Brookline School Committee Meeting - June 18, 2026

0:22 [music]

3:54 Mhm.

4:37 [music]

5:49 Mhm.

6:03 [music]

7:44 Mhm.

8:23 [music]

11:34 Mhm.

12:24 [music]

13:26 Recording in

13:29 I hereby call to order the meeting the

13:30 school committee meeting

13:32 June 18th, 2026.

13:35 Um it's an exciting night. Lots of folks

13:37 here. Welcome. Welcome. Welcome.

13:39 And we're honoring people tonight. And

13:42 so

13:43 I want to do something before we honor

13:45 the folks who are on schedule.

13:47 And I want to honor Betsy Fitzpatrick.

13:50 That

14:17 And

14:18 it's

14:19 I've I've only been doing this well,

14:20 actually for a year or so, but

14:23 I'm always astonished at how everything

14:26 gets done.

14:27 And I got the name tag and you got the

14:30 name tags. [clears throat] It's just

14:31 brilliant. So, Betsy, I just want to say

14:33 to you

14:34 we would not be where we are. We would

14:36 not be able to do the things that we do

14:38 so smoothly, so easily if it wasn't for

14:40 Betsy Fitz- Fitzpatrick. Thank you.

14:43 [applause]

14:54 OKAY.

14:58 THANK YOU FOR JOINING US FOR THIS ANNUAL

15:00 celebration of staff who have devoted

15:04 over three decades of their lives

15:07 to the public schools of Brookline

15:09 and to our students.

15:11 We know how wonderful our educators are,

15:14 but this evening we get to show off to

15:16 the wider community just some of our

15:18 staff.

15:20 [clears throat]

15:20 Each of our honorees will be speaking

15:21 for a few minutes to give you a small

15:24 taste of the caliber of talent,

15:26 commitment, dedication, professionalism

15:28 that our staff bring to the Brookline

15:30 Public Schools and to their jobs every

15:33 day.

15:34 Brookline as we I always find out when I

15:37 go to conferences all over the place

15:38 that Brookline is a beacon.

15:40 Brookline is the lighthouse for

15:42 educational excellent excellence in

15:44 Massachusetts and really throughout the

15:46 nation.

15:47 And that hard-earned reputation is built

15:49 over time

15:51 on the work of our staff. They are truly

15:53 the heart of what we do from early

15:56 education through 12th grade and we are

15:58 so grateful to each and every one of

16:01 them who make the Brookline Public

16:02 Schools what they are.

16:04 So, we asked our honorees to think about

16:06 one story, one connection,

16:08 one element, one memory to share that

16:10 best encapsulate encapsulates the work

16:14 uh that they've done and we look forward

16:16 to hearing from 15 educators tonight,

16:18 right, Betsy? 15.

16:20 Um all of our staff have made an

16:23 indelible mark on our school system.

16:26 Uh we do have two staff members in

16:28 attendance this evening who won't be

16:29 speaking. So, please allow me to say a

16:32 few words about them.

16:35 First, Fran McGrail.

16:37 Fran is the

16:38 long-time

16:39 Hello.

16:41 How we doing?

16:42 Fran is the uh long-time custodian at

16:45 Runkle.

16:46 He actually worked at other schools

16:47 including the high school while I was

16:48 there. He is truly the heart and soul of

16:51 Runkle. He's integral to the school's

16:53 operation. He treats students, staff,

16:55 and parents with incredible respect and

16:57 kindness.

16:58 Absolutely. And his patience and empathy

17:01 are especially evident in his care and

17:03 attention to the Runkle students who are

17:05 enrolled in the RISE program.

17:07 His steady presence in the school is

17:09 remarkable. Principal Finnegan describes

17:12 Franny as a treasure, which he is. I

17:15 understand that there is a

17:16 a retirement celebration for Runkle

17:18 staff this evening, so I don't think

17:20 Franny can stick around, but I want to

17:23 acknowledge him at this time. Franny

17:24 McGrail, please stand up for our

17:26 appreciation.

17:27 [applause]

17:35 Thank you, Franny.

17:37 Now, Elizabeth Hendrickson. Oh my god,

17:40 Elizabeth,

17:41 [clears throat]

17:41 we go back.

17:42 Elizabeth is described by her

17:43 colleagues, including me, as one of the

17:45 hardest workers in the in the public

17:47 schools of Brookline. She started as a

17:49 METCO liaison, and she earned her

17:51 Bachelor of Science in Nursing while

17:53 doing that.

17:54 Excuse me. [clears throat and cough]

17:56 And now, she's a valued member of the

17:59 school nursing team. Along the way, she

18:01 worked for our extended school year,

18:03 helped with homework centers. She's a

18:05 district-wide nurse, and with her strong

18:07 clinical school skills and calmness,

18:10 yeah, under pressure, that's nursing,

18:13 she is the perfect she's just perfect

18:16 for the job.

18:17 I want us to recognize Elizabeth

18:19 Hendrickson.

18:21 [applause and cheering]

18:29 Thank you.

18:30 Of course, [clears throat] it's a busy

18:31 time of the year, and unfortunately,

18:33 eight

18:35 Sorry. Eight honorees could not join us

18:38 tonight. Betty Differ,

18:40 [clears throat and cough]

18:40 Pam Carlson, Rob Hutcheson, Jan Nixon

18:43 Mathis,

18:44 I need I need water.

18:49 [clears throat]

18:49 Joanne Silver Njoku,

18:52 did I say Joanne Sweeney? Yeah. Akiki

18:54 Kawai

18:56 Marbet, and Shoshana Kastan. They can't

18:58 be with us, but

19:00 they're great people and great teachers,

19:02 and they contribute as well. Thank you.

19:04 And now, comes the start the time for a

19:07 stand-up, emotion, inspiration, and

19:09 comedy.

19:11 Uh we're going to we're going to call

19:13 one at a time the honorees tonight, 30

19:16 31 years, one at a time alphabetically,

19:19 Susan Balogh first.

19:23 [applause]

19:27 So, you want to speak right into it, so

19:29 people at home can hear you.

19:30 Okay, speak right into this, and I have

19:31 to tell a Betsy story. So, at Baker

19:34 School, when people wonder, "Wait, who

19:36 do we send this to? Who's going to Who

19:38 understands where this is?" The answer

19:40 is always, "Just I don't know. Email

19:42 Betsy Fitzpatrick. She will know." And

19:44 she does. So, um good evening, everyone,

19:47 and thank you to the School Committee

19:49 for inviting me. Um my dear friend Diane

19:52 Arecco Mondol, who's a Lawrence teacher

19:54 and is here to support me. My beloved

19:56 son Noah, my firstborn, who taught me

19:59 humility

20:00 and patience, cuz parenting is really

20:03 just teaching without a paycheck. Um

20:07 it is great to be here, and it's an

20:08 honor to be here. I'm going to talk

20:10 about love tonight.

20:12 I started doing something different in

20:15 my teaching this year. You know, people

20:18 always say, "How can you teach so long?"

20:19 And I say, "Because every kid is

20:21 different, and every year is different,

20:23 and that's what keeps it lively and

20:26 wonderful.

20:27 Um

20:28 but this year I started signing off on

20:31 my Canvas messages to the kids with, you

20:34 know, "Please you missed this

20:35 assignment. I know you were out sick

20:37 with strep throat, but that was last

20:38 week. Let me help you get this done. Um

20:41 it was great to have you back in class.

20:42 Love, Ms. Balogh." And I thought really

20:45 long and hard about the love part.

20:48 But I do love my students very much, and

20:52 um I remember my 10th grade teacher, my

20:55 English teacher, Patsy Root. She was

20:58 from East Texas, and I am I'm going to

21:00 try to channel Mrs. Root. She would say,

21:03 "The Greeks have it all on us. I'm an

21:06 English teacher, but the Greeks have it

21:07 better.

21:09 They have six words for love. We love

21:12 McDonald's french fries. We love our

21:14 grandmother. It's all the same. It

21:15 doesn't make sense. So, she would teach

21:17 us about the different forms of love.

21:19 And the kind of love that

21:22 we extend as humans to

21:24 our fellow humans is agape and that is

21:29 the kind of love that is selfless

21:31 giving. Maybe in Buddhism you might know

21:33 it as loving kindness. That is a a good

21:35 translation, I think.

21:37 Of course, we love our students. I love

21:39 my students and I want the best for

21:41 them.

21:42 And

21:44 more Greek, we're all in loco parentis.

21:46 We're in the place of parents. I would

21:48 want every child to be cherished in my

21:51 care

21:52 um just like they're cherished at home

21:54 with their parents. So, um

21:58 I I was thinking about love and the love

22:00 I have for my kids and as a teacher I've

22:03 had this incredible privilege of sharing

22:05 my life

22:06 and cultivating that loving kindness in

22:09 so many hundreds, I don't know, maybe

22:12 thousands of

22:14 very open-hearted Brookline youngsters

22:16 and their families.

22:18 And in return, they helped me

22:22 to self-actualize.

22:24 They provide me every day, every year

22:27 with this rush of joy and challenge that

22:31 is really unparalleled.

22:33 Um it it's just a privilege and an honor

22:36 even though it can be exhausting and

22:38 draining and sometimes I um

22:42 I wake up in the middle of the night

22:43 worrying about them.

22:45 And I try to pivot and think what could

22:47 I be do doing differently? I think

22:49 that's my phone ringing. We're We're

22:51 going to

22:52 We're going to just ignore it.

22:54 That is me, Nicole. We're just going to

22:56 think that's

22:57 that's spam.

22:59 Um

23:01 That's so sweet. Who Who was Miss She

23:04 loved Miss Brandl's class.

23:06 Um so my students have taught me love,

23:08 too. They have taught me patience and

23:11 humility and definitely love. I care for

23:14 each kid.

23:15 Um I don't always hit the mark every

23:19 day, but I'm so grateful I have 180 days

23:21 with them because you you do in teaching

23:23 get a do-over.

23:25 Once in a while, the kids have these

23:27 homing pigeon instincts and they look

23:30 you up or they come stalk you in the

23:32 hallways after school and they get in

23:35 touch. Um and it it's magical. So I got

23:39 this Instagram message from um

23:44 a kid called Nicole and this was back in

23:46 COVID and she said to me, "Miss Bellow,

23:48 you have no idea how much it means to me

23:51 that you stay in touch. I feel as though

23:54 I started to learn how to use my voice

23:56 to advocate for justice from you."

24:00 I remember in seventh grade when you sat

24:02 us all down in class and you talked

24:04 about the killing of black men.

24:06 I've been I hadn't been talking about

24:08 that because I didn't know it was even a

24:09 problem, but you brought me and all my

24:12 classmates' attention to it. And I

24:15 started to understand that having hard,

24:17 truthful conversations were important

24:21 and that they lead to change.

24:24 So I'm not ready to retire. I still have

24:26 a lot of gas in the tank, but I want to

24:28 thank Nicole and every student and every

24:31 family I've ever had because um

24:35 they believe

24:37 like I believe in them that they can

24:39 change the world.

24:40 Thank you very much, Susan.

24:43 [applause]

24:44 By

24:45 By the way, there are there are five

24:47 seats in the front row. They're not

24:48 expensive.

24:50 Anybody wants to join us in the front

24:52 row, that would be great. And also I

24:54 neglected to say that Val Freidus is

24:56 remote tonight cuz she couldn't be here.

24:59 And Jesse Hefter's on his way up here

25:00 from New York City. He'll be here about

25:02 7:00. So,

25:03 they expressed their

25:05 um

25:06 sadness not being here right now.

25:08 Okay, Nicole Brandel.

25:13 [applause]

25:16 It's so much easier when your second

25:18 graders are in

25:21 Um yes, good evening. Thank you to the

25:23 school committee um for having this for

25:25 all of us who have put 30 years in. And

25:28 like Susan, I feel like we still have

25:30 some more to go.

25:31 Um but I am Nicole Brandel and I have

25:34 taught at Baker School for um 30 years

25:37 in second grade.

25:38 And I know, right? And I did have Gigi,

25:40 her daughter, so

25:42 um and I'll let you in on a secret that

25:44 second graders are absolutely the best.

25:47 Um they're positive about school. They

25:49 love coming to school. They love their

25:51 teacher um and they love to learn. So,

25:53 they make my job really easy.

25:56 Um it's hard to believe that 30 years

25:58 has already gone by.

25:59 Baker School is literally my home away

26:02 from home.

26:03 Um even though that sounds like a

26:05 cliché, it really is. However, my

26:06 husband and my children, thank you so

26:09 much for being here, will argue that I

26:12 spend more time at Baker than I do at

26:14 home.

26:14 [clears throat]

26:14 So, um the life of an elementary school

26:17 teacher. So, um thank you so much to my

26:20 wonderful family for putting up with me

26:22 because having a teacher in the house is

26:25 not always the easiest thing.

26:27 Um so, I appreciate it. Um you could say

26:30 that Brookline is in our family. Um my

26:32 husband is the night senior at the high

26:34 school and our three children, Madison,

26:36 Morgan, and Tyler, are proud graduates

26:39 of Baker School and BHS.

26:42 Um thanks to the materials fee program,

26:44 the best program ever. Just woohoo!

26:49 Um Brookline is a part of all of us and

26:52 we are so fortunate for that, my whole

26:54 family. When Betsy reached out about

26:56 this event, I started thinking about how

26:58 many students I have taught over the

27:00 years. So, being a second grade teacher,

27:02 I actually counted all of my class

27:04 pictures because they're displayed in my

27:07 classroom cuz I love being reminded of

27:09 all of them and it came out to 613, but

27:12 let's be honest, there were people who

27:13 weren't there on picture day and we

27:15 always get an influx of so many new

27:16 students over the course of the year.

27:18 So, we know that it's north of that

27:20 number.

27:21 Um, but I consider myself lucky that I

27:23 have been able to support and teach and

27:25 help so many students grow. There have

27:27 been many wonderful families over the

27:29 year and I love hearing about where

27:30 students are now, what their adventures

27:33 are, what they're doing and I feel proud

27:35 that I was part of their journey.

27:38 Um, well, believe it or not, my luck

27:40 doesn't stop there. Um, I work with some

27:43 of my best friends and that is not

27:45 something that many people can say. Um,

27:47 and so, my best friends are also here.

27:50 Um, I am so fortunate to have many

27:52 amazing colleagues at Baker and that

27:55 some of those relationships have

27:56 blossomed into so much more. Friends

27:59 that are there for you for all the good

28:01 that life has to offer and also the hard

28:03 times. I have Brookline, especially

28:05 Baker, to thank for bringing all these

28:07 wonderful people into my life.

28:10 My current second grade team, we like to

28:12 call ourselves the grade two gals, GTG,

28:14 anytime you see us, we sign it that way

28:16 cuz that's who we are. We've been

28:17 together for 12 years, the four of us

28:20 and I feel very fortunate that we've had

28:22 that and we can help our second graders

28:24 grow.

28:25 After 30 years, I am still able to say

28:28 that I love my job

28:30 even though at times it feels

28:31 impossible.

28:33 Um, after school on Tuesday, I sat down

28:35 at my desk, which by the way is a prop

28:37 in an elementary school classroom. We

28:39 actually never sit at our desks except

28:42 for maybe after school and there was

28:44 this little note on my desk and it had a

28:46 big heart and I opened up the the letter

28:51 and it said, "Dear Ms. Brandl, I like

28:53 how you always make me feel good." And I

28:55 said,

28:57 "That's why I've been doing this for 30

28:58 years. If I can just help kids feel good

29:01 and grow and grow into wonderful people,

29:04 then I've done my job." Thank you so

29:06 much.

29:11 Thank you, Nicole.

29:13 I'm [clears throat] a little

29:13 disappointed that I do not see a drum

29:15 set for the next speaker, but I guess he

29:18 forgot to bring it. Carolyn Castellano.

29:25 Hey, thank you so much. Thank you,

29:26 Brookline. Um

29:28 Bob, I remember sitting in your office

29:30 when I got hired and we talked about

29:32 Rage Against the Machine.

29:35 I don't know if you remember that. The

29:36 microphone explodes, shattering the

29:38 mold.

29:40 I think you were rapping it, not me.

29:43 Anyway, it's been awesome. Um I'm not

29:46 going to talk too long cuz I did talk um

29:48 recently here about my journey at

29:50 Brookline, which has been an amazing

29:51 time here. I think I just want to

29:53 reflect on the connections that we make

29:56 with students and especially being here

29:58 for so long. I remember my very first

30:00 student, Samdorf, who I'm still in touch

30:02 with today. Um or as recently as another

30:06 student, um I was given the opportunity

30:08 to go to one of the um Celtics playoff

30:11 games. A friend of mine was playing

30:12 trumpet at it and um I I couldn't go

30:15 last minute and he said, "Well, do you

30:17 know someone else who wants to go to the

30:18 game?" And I thought of a couple of

30:20 students. I thought of this one student

30:22 and I contacted him and said, "Hey, you

30:23 want to go to the Celtics game tonight?"

30:25 And he's like, "Yeah." So, they got to

30:26 go and um was

30:28 watched all the warm-ups and stuff and

30:30 got to meet Reggie Lewis and some other

30:32 folks, too. Not Reggie Lewis. Was he I

30:34 think it was. So, anyway, um

30:36 and those kind of connections, those are

30:38 the things that I'm always going to

30:39 remember. It's the connections that I

30:40 make with the students

30:42 and knowing that you made a difference

30:44 and that they want to you're like a

30:45 mirror. They see you, I see them and

30:47 we're able to keep that connection as as

30:51 they leave and as I'm still there. And

30:53 um yeah, it's just it's just awesome. Um

30:56 and they're you know, it's that's the

30:58 best part of the job I think for me is

31:00 the connections that I make with the

31:01 students. So, I just that's all I really

31:03 have to say. Um thank you so much.

31:05 Um yeah.

31:08 I don't I'm sorry I don't have some

31:09 drums. I'll bring them next time.

31:11 Thank you, Carolyn.

31:13 Next up, Deborah Caruso.

31:23 Props is good.

31:28 Hello. Thank you, everyone. Yeah, thank

31:30 you, school committee for honoring us

31:31 tonight. I'm one of the 31s.

31:34 Started here in 1995 with a lot of

31:37 familiar faces in this room.

31:39 I am not a teacher. I am an occupational

31:42 therapist. I consider myself an advocate

31:44 for those quiet voices that don't always

31:47 get heard and I promised myself not to

31:49 cry. But I do have a parent on the

31:51 school committee who

31:53 whose son graduated this year along with

31:55 my child and I feel like my two boys

31:57 graduated because all of the kids that I

32:00 work with are my kids. And so, I was

32:03 asked to bring in

32:04 um

32:05 talk about a special moment and I will I

32:08 brought in my very first Brookline SEPAC

32:12 Hero Award which I earned in 2019 and

32:15 this was the highlight of my career.

32:18 Um I've uh since I started here, I got

32:20 my master's in autism care, I got my

32:23 doctor's degree in autism and

32:25 trauma-informed practice, but nothing

32:27 can top this award because this came

32:31 from the parents. And at the end of the

32:32 day, my job is to advocate for those who

32:35 don't aren't always able to advocate for

32:38 themselves. Those kids that are

32:41 sometimes called not always our kids,

32:44 but your kids.

32:46 And at the end of the day, um this is

32:49 why I'm here. And so, everyone asks me

32:51 after the masters, "Are you going to

32:53 keep working?" Yes, I'm going to keep

32:54 working. After the doctorate, "Are you

32:56 going to keep working?" Yes, I'm going

32:57 to keep working. "You don't want to be

32:58 an admin?" No, I don't want to be an

33:00 admin. The kids are the reason I'm here

33:02 and the reason why I might it might be

33:05 31 years, but I feel like I have 15 more

33:07 to give. And at the end of the day, when

33:09 I walk through the playground and I hear

33:12 40, 50 children calling out Dr. Caruso

33:14 and coming to give me hugs, that is why

33:16 I'm here. So, thank you for giving me

33:18 the opportunity to help raise so many of

33:21 your children, to help them feel like

33:22 they belong, to help them feel like they

33:24 are a part of our community, despite

33:27 what the world out there says. Um all of

33:30 my kids on IEPs and all of my kids with

33:32 special needs are my kids. They're all

33:36 our kids. And so, thank you so much for

33:38 this opportunity to share with you. And

33:40 I will say,

33:41 my son just graduated along with the

33:43 [laughter]

33:43 Donna's son.

33:44 child's name. Does not

33:46 I won't. No, I won't. I'm not saying any

33:48 names. I promise I won't say any names.

33:50 But but I also wanted my son to be in

33:52 school in the public schools of

33:54 Brookline. So, we are a Brookline

33:55 family. I've dedicated my entire adult

33:57 career to this community and my son is

34:00 now a product of this community. So,

34:01 thank you so much for giving me the

34:03 privilege to be a part of all of you.

34:05 Yeah.

34:06 [applause]

34:11 Thank you, Deborah. Elizabeth Gorman.

34:18 [applause]

34:26 Liz Gorman.

34:29 All right.

34:30 The microphone.

34:32 Um so, thank you to all of my people, my

34:35 home family,

34:36 my World Language Wellness family, you

34:39 are everything. Um thank you to the town

34:41 of Brookline for creating such an

34:43 enriching professional home for me for

34:45 all these years.

34:46 Thanks to Bob Weintrob and Manuela

34:48 Bartolomeo for taking a chance on me and

34:50 hiring me 30 years ago.

34:53 Um so what does one say about 30 years

34:55 of teaching in several minutes?

34:58 Uh one surprise I thought about like

35:00 what what surprised me.

35:02 Um one surprise is that it has not

35:05 gotten easier.

35:06 [laughter]

35:08 I have more skills, but I still work

35:11 long hours. I never feel caught up. Um

35:13 my husband can can confirm.

35:16 Uh sadly, I still get filled with dread

35:18 on Sunday nights and after vacations. Um

35:22 we are on every day, all day.

35:25 Uh I do long for a job that I don't

35:27 bring home every day and every weekend.

35:30 Uh but the stress dissipates every

35:33 Monday morning as soon as I'm in my

35:35 classroom with students.

35:38 It's a very happy place for me and it

35:40 sounds like for a lot of you.

35:42 Um another surprise is that it is just

35:44 as fun and ex- as exciting as it was 30

35:47 years ago. So that's a good surprise.

35:51 Um I'm not a teacher who will be

35:52 remembered for like some single great

35:54 achievement, though I am proud of a few

35:56 things that I helped build.

35:58 Uh I helped build a China exchange, the

36:01 climbing wall,

36:03 a network of mindfulness work with

36:04 teachers, loads of Spanish curriculum

36:07 units. Uh but mostly my teaching, like

36:10 most teachers, which to clarify is not

36:13 over,

36:13 [laughter]

36:14 um has been defined by a lot of effort

36:17 and made of a million small moments of

36:20 joy and kindness.

36:22 Um it's not a thankless job.

36:24 In addition to the never-boring daily

36:26 delights, Every year around this time

36:29 the thank you cards come in. I keep a

36:31 physical file folder

36:33 labeled nice.

36:35 [laughter]

36:36 For the particularly heartfelt ones, it

36:38 is getting nice and fat. Um this note

36:41 though I too brought I'm going to share

36:43 us some student words. Uh this note that

36:45 I will read to you arrived unexpect-

36:48 unexpectedly in October of this year and

36:51 um

36:52 embodies what I'm most proud of.

36:54 Uh and I'm going to change the name for

36:55 privacy. So it said this email came in.

36:58 I opened my box and said, "Hi Ms.

37:00 Gorman. I'm Emma and I had you for my

37:02 junior year Spanish class about 4 years

37:04 ago. I just wanted to reach out and say

37:06 thank you. During my junior year of high

37:08 school I struggled with my mental health

37:11 and you honestly saved my life.

37:14 You asked me to stay after class one day

37:16 and asked me why I was missing so many

37:18 classes. It didn't feel confrontational

37:21 at all. Instead it felt like you

37:23 genuinely cared and we began to talk

37:25 regularly. Having one person care about

37:28 me during that time

37:30 was what I needed to stay alive.

37:33 Now I'm a junior in college in

37:34 Philadelphia and I'm studying to become

37:37 an elementary school teacher.

37:39 [laughter]

37:41 If I become half the teacher and person

37:43 you are I will feel successful. Thank

37:45 you so much for having a positive impact

37:47 on my life especially when I needed it

37:50 the most. I hope this email reaches you

37:52 and I hope you have a great school year.

37:54 Best, Emma.

37:55 Um every teacher makes a difference and

37:57 we often don't know when.

38:00 Please keep trust to the school

38:02 committee. Please keep trusting and

38:03 supporting teachers

38:05 to be great, to follow their passions,

38:07 to create the conditions for them to be

38:09 able to show up healthy for others, and

38:12 please keep our class sizes small

38:15 [laughter]

38:16 so we can know every human in our rooms.

38:19 I am so excited that Emma will soon join

38:21 the ranks of future teachers. Thank you

38:24 and congratulations to you all.

38:29 [applause]

38:33 Thank you, Liz. Michelle Greeley.

38:41 [applause]

38:44 Thank you so much, school committee.

38:45 This is such an honor. It's also an

38:48 honor, but yet a daunting realization

38:50 that my gray hairs are coming in at a

38:52 much faster pace right now.

38:55 As a BEEP teacher, I've taught at FRR,

38:57 the Lynch Center, Driscoll, Lincoln, and

39:00 I'm currently teaching pre-K at BEEP at

39:02 Putterham.

39:04 My classroom, no matter where it stands,

39:06 is my home away from home.

39:09 I'd like to take you all on a field trip

39:11 there right now.

39:12 Now, for this trip, I'd like to you to

39:15 all humor me and close your eyes once I

39:17 count to three.

39:19 With your eyes shut, you'll be able to

39:21 envision all the sights as you listen to

39:24 four and five-year-olds describe the map

39:27 that leads to PKG.

39:29 1 2 3.

39:32 Now, close your eyes and imagine, for

39:35 this is BEEP at Putterham.

39:38 First, you ring the buzzer.

39:40 Then, you push one of the two doors. On

39:43 the other side is the door to the

39:45 playground. There are a lot of windows

39:47 there.

39:48 The stairs are in the middle.

39:50 Follow the arrows up the stairs. We are

39:53 going straight to near where the

39:54 elevator is.

39:56 Don't use that elevator if there's a

39:58 fire.

39:59 This is the glass door to go inside.

40:02 Now, I have to thank my dad for that

40:03 fire safety tip because he came in so

40:06 many years during his time as a

40:08 firefighter in Newton and shared with

40:11 all of my students his great fire safety

40:13 tips.

40:14 Now, here you are. This is the pictures

40:16 of all the friends at school. There are

40:18 all the teachers. All up on the side is

40:21 a long hallway. Now, the letters right

40:23 here means it's the classroom.

40:26 Abracadabra, everyone open your eyes.

40:29 We're here.

40:31 You have just landed in a corner of a

40:32 BEEP classroom where true magic happens.

40:36 The magic happens as the students here

40:38 learn from one another.

40:40 The joy happens as they celebrate and

40:42 praise one another.

40:44 Now, I would like you to listen to their

40:46 joy. These are their words.

40:50 I love your book so much and it's funny.

40:53 And thank you so much for making it.

40:55 It's so cute and I love it so much. I

40:58 love your story.

41:00 It is like a wow maze. I love your

41:03 pictures that you made. I love that you

41:06 can read. I love the letters that you

41:09 can do.

41:10 I very like your drawing. I love how

41:13 well you're reading. You are just doing

41:15 so great.

41:18 In BEEP, we never underestimate the

41:21 power of a word or a gesture.

41:23 The words that we choose help others to

41:25 feel loved, special, appreciated,

41:28 valued, and respected.

41:31 Just as significant as our words are

41:33 also the gestures of those who cannot

41:36 produce language.

41:38 Positive gestures, handshakes,

41:41 movements, mumbles, and eye glances

41:43 carry the same weight as our words.

41:46 Some of my best times in BEEP were

41:49 dancing with a nonverbal learner.

41:52 Her smiles and laughter were like word

41:55 lollipops, and that's the truth.

41:58 I came to Brookline because of the

42:00 school system's commitment to

42:01 acknowledging and celebrating diversity.

42:04 Although I've been all over the map of

42:07 Brookline, I know firsthand that

42:09 Brookline is the place to be for

42:11 inclusion and a place where we can all

42:13 together feel valued.

42:15 Thank you to everyone in Brookline and a

42:17 special thank you to Margaret, our

42:19 principal, Rachel and Aaron, and all of

42:22 the paraprofessionals and colleagues

42:24 that I've worked with.

42:26 I also want to thank my dad because he

42:28 instilled in me his love for maps.

42:31 Dad, you've always been my compass and I

42:34 thank you for always being there.

42:36 My dad was a Newton firefighter for 40

42:38 years. So, I'm going to be here for a

42:41 lot longer.

42:43 To my mom who taught me how to enlighten

42:45 children with creative and inspirational

42:47 projects and curriculum. As a preschool

42:50 teacher herself, she taught me patience,

42:52 compassion, and what it means to be a

42:54 dedicated teacher.

42:56 Thank you also to my daughters, Joella

42:58 and Julia,

42:59 who they share their they share their

43:01 mom, me, day and night with all of my

43:04 students and their families. They have

43:06 supported me in more ways than I can

43:08 ever begin to describe.

43:10 Thank you. Thank you.

43:13 [applause]

43:17 Thank you, Michelle. Lisa Lamont Harris.

43:24 [applause and cheering]

43:32 All right.

43:33 Um so, how do you distill 30 years into

43:36 3 minutes?

43:38 Um bullets. So, I'm going to speak it

43:40 with a few bullets here. And I'm a

43:42 teacher at heart. So, there must be a

43:45 lesson here somewhere.

43:47 So, here goes.

43:48 Lessons I've learned

43:51 from 30 years in the public schools of

43:53 Brookline.

43:54 So, lesson number one is this.

43:57 Follow your heart.

43:58 Don't be afraid to take a chance on

44:01 love.

44:03 Give up your tenured teaching position

44:05 in Connecticut, move away from the

44:07 familiar, move away from your family and

44:09 friends, and follow that special someone

44:13 to an exciting new city.

44:16 It might just work out. Thank you,

44:18 Jason. I love you.

44:21 Um number two,

44:24 when your job interview, Bob, you'll

44:27 know this immediately, kicks off with a

44:29 surprise juggling act by the principal,

44:33 okay?

44:34 Do not fear.

44:36 Just consider the metaphor.

44:40 There is much to juggle

44:42 as an educator. We hold many balls in

44:44 the air,

44:45 and some days really do feel like a

44:47 circus.

44:49 Um and when he offers you that job, you

44:53 say yes. Thank you, Tom Cavanagh.

44:56 I started at Baker,

44:58 [applause]

44:59 spent some time here at Town Hall, and

45:00 I'm happily at Beebe right now. Thank

45:03 you, Margaret.

45:05 Um number three, learn from others.

45:08 Words of wisdom from Alyssa Henry.

45:13 Half of teaching is acting.

45:16 Have some fun and put on a performance

45:19 for your students every single day.

45:22 All right.

45:22 Lesson number four, this is a very

45:25 specific one.

45:27 If you happen to be pregnant

45:30 and go into labor

45:32 at school,

45:33 okay?

45:35 Just call Trisha LaHam.

45:38 [cheering]

45:40 Right?

45:42 Luckily, the baby came late, and I'm

45:45 just going to say Cole, who was supposed

45:47 to be here to support me tonight, uh

45:50 [laughter]

45:51 late again.

45:54 All right. Oh, and the same goes for if

45:56 there's a pandemic, just call Trisha.

46:00 Um number five,

46:02 do what is right, not what is easy.

46:05 Thank you to Vicky Milstein for my daily

46:07 reminder of that.

46:10 Equity and inclusion take continuous

46:14 hard work.

46:16 It is better for everyone

46:20 and it is necessary work.

46:23 Please support programs like Scholars

46:28 and Seed, METCO and materials fee

46:32 and Steps to Success.

46:35 All right?

46:37 And

46:40 lastly,

46:42 while caring for children, care for each

46:45 other.

46:46 And I'll try not to get emotional now.

46:49 Teaching is profoundly relational work.

46:52 Colleagues become friends.

46:56 I look around this room and I see so

46:58 many friends.

47:00 We've shared in weddings and births.

47:03 We've supported each other through

47:04 difficulty and loss.

47:06 And perhaps most importantly, we have

47:09 found laughter and joy in this beautiful

47:13 work of teaching.

47:15 For this, I am grateful. Thank you.

47:19 [applause]

47:25 Thank you, Lisa. Paul Larreau Priestley.

47:36 Hello everybody.

47:38 I'm Paul Larreau Priestley. I run the

47:40 Graphic Arts Copy Center at Brookline

47:42 High School.

47:43 I have been there for 31 years.

47:48 That's a long [snorts] time,

47:50 but I still have life left in me.

47:52 So,

47:54 as I reflected on what I should say this

47:57 evening.

47:58 I thought long and hard about how to use

48:01 this time.

48:04 Should I speak to our fighting the

48:06 systemic racism within our schools

48:09 system and the greater community around

48:12 us?

48:14 Or should I

48:16 speak to the challenge of how we have

48:19 addressed the need

48:21 for racial diversity in our classrooms,

48:24 in our staff, in our administration?

48:28 And then I thought, "Well, what about

48:31 the financial equity?

48:33 Financial equity is also important. But

48:35 then guess what? I said, 'No.'"

48:39 I said, "Love."

48:42 Love.

48:44 Love is transformative.

48:46 Love is restorative.

48:49 Love is [snorts] empowering.

48:52 We pour love into each and every student

48:56 with the power of knowledge.

49:01 You know, we also encourage and

49:03 challenge each other in so many ways

49:06 that gives us all the support that we

49:08 need. And that is a beautiful, beautiful

49:11 thing.

49:12 I can count all of you as my friends.

49:17 And you know,

49:18 in this day and time,

49:20 humanity needs

49:22 nothing greater than the power of love.

49:27 My final words to you all might make

49:30 some of you feel uncomfortable.

49:34 But

49:37 I want each and every single one of you

49:39 to know

49:41 that I truly

49:43 love

49:44 each and every one of you.

49:47 In a world

49:48 where we live,

49:50 where people can spread hate

49:53 and negativity to complete strangers,

49:57 hey, I can spread and give love.

50:01 Remember this, lead with love because

50:05 indeed love will conquer all.

50:11 [applause]

50:17 Thank you, Paul. Susan Lipman.

50:24 [applause]

50:29 Um so, thank you so much for having all

50:32 of us here tonight.

50:34 I'm really proud to be here among this

50:37 group of colleagues that include my

50:39 kids' teachers,

50:41 my kids' classmates' parents, and even

50:44 some people I went to Brookline High

50:46 with.

50:47 Not many people can say that they've

50:49 been in the same job for 31 years, and

50:52 33 years if you count my year as a

50:54 building sub and a learning center para

50:56 before that.

50:57 Even fewer people can say that they

50:59 absolutely love going to work every day.

51:03 Pierce School has been an integral part

51:05 of my life since I was 6 years old.

51:08 I entered the shiny new Pierce School as

51:10 a first grader in 1975.

51:13 I spent my entire elementary career

51:16 there and made some of my closest

51:18 friends during those years.

51:20 My mother later taught Chapter 1 or

51:23 Title 1, they kept kind of changing the

51:25 name of it, um

51:27 at Pierce after she could no longer

51:30 teach for the public schools at St.

51:32 Mary's where she had been for years.

51:34 Even later, my own kids and my stepkids

51:37 attended Pierce.

51:39 So, my journey in Brookline began in

51:41 1993

51:43 when the amazing Barbara Shay hired me

51:46 as a building sub at Lincoln School.

51:49 Barbara was incredible.

51:51 Um

51:52 I was getting my master's degree at the

51:54 time and um

51:56 my first year was at the old Lincoln

51:58 School. And now I've come full circle

52:00 because I'm back there as a Pierce

52:02 School teacher.

52:04 Um

52:05 then well

52:07 the next year we moved to the brand new

52:10 Lincoln School which wasn't called the

52:12 new Lincoln School. It was the old

52:14 school, the new school. But um and I

52:15 moved with them. I was a um

52:18 I worked in the learning center while I

52:19 was getting my master's and um

52:22 the following year I was hired as a

52:24 second grade teacher at Pierce School

52:26 by Chris Field who had also been my

52:29 third grade teacher.

52:30 So that was kind of another full circle

52:32 moment at the time.

52:34 So during the past 31 years I've been

52:38 mentored by and now I get to mentor some

52:41 of the most amazing educators in the

52:44 world.

52:45 When I started at Pierce I worked

52:47 alongside colleagues who had been my

52:49 teachers when I went there.

52:51 They all had such a huge impact on the

52:54 person and the teacher that I am today.

52:57 Marie Lavelle who I miss so greatly

53:00 every day was my work mom. She took me

53:03 under her wing from day one

53:05 and now as someone who's been at Pierce

53:07 for a long time

53:09 I really try and emulate her guidance,

53:12 her patience and her love to all the

53:14 teachers and the children.

53:17 Pierce is more than a job for me. It's

53:19 my community. The place that holds my

53:21 childhood memories and the place where

53:23 my own children thrived.

53:25 This year I have a child in my second

53:27 grade class whose mother was in my first

53:30 class I'm sorry, whose aunt was in my

53:32 first class at Pierce and whose mother

53:35 was in class with my stepson and also a

53:39 Suzanne's too. Um

53:42 Um being a being a teacher, a mom, an

53:46 alumni, and a resident of Brookline

53:48 has really made it to It's I had to

53:51 juggle a lot of hats throughout the

53:52 years. However, I wouldn't change a

53:55 thing, and I love every single minute of

53:58 it. I love walking down the street and

54:00 getting hugs from kids who are 30 and

54:04 kids who are seven.

54:06 I love seeing a Brookline police officer

54:09 and then realizing that that police

54:11 officer was in my second grade class.

54:14 And I still love being an integral part

54:17 of the school that I entered as a first

54:19 grader many, many years ago.

54:22 I want to congratulate everyone who has

54:25 made it for these 30 or 31 years.

54:28 Not every day is easy, especially this

54:30 time of the year. We're all kind of

54:31 crawling to the finish, but um

54:34 but for those of us who have been here

54:36 as long as all of us, we know what a

54:38 special community Brookline is. So,

54:41 thanks so much for having all of us.

54:43 [applause]

54:49 Thank you, Susan. Stephanie Poon.

54:54 [applause]

55:02 Thank you so much for this incredibly

55:04 lovely event. It is a delight to listen

55:07 to you all.

55:09 So, I've been thinking about two things

55:11 uh leading up to tonight. What has

55:13 sustained me for 30 years? Cuz that's a

55:15 long time.

55:16 And what have I noticed uh about what

55:18 has changed and stayed the same since I

55:21 started at BHS

55:23 in the '90s.

55:27 Here's what I came up with.

55:28 The things that have made this job

55:29 possible and even, dare I say,

55:31 occasionally joyful are the people I'm

55:33 surrounded by um um BHS. These are my

55:36 students first and foremost, um who,

55:39 though they might ask me a question

55:41 about something I have literally just

55:42 said, are truly the reason I keep going.

55:45 They are endlessly curious, maddening,

55:48 silly, smart, hard working, and

55:51 constantly make me think about how I can

55:53 do my job better.

55:54 This is the time of year when I really

55:56 lean into the thought that next year, I

55:58 will in fact figure out how to do this

56:00 job and solve all the problems of

56:02 education.

56:05 The other people around me at Brookline

56:06 High that make this possible are my

56:07 colleagues.

56:09 I love them.

56:10 If I didn't have such smart, thoughtful,

56:12 caring people around me, I would go

56:14 bonkers and quit.

56:17 The other thing that's may has made this

56:18 whole 30-year thing possible is all the

56:20 stuff I've been able to do.

56:23 I've mentored new teachers at Brookline

56:25 for years through the Teachers Mentoring

56:26 Teachers program.

56:28 When a group of my veteran colleagues

56:30 had the same conversation for the 15th

56:33 time about how dysfunctional standard

56:35 ninth grade history was, and how

56:37 unsatisfied we were with the arbitrary

56:39 social tracking that led to 70% of our

56:41 students taking honors, we, along with

56:44 the Office of Teaching and Learning, the

56:46 Superintendent, and the School

56:47 Committee,

56:48 created WISP.

56:50 When a different group of colleagues

56:51 lamented the senioritis that afflicts

56:53 our second semester seniors,

56:55 and the ways in which their only

56:57 interest in education seemed to be their

56:59 grades rather than their learning, we

57:01 created an experiential senior class

57:03 called EPIC.

57:05 Giving teachers opportunities to use our

57:07 vast experience and training to invent

57:09 new things and solve problems

57:12 nourishes us.

57:14 I was also sustained because I got to

57:16 watch my own children move through

57:17 Brookline schools, and there is nothing

57:20 so anchoring as seeing your child reap

57:22 the benefits of your colleagues'

57:24 efforts, to feel the love and care

57:26 showered upon them, and know that you

57:28 can never really pay it back, only

57:30 forward.

57:32 The materials fee program that allowed

57:33 my husband and I to send our children,

57:35 one of whom is right back there,

57:38 through the PSB gave me a deeper sense

57:40 of commitment to this place. As my

57:42 husband Brian Lee Brian recently said,

57:44 it literally meant that I had skin in

57:46 the game.

57:47 Do I want to make my school the best it

57:48 can be, to dedicate myself to my

57:50 students the way that my colleagues did

57:52 for my two children?

57:53 You bet you.

57:56 So, the second thing that I've been

57:57 thinking about is what has changed and

57:59 what has stayed the same.

58:01 And really the first two points from

58:03 earlier about the students and the

58:04 colleagues,

58:06 those haven't changed. I mean, they

58:08 literally have changed. They're

58:09 different people. Um, for the most part,

58:12 uh, but the spirit, the energy, the

58:14 inspiration, and the fun, that's pretty

58:16 similar.

58:17 Lots of things have changed, of course.

58:19 When I started, I had binders filled

58:21 with lesson plans, and I wrote on a

58:23 chalkboard.

58:26 I spent a huge amount of time just

58:28 trying to learn all the things I needed

58:29 to teach, acting and teaching.

58:34 The students were themselves,

58:37 but less anxious.

58:40 It felt like teachers

58:42 were generally more respected.

58:46 The things that have sustained me aren't

58:48 complicated or esoteric.

58:50 They are the things that sustain us all.

58:53 Meaningful work with good people,

58:55 new challenges that are engaging,

58:57 fun, laughter, and sometimes joy,

59:01 and summer vacation.

59:06 [applause]

59:11 Thank you, Steph.

59:12 Now, is this Malia or Malia?

59:14 Malia.

59:15 Malia Scott. Thank you.

59:19 [applause]

59:28 So, um at our most recent math

59:31 specialist meeting, we spent time

59:33 translating our careers in Brookline

59:35 into years, days, hours, and minutes,

59:38 because that's exactly what we do for

59:40 fun in the math department.

59:43 So,

59:44 please indulge me.

59:46 So, 32 years ago, when I began my

59:50 master's program and full-year

59:52 internship at the Lincoln School,

59:55 I didn't even know what the materials

59:57 fee program was, nor what a profound

1:00:00 impact it would have on my family's

1:00:01 life.

1:00:03 A week and and a half ago, I got up on

1:00:05 stage and graduated my youngest from

1:00:08 Brookline High.

1:00:10 I feel such gratitude for the amazing

1:00:12 education my children received here in

1:00:14 Brookline.

1:00:15 Though my three children, one of whom is

1:00:18 over there,

1:00:19 um are completely different learners,

1:00:22 they all thrived, were challenged, and

1:00:25 were blessed with amazing teachers that

1:00:27 helped them rise to their potential.

1:00:30 I am so thankful that the materials fee

1:00:32 program made this all possible,

1:00:35 as it not only supported my family, but

1:00:38 also allowed me to dedicate my

1:00:39 professional life to the Brookline

1:00:41 community.

1:00:44 5,856

1:00:46 school days ago,

1:00:48 I could never have imagined I would

1:00:50 serve most of my professional career as

1:00:52 a math specialist, given that books and

1:00:55 reading had always been my lifelong

1:00:57 passion.

1:00:58 However, during my early time in

1:01:00 Brookline, I had the privilege of

1:01:02 partnering with such skilled and gifted

1:01:04 math educators as Rose Christiansen,

1:01:07 Nancy Buel, and Hillary Pastor.

1:01:10 They helped me reshape my own identity

1:01:12 as a mathematician and inspired me to

1:01:15 take advantage of professional

1:01:16 development to continually hone my own

1:01:19 instruction.

1:01:20 Most importantly, they revealed the true

1:01:22 joy of teaching mathematics and

1:01:25 instilled in me the belief that every

1:01:28 student is a capable is a capable math

1:01:31 learner.

1:01:32 My math specialist role has always

1:01:34 centered on collaboration and I'm

1:01:36 incredibly fortunate to work alongside

1:01:38 colleagues who are lifelong learners.

1:01:41 They support, challenge, and inspire me

1:01:43 to continuously grow. It has been a true

1:01:46 privilege to collaborate with such

1:01:48 brilliant educators and to work with

1:01:49 them to find creative ways to bring

1:01:51 mathematics to life.

1:01:53 They push me to try hard things and to

1:01:55 stretch my limits and I am enormously

1:01:57 proud of everything we've accomplished

1:01:59 together over the years.

1:02:02 38,064

1:02:04 school hours ago, I did not yet

1:02:06 recognize the impact of a visionary

1:02:09 supportive school leader.

1:02:11 Today, I'm profoundly grateful to have

1:02:13 worked under such exceptional principals

1:02:16 like Barbara Shay, Andrew Bott, and now

1:02:19 Brian Dinitzio.

1:02:20 They have shown incredible faith in me

1:02:22 and by backing my math initiatives at

1:02:24 Lincoln, they have given me the trust,

1:02:26 space, and time to truly to be truly

1:02:29 innovative, to try new things, and to

1:02:31 grow as a math educator.

1:02:33 And finally, 2,283,840

1:02:39 school minutes ago, I could not have

1:02:41 imagined

1:02:43 that the profound joy I felt when I

1:02:45 first began working with students would

1:02:47 still be at the heart of my practice

1:02:48 today. I love being a teacher.

1:02:52 I thrive on dismantling the I'm bad at

1:02:55 math mindset and get genuine fulfillment

1:02:58 from knowing each learner is an

1:02:59 individual with unique strengths and

1:03:01 challenges. In education, there is never

1:03:04 a one-size-fits-all approach. To meet

1:03:07 the needs of our most vulnerable

1:03:09 students, I must constantly grow,

1:03:11 reflect, and learn.

1:03:13 I live for those hard-fought aha moments

1:03:16 when a complex concept finally clicks

1:03:19 and the sudden surge of confidence when

1:03:21 students begin to recognize themselves

1:03:23 as capable problem solvers.

1:03:26 How lucky am I to still be a teacher in

1:03:29 Brookline 137

1:03:33 30,400

1:03:35 seconds later. Thank you.

1:03:39 [applause]

1:03:46 Thank you, Malia. Um I want to remind

1:03:48 people who are still standing that there

1:03:49 are seats three seats here, a bunch of

1:03:51 seats over there on the on my left. So,

1:03:54 why don't you relax? Sit down.

1:03:56 We're going to be here for a little

1:03:57 longer.

1:03:58 Okay, next up, Yasmin Shariff.

1:04:02 [applause]

1:04:07 All right.

1:04:10 Lisa has to take her glasses put them

1:04:12 on. I have to take mine off cuz that's

1:04:15 what's happening. Um

1:04:17 before I start, I just want to thank the

1:04:18 school committee for this. This is

1:04:19 lovely and thank all of you for being

1:04:22 here.

1:04:22 I want to thank my husband who says to

1:04:24 me often, "I don't know how this all

1:04:27 takes you so long. You've been teaching

1:04:28 for all these years." But as all the

1:04:30 teachers in the room know, no matter how

1:04:32 long you've been teaching, it the time

1:04:35 sort of doesn't get less. It just keeps

1:04:38 on going.

1:04:40 Um and I also just want to thank I have

1:04:43 a bunch of people here whose kids I

1:04:45 taught because of the materials fee

1:04:47 program which we've been hearing about

1:04:48 tonight. That made me part of this

1:04:50 community. My friends are Brookline

1:04:52 parents. My kid has Brookline friends.

1:04:55 My my child went through Baker School

1:04:57 and BHS and

1:04:59 and I taught a lot of your kids. I

1:05:01 taught Nicole's kids. I taught Lisa's

1:05:02 kids. I taught Trisha's kids. I taught

1:05:05 Who else in here is in here? I taught

1:05:06 Susan's kids. I mean, I taught I taught

1:05:09 a I taught

1:05:10 I taught on the school committee as a

1:05:12 child.

1:05:13 So, I I've taught a lot of families here

1:05:16 and it really ties us into the

1:05:17 community. So, just a little plug for

1:05:20 that because it really is a special

1:05:21 program that that keeps us here and that

1:05:23 makes us really devoted to this

1:05:25 community.

1:05:26 So, I just want to tell a story that

1:05:29 sort of starts at the beginning and

1:05:30 ends, I guess, today.

1:05:33 Um

1:05:34 I'm sort of one of those 30 31 I'm kind

1:05:36 of a combo cuz I started teaching

1:05:38 student teaching in 1995

1:05:41 and I got my full-time job in January.

1:05:42 So, I'm like 30 and a half years in, I

1:05:45 guess.

1:05:47 But, I wanted to tell a story that

1:05:48 happened the the very first moments of

1:05:50 my teaching career. So, I started

1:05:52 student teaching in the fifth grade at

1:05:53 Baker School in the fall of 1995.

1:05:57 I loved Baker School, the community, and

1:05:59 everything about teaching. So, when a

1:06:01 teacher in the sixth grade was let go at

1:06:03 Thanksgiving, I applied for the sixth

1:06:05 grade job and hoped for the best. I knew

1:06:07 the sixth grade class was a challenging

1:06:09 one and that my principal, the legendary

1:06:11 Tom Cavanaugh,

1:06:13 was really hoping for an experienced

1:06:15 teacher to take the role.

1:06:18 The interview committee included my

1:06:20 principal, the vice principal, a

1:06:22 teacher, and five parents from the

1:06:24 homeroom class. It was my very first

1:06:26 interview and it was really

1:06:28 intimidating.

1:06:29 Um but, I figured if nothing else, it

1:06:32 was good practice for a future job.

1:06:35 So, I did the interview and I headed

1:06:36 home for winter break and about a week

1:06:38 later, I got a call from Mr. Cavanaugh.

1:06:41 He told me that the parents in the

1:06:42 interview committee were adamant about

1:06:44 hiring me and then said, as only Tom

1:06:47 could, "It's against my better judgment,

1:06:52 but I'm offering you the sixth grade

1:06:54 position."

1:06:57 [laughter]

1:06:57 [gasps]

1:06:58 I was so excited and I promised him I

1:07:00 would not let him down and I would work

1:07:01 really hard to do a good job.

1:07:04 So, Tom's instinct for wanting an

1:07:05 experienced teacher was a good one

1:07:07 because when I started that January, it

1:07:10 was really hard. There was a wide

1:07:12 variety of behavior issues and learning

1:07:14 needs in the sixth grade and in my

1:07:16 homeroom in particular. The students

1:07:18 were also really down on themselves. The

1:07:20 first thing the students in my homeroom

1:07:22 class said to me when I walked in the

1:07:23 room and introduced myself was that I

1:07:26 was going to hate their class.

1:07:28 I know, it was terrible.

1:07:30 They said all the teachers hated their

1:07:32 class and I was going to hate them, too.

1:07:35 I remember looking around the room and

1:07:36 saying to them, "You're my very first

1:07:38 class. I'm going to love you." And we're

1:07:41 going to have a great rest of the year.

1:07:43 But in my mind, I was worried.

1:07:47 I was 23. I looked about 15 and I was

1:07:51 untested in a classroom by myself.

1:07:54 I remember calling home to stop bending

1:07:56 nights that year, worried about all the

1:07:58 classroom behaviors I was struggling

1:07:59 with and wondering if I was getting

1:08:01 through to these kids at all.

1:08:03 My mom, a former teacher, just kept

1:08:05 saying to me, "If you can get through

1:08:07 this year, you can get through

1:08:08 anything."

1:08:09 So, I kept plugging away, letting my

1:08:11 students know how much I cared about

1:08:13 them, how capable they were, and hoping

1:08:15 to create some positivity in the room

1:08:17 from the negativity that had greeted me

1:08:19 at the start.

1:08:20 As we began to close in on the end of

1:08:22 the year, I heard a commotion in the

1:08:23 hallway, which is never good.

1:08:26 I started out of the room to make sure

1:08:27 everything was okay, but what I heard

1:08:29 made me pause. Some of the kids in one

1:08:31 of the other classes were putting down

1:08:33 some of the kids in my class. And the

1:08:35 kids in my class responded by saying,

1:08:36 "Oh, yeah? Well, we're the smart class."

1:08:40 I got a little teary and felt so much

1:08:42 joy inside that we had come from a place

1:08:44 where these students had had such a

1:08:45 negative perception of themselves and

1:08:47 felt like everyone hated them to feeling

1:08:49 like a group of kids who were smart and

1:08:50 worthwhile, which of course they were.

1:08:53 It's always stuck with me, the

1:08:54 importance of kids feeling worthy and

1:08:56 capable and loved in a classroom.

1:08:59 Today, 31 years later, I'm still happily

1:09:01 at Baker in the same position that I

1:09:03 took that December day in 1995.

1:09:06 While all of us in the field of

1:09:08 education are hired to teach academics

1:09:10 and help students learn and grow, one of

1:09:12 the most important lessons of my whole

1:09:14 31-year career happened in that first 6

1:09:17 months of teaching.

1:09:18 If students don't feel seen or cared

1:09:20 about or valued, no matter what I teach

1:09:22 them, it isn't going to stick.

1:09:24 As I move closer to retirement, not that

1:09:26 close, but closer,

1:09:29 and I think back over the close to 2,500

1:09:32 Brookline students I've taught up to

1:09:34 this point, I know they may not remember

1:09:36 what every organelle in a cell does, but

1:09:39 I hope they remember that I cared about

1:09:41 them as a person, I believed in them as

1:09:44 a learner, and that their curiosity,

1:09:46 resilience, and voice matter.

1:09:51 [applause]

1:09:57 Thank you, Esme. Um

1:09:58 Tom Cavana, he was a very smart guy.

1:10:02 Made very good decisions on teachers.

1:10:05 Okay, Francesca Stark.

1:10:09 [applause]

1:10:16 Hi everybody. Um

1:10:18 So, I'm Francesca Stark, and I um

1:10:22 wanted to say I everything everybody

1:10:25 already said, so that's it.

1:10:28 Pretty much though. Um I was thinking

1:10:31 about why I came to Brookline, why I

1:10:34 stayed in Brookline, and what I hope for

1:10:37 Brookline.

1:10:38 Um I came to Brookline because um my mom

1:10:42 was a struggling bohemian painter, and

1:10:44 she couldn't afford my braces, and so um

1:10:47 she decided to become a teacher, and she

1:10:49 heard about the Brookline schools, which

1:10:51 we

1:10:52 have heard that story many time about

1:10:53 hearing about the Brookline schools. So,

1:10:54 we moved to Westbourne Terrace to a

1:10:56 rent-controlled apartment, and I went to

1:10:58 Driscoll School.

1:11:00 Um there was a group uh they had uh

1:11:03 guidance counselors for everything then,

1:11:05 including uh uh children of single moms.

1:11:08 And uh there was a guidance counselor,

1:11:11 and she had these little rubber dolls uh

1:11:13 where you would act out probably some

1:11:15 kind of trauma that they I don't know

1:11:17 what they were for, but we would act

1:11:18 them out. And later when I got hired in

1:11:20 Brookline, I was like, "Oh, I'm one of

1:11:22 the little rubber dolls now." Like there

1:11:24 was the the firefighter rubber doll and

1:11:26 the nurse rubber doll, and I went to

1:11:28 school. So, I um So, what happened is I

1:11:32 um

1:11:34 I had a very good experience at

1:11:35 Driscoll. I had a very bad fourth-grade

1:11:37 teacher uh who um

1:11:39 would mock kids in the class. And um

1:11:43 And I always wanted to be a teacher, not

1:11:45 really because of her, but I wanted to

1:11:46 be a teacher that wasn't like her. So,

1:11:49 um what happened is uh

1:11:52 my mom told me, "Don't ever become a

1:11:54 teacher." Because after she was a

1:11:55 bohemian artist, uh she became a

1:11:57 teacher. And she said, "They will not

1:12:00 trust your intellect. They will not

1:12:01 allow you to do art. You will never be

1:12:04 free to be who you are. You will have to

1:12:06 follow a a structured curriculum. Don't

1:12:10 do it." And I immediately decided to do

1:12:12 it. And um so, I became a teacher, and

1:12:15 uh no, wait, stop. I was wasn't sure

1:12:19 what to do, and I was walking down the

1:12:20 Fenway, and I was walking by Wheelock

1:12:22 College, and I saw a sign that said,

1:12:25 "Come join the Learning Teaching

1:12:27 Collaborative, where teachers can be

1:12:28 leaders." And I was like, "My mom would

1:12:30 like that." So, that's how I ended up.

1:12:32 So, I um

1:12:34 I walked in, and this woman named Joan

1:12:36 Gatto said, um um "Did you hear about

1:12:39 the job opening, the intern opening?"

1:12:41 And I said, "No." So, anyway, it was to

1:12:44 be an intern for somebody named Vivian

1:12:46 Troen um at the uh formerly known uh

1:12:49 Devotion School, and I was fortunate to

1:12:52 be her intern. So, I became a full year

1:12:55 intern in Vivian's class, and I was the

1:12:58 luckiest person alive because everybody

1:13:00 was intellectual, and they were

1:13:02 interested in teaching and collaboration

1:13:04 and and studying kids and and learning

1:13:07 about kids and spending time at morning

1:13:09 meeting so that you could learn about

1:13:10 kids, and so I thought this is it. And

1:13:13 then after that, Carol Schraft hired me

1:13:16 because she found out I had been a

1:13:18 student in the teacher's class. She knew

1:13:21 about that teacher and knew that that

1:13:23 teacher wasn't a very good teacher, and

1:13:25 she was like, "Well, if you want to now

1:13:26 teach after being in that teacher's

1:13:28 class, you're hired." So, I got hired.

1:13:30 Um

1:13:31 Anyway, all of that is to say that I um

1:13:36 really loved being an intern for the

1:13:38 full year, and then I ended up getting

1:13:40 hired because I really knew Brookline. I

1:13:43 mean, I really knew Brookline. But, I um

1:13:46 was part of the learning teaching

1:13:47 collaborative, which Betsy Fitzpatrick

1:13:50 uh used to give us vouchers to um Well,

1:13:53 you didn't pay for them, but you handed

1:13:54 them out. And uh

1:13:56 and uh

1:13:57 and we could take courses, and we could

1:13:59 do a lot of very interesting things. And

1:14:02 um so, anyway, what kept me at Brookline

1:14:05 was all the things you all said. My My

1:14:07 husband, who's over there, he didn't go

1:14:09 to the Brookline schools, but our kids

1:14:10 went to the Brookline schools, and um

1:14:14 and we love it here, and I live on

1:14:15 Westbourne Terrace now. I know it's a

1:14:17 little sad, but I do. I mean, it's not

1:14:19 that sad. But, I'm definitely a local.

1:14:21 So, um but why I bring this up is now

1:14:23 about what I want for Brookline.

1:14:26 Um so, here's the thing. I totally agree

1:14:28 with Liz said. Teaching never gets

1:14:30 easier, and everybody kept saying, "Does

1:14:32 it get easier?" I kept saying, "No, it

1:14:33 really doesn't get any easier." The

1:14:35 thing that's getting harder now

1:14:38 is that some of the things my mom said

1:14:40 are true are coming a little bit true.

1:14:43 And that's what I want to talk to the

1:14:45 school committee about and and is that

1:14:48 more and more the curriculum feels very

1:14:51 um like a conveyor belt of curriculum.

1:14:53 This is my personal opinion. I'm a fifth

1:14:55 grade teacher. It's not true for

1:14:56 everybody, I know. But,

1:14:59 there's not enough time to get to know

1:15:01 the kids. There's There's not enough

1:15:03 time for morning meeting. I do it every

1:15:05 single day and the kids love it, but we

1:15:08 have to push so many things else aside.

1:15:11 We need to have more So, I'm telling you

1:15:13 now what I think. Sorry, but we need to

1:15:15 have more vertical alignment, so all the

1:15:18 teachers know and there's time to see

1:15:20 what everybody's done. We need to have

1:15:23 synthesize all our curriculum because

1:15:25 there's just not enough time to teach

1:15:26 everything. And um we need to have more

1:15:29 teacher input and time for teacher

1:15:31 collaboration and I really think we need

1:15:33 to bring the mentor the internship

1:15:35 program back because having a second

1:15:37 teacher in your classroom all year

1:15:40 gives you time to do things like go pee,

1:15:42 which um I have a a urologist just

1:15:45 parent in my classroom and she's like,

1:15:46 "Teachers are the worst." I'm like, "I

1:15:48 know." We really are. So, we need to

1:15:51 have people who are working together all

1:15:53 year. Bring those teachers into our

1:15:56 school system. I brought the 1996

1:15:59 version of how to do it. I had to dig it

1:16:00 up. I really did. So, um that's really

1:16:04 what I want to say. I I I love the I

1:16:06 love teaching. I I I love my colleagues

1:16:09 and I I think now it's it's time to get

1:16:12 back to saying what we value and doing

1:16:16 what we value. Thank you so much.

1:16:19 [applause]

1:16:26 Thank you, Francesca.

1:16:29 Allison Whitebone.

1:16:33 [applause]

1:16:39 Hi, I'm Allison and I teach ninth grade

1:16:42 at Brookline High School. Thank you so

1:16:44 much for honoring us tonight. 31 years

1:16:46 goes by like

1:16:48 the snap of a fingers. So crazy. Thanks

1:16:51 to my mom for being here

1:16:54 and my husband and

1:16:55 [applause]

1:16:56 son and daughter. Hi, say hi. Okay.

1:16:59 Um

1:17:00 I love teaching. I love Brookline High

1:17:02 School and I really wasn't sure what to

1:17:04 talk about today, but one of my students

1:17:08 in his journal um was writing about

1:17:10 Holden Caulfield and how he hates change

1:17:14 and my student said he hated change, but

1:17:16 through writing in his journal all year

1:17:19 and accomplishing 236 handwritten pages,

1:17:23 he decided he accepts change and he

1:17:26 loves it. So, I thought, I'm going to

1:17:28 start with that about change and it

1:17:30 reminded me

1:17:31 of where I started, opportunity for

1:17:33 change.

1:17:35 And that's what Brookline means to me

1:17:38 and Bob, you're a part of starting that

1:17:40 before I got there, but Brookline

1:17:43 created a wonderful program for who

1:17:46 students who needed it.

1:17:48 They created a family of teachers with

1:17:50 Bill Grady and Bill Hibbert and Jack

1:17:53 Liss and

1:17:54 um Eileen Lombardi and all these other

1:17:57 great people and Bob Gray worked with us

1:17:59 from the town

1:18:01 and it created this wonderful feeling of

1:18:05 family, um consistency, clarity and

1:18:08 relationship

1:18:10 that has really

1:18:12 I've just continued that for all of

1:18:14 these 31 years and it just has it's a

1:18:17 calling. The poetry festival with Lynn

1:18:20 Cohen and all of the librarians

1:18:23 for 31 years now thanks to the PTO. It's

1:18:26 all collaboration. It's all family and

1:18:28 everyone telling their stories and

1:18:30 Geraldine Mondy and her family of all

1:18:33 the siblings telling their stories and

1:18:36 my English Department friends, and Ed

1:18:39 Weiser, who I went to graduate school

1:18:41 with. Remember our project on

1:18:43 technology? And now I started off by

1:18:45 talking about handwriting in the

1:18:47 journal.

1:18:48 And so, um

1:18:50 [laughter]

1:18:51 it's the best technology there is. But,

1:18:54 um

1:18:55 long story short, I just want to say

1:18:57 Brookline it public schools, it's a

1:18:59 wonderful family. We take care of our

1:19:02 children. We take care of our staff. And

1:19:06 I love the collaboration, and I'm

1:19:08 forever grateful for these years. And

1:19:10 I'm not done yet. I'm not done. I'm

1:19:12 still young. My mom's 86. Sorry, Mom.

1:19:15 And she still works. So, all right.

1:19:17 [laughter]

1:19:18 I love you. Okay. Thank you so much to

1:19:20 my whole team, and to everyone here

1:19:22 today. Thank you.

1:19:24 [applause]

1:19:30 Thank you, Ally.

1:19:32 Ed Weiser, you're it.

1:19:37 Thank you. Thank you.

1:19:38 [applause]

1:19:40 Um yeah, good evening. Thanks for

1:19:41 celebrating with all of us. Thank you

1:19:43 for staying for the the last person to

1:19:45 go.

1:19:46 Um and um so, this is going to be

1:19:49 gratitude to the Brookline community,

1:19:50 but also to the BEF in particular. Um if

1:19:53 I could go back three decades and tell

1:19:55 myself that my teaching career would

1:19:57 involve skydiving,

1:19:59 flying helicopters, and eventually

1:20:00 becoming an EMT, yes, uh driving an

1:20:03 ambulance on the weekends, um to teach

1:20:05 students about the medical profession, I

1:20:07 never would have believed it.

1:20:08 Um I I've had the opportunity to have so

1:20:10 many adventures. Those I mentioned um

1:20:13 were all supported by the BEF.

1:20:16 Um but, for one wild opportunity, and

1:20:18 Bob, I don't remember where the money

1:20:19 came from this. You might have pulled

1:20:20 some strings, but I went to a conference

1:20:22 at the Fermi Lab, a super collider, in

1:20:24 Illinois for um the first summer,

1:20:26 and I met Nobel laureate Leon Lederman,

1:20:28 and eventually launched our physics

1:20:30 first program for ninth graders.

1:20:32 BHS became the leader in this simple way

1:20:35 to gain much needed equity in who took

1:20:37 physics and all of the science courses

1:20:40 beyond.

1:20:41 So much so that Jim Walsh,

1:20:43 right there, um

1:20:45 even shocked uh DESI

1:20:47 because um they started to create this

1:20:49 MCAS exam for science and he said,

1:20:52 "You better include physics." And

1:20:53 people's jaws dropped.

1:20:55 So um and also when Professor Lederman

1:20:57 would get a press inquiry, he would he

1:20:59 was too lazy so he would just send it on

1:21:00 to me. So that was quite a stunning

1:21:02 privilege. I was interviewed by the New

1:21:04 York Times, the Journal, all that kind

1:21:06 of stuff.

1:21:07 Then after um

1:21:08 11 years, Bob trusted me to lead the

1:21:11 science department. And we grew uh

1:21:13 opportunities for students.

1:21:15 And we grew the physical campus of BHS

1:21:17 to meet the future. And um but a true

1:21:20 point of pride is uh being the leader of

1:21:22 the team that was con- consistently

1:21:24 ranked in the top STEM schools in the

1:21:26 nation.

1:21:28 And um and our classrooms right now are

1:21:29 thriving with creativity, inclusion, and

1:21:31 rigor.

1:21:32 I'm really I'm proud of that. Um but you

1:21:35 should know that during the building

1:21:36 project, I advocated for a generous

1:21:38 equipment budget, which included a

1:21:40 medical simulation lab. You can see the

1:21:42 three mannequins on the the third floor

1:21:44 of the STEM wing. Um they might creep

1:21:47 you out a little bit, but

1:21:48 they're good.

1:21:49 Sorry, I know it creeps you out unless

1:21:51 all the time. Um but one thing led to

1:21:53 another and um the the BEF came back and

1:21:56 stepped in and helped me become uh an

1:21:58 EMT. So now you can find me um teaching

1:22:02 students how to make a differential

1:22:03 diagnosis for Hal, not Mason, Hal the

1:22:06 mannequin, that's his name,

1:22:09 when uh

1:22:10 when he presents to our ED for a

1:22:12 shortness of breath and altered mental

1:22:13 status.

1:22:14 Um so that's at the point where I

1:22:16 stepped away from the leadership role to

1:22:17 expand the medical careers offerings uh

1:22:20 to continue to pretend to be a doctor,

1:22:23 um slipping in robotics, woodworking,

1:22:24 and the new construction class as well.

1:22:26 Something I never could have imagined

1:22:28 when Bob flicked on the light. Do you

1:22:30 remember that during my interview? That

1:22:32 was your classic. You'd go over and

1:22:34 flick the lights on and off and ask all

1:22:35 of the physics candidates if they knew

1:22:37 what was going on. Just to see if they

1:22:38 could explain the physics of AC circuit.

1:22:41 Almost almost nobody knew. It was

1:22:42 bizarre.

1:22:43 It was I knew.

1:22:44 [laughter]

1:22:46 Um so uh so in my last chapter here um

1:22:49 so I've got a few more years to go, but

1:22:51 hopefully it'll include a include an

1:22:53 after-school dual enrollment program for

1:22:55 EMT certification with MassBay Community

1:22:57 College.

1:22:58 [applause]

1:22:59 Thank you.

1:23:01 We have an initial agreement and we just

1:23:02 need a few more steps to make it come

1:23:04 true. So, thank you to the BEF, to the

1:23:06 school committee, everybody for staying,

1:23:09 and to Betsy, thank you for putting this

1:23:11 all together. So, anyway, thank you

1:23:13 everybody.

1:23:16 [applause]

1:23:20 Okay, that was pretty special. The

1:23:23 So, the measure to me

1:23:25 of a great organization is stability in

1:23:27 staff and leadership. And so, you all

1:23:30 define that.

1:23:32 Stability in teaching and caring and

1:23:36 loving.

1:23:37 And each of your remarks was impressive

1:23:39 and inspiring.

1:23:41 So, I just want to say, you know, I was

1:23:42 I was part of you guys for a long time

1:23:45 and I love you guys as well.

1:23:47 [clears throat]

1:23:47 And I just want to say thank you. Thank

1:23:48 you for your work.

1:23:50 And um

1:23:51 you can go home.

1:23:53 [applause]

1:24:04 YEAH.

1:24:05 OKAY, WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A 5-MINUTE

1:24:06 BREAK.

1:24:09 IF YOU want Bob, I did pull up my

1:24:11 These are the notes I had on this one.

1:24:14 Yeah, I saw I saw them too.

1:24:15 Yeah, I just I condensed them.

1:24:18 So, if you want to read She's going to

1:24:20 read it. Let's go.

1:24:21 Okay.

1:24:22 Do you want to read it?

1:24:23 It doesn't matter.

1:24:25 I can read it.

1:24:25 Okay. Let me do it. Okay.

1:24:36 She's at home.

1:24:38 She's working.

1:24:39 She's on Zoom.

1:26:27 [music]

1:32:04 Mhm.

1:32:14 [music]

1:34:17 amazing

1:34:19 stay and finish all that good food.

1:34:21 Betsy, thank you for that food.

1:34:24 I know you even paid for it.

1:34:27 [clears throat]

1:34:28 Okay, we're going to deviate from the

1:34:29 agenda a little bit because

1:34:31 Susan Gibbons has to go home.

1:34:34 Um and we want to

1:34:37 now have [clears throat] a farewell and

1:34:38 thank you to our departing Deputy

1:34:40 Superintendent for Administration and

1:34:42 Finance, Dr. Susan Gibbons.

1:34:44 I think Bella's going to do this one.

1:34:46 Am I?

1:34:48 Oh my god, well

1:34:50 Where's Susan?

1:34:51 She's right there.

1:34:52 Hi Susan, you want to come over and like

1:34:54 at least so we can talk to you?

1:34:57 [laughter]

1:34:59 [clears throat]

1:35:04 No, I I want to I want you to talk about

1:35:06 your golf game.

1:35:10 Okay, fine.

1:35:12 So

1:35:14 So all I I mean I I've been following

1:35:17 your career for a year.

1:35:19 Um when there's been incredible

1:35:21 challenges and I know Bella

1:35:23 and you have had to work really really

1:35:25 really really hard along with the team.

1:35:28 Um

1:35:29 but I I am going to give you

1:35:32 tremendous credit for establishing trust

1:35:35 in the town on finance.

1:35:37 And as a result of that

1:35:39 [clears throat and cough]

1:35:39 the

1:35:40 Town of Brookline passed an override for

1:35:42 23 million bucks.

1:35:44 And that is no small thing and it sort

1:35:45 of saved our tushies.

1:35:47 Um so I want to thank [clears throat]

1:35:49 you for the incredible amount of work

1:35:52 that did

1:35:53 presenting it all the committees that

1:35:55 were preparing um for the override. And

1:35:57 that's one major major accomplishment um

1:36:01 that I give you credit for, we give you

1:36:02 credit for, Bella gives you credit for.

1:36:05 So, thank you for that. And you know, I

1:36:07 just you know, I just sit here and

1:36:09 listen to your presentations on

1:36:11 budgeting and buses running on time,

1:36:13 etc. etc. And you're always incredibly

1:36:17 prepared.

1:36:18 You know the stuff.

1:36:20 And

1:36:21 we're going to miss you.

1:36:22 Um

1:36:23 and I just I wish I wish you

1:36:27 the best over the next years of your

1:36:29 life. And um again, a lot of good golf.

1:36:32 And I hope your scores I would like you

1:36:33 to tell me how you're doing out there on

1:36:36 the greens and fairways. Um so, that's

1:36:40 all I have that I want to say thank you

1:36:42 and open it up to anybody else who wants

1:36:43 to say thank you. Um we will miss you.

1:36:46 Very I will miss you. We've been in

1:36:47 negotiations together, obviously, and

1:36:50 um

1:36:51 you're a rockstar, Susan. Thank you very

1:36:53 much.

1:36:55 [applause]

1:36:59 Others uh Jesse.

1:37:02 Yeah, um Susan, from the first time we

1:37:04 met like over 2 years ago

1:37:07 um you and I not only became like

1:37:10 finance questioning colleagues, but we

1:37:12 also became friends.

1:37:13 And I want to thank you first for the

1:37:15 friendship before I thank you for what

1:37:17 you've accomplished here in the

1:37:19 district. Um we call each other about

1:37:21 other things. We discuss other things.

1:37:24 And um it's become a special part of my

1:37:27 school committee life is the friendship

1:37:29 that I've developed, you know,

1:37:30 personally with you over the last few

1:37:31 years.

1:37:32 Um each of the times that I sort of

1:37:35 maybe bumped against the guardrails in

1:37:37 terms of questions I asked, you helped

1:37:39 me. And when you were uh in a situation

1:37:42 where you couldn't, you told me, which

1:37:43 was good, too. And um we've accomplished

1:37:47 a lot

1:37:48 together. And, um, your presentation

1:37:52 about the third quarter that you gave a

1:37:54 couple weeks back cemented, if it needed

1:37:57 further cementing, my confidence in what

1:38:01 how you have left the district

1:38:03 structured financially in that

1:38:05 everything's just running smoother.

1:38:07 And there aren't crises. And, you know,

1:38:10 on the finance side, either Mariah last

1:38:12 year with me or, um, myself this year,

1:38:15 even in this short month and a half two

1:38:17 months, haven't gotten any

1:38:20 uh, questions or, uh, concerns about how

1:38:23 the financial health of the school

1:38:25 district is going. And that's, uh,

1:38:27 amazing. And I'm And I'm carrying that

1:38:29 message from you to the advisory

1:38:31 committee already.

1:38:32 And to individuals, you know, in town,

1:38:35 you know, other elected officials in the

1:38:36 town, both on the select board side, um,

1:38:39 town-school partnership, etc., because

1:38:41 you have really,

1:38:43 um, not only corrected, but, you know,

1:38:45 um, organized the financials in a way

1:38:49 that can be, hopefully, easily

1:38:51 transferred uh, to Aaron. And And have

1:38:53 left us on just a super improved

1:38:56 foundation over what you found it. So,

1:38:58 thank you.

1:39:00 Thank you for your friendship. I plan to

1:39:02 stay in touch with you. I have your

1:39:03 number.

1:39:04 And, uh, and congratulations again on a

1:39:06 retirement. It's just an amazing next

1:39:08 step for you.

1:39:09 So.

1:39:11 Sarah.

1:39:12 I too want to say thank you. I feel that

1:39:14 you've taught me everything I know about

1:39:15 school finance and budgets. And what

1:39:18 I've been most impressed about is that

1:39:19 each line item to you isn't just a

1:39:21 number. It really is how the piece fits

1:39:24 into the whole of a district and of

1:39:25 learning. So, I've appreciated all the

1:39:27 experience that it's taking, um, for you

1:39:29 to come to where you are now, where you

1:39:31 understand the whole picture and are

1:39:33 were and have been able to advise us so

1:39:35 well on the decisions that we've had to

1:39:37 make. So, thank you.

1:39:41 Okay.

1:39:44 Oh, this is terrible. Although

1:39:47 I'm very happy for you. And I'm also

1:39:49 looking forward to hearing about your

1:39:51 adventures, and I hope we'll be able to

1:39:52 stay in touch.

1:39:54 Um

1:39:56 and I'm thinking back to

1:39:58 the first uh

1:40:00 the first budget that budget book that I

1:40:03 saw that you presented, where you sort

1:40:06 of recategorized and recalibrated

1:40:09 everything to be in the right place. And

1:40:13 I was like, oh

1:40:14 this person

1:40:16 wants to do things the right way. And

1:40:18 it's really, really hard, but she is

1:40:21 like this is going to be hard

1:40:24 and it's going to take a while but we

1:40:26 have to do this the right way. Um

1:40:29 and that's just been you're so steady

1:40:32 and you're just your commitment to

1:40:34 excellence is

1:40:37 um

1:40:38 is clear

1:40:39 and has benefited us so much and um

1:40:44 I really I'm going to miss having you

1:40:47 be our person here. Um but I'm really

1:40:49 happy for you and I wish you

1:40:52 um adventure and health and fun.

1:40:57 Suzanne.

1:41:00 So, Suzanne, I've been through a few

1:41:02 deputy superintendents for finance and

1:41:05 um

1:41:06 and they were a little murky along the

1:41:08 way. And so, I really want to thank you

1:41:10 for getting us on the right road to

1:41:13 steady the ship that we were

1:41:15 teeter-tottering around. Um

1:41:18 and I think it really helped that you

1:41:19 had a background as a superintendent, so

1:41:21 that you weren't you clearly weren't

1:41:23 just

1:41:24 numbers on a line, but understood the

1:41:27 educational um

1:41:29 uh decisions that we had to make, the

1:41:31 importance of that. And I think that

1:41:33 really helped the communication, because

1:41:36 you know, we knew what we could talk

1:41:37 about and how it would be a better place

1:41:40 for our students and our families here

1:41:42 in Brookline. So, thank you so much for

1:41:44 bringing all of that experience and all

1:41:46 that passion. I know you have a lot of

1:41:48 passion because there have been

1:41:50 occasions where we go off topic and

1:41:52 don't talk just about numbers and we

1:41:54 talk about learning, teaching and

1:41:56 learning and and what that

1:41:58 [clears throat] looks like and what that

1:41:59 costs and how important it is to keep

1:42:02 our students at the center of our

1:42:04 conversation around budgeting. And I

1:42:07 didn't have that with the others and you

1:42:09 have that background and you have that

1:42:10 passion. We made you work the numbers a

1:42:13 lot, but I know that that is a passion

1:42:16 that you have and you brought that to us

1:42:18 in your budgeting conversations. And so,

1:42:21 thank you for that. I want you to take a

1:42:23 break from all numbers for a while,

1:42:26 except maybe your golf score. So, you

1:42:29 know. And I wish you good health in the

1:42:32 future so that you can really enjoy your

1:42:34 retirement. Thank you so much, Susan.

1:42:36 Thank you, Susan.

1:42:39 Anybody else? Faisal?

1:42:43 Thank you.

1:42:45 It's working. Okay. Um I just want to

1:42:47 say thank you for your service and best

1:42:49 of luck. Thank you.

1:42:54 Susan?

1:42:55 Okay.

1:42:56 I

1:42:57 Donna.

1:42:57 Oh, just Donna Wanek.

1:42:59 I'll I'll be quiet. I'll be very quiet.

1:43:04 Susan, I I don't want to repeat anything

1:43:06 that anyone said besides thank you, but

1:43:08 also I'll just add I know that um

1:43:14 I really respect that you chose to

1:43:17 finish your career in Brookline

1:43:19 and that you stayed in Brookline over

1:43:22 the past 2 years or year and a half,

1:43:24 which I know was really, really tough.

1:43:26 And um

1:43:28 I don't

1:43:29 um want to end on a positive note, but

1:43:31 I'll say I don't think that that we like

1:43:33 the community was always as appreciative

1:43:36 of your efforts as we should have been.

1:43:38 And so I want to make sure to say

1:43:40 we are so grateful

1:43:42 for everything that you've done.

1:43:44 I think the work that you put in here is

1:43:47 going to like really outlive

1:43:51 your tenure here. And we are incredibly

1:43:54 grateful. Thank you.

1:43:57 It's so sad to say goodbye to the most

1:44:00 senior member of the senior leadership

1:44:02 team and finishing her third year. We

1:44:06 would not have been able to manage this

1:44:08 without you anchoring us. And how much

1:44:11 you were able to master in the time that

1:44:14 you've been here.

1:44:16 Um You know what? There's not a single

1:44:17 system that is easy here in Brookline.

1:44:20 Every every single system has a nuance,

1:44:23 it's more complicated. And so no matter

1:44:26 how many years of experience one might

1:44:28 have in other places, it's all done a

1:44:31 little differently here. And so I really

1:44:34 appreciate

1:44:35 um how much you offered us, but we would

1:44:38 not have gotten through to where we are

1:44:39 today without you. And also Susan in the

1:44:43 last couple months and as she's on her

1:44:46 last days here, she's been working

1:44:50 super hard as hard as ever to make sure

1:44:53 we are best prepared in this transition

1:44:55 and looking forward. And it's a very

1:44:58 special quality and commitment,

1:45:00 dedication that you were offering to us

1:45:03 from the from the first day I met you

1:45:05 all the way to to the end here. And so

1:45:09 she's not done yet, but

1:45:12 she is she's close to it and just

1:45:15 working a thousand percent all the way

1:45:17 to the end. And so I um

1:45:20 I really appreciate everything that

1:45:22 you've done for us as a colleague, as a

1:45:24 friend. Um

1:45:26 and the heart that you've given to it.

1:45:28 So, thank you.

1:45:31 [applause]

1:45:43 [laughter]

1:45:45 [clears throat]

1:46:01 So, working? Yeah? There we go.

1:46:03 Well, um

1:46:05 it's I guess uh surreal for me to be at

1:46:08 the end of this uh journey in my life

1:46:12 um and to be here at this moment to

1:46:14 share it with you.

1:46:16 These last 3 years have without a doubt

1:46:18 been challenging, and I've had to bring

1:46:20 to bear every

1:46:22 single learning experience of my life

1:46:24 [laughter]

1:46:25 um to kind of navigate through um each

1:46:29 and every

1:46:30 uh challenge that has uh arisen.

1:46:33 But, I have to say uh that is what um

1:46:36 I guess I was raised for, right? I mean,

1:46:38 you come to moments in your life

1:46:41 um and you don't really appreciate

1:46:44 um what you've learned from every

1:46:46 experience that you've had until you

1:46:47 face yet another experience where it

1:46:51 requires

1:46:52 um

1:46:53 every ounce of fortitude that you have

1:46:55 in order to get through.

1:46:57 And I think one of the blessings of uh

1:46:59 being

1:47:01 um along in your career

1:47:03 is that you get a pretty

1:47:05 uh centeredness about yourself.

1:47:08 You know certain things to be true,

1:47:10 and it helps you to navigate through

1:47:12 difficult times.

1:47:14 You know, you don't You don't concern

1:47:17 yourself with public opinion,

1:47:20 um and you're able to move forward

1:47:23 grounded in your values, understandings,

1:47:25 and beliefs.

1:47:26 I know that, uh, what motivates me each

1:47:29 and every day

1:47:31 is doing something that helps

1:47:34 improve education for students.

1:47:38 That is what I am about.

1:47:40 It's my hope that the work that I've

1:47:42 done here will allow you in the future

1:47:45 to be able to focus on the instructional

1:47:47 minute and not on administration all the

1:47:50 time.

1:47:52 So, if I've done one small thing to get

1:47:54 you closer to that, I'll feel like my

1:47:57 time here has been worth it. Thank you

1:47:59 for allowing me this opportunity to

1:48:00 serve you in this community.

1:48:05 [applause]

1:48:08 Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Um,

1:48:11 [clears throat]

1:48:11 maybe I I want to get in trouble here. I

1:48:12 just want everybody to note Faisa's

1:48:15 matching shoes and earrings. They're

1:48:19 Just take a check. Check it out.

1:48:23 Just

1:48:24 nice.

1:48:27 Am I Am I in trouble?

1:48:31 Just like my eyes were Whoa.

1:48:35 Okay. Thank you, Faisa.

1:48:40 Okay, we have a consent agenda to vote

1:48:42 on. It's past records, accounts payable,

1:48:45 student trip at Klein High School queer

1:48:46 student program fall retreat YMCA camp

1:48:49 High Rock Mount Washington,

1:48:50 Massachusetts. Any comments on any of

1:48:53 those three?

1:48:55 [clears throat]

1:48:56 I'll move it if you need You got

1:48:57 something

1:48:57 Yeah, I'll second it.

1:48:58 Motion by Suzanne.

1:49:00 Second it.

1:49:00 Second by Jesse. Jesse, how do you vote?

1:49:03 Um, I just point out that the the trip

1:49:05 still doesn't have a cost on it. So, it

1:49:07 hasn't come to finance and capital yet,

1:49:09 I think. As I read through it, it's a

1:49:11 proposal for and there are dates, but no

1:49:14 pricing yet, I I

1:49:15 Okay.

1:49:15 So, we're sort of a plot I think at

1:49:17 least according to this document, we're

1:49:19 consenting that it be planned.

1:49:21 Right. Okay.

1:49:22 Okay.

1:49:22 Okay, thank you.

1:49:23 There are numbers on it, Jesse.

1:49:25 were numbers, yeah.

1:49:26 There are numbers on it.

1:49:28 And And I think actually we should

1:49:29 mention that the date is also um

1:49:31 cemented by Yeah.

1:49:34 Yeah, it's on the last page.

1:49:36 Jesse.

1:49:43 Here it is.

1:49:44 Here.

1:49:45 $4,017.

1:49:48 Is that Val?

1:49:49 No, that was me.

1:49:50 Yeah, that was Carolyn.

1:49:50 Okay.

1:49:51 Is Val here?

1:49:52 I chimed I chimed in earlier, yes. Yes,

1:49:54 Bob.

1:49:55 Okay. Thanks.

1:49:56 Okay, [clears throat] want to vote?

1:49:58 Jesse?

1:49:58 Yes.

1:49:59 Carolyn?

1:50:00 Yes.

1:50:00 Sarah?

1:50:01 Yes.

1:50:01 Uh Val?

1:50:03 Yes.

1:50:03 Um Carolyn? I'm Suzanne?

1:50:06 Here, Carolyn.

1:50:06 Yes.

1:50:07 Donna?

1:50:08 Yes.

1:50:08 Bob Winter's vote is yes. Okay.

1:50:10 Faisa?

1:50:11 Yes.

1:50:11 And Ms. Faisa?

1:50:13 I I did not miss her shoes though. Okay.

1:50:16 Okay, now we have public comment. Uh

1:50:19 Betsy, I think we have a bunch, right?

1:50:21 I have five people right now, yes.

1:50:22 Five? So, that should work now, right?

1:50:25 Mhm.

1:50:25 So, you get about three not not more

1:50:28 than three minutes.

1:50:29 Uh we will not comment on your comments,

1:50:32 and who's up first?

1:50:35 One moment.

1:50:36 You can hear you guys now.

1:50:38 Okay.

1:50:44 Hey, sorry did you call on me? I wasn't

1:50:45 sure. I was just turned into a panelist.

1:50:48 Go early.

1:50:49 Thanks, hi. Um my name's Arly Butler. Um

1:50:53 I'm a Brooklyn resident and FR parent to

1:50:54 three children, a room parent, a PTO

1:50:56 volunteer. And next year, my youngest

1:50:57 son, Ben, will transition from BEEP to

1:50:59 kindergarten at FR.

1:51:01 I'm here tonight, or at least virtually,

1:51:03 um to respectfully urge the district to

1:51:05 reconsider the decision to reduce FR's

1:51:07 kindergarten from five sections down to

1:51:09 four, or at the very least to pause this

1:51:11 decision until fall enrollment numbers

1:51:12 are fully finalized.

1:51:15 [cough]

1:51:15 Excuse me. Kindergarten [clears throat]

1:51:16 is a profound developmental transition.

1:51:18 For five-year-olds coming from small

1:51:19 preschools, entering FRR, already

1:51:21 largest elementary school in Brookline,

1:51:22 is an enormous adjustment. Class size

1:51:25 matters intensely at this age. Larger

1:51:27 classes mean less individual attention

1:51:28 during a critical stage of growth. Fewer

1:51:30 eyes on the children who may be quietly

1:51:31 struggling, and less support as they

1:51:33 learn how to navigate a large public

1:51:34 school.

1:51:35 The district's current rationale is that

1:51:37 overall overall numbers are low, placing

1:51:39 FRR at an average of 19.5 students per

1:51:41 class. But looking at this data from an

1:51:43 equity lens tells a different story. If

1:51:44 you cross-analyze ELL and IEP data

1:51:46 across the district, FRR carries the

1:51:48 highest numbers by far. We have more

1:51:49 students with complex additional needs,

1:51:51 but now fewer teachers to support them.

1:51:54 Furthermore, framing the removal of the

1:51:55 K section as a budgetary balance to fund

1:51:57 necessary fifth grade section

1:51:59 doesn't make sense. The needs of a fifth

1:52:02 grader and a kindergartner are entirely

1:52:03 separate. Our youngest learners learners

1:52:05 should not have to compromise their

1:52:07 foundational year. If the district must

1:52:09 cut a section for budgetary

1:52:10 self-balance, it makes no sense under an

1:52:13 equity lens to target FRR. Within

1:52:15 Brookline, FRR does not have the

1:52:17 smallest K classes. It's unjust to pull

1:52:19 a section from a school that already has

1:52:20 a higher baseline enrollment and a crowd

1:52:22 of our and crowd our students, while

1:52:24 leaving schools with significant

1:52:26 lower enrollment intact.

1:52:28 Finally, relying strictly on June 1st

1:52:30 numbers is premature. We know enrollment

1:52:31 fluctuates fluctuates over the summer.

1:52:33 In fact, from simply talking to my

1:52:35 community, I know of five families with

1:52:37 rising kindergartners who are currently

1:52:38 moving to the neighborhood. They fully

1:52:40 plan to attend FRR this fall, but due to

1:52:42 some removing logistics, they have not

1:52:43 yet been able to officially register.

1:52:45 Once a section is cut, it is incredibly

1:52:46 difficult to reverse. Many of us in the

1:52:48 community stepped up to support the

1:52:49 override because we believed it would

1:52:50 protect protect the foundational quality

1:52:52 of Brookline education. Crowding our

1:52:54 incoming kindergarten classes is not the

1:52:55 quality of experience we voted to

1:52:57 preserve. I urge you to keep the fifth

1:52:59 FRR kindergarten section open until fall

1:53:00 enrollment is clear, and to communicate

1:53:02 transparently with our incoming

1:53:03 families. Thank you for your time, for

1:53:05 your hard work, and all your

1:53:06 consideration.

1:53:07 Thank you, Willie.

1:53:11 Is Midor- Midori here?

1:53:14 Midori Nagano?

1:53:26 [clears throat]

1:53:28 Uh, two here.

1:53:30 Yeah.

1:53:31 Um, uh, greeting. Uh, my name is

1:53:33 Masahiro Nagano and I'm a parent of the

1:53:36 two children in F.A. Rawson community.

1:53:38 Um, my old son, uh, Sora is currently in

1:53:40 grade one and my younger son, Haru, is

1:53:42 in pre-K. Um, our home is in the buffer

1:53:45 zone between the Pierce and Lawrence,

1:53:47 but F.A. Rawson is the closest school to

1:53:49 our home.

1:53:50 So, when we moved to the Brookline 2

1:53:52 years ago, uh, we requested to F.A.

1:53:54 Rawson and were, uh, accepted without

1:53:56 any difficulty. Uh, since then, our

1:53:59 school have been, uh, part of F.A.

1:54:00 Rawson community for 2 years and during

1:54:03 that time, like, we have never moved and

1:54:05 last year we received, uh, no school

1:54:07 reassignment at all. Um, we naturally

1:54:10 expected that, like the other part of

1:54:12 the community, uh, we would spend the

1:54:13 coming year at F.A. Rawson. However, uh,

1:54:16 the for the next year, uh, the both of

1:54:18 our children, uh,

1:54:20 including my older son, uh, were

1:54:22 suddenly assigned to the Pierce School.

1:54:24 Uh, we understand that, like, school

1:54:25 assignment is a complicated matter, uh,

1:54:28 but I want to ask one simple question,

1:54:30 like, do you really believe this is a

1:54:31 good thing of our children, uh, to force

1:54:35 uh, current and old student to leave our

1:54:37 school community, uh, where they have

1:54:39 already spent years growing, adjusting

1:54:42 and building our a sense of belonging?

1:54:44 Uh, when Sora first entered, uh, F.A.

1:54:47 Rawson, he struggled and to adjust a new

1:54:49 environment and even

1:54:51 needed support from our school

1:54:53 counselor. Uh, only recently has he, uh,

1:54:55 built a stable and confident, uh,

1:54:58 deeply connected to the school. Uh, both

1:55:00 of our son, uh, love F.A. Rawson and

1:55:02 they know the teachers and buildings and

1:55:05 the children, and

1:55:07 every day after school they happily

1:55:09 operate with their friends at

1:55:11 playgrounds.

1:55:12 So,

1:55:13 when they heard they might be forced to

1:55:15 transfer the proposed our

1:55:18 both of my sons

1:55:20 cried and asked why they had to be

1:55:22 separated from their friends.

1:55:25 So, that until last year I knew multiple

1:55:27 families in which the younger siblings

1:55:29 are just follow to the older siblings at

1:55:32 the same school regardless of the

1:55:34 district.

1:55:36 So,

1:55:38 the many F R R parents have told us that

1:55:41 they are deeply confused with the

1:55:43 decision that happened to us.

1:55:46 We saw the same reaction as a coffee

1:55:47 conversation where the many of the PTOs

1:55:50 and the school principal

1:55:52 attended.

1:55:53 So, this is not just about our family.

1:55:56 I'm also here to express the concern

1:55:57 about the plan to eliminate one

1:56:00 kindergarten class at F R R. So, if one

1:56:02 kindergarten class is count like average

1:56:04 school class size will rise

1:56:06 significantly,

1:56:08 which is not fair in terms of the

1:56:09 educational equity.

1:56:11 So, we feel that like

1:56:13 our unfair the school assignment was

1:56:16 caused by

1:56:17 in a sense in order to reduce simply the

1:56:20 number of the students as much as

1:56:22 possible.

1:56:23 So, all together I respectfully ask the

1:56:26 district and school community to

1:56:27 reconsider both the kindergarten class

1:56:30 reduction at F R R and also like the

1:56:32 decision that happened to us

1:56:34 forcing already enrolled the students

1:56:38 like our son to transfer. So, these are

1:56:40 not just a number on the spreadsheet.

1:56:43 These are the real children, real

1:56:44 families, and a real school community.

1:56:47 Thank you so much.

1:56:51 Thank you, Midori.

1:56:53 Next up is Jordana Spitz. Jordana?

1:56:57 By Zoom?

1:57:01 Hello.

1:57:06 My name's Jordana

1:57:07 guidance counselor at Ridley School for

1:57:08 the K-2 kiddos. I've written like 20

1:57:11 speeches in the past couple weeks cuz I

1:57:12 feel really passionately about the cut

1:57:15 at Ridley School. And so I just want to

1:57:16 give you some numbers about enrollment

1:57:18 because I'm the one who meets with all

1:57:20 the families when they come in over the

1:57:22 summer and during the school year as

1:57:24 well. So, um our numbers are the highest

1:57:29 that they have ever been because of the

1:57:30 cut of sections. And so I want to just

1:57:33 share some data about um the enrollment

1:57:36 and the enrollment specifically around

1:57:38 Hebrew-speaking families that we cannot

1:57:40 buffer out. So, this past school year

1:57:42 during July 1st to the end of the school

1:57:46 year, Ridley enrolled 109 students

1:57:49 including 82 who registered over the

1:57:51 summer.

1:57:53 Of those, 14 were kindergarteners,

1:57:56 11 whom were Hebrew speakers.

1:57:59 The year before that, 2024-2025, Ridley

1:58:01 enrolled 118 students, 78 over the

1:58:05 summer. Of those students, again, 14

1:58:08 were kindergarteners, 10 of whom were

1:58:10 Hebrew speakers, and additional 40

1:58:13 students enrolled over the school year

1:58:16 including nine more kindergarteners.

1:58:18 Um of those, those children who are here

1:58:21 in Brookline reside all over Brookline

1:58:23 but come to Ridley because of the

1:58:26 Hebrew-speaking program and they cannot

1:58:28 be buffered out.

1:58:29 Um Ridley is also, as you probably have

1:58:32 heard so many times, a uniquely complex

1:58:34 community, a Title 1 school. We have the

1:58:36 highest population of EL learners. We

1:58:39 have the highest population of

1:58:40 low-income learners. Sorry, that's my

1:58:42 doggie crying.

1:58:43 TLC program, we serve a

1:58:46 um a homeless shelter in our

1:58:47 neighborhood, and we have the largest

1:58:49 population of families arriving from

1:58:51 Israel every year, many directly

1:58:54 impacted by war and trauma. According to

1:58:57 DESE, 46% of our population qualifies as

1:59:00 high needs. 46, and that's in a school

1:59:03 of almost 900 kids.

1:59:06 I could speak about equity, I could

1:59:07 speak all of that, but I want to speak

1:59:09 about what it feels like on the ground

1:59:10 at Ridley School. Turnover is high. This

1:59:13 year alone, we had three new first grade

1:59:15 teachers and a whole new K-2 learning

1:59:19 center team. Staff often transfer to

1:59:22 other Brookline schools, I've seen it

1:59:24 all the time, and they report back like,

1:59:25 "Wow, it's so different. So different."

1:59:29 Right now, our kindergarten teachers and

1:59:30 I myself, after working here for 20

1:59:33 years, feel deeply discouraged. The

1:59:36 inequity is taking a serious toll. Based

1:59:39 on consistent numbers, we know we will

1:59:41 enroll over 100 students over the

1:59:43 summer, many who are kindergarteners

1:59:46 that cannot be buffered out into other

1:59:47 schools. I respectfully ask that you

1:59:50 reinstate the eliminated section as soon

1:59:53 as possible.

1:59:54 Doing so now would allow us to retain an

1:59:56 outstanding teacher, create a really

2:00:00 balanced classrooms that we work so hard

2:00:02 to do, and a thoughtful school-wide

2:00:04 schedule. We can't do any of these

2:00:05 without knowing our sections. If

2:00:08 decision is delayed until August, we'll

2:00:10 be forced to scramble, have an

2:00:11 inexperienced teacher, reorganize class

2:00:13 placements, and notify more than 80

2:00:16 families of class placement change.

2:00:19 Um, lastly, kindergarten is the place to

2:00:21 save a little bit of money. These kids

2:00:23 are so young. Some of them are learning

2:00:25 to use the bathroom. They're crying.

2:00:27 They're running out of the classroom.

2:00:28 They need a lot of teacher support. No

2:00:31 curriculum is going to make a difference

2:00:33 in that. Um, and I lastly want to thank

2:00:35 Bella for being so open about conversing

2:00:38 with me and having dialogue around this.

2:00:41 I really appreciate that, and I

2:00:42 appreciate your attention to the numbers

2:00:44 over for next few weeks because they

2:00:46 change significantly over the Ridley

2:00:48 school.

2:00:49 Thank you.

2:00:52 [applause]

2:00:53 Thank you very much, Jordana.

2:00:55 Next up, Benny Weingarten-Gabbay.

2:01:04 Not here?

2:01:06 Uh Jessica Jessica Schneider.

2:01:13 [clears throat]

2:01:20 Hi everyone. My name is Jessica

2:01:21 Schneider, and I am a parent at Florida

2:01:24 Ruffin Ridley.

2:01:26 As we meet on the eve of Juneteenth, I

2:01:29 hope we can reflect on how Juneteenth's

2:01:32 values of equality, remembrance, and

2:01:34 historical truth

2:01:35 are expressed in the decisions we make

2:01:37 for students here in Brookline.

2:01:39 Because many families are struggling

2:01:41 with the simple question, "Why is FRR

2:01:45 set to lose a kindergarten?"

2:01:48 Other Brookline K classrooms, including

2:01:50 Lawrence, Lincoln, and Runkle, are

2:01:51 projected to have about 12 to 13

2:01:54 students per class next year, while FRR

2:01:57 is projected to have somewhere between

2:01:59 18 to 20 after losing a class.

2:02:03 Now, I'm not arguing

2:02:05 school every school must have identical

2:02:06 class sizes. I'm asking why the

2:02:09 administration's preferred outcome is

2:02:11 for FRR to have K classes roughly 50%

2:02:14 larger than some other Brookline

2:02:16 schools.

2:02:18 I've received many communications, and

2:02:20 the administration has said factors

2:02:22 other factors were considered, including

2:02:24 staffing, facilities, and enrollment

2:02:26 trends. And I certainly appreciate that

2:02:28 these decisions are complex.

2:02:30 But families are already experiencing

2:02:32 the consequences, like you just heard.

2:02:34 Some are facing the challenge of

2:02:35 siblings attending other schools, and

2:02:37 for many families, especially immigrant

2:02:39 families, changing schools can mean

2:02:41 losing support networks that took years

2:02:43 to build.

2:02:44 What's confusing is that based on the

2:02:46 district's projections, FRR was not the

2:02:49 only school capable of absorbing a

2:02:51 reduction.

2:02:53 So, which leaves me with the question of

2:02:55 which specific factors led the

2:02:57 administration to choose FRR rather than

2:03:00 any of the alternatives.

2:03:02 My next question concerns equity. FRR,

2:03:05 as you know, is a Title 1 school.

2:03:07 Research consistently shows that smaller

2:03:10 class sizes in the early grades improve

2:03:12 outcomes, particularly for historically

2:03:14 underserved students.

2:03:16 Brookline's equity policy commits the

2:03:19 district to identifying and addressing

2:03:21 disparities in educational experiences

2:03:23 and opportunities.

2:03:25 Can this group explain how creating the

2:03:27 largest projected kindergarten classes

2:03:30 in a district at a Title 1 school is

2:03:32 consistent with that commitment?

2:03:35 My final question concerns risk. We've

2:03:37 been told enrollment remains fluid and

2:03:40 that it's too early to know what final

2:03:41 enrollment will look like. But if

2:03:43 enrollment projections are uncertain,

2:03:45 why are they sufficiently certain to

2:03:46 justify eliminating a K class at FRR

2:03:49 today?

2:03:50 And if those projections prove wrong,

2:03:52 FRR begins from a position of having the

2:03:54 largest projected K classes in the

2:03:56 district and may be forced to hire late

2:03:59 in the summer from a smaller teacher

2:04:00 candidate pool.

2:04:02 Since teacher quality matters alongside

2:04:04 class size, a late summer hiring

2:04:06 compounds the educational risks for

2:04:08 students.

2:04:10 What analysis supports concentrating

2:04:12 both the largest projected class sizes,

2:04:14 the greatest enrollment risk, and

2:04:16 teacher quality at Florida Ruffin

2:04:18 Ridley?

2:04:19 I believe everyone involved has the best

2:04:21 of intentions while navigating difficult

2:04:23 trade-offs. I'm asking for transparency

2:04:26 about a decision that appears to place a

2:04:28 disproportionate burden on one school

2:04:30 community. Thank you.

2:04:33 [applause]

2:04:36 Thank you, Jessica. So, Benny wasn't

2:04:38 here. How about Rosen Valtchev? Val-

2:04:41 Valtchev.

2:04:42 Uh they're later. So, doing

2:04:44 [clears throat]

2:04:44 two sections of

2:04:45 Oh, they'll do later?

2:04:45 They were told to come

2:04:46 Oh, they were told. Okay, cool. Okay,

2:04:48 great.

2:04:50 Um item number four on the agenda,

2:04:51 welcome

2:04:52 Annika Banerji from Brookline High

2:04:55 School, our new student representative.

2:04:57 And welcome, welcome, welcome, Annika.

2:05:00 And I've asked Annika to say a few words

2:05:02 about

2:05:03 who she is, what she's doing at the high

2:05:05 school, how she got chosen for this

2:05:07 position.

2:05:08 And yeah, that's it.

2:05:11 Thank you. My name is Annika Banerji and

2:05:13 I'm a sophomore at Brookline High

2:05:15 School. I'm really grateful to be here

2:05:17 in front of all of you and I'm really

2:05:18 looking forward to being the School

2:05:19 Committee representative for the

2:05:20 upcoming 2026 and 2027 school year. Just

2:05:24 a couple things about myself. I grew up

2:05:27 in Singapore and New York City, um both

2:05:29 very large cities with a lot of people.

2:05:32 And when I was in middle school, I moved

2:05:34 here to Brookline. And when I moved here

2:05:36 is when I realized that it's a lot more

2:05:39 than small town charm. I mean, firstly,

2:05:40 we're not a very small town.

2:05:42 And secondly, it's really the unique

2:05:46 dynamics and relationships in this town.

2:05:48 And since I've joined the high school,

2:05:50 I've become a part of our student-run

2:05:52 school newspaper, The Cypress. And there

2:05:55 I've had a chance to tell stories and

2:05:57 listen to stories of many other members

2:05:59 of our community.

2:06:00 And when running for this role, I really

2:06:02 wanted to share the sense of Brookline

2:06:05 that I have with everyone around me. And

2:06:08 I wanted to make sure that Brookline is

2:06:10 not just the town that we live in, but

2:06:13 it's our town that we live in. And I

2:06:15 hope that as a voice for our student

2:06:17 body at Brookline High School, I'm able

2:06:19 to bring some of that.

2:06:21 Thank you.

2:06:24 [applause]

2:06:25 How did How did you get selected for the

2:06:27 position?

2:06:28 Cuz it's pays a lot.

2:06:30 [laughter]

2:06:31 Um so, the requirement was you submitted

2:06:34 a written application and then you came

2:06:37 in for an interview in front of our

2:06:38 student government. And Brookline's very

2:06:40 unique. We have a very complex student

2:06:42 government with multiple branches and

2:06:45 you were required to give a speech to

2:06:47 the student council and then your own

2:06:50 student government would vote on whether

2:06:52 um, you would be an

2:06:54 acceptable candidate for the job.

2:06:56 So, you were elected like us.

2:06:58 Yeah, that's the first time.

2:06:59 I know. We're a peer group. Okay.

2:07:02 All right. Thank you, Annika, and we

2:07:03 look forward to having you here.

2:07:06 Um, okay.

2:07:08 Next up, presentations, discussions of

2:07:11 current issues. First up, Brookline's

2:07:13 METCO program presentation by Malcolm

2:07:16 Cawthorn. Welcome, Malcolm.

2:07:29 Hello and thank you for having me today.

2:07:31 It's a

2:07:32 a privilege and an honor to be here. Um,

2:07:35 it's a privilege and honor to talk about

2:07:36 METCO this evening.

2:07:38 Hopefully I'll present

2:07:40 well enough and provide time for some

2:07:43 questions. Um,

2:07:45 I'll also say, you know, at my core I'm

2:07:47 a classroom teacher.

2:07:49 I've been interrupted by the best of

2:07:50 them.

2:07:51 But if I say something that's kind of

2:07:53 like, wait, what? Just Yeah, just stop

2:07:54 me. Um,

2:07:56 and you'll probably do it in a more

2:07:58 polite way than 16-year-olds used to.

2:08:00 Um, I do want to make a a really

2:08:03 important comment as we get ready to

2:08:04 start and um,

2:08:07 you know,

2:08:09 last week they put a marker

2:08:11 in downtown Boston to represent Ruth

2:08:14 Batson and the NAACP's 14 demands of

2:08:17 Boston Public Schools.

2:08:19 And I think as we dive into this, it's

2:08:21 really important to recognize

2:08:23 Ruth Batson, the woman who who

2:08:25 what is often referred to her as the

2:08:27 mother of METCO,

2:08:29 but also that many people look at those

2:08:31 demands today

2:08:34 and see the same fight in front of us,

2:08:37 in this case 63 years later.

2:08:39 Uh but um as we talk about METCO, we'll

2:08:41 talk more about the 60th anniversary and

2:08:43 what that means. And so I think it's

2:08:45 really important to acknowledge that,

2:08:47 you know, speaking tonight, um

2:08:50 I'm speaking from a position of carrying

2:08:53 history with me.

2:08:55 Um

2:08:57 I'm not speaking for myself.

2:08:59 I'm speaking for a program

2:09:01 uh and for a town and for things that

2:09:04 mean a lot to a lot of people.

2:09:07 And so

2:09:09 thank you for the time. Um

2:09:12 I ain't, you know, telling Betsy what to

2:09:13 do, but

2:09:15 um

2:09:16 So this is a side with some history and

2:09:17 demographics. I think it's really

2:09:19 important um that we start in

2:09:22 remembering

2:09:24 that

2:09:25 much of the crucial things that led to

2:09:28 METCO happened in what is

2:09:31 this space, not exactly in

2:09:34 um construction because this building's

2:09:36 been

2:09:37 uh

2:09:38 you know, uh renovated multiple times,

2:09:40 but

2:09:41 you know, in 1964 is Brookline residents

2:09:44 from a civil rights group that came

2:09:45 before this committee

2:09:47 and said we need to help what's going on

2:09:49 in Boston, which most people don't

2:09:51 realize, like that you know, most people

2:09:53 take that to like 1974 and Judge Garrity

2:09:56 and all those other things. No, that's

2:09:58 in 1964.

2:10:00 And so it's really important to

2:10:01 acknowledge that. It's also really

2:10:02 important in '65 that then the

2:10:03 president, now what we call the chair,

2:10:06 took action on that.

2:10:08 Created ad hoc committee, worked with

2:10:09 Boston and Brookline civil rights

2:10:11 activists to help create what would be

2:10:13 the transfer program urban to suburban

2:10:16 for broke for students to come to

2:10:18 districts like Brookline.

2:10:20 Um

2:10:21 ultimately, you know, in '66

2:10:25 uh METCO is

2:10:26 uh incorporated, files papers with the

2:10:29 state.

2:10:30 And by September 8th, 1966, it is

2:10:33 running under a grant and ultimately

2:10:35 taken over under state funding.

2:10:38 Um and the last point I want to make is

2:10:41 in 1974, that's when Brookline gets its

2:10:43 first METCO director.

2:10:45 And I point that out not because it's

2:10:47 the same year as the Judge Garrity

2:10:49 decision,

2:10:50 but some of the first riders that I've

2:10:51 been talking to, when I say rider, r i d

2:10:54 e r, people who rode the bus,

2:10:57 they talk about what that experience was

2:10:59 like

2:11:00 with nobody there for them specifically.

2:11:04 That they were told just go to school.

2:11:07 Get on that bus, get there, and go to

2:11:09 school. Nobody was there for them. And

2:11:11 Pam King, who is a civil rights activist

2:11:14 to this day, who's the daughter of Mel

2:11:15 King,

2:11:16 she often talks about how hard it would

2:11:18 have been for her to send her kids to

2:11:20 METCO.

2:11:21 And then, not to pat myself on the back

2:11:23 cuz she's speaking about me

2:11:24 metaphorically, she's saying,

2:11:25 "But it would have been different if we

2:11:26 had a Malcolm."

2:11:28 If there was a director.

2:11:31 The same year we also hired a BHS

2:11:32 coordinator. So, uh that's, you know,

2:11:35 one of the long-standing names in this

2:11:37 town through school, Gretchen Underwood,

2:11:39 is that METCO coordinator in '74. And

2:11:41 so,

2:11:43 what I hope you'll see is, whoop, over

2:11:45 time, um

2:11:47 we've really progressed with METCO as

2:11:49 well as the town.

2:11:52 Okay. I think next slide. Let's see it.

2:11:55 Currently, we have 299 students.

2:11:58 We have a student capacity that is set

2:12:00 at 303 by DESE.

2:12:02 They're in all 8 K-8 schools. Some

2:12:05 districts do that different, um where

2:12:07 they like locate them in in certain

2:12:10 schools, and they're at BHS.

2:12:13 We currently have 18 staff members, and

2:12:15 And so important to think of in that

2:12:16 last point. That includes an executive

2:12:19 assistant, a BHS coordinator,

2:12:22 and an advisor, eight K8 advisors, three

2:12:25 social workers, and three bus monitors.

2:12:28 Maintaining student capacity is what

2:12:30 maintains the program's funding from

2:12:31 DESE.

2:12:33 So, for us to continue to have the staff

2:12:35 that we need, and I'll talk more about

2:12:38 that, it is really important

2:12:40 that we keep our numbers up, or else

2:12:43 that funding will be cut, and we won't

2:12:45 be able to serve METCO students the way

2:12:46 we need to.

2:12:48 I'm not going to really read over the

2:12:49 vision cuz that's

2:12:51 I'd worry about I think one of the

2:12:52 things that is most important

2:12:54 [clears throat]

2:12:54 the goal of METCO is to bring

2:12:56 integration and diversity in a multitude

2:12:58 of ways in the 21st century.

2:13:01 That is not limited to race, which is

2:13:03 what it was originally set to do.

2:13:05 Originally, it's described as a

2:13:07 desegregation program.

2:13:09 But, METCO brings

2:13:11 a host [snorts] of

2:13:13 diverse things, and I'll point out one.

2:13:16 You know, the shifts in the town of

2:13:18 Brookline have shifted populations in a

2:13:20 lot of ways.

2:13:22 A lot of our METCO families

2:13:25 represent

2:13:27 working class, middle class, and even

2:13:29 upper middle class folks of race that

2:13:32 don't necessarily live in the town of

2:13:34 Brookline.

2:13:36 Two years ago, Boston Magazine did

2:13:38 Boston's Black 100.

2:13:40 Four Brookline METCO parents were in

2:13:42 there.

2:13:44 Not METCO parents, Brookline METCO

2:13:45 parents.

2:13:46 And so, it is really important to kind

2:13:48 of grasp that piece,

2:13:50 um, but it's religious, it's cultural,

2:13:52 it's ethnic diversity, it's all those

2:13:53 things that METCO helps bring to our

2:13:55 district.

2:13:56 Um, next slide, Betsy.

2:14:00 This is our org chart.

2:14:02 Um,

2:14:04 this took a lot of work, not the design

2:14:06 itself, but to get where we're at. Um,

2:14:09 I saw two of the prior, um, directors,

2:14:12 Dr. Susie Tulu-Dar and Dr. Keith Lezama.

2:14:15 And they were like, "We can't believe

2:14:16 you did it." I I want to give both of

2:14:18 them credit for starting the the build,

2:14:21 in particular Keith Lezama starting to

2:14:23 move to getting an advisor at every

2:14:25 school. That is something principals

2:14:28 asked for.

2:14:29 That people were splitting schools, and

2:14:32 what it meant is they had to do really

2:14:33 hard decisions.

2:14:36 There's an intense issue at this one

2:14:38 school, and then there's an IEP where

2:14:40 they need a lot of support at another

2:14:41 school. Which one am I supposed to be at

2:14:43 if they're both at two?

2:14:46 And they couldn't.

2:14:48 It has helped [clears throat] enormously

2:14:51 having an advisor at every school.

2:14:53 And I want to point out the picture

2:14:55 there. Um

2:14:57 Joanne Sylva Enjoku could not be here

2:14:58 tonight. She's dealing with um some

2:15:01 personal and family issues.

2:15:02 She's often known as the origami lady.

2:15:05 She does that for a lot of things, helps

2:15:07 to get kids to open up, also helps with

2:15:09 the small motor skills and cultural

2:15:11 learning.

2:15:12 But Joanne was one of the people to be

2:15:14 honored tonight for 30 years of service.

2:15:16 And I wanted that picture in there cuz

2:15:18 she's retiring this year as well.

2:15:21 But she will retire

2:15:23 working for the town of Brookline and

2:15:24 for half of MECO's life

2:15:26 in Brookline.

2:15:29 And so I really want to make sure,

2:15:31 knowing she couldn't be here, that we at

2:15:33 least had a chance to honor and see a

2:15:35 little bit of her and her magic with

2:15:36 children in doing origami.

2:15:40 Thank you.

2:15:43 So,

2:15:45 I can't tell you how many times we have

2:15:46 How do you end up in MECO? Or I get a

2:15:48 phone call like, "Hey, can you pull my

2:15:49 kid in MECO?" That answer is almost

2:15:51 always no.

2:15:53 But

2:15:54 to give you you

2:15:56 It's important to know MECO incorporate

2:15:57 takes every application.

2:15:59 I never receive an application.

2:16:02 And then they run their lottery.

2:16:04 That is in the midst of changing. This

2:16:06 year they ran four separate lotteries.

2:16:08 The first one was in early December, and

2:16:10 there's dates and on like that.

2:16:13 Mekko meets with PSB enrollment, we get

2:16:15 a sense of space.

2:16:17 Brooklyn MicroSchools ask for referrals

2:16:19 from Mekko in late January early

2:16:20 February based upon that meeting with

2:16:22 enrollment. And what that really is

2:16:24 about is our senior class.

2:16:26 So, we wait until after mid-year exams,

2:16:29 where we can see pretty clearly are we

2:16:31 going to get people to graduate or not?

2:16:33 And that becomes the basis of our

2:16:34 starting point, but it's not the basis

2:16:37 of our

2:16:38 full intake as hopefully you will see.

2:16:41 We meet with enrollment, we talk with

2:16:42 it, we start to look, and then we start

2:16:43 to do that. And then,

2:16:45 once we start to get referrals,

2:16:48 we are only looking at that point for

2:16:51 two referrals.

2:16:52 Referrals for kindergarten,

2:16:54 and Mekko has what they call sibling

2:16:56 preference.

2:16:58 And so, if there's a sibling in the

2:17:00 district, that person can in essence

2:17:02 jump the lottery.

2:17:04 And so, that's where we start.

2:17:08 Once we get referrals, we start to hold

2:17:10 in-person

2:17:11 um and Zoom orientations. We try to do

2:17:14 them in person. We always offer a Zoom

2:17:16 for those that can't make it.

2:17:18 Then we do what we call family intake

2:17:19 meetings, where we meet one-on-one,

2:17:21 myself and one of those social workers,

2:17:23 to work with the family. We start to

2:17:25 gain lots of information.

2:17:28 Then we host kindergarten day. That was

2:17:30 in conjunction with the BEEP program.

2:17:32 They came in, they sat in on BEEP

2:17:33 classes. We wanted to see them

2:17:35 interacting in particular without mom

2:17:36 and dad next to them.

2:17:39 And then, we start to place families.

2:17:43 And that is a bit of a puzzle.

2:17:45 Cuz again, with siblings, we want to

2:17:46 make sure they're in the same school.

2:17:50 But we only have spaces so many. So, we

2:17:51 have to like work the puzzle so that we

2:17:53 can fit the spaces that were provided at

2:17:55 those places.

2:17:57 And so, you know, that's a it takes a

2:17:59 long time, and it's um

2:18:02 I would say well worth it. It helps us

2:18:05 really get to know families, introduce

2:18:07 them to ourselves and what MECO is, and

2:18:09 then place them as best as we can within

2:18:12 our schools to be successful, which is

2:18:14 hard with a four- or five-year-old

2:18:16 projecting until they're 18.

2:18:19 But,

2:18:20 we feel like we have enough information

2:18:21 to try. So, that's where we go.

2:18:24 All right. Next slide, please.

2:18:27 Our budgeting process, um,

2:18:29 DESE holds the information for our

2:18:30 distribution of funds. It's a budget

2:18:32 line in the state budget. Um, they carve

2:18:35 it up and tell us

2:18:37 um, DESE tells uh, Brookline state grant

2:18:39 money that will be received from that

2:18:40 line item. I found that out last Friday.

2:18:45 Now, you know, they give us clues a

2:18:46 little bit ahead of time.

2:18:48 But, the official that I got was last

2:18:49 Friday, and it's probably wrong.

2:18:52 And I only say that because the governor

2:18:53 hasn't signed it.

2:18:55 And so, while they're still negotiating

2:18:57 and doing everything else,

2:18:59 I could find out in July that it's a

2:19:01 little less than what we're supposed to

2:19:02 get, or I could find July it's a little

2:19:04 more, but that's how it works. We wait

2:19:06 for them, and they tell us, and then we

2:19:07 set a budget. The budget's then

2:19:09 submitted and approved by PSB Finance.

2:19:11 It is signed by the superintendent, and

2:19:12 then sent to DESE for approval.

2:19:16 DESE limits the way MECO money can be

2:19:18 spent. Any money spent has to

2:19:21 explicitly impact Brookline MECO, the

2:19:24 Brookline MECO program, and its

2:19:25 children. Doesn't mean it can't impact

2:19:28 Brookline kids.

2:19:30 But, if it's only impacting Brookline

2:19:31 kids, we will be cited. We have been

2:19:34 cited before. Um,

2:19:36 and so, I think it's really important to

2:19:38 know

2:19:39 that if I can't make the argument that

2:19:41 it's impacting MECO kids,

2:19:43 DESE can then say, "You have to shift

2:19:45 that money."

2:19:47 This is in particular

2:19:49 This happens a lot, particularly around

2:19:50 teachers.

2:19:51 Um,

2:19:53 as far as I know, I asked Susie to look

2:19:54 that up.

2:19:55 As early as 2011, the Brookline MECO

2:19:57 program has always played for paid for

2:19:59 PSB teachers.

2:20:02 This year is five, adding up to almost

2:20:04 $600,000.

2:20:06 That we just pay for. So, I think and we

2:20:09 have to make the argument which ones fit

2:20:12 and directly impact METCO.

2:20:14 And so, I think that's really important

2:20:15 for us to know.

2:20:16 Uh next slide, please.

2:20:20 So, you guys got an annual report.

2:20:22 We have three big goals this year. Um

2:20:25 you see a lot of pictures of our babies

2:20:26 and doing a lot of things, I'll say

2:20:29 a few things. We talk about uh caregiver

2:20:30 engagement, you can see a picture from

2:20:32 the parents we honored. Um

2:20:34 you also see some different pictures of

2:20:36 them as well. Um

2:20:38 and some of the pictures of our babies,

2:20:40 um

2:20:41 that's the top middle one is me reading

2:20:44 to

2:20:45 fourth graders. I can't believe I got up

2:20:46 off the floor after that, but

2:20:49 it was a it was a beautiful day last

2:20:50 Friday, actually. I was reading poetry.

2:20:52 Two of our graduates, one of our

2:20:54 graduates from Brown.

2:20:56 Uh the ca- the rising ninth grader day

2:20:58 at BHS. A group picture of our seniors

2:21:01 with Superintendent Wong, as well as

2:21:03 Anthony Meyer, BHS coordinator.

2:21:07 Um as well as one of our

2:21:09 big projects with MIT and the Sloan

2:21:12 School.

2:21:13 The other thing we're looking at are

2:21:14 successful academic transitions. I'll

2:21:16 talk more about that. Grade eight to

2:21:18 nine is the obvious in this town, but we

2:21:20 also have a lot. We're really focusing

2:21:22 next year on a pilot grade five to six.

2:21:24 I'll talk more about that. And then, we

2:21:26 really wanted to set up METCO turning 60

2:21:28 next year, which is a big deal.

2:21:31 It is a big deal. I'll explain more as

2:21:33 we get to that slide.

2:21:34 And so, next slide.

2:21:37 You know, did we meet them?

2:21:40 That's always the hardest thing. Um

2:21:42 I think we did well.

2:21:44 I think we have more work to do, and

2:21:45 you'll see some of these are going to be

2:21:47 on repeat. Um

2:21:49 and I'll go through these quickly. You

2:21:51 know, one of the things we want to do is

2:21:51 return to pre-COVID in-person and Zoom

2:21:53 parent meetings. We have coffee talks

2:21:55 every other month on Friday with parents

2:21:58 to to zoom and see what's going on.

2:22:00 Uh we have a community family engagement

2:22:02 advisor who does events for METCO and

2:22:04 community adults.

2:22:05 Uh we established a monthly newsletter

2:22:07 for caregivers, alumni, and community

2:22:08 members. I know that goes to school

2:22:10 committee. There's folks in this room

2:22:12 that aren't getting it, please let me

2:22:13 know. We will put you on there.

2:22:15 And then we uh started exit interviews

2:22:19 or an exit questionnaire this spring.

2:22:21 Um it's for graduating eighth graders,

2:22:23 12th graders, and their caregivers to

2:22:25 give us feedback as they're leaving each

2:22:28 school.

2:22:29 Um

2:22:31 we also let look for academic

2:22:33 transitions

2:22:34 led by our learning outcomes advisor who

2:22:35 also tracks grade data.

2:22:37 You saw the picture of the BHS eighth

2:22:38 grade uh visit with eight Well, stop.

2:22:41 They visit the eighth graders at their

2:22:43 school and they bring them to the high

2:22:44 school for a day.

2:22:46 Um we have a move on up ceremony that

2:22:48 some of you were at with the rising

2:22:49 ninth graders as well as the graduating

2:22:51 12th graders. And again, starting a

2:22:53 pilot for sixth grade at

2:22:55 Driscoll to help see successes in our

2:22:57 fifth graders going into from a single

2:22:59 classroom to meeting with five teachers

2:23:02 daily.

2:23:04 And then finally, METCO 60. We're

2:23:05 launching a summer writing project. I'll

2:23:07 make sure that gets to all of you.

2:23:09 Um there'll be a reading in November. We

2:23:11 want to establish METCO uh METCO Day.

2:23:14 Brookline METCO Day is September 8th.

2:23:15 That's the first day those buses rolled

2:23:17 in 1966.

2:23:18 We'll have panel conversations with the

2:23:20 first writers as well as

2:23:22 you know, part of my privilege and honor

2:23:23 in being here. Um

2:23:26 METCO's going into its 60th year.

2:23:29 Brookline has had five METCO directors.

2:23:33 I'm the fifth.

2:23:36 In four years, I have seen districts

2:23:38 have five METCO directors.

2:23:42 And so

2:23:43 that's why it's so serious for me and

2:23:44 such an honor, but it says a lot about

2:23:46 this town, this district, and what this

2:23:48 means that we've only had five

2:23:51 in 60 years.

2:23:54 Okay.

2:23:55 Um we're also going to do a little

2:23:56 celebrating at Meco Homecoming. We're

2:23:58 playing a Meco Career Day as well as um

2:24:00 one of those panels um as well as a

2:24:02 celebration and then um in February Meco

2:24:05 celebration.

2:24:06 Um yeah.

2:24:11 So, when I think about my leadership and

2:24:12 where we're going

2:24:14 it's it's been a it's been

2:24:17 a good fruitful ride and there's been

2:24:18 things that have been really hard that I

2:24:20 don't want to dwell on, but because

2:24:22 those things have been hard,

2:24:23 establishing consistency has been hard.

2:24:25 And so, you'll hear me saying that

2:24:26 throughout these leadership and

2:24:27 directions. And one of the things is to

2:24:29 establish consistency in the Brookline

2:24:31 Meco staff and organizational structure

2:24:33 so that the Meco program grows with new

2:24:36 central admin in schools.

2:24:38 Um

2:24:39 you know

2:24:40 uh

2:24:41 it's it's been it's been complicated yet

2:24:44 fruitful as all the changes have

2:24:45 happened here as well as in the schools.

2:24:48 Um and so, we want to make sure we're

2:24:51 firm on the ground so that we can work

2:24:53 with all the changes. And part of that

2:24:55 is that advisor in every school, making

2:24:57 sure we have SEL to help cover

2:25:00 and really building the program. I think

2:25:02 we're we're done growing in that way.

2:25:05 Now it's to solidify what that means

2:25:07 and how we interact with schools and

2:25:09 central central admin.

2:25:11 We want to establish consistent

2:25:12 communication connection between Meco

2:25:14 staff, schools, caregivers, and both

2:25:16 Boston and Brookline communities. This

2:25:18 is complicated and it's one of the

2:25:19 things we'll get to a little bit more,

2:25:20 but

2:25:21 in establishing that, what what it means

2:25:24 is

2:25:24 you know, how do people know to look for

2:25:26 our information? Is it email? Is it the

2:25:28 newsletter? When we work with parents,

2:25:30 [clears throat]

2:25:31 um particularly around the bus, which oh

2:25:35 I tell Kefa Zama every time he told me

2:25:37 about the bus. I I think I don't know.

2:25:39 But what we found is texting works

2:25:42 better with parents around the bus.

2:25:44 So, we've we've been hounding for

2:25:45 numbers like, "Hey, the bus is 5 minutes

2:25:47 late." So, we text them.

2:25:48 And that's worked so much better, but

2:25:50 finding that consistent method is really

2:25:52 hard. It's taken a lot of trial and

2:25:54 error. And so, how do we do that as well

2:25:56 as thinking about what that means with

2:25:58 communicating with schools, what that

2:25:59 means with communicating with teachers,

2:26:01 all those things. Um you know, I would

2:26:03 say the great and terrible is Brookline

2:26:05 has eight wonderfully different K8s.

2:26:10 And I always thought they should be

2:26:11 different.

2:26:12 They reach very different populations.

2:26:14 They have very different setups,

2:26:15 everything else.

2:26:17 But, that means we have to figure that

2:26:18 out every time.

2:26:19 And so, you know, I I think it's a good

2:26:21 challenge, but it is a challenge.

2:26:24 Um we want to establish consistent

2:26:25 support and partnerships for students

2:26:27 and families and create paths

2:26:29 and opportunities for students to and

2:26:30 families to grow upon graduation. So,

2:26:33 one of the

2:26:34 easiest ones to point out is building

2:26:35 bridges in the college proven program,

2:26:37 which we've contracted with before for a

2:26:38 while. They do college coaching as well

2:26:41 as promote historically black colleges

2:26:42 and universities. But, this is also

2:26:44 something we share with other programs

2:26:46 at the high school in particular, Steps

2:26:47 to Success and um

2:26:50 AALSP.

2:26:51 Um

2:26:53 we want to establish accountability that

2:26:54 can be shared and merged with PSB, METCO

2:26:55 Inc., and METCO Directors Association.

2:26:58 I've said we've been on a like full

2:27:00 sprint since April break.

2:27:02 And that's not bad.

2:27:05 It's not.

2:27:06 Um

2:27:07 an example of this collaboration is

2:27:10 uh Friday when we had the May 29th when

2:27:12 we had that end of the year celebration.

2:27:15 That was also the same day as the 7th

2:27:16 and 8th grade track meet.

2:27:18 It was also the same day the METCO

2:27:19 Directors decided to do their middle

2:27:20 school retreat.

2:27:22 Yeah, we have to collaborate that

2:27:23 better.

2:27:24 [laughter]

2:27:24 We have to figure that out. And um and

2:27:27 so, yeah, I mean, it's it's just it's

2:27:29 just to continue the work in in

2:27:30 collaborating so that our kids can have

2:27:33 every opportunity cuz all three of those

2:27:34 are or

2:27:35 opportunities.

2:27:36 And we don't want our kids to miss any

2:27:38 of them.

2:27:39 But some had to because of all that, you

2:27:42 know, crossing and they just couldn't

2:27:43 get to all of them. And then the last

2:27:45 thing is establishing consistent metrics

2:27:47 to explore the Brookline METCO program's

2:27:49 effectiveness.

2:27:50 So,

2:27:51 that's program effectiveness, that's

2:27:52 student

2:27:54 performance, that's all kinds of things.

2:27:56 Um

2:27:57 And I think we're now at a point where

2:27:58 we can really do that. We've hit the

2:27:59 strength, we've hit the met and we're

2:28:01 trying to figure out what are those

2:28:02 consistent met metrics that we use every

2:28:04 year.

2:28:06 Next slide.

2:28:11 So, data collection.

2:28:13 I think one of the things that's really

2:28:14 important in this is a chance to see

2:28:15 METCO in its distinct light.

2:28:18 I think what happens a lot with METCO is

2:28:20 um we get lumped in a combination with

2:28:23 other racial groups or other programs.

2:28:25 And so,

2:28:27 we've worked really hard to try and

2:28:28 separate. I would say METCO Incorporated

2:28:30 has as well.

2:28:32 Um

2:28:33 in that presentation there's a link to

2:28:34 the executive summary of the Seton

2:28:36 report that was commissioned by uh METCO

2:28:39 Inc.

2:28:40 that went from really

2:28:42 2002 to 2020.

2:28:45 Um

2:28:46 it was a really long study. It looked at

2:28:48 a lot of different things. I won't go

2:28:49 into it, but that was done through METCO

2:28:51 Inc. to help show the effectiveness of

2:28:52 METCO. We also have a learning outcomes

2:28:54 advisor, Mr. Loren Green.

2:28:57 He was hired by that um under the past

2:28:59 uh director and I have kept him. He is

2:29:03 his value to us is hard to actually

2:29:05 measure

2:29:06 um

2:29:07 because he looks specifically at

2:29:08 Brookline METCO data.

2:29:10 And so, he helps in so many ways to help

2:29:13 paint a picture of what METCO is doing

2:29:15 and what we're doing well and where we

2:29:17 need work and where we need to work with

2:29:18 the schools.

2:29:19 So,

2:29:20 the next bullet, METCO students on

2:29:21 average have a higher GPA than resident

2:29:24 black and Latinx students. That's from

2:29:26 Green's research and his data collection

2:29:28 and along with what was then called the

2:29:30 BHS data team, which I don't know if

2:29:31 that

2:29:32 is still called that.

2:29:34 [laughter]

2:29:34 But, they had a data team that was

2:29:35 looking and they were starting to find,

2:29:37 "Wow, like METCO kids score really well

2:29:40 in comparison to things that they often

2:29:41 lumped into."

2:29:43 Um

2:29:45 99.97%

2:29:46 of Brookline METCO students graduate

2:29:48 from BHS.

2:29:50 We have had one student not graduate

2:29:54 since the turn of the century.

2:29:57 And [gasps and sighs] so, that says a

2:29:58 lot.

2:29:59 80% attend four-year college.

2:30:02 That mostly comes from the Satcher and

2:30:04 Report as well as some other things. And

2:30:05 then, we want to use Brookline METCO

2:30:07 data to identify gaps and problematic

2:30:09 data points within PSB and Brookline

2:30:11 METCO. And so, part of the reason we

2:30:13 talked a lot about transitions, we were

2:30:15 noticing some really

2:30:17 disturbing dips.

2:30:19 Kids doing very well in certain subjects

2:30:21 in eighth grade, then all of a sudden in

2:30:22 ninth grade not performing well.

2:30:24 And so, our goal is not to point fingers

2:30:27 at that.

2:30:28 It's to be in a collaborative mode to

2:30:30 work with

2:30:32 whatever's happening in eighth grade and

2:30:34 helping ninth grade and fix that

2:30:35 transition so we can see something

2:30:37 that's similar in performance.

2:30:40 Okay, next slide.

2:30:44 Family and community engagement. We have

2:30:45 a family community engagement advisor,

2:30:47 her name is Vina Harvey.

2:30:49 A lot of people know her cuz she seems

2:30:51 to be the face. She's the one who's

2:30:52 always running around getting table

2:30:53 cloths and like, you know, cuz she's

2:30:55 running all the community stuff.

2:30:57 But, I think what is missed in that is

2:30:58 how hard

2:31:00 she works from not just METCO to look

2:31:02 good, but also to build bonds beyond

2:31:05 just within METCO.

2:31:07 And so, some of the family and community

2:31:08 events

2:31:09 for students and families, we have

2:31:10 roller skating, we have bowling, we have

2:31:12 family fun day that was just last

2:31:13 Saturday. For adults, we do the It Takes

2:31:15 a Village. We have our gala. And then,

2:31:17 we try to give back. We do the METCO

2:31:19 appreciation breakfast at BHS.

2:31:22 And we do Janet Morse Awards to

2:31:23 recognize caregivers who help so often.

2:31:27 We also try to link METCO to BHS and

2:31:29 Brookline communities. So, we invite all

2:31:31 PSB students to the roller skating party

2:31:32 in Dorchester.

2:31:34 And some come, some don't, but it's an

2:31:35 invitation. Come on out. Um It Takes a

2:31:38 Village is an opportunity, some of you

2:31:40 were there, to meet with school

2:31:41 committee, central office, school

2:31:42 leadership. It's a chance to build those

2:31:44 bonds outside of town and school

2:31:47 buildings.

2:31:48 And then we also do the G. McGuire

2:31:49 Awards, where we recognize PSB staff

2:31:52 for all that they do for our students

2:31:54 and PSB.

2:31:56 And then, how do we measure the METCO

2:31:58 family experience? So, we talked about

2:31:59 the exit questionnaires. That's new this

2:32:01 spring.

2:32:02 Um I do want to say one thing. I

2:32:04 purposely

2:32:05 don't have information on that yet,

2:32:07 mostly cuz they grads haven't graduated,

2:32:09 but also I wanted parents and kids to

2:32:12 say what they wanted to say.

2:32:14 And it doesn't come to me. It goes to

2:32:16 Lauren Green.

2:32:18 And part of the reason for that is that

2:32:20 I And I told parents was like, "I want

2:32:21 you to feel free to say If you have to

2:32:22 critique me, let's do it."

2:32:25 You guys can Let's do it. So, that way

2:32:27 they're not worried about saying things

2:32:29 about me and it coming to me directly.

2:32:31 Um

2:32:33 we did the revival parent meetings, and

2:32:35 we reestablished the Brookline METCO

2:32:36 parent group.

2:32:39 Bless you.

2:32:40 Next slide, please.

2:32:44 So,

2:32:45 well, the goal to have the uh annual

2:32:47 report is by July 31st. Part of that is

2:32:49 because we need final grades.

2:32:51 Um

2:32:52 and we need some time to assess some of

2:32:54 those things, but one of the things we

2:32:55 really want to do, and this is what I'm

2:32:57 anticipating,

2:32:59 um we'll put it into firm language in

2:33:02 the um annual report. We want to do a

2:33:03 closer examine of attendance and its

2:33:05 correlation to academic SEL performance,

2:33:08 and working with our schools for earlier

2:33:09 intervention on poor attendance.

2:33:12 Um

2:33:13 you know, and again, the idea is working

2:33:14 with them, cuz I think sometimes that

2:33:16 gets lost in the shuffle, particularly

2:33:17 when METCO provides a bus.

2:33:19 Right? Whose responsibility is it for

2:33:21 attendance? Well, it's all of our

2:33:22 responsibility. So, how do we coordinate

2:33:24 that? We're going to develop

2:33:26 district-wide plan for Meco grade 5

2:33:27 through 6 transition, which I talked a

2:33:29 little bit about. Um

2:33:31 you know, that move from single

2:33:32 classroom into multiple classrooms and

2:33:34 what that means, as well as beginning to

2:33:36 explore data-informed transition for

2:33:38 grade 2 through 2 through 3. One of the

2:33:41 really interesting things, um

2:33:43 I talked about a little bit of dip in

2:33:44 9th grade. What we see though for Meco

2:33:46 kids is they get progressively better

2:33:48 over high school.

2:33:51 So, when you look at a a group's grades

2:33:52 in 9th grade, that group looks better in

2:33:55 10th, and they look better

2:33:57 again in 11th and in 12th.

2:34:01 One of my theories, and I'm going to

2:34:03 make it a theory, is that there's

2:34:05 actually less transitions in high

2:34:06 school.

2:34:09 The schedule stays the same. You have

2:34:11 the same guidance counselor. You have

2:34:13 the same dean. You have the same Meco

2:34:15 staff.

2:34:16 That's not true in the K8s.

2:34:19 It shifts a lot. So, I'm not saying that

2:34:22 it I know that's what we have to do,

2:34:23 right? And so, what my our goal is to

2:34:26 look at how can we help our kids

2:34:27 anticipate that and our families

2:34:29 anticipate that, move from Google

2:34:30 Classroom to Canvas.

2:34:34 And as a teacher who taught at the high

2:34:35 school, knowing

2:34:37 Canvas can be easily manipulated by

2:34:39 smart young people when they want to.

2:34:41 Had a lot of talks with parents about

2:34:43 well, he said he turned it in and I look

2:34:45 yeah anyway, how to help that?

2:34:48 We have to look at 5 6 as well as 2

2:34:49 through 3.

2:34:51 And then the last thing, which I already

2:34:52 meant, that balanced calendar

2:34:54 with the schools so our kids and

2:34:57 families can have the riches of

2:34:59 everything.

2:35:00 Uh next slide.

2:35:04 So, Meco Meco 60, we're going to theme

2:35:06 60 years of excellence, solidarity and

2:35:08 tradition has created thousands of

2:35:09 diamonds.

2:35:11 I would ask that you please consider

2:35:12 writing.

2:35:14 We're doing a summer writing project.

2:35:15 We're looking for community members.

2:35:17 Um also, when it comes in September,

2:35:19 purchasing some Meco 60 merch.

2:35:22 It will go to the Meco 60 stuff, but you

2:35:24 know, a lot of people see the stuff

2:35:26 around town like, "Oh, how do I get a

2:35:27 Meco sweatshirt?" That's one way.

2:35:29 Um or attending at least one event. Um

2:35:32 full finalized calendars will be

2:35:34 distributed August 1st.

2:35:36 Um please help us get September 8th to

2:35:38 be recognized as Meco Day. I've been

2:35:40 meeting with town officials. We're going

2:35:41 to try and go through town meeting in

2:35:42 the fall.

2:35:43 We feel like it's important after 60

2:35:45 years for the town.

2:35:47 Every September 8th is Meco Day.

2:35:49 And I don't know what that means beyond

2:35:51 saying that.

2:35:53 But sometimes you just need a stamp for

2:35:56 posterity.

2:35:58 Cuz there'll be a kid long after all of

2:35:59 us are here and be like, "What's Meco 60

2:36:01 What's that? Meco Day?" Yeah, that's the

2:36:03 first day the writers came

2:36:04 in 1966. Here's that story.

2:36:07 And then, please support us in getting

2:36:10 We're looking at um a filmmaker and a

2:36:12 historian to document Brookline Meco's

2:36:13 history and our narrative. I think

2:36:15 that's really important. I think when I

2:36:17 hear a lot of um

2:36:20 information that kind of comes jumbled

2:36:22 or is confusing for me,

2:36:24 it's because um

2:36:27 uh Meco has been very good at like

2:36:30 uh supporting and pushing out and and

2:36:33 and protecting and [clears throat]

2:36:34 advocating for our students and

2:36:36 families.

2:36:37 Uh as an old history teacher, I don't

2:36:39 think we've been great at establishing

2:36:41 what Meco is

2:36:42 and then saying what it is and then

2:36:44 having a document to say what it is and

2:36:46 then having a document in every library

2:36:47 to say what it is.

2:36:49 And so, this is stuff we're really

2:36:51 thinking of doing. You know, we talked

2:36:52 about the writing, that's going to be

2:36:53 one thing, but we really want something

2:36:55 that's documentary

2:36:57 that can be online somewhere and every

2:36:59 teacher can pull it up, as well as uh

2:37:01 having a historian write something.

2:37:04 All right.

2:37:06 And so, final thoughts. Um

2:37:10 you know, I think

2:37:12 Meco provides Brookline a chance to

2:37:13 stand tall in unison about our

2:37:14 commitment to METCO.

2:37:16 Um

2:37:18 and it is an opportunity

2:37:20 that, you know, I think, you know, we

2:37:22 have to take.

2:37:24 I think it's a chance for

2:37:25 Brookline to separate itself from other

2:37:26 districts for inclusion and excellence

2:37:29 in our commitment to METCO.

2:37:30 There's 33 METCO districts tied to

2:37:32 Boston. There's another six tied to

2:37:33 Springfield.

2:37:35 When you ask, most are envious of

2:37:37 Brookline.

2:37:40 There's a reason for that. There's a lot

2:37:41 that goes into that. I think we have a

2:37:43 chance to separate ourselves in our

2:37:45 greatness.

2:37:48 There's a chance to be leaders amongst

2:37:49 Boston METCO and suburban Brookline

2:37:51 partnerships. Some people are in here

2:37:53 today because we've had great

2:37:54 relationships. So, with Baffin and

2:37:56 Brookline, METCO Cares has been a really

2:37:59 good one. About 10% [clears throat] of

2:38:01 our students are identified as Asian A A

2:38:04 A H N P I. Um and so, working with

2:38:09 Baffin has been great relationship.

2:38:11 We've had a great relationship with

2:38:12 Temple Ohabei Shalom. Um in particular

2:38:14 uh they did after school care for us. We

2:38:17 still have kids who go there for after

2:38:18 school care. We couldn't actually supply

2:38:20 it fiscally. It wasn't making sense

2:38:22 anymore.

2:38:23 Um but kids, particularly from Ridley

2:38:25 and Lawrence, still go. As well as they

2:38:27 hosted our first um queer kids of color

2:38:30 unity conference.

2:38:32 And so, that all comes from a lot of

2:38:34 work with us and, you know, I was

2:38:36 fortunate enough to to speak at at

2:38:39 Temple Ohabei Shalom for their 180th

2:38:41 anniversary in my first year as METCO

2:38:43 director to talk about black and Jewish

2:38:45 relations. So, I think that's a

2:38:46 beautiful relationship that we have.

2:38:49 Um Brookline METCO and for the culture

2:38:52 um particularly tied to Juneteenth and

2:38:54 other things is something that's really

2:38:56 powerful for us.

2:38:57 Um

2:38:59 and Brookline METCO and Brookline Muslim

2:39:00 friends is something that we build on.

2:39:02 Um

2:39:03 and and have worked to really establish

2:39:06 But again, the chance to be leaders then

2:39:08 to be a shining beacon

2:39:09 and be the example for other districts.

2:39:13 And last, um

2:39:15 we want the chance to build an alumni

2:39:16 network for Brookline METCO.

2:39:19 Somebody I went to school with, Laura

2:39:21 Nelson,

2:39:22 is an incredible political strategist. I

2:39:24 say incredible like led the campaigns

2:39:27 for Elizabeth Warren, Ed Markey,

2:39:29 Ayanna Pressley.

2:39:31 She's a Brookline METCO grad.

2:39:34 The current um I'm going to forget the

2:39:36 name. [clears throat]

2:39:38 Uh is for community engagement for Mayor

2:39:40 Wu is a Brookline METCO grad.

2:39:43 And we have the I mean there's so many

2:39:45 more. I can go into the cool stuff like

2:39:47 a guy graduated Jay Pope who makes music

2:39:49 for Dr. Dre and everybody like

2:39:51 like I mean it for real. Like we have a

2:39:53 huge network and so I I would need your

2:39:55 help.

2:39:57 Cuz I know a lot of people that been

2:39:58 around for a long time, but I don't know

2:39:59 everybody

2:40:01 and I don't have all the resources. So,

2:40:03 you know, we have a chance to build a

2:40:04 real alumni network that's huge. And

2:40:06 again, it'll make us all look good.

2:40:09 All right. I think that's my final real

2:40:10 slide, Betsy.

2:40:13 I think.

2:40:13 Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Tito

2:40:15 Jackson, have that. He ran for mayor.

2:40:17 Tito Jackson's great.

2:40:18 He ran for mayor, city council.

2:40:21 Um

2:40:21 Yeah.

2:40:22 I would say entrepreneur now.

2:40:24 Absolutely.

2:40:25 [laughter]

2:40:25 Um hard to bring him to school for what

2:40:27 he's doing in entrepreneurship, but yes.

2:40:29 Right.

2:40:30 Um and and what he's doing is fine. Like

2:40:31 I don't have an issue with it, but

2:40:33 probably not to bring to middle school.

2:40:34 Okay. Bella, you want to say something?

2:40:36 Sure. Thank you. Thank you, Malcolm.

2:40:39 Um

2:40:40 I've had the privilege to either live or

2:40:42 work for seven different METCO school

2:40:44 districts out of the 33 and I would say

2:40:47 that Brookline has always been the star.

2:40:51 Um some years ago I met Malcolm for the

2:40:53 first time and you might have been just

2:40:54 new. We were in Roxbury.

2:40:56 And I remember meeting you and um I've

2:40:59 worked with a a of um different METCO

2:41:01 directors and I remember thinking then,

2:41:04 oh, Brookline has a good one.

2:41:06 [laughter]

2:41:07 Um

2:41:08 the one thing that that Malcolm

2:41:11 mentioned, when this when the office of

2:41:14 when the OEE was eliminated

2:41:17 um many may not remember that MECO was

2:41:20 part of OEE. So, when OEE was

2:41:23 eliminated, that was a big transition

2:41:26 and adjustment and I think Malcolm

2:41:28 speaks to that somewhat and the

2:41:31 transition and regaining your footing.

2:41:33 Um

2:41:36 it's not just 60 years, it's um

2:41:40 it's there's a legacy.

2:41:42 There's a legacy

2:41:44 of um

2:41:45 MECO program in Brookline that

2:41:50 I think it is different than another

2:41:52 districts and what I hear Malcolm saying

2:41:55 I would support is to lean into that

2:41:58 difference

2:42:00 and um

2:42:01 in in leadership and guidance. The other

2:42:04 MECO programs have not had the stability

2:42:07 that Brookline has had either in its

2:42:10 staffing or in its leadership. While

2:42:13 Malcolm is in his fourth year, he has a

2:42:15 history with um Brookline public schools

2:42:18 or public schools of Brookline

2:42:20 and so it all

2:42:22 it's it's uh

2:42:24 there is a lot of potential here and we

2:42:27 could take it to the next level in terms

2:42:30 of just

2:42:31 being the standard.

2:42:33 Um I had the privilege of being part of

2:42:37 attending these end of year celebrations

2:42:40 um not just for the students, but these

2:42:43 community galas, the little ga- there

2:42:45 was like the big gala, the little galas

2:42:48 um and that Vina Harvey

2:42:51 Vina Harvey, yeah.

2:42:52 Vina Harvey has has created

2:42:56 I've been in so many districts where

2:42:58 they try to create events and and and

2:43:00 people don't show up. People don't feel

2:43:03 like they're part of a community. And so

2:43:05 here, it's it's it's a big deal. People

2:43:09 come out and they enjoy each other and

2:43:11 there's this

2:43:12 amazing culture.

2:43:14 So, I've never seen anything like that

2:43:16 in other districts. It's really powerful

2:43:18 here. And as I've said, one of the

2:43:21 things about Brookline is geographically

2:43:23 where we're located. We're we're

2:43:26 bordered by Boston and so it we tap into

2:43:29 that urban energy and diversity, but we

2:43:33 all are definitely a suburb and and we

2:43:36 are resourced. And so we end up with a

2:43:40 really enriched environment and I think

2:43:43 the METCO METCO program reflects that as

2:43:45 well.

2:43:46 Um but we there's a lot I feel like

2:43:50 you've re-stabilized where, you know,

2:43:53 with without having the OE. And um also

2:43:58 you're in your you've completed your

2:43:59 fourth year. And while you've been part

2:44:02 of Brookline, it's just a different part

2:44:05 of of of being able to

2:44:08 expand you spread your wings and be that

2:44:10 leader. So, I I think there's a lot to

2:44:13 be proud of, proud of our METCO

2:44:15 director, part of our program.

2:44:17 And um

2:44:19 just, you know, we stand on the

2:44:20 shoulders of those that were before us

2:44:22 and I feel that what we see in Brookline

2:44:25 is very much that.

2:44:27 So, thank you.

2:44:28 Thank you.

2:44:29 Carolyn.

2:44:31 Thanks.

2:44:33 Thank you. That was awesome.

2:44:36 So, I've paid attention to stuff for a

2:44:39 long time and this is my

2:44:41 the end of my second year on the school

2:44:43 committee. And I think this is the first

2:44:44 opportunity that I've had to hear all of

2:44:48 this and I was just really riveted and

2:44:53 um um

2:44:55 there's so much that you just told us

2:44:57 that I didn't know.

2:44:58 Yeah.

2:45:00 That I didn't know. And I also just feel

2:45:03 like my understanding just went

2:45:06 like

2:45:06 Yeah.

2:45:07 And I really was and and

2:45:10 So thank you.

2:45:11 Um

2:45:12 I still might have a couple technical

2:45:14 questions which don't have to be

2:45:16 tonight. They could be another time.

2:45:18 But right off the bat

2:45:20 I was really struck when you talked

2:45:23 about

2:45:24 someone there for them. And I wrote that

2:45:27 down. And then you talked about riders.

2:45:30 Mhm.

2:45:32 And I felt

2:45:34 um

2:45:36 more understanding

2:45:38 Yeah.

2:45:38 of what it might be like

2:45:40 to be a METCO student. And obviously

2:45:42 there hopefully we are providing

2:45:46 benefits.

2:45:48 Um

2:45:48 But I think I felt the vulnerability

2:45:51 Mhm.

2:45:52 that I I imagine must be there for

2:45:55 children, little babies

2:45:58 Yeah.

2:45:58 getting on a bus.

2:46:00 Yeah.

2:46:00 So I'm also really interested in your

2:46:04 aspiration

2:46:06 to um do a history and film. Has there

2:46:11 been

2:46:13 a film or or larger history about METCO

2:46:17 generally?

2:46:18 Yes, there's there's actually a few

2:46:20 documentaries done. Um the current CEO

2:46:23 was actually shadowed by a Emerson

2:46:25 student for her master's thesis. So

2:46:27 there's a and we have copies of that

2:46:29 called um

2:46:31 uh Far From Home

2:46:33 about Candace Sumner who's now the CEO

2:46:34 for METCO.

2:46:36 It's 40 something minutes long. We used

2:46:38 to show it in Race Reel. So it's been a

2:46:40 while since I've been connected to Race

2:46:41 Reel. So I just don't remember exactly.

2:46:43 But there's other ones too. There was

2:46:44 one that came out kind of during COVID.

2:46:46 I just remember the Boston Globe did a

2:46:47 movie

2:46:48 The Globe did the big piece.

2:46:50 Yeah, but they also did a movie thing

2:46:52 cuz cuz people could stream it and like

2:46:54 it was a series and there was a movie

2:46:55 about METCO there. There's also some

2:46:57 books and there's some

2:46:59 There's some books that are also kind of

2:47:00 um

2:47:02 adjacent for lack of a better term. So

2:47:04 So part of the books that talk about

2:47:05 Boston bussing will often have at least

2:47:08 some references to METCO.

2:47:09 Right.

2:47:10 But I don't know of anything that is

2:47:12 specific to Brookline METCO.

2:47:13 Yeah.

2:47:14 And so um when I became the high school

2:47:17 coordinator when the first you know, my

2:47:18 history self one of the first questions

2:47:20 I asked was do we have a list? Like who

2:47:22 was the first graduate?

2:47:24 And I said, "No."

2:47:25 I said,

2:47:26 "Eh, do you have something? I'll I'll go

2:47:28 research. I'll find it." Not really.

2:47:31 I knew 75 kids went and there's some

2:47:32 stuff in the Brookline room

2:47:34 that is

2:47:36 enlightening but not specific and just

2:47:38 as a history one of the things METCO

2:47:40 Incorporated did

2:47:43 is they really worked to record how they

2:47:44 established METCO Inc.

2:47:47 So like all the state papers and all

2:47:49 those other things, that's what they

2:47:50 really saved and that's in

2:47:51 Northeastern's archives.

2:47:53 But it's not a people-oriented history.

2:47:56 And so I would love to have that.

2:47:59 And that's why we tried to build that

2:48:00 alumni network. We We've identified

2:48:02 Unfortunately, this is the past month we

2:48:04 found out one of the original writers

2:48:06 passed away. Most of them

2:48:08 um

2:48:10 you know, they're in

2:48:11 well,

2:48:12 they're more mature.

2:48:14 Um but yeah, they and so they hear but

2:48:17 but to show you how powerful it is, one

2:48:20 of the women who graduated in 1969,

2:48:22 which is the first large class, we did

2:48:24 find out Teresa Bowling of the famous

2:48:26 Bowling family. She graduated in 1968 2

2:48:29 months after MLK died. She's the only um

2:48:32 junior we took in in that first group in

2:48:34 '66.

2:48:35 Um

2:48:36 but one of the women who graduated in

2:48:37 '69

2:48:39 was like, "You know, Malcolm, I I to

2:48:40 help some Brookline seniors."

2:48:42 Gave a thousand dollars to be split for

2:48:44 two scholarships for our kids.

2:48:46 And just did it. Like

2:48:48 didn't didn't ask for much except for

2:48:49 our, you know,

2:48:51 our tax exempt status so she could file

2:48:52 her work. But [laughter] other than

2:48:54 that,

2:48:55 you know, next thing you know, we got a

2:48:55 check. And so it's been great making

2:48:58 those relationships. And

2:49:00 we have a long way to go. We have a lot

2:49:02 of people that we stay in touch with.

2:49:03 Mhm. Mhm.

2:49:05 Can I ask one quick Just because it's on

2:49:08 topic, can I just say that the

2:49:10 the American Experience documentary

2:49:12 called the bussing battleground that was

2:49:14 done on METCO was done by a local

2:49:17 documentary Brookline documentary

2:49:19 filmmaker Sharon Greenberg. So I just

2:49:21 wanted

2:49:21 I appreciate that.

2:49:23 Thanks. Sorry.

2:49:24 Um

2:49:26 do

2:49:27 do all of our METCO students start in

2:49:31 kindergarten or there times when a

2:49:34 student comes in in a different grade?

2:49:36 The overwhelming majority of our

2:49:37 students start in kindergarten. Um and

2:49:40 that comes from

2:49:41 graduation. Like this year we had a

2:49:43 smaller class cuz it's all by space. We

2:49:44 have 20 kids. And so

2:49:47 you know, we have close to 20

2:49:48 kindergartners coming in.

2:49:50 Uh what makes it a little tricky, and I

2:49:51 always say like, you know,

2:49:53 intake for METCO is is more of a puzzle

2:49:55 than like a lottery. So

2:49:58 um

2:50:00 we had a couple families who then had

2:50:02 older siblings, right? And so

2:50:05 we don't promise them that, but we'll

2:50:06 say, "Listen, we think we can, you know,

2:50:08 and I and I go and work with enrollment

2:50:10 and say, "Hey,

2:50:11 you know, do we have a space if we took

2:50:13 this kindergartner or second grader?" We

2:50:15 try to keep them very young so that they

2:50:17 can matriculate all the way through.

2:50:19 And we also get funky stuff. Like

2:50:22 uh you know, kids where, you know,

2:50:25 a kid's in private school, their kid

2:50:26 gets into METCO, and then later on

2:50:28 they're like, "Yeah, we like Brookline

2:50:28 better than the private school. Do you

2:50:29 have space?" And they have sibling

2:50:31 preference, so they jump the lottery,

2:50:32 but it's still based upon space. So I

2:50:34 can't just place least kid, right? Like

2:50:36 they have to have space. and then it

2:50:37 gets tricky cuz we want to keep them

2:50:38 together.

2:50:40 And so if that school doesn't have that

2:50:42 space, you know, it can be tricky, but

2:50:44 yeah, I mean, we don't Yeah, I mean

2:50:48 Mostly K.

2:50:49 It's it's overwhelming majority

2:50:50 kindergarten.

2:50:52 Thanks.

2:50:53 Yeah.

2:50:53 I don't know.

2:50:55 All right. Am I supposed to acknowledge

2:50:56 people or

2:50:58 Okay. No, I know Oh,

2:50:59 Bob should acknowledge.

2:51:01 I'm sorry.

2:51:01 All right. Sorry, I didn't know if I

2:51:03 should acknowledge people who raise

2:51:04 their hand or if you're supposed to.

2:51:05 It's my job. You kidding me?

2:51:06 Go ahead. You got it. I I don't need any

2:51:09 more work.

2:51:10 [laughter]

2:51:11 Thank you so much, Malcolm. I wanted to

2:51:12 ask relatedly I've

2:51:14 uh-huh met a lot of students not in

2:51:16 Brookline um who are in the METCO

2:51:18 program in other school districts and

2:51:20 they've um like moved between districts.

2:51:23 Mhm.

2:51:24 Um and I wonder if we are tracking data

2:51:27 on whether

2:51:29 we have students who leave Brookline in

2:51:31 favor of other

2:51:32 other METCO districts?

2:51:34 Yeah.

2:51:34 So, that's actually really hard to do.

2:51:37 METCO Inc. prohibits that cuz otherwise

2:51:39 they're shopping, right? Like and

2:51:42 unfortunately, we get most of the

2:51:43 shopping.

2:51:45 We're all sold out, but we get most of

2:51:46 the shopping.

2:51:47 So, like I had a I had a parent who was

2:51:49 at Newton and came [clears throat] to me

2:51:51 was like, "Yeah, we live in Eastie.

2:51:53 Brookline's closer.

2:51:55 Can we get into Brookline?" And I had to

2:51:56 say no.

2:51:57 Cuz like you're already in a METCO

2:51:58 district. So, they can't really shop. Um

2:52:05 I'm trying to say this.

2:52:08 So, I will say

2:52:10 in the history of METCO, there have been

2:52:12 times kids have been moved from a

2:52:13 district to another.

2:52:15 The last administration really put a

2:52:17 squash on that. Um

2:52:20 I

2:52:22 I I worry that that

2:52:24 um

2:52:25 pigeonholes when there's some really

2:52:26 glaring issues with a kid in the

2:52:28 district. Um and I understand why cuz

2:52:31 everybody would jockey and try to swap

2:52:33 and do everything else. So, it's really

2:52:35 tricky for Meiko Inc. to handle that,

2:52:37 but I would never handle that. That's

2:52:39 what I'm saying, like even though I get

2:52:40 phone calls. I want to be

2:52:42 Hey, my kids in Weston, the trip is

2:52:44 killing them. Can I come to Brookline?

2:52:46 I'm more concerned that like the kids

2:52:48 are leaving Brookline because this isn't

2:52:50 Well, they don't leave. They can't go to

2:52:52 another Meiko district. We do have

2:52:54 So, you know, we do the graduation rate

2:52:56 and there's a rate of attrition. I would

2:52:57 say the greater pool has been um

2:53:02 as kids get older, athletics in certain

2:53:04 schools in certain sports.

2:53:07 Mhm.

2:53:08 I think that's been the thing I have

2:53:10 seen the most in my four years. Um

2:53:13 but uh you know, again, we probably lose

2:53:17 four to seven kids a year and a lot of

2:53:20 that is is is moving for different

2:53:23 things. So, you know, family moves out

2:53:25 of Boston into a suburban district. Um

2:53:28 sometimes totally another state. Like we

2:53:30 had a family we loved and they're moving

2:53:32 to Rhode Island next year.

2:53:33 And so, you have to be a Boston resident

2:53:36 to be in it. But I I would say we're not

2:53:39 we don't lose very many.

2:53:41 I'll just say that. Most of our kids and

2:53:43 you hear them talk, they're

2:53:44 generational. Some of you guys met some

2:53:46 of those parents, like

2:53:47 you know, um

2:53:50 I guess I should be proud, but you know,

2:53:51 as I get older, it's harder to swallow.

2:53:53 I mean, I've taught Meiko kids, I've

2:53:55 taught their parents and their kids.

2:53:57 [laughter]

2:53:58 And and I was like, oh, I I think I went

2:53:59 to school with your mom. Like so, like

2:54:02 they keep coming back. Like like we

2:54:03 don't lose many kids that way.

2:54:05 Okay, that's great.

2:54:06 Yeah.

2:54:07 And I had two more questions. Can you

2:54:09 talk a little bit about

2:54:12 you mentioned um I think it was on the

2:54:14 the first slide, reducing racial

2:54:16 isolation. This was also in your annual

2:54:18 report. So, when you're talking about

2:54:19 reducing racial isolation, what does

2:54:21 that mean?

2:54:22 Okay.

2:54:24 Yeah.

2:54:24 of your goal. will

2:54:25 say it's it's two-fold and that's also

2:54:26 METCO Inc's vision as well. It's not

2:54:28 just mine or Brookline's. Um

2:54:31 you know,

2:54:33 we try to make sure like when we place

2:54:35 them in kindergarten that we're not

2:54:35 placing just one child.

2:54:37 That there's at least, you know, there

2:54:39 and every school is different. Some

2:54:40 school has

2:54:41 uh more racial diversity than others,

2:54:43 but no matter what, we try to make sure

2:54:45 there's at least another METCO kid who

2:54:46 understands like the journey to get

2:54:48 there, whether their parents drive them

2:54:49 in the morning or they take the bus or

2:54:50 what have you.

2:54:52 Um and so I think about that in terms of

2:54:55 how we look at the placement in that

2:54:57 puzzle.

2:54:58 But I think it's really important to

2:55:00 point out like that

2:55:01 racial isolation is also to bring

2:55:03 diversity so that kids in towns that are

2:55:09 not even as diverse as ours

2:55:11 don't live in racial isolation of

2:55:13 whiteness.

2:55:15 And so bringing kids here

2:55:18 [clears throat]

2:55:18 gives some kids an experience

2:55:20 that they might not have ever got if

2:55:22 they didn't have METCO. Um in particular

2:55:24 uh State Rep uh Chris Rowell talks

2:55:27 Rowell's talks a lot of um Rowell,

2:55:29 sorry, talks a lot about his experience

2:55:32 at Lincoln-Sudbury.

2:55:33 And now that he's in politics, but his

2:55:35 wrestling co-captain is now the mayor of

2:55:37 Lynn.

2:55:38 And they boost each other up, and that's

2:55:39 a result of that METCO racial about like

2:55:42 if they didn't wrestle together and they

2:55:44 weren't in the same grade and all they

2:55:45 never would have had that relationship.

2:55:47 And so it it really works twofold. I

2:55:49 will also say um DESE made a visit to us

2:55:52 this fall.

2:55:54 Um

2:55:55 and they met with my staff, then they

2:55:56 met with um

2:55:58 Superintendent Wong and myself and Dr.

2:56:01 Pernoit. And um

2:56:04 and we almost got in argument. They're

2:56:05 like, "I don't really believe your kids

2:56:06 feel that comfortable here."

2:56:08 I was like, "I don't know what to tell

2:56:09 you." Like, you know,

2:56:11 [laughter]

2:56:11 like we're not getting that report back.

2:56:12 And then they met with the kids. And

2:56:14 they met um

2:56:16 We brought kids from um

2:56:18 middle school and high school.

2:56:20 And I went back in to kind of follow up

2:56:22 after the day and they're like

2:56:24 they really do feel comfortable here.

2:56:26 And I was like, yeah. Like I mean, you

2:56:27 know, it's not perfect. It's not all of

2:56:28 them. They had a sample size.

2:56:30 But in general, they do. And I would

2:56:33 say, you know, we have a lot of METCO

2:56:34 kids who

2:56:36 work like, you know, that the extreme is

2:56:38 they pretty much live in Brookline.

2:56:40 Spend all their time here. Their parent

2:56:42 I see them at Pino's at 10:00. Like,

2:56:43 what are you doing? Like, oh, I was over

2:56:45 so-and-so's house. We were doing

2:56:46 homework and then we played video games

2:56:47 and we had homework and now I'm catching

2:56:48 the T, but I'm grabbing a slice from

2:56:49 Pino's on my way home.

2:56:51 And then we have others where it's

2:56:52 really functional. Like they come to go

2:56:54 to school, they go back, they go to

2:56:55 community and work. There's a whole lot

2:56:57 in between.

2:56:58 Whether it's music, drama, sports,

2:57:01 debate, uh the Cypress, like you know,

2:57:03 all those things and we try to push all

2:57:05 our METCO kids into all of them.

2:57:07 And so

2:57:08 yeah, most have a real connection

2:57:10 through something here.

2:57:12 Um and usually that is more than just a

2:57:14 friend. It's with their family.

2:57:16 It's it's connections and other things,

2:57:18 so.

2:57:18 Thank you. My last question was about

2:57:21 special education and um

2:57:23 what challenges and opportunities you

2:57:25 see.

2:57:26 Yeah.

2:57:27 Well, I think um

2:57:31 Well, I think a few things. I think it's

2:57:32 really important as we

2:57:34 um talk about special education and we

2:57:35 talk about like some of those data

2:57:37 points of making sure we're looking at

2:57:39 METCO in a distinct light as opposed to

2:57:41 like

2:57:42 well, this many black kids are getting

2:57:43 in and think that's METCO empirically.

2:57:46 Um I think two, it's really important to

2:57:49 note that um

2:57:52 you know,

2:57:53 we've lived in a really tough time these

2:57:55 last few years and I mean that in a lot

2:57:56 of ways. I'm not talking politically.

2:57:57 I'm talking about social-emotionally

2:57:59 coming out of a pandemic.

2:58:01 And I think what happens a lot

2:58:04 with the best-natured and well-meaning

2:58:06 as well as highly educated and

2:58:08 thoughtful people, we look for answers

2:58:10 to help kids be successful.

2:58:12 And so I think when we look at

2:58:15 you know, METCO kids in special

2:58:16 education, we're trying to help them be

2:58:17 successful.

2:58:19 Schools are worried about them. Teachers

2:58:20 are worried about them. Their parents

2:58:21 are worried about them. The MEKO

2:58:23 advisors are worried about them. And so,

2:58:24 we look for answers, and one of those

2:58:26 answers is special education. Um I I you

2:58:29 know, I don't want to go down the path

2:58:30 of like

2:58:32 what happens where and all these other

2:58:33 things.

2:58:34 I I think most of it is good natured and

2:58:37 really trying to help and provide

2:58:38 answers. And I think in that

2:58:41 sometimes that zeal

2:58:44 you know, shows up in things like DESI

2:58:45 and other you know, it shows up in those

2:58:47 things, and that's kind of um

2:58:52 well, it's not out of our control, but I

2:58:53 think it's it's it's without um

2:58:57 sort of boundary in the attempt to try

2:59:00 and help. And I think what um

2:59:03 we found particularly in these last few

2:59:04 years is that, you know, kids have been

2:59:06 presenting in really weird ways. I was

2:59:07 telling somebody at the high school, I

2:59:08 was like, you aren't going to get a

2:59:09 ninth grader that looks the same for a

2:59:11 long time.

2:59:13 Because this one had COVID in third

2:59:15 grade, and this one had it in sixth

2:59:16 grade, and this one had it. And so, what

2:59:17 they meant like our seniors who just

2:59:19 graduated, some of them missed half of

2:59:21 seventh grade and all of eighth grade in

2:59:22 person.

2:59:24 And so, that presents really differently

2:59:25 than a kid who walks in the ninth grade

2:59:27 now. And so, I think as we try to find

2:59:29 resolutions

2:59:30 we just have to continue to continue to

2:59:31 work and improve. So, there was a huge

2:59:33 meeting in here to talk about

2:59:34 multi-tiered, you know, systems of

2:59:36 support, those interventions, those

2:59:38 types of things that are systemic.

2:59:41 They're great, and they're going to help

2:59:42 they're going to help our MEKO kids. And

2:59:43 I think everybody's working

2:59:45 fantastically to help our MEKO kids.

2:59:47 Bella.

2:59:48 So, I think Malcolm is named our

2:59:51 findings of disproportionality.

2:59:54 And to understand for a student to be

2:59:56 eligible for IEP services, they need to

2:59:59 be they need to have a learning

3:00:01 disability. So, statistically

3:00:04 um not our students that are black and

3:00:09 and Latino are being disproportionately

3:00:11 identified for IEP. So, that's not the

3:00:14 fault of the students.

3:00:15 No.

3:00:16 That is what Malcolm is saying people

3:00:18 may be assigning them to get the extra

3:00:20 support. And that's where MTSS is the

3:00:23 answer.

3:00:24 Yeah.

3:00:24 MTSS is our route to make sure that

3:00:27 we're offering robust general

3:00:29 intervention services for students. The

3:00:32 students likely statistically do not

3:00:34 have learning disabilities at the rate

3:00:37 that they're being identified for IEP

3:00:39 services. But, that is a retraining

3:00:43 retraining of the way we're approaching

3:00:45 to make sure students get the supports

3:00:47 they need. But, we feel very good about

3:00:50 that direction that we're adopting.

3:00:53 Um so, so that's yes.

3:00:56 Yeah.

3:00:57 There is um I did want to say more about

3:00:59 that visit. So, what happened was it was

3:01:02 then the new associate commissioner of

3:01:04 DESE, Darlene Fernandez, and she had a

3:01:07 goal of visiting every METCO program.

3:01:10 Yeah.

3:01:11 Every single one. So, by the time she

3:01:13 got to us, I think she was more than

3:01:15 halfway through.

3:01:16 Yeah.

3:01:16 And she was a bit jaded in in her

3:01:19 perspective. But, then she met

3:01:21 everybody.

3:01:22 Mhm.

3:01:22 And she actually apologized. She said,

3:01:24 "You know what?

3:01:26 It really is different. The students do

3:01:28 speak differently about how they are

3:01:31 included."

3:01:31 Yeah.

3:01:32 So, that that actually was is a really

3:01:34 important metric.

3:01:36 Yeah.

3:01:36 Sarah.

3:01:39 I'd really like to applaud you for the

3:01:41 annual report and then for tonight for

3:01:43 shedding light on METCOs so that we know

3:01:45 so much more.

3:01:47 And um I I'm turned right now to page 11

3:01:50 to the goals for this year. And I just

3:01:52 think that they're so smart. Um we know

3:01:55 a lot about how attendance really

3:01:57 factors into success.

3:01:58 Yeah.

3:01:58 Just to point out one of them.

3:02:00 And so, my question's actually more for

3:02:03 Bella or a request is more for Bella. Is

3:02:06 that I don't know that I always know

3:02:08 when MEChA doesn't go it alone and when

3:02:10 they're in they're included in

3:02:12 conversations and it sounds like they

3:02:14 are, that they're there for MTSS

3:02:15 conversations and other conversations.

3:02:17 So, I would just love that, you know, as

3:02:19 you update us as as we look at the

3:02:21 strategic strategic plan and equity,

3:02:24 when you update us on efforts for

3:02:26 attendance that you help us understand

3:02:29 how we're supporting how you're

3:02:30 supporting MEChA cuz I think that that

3:02:32 would help kind of build on the

3:02:34 information that we got tonight and the

3:02:35 information that we got in the strategic

3:02:37 plan I'm sorry, in the annual report.

3:02:39 Thank you.

3:02:43 Suzanne.

3:02:45 Thank you, Malcolm. Thank you for this

3:02:46 and for all your hard work. It's so

3:02:48 important.

3:02:50 Uh I worry a little bit that since we

3:02:52 don't have the office of educational

3:02:54 equity right now, that some of that work

3:02:56 may fall on you.

3:02:58 Um and so uh I worry that you have a

3:03:01 full-time job already just as director

3:03:04 uh MEChA

3:03:06 uh and that

3:03:08 I'm just wondering if you might speak a

3:03:10 minute on you know, how you see that

3:03:13 going forward. Is is is that happening?

3:03:16 Are people calling you because we don't

3:03:18 have a office of equity or how how do

3:03:21 you see that going forward?

3:03:24 Yeah. Um

3:03:26 I worry about that as well when

3:03:29 um

3:03:30 I've only been in this position with an

3:03:31 office of equity before this year. Um I

3:03:34 would say particularly in the past um

3:03:37 that has fallen

3:03:38 to some of the past MEChA directors. I

3:03:41 don't you know, I don't think all of

3:03:43 them took that on as a charge. And um in

3:03:45 different districts you hear that a lot

3:03:47 um

3:03:48 that they essentially become the office

3:03:50 of equity.

3:03:51 Um

3:03:54 I think it is work I love doing, but it

3:03:56 would be work that would be really hard

3:03:57 to do.

3:03:59 I think um

3:04:01 I don't know. I I we you know, as a

3:04:03 system have to figure out what that

3:04:04 looks like

3:04:05 and what that means um now that that

3:04:07 office is gone

3:04:09 and who's really responsible for it

3:04:12 um

3:04:13 and what are the responsibilities of it?

3:04:15 Um

3:04:16 Is it professional development?

3:04:18 Is it

3:04:19 you know, keeping track of incidents? Is

3:04:21 it like you know, what is it? And so I

3:04:23 think that was also part of the issue in

3:04:25 it

3:04:26 that um

3:04:28 you know, it became

3:04:30 uh

3:04:31 what was hard to establish under the

3:04:33 current situations that was presented

3:04:35 with. And so

3:04:36 um it was just hard to establish what

3:04:38 that office actually meant to the town.

3:04:41 Bella.

3:04:42 Thank you. I just want to say I didn't

3:04:43 mean to put you on the spot. I just

3:04:45 No, it's fine. I've been here for a long

3:04:46 time and like you know, I've seen

3:04:48 So Malcolm

3:04:49 Like Dr. De Lucca was very very involved

3:04:53 in providing professional development

3:04:54 other things to the town, but I wouldn't

3:04:56 say that's true for everyone.

3:04:56 I'm presenting my goals tonight and one

3:04:59 of the goals is to establish an equity

3:05:02 equity leadership team

3:05:04 and develop a strategic equity plan as

3:05:06 required by the state. So I I anticipate

3:05:11 that Malcolm will be a strong partner,

3:05:14 but it's unfair to

3:05:17 to to look toward um the person that

3:05:20 holds a position of macro director to be

3:05:22 the one that does that. So I anticipate

3:05:25 a strong partnership, but it is one of

3:05:28 the goals that I'll be talking about

3:05:30 later.

3:05:31 I appreciate that cuz certainly

3:05:32 collaboration I would love to do

3:05:35 and I don't

3:05:37 I've never believed in being a

3:05:38 one-person show.

3:05:40 Yeah, so I'd love to collaborate

3:05:42 further.

3:05:42 It's you're going to be an essential

3:05:44 partner.

3:05:44 Okay.

3:05:45 Yes.

3:05:46 Hi Malcolm.

3:05:46 Hi Bob.

3:05:47 [clears throat]

3:05:47 I think anybody else want to say

3:05:48 anything?

3:05:49 So

3:05:51 you provide some data tonight. You said

3:05:53 that one kid over the last 125 years

3:05:57 No, no, no.

3:05:58 [laughter]

3:05:58 25 years. So

3:06:00 Failed to graduate from Brookline,

3:06:01 Yeah.

3:06:02 That's [snorts] a good That's a good

3:06:03 piece of data.

3:06:04 Yeah.

3:06:04 Um You also said 80% are going on to

3:06:07 college?

3:06:07 Yes.

3:06:08 Okay. What do you do about the other

3:06:09 20%?

3:06:10 So, it doesn't mean they don't have a

3:06:11 plan. My It just a you know it and

3:06:15 so much depends on that kid and what we

3:06:16 can get. So, um

3:06:18 one of our toughest cases, uh a kid who

3:06:21 graduated last year, you know, um

3:06:24 uh

3:06:27 Ali White Bomb mentioned OFC, you know,

3:06:29 you know, most people know the program

3:06:30 is now ACE. It's a different program.

3:06:32 And I don't I don't mean that with any

3:06:34 slight. It's a different program. We had

3:06:36 a kid who, you know,

3:06:38 we literally kept his schedule on the

3:06:40 wall in the MECO space.

3:06:42 And he would come down there and like,

3:06:44 "Oh, this is where I'm supposed to be?"

3:06:45 And I'd be like, "Yeah, go. Get to

3:06:46 class."

3:06:48 He was into uh all kinds of things with

3:06:50 agriculture and other stuff. Now doing

3:06:52 urban farming in Boston and doing great.

3:06:55 And we hooked him up with that, not just

3:06:56 with with MECO, but that was in

3:06:57 collaboration with ACE. So, I you know,

3:07:00 to use your terminology, Bob, we try to

3:07:02 make sure kids have a dignified step.

3:07:05 Um

3:07:07 And And that can be a lot of things for

3:07:09 different kids. Uh a student you

3:07:10 probably remember who I I think of

3:07:12 dearly, I'm

3:07:13 uh you know,

3:07:14 oh, Dallas Jeter, who was struggled

3:07:16 through high school, went to the

3:07:18 military, came back, used the GI Bill,

3:07:19 and now is working on a master's at

3:07:21 Suffolk University. Like he had a

3:07:23 dignified step when he left Brookline

3:07:25 High, and that's

3:07:27 that's what we can do. We also have a

3:07:28 saying, you graduate from Brookline

3:07:30 High, but you're MECO for life.

3:07:32 Kids come back. Oh, Mr. Corthorn,

3:07:36 yeah, I got into the party life at

3:07:37 college. I need some help. I got to

3:07:38 transfer to to to to and we try to hook

3:07:40 them up and get them settled so they can

3:07:41 come back,

3:07:43 you know, make their parents a little

3:07:44 happier. Like, you know, but um you

3:07:47 know, sometimes that's when they're 18

3:07:48 and sometimes when they're 22. They're

3:07:50 like, "Yeah, I'm still trying to figure

3:07:51 it out."

3:07:52 No, I think [clears throat] we have to

3:07:53 think about the 80% and the 20%.

3:07:54 Absolutely.

3:07:55 And I guess final question. You have a

3:07:58 fairly robust staff.

3:08:00 Yes.

3:08:00 Meco staff which when I was working in

3:08:02 Brookline we didn't have that many

3:08:03 No.

3:08:04 at all. So,

3:08:06 when you analyze achievement data for

3:08:08 example,

3:08:09 um

3:08:10 and you look at the at the work that the

3:08:12 staff is doing at the elementary

3:08:13 schools, the high school,

3:08:15 um have you thought about different ways

3:08:17 to allocate staffing different uh

3:08:20 responsibilities for the folks who are

3:08:21 in the schools to to focus on academics.

3:08:23 I guess that's what I'm saying.

3:08:25 Uh when you say different folks in the

3:08:26 schools, could you clarify like

3:08:28 The Meco advisors.

3:08:30 Sure. So,

3:08:32 one of the things I say this is the

3:08:33 first year we've been able to have an

3:08:35 advisor at every school.

3:08:37 Um and um again, that was something

3:08:40 asked by the principals. So, we're we're

3:08:41 really going to have to look at that and

3:08:43 see what we can do. I think what it has

3:08:44 mitigated

3:08:46 that I can say with a lot of confidence

3:08:48 is having an advisor in every school

3:08:51 has so many that attendance issue

3:08:54 where where there were kids floating

3:08:55 around in particular, we had kids at

3:08:58 some schools who only wanted to see the

3:08:59 Meco advisor. Well, if the Meco advisor

3:09:01 wasn't there because they were at their

3:09:02 other school,

3:09:04 it was hard to get that kid regulated

3:09:05 and get back in.

3:09:07 Um and so, it has I

3:09:11 I I wish I could show you my text chain

3:09:13 from last year to this year.

3:09:15 [laughter]

3:09:16 The amount of principals who are texting

3:09:17 me on a regular basis like in emergency

3:09:20 mode and I have to drive to that school

3:09:22 has shrunk immensely.

3:09:24 Okay.

3:09:24 But I don't think it's my work. I think

3:09:26 it's

3:09:27 the folks who are there. And so, I think

3:09:29 that that's the easy data that I can

3:09:31 come up with. We're going to have to

3:09:32 look at the data in terms around in

3:09:34 terms of what we get and see what that

3:09:36 means. I think it has made um

3:09:41 something for me to evaluate because,

3:09:44 you know,

3:09:46 you know, you know, having a person is

3:09:47 money. Like, that's money that could go

3:09:49 to something else. I think one of the

3:09:51 complicated things in our system and is

3:09:53 please don't forget remember I love the

3:09:55 way our system is. I believe in K

3:09:56 through 8. It is why I moved back to put

3:09:58 my children through K through 8. I think

3:10:00 middle school, whoever created that

3:10:02 should

3:10:04 I don't know who thought putting the

3:10:06 most hormonally imbalanced children in

3:10:07 one building

3:10:09 needs some rethinking, but um

3:10:13 what um

3:10:15 we have discovered in that is that

3:10:18 now we have real points of contact that

3:10:21 have real meaning.

3:10:23 So, our advisors at those schools know

3:10:26 those 20 to 30 parents, depending on the

3:10:28 school, and can really be like, "Hey,

3:10:31 you know, Malcolm hasn't been doing his

3:10:32 history homework."

3:10:34 And can sit him down during win block

3:10:35 and be like, "Yeah,

3:10:37 you know, Dr. Myers is going to come and

3:10:38 work with you this day cuz you haven't

3:10:39 been doing your history homework."

3:10:41 You know, um and it's our first year, so

3:10:43 I need to evaluate on how to build and

3:10:45 how to reinforce and make sure I'm

3:10:47 evaluating and pushing. Um

3:10:51 Yeah, and I think, you know,

3:10:53 I think that's a real thing for us to

3:10:55 keep going as well as I think um

3:10:57 academically we're still doing pretty

3:10:58 well. I mean,

3:11:00 you know,

3:11:02 like I showed a picture of a girl who

3:11:03 graduated from Brown.

3:11:04 You know, we have two kids in the posse

3:11:05 program right now. We have like, you

3:11:07 know, you know,

3:11:09 yeah, [snorts] and this was a tough

3:11:10 group. Like, this was tough group this

3:11:11 year and still we're sending 80% to

3:11:13 college. So,

3:11:15 um

3:11:15 yeah, I think I think we're doing all

3:11:17 right. So, but we could always do better

3:11:19 and that's

3:11:20 that's clear.

3:11:21 Okay, so. Malcolm, thank you.

3:11:23 Thank you.

3:11:24 Appreciate your work.

3:11:25 THANK YOU.

3:11:27 [applause]

3:11:30 OKAY.

3:11:31 SOLAR PANEL installation in school

3:11:33 buildings presentation, Alexandria

3:11:35 Vecchio, and a possible vote to approve

3:11:38 those solar panels. Alexandria.

3:11:40 She's on Zoom right now.

3:11:42 She's on Zoom. Okay, great.

3:11:44 Hi, good evening everyone. Alexandra

3:11:47 Vecchio, Director of Sustainability and

3:11:48 Asset Resources for the Town of

3:11:50 Brookline. Thanks so much for your time

3:11:52 this evening.

3:11:53 Um I'm just going to pull up my slide

3:11:55 deck here. Give me 1 second.

3:12:11 Uh okay, great. Uh are folks able to see

3:12:13 my uh slide that says strategic solar

3:12:16 initiative?

3:12:17 Yes.

3:12:17 Yes, we can.

3:12:18 Okay, wonderful. Thank you. Um so as I

3:12:20 said, I'm Alexandra, I'm Director of

3:12:22 Sustainability and Asset Resources for

3:12:24 the town. Um our Deputy Director Shelley

3:12:26 Dean couldn't be with me this evening,

3:12:27 but she's been working extensively on

3:12:29 this and I think has

3:12:30 spoken to a couple of you prior to this

3:12:32 meeting. Um so uh appreciate everybody's

3:12:35 time uh leading up to the the meeting on

3:12:38 this topic.

3:12:39 So this evening, um I want to focus

3:12:41 specifically on the school projects cuz

3:12:42 obviously that's what's of most interest

3:12:44 to you, but I am just going to provide a

3:12:45 little bit of background and context

3:12:46 first because I think that's important

3:12:48 to understand

3:12:50 um what this is uh kind of nestled

3:12:52 within and a bit of the context around

3:12:53 what we're doing here.

3:12:56 So in Brookline, uh we have numerous

3:12:59 municipal solar projects um

3:13:01 currently existing and under

3:13:03 construction. So right now we have two

3:13:05 town-owned systems that are quite small

3:13:08 and and a bit older on the library as

3:13:11 well as the health building. And then we

3:13:13 have one town-owned system that's under

3:13:14 construction, very near completion at

3:13:17 the Driscoll School. Um I'm very excited

3:13:19 about that. I was before all of you um

3:13:22 last year, or maybe it was 2024. Um but

3:13:27 on the Driscoll uh solar project. Um and

3:13:30 then we have five different arrays that

3:13:32 are developed as power purchase

3:13:34 agreements, which essentially means that

3:13:35 we've leased out our rooftop um to a

3:13:38 solar developer. So, we're getting a

3:13:40 reduction on our energy bills, but we

3:13:41 don't um receive all of the savings from

3:13:44 that system.

3:13:45 So, uh right now we have um some

3:13:48 proposed projects that are coming up. Uh

3:13:50 one at Pierce School and then four other

3:13:52 sites in town uh for near-term

3:13:54 construction that are town-owned. And

3:13:57 then we're looking at some medium and

3:13:58 longer-term projects and anticipate town

3:14:01 ownership for those, but we'll have to

3:14:02 look at the finances as we move forward.

3:14:05 And really this is uh all coming from uh

3:14:09 over the past year a solar financial

3:14:11 working group was formed and included

3:14:13 members of the select board, of the Zero

3:14:15 Mission Advisory Board, the Expenditures

3:14:17 and Revenues Study Committee,

3:14:19 Commissioner of Public Works, uh

3:14:21 Commissioner Shute, and myself. Uh and

3:14:23 we were looking at where are the

3:14:25 opportunities for us to expand solar in

3:14:27 town and hopefully help increase energy

3:14:30 independence and reduce uh energy and

3:14:33 electricity bills uh

3:14:35 across across town and school

3:14:36 properties. And so, because of a federal

3:14:40 tax credit that exists but is going away

3:14:43 soon, uh we were looking at how can we

3:14:46 take advantage of those savings in the

3:14:48 short term and also build out uh a

3:14:51 longer term term revenue model as well.

3:14:54 Keeping in mind that we have to do all

3:14:56 of that in partnership uh and

3:14:58 coordination with any of our capital

3:14:59 construction projects. You know, we're

3:15:01 not going to add solar panels on top of

3:15:03 a roof that's scheduled to get repaired

3:15:06 or undergo significant um renovation in

3:15:09 the next 5 years. That doesn't make

3:15:10 sense. Um you know, your average uh

3:15:13 solar panel lifespan is well over 20

3:15:15 years. Uh typically they say 25. Um and

3:15:19 so, we want to make sure that we aren't

3:15:20 installing something that then is going

3:15:22 to have to be picked back up again. So,

3:15:24 being conscious of that in the context

3:15:26 of our larger building improvements.

3:15:29 So, the solar financial working group

3:15:30 came up with um a recommendation that

3:15:33 was uh step one, take advantage of the

3:15:36 federal investment tax credit. You'll

3:15:38 hear me refer to it as the ITC

3:15:41 this evening and

3:15:42 that is the tax credit that's

3:15:44 expiring. That's one that we were

3:15:46 working towards capturing for the

3:15:48 Driscoll project. And and now

3:15:52 we are trying to capture here in the

3:15:54 next few weeks actually. So for a

3:15:57 project to qualify

3:15:59 receive

3:16:01 up to 40% but typically around 30% of a

3:16:04 return on the project. You have to

3:16:06 commence construction before July 4th of

3:16:09 this year. So a few weeks from now and

3:16:12 then you have four years to place that

3:16:14 into service

3:16:16 or you can place it into service anytime

3:16:19 in 26 or 27 and start construction

3:16:23 within there and then complete it by the

3:16:25 December 31st 2027. That's a short time

3:16:27 frame especially when placed into

3:16:29 service means we have to have an

3:16:31 interconnection that occurs with the

3:16:33 utility Eversource.

3:16:35 And everyone is racing towards this

3:16:37 deadline because everybody wants to you

3:16:39 know see receive 30 to

3:16:42 40% back on their projects. And so

3:16:45 we are trying to give ourselves a little

3:16:47 bit more bandwidth

3:16:49 and make sure that we have commenced

3:16:51 construction by July 4th.

3:16:53 Commence construction doesn't actually

3:16:55 mean that we need to have you know

3:16:58 solar panels on the roofs. It just means

3:17:00 that we need to have established a down

3:17:02 payment of at least 5% for the project

3:17:05 cost and then we need to ensure that we

3:17:09 have a signed agreement for the purchase

3:17:12 of

3:17:13 said solar panels by that time.

3:17:17 So we're referring to this as a

3:17:19 two-track approach. Track one is really

3:17:20 to capture that ITC credit

3:17:24 and uh by July 4th and then track two

3:17:27 was to look at these longer-term sites,

3:17:30 um and we're currently advertising a

3:17:32 request for qualifications, an RFQ, um

3:17:35 with responses due at the end of August

3:17:37 um for us to find a solar vendor who

3:17:39 would be assessing all of our remaining

3:17:41 properties um and looking at site

3:17:43 feasibility and financial um analysis

3:17:45 for those. So, for the purposes of this

3:17:47 evening, I'm just focusing really on

3:17:49 track one and actually really just

3:17:50 focusing on the the school properties um

3:17:53 cuz I know those are most interest, but

3:17:55 just wanted folks to understand that

3:17:57 this is a piece of a much larger puzzle

3:17:59 that we're working on.

3:18:02 So, the uh solar opportunities that

3:18:05 we're looking at right now, one at

3:18:06 Pierce School, um which you'll see in

3:18:08 the top row there, and then we're

3:18:10 looking at Fire Station 1, the Main

3:18:12 Library, um

3:18:14 Heath School, and Brookline High School.

3:18:15 We're referring to it as Phase 2.

3:18:17 Brookline High School actually already

3:18:18 does have solar panels on part of the

3:18:20 building, so we would be adding on to

3:18:22 that. Um the ones that are there

3:18:23 currently are not owned by the town,

3:18:25 those are uh part of a leasing

3:18:27 structure. Um and so, for the purposes

3:18:30 of the Pierce School project, uh the

3:18:33 preliminary construction costs we're

3:18:34 looking at is $1.13 million.

3:18:38 Um that would be coming from the Pierce

3:18:40 project budget, um and that has been

3:18:43 reviewed and voted on by the Building

3:18:46 Commission.

3:18:47 Um the other projects, uh

3:18:50 particularly

3:18:52 um well, all of the other four, but in

3:18:55 for your interest, the Heath School and

3:18:56 Brookline High School, those dollars

3:18:58 would be coming from um a CIP item that

3:19:01 has been voted on through town meeting

3:19:04 um just this past month. Um and so,

3:19:07 that's a uh $3.2 million

3:19:10 allocation that is to go towards these

3:19:13 projects and then future solar projects

3:19:15 as well. So, um none of the dollars for

3:19:19 this capital project would be coming out

3:19:21 of um the schools budget.

3:19:25 Uh with the Well, I'll go walk through

3:19:27 each of these, but um the anticipated

3:19:30 cost for the high school is 688,000

3:19:33 and Brookline High School for the second

3:19:36 phase of solar is 878,000.

3:19:39 But looking for both of those just to

3:19:40 keep in context, Pierce School, that's a

3:19:42 325

3:19:43 kW system, and Hay School's 200

3:19:47 Brookline High School's a 261. Those are

3:19:50 pretty large systems. Driscoll School,

3:19:52 for example, is right around a 200 kW

3:19:54 system, and that's the the most recent

3:19:56 one that we've installed.

3:19:59 So, in the case of Pierce, there are

3:20:02 some contingencies that we're holding

3:20:03 with this. Again, just trying to

3:20:07 comply with what is necessary for that

3:20:09 July 4th deadline to be able to capture

3:20:12 the ITC. And so, we are looking at

3:20:15 a preliminary cost of 1.13 million. That

3:20:18 includes an allocation

3:20:21 of

3:20:22 some contingency for both roofing over

3:20:25 the mechanical systems where we would

3:20:28 like to install solar there as well to

3:20:30 take advantage of the additional space

3:20:33 up there. And then a contingency of

3:20:35 50,000 for the racking system that we

3:20:38 use to connect the solar to the roof.

3:20:40 And then an overall construction

3:20:41 contingency. So, at the end, this

3:20:43 project may actually end up being less

3:20:45 than 1.1

3:20:47 million, but we are

3:20:49 going to make sure we put enough of a

3:20:52 down payment to satisfy that ITC

3:20:55 requirement. And in this case, the

3:20:57 payback timeline for Pierce

3:21:00 would actually be within less than a

3:21:02 year after you take into account the

3:21:04 state incentives that we're able to get

3:21:06 off this project as well as the

3:21:11 savings from the ITC. We're looking at

3:21:16 um

3:21:17 positive and then the savings towards

3:21:19 our electric bills we're actually

3:21:20 looking at um a system that is uh net

3:21:23 flow positive um in our first year,

3:21:25 which is

3:21:26 pretty extraordinary.

3:21:29 Uh for Hayes School, um a 200 uh kW

3:21:32 system with a preliminary cost of

3:21:34 688,000,

3:21:36 and um we're looking at a payback

3:21:38 timeline of just over 6 years. Um right

3:21:42 now for each of these because we don't

3:21:44 haven't done a final structural

3:21:45 analysis, um we are carrying a 5%

3:21:47 contingency, but again, um should any of

3:21:51 these systems be sized down or um the

3:21:54 cost uh end up being lower, that would

3:21:57 be um reflected in the actual uh

3:22:00 contracts and invoices that we receive.

3:22:04 Uh so the cash flow projections for

3:22:06 Hayes School, um as you can see once we

3:22:08 take into account the state incentive

3:22:10 revenue as well as um after the invest-

3:22:14 investment tax credit uh return of

3:22:16 481,000,

3:22:18 um after about 6 years we're looking at

3:22:21 um a system that is uh

3:22:24 uh

3:22:25 uh net flow net cash flow positive, uh

3:22:28 which is fantastic. Um and again, really

3:22:31 good numbers. We uh look at the savings

3:22:33 over 20-year period, but most systems

3:22:35 actually last last longer than that. Um

3:22:38 and the cost we do carry in O&M cost,

3:22:41 that's what that um

3:22:42 uh O&M column is um that you can see on

3:22:45 the screen. Um starting in year two, the

3:22:48 first year O&M is covered through the

3:22:50 installation contract.

3:22:53 And then finally, Brookline High School,

3:22:55 um as you can see we already have um

3:22:57 solar panels on one part of the

3:22:59 building, so this would be adding um

3:23:01 remaining panels in the remaining areas,

3:23:04 um which would be an additional 261 uh

3:23:07 kW system at a preliminary cost of

3:23:10 878,000,

3:23:12 and a payback timeline of just around 6

3:23:14 years. Again, that's a that's a really

3:23:16 promising timeline. We wouldn't be

3:23:18 looking at those kind of numbers if it

3:23:20 wasn't for us being able to get 30% back

3:23:22 off of each of these projects.

3:23:25 Um so again here you can see

3:23:28 some electricity bill savings as the

3:23:30 system is up and running from day one,

3:23:33 but then when you take into account the

3:23:35 state incentives

3:23:36 and the investment tax credit um

3:23:40 um we're looking at um

3:23:43 being

3:23:44 net cash flow positive in year seven.

3:23:48 So

3:23:49 I

3:23:50 for today's purposes I wanted to one

3:23:53 make sure you all were aware of this

3:23:55 initiative. I think these are the first

3:23:57 three schools that we're looking at, but

3:23:59 I anticipate over the coming years as we

3:24:01 look at those track two projects we'll

3:24:03 have others that are coming forward. Um

3:24:06 and as I said the intention is for us to

3:24:10 use the

3:24:12 CIP funds, the capital improvement

3:24:14 funds,

3:24:15 for funding these projects with the

3:24:16 exception of Pierce since solar was

3:24:19 included in that budget. Um but for

3:24:22 today's purposes I am hoping to answer

3:24:25 any questions and discuss the projects

3:24:27 with you to the extent you're

3:24:28 interested, but

3:24:30 looking for a vote of approval for

3:24:34 the solar

3:24:36 at Pierce, Franklin and Hayes school and

3:24:39 then the designation of Superintendent

3:24:42 Wong or whomever you see most

3:24:44 appropriate with the authority to sign

3:24:46 any project contract documents on behalf

3:24:49 of the school committee just because

3:24:50 we're going to be moving really quickly

3:24:52 over the next couple of weeks from

3:24:55 approving these final project numbers to

3:24:57 actually award and executing a contract

3:24:59 so that we can comply with that July 4th

3:25:01 deadline. And all of this would be

3:25:03 reviewed and approved by town council's

3:25:05 office um

3:25:08 Um so with that, I will uh stop sharing

3:25:11 and am happy to take um any question.

3:25:15 Thank you, Alexandra. This Let's Let's

3:25:18 make a motion.

3:25:20 Can I ask a question first, Bob?

3:25:22 Or you want the motion first?

3:25:24 I'm sorry, Val. Yeah.

3:25:26 Um

3:25:27 Alexandra, is are is Select doing all

3:25:29 the installation? Is that the

3:25:31 Yes.

3:25:32 vendor?

3:25:33 I was asking Alex Is it Select for all

3:25:35 of them?

3:25:37 Uh [clears throat] for these uh projects

3:25:38 that I just presented on, yes, it's

3:25:40 Select um Solar, who's the same vendor

3:25:42 that's uh we're utilizing at Driscoll.

3:25:45 Um for the track two projects, uh the

3:25:47 future projects, um we are we have put

3:25:50 out a RFQ and so um so far we've we've

3:25:54 shared that RFQ with over 30 different

3:25:56 firms. So, that could be anybody.

3:25:59 Okay. And the O&M is the same Select

3:26:02 will be the O&M for the Okay. Thanks so

3:26:04 much.

3:26:05 Yeah, thank you.

3:26:06 Okay. Let's with the clock is moving. We

3:26:09 have other things going on. Um will

3:26:11 anybody make a motion to to approve the

3:26:13 I'd like to make a motion that we

3:26:15 approve Sorry.

3:26:16 You already

3:26:17 Let's make a motion then we can talk.

3:26:19 Let's make the motion first.

3:26:20 I'll read the motion that I wrote uh

3:26:22 when I met with Shelley, who works for

3:26:24 Alexandra on this project a week ago.

3:26:26 Go.

3:26:26 Moved that the School Committee approve

3:26:28 the installation of solar energy

3:26:29 infrastructure at Heath School,

3:26:31 Brookline High School, and Pierce School

3:26:33 and authorize the School Committee Chair

3:26:35 to be a co-signatory along with the

3:26:37 Select Board Chair on the contracts as

3:26:39 approved by Town Council with the solar

3:26:41 developer for each school project.

3:26:43 have a second?

3:26:45 Sure, I'll second.

3:26:47 Suzanne seconds. Okay. Any comments?

3:26:50 I'll just make a comment that I met with

3:26:52 Shelley Ryan, who's um

3:26:54 the uh deputy under Alexandra on this

3:26:56 project. She reviewed all of the

3:26:58 information with me. Makes a whole lot

3:26:59 of sense. And um from the from the

3:27:02 financing and capital side although we

3:27:03 didn't bring this up because it wasn't

3:27:05 brought up to us at a meeting we could

3:27:06 schedule and due to the fact that the

3:27:08 July 4th deadline is 2 weeks from

3:27:10 Saturday and all this work has to get

3:27:11 done and that it's not coming out of the

3:27:13 school budget

3:27:16 it's being funded other ways and it

3:27:17 makes sense to go solar so we you know I

3:27:20 spoke

3:27:21 independently

3:27:23 of the financing and capital

3:27:25 subcommittee to fully stand behind this

3:27:28 project.

3:27:30 And that's where the motion came from.

3:27:31 Okay so we have a vote we have a motion

3:27:33 we have a second.

3:27:38 Will I be around?

3:27:40 Like when?

3:27:41 Before yeah.

3:27:43 Yeah sure. Yeah.

3:27:45 Okay let's take a vote Val.

3:27:47 Yes.

3:27:48 Faiza.

3:27:50 Suzanne.

3:27:50 Yes.

3:27:51 Donna.

3:27:51 Yes.

3:27:52 Jesse.

3:27:54 Yes.

3:27:54 Carolyn.

3:27:55 Yes.

3:27:55 Sarah.

3:27:56 Yes.

3:27:56 Rob yes.

3:27:58 Unanimous.

3:27:59 Thank you Alexandra.

3:28:00 Thank you Alexandra. [clears throat]

3:28:02 Thank you all for your time and support

3:28:03 I appreciate it. Have a good evening.

3:28:07 Okay question do we move to the next

3:28:09 agenda item or take public comment at

3:28:10 this point?

3:28:13 Let's go [clears throat] public comment

3:28:15 who's next I don't have here we go.

3:28:19 We have

3:28:20 Rosen.

3:28:22 Rosen Valchev. [clears throat]

3:28:24 Oh great. Thank you for hanging out.

3:28:29 Hope you're eating a lot of the food.

3:28:33 Thanks.

3:28:35 All right

3:28:36 well I'm here to

3:28:38 give a public comment about the section

3:28:39 reductions as well

3:28:41 and

3:28:42 I think they raised a number of issues

3:28:44 the ones I want to speak about are

3:28:45 equity but also fiscal responsibility.

3:28:48 So I first I want to start off by saying

3:28:49 that I think the superintendent is being

3:28:51 very prudent in observing that we have a

3:28:52 low K enrollment overall in the district

3:28:55 and probably makes sense to move

3:28:57 resources to other priorities, maybe

3:28:59 medical, maybe the

3:29:00 materials and fees program, but what I'm

3:29:03 puzzled by is why, given that we're

3:29:05 going to reduce one case section, why

3:29:07 we're reducing it at Hiram School and

3:29:09 not at the low enrollment school. So,

3:29:12 I think we've all seen these numbers,

3:29:13 but reducing it at the high enrollment

3:29:15 school of FRR means the class sizes go

3:29:17 to 19, 20, while some other class sizes

3:29:20 are around the 12.

3:29:23 Oh, I see. Now now I see it. So,

3:29:26 anyways, by cutting at the high

3:29:27 enrollment school, we have class sizes

3:29:29 19, 20, while other schools have class

3:29:30 sizes of 12. That's a 50% difference.

3:29:33 Now,

3:29:34 if that was the only option to cut, then

3:29:36 that makes perfect sense, but there's

3:29:38 other options to cut other places with

3:29:39 low enrollment schools, and in those

3:29:41 options, we get balanced class sizes of

3:29:43 15 or 16 throughout throughout the

3:29:45 board. So, I'm puzzled why we're going

3:29:48 with the unbalanced option, and going

3:29:49 with the unbalanced option means two

3:29:51 things at least. One is equity, and a

3:29:53 number of people already spoke about

3:29:54 equity. So, I don't want to repeat it,

3:29:56 but I think it's an important point. I

3:29:58 do want to point out also that FRR is a

3:30:00 Title 1 school, and it's losing not only

3:30:03 the kindergarten section, but also the

3:30:04 third grade section. So, there is a

3:30:06 number of questions here why that the

3:30:08 Title 1 school is landing a lot of cuts.

3:30:11 Again, this this speaks about equity. A

3:30:13 number of people have already pointed

3:30:14 this out to the committee, so I want to

3:30:16 move on to speaking about the fiscal

3:30:18 responsibility, which I haven't heard

3:30:19 too much about. So, it makes sense to

3:30:22 reduce resources in low enrollment

3:30:24 grades, like, "Okay, move it somewhere

3:30:26 else."

3:30:27 Um but at the same time, I don't

3:30:28 understand why don't we do it in a

3:30:30 balanced way, because somewhere

3:30:31 enrollment is coming. As we heard from

3:30:33 the guidance counselor, there's a lot of

3:30:35 kids enrolling in the summer, especially

3:30:37 at FRR. So, if we start FRR in the

3:30:40 beginning of summer at like 19, 20, the

3:30:42 likelihood of moving above 22, which

3:30:44 I've heard several times being mentioned

3:30:46 as the guidance as the guidance number,

3:30:48 is is that, you know, a significant

3:30:50 number. So, if

3:30:52 FRR doesn't move, I'm sorry.

3:30:55 If FRR does move above 22, but again,

3:30:58 this summer was going to happen. Most

3:30:59 likely district is going to move a K

3:31:00 section back to FRR. And then what what

3:31:03 does that mean? That means that at the

3:31:04 end of the day we didn't save the

3:31:05 budgetary numbers we were looking to

3:31:06 save anyways, right? So, the fiscally

3:31:09 prudent thing to do is to start

3:31:11 everybody at 15 16. Then there's no

3:31:13 enrollment risk. It's unlikely we're

3:31:15 going to have to bring a K section back

3:31:17 anywhere. And we actually managed to

3:31:19 save some resources to put towards other

3:31:21 priorities.

3:31:22 So, um at the end of the day I think

3:31:24 having an unbalanced plan must make

3:31:26 sense according to some factors. I don't

3:31:29 know what exactly those factors are, but

3:31:30 I want to bring it to the community's

3:31:31 attention that there are also equity and

3:31:34 fiscal responsibility issues at hand.

3:31:36 Thank you.

3:31:40 Mike Lyons.

3:31:43 Mike Lyons, thank you.

3:31:56 Hi. My name is Mike Lyons. I have one

3:31:59 FRR student in the first grade. I have

3:32:01 another starting in kindergarten this

3:32:03 fall.

3:32:04 There's two points I'm hoping to

3:32:06 convince you of tonight in addition to

3:32:08 what other folks have said.

3:32:10 First, that I would like to um

3:32:14 evaluate class sizes

3:32:16 by what each student experiences.

3:32:19 Not just looking at, you know, a

3:32:21 zero-sum school versus school

3:32:24 um thing. Second, I'm hoping we can

3:32:26 publish registration data before making

3:32:29 cuts,

3:32:30 both historical and each year going

3:32:31 forward, the same way we already publish

3:32:34 the attendance data of the students who

3:32:35 actually start in September.

3:32:38 So, if you wouldn't mind looking at

3:32:39 slide one, I'm going to roll through

3:32:40 these pretty quick cuz I have 3 minutes.

3:32:42 Um

3:32:44 there's a school-by-school registration

3:32:46 data from the last meeting. I know it's

3:32:47 changed a little bit. I looked over the

3:32:49 I recomputed it on my computer. I'm

3:32:51 happy to show you later. Um

3:32:54 it the trends still hold. Um it's

3:32:56 lopsided and you know, if a cut is

3:32:58 needed as others have said, there are

3:33:00 more balanced places to do it.

3:33:02 Um but if you go to slide two,

3:33:04 and I I know I said I want don't want

3:33:06 this to be school versus school.

3:33:08 Uh this chart shows what each incoming K

3:33:12 student experiences.

3:33:15 So, there's 380 bars there. Each bar is

3:33:18 one student coming in and the height of

3:33:20 that bar

3:33:21 is the size of that class that student

3:33:24 experiences.

3:33:26 So, as you can see, cutting an FRR

3:33:27 section creates a wide range of class

3:33:30 sizes across

3:33:31 the district.

3:33:33 And you can see it also affects an

3:33:34 outsized number of students. You can see

3:33:36 that bar at the very end representing

3:33:38 FRR is very wide.

3:33:41 Um that's because FRR has the largest

3:33:44 set of K classes of any school.

3:33:47 So, you'd also expect the average class

3:33:49 size and the average size experienced by

3:33:52 students to match.

3:33:54 That's those two different lines you see

3:33:55 there.

3:33:56 But you'll notice those lines are

3:33:57 actually

3:33:58 there is a gap.

3:34:00 And that gap is because there's so many

3:34:03 FRR students that will experience a

3:34:04 larger class

3:34:06 than the other students in the district.

3:34:10 So, closing that gap, I think would make

3:34:12 the experience across the district far

3:34:15 more even, fair, and equitable

3:34:17 regardless of what school

3:34:20 each child attends.

3:34:22 Um but given the questions about late

3:34:24 arrivals,

3:34:25 I I also modeled two scenarios.

3:34:28 Uh flat attendance and if the past 3

3:34:31 years trends continue.

3:34:32 Uh so, if you look at slide eight,

3:34:34 uh with flat attendance,

3:34:36 which may or may not happen,

3:34:39 um

3:34:40 the year's actual numbers are pretty

3:34:41 even.

3:34:43 This year's numbers, but cutting one

3:34:45 section creates a bigger gap than

3:34:46 before.

3:34:47 So, FRR students become big outliers and

3:34:50 above the 22 student per class guidance.

3:34:54 If you look at slide 11,

3:34:57 instead of saying flat attendance, it

3:34:59 says what if we follow the trends that

3:35:00 have happened over the past few years.

3:35:02 You'll notice FRR attendance grows

3:35:04 slightly and climbs to 23.5 students per

3:35:07 class,

3:35:08 but

3:35:10 no matter how you slice it, if you cut

3:35:12 any schools one section at any school,

3:35:16 you cannot get it under 22.

3:35:19 So, my point here is not we should cut

3:35:22 this school or this school. My point

3:35:23 here is that without the data that says

3:35:26 how the registrations

3:35:30 lead to what who actually attends,

3:35:33 it's very very difficult, if not

3:35:35 impossible, to accurately predict who

3:35:37 will be here in September.

3:35:39 And so, kind of my second point is that

3:35:41 publishing that data, which

3:35:44 I believe the district already has

3:35:46 and hopefully is factoring in, I think

3:35:48 would help everybody not just know when

3:35:50 to push back,

3:35:51 but when not to push back.

3:35:54 So, to close, I hope we can consider

3:35:56 that student level impact

3:35:58 and two that we can publish the

3:36:00 registration data in addition to the

3:36:02 attendance data going forward. Thanks.

3:36:04 Thank you, Mike.

3:36:10 [applause]

3:36:12 Next up is Irit.

3:36:16 She's on Zoom. Irit Moore.

3:36:22 Yes, can you hear me?

3:36:25 Yes, we can.

3:36:26 Okay, perfect.

3:36:28 Great. So, good evening, everyone. My

3:36:31 name is Irit Moore.

3:36:33 I'm an FRR parent. My oldest daughter is

3:36:37 currently at FRR and my youngest son is

3:36:39 entering kindergarten next year.

3:36:42 Um I know it's been a long meeting. Um I

3:36:44 also know that our wonderful community

3:36:47 has already sent many emails with

3:36:49 questions and concerns about the planned

3:36:52 reduction

3:36:53 um of one kindergarten section.

3:36:55 Um earlier tonight you heard the numbers

3:36:58 even out.

3:36:59 Um you heard from Jordana about what

3:37:01 this looks like on the ground.

3:37:03 Um who the children are, what happens

3:37:05 over the summer, and what it means to

3:37:07 make this cut now, and then potentially

3:37:10 need to rebuild capacity later.

3:37:13 I don't want to repeat all of that.

3:37:15 Instead, I want to add the perspective

3:37:17 of a parent.

3:37:19 Three years ago, my older daughter

3:37:21 entered kindergarten at FRR shortly

3:37:24 after we moved here from Israel.

3:37:26 She arrived with literally no English.

3:37:29 Um for some children, the transition to

3:37:32 kindergarten is smooth. For others, it's

3:37:34 much harder.

3:37:36 For children who are new to the

3:37:37 language, new to the country, or simply

3:37:40 quiet and unsure, it can be a very very

3:37:44 big transition.

3:37:46 I saw firsthand how important it is for

3:37:48 a child to be seen,

3:37:50 not just taught, seen.

3:37:53 I saw how much it matters when a teacher

3:37:55 has the time and space to notice the

3:37:58 child who is quiet,

3:38:00 to understand who needs help,

3:38:02 to build trust, to create a classroom

3:38:05 where children feel safe enough to try,

3:38:08 to speak, to make mistakes, and to grow.

3:38:12 That does that that does not happen by

3:38:14 accident. It happens because we have

3:38:16 excellent teachers and administrators.

3:38:19 But even excellent teachers need the

3:38:21 right conditions to do their work well.

3:38:24 Smaller and balanced classrooms,

3:38:27 real support, and enough capacity to

3:38:29 meet the children where they where they

3:38:31 are.

3:38:33 And now, 3 years later,

3:38:34 I'm preparing to send my younger kid

3:38:36 into kindergarten.

3:38:38 Last week, we had the peek and practice

3:38:40 where incoming kindergartens came to

3:38:42 visit school.

3:38:44 For some of them, it was their first

3:38:45 experience and first time walking into

3:38:47 this building.

3:38:49 I took a moment to look at the children.

3:38:52 Some were excited,

3:38:54 some and some were really ready for the

3:38:56 next step,

3:38:57 but some were nervous. Some looked

3:38:59 terrified.

3:39:01 And honestly, it makes sense. FRR is a

3:39:03 very, very big uh school, big building,

3:39:06 especially compared to the small

3:39:07 preschool experience and environment

3:39:10 uh many of them are coming from.

3:39:13 You know, at the end of the day,

3:39:15 these are tiny 5-year-old kids.

3:39:18 It's our responsibility to make sure

3:39:20 their first experience entering public

3:39:23 school system is a strong, supported

3:39:26 supportive, and positive as it can be.

3:39:29 I understand that the district has

3:39:31 difficult choices to make,

3:39:33 but I trust the creativity and the

3:39:35 leadership of the administration to find

3:39:37 other solutions if cuts are needed, not

3:39:40 by taking capacity away from our

3:39:42 youngest learners at the very beginning

3:39:44 of their school experience.

3:39:47 I want to be able to look at my son the

3:39:49 night before his first day of

3:39:50 kindergarten,

3:39:52 hug him tight, and tell him with full

3:39:54 confidence that he's going to have a

3:39:56 wonderful school experience

3:39:59 because we chose the best place for him.

3:40:02 And because the adults responsible for

3:40:04 that place made the right decision for

3:40:06 him and for his classmates.

3:40:09 So, I'm asking you, please keep the

3:40:11 fifth kindergarten section at FRR.

3:40:13 Thank you.

3:40:15 Toda, Elit.

3:40:17 Um

3:40:21 Chichi Wu.

3:40:22 Uh she's withdrawn.

3:40:24 Withdrawn.

3:40:25 Uh Deborah Brown.

3:40:29 I did.

3:40:31 No?

3:40:33 Uh, Zariana?

3:40:41 Thanks for hanging in there.

3:40:43 Um, hi everyone. My name is Zariana

3:40:45 Katicich and Jones and Malcolm Cawthorne

3:40:47 asked me to speak here tonight on behalf

3:40:49 of METCO and in support of METCO.

3:40:51 Over the past several months I have

3:40:53 heard a growing conversation about the

3:40:54 cost of the METCO program here in

3:40:57 Brookline. While I understand that

3:40:58 budgets matter, I believe we are asking

3:41:00 the wrong question. The question should

3:41:02 not be how much does METCO cost? The

3:41:04 question should be what is the value of

3:41:06 the community we are building here

3:41:07 together.

3:41:08 As someone who grew up in Brookline, I

3:41:10 can tell you firsthand that racial

3:41:11 diversity is not an abstract concept. It

3:41:14 is not a statistic in a report. It is a

3:41:16 difference between children growing up

3:41:17 in isolation and children growing up

3:41:19 learning from one another.

3:41:21 It is a difference between a school

3:41:22 system that simply talks about inclusion

3:41:24 and one that actively practices it.

3:41:27 For decades, METCO has brought students

3:41:29 and families into Brookline who have

3:41:31 enriched our schools, challenged us to

3:41:32 think more broadly, and helped create

3:41:34 the diverse learning environment that so

3:41:36 many people in this town claim to value.

3:41:39 As a Brookline student of color, I know

3:41:40 how important it was to learn alongside

3:41:42 students from different backgrounds and

3:41:44 experiences. METCO did not just benefit

3:41:47 the students who participated in the

3:41:48 program. It benefited us all.

3:41:51 This is why I find some of the recent

3:41:52 public conversations surrounding METCO

3:41:54 deeply concerning. At a time when

3:41:56 diversity, equity, and inclusion

3:41:58 initiatives are facing attacks across

3:42:00 the country, including from the Trump

3:42:01 administration, Brookline continues to

3:42:03 publicly state that these values matter

3:42:05 to us. Yet, many of our members of our

3:42:07 community have watched as

3:42:08 diversity-focused initiatives have

3:42:10 increasingly become targets for

3:42:11 criticism, including the vote to

3:42:13 eliminate the Office of Educational

3:42:15 Equity and ongoing conversations

3:42:16 questioning programs like METCO.

3:42:18 Whether intentional or not, these

3:42:20 actions create the perception that

3:42:21 diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts

3:42:23 are being treated as optional rather

3:42:25 than essential. For many black and brown

3:42:27 families, that perception matters.

3:42:29 Before I close, I also want to briefly

3:42:31 acknowledge an email that I and several

3:42:33 others received from Sarah. She shared

3:42:35 that tonight's presentation is intended

3:42:37 to celebrate METCO, not to debate its

3:42:39 budget. I agree wholeheartedly that

3:42:41 Malcolm Cawthorn, the students,

3:42:43 families, and staff who make this

3:42:45 program possible deserve to have their

3:42:46 accomplishments recognized and

3:42:48 celebrated. At the same time, I think it

3:42:50 would be disingenuous to ignore why so

3:42:51 many people have felt compelled to speak

3:42:53 up recently. Celebrating METCO and

3:42:55 protecting its future are not

3:42:56 contradictory goals. In fact, they go

3:42:58 hand in hand. It is important that our

3:43:00 community understands that programs like

3:43:02 METCO should not become convenient

3:43:03 targets whenever difficult financial

3:43:05 conversations arise. If we truly value

3:43:07 METCO what METCO students contribute to

3:43:09 Brookline, then we must be willing to

3:43:10 support it not only during celebrations,

3:43:13 but also when decisions are made about

3:43:14 priorities, investments, and resources.

3:43:16 Because ultimately, METCO is not just a

3:43:18 line item in a budget. It is a statement

3:43:20 about who we are as a community. It is a

3:43:22 commitment to educational opportunity,

3:43:24 racial understanding, and the belief

3:43:25 that our children are stronger when they

3:43:26 learn together. So tonight, I celebrate

3:43:28 METCO. I celebrate its students, its

3:43:30 families, its staff, and its impact. And

3:43:32 I urge this community to continue

3:43:33 protecting, supporting, and investing in

3:43:35 the program that has helped make

3:43:36 Brookline a stronger, more diverse, and

3:43:38 more compassionate place for

3:43:40 generations. Also, shameless plug,

3:43:42 tomorrow's Juneteenth. Please make sure

3:43:43 you come out. It's going to be at

3:43:44 Cypress Field at the high school. So,

3:43:46 thank you very much. Have a great night.

3:43:48 Thank you, Zarianna.

3:43:49 [applause]

3:43:52 Angela Peoples.

3:44:02 Hello, everyone. My name is Angela

3:44:04 Peoples.

3:44:06 I have children attending the Brookline

3:44:08 schools, and I'm here

3:44:11 basically because um

3:44:14 I'm an involved parent for one.

3:44:17 And I care about all children.

3:44:20 I think that your school district,

3:44:21 especially Ms. Bellawan, the

3:44:24 superintendent, you need to really pay

3:44:26 attention to what's going on in the

3:44:28 community as well as your schools. Um

3:44:31 There are things happening to the

3:44:33 children.

3:44:34 And um my children are of color, so I'm

3:44:36 very concerned.

3:44:38 My child has been threatened.

3:44:40 My child has been called the N-word.

3:44:43 And to no avail.

3:44:46 Everything went silent.

3:44:49 No one was talking to me. I couldn't

3:44:51 even get an incident report.

3:44:54 Okay?

3:44:56 I am very I'm I'm beyond aggravated. I'm

3:44:59 beyond upset at this point.

3:45:02 And it's too bad I have to come here and

3:45:05 under these conditions. I'm not here to

3:45:08 celebrate and be happy about all this

3:45:10 stuff because my child right now, and

3:45:13 when my child is affected, I'm affected.

3:45:15 I cannot sleep.

3:45:17 Okay? He's not sleeping.

3:45:20 I'm almost 60 years old and my menstrual

3:45:22 came back because of the stress.

3:45:25 And I'm not embarrassed to say it. I was

3:45:27 enjoying menopause.

3:45:29 And on that note, I'mma say, you guys

3:45:31 talk about it's a student code of

3:45:32 conduct. The child that has harassed my

3:45:35 child um um

3:45:37 harassed my child,

3:45:39 basically calling him the N-word, uh

3:45:41 letting him know he will bring a gun to

3:45:43 school, um

3:45:46 and and

3:45:47 I couldn't even get an incident report.

3:45:50 Okay?

3:45:51 It's so bad that um

3:45:53 the other student wanted to pay another

3:45:55 student to do his dirty work, which was

3:45:57 jump my child, have my child jumped. So,

3:46:00 um

3:46:01 while y'all sitting here and you know,

3:46:03 hate to spoil the celebration, but my

3:46:06 child education is being affected and so

3:46:08 is my living here

3:46:10 at this time and being involved.

3:46:13 I'm an advocate for parents on many

3:46:15 levels. I like to help people, but right

3:46:18 now I need help.

3:46:20 So, I also want to talk about the fact

3:46:22 that um

3:46:25 I am concerned for the other child and

3:46:27 the other There were several children

3:46:28 involved.

3:46:30 Um so,

3:46:32 the mind of our children is being

3:46:34 affected and if you think what's

3:46:36 happening to me is not you you you're

3:46:38 not bothered, guess what? You are

3:46:40 bothered by this because at the same

3:46:42 time when you're home resting, what

3:46:44 affects someone's social and emotional

3:46:47 can it it's traveling into the schools.

3:46:50 And you may not see us on the news like

3:46:53 things happening in Boston, Brookline,

3:46:55 and things like that, but you got to

3:46:57 understand this is where it starts. So,

3:46:59 something's being given birth to the

3:47:02 child that has harassed my child to feel

3:47:04 the way that he's feels. So, I also

3:47:07 have prayed for that child and his

3:47:09 family and I feel bad about it.

3:47:11 And that's why I'm here tonight to tell

3:47:13 you guys that um that's very important,

3:47:16 the social and emotional aspect of

3:47:17 dealing with children.

3:47:19 And um it cannot be ignored.

3:47:23 If you don't deal with these things

3:47:24 today, you will deal with them in the

3:47:26 future.

3:47:28 The Bible even says that words are life

3:47:30 and death. And so, the way that we talk

3:47:33 to each other is very important. If I

3:47:36 encourage you today, I'm giving life to

3:47:38 you. If I insult you, I'm making you

3:47:40 feel bad, but a lot of people, you know,

3:47:43 my children can be resilient, but this

3:47:45 really affected my child and I want to

3:47:48 say I'm here to stand for my child and

3:47:51 speak for my child. And that we as a

3:47:54 community and also a committee and all

3:47:56 of that, we have to work at what our

3:47:59 children are saying. Hear your child,

3:48:01 listen to your child, believe your

3:48:03 child,

3:48:04 and take time to

3:48:07 be with them during the day. And then

3:48:09 you'll know what's going on. And I want

3:48:11 to say I'm very upset that I emailed

3:48:13 you, Superintendent Bellwong, and I got

3:48:15 no response. So now I see how it goes.

3:48:18 I wasn't getting a response from the

3:48:20 school, and I didn't get a response from

3:48:21 you. Somebody will be speaking to me.

3:48:24 Thank you.

3:48:26 Thank you, Angela.

3:48:30 Germaine.

3:48:37 Hello, my name is

3:48:39 Oh. Hello, my name is Germaine

3:48:42 Hello, my name is Germaine Northcross.

3:48:44 I'm not as polished as everyone else

3:48:46 that came in here. Um

3:48:48 I'm a mom

3:48:49 of 10 children.

3:48:52 And what opened me up to come here is

3:48:55 because my daughter, Ivory White, she

3:48:57 graduated

3:48:59 from

3:48:59 Brookline High.

3:49:02 So now her two baby brothers go to the

3:49:05 Brookline High,

3:49:07 and I still didn't get any of my

3:49:09 incident reports of my son being

3:49:12 harassed. Um

3:49:14 One One guy followed my son in the

3:49:17 hallway and said, "What are you

3:49:18 banging?" And he said,

3:49:20 "Banging?

3:49:22 You live in Brookline. What do you need

3:49:24 to bang anything?

3:49:26 You have a mother, father, a house, and

3:49:27 a car. And you You live in Brookline,

3:49:30 and you go to the one of the best

3:49:31 schools with a swimming pool,

3:49:33 pottery, jewelry making, wrestling, and

3:49:36 so on.

3:49:37 I just want to say united we stand and

3:49:40 divided we fall.

3:49:42 What is America made of?

3:49:45 My daughter is now

3:49:47 um

3:49:48 33 years old. She graduated from Salem

3:49:50 State. She went to to the program

3:49:53 Juniper,

3:49:54 thanks to Medco program,

3:49:57 thanks to Jean Maguire, who gave her a

3:49:59 chance.

3:50:00 Um she's my second child that I

3:50:03 gave birth to.

3:50:04 The placenta broke five different

3:50:06 places. I almost died, but she

3:50:08 became a journalist. Um, she's a mom.

3:50:12 My first child, Ashley, she went to

3:50:14 Stitch it.

3:50:16 Again,

3:50:18 Brookline,

3:50:20 Medco first gave me a chance, gave my

3:50:22 family a chance to come out here and see

3:50:24 the diversity. I've never lived next to

3:50:26 anyone other than

3:50:29 someone that look my like me. I mean, I

3:50:31 I now I I love diversity. I said, "Yeah,

3:50:35 this is why I named all my kids colors."

3:50:37 Um,

3:50:38 um, I just

3:50:40 enough of this. Enough of this racism,

3:50:44 sexism, or whatever isms. I just want to

3:50:47 be able to move on.

3:50:48 Um, work together as a community, work

3:50:51 together as

3:50:52 human beings. I don't I haven't taught

3:50:55 my kids racism. Not they haven't learned

3:50:58 that in the house, but they learned that

3:50:59 in the schools. They learned that

3:51:01 outside in the streets. Matter of fact,

3:51:03 all my kids go with someone who's of all

3:51:07 nationalities around the world, and I

3:51:08 don't have a problem with that. Just

3:51:10 what is the color of love?

3:51:12 You know? Like I said, united we stand,

3:51:15 divided we fall. What are we standing

3:51:17 for?

3:51:19 What are we standing for?

3:51:21 Thank you.

3:51:22 Thank you for your time.

3:51:23 Thank you, Jermaine.

3:51:27 So, that concludes public comment.

3:51:30 We're moving on

3:51:32 to the next topic, which is

3:51:34 superintendent evaluation 26-27.

3:51:37 And Donna's going to introduce this one.

3:51:40 What's my name?

3:51:42 Oh, gosh.

3:51:47 Thanks. So, I thought it would be

3:51:49 helpful just before we get

3:51:51 before we jump in and get started, give

3:51:54 an overview, um,

3:51:56 of where we are

3:51:58 um in the superintendent evaluation

3:52:00 process. Tonight's discussion will

3:52:02 represent step two

3:52:04 in a five-step um process.

3:52:08 Um the discussion is intended to review

3:52:11 the superintendent's proposed goals for

3:52:13 the 2026-2027 evaluation cycle.

3:52:17 Um we did not do an evaluation with

3:52:19 Superintendent Wong last year because

3:52:21 she was an interim.

3:52:23 Um the goal is for us to provide

3:52:25 feedback and determine whether the

3:52:27 proposed goals

3:52:29 appropriately reflect the committee's

3:52:30 priorities, the district's needs, our

3:52:32 strategic objective objectives, and

3:52:35 expectations

3:52:37 for the coming year.

3:52:39 Um

3:52:42 When I looked at I don't I don't know

3:52:43 how many of you had a chance to look at

3:52:45 the materials

3:52:46 around [clears throat] the

3:52:47 superintendent evaluation, but um as I

3:52:49 looked at it, I

3:52:51 um thought of a few guiding principles

3:52:53 that were helpful for me, and I would

3:52:55 ask that maybe you consider them as

3:52:56 well.

3:52:57 Um

3:52:59 focusing on outcomes rather than the

3:53:02 details of implementation, um asking

3:53:04 clarifying questions before proposing

3:53:07 revisions,

3:53:09 um avoiding focus on um

3:53:12 like I said, implementation,

3:53:14 focusing on um a limited number of

3:53:17 priorities that will have the greatest

3:53:19 impact, and of course, we want to

3:53:22 respect differing perspectives. Um I

3:53:25 think

3:53:26 as we

3:53:28 embark on the process,

3:53:30 um

3:53:36 Sorry. I just got I'm so tired, so I

3:53:38 just got lost. I think as we as we as we

3:53:41 get started, um Bella will share her

3:53:43 proposed goals, and then um we'll have a

3:53:45 chance um to discuss them, ask

3:53:48 clarifying questions, and then um

3:53:53 I will I don't know where our chair just

3:53:54 went, but he will, um, summarize areas

3:53:57 of consensus and modifications, and then

3:53:59 we can, um, discuss next steps and

3:54:02 possibly vote.

3:54:05 Great. So, um, I think the

3:54:09 Valerie, when she was chair, sent a

3:54:11 memorandum to the school committee

3:54:13 outlining the process that, um,

3:54:17 can be used through DESE.

3:54:19 Um, I've actually never used this

3:54:20 format, but I'm game to try.

3:54:23 Um, so, the DESE format starts with a

3:54:27 self-assessment.

3:54:29 And, um, so I created a document. I'm

3:54:31 not going to review that document at

3:54:33 this meeting, but it just, um, a

3:54:35 reflection of the end-of-year report,

3:54:37 but it also where we are against the

3:54:40 strategic plan that's in place, the

3:54:42 2024-2027

3:54:44 strategic plan.

3:54:46 And just, um, areas that might need

3:54:49 support. One thing, um, to note when you

3:54:53 look at the goals proposed, that, um,

3:54:57 whereas coming into this year, our large

3:54:59 focus was looking at our financial

3:55:01 systems, you'll see that I have shifted

3:55:03 to other goals.

3:55:05 Um, the DESE model says

3:55:08 that there must be one student learning

3:55:10 goal,

3:55:11 one professional practice goal, and two

3:55:14 to four district improvement goals, and

3:55:17 I've chosen four.

3:55:19 All right. And then, when Pardon?

3:55:23 I don't know.

3:55:24 Just

3:55:25 So, um,

3:55:27 and then for each goal selected,

3:55:30 um, just to indicate where the focus

3:55:32 indicators are.

3:55:34 What, um,

3:55:36 Valerie shared with you was a document

3:55:38 with all the indicators, and so they're

3:55:41 just noted by

3:55:43 Roman numeral and section here, so you

3:55:45 can refer back to them.

3:55:47 Um so, for I'm proposing for the student

3:55:51 learning goal, and again, you're

3:55:53 supposed to pick things that are smart

3:55:55 goals, so sort of a distinct product or

3:55:59 outcome. So, the student learning goal

3:56:02 is to to decrease disproportionately for

3:56:05 PSB students so as to no longer be

3:56:07 identified by DESI.

3:56:09 District has been identified twice in

3:56:11 the last 3 years for disproportionality,

3:56:14 so that would be the student learning

3:56:16 goal.

3:56:17 The professional practice goal is to

3:56:20 achieve 100% evaluation of all unit A

3:56:24 and unit B and unaligned administrators

3:56:27 to sustain high-quality instruction. The

3:56:30 other part is to implement an evaluation

3:56:33 system for paraprofessionals.

3:56:35 So, at this time, there is no evaluation

3:56:38 document for paraprofessionals. So, the

3:56:40 goal would be to do that, and that has

3:56:42 actually been a subject of negotiations

3:56:45 at this time.

3:56:47 Um the strategic plan that was in play

3:56:51 or is in place 24 to 27 notes targets of

3:56:55 getting

3:56:56 um

3:56:57 75% evaluation, 90%, and 100%. I'm just

3:57:00 going to name the 100% as the target.

3:57:03 All right, so this is for unit A, unit

3:57:06 B, and unaligned administrators.

3:57:10 The district improvement goals

3:57:13 Some of this reflects the work that we

3:57:16 have committed to do as part of our

3:57:18 MOUs,

3:57:19 um but also makes sense for us to do as

3:57:22 a district. So, the first one you may

3:57:25 recognize, evaluate the grade

3:57:27 configurations to improve scheduling and

3:57:29 staff equity across the K-8 schools. All

3:57:33 right, so that would be one.

3:57:35 Um the second one is to establish an

3:57:39 equity leadership team and develop a

3:57:41 strategic equity plan as required by the

3:57:43 state. So, when we get to the

3:57:45 superintendent um report update, I will

3:57:49 also share the updated um expectations

3:57:53 that were communicated by the

3:57:54 Commissioner of Education last week, and

3:57:57 this is one of the priorities they

3:57:59 identified. We don't have

3:58:03 an equity leadership team, and we don't

3:58:05 have an equity plan. So, that would be

3:58:07 the specific outcome of that goal.

3:58:11 Um you'll note for district improvement

3:58:13 goal three, I've listed it as a TBD. We

3:58:16 just underwent a district curriculum

3:58:18 assessment by DESE, but we don't have

3:58:21 the report yet. We're supposed to get

3:58:23 the report, I think, at the end of this

3:58:26 month, and so I just put it as a

3:58:28 placeholder,

3:58:29 so that it will have a place in the in

3:58:31 the goals

3:58:33 um for for us to focus on in the coming

3:58:36 year. So, again, this report hasn't come

3:58:38 yet. It's supposed to come It was

3:58:41 supposed to come this month.

3:58:44 And so, this is a TBD, and I hope you'll

3:58:46 um

3:58:47 allow that flexibility that it's not

3:58:49 identified in this moment, but that we

3:58:52 can look and see what the report is, and

3:58:53 then we can agree on what that priority

3:58:55 would be.

3:58:57 The fourth district improvement goal,

3:58:59 and again, we've um done a lot with our

3:59:02 financial systems.

3:59:04 Um

3:59:05 a lot has been done on student services.

3:59:08 And I know Robin will have goals around

3:59:11 OTL. I know that OAF will have goals

3:59:14 around HR. These other areas um are

3:59:18 areas noted in

3:59:21 potential weaknesses when I look at the

3:59:23 strategic plan and what we've done so

3:59:25 far. So, it's actually a a very

3:59:28 comprehensive one with a lot of parts,

3:59:30 but it would be to complete evaluation

3:59:34 for procedures related to use of

3:59:35 facilities. So, one of the things in

3:59:37 that MOU is to look at use of

3:59:39 facilities,

3:59:41 maintenance and repairs. It's been very

3:59:44 clear to me, and Jesse's not in the

3:59:45 room, but um in our meetings with

3:59:48 capital advisory, this has been

3:59:50 something that they have raised. So, I'm

3:59:52 identifying it as as something for this

3:59:55 category.

3:59:56 Work order systems were initiated this

3:59:59 year, but they still need follow through

4:00:01 to make sure that they're well

4:00:02 established.

4:00:04 Um we have started work. Thank you to

4:00:07 Joe Albuquerque on our emergency

4:00:09 response systems, but I they still also

4:00:13 need work. They've been initiated, but

4:00:16 they need a lot of support. I would like

4:00:18 to focus on security and safety

4:00:21 um for for our schools. And it's more of

4:00:24 focus on physical safety. We've done a

4:00:26 lot of work on mental, social, emotional

4:00:29 safety. So, this would be um to to to

4:00:32 distinguish from that, physical physical

4:00:35 security and safety.

4:00:37 And we've done a lot of work on

4:00:39 transportation practices, but I just

4:00:41 took this entire um

4:00:44 I just took the entire rubric from

4:00:45 DESCI. So, this is actually a DESCI

4:00:48 rubric, and I just took it in in its

4:00:50 entirety.

4:00:51 So, again, one student learning goal,

4:00:54 one professional practice goal,

4:00:57 two to four district improvement goals,

4:00:59 and I've picked four with one including

4:01:01 one that is CPD.

4:01:06 Comments.

4:01:09 Donna.

4:01:10 Can I start with a clarifying question?

4:01:12 Um professional practice goal,

4:01:16 um the evaluation system for

4:01:18 paraprofessionals,

4:01:20 is that

4:01:22 Can we lean on that goal if it's it's an

4:01:25 aspect of negotiations, isn't it?

4:01:29 Or no?

4:01:33 So, in other words

4:01:34 I I actually think we we can um

4:01:38 we can have one. It's just agreeing on

4:01:40 the document.

4:01:41 Oh, okay.

4:01:42 And I would say at this stage both um

4:01:48 both B U and and district administration

4:01:52 school community support

4:01:55 that there be a an evaluation document.

4:01:58 And so we're just negotiating um

4:02:01 what that document will look like.

4:02:03 So in other words, there will be a

4:02:05 document for the

4:02:06 for the next school year

4:02:08 regardless of the outcome of

4:02:10 negotiations.

4:02:11 I don't know because we would have to

4:02:12 agree. So this would be the goal and if

4:02:15 we're not able to implement, then we're

4:02:16 not able to implement. But I um

4:02:20 it just seemed because I want to focus

4:02:22 on the evaluation of AB and the

4:02:24 unaligned administrators,

4:02:26 I wanted to include that as

4:02:29 part of that.

4:02:31 Carolyn?

4:02:35 Thanks. Um

4:02:38 This is great, Bella. Thanks. I have a

4:02:40 question on

4:02:42 I I really like the student learning

4:02:43 goal. I'm very interested um in our

4:02:47 disproportionality

4:02:49 citation

4:02:50 um and

4:02:52 how that's going to be addressed and and

4:02:54 I look forward to hearing more

4:02:56 about that.

4:02:58 I guess

4:03:00 obviously, you know what you're doing

4:03:01 with these.

4:03:07 Do Is your Is your hope to be no longer

4:03:11 in the identification

4:03:13 um realm and I don't remember what the

4:03:16 metric was or where we were what the

4:03:18 number was

4:03:20 in next school year? Like given that

4:03:23 IEPs

4:03:25 go with students, I would think that

4:03:28 that's something that like how long will

4:03:31 like we can't just remove IEPs from

4:03:33 students, right? So,

4:03:35 um

4:03:36 I mean, I'm super interested and

4:03:38 supportive of work being done here.

4:03:42 But, I'm just curious like

4:03:44 how how much can we Is it really

4:03:48 realistic for us to no longer be in the

4:03:51 identification

4:03:53 um

4:03:56 I don't know what

4:03:57 It may mean um

4:04:00 Honestly, I I have picked goals that may

4:04:02 not be achievable in the end of the

4:04:04 year.

4:04:04 Okay. I'm just going to have to say I

4:04:06 didn't meet the goal. Okay.

4:04:08 But, I um but I'm saying

4:04:10 But, that you're working

4:04:11 naming it

4:04:12 Okay, awesome.

4:04:14 Okay.

4:04:14 I

4:04:15 That's great.

4:04:15 I um

4:04:17 I didn't name goals that I knew were

4:04:19 going to be slam dunks.

4:04:20 Okay, fantastic. That really answers my

4:04:23 question. Thank you. That's great.

4:04:25 Sarah.

4:04:27 Bella, I wonder if in

4:04:29 um the third goal

4:04:31 for district improvement you might want

4:04:34 to be careful not to sign yourself up

4:04:38 for something that you're not sure how

4:04:40 it's going to turn out. I wonder if you

4:04:43 already know in terms of curriculum

4:04:46 what you would like to

4:04:49 see us address.

4:04:50 And should that report not come be

4:04:54 aligned with what you're interested in

4:04:56 do you want to leave yourself a little

4:04:58 bit more room

4:05:00 there? Because you could rewrite it to

4:05:02 be

4:05:03 um to improve

4:05:05 you know

4:05:08 district curriculum

4:05:11 without having it be um

4:05:13 tied to the report.

4:05:16 Or do you have a lot of confidence that

4:05:17 the report's going to show

4:05:20 what you believe to be true by the

4:05:21 system.

4:05:23 I I

4:05:26 I have no idea what that report because

4:05:30 DESE is starting up these curriculum

4:05:32 reviews and that it's fairly they did

4:05:34 them before. This is sort of a new

4:05:37 round. So, I don't know what that report

4:05:41 will look like. I'm just open to what

4:05:43 they might say, but I can't imagine

4:05:45 there isn't something that will come out

4:05:47 of the report that will make sense for

4:05:50 us.

4:05:51 I feel that way, too. I feel that there

4:05:52 definitely is work to do on curriculum

4:05:54 in the community.

4:05:56 Um, I just didn't know if you wanted to

4:05:58 name it yourself and be a little bit

4:06:00 more proactive than to just wait for

4:06:02 that to come in.

4:06:03 So, it could be

4:06:04 um

4:06:06 So, the DESE model suggests two to four

4:06:09 district improvement goals. It could be

4:06:11 already picked one that will be

4:06:13 identified. So, even though it says

4:06:15 curriculum, that that assessment was

4:06:18 more comprehensive of that just

4:06:21 curriculum. I would not be surprised

4:06:24 if they don't

4:06:26 highlight the percent evaluations that

4:06:29 are being done.

4:06:30 Okay.

4:06:32 Vicer.

4:06:32 Yes, thank you. Actually, I was also I

4:06:36 also had the similar question. I feel

4:06:40 that leaving it open-ended

4:06:43 may may leave

4:06:46 you open to like you are I mean

4:06:51 basically

4:06:52 if they come up with seven

4:06:54 concerns

4:06:56 which

4:06:57 Oh, okay. So, I don't I'm not committing

4:06:59 to addressing everything.

4:07:00 Okay. So

4:07:01 Yeah. So,

4:07:03 um

4:07:04 Do you want to quantify that? Two

4:07:05 concerns, one concern?

4:07:07 No, because I don't um

4:07:10 Some of the concerns

4:07:13 because other than that I may read it as

4:07:16 some address all concerns. You know,

4:07:18 someone can read it as that.

4:07:20 So, I just can I I don't know. Do you

4:07:41 Yeah.

4:07:43 So, it's the other thing about creating

4:07:45 goals is um if I anticipate it's work

4:07:48 that has to be done anyway,

4:07:50 then I think it might as well be

4:07:51 identified as a goal.

4:07:53 So, my my understanding is that there'll

4:07:56 be a report and it's going to highlight

4:07:59 areas that we need to work on.

4:08:01 Yeah. So, it will it will highlight

4:08:03 areas that were strong areas of strength

4:08:06 for us um relative to those um standards

4:08:09 and it will highlight areas of growth

4:08:11 for us as a district for us to think

4:08:13 about and it really will be up to us how

4:08:15 we

4:08:16 prioritize and address those areas of

4:08:19 growth and

4:08:21 as Superintendent Wong stated, I think

4:08:23 some of the things that we already know

4:08:24 there are places that we know we already

4:08:26 need to do some work, right? Like that

4:08:28 we've identified in our strategic plan

4:08:30 and in the things that we've discussed

4:08:32 as a leadership team. So,

4:08:34 um but we don't have the report yet.

4:08:36 Right. So, I mean I could say address

4:08:38 concerns that may be identified by the

4:08:40 district curriculum assessment report.

4:08:42 Does that sound

4:08:44 Yeah, or maybe

4:08:45 I am open to recommendations on how to

4:08:48 word that.

4:08:49 I I am also thinking I was wondering if

4:08:51 um as uh

4:08:53 Robin mentioned, uh

4:08:55 you know, some priority concerns or

4:08:58 something of that sort that clarifies

4:09:01 which concerns um you'll that may say

4:09:05 you know, you are prioritizing them and

4:09:07 then

4:09:09 you are you'll be addressing those. Just

4:09:12 a suggestion.

4:09:14 Okay.

4:09:15 What about address prioritized

4:09:19 areas of concern?

4:09:22 As determined by whom? By DES? By us?

4:09:26 By you.

4:09:27 Yeah, okay.

4:09:30 So, address concerns identified by the

4:09:33 district curriculum assessment report as

4:09:35 prioritized by

4:09:38 It could be prioritized by the senior

4:09:39 leadership team or by the

4:09:41 superintendent. Yeah.

4:09:42 okay with that.

4:09:45 I think Donna should prioritize.

4:09:47 [laughter]

4:09:51 So, I wrote Betsy as prioritized by the

4:09:54 SLT.

4:09:56 Okay.

4:09:59 Susan.

4:10:00 Yeah, so um I'm really excited that now

4:10:02 that we've gotten some of the finances

4:10:05 [laughter]

4:10:06 figured out a little better, that many

4:10:08 of your focus indicators are in

4:10:10 instructional leadership. So, I think

4:10:11 that's going to be very exciting for

4:10:13 you, I hope. And I I think it's a it's a

4:10:17 good place to um put a lot of your

4:10:19 energy. So, I'm excited about that. Uh

4:10:22 under professional practice,

4:10:24 uh you aren't actually doing 100% of the

4:10:27 evaluations, you're having that happen.

4:10:29 So, just

4:10:31 just kind of think about that a little

4:10:33 bit. Um

4:10:35 because if it's if it's not 100% that's

4:10:39 done, it's not because you didn't do it,

4:10:41 it's because the people who are supposed

4:10:43 to be doing it didn't do it.

4:10:45 So, I'm just trying to protect you a

4:10:47 little bit from that.

4:10:48 Um I don't know if you want to say that

4:10:51 something about

4:10:53 providing

4:10:55 the evaluators with the tools they or in

4:10:57 the develop professional development

4:10:59 they need or they will check in with you

4:11:02 or I don't know. Or you can just leave

4:11:03 it the way it is, but it's just

4:11:04 something to think about.

4:11:08 I would be surprised if we ever actually

4:11:10 met that target, but I also feel we'll

4:11:12 make more

4:11:14 grounds on getting there if I name it.

4:11:17 Um

4:11:18 and so we should we should be there.

4:11:21 Um

4:11:22 also the thing about the indicators

4:11:25 I have to choose one from one, two,

4:11:28 three, and four.

4:11:29 Right.

4:11:29 All right, so so I had to make sure that

4:11:32 I did that.

4:11:34 And then

4:11:35 uh

4:11:37 So four is

4:11:38 Yeah.

4:11:38 is basically cultural proficiency.

4:11:40 Right.

4:11:41 All right, yeah.

4:11:42 Yeah. Yeah.

4:11:44 Faisal.

4:11:45 And the the the other thing uh but it

4:11:47 may be under um

4:11:49 OTL is uh taking a look

4:11:52 at the new require the new DESE

4:11:55 suggested requirements for high school

4:11:58 graduation.

4:11:59 Um

4:12:01 that might be Robin's res- duty. I mean

4:12:04 that it is we have to start taking a

4:12:06 look this coming year.

4:12:08 Uh not because it because it's the

4:12:10 following year it's going to start to be

4:12:11 implemented, I believe.

4:12:13 So I was going to talk about that in my

4:12:15 report.

4:12:16 Okay, great.

4:12:17 Great.

4:12:18 Thank you.

4:12:18 Faisal.

4:12:19 Yes.

4:12:20 Um in

4:12:22 um

4:12:25 Um in professional practice school, um

4:12:29 it says and unaligned administrators to

4:12:33 sustain high quality instruction.

4:12:36 How is high quality instruction defined?

4:12:39 It's defined by It's in the rubrics.

4:12:42 Okay.

4:12:43 Yeah.

4:12:43 Okay. So maybe

4:12:46 maybe

4:12:46 why their indicators are listed.

4:12:49 Yeah. Yes.

4:12:50 Okay.

4:12:51 Yeah, I mean just as far as it's defined

4:12:53 somewhere because folks may find

4:12:56 different ways of defining high quality

4:12:58 instruction if it's not there. so thank

4:13:01 you.

4:13:05 I think we can

4:13:06 I mean we're getting [clears throat]

4:13:07 close I think, but we can also amend

4:13:09 this in the fall if we want to make some

4:13:10 changes in it, can't we? We can vote yes

4:13:12 and then

4:13:13 No, you can't cuz we're going to start

4:13:15 we would start using it as um

4:13:18 a plan for the summer. I mean, you can,

4:13:20 but it that would

4:13:21 Okay.

4:13:22 We're but that would

4:13:23 not be so helpful.

4:13:25 Okay.

4:13:26 Okay. Anything else?

4:13:28 Oh.

4:13:30 Sarah.

4:13:31 Just one more um

4:13:33 sort of nudge and I I can I can accept

4:13:36 that you uh are willing to write um

4:13:38 goals that might not be achievable

4:13:40 within a year, but just one more nudge

4:13:42 for the second one for professional goal

4:13:45 practice goal.

4:13:46 Is there any chance that you want to say

4:13:48 work towards 100%

4:13:51 instead of saying achieve?

4:13:53 Okay.

4:13:54 Work toward?

4:13:57 I

4:13:58 I think that um the definition of smart

4:14:00 goal is that it needs to be

4:14:03 um something that

4:14:06 can be measured and is possible.

4:14:12 Sorry.

4:14:13 I'm sorry. Carry on.

4:14:15 But sorry, are

4:14:15 I'm sorry.

4:14:16 Okay.

4:14:18 [clears throat]

4:14:18 Um sorry, I had a question on your

4:14:20 microphone.

4:14:21 Oh,

4:14:22 thank you.

4:14:23 District improvement goal two, establish

4:14:26 an equity leadership team

4:14:29 and develop a strategic equity plan as

4:14:31 required by the state. So,

4:14:33 I think I have two questions there.

4:14:35 Um

4:14:37 is this meant

4:14:38 educational equity?

4:14:41 And then you mentioned

4:14:43 there are new expectations

4:14:47 from the state.

4:14:50 So, this actually

4:14:51 And and I'm curious what those are.

4:14:53 a new expectation.

4:14:56 Oh, okay.

4:14:56 It's not a new expectation. The district

4:14:59 has been out of compliance with the

4:15:00 elimination of the OEE.

4:15:03 Because there's not like a team.

4:15:05 Right. And or an equity officer.

4:15:07 And

4:15:09 due to fiscal restraints, we didn't

4:15:11 create the position. So, it will have to

4:15:13 be assumed by the current leadership

4:15:15 team.

4:15:15 Mhm.

4:15:16 Also, as I noted, you have to pick

4:15:18 something from 1 2 3 and 4.

4:15:21 Yep.

4:15:21 So, 4 is cultural

4:15:23 Yep.

4:15:23 efficiencies. So, this fits. So, this

4:15:25 fits.

4:15:27 And um

4:15:28 well, it's not a new requirement the

4:15:30 commissioner highlighted it as a

4:15:32 priority for the coming year.

4:15:33 Okay. So, I guess my the first part of

4:15:36 that remains.

4:15:38 Is this meant to say educational equity?

4:15:40 And sort of what are we

4:15:44 What's What's in there?

4:15:47 What's within this notion of an

4:15:49 educational or you have equity

4:15:52 leadership team, but do we mean

4:15:53 educational equity?

4:15:55 Using the language from the um

4:15:59 the thing that that's law. And um it is

4:16:02 educational equity.

4:16:05 And what's

4:16:06 As opposed It's not social equity. It's

4:16:09 educational I don't know how else to It

4:16:13 It is educational equity.

4:16:15 And what are the sort of expectations of

4:16:19 an equity leadership team?

4:16:23 Can you say more about

4:16:24 So, the equity leadership team has to

4:16:26 lead to to develop the strategic equity

4:16:29 plan and to have a

4:16:31 how um

4:16:33 it's going to be implemented.

4:16:37 Either a equity officer was going to do

4:16:39 that or it could be a leadership team,

4:16:42 they said.

4:16:42 Okay.

4:16:43 I think what Carolyn is Excuse me, but I

4:16:45 think what Carolyn is saying is that

4:16:47 if we're using terms, we have to be more

4:16:49 clear on what those terms actually mean.

4:16:52 So, what is

4:16:53 What do we [clears throat] mean by an

4:16:54 equity goal? What do we mean by an

4:16:56 equity team? I think that's unclear.

4:16:58 It's actually So, as defined by the

4:17:00 state

4:17:01 As defined by the state?

4:17:02 Mhm. Yeah, that's understood

4:17:04 terminology.

4:17:05 It is It is their requirement.

4:17:08 [snorts]

4:17:13 Do we have a a equity plan from previous

4:17:15 prior years?

4:17:17 We do not.

4:17:18 We do not. Okay, thank

4:17:20 We did not leave one. Okay.

4:17:23 Had they developed one?

4:17:27 No.

4:17:27 Not that I could find.

4:17:28 Okay, thanks.

4:17:29 Okay, so this is in process.

4:17:36 As the clock

4:17:38 reaches 10:10,

4:17:40 can we get some conclusion on the goals

4:17:43 and vote on them? What do you think?

4:17:46 Yes, is there a motion?

4:17:48 I would make a motion to move the goals.

4:17:52 Is there a second?

4:17:52 two

4:17:53 um

4:17:54 wording change I think there were two

4:17:55 wording changes.

4:17:57 Right?

4:18:08 Yeah.

4:18:10 Okay, so is there a second to that

4:18:11 motion, Donna?

4:18:12 I'll second.

4:18:13 Suzanne?

4:18:13 I'll second.

4:18:14 Okay, any conversation?

4:18:17 Faiza?

4:18:18 Yes.

4:18:18 Suzanne?

4:18:19 Yes.

4:18:19 Donna?

4:18:20 Yes.

4:18:20 Val?

4:18:23 Who's the loser?

4:18:24 I don't know.

4:18:26 Val, you vote?

4:18:29 Superintendent goals?

4:18:32 Carolyn?

4:18:32 Yes.

4:18:33 Sarah?

4:18:33 Yes.

4:18:34 Rob? Yes.

4:18:36 Okay, passes unanimously. Thank you very

4:18:38 much.

4:18:41 [clears throat]

4:18:41 And now we have superintendent's report.

4:18:43 Yes, I'll try to go quickly or just

4:18:45 speak um direct I anyway, so the first

4:18:49 is the commissioner held a webinar for

4:18:52 all superintendents on the last Friday.

4:18:55 I will say after a year of having

4:18:57 webinars where they were more

4:18:59 informational and listening.

4:19:02 There were a lot of things he said about

4:19:04 expectations for the coming year. I know

4:19:06 I was caught by surprise and I

4:19:11 have not been with other superintendents

4:19:13 since that webinar to hear how other

4:19:15 people um

4:19:17 received that news. But one was the

4:19:19 anticipated

4:19:21 launching of the recommended graduation

4:19:23 requirements. And so they are

4:19:26 recommended and [clears throat]

4:19:28 they um they'll be presented to the

4:19:31 Board of Education. And if the Board of

4:19:34 Education approves them, then they will

4:19:36 become the new graduation requirements.

4:19:40 Where where Brookline is we're close,

4:19:45 but we're close in some areas, but other

4:19:48 areas would require some investment in

4:19:50 time.

4:19:51 The first is that everyone would have to

4:19:54 meet the MassCore requirements. And so

4:19:57 you all just approved graduation

4:20:01 um

4:20:02 was it competencies?

4:20:06 Yeah, so you voted them before the close

4:20:09 of last year and they match the MassCore

4:20:12 requirements except for math would need

4:20:15 to go from

4:20:17 two to three or three to four.

4:20:19 Three to four. Three to four.

4:20:20 Yeah.

4:20:21 I'm sorry. Yes.

4:20:22 Three to four.

4:20:24 It would be three to four. Otherwise,

4:20:26 they are

4:20:28 are are similar.

4:20:30 The surprise is that these would go into

4:20:33 effect for the grade nine class

4:20:37 not this fall, but next fall.

4:20:40 And the commissioner said even if you

4:20:42 don't have anything in place, you could

4:20:44 get them in place by the time they have

4:20:46 to graduate." Which I'm sure most

4:20:49 districts are going to have an issue

4:20:51 with that that you that

4:20:54 So, um, the slides for the webinar were

4:20:58 supposed to be posted after

4:21:01 and I was going to share them out with

4:21:03 the SLT and the principals, but they

4:21:05 have not been posted. So, I think maybe

4:21:07 there's some pushback on on that

4:21:10 timeline. The other aspects of the

4:21:13 graduation requirements is

4:21:16 a financial literacy course.

4:21:18 Um, it would also be evidence of career

4:21:22 to work modeling through the My Cap,

4:21:25 which I don't think we have.

4:21:27 The other is um

4:21:32 Did it's the AI it's the AI and digital

4:21:35 literacy.

4:21:37 Also, um, demonstration that FAFSA or

4:21:41 MASFA content has been offered and maybe

4:21:46 met. Um

4:21:50 then there will be end of course exams

4:21:55 for the Mass Core requirements and when

4:21:57 those are in place the MCAS will go

4:21:59 away.

4:22:01 So, again, he said it would be in effect

4:22:04 for the grade nine class entering not

4:22:07 this fall, but next fall. Obviously,

4:22:10 budgets are set. It can't be for this

4:22:12 fall. But that that have all of that

4:22:15 developed for next fall is very

4:22:16 aggressive. Also, I know that MASS is

4:22:21 pushing back on development of things

4:22:23 that are not budgeted for. So, there

4:22:26 quite a bit of this is not budgeted for.

4:22:31 Right. And so, actually any one of the

4:22:35 things that they are saying should also

4:22:37 be part of it in addition to the mask

4:22:40 core requirements. They're all

4:22:42 valid, um, but it's just they

4:22:45 they kind of put everything in there.

4:22:48 Um, I will say some of this

4:22:51 some of the things that they're asking

4:22:52 for may or may be more or less relevant

4:22:57 to our community than others. So, um,

4:23:00 there may be pushback about that.

4:23:03 The other thing he announced was the

4:23:05 amended regs to the timeout spaces would

4:23:10 go into effect this August.

4:23:13 And that would be a surprise to most

4:23:15 districts. I know that we've been

4:23:17 working on them. We do have earmarked

4:23:20 fund requests for the timeout spaces,

4:23:23 but we do not that is not otherwise in

4:23:25 the plans to do. So, I'm just going to

4:23:28 say if Brookline isn't prepared

4:23:30 necessarily for October 17th, other

4:23:33 communities may likewise not be

4:23:35 prepared.

4:23:39 Carolyn

4:23:39 Do you mind if I interject a question or

4:23:41 should I wait till the end?

4:23:43 I'm okay.

4:23:43 Okay.

4:23:44 Wasn't that something that Senator Cream

4:23:48 gave us?

4:23:49 We made a request and so we've been

4:23:51 asking for where the status is. So, we

4:23:54 don't have any affirmation.

4:23:55 Oh, okay.

4:23:56 So,

4:23:57 we got that money.

4:23:58 So,

4:23:59 Carolyn is is, um,

4:24:03 reminding us that we were offered for

4:24:06 earmarked funds and we made a request

4:24:08 and, um, they were for timeout spaces,

4:24:11 they're for ventilation with the kilns,

4:24:14 and they were for gender neutral

4:24:15 bathrooms. All right, so for those three

4:24:18 items and we've been trying to get

4:24:19 confirmation and we don't have it yet.

4:24:23 So, I have a question.

4:24:24 Yes.

4:24:24 So, it sounds [clears throat] like

4:24:26 um,

4:24:27 instead of a high stakes MCAS test for

4:24:29 graduating high school,

4:24:31 we now have graduation requirements,

4:24:33 coursework,

4:24:34 and exams, like standardized exams at

4:24:38 the end of courses?

4:24:39 So, it wasn't clear. Are they going to

4:24:41 have standardized end-of-course exams,

4:24:43 since they're dictating that it's the

4:24:45 MassCore requirements, or we creating

4:24:49 the end-of-course

4:24:50 exams?

4:24:51 Cuz in New York,

4:24:52 Yeah, they said this They said the state

4:24:55 is going to

4:24:56 Okay, I thought so. The state's going to

4:24:58 write the the assessments.

4:25:00 Really? Tests.

4:25:01 So, that's like New York's Regents

4:25:03 exams.

4:25:03 score them, and we would have results

4:25:05 back in a couple of weeks, is what they

4:25:08 said. That's what they're proposing.

4:25:11 As I said, the slides somehow didn't get

4:25:13 up like distributed, so I don't know if

4:25:16 there was um I thought there was a lot

4:25:19 in the expectations.

4:25:21 He also spent some time talking about

4:25:23 the district diversity plan and the

4:25:25 equity officer team. So, he also

4:25:27 highlighted that as a priority for the

4:25:29 coming year.

4:25:31 He also said that DESE would be

4:25:33 developing seals of distinction for

4:25:36 students to earn, and that districts

4:25:38 would be required to offer a minimum

4:25:41 number, to be determined, of these

4:25:43 pathways to be able to attain these

4:25:46 seals of distinction. One example is the

4:25:49 Seal of Biliteracy, which we are hoping

4:25:52 to launch,

4:25:53 but it sounded like there were going to

4:25:54 be multiple seals of distinction

4:25:57 yet to be defined.

4:26:00 All right, so there was that. The He

4:26:03 also announced that there would be a new

4:26:05 family portal

4:26:07 for families to access their students'

4:26:11 um

4:26:12 MCAS

4:26:14 results.

4:26:15 And in the call, he said that that would

4:26:17 be in effect as early as this month,

4:26:21 which alarmed many districts, cuz it was

4:26:23 going to be ahead of the aggregate data

4:26:25 that we would get, which we typically

4:26:27 don't get till

4:26:28 till the fall or September.

4:26:31 And um it also

4:26:34 caused people to say, "Okay, so then

4:26:35 people are going to get their data and

4:26:37 they're going to want answers, and no

4:26:39 one no one's going to be around all sum-

4:26:41 Like who's answering these questions

4:26:43 over the summer?"

4:26:44 So just um

4:26:46 I think it was just yesterday, they're

4:26:47 moving the opening of the family portal

4:26:50 to August 14th. So they But it's still

4:26:54 problematic for us. Cuz

4:26:57 I

4:26:57 August 14th,

4:26:59 we won't have the data yet. And um and

4:27:04 we're opening up schools.

4:27:06 So

4:27:08 they pushed it from June to mid-August,

4:27:11 but but that's still that's problematic

4:27:14 for us. So So anyway, to say that the

4:27:17 commissioner has um

4:27:20 stated these priorities, but I'm not

4:27:22 sure

4:27:23 I'm not sure

4:27:26 what the response has been. And And if

4:27:29 the slides do get posted, I will share

4:27:30 them with you, but they haven't been

4:27:32 posted, which is actually unusual.

4:27:34 Cuz they usually post right away.

4:27:37 Okay. The other update I just wanted to

4:27:40 provide to San Justo play structure,

4:27:43 um

4:27:44 we're working I've been communicating

4:27:46 directly with parks.

4:27:48 Um the DPW director's away now,

4:27:51 different people are taking their

4:27:53 vacations and are away.

4:27:55 So we will just continue to work, but

4:27:57 that's just not going to be something

4:27:59 that will change for this summer. All

4:28:02 right, but we will try to see what we

4:28:03 can do um

4:28:07 in due course.

4:28:08 All right, but that's but we will

4:28:10 continue to

4:28:11 to work with it, and obviously we have

4:28:13 to work with other departments to be

4:28:15 able to achieve that.

4:28:17 Um my third update is on the FRR

4:28:20 classroom, where we are. We are

4:28:22 monitoring that. Um the last data I gave

4:28:25 you was a June 1st snapshot, and then

4:28:28 for today I gave you a snapshot for 6

4:28:31 16.

4:28:33 And so, working with Megan Genny, we

4:28:36 will keep we will monitor this through

4:28:38 the summer.

4:28:40 Um but where the FRR kindergarten was at

4:28:44 19 19 20 20 on June 1st, they are now at

4:28:48 18 18 18 19.

4:28:51 So, the average is 18.3 at this time.

4:28:55 Um

4:28:57 as Jordana reported,

4:28:59 there has been um

4:29:02 historically 10 to 14 K enrollments

4:29:05 um over the last year and the year

4:29:07 before. So, even with 14 K enrollments,

4:29:12 it would still leave the kindergartens

4:29:14 within guidance.

4:29:16 And so, there has been much comment

4:29:18 about our

4:29:19 the um

4:29:21 average class size for K at FRR being

4:29:24 larger than um

4:29:27 the K averages at other schools.

4:29:29 So, I have to remind everyone that when

4:29:32 we built the budgets,

4:29:34 the budgets were based on guidance.

4:29:37 And so, that is our magic for for class

4:29:41 sizes as we move forward.

4:29:43 The K sections might be smaller at some

4:29:46 schools than others,

4:29:48 and um

4:29:49 it actually

4:29:51 this is something where we're

4:29:52 anticipating that we have to look and

4:29:54 see if we're adjusting when we look at

4:29:56 transition from K to 1.

4:29:59 Um having eight K-8 schools, some at two

4:30:02 sections, some are five section schools,

4:30:05 within any K-8 school, you have a range

4:30:08 of two to five sections across the grade

4:30:11 levels. It's really um it's been it's

4:30:15 nearly impossible for when you divide

4:30:17 the number across the schools for any

4:30:20 grade level that you won't have some

4:30:23 range.

4:30:24 Um we are committed to look at grade

4:30:27 configurations for schools um in the

4:30:30 next year.

4:30:32 Um we were largely looking at

4:30:34 possibility of middle school models or

4:30:37 not. It's not a commitment to go to that

4:30:40 model. It's that we have a commitment to

4:30:43 explore and see what that would do in

4:30:45 trying to even out the class sizes

4:30:48 across the district. The other

4:30:50 possibility looking at grade

4:30:52 configurations is redistricting.

4:30:55 So, that has also very disruptive impact

4:31:00 to the community. So, what I want to

4:31:03 emphasize with AK8 schools that are so

4:31:06 different in their number of sections

4:31:09 per school, when we divide, we are going

4:31:12 to have to expect that we're going to

4:31:15 have variability in the section sizes.

4:31:17 The metric we are using is making sure

4:31:21 we are we are

4:31:24 that we're adhering to class size

4:31:25 guidance. Right now, across all schools,

4:31:29 there is um

4:31:31 one grade level that looks like it's

4:31:34 it's at this moment

4:31:37 at and slightly above guidance, but all

4:31:40 other sections across the district are

4:31:42 well under guidance for those grade

4:31:45 levels. We will continue to monitor

4:31:48 through the summer, but trying to even

4:31:51 out the the sections

4:31:54 is a challenge for us. And so, we

4:31:56 understand that there is variability.

4:31:59 The class averages

4:32:03 for Ks on June 16th,

4:32:07 and you have to understand that a lot of

4:32:08 happens over the the

4:32:10 but on June 16th

4:32:13 they are um

4:32:16 Sorry, 14.3, 16, 11.8, 13.3,

4:32:22 17.3,

4:32:24 18.3, 13.3. So, there is variability.

4:32:29 Um some of those dist- some of those

4:32:31 schools with the smaller average size

4:32:33 are buffer zones, and so

4:32:36 new families um

4:32:38 will be will be enrolled in the in the

4:32:41 buffer zones schools.

4:32:43 Um but again, we are going to be

4:32:45 watching this

4:32:47 um throughout the summer.

4:32:48 Bella, can you explain to the public

4:32:50 what guidance means?

4:32:52 Under guidance.

4:32:53 So, guidance is the school committee

4:32:55 guidance. And I actually don't have it

4:32:57 on this document. Um but class size

4:32:59 guidance for K is 22.

4:33:01 Okay.

4:33:02 Yes. And I actually looked at Weston,

4:33:05 Wellesley,

4:33:07 Needham, Newton, um just to see where we

4:33:11 fit. And actually 22 is pretty much

4:33:14 Yeah.

4:33:15 Is

4:33:16 is is is the size. Now, 22 as guidance

4:33:21 means that that is an that is an

4:33:23 acceptable good number.

4:33:25 All right? It is not a max. But in

4:33:28 Brookline, we have been experiencing

4:33:31 small class size. And so, this is

4:33:34 something that we are committed to

4:33:37 looking at to

4:33:40 just just in our responsibility to even

4:33:42 out and get closer to guidance.

4:33:44 So, I remember

4:33:46 when I was at the high school during the

4:33:47 summer, the enrollments

4:33:49 increased here and here there. There was

4:33:51 always a fund to support super class

4:33:54 sizes. So, you'd add a class add a

4:33:57 section here, add a section there. Do we

4:33:58 still have that?

4:34:00 So, we have um budgeted five sections.

4:34:04 We have budgeted five sections worth

4:34:07 um year to year and we used all of them

4:34:11 this year and we used all of them last

4:34:14 year. So, we have five moving forward.

4:34:17 We um added a grade five section to FRR.

4:34:22 All right? Cuz that section was already

4:34:25 those averages were already

4:34:28 slightly above guidance. So, we added a

4:34:31 grade five. We did reduce the K. So,

4:34:34 it's neutral.

4:34:36 We did add a grade one section to um

4:34:41 Runckel because that was already looking

4:34:44 at slightly above guidance. So, there

4:34:47 are four sections left. We could add

4:34:51 sections when we look at it, but a lot

4:34:53 of times those um

4:34:56 are used for special education

4:34:58 as our needs evolve through the year.

4:35:02 Sarah.

4:35:03 Um when you are reassigning due to

4:35:06 buffer zones,

4:35:08 do you intend to change some families

4:35:10 who have already started at a school or

4:35:13 have siblings at a school?

4:35:16 Or are you going to use buffer zones

4:35:18 only for families that are new to

4:35:20 kindergarten?

4:35:21 New to the district for kindergarten.

4:35:22 we have families that are moving into

4:35:25 the buffer zones or to

4:35:28 um

4:35:29 FRR

4:35:31 if um they already have siblings

4:35:35 in the school and they might have new K

4:35:37 students, they would stay at FRR.

4:35:41 Families that requested to move to FRR

4:35:47 that lived in other parts

4:35:50 um in the letters that they got when

4:35:52 those those were accepted

4:35:55 were was language that said that wasn't

4:35:58 guaranteed.

4:36:00 All right? And also language that if

4:36:02 there were other siblings that came in

4:36:04 and there wasn't size or capacity

4:36:07 in the incoming grade level

4:36:09 that that they would be moved. All

4:36:12 right, so that can happen.

4:36:15 That can happen. But that is for

4:36:18 families that voluntarily accepted to go

4:36:21 to to go to FRR with that conditional

4:36:24 language um in that agreement.

4:36:26 That's helpful to understand. Um what

4:36:29 could she even went a little bit

4:36:30 quickly. Um at one point you were saying

4:36:32 that um the impact of who goes to

4:36:35 kindergarten now at FRR will impact

4:36:39 first grade later on. Can you explain

4:36:41 that thought a little bit more?

4:36:42 Actually, it's more across the district.

4:36:45 So as as um many of our speakers

4:36:47 highlighted, some of our K sections are

4:36:50 small.

4:36:52 Um and so why did we pick this Why did

4:36:55 we pick FRR and not other schools? So

4:36:59 some of the K's are small at some

4:37:02 schools that we actually

4:37:05 historically receive higher enrollment,

4:37:08 even higher than what was described for

4:37:10 FRR. All right, and so we're creating

4:37:13 capacity for those. The other is um if

4:37:18 we have a school with two sections

4:37:21 that at this time we didn't we didn't

4:37:23 eliminate a K because that would have

4:37:26 them be a one section.

4:37:28 There um are there situations where a

4:37:31 school is entirely a three-section

4:37:33 school

4:37:35 and so we decided not to take the K in

4:37:37 that from that school at that time while

4:37:40 we evaluate what the future projection

4:37:42 is for that school.

4:37:44 Um

4:37:46 FRR we did because we had five, we could

4:37:48 go to four, and we wanted to add the

4:37:50 grade five.

4:37:52 So that was part of the consideration.

4:37:56 Carolyn.

4:37:59 Thank you [clears throat] for all this

4:38:00 information. Um

4:38:03 I just I

4:38:04 I just want to confirm what you just

4:38:06 said because I was curious coming into

4:38:09 this meeting

4:38:10 um

4:38:12 about some of the information

4:38:15 Spitz provided about

4:38:19 um summer and in-year enrollment. Did

4:38:23 you just say that there and I was

4:38:25 curious about it for FRR and for every

4:38:28 school

4:38:29 and the comparison. So, did you just say

4:38:33 that um

4:38:36 that whatever the numbers Jordana

4:38:39 reported for FRR from this past year and

4:38:41 the year before that we have other

4:38:44 schools that have higher numbers than

4:38:45 that?

4:38:49 Like you said something and I was like,

4:38:50 "Oh, she's answering a question I have,

4:38:52 but I didn't quite catch it."

4:38:54 typically has a high high change um over

4:38:58 the summer. High enrollment that comes

4:39:00 in.

4:39:01 So So, that one

4:39:03 um

4:39:04 some of our schools are not

4:39:07 like Baker is not one that experiences

4:39:10 big changes in the summer.

4:39:13 Yep.

4:39:13 Right. But I I have to say that, you

4:39:16 know, we were monitoring and we're

4:39:18 trying to do the best we can trying to

4:39:19 even it out and also just stay within

4:39:23 guidance. But guidance is the most

4:39:25 important metric

4:39:26 Okay.

4:39:27 that we are using.

4:39:28 And I have two other quick questions.

4:39:30 Um so, thank you for the update from

4:39:33 Like for example, right now Pierce is at

4:39:35 17.7.

4:39:37 Yep.

4:39:37 Um and FRR is 18.3, but Pierce also

4:39:40 experiences a lot

4:39:43 um enrollment change.

4:39:46 So,

4:39:47 um I appreciate that you gave us these

4:39:50 same numbers 2 weeks in a row.

4:39:54 And I can see that

4:39:56 can happen still.

4:39:57 Yeah. Of course. But I just want to one

4:40:00 quick question. So

4:40:03 the actuals

4:40:06 at 1 2 3 schools decreased from June 1st

4:40:12 to here. Is that because

4:40:14 was the actual is the actual that you're

4:40:17 showing like a rollover plus what we

4:40:19 know and that some of the assumed

4:40:21 rollover actually informed that they're

4:40:24 not returning?

4:40:25 So what will happen over this summer is

4:40:27 that families will disenroll because

4:40:29 they're moving.

4:40:30 Right.

4:40:31 Yeah. So

4:40:31 So that's what at this point that's what

4:40:33 those are. People have said, "Oh, we're

4:40:35 not coming back."

4:40:36 Right.

4:40:37 Okay.

4:40:37 So So our um

4:40:41 our admin assistants at the different

4:40:43 schools, they're pretty good. Like if

4:40:45 they know a family is moving, then

4:40:48 they'll say, "Hey, to disenroll."

4:40:50 Yeah.

4:40:50 So they actually disenroll, they're

4:40:52 still on the books. Yes, some of the

4:40:55 numbers went down. So FRR some it went

4:40:57 down.

4:40:58 Yeah.

4:40:59 And sorry, I have one more clarifying

4:41:01 question.

4:41:03 Um

4:41:04 another thing that you just said about

4:41:09 um the people can be moved if they

4:41:13 requested a school from outside. Do you

4:41:16 mean as part of a language program or

4:41:20 like because they moved within Brookline

4:41:22 and they wanted to stay at a school or

4:41:25 you're not talking about buffer zone

4:41:27 people?

4:41:28 made a request to be at that school and

4:41:30 that happens from time to time.

4:41:33 But the letter they get is very

4:41:35 conditional.

4:41:38 So it's it's non-buffer zone people.

4:41:41 Um

4:41:42 it may be buffer zone people.

4:41:44 Oh.

4:41:45 Yeah.

4:41:45 Okay.

4:41:47 S-

4:41:49 It happens very It very It doesn't

4:41:52 happen that often.

4:41:54 So, Bella, what would

4:41:55 So,

4:41:56 I'm sorry, Carol.

4:41:56 Sorry. Yeah, I'll

4:41:58 I don't want to put

4:42:00 anyone on the spot.

4:42:03 I was surprised by Mr. Nagano's comments

4:42:07 cuz I've never heard that, somebody

4:42:10 being in a buffer zone, a child who has

4:42:13 been in a school

4:42:16 being told they have to move out of that

4:42:18 school

4:42:19 So, it it's a it's

4:42:21 where

4:42:22 It's a long-standing [clears throat]

4:42:23 practice.

4:42:26 And the language in the letters that are

4:42:28 sent out are very clear.

4:42:32 Okay, I'll just say again, I've never

4:42:34 heard that.

4:42:36 And

4:42:38 um

4:42:41 That was

4:42:44 That was surprising.

4:42:51 So, Bella, question.

4:42:52 Yeah.

4:42:53 What would have to happen

4:42:54 for FRR to get the fifth kindergarten

4:42:56 back?

4:42:57 We'd have to see the trends shift.

4:43:01 Yeah.

4:43:02 Okay.

4:43:04 Okay, any What What am I going to do

4:43:06 with these questions?

4:43:07 Okay, when you look to your left, look

4:43:08 what happens.

4:43:09 midnight. Okay.

4:43:11 [laughter]

4:43:12 Faisa?

4:43:15 Oh, you too, then?

4:43:17 No, she had

4:43:18 Suzanne, Suzanne, Suzanne.

4:43:23 Okay. Okay. I'm just want I'm So, I'm

4:43:25 still looking at the numbers, and um I'm

4:43:28 wondering in the case of Runckel and

4:43:30 Lincoln, is there an impact that comes

4:43:34 from inclusion from some of our

4:43:36 substantially separate classrooms

4:43:40 uh in

4:43:40 grade

4:43:41 kindergarten grade.

4:43:42 So, all of our schools

4:43:44 all of our schools

4:43:46 except for Baker

4:43:48 all of the schools are housing some

4:43:51 special program.

4:43:53 What about Lawrence? Lawrence as well? I

4:43:55 thought Lawrence did not.

4:43:56 Lawrence has um

4:43:59 an ELL, Japanese Yeah, they have they

4:44:02 have

4:44:02 Yeah, ELL but not that's not special ed.

4:44:04 So, I mean EL and and other

4:44:07 Okay, sorry.

4:44:08 Just so understand that when um

4:44:11 when there's specialized supports

4:44:13 happening at a school, whether it's

4:44:14 special education or general education

4:44:18 there [clears throat] is increased

4:44:19 staffing.

4:44:19 Mhm.

4:44:20 So, just so understand that any school

4:44:22 that's housing that

4:44:25 comes with a lot of staffing to support

4:44:27 that.

4:44:29 Um

4:44:31 so that the ratio of adult to student is

4:44:36 is going to reflect that.

4:44:39 So, I guess I I guess I would hope

4:44:41 perhaps now I hope the whole Lawrence

4:44:43 community doesn't get upset with me, but

4:44:45 that Lawrence might also be considered

4:44:48 when you when you come up with some

4:44:50 final numbers of

4:44:53 of perhaps

4:44:55 losing a section. I mean I I I think

4:44:57 it's

4:44:58 at this point we would reduce any more

4:45:00 sections. Um it's

4:45:03 it's very disruptive to staffing because

4:45:06 it causes a whole domino bumping effect.

4:45:09 Um the only thing we would be

4:45:11 considering is adding sections if we

4:45:13 needed to.

4:45:14 But we at this point we're not reducing

4:45:17 any more.

4:45:18 But what it means is that for the next

4:45:21 year, we might be reducing grade one

4:45:24 sections.

4:45:25 Right.

4:45:26 Okay.

4:45:26 Right.

4:45:27 But we're not reducing any more sections

4:45:29 at this point.

4:45:33 Okay, can we move on to the next topic?

4:45:36 Is that okay, Bella? Thank you.

4:45:39 Yes, it's okay.

4:45:40 Okay. And this one should not take

4:45:42 more than an hour.

4:45:45 [laughter and clears throat]

4:45:46 Where are we?

4:45:46 Now, this is 8A, possible vote to merge

4:45:48 the finance subcommittee, capital

4:45:50 projects subcommittee.

4:45:52 Um so, I think in

4:45:55 So, what?

4:45:56 In 2005, I think, this the school

4:45:59 committee voted to establish

4:46:01 subcommittees with the understanding

4:46:03 they could be modified and

4:46:06 uh eliminated or whatever.

4:46:09 In 25, so we had back then, they they

4:46:12 created a finance subcommittee and a

4:46:14 capital projects sub- subcommittee.

4:46:17 All you all remember that?

4:46:19 Yes.

4:46:19 Okay. 2005.

4:46:21 So, this year, 25-26,

4:46:25 we piloted the combo of finance and

4:46:28 [clears throat] capital projects,

4:46:30 and the result was satisfaction with

4:46:33 that combination. And so, the motion

4:46:36 tonight, I need a motion tonight to

4:46:38 solidify the subcommittee for finance

4:46:41 and capital projects being one

4:46:43 subcommittee.

4:46:44 Is there a motion for that? Then we can

4:46:45 talk.

4:46:47 Donna?

4:46:47 I'm happy to move that motion.

4:46:49 Second?

4:46:50 I'll second it.

4:46:52 Sarah, you second it? Thank you.

4:46:54 Any conversation about this? Carolyn?

4:46:57 Um when you say there was satisfaction,

4:47:00 is that

4:47:02 That's what I read.

4:47:04 Okay.

4:47:05 The report.

4:47:06 Oh, that we had a report. Sorry, I might

4:47:08 have missed you saying that.

4:47:10 Read somewhere, yeah.

4:47:11 I think it was on this

4:47:12 Yeah, it was there.

4:47:13 Okay. Oh, I didn't read

4:47:15 Okay.

4:47:16 If Betsy wrote it.

4:47:17 I mean, I don't have

4:47:19 an enormous

4:47:21 issue with it. Um I was on

4:47:26 I was on finance the prior year. I might

4:47:29 have been on capital,

4:47:31 but I'm not sure. But I attended capital

4:47:34 meetings all the time also as advisory.

4:47:37 Um

4:47:38 I felt a little last year like capital

4:47:41 ended up getting a little

4:47:43 like short-shifted like

4:47:46 or the meetings just would have to be

4:47:48 super long. I don't have a problem with

4:47:50 a super long meeting. Um

4:47:53 and I don't particularly object to this.

4:47:57 But it did seem like it I felt like

4:48:00 there was just not a lot of

4:48:03 um attention given to capital. And

4:48:05 capital's really important like how we

4:48:07 use our like we're sort of talking about

4:48:09 that here in a way, right? Like how do

4:48:12 we use our buildings when we have a

4:48:15 and maintenance on solar and playgrounds

4:48:18 and all of that. So

4:48:20 um however it works, I would just

4:48:23 um

4:48:25 anecdotally it seemed like

4:48:27 And again, there's flexibility all the

4:48:28 time.

4:48:29 Yeah.

4:48:29 The policy is create a subcommittee,

4:48:32 change the subcommittee, combine

4:48:34 subcommittees,

4:48:35 eliminate sub You can do that and you

4:48:37 can do it by by a

4:48:38 a simple

4:48:39 And I and I don't object, but I'm I just

4:48:42 that was my sort of anecdotal

4:48:43 observation. Capital got And maybe cuz

4:48:46 it also it was like

4:48:49 a tough finance year, so there was a lot

4:48:51 of finance stuff.

4:48:53 Donna Perry?

4:48:53 I have

4:48:55 I have a technical question. So if we

4:48:58 if this motion is approved,

4:49:00 does it have to go to

4:49:03 policy to update the policy manual?

4:49:05 Okay, that was my question.

4:49:06 I just wanted to have some record of the

4:49:08 change.

4:49:08 Yes.

4:49:09 Mhm. Okay. And so will the policy manual

4:49:11 be updated so that's removed?

4:49:15 Okay.

4:49:16 policy

4:49:18 Okay.

4:49:19 Oh, that would go to Suzanne. Yes.

4:49:21 Okay, all in favor of Faiza.

4:49:24 No, wait. Wait.

4:49:25 Who's talking?

4:49:25 Well, I had a question.

4:49:26 Oh, I'm sorry. I apologize.

4:49:28 So

4:49:29 So the is a lot of work that goes into

4:49:31 capital.

4:49:33 So, Helen was on it for years and did a

4:49:36 lot of work. So, I'm wondering if we do

4:49:38 combine them, if there should not be

4:49:40 someone

4:49:41 who is kind of the capital person leader

4:49:45 within the finance committee.

4:49:48 I I just feel like it's it's going to

4:49:50 get lost a little bit.

4:49:51 I think that's a really good idea and

4:49:53 and I'm not meaning to

4:49:55 I'm glad you said that cuz I think that

4:49:57 sort of trickled through my mind at some

4:49:59 point along the way, too. But, you're

4:50:00 articulating it very well. There's a lot

4:50:03 of work.

4:50:03 It's a lot of work.

4:50:05 And a lot of meetings.

4:50:07 Not not our meetings.

4:50:09 Other

4:50:09 And we had two people who historically

4:50:13 were so

4:50:15 well-versed and immersed.

4:50:18 You know, we had Mariah and we had

4:50:20 Helen.

4:50:21 Right.

4:50:22 And they're both

4:50:23 Not no longer

4:50:27 [laughter]

4:50:28 So, I think you make a really good

4:50:29 point, Suzanne.

4:50:33 [sighs]

4:50:33 So, I just want to say to that end, I

4:50:35 think last last year

4:50:38 on finance, we did have

4:50:40 sort of like Mariah was obviously the

4:50:42 finance subcommittee

4:50:45 chair and Jesse took the lead on

4:50:46 capital.

4:50:48 So,

4:50:49 they used that model last year.

4:50:52 So, in other words, I don't think it's a

4:50:54 bad idea to

4:50:56 Is Jesse the chair of finance now?

4:50:58 Yeah.

4:50:59 Maybe you have to table this.

4:51:02 Do Do you need Jesse here?

4:51:04 No.

4:51:05 I'd rather not.

4:51:06 Okay.

4:51:07 I don't mind voting on it. And it And

4:51:09 the committee they Right. It's not like

4:51:11 we have to formally, but I think Suzanne

4:51:13 makes a good point that we that we could

4:51:16 ask Jesse to ponder.

4:51:18 We have four members on that committee

4:51:19 and I I Val's on that committee. She

4:51:21 might

4:51:22 do some finance stuff. Okay.

4:51:24 Or capital.

4:51:25 a vote. Faiza.

4:51:29 Come back to me, please.

4:51:31 Suzanne.

4:51:32 This is prior to me, so thank you. Yes.

4:51:35 Yes.

4:51:36 Yes, yes, no, I

4:51:37 You you got it right.

4:51:38 I just um if if you can come back to me,

4:51:40 I'll appreciate it. Thank you.

4:51:42 No, that's fine. Suzanne, you want to

4:51:43 vote?

4:51:44 Yes, so I'll vote yes.

4:51:45 Oh, good.

4:51:45 And I just want to say that we watch it.

4:51:48 If it feels like

4:51:50 Yeah.

4:51:50 we need more support on capital. We

4:51:52 don't have to wait a whole year. We can

4:51:55 Or perhaps it's even temporary. Maybe

4:51:56 it's for particular

4:51:57 Good.

4:51:58 projects.

4:51:58 Okay.

4:51:59 Donna.

4:52:00 Yes.

4:52:01 Uh Carolyn.

4:52:02 Yes.

4:52:03 Sarah.

4:52:03 Yes.

4:52:04 Uh yes, Val.

4:52:07 Not here. Faiza.

4:52:07 Um yes.

4:52:09 Yes. Okay, unanimous.

4:52:11 That's good.

4:52:12 I just wanted to

4:52:13 We now have a committee for of finance

4:52:16 and

4:52:18 and um

4:52:18 capital projects. Okay.

4:52:20 Do we have any reports out of

4:52:22 curriculum, Carolyn?

4:52:25 I'm going to do this. Um we had a

4:52:27 curriculum subcommittee meeting

4:52:30 yesterday.

4:52:31 Yesterday.

4:52:31 Um we had two really good presentations

4:52:36 um from our social studies

4:52:38 experts. We had um

4:52:41 an a sort of

4:52:44 overview and update from Greg Porter on

4:52:48 some funding that can be available from

4:52:50 the state um for genocide education, and

4:52:54 he talked about how that's been done in

4:52:56 the past and might be done in the future

4:52:58 if we are again um awarded that

4:53:02 money, but anyway, it was just it's

4:53:04 always interesting to hear what's going

4:53:06 on in the schools. Um and then Jen

4:53:08 Martin led a conversation um an update

4:53:12 on the on the um

4:53:15 um

4:53:16 WISP

4:53:16 WISP having a look at WISP. Um and just

4:53:21 some more conversation about that. She

4:53:23 presented some data. She's been working

4:53:26 really hard. There's going to be some

4:53:28 work done over the summer. Um

4:53:32 that's responsive to some of the

4:53:33 community concerns that have been

4:53:35 raised. Um and I thought it was a good

4:53:38 conversation.

4:53:40 I thought it was a good conversation as

4:53:41 well. I think there was some movement

4:53:43 there. Yeah.

4:53:43 Yeah.

4:53:44 Okay. Anything else? No.

4:53:46 Finance capital projects?

4:53:48 Jesse.

4:53:48 Jesse. Okay. Negotiations, me.

4:53:51 Okay. We're moving along in

4:53:53 negotiations. We

4:53:55 have [clears throat] exchanged proposals

4:53:56 back and forth.

4:53:58 Um we responded to the fiscal proposal

4:54:02 that they presented, the B U presented.

4:54:04 We presented ours.

4:54:06 Um we've responded to a lot of the

4:54:10 language issues in

4:54:11 Unit A, Unit B, and Para.

4:54:14 And

4:54:15 we're going to meet We're going to meet

4:54:17 again [clears throat] on the 20th What's

4:54:19 today? 22nd.

4:54:21 Monday, yes, Monday.

4:54:22 Monday. So, we're going to meet again on

4:54:23 Monday, see what kind of

4:54:25 response the union has to our latest

4:54:27 proposals.

4:54:28 I think we all would love to start the

4:54:31 new year with a new contract.

4:54:33 Um

4:54:34 that's my hope.

4:54:36 Maybe Bob, we can just um

4:54:39 remind folks that they can

4:54:41 catch up on negotiations by going to the

4:54:44 um PSB website.

4:54:47 Right? And the school committee website

4:54:49 and they can

4:54:50 yeah.

4:54:51 Yeah, they can go on the page for

4:54:53 negotiations and actually watch those

4:54:55 sessions.

4:54:55 I think they I mean the the

4:54:57 conversations have been very respectful.

4:54:59 Um

4:55:01 and

4:55:03 [clears throat]

4:55:04 I don't think anything is super

4:55:05 unreasonable right now. We'll see.

4:55:07 Carolyn.

4:55:10 Sorry, I left something off of my

4:55:12 report.

4:55:12 Oh, no.

4:55:13 Dr. Benoit gave us a quick update on

4:55:18 um some survey work and work that the

4:55:20 world language um curriculum

4:55:22 coordinators are doing with her and the

4:55:26 senior leadership team to continue sort

4:55:28 of recalibrating

4:55:31 since we eliminated K through 5 world

4:55:34 language, now the high school, you know,

4:55:37 is starting to see kids in 6th grade is

4:55:40 starting to see kids who have not had

4:55:42 language yet, so they're doing some work

4:55:45 to kind of recalibrate that. Sorry,

4:55:46 didn't mean to leave that out. It was

4:55:48 actually really interesting and and good

4:55:50 to hear about.

4:55:51 Thank you, Carolyn. Appreciate it.

4:55:52 Policy?

4:55:53 Who's Who's chair policy? You are.

4:55:57 Suzanne.

4:55:58 Thank you. We did meet. We had our first

4:55:59 meeting with the new

4:56:02 committee subcommittee. Uh Sarah, Laura,

4:56:04 and Val and myself. Um I just want to

4:56:07 give a shout-out to last year's

4:56:09 committee. They actually

4:56:11 I don't want to say actually. They

4:56:12 passed some significant policies.

4:56:15 Uh and so

4:56:16 thank you to them cuz it's not easy

4:56:18 getting policy through. Uh I think I saw

4:56:21 a list um Bella that you had put out

4:56:24 about four or five

4:56:25 substantial. I said I don't remember

4:56:27 where that is, but that's okay, but

4:56:29 I mean

4:56:31 There was civil rights, financial

4:56:33 policy.

4:56:34 The restraint

4:56:34 But also the restraint

4:56:36 Yeah.

4:56:36 um medical

4:56:38 medical delegation, medicine delegation.

4:56:41 Um

4:56:42 instructional materials

4:56:43 Yes.

4:56:44 Yeah, so there were quite a few.

4:56:46 Yeah.

4:56:47 I think I got it. Yeah.

4:56:48 Okay.

4:56:49 So anyway, I just want to say shout-out

4:56:50 to the team and Andy I think was the

4:56:52 chair. So we are going to start I we're

4:56:56 I'm going to meet with Bella to see

4:56:57 whether we're going to do some work with

4:56:59 MASC. I don't know. We'll see.

4:57:02 Um we had started that work and then

4:57:03 stopped uh because of budgets, but we'll

4:57:06 talk about whether we want to do that

4:57:08 again. And we're going to start in the

4:57:10 student section, the J section. And

4:57:13 we're each going to look at it before

4:57:14 our next meeting, and we're going to

4:57:16 also compare it to, um,

4:57:19 some of the other comparable districts.

4:57:22 Like Lexington, Newton, Wellesley.

4:57:23 What's in there, Suzanne? J?

4:57:26 Student.

4:57:27 Oh, that's what I was going

4:57:28 section, yeah. Yeah, a lot of things.

4:57:31 So, I just will make one comment, and

4:57:32 that is, uh, we have a very thick

4:57:35 policy manual.

4:57:37 It It turns out, as I look at it

4:57:39 quickly,

4:57:40 that, um,

4:57:42 our earlier policies are quite short.

4:57:45 Our recent policies are very long. So, I

4:57:49 don't know what that says about what

4:57:51 we're doing these days, but

4:57:53 [laughter]

4:57:54 um,

4:57:55 the older ones are actually like a a

4:57:57 pair

4:57:58 paragraph or two.

4:58:00 And And some of us are Some of them go

4:58:01 back to '78, they go back to '81.

4:58:05 Um,

4:58:06 but our new ones are 10 pages, 12 pages.

4:58:10 So, we

4:58:11 should need to think We

4:58:13 We as a committee we have to think You

4:58:14 can give me some input about what's

4:58:17 going on and

4:58:18 whether we want to make them shorter or

4:58:19 not longer. Just Just an observation

4:58:22 that I have.

4:58:23 Thank you.

4:58:25 Um,

4:58:26 [clears throat]

4:58:27 other So, we have a whole bunch of

4:58:28 liaisons running around.

4:58:30 Yes.

4:58:31 Anybody have a report?

4:58:33 Don has got a report.

4:58:35 I have a report. I'm actually, um,

4:58:37 reading on behalf of, um,

4:58:39 Jesse [clears throat] Hafter, who's the

4:58:40 SEPAC liaison alongside

4:58:43 Me.

4:58:43 Bob Weintraub, yep.

4:58:45 Um, so, I'm going to just going to take

4:58:47 a minute to read a little bit about the

4:58:50 SEPAC Hero Awards, which were given out,

4:58:53 um,

4:58:55 I think it was earlier this week or last

4:58:57 week.

4:58:57 Last week, Friday.

4:58:59 Last week. Um, each year the Brookline

4:59:01 Special Education Parent Advisory

4:59:03 Council, also known as SEPAC, Brookline

4:59:06 SEPAC, recognizes the incredible

4:59:08 individuals who have made a meaningful

4:59:10 difference in the lives of our children.

4:59:12 These are our SEPAC heroes. They are

4:59:16 teachers who go the extra mile, the

4:59:18 paraprofessionals who offer steady and

4:59:20 caring support,

4:59:22 the bus drivers who greet our children

4:59:24 with a smile every day, the

4:59:25 administrators who listen and lead with

4:59:28 compassion,

4:59:29 and the PSB or out of district community

4:59:31 members who step up to ensure that every

4:59:33 child feels seen, supported, and

4:59:35 included.

4:59:37 Um, I think um, the very special thing

4:59:39 about SEPAC Hero Awards and um, Deb

4:59:41 Caruso, who was here earlier um,

4:59:45 being recognized for her 31 years of

4:59:47 service, um, mentioned that these this

4:59:50 as well, that the nominations are um,

4:59:54 unique because they come directly from

4:59:56 families who have taken the time to

4:59:58 share the many ways these individuals

5:00:00 have changed lives through kindness,

5:00:02 dedication, advocacy, creativity, and

5:00:04 heart. So, uh, we honor and celebrate

5:00:07 these exceptional people. They may not

5:00:09 seek recognition, but their work

5:00:10 deserves it. So, I want to take a moment

5:00:13 to read their names and thank and

5:00:15 recognize our 2026

5:00:18 SEPAC Heroes, and those are I'm going to

5:00:20 I'm probably not going to pronounce some

5:00:22 of these correctly cuz I'm half asleep,

5:00:24 but Roberta Arapi, Sarah Ascensio,

5:00:29 Lindsay Brody, Aaron Brown, Tamika

5:00:31 Brown, Ann Marie Carlson, Georgia

5:00:34 Carter, Liza Cassell, Sarah Salucci,

5:00:37 Garth Clingingsmith,

5:00:39 Jill David, Alex Delgado, Nancy Dillon,

5:00:41 Vicki Firstler, Donna Finnegan, Joel

5:00:44 Griffith, Aaron Hor, Aaron Horan,

5:00:48 Holly Irvin, Kylie Jenkins,

5:00:51 Elsbeth Leslie, Ben Medeiros, Gabby

5:00:53 Nussbaum,

5:00:55 Joanne Pasquer, Diana

5:00:58 Pegwaro,

5:00:59 Beth Richardelli, Maya Robson, Mary

5:01:02 Rosini, Bernadette Rusumano,

5:01:05 Rosie Scott, Umi Shoolie,

5:01:08 Karen Shashoua, Jessie Stevens, Brit

5:01:10 Brit Stevens, Elizabeth Sullivan, Abby

5:01:13 Thompson, Haley Tyner, Fatima

5:01:16 Vallette, and Sophie Weinstein. So, we

5:01:19 we thank them all.

5:01:23 Thank you.

5:01:25 Anything else from the liaisons?

5:01:29 Suzanne.

5:01:30 I'm not really a liaison, but I had the

5:01:32 privilege and honor of attending the

5:01:34 Vision of a Learner workshop today. And

5:01:38 um

5:01:39 there's lots to be said about it and I

5:01:41 know it's late, but um I'm happy to

5:01:43 share it with people

5:01:44 uh as as we go along and

5:01:47 I've got some couple of handouts and um

5:01:49 it was a good conversation, I thought. A

5:01:52 good group of people, a wide range. We

5:01:55 had students, we had staff, we had

5:01:57 uh community people. Um

5:02:00 So, Robin was there. He's leading the

5:02:02 charge and um

5:02:05 we'll have more news to come.

5:02:07 Uh and thank you for doing that,

5:02:08 Suzanne. I know that was a big chunk of

5:02:09 time. So, I appreciate it.

5:02:12 Any other liaison reports?

5:02:15 Okay. Do we want to go into executive

5:02:17 session, Betsy, for

5:02:19 Oh, yes, we do.

5:02:20 Want to do it? Okay.

5:02:22 We need a motion to meet in executive

5:02:23 session

5:02:25 pursuant to Massachusetts General Laws,

5:02:26 chapter 30A, section 21A,

5:02:30 for the following purposes. Purpose

5:02:31 three,

5:02:32 to discuss strategy with respect to

5:02:34 collective bargaining with Brookline

5:02:35 Educators Union, Unit A, Unit B,

5:02:37 Paraprofessional Unit,

5:02:39 because an open meeting may have a

5:02:41 detrimental effect on the bargaining

5:02:43 position of the committee and the chair

5:02:45 so declares and

5:02:47 so declares, and purpose seven, to

5:02:49 review and approve executive session

5:02:51 minutes from the June 4th, 2026 meeting.

5:02:54 Do we have a motion for executive

5:02:56 session?

5:02:57 move that.

5:02:57 Second?

5:02:58 I'll second.

5:02:59 Yeah, Pfizer?

5:03:03 Suzanne?

5:03:03 Yes.

5:03:04 Donna?

5:03:05 Yes.

5:03:05 Bob, yes. Val?

5:03:08 Carolyn?

5:03:09 Yes.

5:03:09 Okay. We will not be coming back to open

5:03:11 session.

5:03:12 So, this is the last school committee

5:03:14 meeting of the 25-26 school year.

5:03:17 Wow.

5:03:18 It's been amazing.

5:03:21 [laughter]

5:03:22 Really, a lot of fun.

5:03:24 Bella, thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

5:03:26 Thank you.

5:03:26 And thank you to Betsy.

5:03:27 Been a pleasure. Betsy, Betsy, Betsy,

5:03:30 Betsy, thank you. Thank you. Robin for

5:03:32 many, many contributions.

5:03:34 And thank you to the parents who stayed

5:03:36 until the bitter end.

5:03:39 Okay.

5:03:41 Can we just do it in my office instead

5:03:43 of waiting

5:03:44 for it to close? Is that okay, Betsy?

5:03:46 Yeah.

5:04:03 [music]