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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-05-26-SC-min LEXINGTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING Tuesday, May 26, 2020 Conducted by Remote Participation CALL TO ORDER AND WELCOME: 6:00 p.m. Chair Eileen Jay welcomed and introduced committee members SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT Eileen Jay, Chairperson Kathleen Lenihan, Clerk Deepika Sawhney Scott Bokun Sara Cuthbertson STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE Sara Mei SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS PRESENT Dr. Julie Hackett, Superintendent Mr. David Coehlo, Assistant Superintendent for Finance & Operations Assistant Superintendent to Curriculum, Instruction, and Professional Development The minutes were taken by Kristen Cronin, Executive Assistant to the School Committee and Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent. Ms. Jay reviewed some of the ground rules for how the meeting will be conducted. Ms. Jay read Governor Baker's Executive Order from March 12, 2020 which allows public meetings to be conducted remotely due to the state emergency related to the COVID-19 outbreak. Ms. Jay covered additional ground rules for an effective and clear conduct of business and to assure accurate meeting minutes. SCHOOL COMMITTEE ANNOUNCEMENTS& LIAISON REPORTS: Ms. Sara Cuthbertson virtually attended the webinar Teens, Tweens and Quarantines presented by Jon Mattleman. This webinar was sponsored by the Joint Mental Health Task Force. The webinar can be viewed on the mindingyourmind,or-website. Mr. Sott Bokun reported that the Annual Town Meeting will be held virtually. Mr. Bokun thanked everyone involved in setting up the remote system. He reported that Town Meeting will begin the first week of June. Further information is available on the Town of Lexington`s website. LSC Meeting Minutes Approved 6/9/2020 Ms. Deepika Sawhney commented on the Elementary Literacy Remote Learning site. This website had links with different elementary teachers reading storybooks. Ms. Sawhney highly recommends committee members and community members to check out the link and listen to a story. Click here for the link. Ms. Kathleen Lenihan reported on the SHAC/LGBTQ+ subcommittee meeting and mentioned the following upcoming events: • Screenings of Gender Revolution as watch parties on June 2nd at 2:00 PM; June 7th at 3:00 PM; June 9th at 6:30 PM (watch party plus a panel discussion, featuring transgender young adults). From June 3 -June 9, Gender Revolution will be available to watch On Demand at LexMedia. • Ms. Lenihan informed members that zoom links would be forthcoming. • June 14th Lexington Pride Day Car Parade o Pending approval from the Lexington Select Board, cars will assemble from 2:30 - 3:00 PM in the DPW parking lot and from 3:00 - 3:30 PM would drive down Mass Ave. in a festive parade. Ms. Lenihan informed members that she wrote a letter to State Representative Michelle Cicollo and State Senator Cindy Freedman encouraging them to bring forward legislation which would update the Massachusetts Law re arding School Attendance & Vaccinations to include a yet-to-be-developed vaccine for COVID-19 as part of the requirements to school attendance. Ms. Lenihan asked if her colleagues would also be interested in writing a letter of support asking for COVID-19 to be added to the list of vaccination requirements mandated for school attendance. Ms. Jay asked members if they had any comments on Ms. Lenihan's proposal. Members are in agreement for Ms. Lenihan to draft a broad letter to the legislature requesting for the vaccination of COVID-19 to be included as part of the requirement for school attendance. Further discussion/input will be had after reviewing the letter. Ms. Jay said that, in addition to May being Mental Health Month, it is also Asian American/Pacific Islander Month. Ms. Jay watched a five-hour film series on WGBH that included a lot of history and intimate personal stories that was very enlightening. This special is available on WGBH through the end of May. Ms. Jay provided a brief update on the Recreation Committee meeting: • Golf courses have reopened • Center Track will be completed by mid-June and available to the public, using social distancing guidelines • Contractor was chosen for the Diamond Field renovations and work will begin in early June • Bath house at the Old Reservoir will be going out for bid • Phasing in of opening the Community Center o Will hold off on room reservations until at least October 1, 2020 LSC Meeting Minutes Approved 6/9/2020 Ms. Sara Mei said teachers have transformed "office hours" to "what I need" sessions to incorporate more social/emotional learning. She reported that the first batch of AP tests are over, and extended her congratulations to any student that participated. Ms. Mei noted they had their last Senate meeting of the year and sent their seniors off with a fun game. She sends her congratulations to all the graduating seniors on their last day of school and for the hard work they have done for the past four years. Ms. Jay asked about plans for LHS graduation events. Dr. Hackett reported that multiple events have been planned and they are in the process of working through some details. LHS principal, Dr. Stephens, and staff worked on organizing a car parade and handing diplomas out to graduates by the Deans on June 29 and June 30. There will also be a virtual graduation organized by the yearbook company with pre-recorded speeches on June 28, 2020. An in-person event is being considered for when things are safer and people can gather together a little further down the road. Dr. Hackett also mentioned that car parades will be held for Pre K, 5th grade, and 8th grade students graduating from their schools. Congratulations & Celebrations: Dr. Hackett extended her appreciation and congratulations to the Lexington Department of Public Works, especially during National Public Works Week that was celebrated on Monday, May 17th - Friday, May 23rd. Check out this awesome video to celebrate the Department of Public Works and to encourage backyard composting in Lexington! Dr. Hackett extended her congratulations to our LPS Green Team members who do so much to help us compost and reduce waste. They want to let the community know that while we are all learning from home, we can continue the Zero Waste practice we've learned in school cafeterias. Check out the two easy ways to compost your breakfast, lunch, and dinner waste. What a hands-on opportunity for us all to learn and teach each other tangible ways to "Build Back Better!" Dr. Hackett extended her appreciation and congratulations to Dave Coelho and his staff along with our food service provider Whitsons who delivered 500 lunches, 475 breakfasts to families to have over the Memorial Day weekend. SUPERINTENDENT'SREPORT: Dr. Hackett reported on the following items: Joy In Learning Punya Gupta is a junior at Lexington High School. She and her brother Tanmay made a website explaining the science behind Coronavirus and the drugs being tested against it. Her biology teacher recommended that she share the information with me, as it is a good resource for middle and high schoolers and their parents. Here is the link to their impressive website: htt ssciencebehindcorona.wixsite.com 2020. Congratulations to Punya and Tanmay on their LSC Meeting Minutes Approved 6/9/2020 thoughtful body of work that reflects "joy in learning." It is so wonderful to see yet another excellent example of the many ways Lexington students are making a difference during this tough time in quarantine. Kindergarten Intensive Learning Program to Relocate to Bowman Dr. Hackett reported that due to lack of available space, she was prepared to approve a proposal that was submitted to her by Fiske Principal, Brian Baker (with support from Bowman Principal, Jenny Corduck; LCP Director (Pre-Kindergarten), Liz Billings-Fouhy; and Director of Special Education, Ellen Sugita). The proposal involved having the incoming kindergarten students in the Intensive Learning Program (ILP) go to Bowman Elementary School next year. The intention would have been to build over time a Grade K-2 ILP at Bowman while maintaining the Grade 3-5 ILP at Fiske. This would mean that Bowman ILP students would need to transition to the Fiske ILP at Grade 3. However, this plan will not take place because an alternative solution was found for the upcoming school year. So, the district will postpone moving the Kindergarten ILP to Bowman for the 2020-2021 school year. Incoming kindergarten ILP students will attend Fiske. Dr. Hackett said this is only a short-term solution that will still need to be addressed in 2021-2022, if enrollment continues as anticipated. Dr. Hackett invited Mr. Baker, Ms. Lipsitz, Ms. Sugita, Ms. Lamore, Dr. Kavanaugh, Ms. Billings-Fouhy and Ms. Corduck to speak during the meeting and explain how they came up with a temporary solution for 2020-2021 school year. Over the weekend, we reviewed the recent student enrollment data that was shared with principals and, from all indications, it appears that next year Fiske will only need three sections of Kindergarten. The original data showed that four sections would be needed, but the new enrollment data suggest that only three sections will be necessary. By dropping down to three sections of Kindergarten next year, we are able to free up an additional classroom that can be used for a sixth Intensive Learning Program (ILP) space at Fiske. In the 2019-2020 school year, Fiske had 22 sections in grades K-5. In the 2020-2021 school year, it appears that only 20 sections will be needed for grades K-5, which will open up two classrooms, allowing each ILP classroom its own space without having to share. For the 2020/2021 school year, Fiske will have a total of 26 classrooms, six of which will be designated for ILP. The ILP program has been housed for a number of years at Fiske and serves children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Enrollments are on the rise in the Intensive Learning Program (ILP) at Fiske Elementary School, and we now have a total of 38 students (31 students in Grades 1-5 and another 7 students entering Kindergarten). The ILP enrollment is at an historic high, and we anticipate that Fiske will deal with the same physical space challenges next year. A short-term solution to accommodate the incoming Kindergarten students this year gives us more time to plan a Lower and Upper ILP for next year. Ms. Billings-Fouhy indicated that her LCP families were gracious and open to the move this year, and we are so grateful for all of her efforts and our LCP parents' flexibility. Dr. Hackett also appreciated Bowman's enthusiasm and interest in welcoming the LCP ILP kindergarten students to their new school. Many thanks to Mr. Baker, Ms. Corduck, Ms. Liz Billings-Fouhy, and Ms. LSC Meeting Minutes Approved 6/9/2020 Sugita who all worked together. Their efforts will be put to good use throughout the year, as we revisit this plan and ensure a smooth and seamless transition for our Lexington Children's Place (LCP) kindergarten ILP students in the next cohort. Member Comments: Ms. Cuthbertson understands the needs for a potential move and it is great to be prepared; however, she said she has a lot of hesitation about a plan that transitions students midway through elementary school. Mr. Bokun echoed Ms. Cuthbertson's comments. Mr. Bokun asked Ms. Corduck if it would be possible to continue the ILP program in the upper levels of elementary at Bowman. Ms. Corduck said that was part of the discussion earlier today, and after hearing feedback expressing concerns from the community around the critical transitions that Lexington asks the students to make. Ms. Corduck said she would never make a promise saying that the ILP students could stay through 5th grade; however, there are possibilities with the questionable enrollment. Ms. Corduck commented that if Bowman has the space, then she would be very much on board considering how to create something that would make sense and keep them as Bowman students throughout elementary school. Ms. Jay asked Ms. Lipsitz if it would be feasible to move the entire ILP Program from Fiske to Hastings down the road. Ms. Lipsitz said with enrollments being uncertain, Hastings does not have the classroom space for next year (2020-2021) in general education to meet the needs of children who are currently at Fiske in their ILP without the incoming cohort. Mr. Baker and Ms. Lipsitz have had discussions with Ms. Sugita about the continuum for the entire ILP Program. With its current numbers, that would be almost 70 children to be housed at Hastings. Ms. Lipsitz said that anything is worthy of discussion. She is happy to enter into that conversation with people and think about what that would look like going forward. Community Comments: Ms. Fay Chen: Ms. Chen expressed concerns that ILP students will be at Fiske next school year, and then suddenly be moved to Bowman, and then transitioned again after that. Ms. Chen said that ILP children do not transition well. Regarding the feeder pattern with the ILP program, she would like some kind of a commitment that they would stay in Bowman until 5th grade and then go to Clarke for middle school. It's important for their child to stay with the same kids in the integrated classroom. She implores the committee and school administration to include families in future communications before decisions are made. Ms. Courtney Apgar, 31 Barberry Road: Ms. Apgar commented that moving ILP children to a completely different school between 2nd/3rd grade will be hugely problematic for the children. Ms. Georgia Swan, 206 Manor Terrace: Ms. Swan expressed concerns over the possible transition for ILP students. Especially with the bonds that her child will make with other students. Would like to be part of the decision making. If the Bowman proposal is still on the table, I would rather do it now, knowing my child would be there until 5th grade and transition with his elementary school peers into middle school. LSC Meeting Minutes Approved 6/9/2020 Ms. Bronte Abraham, SEPAC Liaison to School Committee - Hudson Rd.: Ms. Abraham suggested breaking up the cohort of ILP 2 and 3 and putting a K-5 ILP 2 and 3 at two campuses. You could make room at Hastings so they wouldn't have 70 kids, they would have 35 and another school would also have 35. Master Planning Committee Update On February 25th (Kate Colburn's last School Committee meeting), we made a LPS Master Plan presentation to the School Committee. As MPC members requested, we developed a LPS Master Planning Compendium to be used in addition to DiNisco's detailed ten-year Master Plan that was shared with you. On Thursday, May 28th, the Master Planning Committee will reconvene to review and approve the LPS 10-Year Master Plan and the LPS Master Planning Compendium. LPS Remote Learning Updates Google Classroom for LPS Parents Students know how to navigate Google Classroom, but how about our parents? In previous school community letters, we indicated that we would offer technology training for LPS parents to provide support for them in the current remote learning environment. Recently, our middle school Digital Learning Coaches worked together to offer this online training for parents wishing to learn more about Google Classroom: Google Classroom for Guardians --SRring--Spring2020. Over 60 parents attended the session, and it was very well-received. Many thanks to Eddie Davey and Howard Wolke for supporting our LPS families! End of School Year(ESY) Preliminary Plans The end of the school year (ESY) is upon us, and we are planning for a remote LPS ESY Program. We have begun discussions around programming and structure and hope to find ways for the programming to be fresh and exciting for both the students and staff. We are hoping to develop plans that will allow us to facilitate more group interaction for these students and have a program theme each week on which to focus IEP services. Postings for staffing will go up soon, based on a remote learning model. We can adjust our summer programming remote learning model to one that allows for limited engagement, if and when public health officials lift current restrictions. Although Lexplorations is not under the auspices of the Lexington Public Schools, you may be interested in knowing that they, too, are planning to offer remote summer programming. In this Letter they recently sent to families, they note the following: "While Lexplorations summers are best known for learning and fun, our primary concern as a program is always "safety first." After long weeks of deliberation and consultation with Lexington Public Schools Administration and similar programs in the region, we have come to the conclusion that for summer 2020 "safety first" means staying out of the school buildings." LPS Return to School Planning The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (MA DESE) has indicated that guidance on safe ways to "return to school" will be available by the end of June; however, given the LSC Meeting Minutes Approved 6/9/2020 complexities of PK-12 public schools, we cannot wait that long. As outlined in this memo to LPS staff, we are in the preliminary planning stages and our "return to school" planning process is officially underway. Information and resources are constantly in development, and we are beginning to gather resources and ideas. As PK-12 public school educators, we certainly have our work cut out for us, but I am confident that we will implement a thoughtful, flexible plan that will enable us to continue to provide a high-quality education in challenging times. Currently, we are exploring what a safe return to school might look like next year. We are reading and researching several detailed and lengthy plans offered by other states and countries that already have returned to school, and we are in the process of gathering more resources. As noted in the memo, we have developed a timeline that includes outreach to all LPS stakeholders, and we look forward to engaging the LPS school community in this discussion. Superintendent's End of the Year Self Assessment Our noteworthy accomplishments this past year are an extension of the work that began over two years ago, with the development of the 2018-2020 goals of the Superintendent and School Committee that can be found here. In order to synthesize progress on goals and identify future areas of focus, I completed an "at-a-glance" 2019-2020 self-assessment summary table that can be found here. Finally, the process and tool School Committee members used last year to complete my evaluation can be found here. We accomplished a great deal in 2019-2020, which is a reflection of the School Committee's partnership and problem-solving, the work of an incredible team of educators, and the support and collaboration of our school community. Ms. Jay provided a brief synopsis of the process for the Superintendent's End of Year Self Assessment tool. Members agreed on June 9th as the date to submit their individual writing of the Superintendent Evaluation to the School Committee Chair. COMMUNITY SPEAK: Coach Dave Walsh: Coach Walsh spoke on behalf of the Spring coaches who work for Lexington Public Schools, and asked the School Committee to reconsider its interpretation of the MOA regarding coaches stipends. Coach Walsh noted that after March 16th coaches operated under the idea that maybe the season would restart. Coaches worked on remaining in contact with student athletes, providing them with workouts and skills work, and staying in contact with their parents. They attempted to keep the kids motivated and encouraged them to continue healthy behaviors under the assumption that the season would restart. Coach Walsh stated that once school was closed for the remainder of the year, coaches started reaching out to underclassman students to prepare them for the 2021 season. They focused a lot on our seniors who have lost so much, providing them with emotional support and working with Naomi Martin on how we can honor our seniors. Coach Walsh said, coaches have continued working and the nature of coaching during this crisis is different. Looking at Dr. Hackett's "Joy in Learning" and "Compassion in All We Do" and "We All Belong"; those kinds of things are what the LPS coaches have been involving themselves in. The coaches feel they deserve some of the compensation that they have not been provided. LSC Meeting Minutes Approved 6/9/2020 Mr. Larry David: Mr. David teaches in Lexington and is a coach for the Ultimate Frisbee Team. Mr. David echoed Coach Walsh's comments. CONSENT AGENDA Ms. Lenihan moved to accept the following items on the Consent Agenda: • Accounts Payable dated May 22, 2020 in the amount of$427,465.75 • Accounts Payable BOM (Bank of Montreal Reconciliations) dated May 22, 2020 in the amount of$8,482.90 • May 22, 2020 - Payroll dated May 22, 2020 in the amount of$3,896,294.61 • School Committee minutes from May 12, 2020 Ms. Sawhney seconded; Ms. Jay took a roll call vote (Approved 5-0) PRESENTATION: LEF UPDATES Ms. Patrice Cleaves, Lexington Education Foundation (LEF) Co-President, provided a brief report on the LEF grantmaking during the 2019-2020 academic year. Thanks to the generous private donations from Lexington families and businesses over the past 30 years that help strengthen and enrich the programs offered by Lexington's ten public schools and central administration. LEF has raised and directed more than $5.6 million. Support for LEF helps fund teacher-initiated grants and innovative curriculum projects that fall outside the scope of the LPS budget. Each year, LEF raises in excess of$250,000 to support teacher-initiated grants, fellowships, and school community grants for every school. Ms. Cleaves reported that in LEF's 2019-20 fiscal year (FY20), the organization awarded grants totaling $273,515 in three categories: • Program Grants support the exploration and implementation of innovative instruction, enriched curricula, pro-social and emotional literacy initiatives, and the use of new technology in the classroom. o FY20 Awards (for implementation during the 2020-2021 school year): $157,063 • Fellowships enable individual educators to participate in structured professional development opportunities that will have a direct impact on their teaching in the classroom. o FY20 Awards (for fellowship trainings/conferences/workshops taking place in January 2020-June 2021; note that LEF has offered an extension for awarded fellowships that may have been postponed due to the pandemic) $56,202 • School Community Grants enable each of the ten Lexington public schools to undertake activities that will strengthen learning and build community school-wide. LSC Meeting Minutes Approved 6/9/2020 o FY20 Awards (for implementation during the 2019-2020 school year, plus some carry-over for the 2020-21 school year for 3 schools due to timing constraints associated with the pandemic): $60,250 For a complete listing of the LEF Grants Awarded click here. Ms. Cleaves announced the Celebration for Education Virtual Tent Party will be held on Saturday, June 13th with a children's event starting at 6:00 PM and adult event starting at 7:00 PM. The first half of the program is designed around family fun and will include teacher-led activities for younger children, as well as wonderful messages from Lexington's school principals and educators. The second "act" will be an adult event, including entertainment from Lexington's Dave Moore, special celebrity guests, and words from recent LEF grant recipients and Superintendent Julie Hackett, as well as celebrity guest and Lexington alumna Rachel Dratch, LHS '84. Throughout the evening, guests will have the opportunity to peruse and bid on silent auction items, as well as participate in a final funding call for LEF grant donations. Dr. Hackett expressed her thanks and appreciation to LEF for everything they do for the Lexington Public Schools. NEW AND UNFINISHED BUSINESS: Vote on School Funding Resolution School Funding Resolution Dr. Avon Lewis provided a brief background on the school funding resolution. She noted that the Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA) is looking at the crisis that is happening with school funding across the state and across the country. Many states are looking at cutting funding for schools. Dr. Lewis reported that Massachusetts is not looking at that yet, but we don't know what could happen. At the Federal level, there have been a number of issues with funding for schools that have resulted in guidance that diverts money that was intended to support low income kids. The MTA is trying to do what they can to encourage, at both the state and federal level, that the legislatures make sure public schools are not experiencing funding cuts. The goal of this resolution is to ask the School Committee to go on record in support of assuring that both the state and federal governments not cut public education funding as we go forward. Ms. Lenihan moved to approve the Resolution in Support of Education Funding in the COVID-19 Era;seconded by Mr. Bokun. Ms.Jay took a roll can vote(Approved 5-0) Discussion of Annual Town Meeting Articles 2020 Annual Town ee `ng Articles School Committee members reviewed upcoming 2020 Annual Town Meeting articles that are related to schools. Ms. Jay noted that this time a number of articles, including the operating budget and other articles related to schools, will be contained in one large consent agenda that will be voted on as a single vote, unless an article is taken out for individual consideration. LSC Meeting Minutes Approved 6/9/2020 Mr. Bokun asked for clarification on Article 16 (e) Townwide Roofing Program related to LPS' application for MSBA funds for a replacement roof at Bridge Elementary School, which Dr. Hackett addressed. Mr. Bokun moved that the School Committee support the following 2020 Annual Town Meeting articles:Article 4 Line item 1100(LPS Budget),Article 9(b),Article 10(g&j),Article 12(b),Article 15, and Article 16(d, e,f& h);seconded by Ms. Cuthbertson. Ms.Jay took a roll call vote(Approved 5-0) Vote to Approve 2020-2021 School Committee Dates Ms. Jay reviewed the School Committee dates for 2020-2021 with committee members. Ms. Cuthbertson moved to accept School Committee dates for School Year 2020-2021; seconded by Mr. Bokun. Ms.Jay took a roll call vote (Approved 5-0) COMMUNITY SPEAK None Mr. Bokun made a motion to adjourn at 9:20 p.m., seconded by Ms. Cuthbertson. Ms.Jay took a roll call vote. (Approved 5-0) LSC Meeting Minutes Approved 6/9/2020