreed with Ms. Colburn and welcomed
advocacy on their behalf and reaching out to the Delegation would be an excellent idea.
Committee members had further discussion and questions on this topic, which Dr. Hackett
addressed.
Redistricting & Later School Start Time Updates:
Mr. Thomas Martellone, Late Start Project Manager, gave a brief history and overview on
Redistricting and Later School Start Times. Mr. Martellone said that in order to help determine
impact across a variety of stakeholders, the process has included meeting with individuals and
groups to identify possible areas of concern or significance related to later start. Mr. Martellone
explained that the findings were identified as low significance, medium significance, or high
significance. He noted that while all concerns are significant to involved stakeholders, some
were either non-issues related to the later start time, or had varying levels of solutions and
follow up.
Mr. Martellone went on to report about some changes that result in new thinking and
opportunities. He noted that he has been working with Barbara Hamilton, METCO Director, on
improving the experience for Boston students by providing technology that supports
engagement, creativity, and productivity (Wifi on buses and access to devices). The work is
aimed at ensuring that facilities support community programs and access to schools so that
programming meets the needs of Lexington residents and creates equitable opportunities for all
students to engage in academic and non-academic experiences in our schools.
In closing, Mr. Martellone acknowledged that there will be unknowns, such as weather, traffic
conditions, and other factors that will always affect our daily lives. He commented that, as we
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enter into later start, we should stay positive and focused on the well-being of children, as well
as communicate amongst ourselves in ways that are productive and help come up with
solutions.
Ms. Colburn sought clarification on the buses being added. Mr. Martellone clarified that the
district is not adding 10 more buses to the budget, they are already included in our bus contract
but have not been accessed for all grade levels. Currently, all 36 buses are used for elementary
school routes, but they are not all used for the middle and high school runs. He noted that
adding more buses to the middle and high school runs will help to shorten routes about 20
minutes. Ms. Colburn suggested having some coordination with Ms. Monaco and her efforts to
think about logistics of redistricting and sustainability by possibly having more children walking,
biking, and taking the bus to school rather than riding in their parents' cars.
Ms. Lenihan was pleased to hear that Mr. Martellone would be doing a bus run with METCO
Director Barbara Hamilton to Boston and commented on promoting a positive change for all the
students.
Ms. Lenihan inquired about the possibility of having a before school program and would like to
have further discussions on this topic.
Mr. Bokun asked what kind of study would be used to review LHS traffic patterns. Mr.
Martellone mentioned looking for an organization/group to fully examine the traffic coming into
the high school.
Dr. Hackett commented on the distinction between the traffic study done by Mr. Richard Labrie,
the traffic consultant, and a safety study performed by a traffic exploration engineer. A safety
study should come out of the traffic safety group, and it has to be specific to the engineer and
the community.
Ms. Jay asked for clarification on the cost for the 10 additional buses being contracted with
C&W. Dr. Hackett reiterated that we pay for 36 buses and we will be using 36 buses. She
reminded the committee that two additional buses were added to the FY2020 budget for a total
of 38 buses contracted with C & W. As a result of the transportation study done by Mr. Labrie,
two extra buses were added to the budget in anticipation of potential busing needs associated
with redistricting. Dr. Hackett commented that this is a transition move. It is unknown whether
or not the full 38 buses will be needed in the subsequent year. If the district does not need the
two additional buses in FY2022, they will be taken out of the budget and we will revert back to
the original 36 buses.
Ms. Jay asked about the feedback on teacher availability for after-school clubs given the later
end time for the high school. She also inquired about the timing for sports and after-school
athletics particularly for travel games, and asked about coordination with the Recreation
Department programs with regard to field use. Her understanding is that LPS Athletics has
agreed to a 5:30pm end time for practices. She wondered about options for opening the
elementary gyms in the morning before school for early access for students. Mr. Martellone will
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be doing follow up with the High School Leadership Team regarding club advisors. He noted
there are still some unknowns, like start times for games. Dr. Hackett commented that
challenges will be part of the implementation process. She remarked, "we should not blame
late start for the problems that presently exist." Dr. Hackett noted that this is a great
opportunity to improve what happens now, and is very optimistic about making the experience
better for students from Boston.
Members had continued questions and comments for Mr. Martellone which he addressed.
COMMUNITY SPEAKS:
None
COMMUNITY SPEAK:
None
Dr. Hackett provided a few bullet points and context regarding the Equity Audit. Dr. Hackett
noted that, prior to her arrival, the 2017-2018 school year was a rather difficult year and trying
time in the district. There were many questions around discipline disparities for black and
brown students, as well as for students with disabilities, and the community raised a number of
concerns publicly. In July 2018, after Dr. Hackett's arrival, the administration worked with the
community to develop DEI: Our Call to Action, the position paper on how the district was going
to address changes. Dr. Hackett went on to note that an equity audit was mentioned in the DEI
position paper, as well as the formation of three DEI Community Input Teams. In July 2019, the
district hired a Director of Equity & Student Supports, which was one of the School Committee's
goals. Mr. Johnny Cole was hired to fill that position. In the same year, the district was planning
on having a $40,000.00 Equity Audit. After discussions with a potential vendor, it was decided
that Mr. Cole would do the equity audit. Dr. Hackett noted she has asked Mr. Cole and others on
the team to tell the truth, to be very open, and transparent.
PRESENTATION: - Equity Audit
Mr. Johnny Cole, Director of Equity & Student Supports, spent the first six months in his new
role speaking with staff, students, and community members. He visited classrooms and worked
with school personnel to both identify and begin to address some of the inequitable outcomes
for various identity groups in the district. Mr. Cole noted the audit is focused on disparities for
students of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and students in Special Education. The
focus for the latter will come from the work of Dr. Thomas Hehir, a national consultant and
expert in special education who has continued the work begun last year by examining
school-based inequalities and barriers that exist for students with disabilities in Lexington.
Mr. Cole reviewed the entry plan of his first six months including: Individual meetings and
classroom observations as well as meeting with Community Organizations & Student Groups.
Entry Plan ongoing work and key focus areas include:
• Curriculum (i.e., inclusive and grade 4 history)
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• Staffing (i.e., employee of color group, recruiting & hiring)
• Discipline (i.e. consulting with admin. at all levels; get creative with work)
• Disability (i.e. ADHD, IEP, working with Special Ed. Dept.)
• Professional Learning (i.e. cultural proficiency training, IDEAS program)
Mr. Cole reviewed discipline data by subgroup and noted that the areas of focus for Lexington
are African American/Black students, students with disabilities, and low income students, as
these groups of students are disproportionately suspended. He noted that Lexington is well
below in comparison to the State data in terms of suspensions. Mr. Cole is working with Dr.
Kavanaugh and the Data Team on data for suspensions that are repeated offenders.
Mr. Cole reviewed the Next Steps:
• Continue working with Consultant, Thomas Herir
• Community Input Teams (Mr. Cole & Ms. Sugita)
• Interviews and Observations
• Document Review (Thomas Herir)
• Expand disparity analysis to PK-8
• Professional Learning
Ms. Lenihan commented on the LHS Level Representation chart and asked if the chart could be
broken down by department. Mr. Cole informed Ms. Lenihan that it can be broken down;
however, it can be somewhat misleading because it's not the same levels in every department.
Mr. Bokun commented that discipline disparities has been a focus of the DEI work since
2018-2019, and that the main reason for tonight's report is about the discipline with Special Ed.
students and Black students. He expressed concerns about expanding the scope so big, and
worried that the main issue will get lost. Mr. Bokun suggested a "Plan of Action" to help resolve
the issue at hand right now. Mr. Cole explained that the work is happening. Many of the
administrators are already having discussions with Mr. Cole. He noted that one of the
challenges currently being faced is finding consequences for actions, providing different
consequences to address certain behaviors. Progress will involve working with stakeholders to
take a look at discipline differently and ways to address it differently, so it is not just "you did X
and therefore you get suspended."
Dr. Hackett commented on Mr. Bokun's question as well. She acknowledged that there is more
work to do, but there is progress in many areas. The process is very accurate. A lot of this is
unpacking the problem around data collection and practices. It means trying to take a measured
look at where we are and be honest about how complicated the work is. We still have work to
do; the numbers are smaller but they are problematic. She agrees that we need to keep focus
on disproportionality. All of the systems impact the disproportionality and that's where it gets
overly complicated.
Ms. Colburn asked: what exactly are the data collected, what was the data collected before,
how is that data used, and whether it's actual numbers or qualitative data from talking with
students, families and teachers. How is that feeding into our district-wide policies and
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procedures? How are we taking the information that is being shared? Some of the alternatives
to suspensions are exciting. How do we figure out how Positive, Alternative, Student Suspension
(PASS) can work in our district, and if we think it can, how do we do it? She would love to see
how it all integrates together.
Ms. Sawhney asked for an update on how Mr. Cole is slicing the data and looking at it, to help
show the progress that has been made. Ms. Sawhney noted that if some of the suspensions
that are happening are caused by students vaping during school, then the focus needs to be
shifted. These students need help because they are addicted.
Ms. Jay commented that, when it comes to differences seen in students' access to more
challenging course levels, it's important to look at the early levels not just middle and high
school, and the ways that students' perceptions of themselves as learners are influenced early
on. With regard to Diversity, she would like to see better a understanding of cultural proficiency
for educators, students, and community members. Student support and mental health is also a
big issue and we need to recognize that it can be different for different groups. She looks
forward to some of this work falling under the Diversity Community Input Team and the Equity
Input Team. Ms. Jay is anxious to see it happen and feels it will really address many of the
things touched on tonight.
Ms. Colburn commented that she doesn't care about the State Data per se on disproportionate
suspension. How we do in comparison to other communities does not matter to us, as much as
doing what's right for our students. We should compare ourselves against us and just try to
always do better.
Dr. Hackett commented that the writing up of this type of work will be Part Two of DEI: Our Call
to Action. The idea is that it will grow and grow as we get better. In addition, she noted, we had
a vision of what a position like Director of Equity & Student Supports could look like and we had
needs that were unmet, and I hope you can see from the presentation the vision is being
realized. We have a long way to go and a lot of work to do. Mr. Cole is doing a terrific job.
COMMUNITY SPEAKS:
Ms. Victoria Buckley, Chair of the Commission on Disability, 18 Bates Road: Ms. Buckley spoke
on behalf of the Commission of Disability and noted that they applaud the efforts here and
especially the vision, but really want to see something more concrete—concrete policy and
consistent reporting systems throughout the schools. She keeps wondering if disability is the
cause of behavior, leading to the suspension. If someone is getting blamed for a part of their
disability, then we have to look at this in a different way. Also, when looking at Special Ed. or
students with disabilities, it seems there is enough support to avoid suspension. They have
more supporters than just a teacher in the classroom. Are there ways to help the aides and
help the people helping the kids get what they need?
37 Tyler Road - Mother of two gifted children. Commented that gifted kids can also be
troublemakers and noted that they are not included in the presentation and would like to have
it be considered going forward.
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Lauren Black, 143 Bedford St.: Mr. Black echoed Ms. Buckley and Mr. Bokun's comments.
Important to remember and reflect on what led to this entire process and try to focus on that.
Mr. Black also commented on the data report.
Ms. Mona Roy, Burtwell Road: Ms. Roy applauded Johnny for his hard work and for addressing
the systemic issues, really digging deep and understanding how implicit bias works. It really has
to do with the nuances, a lot of nuanced thinking on race. It's hard to do this work and it's
complicated and I really appreciate it. Ms. Roy echoed concerns cited earlier from Ms. Colburn,
Mr. Bokun, and Ms. Buckley about disciplined disparity and the two groups (African
American/Black students & SPED). Just want to know that something is being done. She noted
that the district is working on it and efforts are sincere. Ms. Roy commented that the discipline
disparity for SPED kids has gone up in Lexington, not down, and for African American kids,
although the numbers have gone down, they are still very high. The real life experiences of
these kids should not be negated.
Bronte Abraham, 22 Hudson Rd: Ms. Abraham commented that on Slide 11 of the presentation;
there is another population missing, religious groups such as the Jewish families. Jewish kids
experience community through their temples and community groups. They have an extreme
amount of exposure to anti-semitism occurring immediately outside of Lexington's borders and
they learn tools, techniques, and strategies through their youth groups. They can be excellent
peer models and they want to know that they are safe in school as well.
Next Ms. Abraham remarked on the "leveling." She congratulated the middle school team for
working with 7th & 8th grade parents for getting rid of leveling where possible.
Dr. Hackett commented that the feedback is excellent and suggested taking the actual charts in
the initial report and matching them up. Looking at progression and disaggregating could be
particularly helpful and could incorporate and address some of the other areas as well. We need
to provide data and information and just keep pushing it out. With the understanding that we
may be here and it may increase as we try to rectify our systems, we just have to all be prepared
for that. This is not to say the issue is not being addressed, it's to say the issue is being
addressed and we are bringing to the surface some of the issues that have been there for some
time. Taking the charts in the initial report and disaggregating could be helpful.
CONSENT AGENDA:
Mr. Bokun moved to accept the consent agenda items from January 21, 2020 in its entirety,
seconded by Ms. Lenihan (Approved 5-0)
Ms.Jay made a motion to adjourn at 11:05 p.m., so moved by Ms. Lenihan (Approved 5-0)
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