Boston School Committee Meeting 10-14-2026

1:09 Good evening and welcome to this meeting

1:12 of the Boston school meeting. I'm Chair

1:15 Robinson Jerry Robinson.

1:17 I'm chairperson. Excuse me. I'm not

1:20 meeting. I'm chairperson Jerry Robinson.

1:22 We'll begin with the pledge of

1:24 allegiance. I don't think it's working.

1:26 I don't think they are.

1:31 I pledge algiance to the flag of the

1:34 United States of America and to the

1:37 republic for which it stands. One nation

1:40 under God, indivisible, with liberty and

1:43 justice for all.

1:54 I want to welcome everyone who is

1:56 joining us tonight in person on Boston

1:59 City TV and on Zoom. I'm going to ask

2:03 everyone here in the chamber to please

2:06 turn off the volume on your laptops or

2:09 other devices so it does not interfere

2:11 with the audio for tonight's meeting.

2:14 Thank you for your cooperation.

2:16 Tonight's meeting documents are posted

2:18 on the committee's web page,

2:20 bostonschools.org/schoolcommittee,

2:24 under the October 14th meeting link. For

2:28 those joining us in person, you can

2:30 access the meeting documents by scanning

2:33 the QR code that's posted by the doors.

2:36 The meeting documents have been

2:38 translated into all of the major BPS

2:41 languages. Any translations that are not

2:44 ready prior to the start of the meeting

2:47 will be posted as soon as they are

2:48 finalized.

2:50 The meeting will be rebroadcast on

2:52 Boston City TV and posted on the school

2:55 committee's web page and on YouTube.

3:00 The committee is pleased to offer live

3:02 simultaneous interpretation virtually in

3:05 Spanish, Haitian, Creole, Cverian,

3:09 Cantonese, C Mandarin, Vietnamese, and

3:12 American Sign Language. The Zoom

3:15 interpretation feature has been

3:18 activated.

3:19 Zoom participants should click the globe

3:22 icon at the bottom of your screen to

3:25 select your language preference. I'd

3:27 like to remind everyone to speak at a

3:29 slower pace to assist our interpreters.

3:34 We will begin with the approval of

3:36 minutes. I will now entertain a motion

3:38 to approve the minutes of the September

3:41 16th meeting. Is there a motion?

3:44 So move.

3:45 Thank you. Is there a second?

3:46 Second.

3:47 Is there any discussion or objection to

3:49 the motion?

3:51 Is there any objection to approving the

3:53 motion by unanimous consent? Hearing

3:57 none, the minutes are approved. We'll

4:00 now move on to the superintendence

4:02 report. I present to you our

4:04 superintendent, Mary Skipper.

4:06 Uh, good evening, chair. Oh, it is

4:08 working. Okay.

4:09 Good evening and good evening to school

4:11 committee members as well as to the

4:13 public that's joining us here tonight

4:15 and virtually. I'd like to begin tonight

4:17 with a brief update on the district's

4:19 proposed cell phone policy. School

4:22 committee members are in receipt of a

4:24 memo which previews the proposed

4:26 personal electronic device use policy

4:30 for all BPS students in grades pre

4:32 kindergarten through grade 12. The

4:35 researchbased policy is our preliminary

4:38 recommendation for a bell-to-bell ban on

4:41 all personal devices including cell

4:44 phones, tablets, smartwatches, Bluetooth

4:48 devices, and personal computers.

4:51 The purpose of the memo is to give

4:52 members and the public a preview of the

4:56 proposed policy ahead of its formal

4:58 submission to the school committee for

5:01 consideration and action in January of

5:04 2027.

5:06 This will allow the members to review

5:07 the policy, understand how it aligns

5:10 with state guidance, and provide

5:12 feedback to the district team. We are

5:15 currently working to create

5:17 implementation guidance that will

5:19 provide schools with a menu of

5:21 implementation choices so that they can

5:23 select the method that's right for their

5:25 school community.

5:28 Over much of the past year, the district

5:30 has engaged in robust conversations with

5:33 students, educators, and parents to

5:36 understand their perspectives and

5:38 experiences regarding personal devices

5:41 in schools. Among these conversations,

5:45 we've met with members of Associad

5:47 Latina and the Boston Student Advisory

5:50 Council, which we call BSAC. I want to

5:52 take a me a moment to thank executive

5:55 director Alex Oliver de Dilla for her

5:59 leadership on this issue and the

6:01 students from Associated Latina and BSAC

6:04 who helped shape this policy.

6:07 We plan to continue stakeholder

6:09 engagement over the next few months as

6:11 we finalize the policy. Our goal is for

6:14 the policy to be in place for the first

6:17 day of the 2027 2028 school year. A

6:21 survey will be available in the near

6:23 future where the public can contribute

6:25 their thoughts and help guide our

6:27 implementation.

6:28 The memo is publicly available with

6:31 tonight's meeting materials on the

6:33 school committee's website at

6:34 bostonschools.org/ org/schoolcommittee.

6:39 I would also like to provide an update

6:42 on the Office of Inspector General's

6:44 report that was released in August

6:47 covering procurement practices that

6:49 outlined internal control failures,

6:52 improper workarounds, and gaps in

6:54 oversight.

6:56 As I mentioned in the last meeting, we

6:58 welcome independent oversight because it

7:00 makes our district stronger.

7:03 While the more than $857,000

7:06 identified in non-compliant spending

7:09 represents a small fraction of our 1.635

7:13 billion operating budget, falling short

7:16 of the highest standard of fiscal

7:19 stewardship is completely unacceptable.

7:22 In a letter I sent to the inspector

7:24 general on Friday, October 9th, I

7:26 highlighted past reforms that had been

7:28 underway since 2023, like strict limits

7:32 on soul source procurement, digitizing

7:35 facil uh facilities work orders through

7:38 asset essentials, that's our management

7:40 tool, mandating procurement and conflict

7:43 of interest trainings for our staff and

7:46 engaging an external auditor for an

7:48 internal procurement audit of our

7:50 functions.

7:52 We also took the OIG's recommendation to

7:55 immediately institute a 10-day pause

7:58 which was effective August 31st to

8:00 September 18th on all payments and audit

8:04 audit all invoices.

8:06 During this pause, BPS central office

8:09 finance teams thoroughly reviewed 95

8:12 pending invoices across all impacted

8:15 departments

8:17 as recommended by both the inspector

8:19 general and the finance commission. We

8:22 are completing a comprehensive plan to

8:24 realign all district procurement and

8:27 accounts payable functions under the

8:29 chief financial offices office.

8:33 Centralized purchasing removes isolated

8:36 department workflows, establishes a

8:39 single point of fiscal accountability,

8:42 unifies compliance, and ensures strict

8:46 fiscal controls across the entire

8:48 district.

8:49 I want to reassure this committee, our

8:52 families, and our schools that we're

8:54 going to continue to fix these

8:56 historical vulnerabilities

8:59 through central leadership, automated

9:01 controls, and direct accountability

9:04 under the CFO. We are ensuring that the

9:06 BPS operates with the operational

9:09 integrity our students and taxpayers

9:11 deserve.

9:13 This memo will also be publicly

9:15 available with tonight's meeting

9:16 materials on the school committee's

9:18 website. again, bostonschools.orgschool

9:22 committee.

9:24 I also just want to say on

9:26 transportation that we're regularly

9:28 reviewing all of the worst performing

9:32 routes and at this point still trying

9:35 direct interventions to improve them.

9:38 We're also um you know making daily

9:42 route changes that we need to do to

9:44 accommodate new students to the district

9:47 or students that require rerouting

9:49 because of address changes or IEP

9:51 changes. Performance so far in October

9:54 is averaging 90% in the AM and 85% in

9:58 the PM with uh 0.05 uncovered trips. to

10:04 give you comparison to last year. Last

10:07 year we were at this time uh through

10:09 from September through this point of

10:11 time 84% in the AM 82% in the PM and we

10:16 had.14 uncovered trips. So you can see

10:19 that the transportation department

10:21 continues to make substantial

10:23 improvements year-over-year. Most

10:25 importantly, for a parent that's facing

10:28 a route that's disruptive, but because

10:30 it's one of those ones that is

10:32 continually late, the transportation

10:34 department is constantly working to

10:36 reroute those buses. Uh, and so I know

10:40 Dan does it, uh, Dan Rosenard does it so

10:42 that it's a Wednesday implementation.

10:44 So, uh, every Wednesday they're sending

10:46 those new routes out. I wanted to share,

10:50 uh, many of the bright spots, uh, as we

10:52 started the school year and continued.

10:54 Uh first of all, um last month I joined

10:57 the Red Sox Foundation at the Blackstone

11:00 Elementary School. Uh Principal Shepac

11:02 is here in the South End to celebrate

11:05 $125,000

11:06 in improvements to the school's

11:08 gymnasium and schoolyard, which now

11:10 includes a newly painted baseball

11:12 diamond and the Green Monster inspired

11:15 wall and stairs.

11:17 Thank you to

11:20 Thank you to Linda Henry, Fenway Sports

11:23 Group partner, and the Red Sox

11:24 Foundation board member and the entire

11:26 Red Sox organization for their continued

11:28 support of BPS. Uh we had member Palano

11:32 Garcia who was there. Um longtime

11:34 supporter of Blackstone School. Um

11:37 again, uh Principal Shepac and assistant

11:40 principal Felix Carabalo was also there

11:42 making sure that the event was fantastic

11:44 and a great experience for students.

11:47 students participated in a play ball

11:49 clinic that was led by the Red Sox

11:51 Foundation staff. As you can see from

11:53 this photo, I dusted off my glove and I

11:56 had a chance to put my own skills to

11:58 work. Um, it's always just a really

12:01 great occasion to be able to have fun

12:03 with the kids and Wall-E as usual

12:05 stopped by and was a big success with

12:07 the kids. Uh, so thank you to the Red

12:09 Sox Foundation. October also marks

12:13 several important and notable occasions

12:15 in our BPS calendar. Uh on October we

12:18 first uh kicked off National Principles

12:20 Month when we recognized the outstanding

12:23 BPS principles and heads of school who

12:26 support and develop children's academics

12:28 and social, emotional, and physical

12:30 well-being by creating welcoming

12:32 learning environments for all students

12:34 and families. uh pictured here, a

12:37 district's newest principles who took on

12:39 the role of school leader in school year

12:41 2026 2027. Um we're thrilled to just

12:45 have them. They're such a talented uh

12:46 cohort. Uh Katie Beagano of the Otis

12:49 Elementary, Kiki Michella of the Elliot

12:52 K to8 Innovation School, Holly uh

12:56 McParlton who's uh also at the Elliot

12:59 Kaid in uh Innovation School. Dr. Darius

13:02 Green at the Matah Hunt Elementary. We

13:04 were with him today um doing a

13:06 celebration of community hub schools at

13:09 the Matah Hunt. McKenzie Powers at the

13:11 Bradley Elementary, Deian Cesaro who's

13:14 at the Tinen Elementary, Jacquellyn

13:17 Carolyn at the uh Lion Elementary that

13:20 we had a nice visit the first day of

13:22 school. Uh and Amelia Massu Tastor who's

13:25 at the Holland Elementary. Our

13:27 principles and heads of school work

13:28 incredibly hard to ensure that every

13:31 student is academically challenged while

13:34 also feeling seen, included, and safe at

13:37 school. So, please join me in thanking

13:39 our school leaders for their dedication

13:41 to our school communities this month and

13:43 all year.

13:45 September 15th marked the beginning of

13:48 National Hispanic Heritage Month, which

13:50 continues through October 15th. During

13:52 this month, we honor the contributions

13:54 and achievements of members of our

13:56 Latina, Latino, and Latin X communities

13:59 throughout the district. Last month,

14:01 Otis Elementary students enjoyed a very

14:04 special visit with five Boston Red Sox

14:06 players who stopped by the school to

14:08 celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with

14:10 the community. We're again grateful to

14:13 our Red Sox for making this visit

14:15 happen. and we appreciate the players

14:17 for helping our students celebrate

14:19 Hispanic Heritage and the richness,

14:21 pride, and joy of our school community.

14:24 Uh, also pictured here is the 6th annual

14:27 Hispanic Heritage Month celebration at

14:29 the O'Brien School of Math and Science,

14:32 which featured music, dancing, and guest

14:34 speakers. I want to thank city councelor

14:36 Enrique Pebbin for being part of this

14:38 special event. The Otis and the O'Brien

14:41 are just two of the schools that held

14:43 and continue to hold special

14:45 celebrations recognizing Hispanic

14:47 Heritage Month. As BPS continues to

14:50 implement inclusive education across the

14:52 district, National Learning Disabilities

14:54 Awareness Month uh is is this month. Uh

14:58 this gives us an opportunity to

14:59 recognize the perseverance and

15:01 achievement of our neurode divergent

15:03 students while raising awareness about

15:06 the importance of advocacy and

15:08 resources. This month we pause to shout

15:11 out our schools for their success in

15:13 putting that model into practice. The

15:15 Conley Elementary School in Roslandale,

15:17 which is pictured here, is a great

15:19 example of a BPS school that has created

15:22 a culture of inclusion, belonging, and

15:25 empathy by involving the entire school

15:27 community. You can learn more about

15:29 Conley's journey at bostonschools.org.

15:33 Special thanks to our entire BPS Office

15:35 of Specialized Services and all of our

15:38 educators and staff who work tirelessly

15:40 to make sure that all of our students

15:42 feel welcomed and supported. On October

15:45 2nd, we honored the hard work of our

15:47 school's unsung heroes on school

15:50 custodian appreciation day. Often

15:53 working behind the scenes, our

15:54 custodians ensure that our schools are

15:56 clean and healthy. I participate in a

15:59 very special event at the Boston Arts

16:01 Academy recognizing the work of school

16:04 custodians, including Andy Allen, who's

16:06 holding up the Allen jersey, uh, who was

16:09 honored with the Unsung Hero Award. Andy

16:13 formed a friendship with a colleague,

16:15 geometry teacher Tom Thermodor.

16:18 Upon learning that Tom's younger brother

16:20 was in critical need of a kidney

16:22 transplant, Andrew made the remarkable

16:25 decision to step forward as a donor.

16:27 Through a paired kidney donation

16:29 program, Andrew ultimately donated his

16:31 kidney to a stranger, enabling Tom's

16:34 brother to receive a lifesaving

16:36 transplant.

16:38 Andrew's selfless act not only saved a

16:40 life, but it also reflects the

16:42 compassion, courage, and humanity that

16:44 defined the Boston public schools

16:45 community. And it was incredibly sweet

16:47 to see the custodians uh at Boston Arts

16:52 Academy and how close they were like a

16:54 family and how much the staff the staff

16:57 really showed up to the event after

16:58 school um to really honor all of the

17:01 custodians, but to really honor Andy um

17:04 for for what he did. Uh October is also

17:08 the 20th anniversary of college and

17:10 career month in the Boston public

17:11 schools. This is a time when we launched

17:14 the post-secary planning process as a

17:16 shared responsibility. Pictured here are

17:19 staff from around BPS who participated

17:21 in BPS's annual college and career pride

17:24 day representing the alma mad part of an

17:28 effort to share multiple post-secondary

17:31 paths with students across Boston. And

17:33 you'll actually see school committee has

17:36 uh in front of each of us the college or

17:38 university that we attended. There's a a

17:40 sign. Um this year 25 student

17:44 ambassadors will spread the word about

17:46 events in their schools and on social

17:48 media. Students can also take the PSAT

17:51 and the SAT for free during the school

17:54 day at their own schools. Other

17:56 opportunities include college tours,

17:58 fairs, uh FASA and MAFA support, career

18:02 exploration and training programs. We

18:05 also launched the BPS college and career

18:07 hub which is a new online resource that

18:09 brings these resources together in one

18:12 place yearround. You can find this at

18:14 bostonchools.org/careermonth.

18:19 I want to thank the Boston Foundation

18:21 and Success Boston Completion Initiative

18:23 for providing the resources for the

18:25 College and Career Month initiative.

18:27 They've certainly been tremendous

18:29 supporters for the past 20 years. Um,

18:32 many thanks to the BPS Office of

18:34 College, Career, and Life Readiness for

18:37 the campaign. I could go on and on with

18:39 more bright spots um because it really

18:42 has been a wonderful start to the school

18:43 year and a very busy month and a half.

18:46 So, uh, cheer, I'll turn it back to you.

18:48 Thank you, Superintendent. I'll now open

18:50 the floor for questions and discussion.

18:53 I'd like to remind my colleagues about

18:54 our agreed upon norm that we each have

18:57 five minutes per member per round, not

18:59 including district response. Please make

19:02 sure your questions are on topics

19:04 related to the items in the

19:05 superintendent report. Other topics not

19:08 related to the superintendent report can

19:10 be raised during new business later in

19:12 the meeting. BPS staff, please keep your

19:15 responses brief and speak slowly to

19:18 support our interpreters. Thank you.

19:24 Thank you, Madame Chair. Um, thank you,

19:26 superintendent, for the report. I want

19:28 to talk to about the transportation

19:30 issues. Too many parents contact to me

19:34 about the transportation.

19:36 Um I appreciate that when you say the

19:40 BPS know the transportation issues. is

19:44 important for me for too many parent to

19:48 use depend the transportation

19:52 waiting for transportation for go to to

19:55 work and when the transportation is

19:58 delayed is delay the parents the teacher

20:03 is is big problem because I know um uh

20:09 too many family use transportation and

20:12 then part of My job

20:15 a school committee is

20:18 um try in this meeting that

20:20 preoccupation the family and the teacher

20:23 too because the teacher say when the the

20:26 transportation or coming on time

20:29 by my day is not on time. the the

20:35 students need a staying time for more

20:38 morning meeting the teacher for

20:40 breakfast the students it all esod delay

20:45 then my question is about the issues I

20:50 know you say that try the better

20:53 solution for that but it's important the

20:55 family know what the district right now

20:58 say or try about that

21:01 yeah yeah no I think it's a really

21:03 important point. Um, memo Palanka

21:04 Garcia, I think what we're looking for

21:07 is two things. We're looking to make

21:08 sure overall transportation it continues

21:11 to improve, which I think we're seeing.

21:14 We were specifically looking at the

21:16 start of the school year to have far

21:18 fewer uncovered routes because what we

21:21 find is that that there's one thing when

21:23 the bus is late but when the bus doesn't

21:25 come at all then a parent has to figure

21:28 out how to get the child to school

21:30 either to get to school or to get from

21:33 school. So we really have worked very

21:35 closely with transdev to ensure far

21:38 fewer uncovered routes and I think we've

21:41 been successful on those two sides. The

21:43 other layer to this is when uh the bus

21:46 is late for a reason. And that can

21:49 range, right? Like it can range because

21:51 of the traffic, the weather. It can also

21:54 be that when we plan the route, a

21:56 student, there's too many stops on it

21:59 and we have to reroute that. Or it can

22:02 also be new students join because we're

22:05 constantly taking new kids in and they

22:08 have to be routed. Or a student changes

22:10 schools and they have to be rerouted.

22:12 And so the routes are very fluid and the

22:14 team is constantly looking at the routes

22:17 that are regularly late. And so that is

22:20 the work they do Wednesday to Wednesday

22:22 where they make the change and it takes

22:24 them that week for that next set of

22:26 changes to go in. Uh and they they do

22:29 they tend to have dates that are bigger

22:31 updates. Uh and the one that they just

22:34 did will go into effect for Wednesday.

22:37 So, we should see some relief on uh the

22:40 routes that uh are late more often than

22:44 we would ever want. Um I think part of

22:47 the GPS is to try to keep parents

22:51 informed on the bus and like where the

22:53 bus is. Uh but we all know that there's

22:56 going to be situational things. Drivers

22:58 get sick, they they call in, we have to

23:01 get a coverage driver um particularly in

23:04 the afternoons. So any of those things

23:06 can make the the buses run later than we

23:09 want. The main thing is communicating

23:11 with the parents so that they know

23:13 what's happening and then us trying to

23:15 work when we see it be a pattern. So I

23:18 think that is the commitment. Um I will

23:21 uh we'll talk with Dan and try to get

23:23 from uh Dan Rosenard uh the number of

23:26 what they call problematic routes and

23:28 try to show how we're reducing those as

23:30 well. But we definitely know we want

23:33 every bus to run on time. That is the

23:34 goal. Um and so anytime it doesn't, our

23:37 transportation department takes it

23:39 really personally to try to make it

23:40 better either through the rerouting or

23:42 through the work with the contract.

23:44 Yeah. Thank you so much.

23:45 Absolutely.

23:52 Let me see if anybody else has any

23:54 responses.

23:56 Go ahead.

23:56 Um

23:57 thank you, Superintendent. Just um for

23:59 clarity on the cell phone policy, um the

24:04 actual policy itself would come before

24:06 us formally in the new calendar year for

24:09 a vote. There may be some modifications

24:12 to the policy in light of the engagement

24:15 that's happening between now and then.

24:17 And then I also think I heard you say

24:19 kind of the devil's in the details. So

24:21 there would be more implementation

24:23 guidance that comes with that policy

24:26 when we see it again.

24:28 Great. Yes. Um, appreciate both both of

24:30 those clarifications. Uh, so, uh, we we

24:34 wanted to get it before all of you and

24:36 the public so that they can see the work

24:38 we've done over the last year. There's

24:40 been a tremendous amount of outreach and

24:42 feedback. Um, Denise, Rory, BSAC, uh,

24:45 and other uh, advocacy groups have been

24:49 um, part of that conversation, parents,

24:51 staff. So I think what you see in what

24:54 we're recommending is something that has

24:56 a lot of agreement. But with any policy

24:58 there will be critique or there will be

25:00 things that people suggest. Uh we will

25:03 continue to keep open um from now until

25:06 January when we bring it before you more

25:08 formally. Um we'll continue to seek

25:11 feedback and then what we bring to you

25:13 in January will reflect that. Uh in

25:16 terms of the implementation, we are now

25:18 in that process. Many many of our

25:20 schools already have some form of ban

25:23 with the cell phones.

25:24 Um, sometimes they're using pouches,

25:28 sometimes they're using shoe holders,

25:30 sometimes they um are having the

25:33 students just keep it in their backpack

25:34 and out of sight. Uh, so it really

25:37 ranges and I think what we want to get

25:39 to is flexibility for the schools, but

25:42 also a menu of two or three ways to

25:46 implement the policy. And that's what we

25:48 will also be giving to you at the time

25:50 that we put the policy forward to you

25:52 for vote because midyear implementation

25:56 of any policy um is often difficult. We

26:00 will not start the policy formally if it

26:03 passes in school committee until the

26:05 next school year. So it'll begin in

26:08 September on the first day. That also

26:11 allows schools that even if they're very

26:13 seasoned and some of our schools,

26:14 particularly high schools, have been

26:16 doing a phone policy for a while now.

26:18 However, we have found that smart

26:20 watches are also very distractive. Um we

26:24 found there's other devices that

26:26 students carry on them uh that are

26:28 distract and distracting and so the even

26:31 for those schools the idea of taking and

26:35 keeping a watch or other kinds of

26:37 personal devices is an extra layer to

26:40 what they're currently doing. So that's

26:42 why we want to wait to fully implement

26:44 until the beginning of next year.

26:47 Um I think with you're saying that some

26:50 uh schools already have components in

26:52 place. It might be helpful when it comes

26:54 before us in January to hear about some

26:57 schools that are implementing some of

26:58 the models that you recommend and what

27:00 some of the the challenges and you know

27:03 successes have been with that just to

27:05 give a little bit of line of sight into

27:07 the operations which can be um really

27:09 challenging. Um uh thank you for the

27:13 update um on the IGR report. Just a

27:15 question around um moving everything

27:18 under the CFO. Does that change staffing

27:22 levels um in either of the offices

27:26 affected by that shift?

27:27 I think that's something we're looking

27:29 at right now. Um you know, it's a big

27:31 undertaking. Uh previously, you know,

27:34 transportation, food service, um and uh

27:38 facilities all had a separate process.

27:40 Uh this is something we've recognized

27:42 and I think rightly so. the OIG report

27:45 pointed out, Fincom pointed it out and

27:47 so it's, you know, we agree it's time to

27:49 move on it, but we do need to be

27:50 thoughtful in the planning of it. So,

27:52 it's early to say what implication it

27:54 would have. Um, other than that, we will

27:56 come up with a timeline and plan for how

27:59 to be able to take those under one

28:00 umbrella within uh the uh the CFO. And

28:04 when will that next update um should we

28:07 expect quarterly updates to some of that

28:09 future planning or what will the the

28:11 cadence be uh in terms of um how we get

28:14 updates from this point?

28:16 Yeah, it's great. So I think uh Dr.

28:18 Deina might have a better sense since

28:20 he's helping to spearhead.

28:23 Sure.

28:25 Good evening everyone. Uh so the

28:27 planning has been underway uh and we're

28:29 really looking at a dynamic where we

28:31 have to keep in mind that there are

28:33 direct oversight responsibilities that

28:35 currently exist and how we shift those

28:37 to under the CFO's office is going to

28:40 need to be a fine orchestrated uh

28:43 situation because we also have the

28:44 day-to-day operations that we have to

28:46 consider. So we have to balance the

28:48 oversight from the CFO's office with the

28:49 day-to-day operations of the department.

28:51 So that's the conversations that

28:52 happening now. We're looking at

28:54 workflows, making sure the CFO's office

28:55 is clearly understanding uh the

28:57 dynamics, the staffing levels, the

28:59 responsibilities, and what's going on

29:01 currently so that we can figure out the

29:03 right balance of how that actually

29:04 happens in play. So until we do that, um

29:07 our plan is to have an update in a

29:09 couple weeks and then from there engage

29:11 the staff more fully and then plan that

29:13 out and bring recommendations to

29:14 superintendent.

29:15 Yeah, I would say it's reasonable that

29:16 in the January meetings that we could

29:19 provide an update to school committee. I

29:20 think at that point we will have been

29:22 able to look at the breath of it.

29:23 That's right.

29:24 Thank you. Um and just um building off

29:28 of member Palano Garcia's um questions

29:31 around transportation, I think we must

29:34 have a quarter one um update on

29:37 transportation coming

29:40 soon or next meeting. uh and wondering

29:42 if that like problematic route piece

29:45 could be outlined in a little more

29:47 detail um to speak to what you were

29:49 describing.

29:50 Yeah, absolutely. I believe it's the

29:51 next school committee meeting that we'll

29:53 be presenting or at least giving you in

29:55 memo form. Yes.

29:56 Thank you.

29:58 And Andy Allen is amazing.

30:00 I know, right?

30:02 Mr. TR, do you have anything?

30:04 I'll let you go first.

30:07 Yes.

30:08 Oh, I see.

30:09 Okay.

30:12 Uh yes, I not not not so much as a

30:16 question but some concerns regarding the

30:19 uh the OIG report.

30:28 The according to your memo the

30:30 procurement procurement reform commenced

30:34 in 200

30:37 in 2023.

30:40 We are now in 2026

30:43 and the report comes out

30:47 uh sometimes um

30:52 around that time as well.

30:55 um these the the uh improvement

31:01 have been implemented for the last 3

31:04 years.

31:06 So I

31:08 gather that um I have two questions but

31:11 you know I gather that the

31:14 the uh improvements are

31:18 going to meet the the the expectation of

31:20 the OIG.

31:22 Uh correct that is that is the goal

31:25 right we looked um very much at the

31:27 recommendations uh we also intend to

31:30 have on ongoing dialogue around it um I

31:33 think what we had in the BPS was

31:36 historical practice of decades and uh in

31:39 2023

31:41 um the team uh we began to implement

31:46 many of the reforms some of them take

31:48 longer to implement because it's a big

31:50 system Um, however, I think rightly so,

31:54 as the OIG report indicated, there were

31:57 still holes in our processes. And so,

32:00 that is what we're attempting to shore

32:02 up. I think our recommendation to fold

32:05 under one umbrella uh within underneath

32:08 the CFO is what we see as probably the

32:11 most important significant step we can

32:14 take because it will in essence uh

32:17 ensure that many of the holes we found

32:20 uh won't happen as they have. when you

32:22 have three branches all doing their own

32:25 form of procurement oversight uh you we

32:29 just allow an opening for uh people to

32:33 do things differently and it's harder to

32:35 track it so I think that particular

32:38 recommendation is going to be difficult

32:40 to implement for sure which is why in

32:43 the past it never has been

32:45 um like many things right but um but we

32:47 see it as really necessary

32:49 okay

32:50 yeah

32:51 Another minor question I I guess the

32:55 competitive bidding process the

32:57 procurement

33:00 I'm quite sure that that we are

33:02 following with we are complying with the

33:05 MWBE procedure.

33:09 Yes. So I think um I think the field in

33:12 particular has gone through a lot of

33:15 this training and change over the last

33:16 several years

33:18 uh where we had a historic habit of

33:21 schools themselves entering into

33:23 procurement and contract. Uh and what

33:26 and by doing that when you had three or

33:28 four schools enter with the same vendor

33:30 we would all of a sudden go above the

33:32 threshold of what we were supposed to.

33:35 And so we have since over the last two

33:38 years done a lot of work with our

33:39 partner organizations and with our field

33:42 with our schools to explain why we

33:44 cannot do that any longer

33:46 and so we have done a lot of shing up on

33:48 that

33:49 but I do think that's an area that we

33:51 continue to need to do training and

33:53 oversight to ensure it doesn't happen.

33:55 Right. So just just a a a little request

33:59 um

34:01 regarding the competitive uh procurement

34:04 process.

34:05 You mentioned that uh we are right now

34:09 as have always been complying with the

34:11 MWBE requirement.

34:14 May I uh ask for uh a breakdown on

34:21 the vendors uh MW MWB status because

34:29 I like to see

34:33 minorities

34:34 uh

34:36 uh biders especially the linguistic

34:39 minority uh biders

34:43 uh are included Ed, I

34:46 have

34:49 somehow believed that uh that has been

34:53 pretty much remiss for the last few

34:55 years.

34:58 So, I might have to ask David to maybe

35:00 or Mike to be able to respond to that.

35:04 Okay. Okay.

35:04 About what we're able to provide and

35:06 not.

35:13 Yes. Um, thank you. We can certainly um

35:18 provide information about the suppliers

35:20 we're currently contracting with and

35:22 their status. Um, this is all

35:25 self-reported. They have to register

35:27 with the city officially. Um, so we

35:30 could certainly say uh who has

35:32 registered with the city. um as a

35:35 certified business. I will say for every

35:38 procurement we do, we go through the

35:40 city's equitable procurement process. So

35:43 before we enter into any contracts,

35:46 there are two databases we use to

35:48 identify potential MWBE uh businesses

35:52 that might be available um for

35:54 procurement. There is a city database

35:56 and a state database. And so that way we

35:58 can ensure that as part of our

36:00 advertisement for contracts that we're

36:02 reaching out to businesses

36:04 um of all uh statuses to be able to

36:08 support support the work. Um ultimately

36:11 we are not able to uh

36:14 we have to follow the procurement law in

36:17 terms of the order of uh selecting the

36:19 biders. But um what we're trying to do

36:23 as much as possible is ensure that uh

36:26 those biders have a fair shake at the

36:28 contracts. They know about the

36:29 contracts. They're aware of the

36:31 opportunities and we're working to get

36:33 more with the city to get more biders

36:35 registered um in the city system. So we

36:38 can work with them.

36:40 Just uh one recommendation.

36:44 So regarding the uh registration of uh

36:48 linguistic minority biders

36:51 and companies that are serving you know

36:53 that are owned by minority

36:57 um and people with disability.

37:01 I would suggest that um your office or

37:05 whichever office that is uh

37:09 uh responsible for all these uh

37:11 procurement process

37:13 um somehow reach out to them encouraging

37:16 them to

37:19 register. As a matter of fact,

37:23 many of them don't even know the process

37:26 and many of them are not very aware that

37:29 there is a there is a pro procurement

37:33 process available with the city and um

37:37 they are not

37:40 for

37:42 they are not informed. So if there is a

37:46 way to outreach uh to them, that would

37:49 be great.

37:50 Yeah, for sure. Uh we work closely with

37:52 the city's office of supplier diversity,

37:54 so I can reach out to them and we can

37:56 talk about ways to do that.

37:58 Thank you.

38:04 You have a shout out, too. All right.

38:06 So, we have some shout outs. So, we'll

38:07 shout and then we'll shout some more.

38:13 Um, thank you chair, superintendent, and

38:16 all school committee members and members

38:18 of the public. This past month, I had

38:21 the opportunity to visit three schools

38:23 and each finding pockets of greatness,

38:26 real teaching and learning happening

38:28 every day in Boston public school. every

38:31 school, our scholars, educator, par

38:34 educators, family liaison and leaders in

38:38 front office says were excited to answer

38:41 my questions.

38:43 Um I don't know I don't know if you

38:45 remember that you said to ask about what

38:48 gap are they working on.

38:50 Okay,

38:51 so I did.

38:54 So they were happy to answer but they

38:56 were listen they were eager to ask and

38:59 listen to feedback. They wanted to know

39:01 how to keep meeting high expectations

39:04 and to build the structures that support

39:07 learning for every students.

39:10 I visit the Oliver Wendell Home

39:12 Innovation School um grades kinder prek

39:16 to sixth grade where I had the

39:18 opportunity to visit two inclusion math

39:20 classrooms where students were working

39:22 on fractions and diagrams turning and

39:25 talking to discuss their thinking with

39:27 their partners and then sharing their

39:30 answer with the larger group. This was a

39:32 real mathematician discourse look and

39:35 sound like homes. You are some great

39:38 mathematicians in the making.

39:41 Next, I went to the Henry Grew

39:43 Elementary School, grade prek to sixth

39:46 grade in the kinder and K2 inclusion

39:50 classroom where scholars and educators

39:53 working side by side to make sure every

39:56 friend was engaged in the task at hand.

39:59 Talking about support, everybody was

40:01 supported and everybody was included in

40:04 the teaching and learning. Also visited

40:07 a math classroom where students were

40:08 working in small group discussing volume

40:12 of a complex shape which I don't know

40:13 what that was but then practicing and

40:16 explaining their thinking to their peers

40:19 and then to the whole class. Uh and

40:22 let's talk about the librarian in the

40:24 library. When I think about access to

40:27 all, this is the library to visit. They

40:30 have a book vending machine. I don't

40:32 know if you've seen it. Yes, it's

40:34 excellent. You put you you find your

40:37 book, you put money, you or whatever

40:39 they give them, tokens, and they can

40:41 find their books and books that read out

40:43 loud. The library supports, engages, and

40:46 promotes reading for all scholars. Thank

40:49 you for making reading joyful. And

40:52 finally, my last visit. Well, I have one

40:55 last today. My last visit was to the Dr.

40:58 Katherine Ellison Rosa Park Early

41:00 Education School. I was honored to be

41:03 invited to celebrate Hispanic Heritage

41:06 Leader Day. Thank you for thinking of

41:08 me. I was impressed with from the moment

41:10 I walked in the welcome, the educators,

41:13 the para educators and family as the

41:16 school leader walked us through the

41:19 school data growth on priority one

41:22 action plan. the math fluence every

41:24 song. He say he had to do it because he

41:26 needed somebody to listen to it and and

41:30 for K through three um growth and

41:33 keeping and keep being the best. It was

41:36 a h aha moment for me. You um I had the

41:39 the um the opportunity to visit uh a

41:42 kinder classroom inclusion. you they

41:45 fill my heart with the happiness when

41:47 they let me join friends with their

41:49 learning centers working on their motor

41:52 skills. So I wanted to thank all the

41:56 scholars for opening their doors and all

41:58 their hard work work they are doing

42:01 every day for all our scholars and

42:03 student. Thank you. And today I was

42:06 invited by the central office here to

42:08 celebrate the Spanish heritage month.

42:11 great food, karaoke,

42:14 uh, dancing and a special cake from

42:17 Dominican.

42:19 So, we everybody had to taste that. So,

42:21 thank you for inviting me.

42:22 That's great.

42:24 Thank you.

42:27 Thank you so much. I just wanted to do a

42:29 shout out to the principal of my family

42:34 Alma M school, the Sarah Greenwood,

42:36 principal Antonelli Mahia, who was

42:39 recently recognized

42:42 uh among a group of Latino and Latina

42:44 leaders in the state of Massachusetts in

42:47 company of people like our secretary of

42:50 education and and our commissioner of

42:52 education. Um Antonelli is doing a great

42:56 job. He has an A team at the Sarah

42:58 Greenwood and clearly the man is

43:01 brilliant. You can see his resume is

43:03 full of uh leadership position and a

43:06 very impressive formal education. But he

43:09 came here two decades ago as a teenager

43:12 with no English.

43:14 So he is a proof of what is possible.

43:17 Uh but he will be the first one to tell

43:19 you if you ask that opportunity is not

43:22 enough. Like even if we close the

43:24 opportunity gap, he will say we need

43:26 investment on our student re things like

43:29 you know summer jobs, pay internships,

43:32 the things that we need to level the

43:35 playing field in order for our student

43:38 to be able to really

43:41 reach all their potential. Um so thank

43:43 you so much to um Principal Mahia and to

43:46 the entire team at the Sarah

43:47 Green.

43:49 Thank you.

43:51 Great. Great.

43:54 So, if there is nothing else, um I'll

43:57 now entertain a motion to receive the

43:59 superintendence report. Is there a

44:01 motion?

44:01 So moved.

44:02 Thank you. Is there a second?

44:03 Second.

44:04 Is there any discussion or objection to

44:06 the motion? Is there any objection to

44:08 approving the motion by unanimous

44:10 consent? Hearing none, the

44:12 superintendent's report is approved.

44:15 We'll begin with one report before

44:17 moving on to public comment. This item

44:20 will be brought forward for a vote later

44:22 during the action item portion of the

44:24 meeting. This report is a tenative

44:27 collective bargaining agreement between

44:29 local union 1952

44:32 painters and allied trade district

44:34 council number 35 representing

44:37 custodians and the Boston school

44:39 committee effective September 1, 2026

44:43 through August 31st, 2027. Let's aim to

44:47 keep the presentation within five

44:49 minutes. Superintendent Skipper will

44:51 share introductory remarks.

44:53 Great. Thank you. And uh for our

44:55 committee to introduce uh BPS legal

44:57 adviser, Mike Ryan. Uh we're very happy

45:00 to have Mike in this position. Uh he's

45:02 also served on the bargaining team uh

45:05 while in his previous role of labor

45:07 counsel. Uh tonight he's going to

45:09 present the tenative agreement with

45:10 local union 1952 painters and allied

45:13 trades district council number 35. our

45:16 school custodians on behalf of the

45:18 district's bargaining team. The tenative

45:20 agreement includes a year 1 base wage

45:23 increase of 2% plus $800 spread across

45:26 employees paychecks and added to the

45:29 base salary effectively. Uh he will also

45:32 explain our request to the Boston City

45:33 Council for a supplemental appropriation

45:36 for FY27 of 787,000

45:40 approximately. Uh this tenative

45:42 agreement is consistent with our other

45:43 collective bargaining units and tonight

45:45 we ask the committee to approve the

45:47 tenative agreement which will happen

45:48 later in tonight's meeting. So at this

45:50 point I'll turn it over to Mike.

45:53 Thank you superintendent. Um good

45:55 evening and thank you to Chair Roberts

45:56 and to the rest of the committee

45:57 members. As the superintendent

45:59 introduced myself, I'm now the legal

46:02 adviser, but I was actually um able to

46:06 participate on the negotiating team for

46:08 this this collective bargaining or this

46:10 tenative agreement that I'm presenting

46:12 tonight. Um we have reached the

46:15 agreement with our union partners at

46:16 local union uh number 1952, painters and

46:20 allied trades district council number

46:23 35. there are custodians union and we

46:26 recommend that you vote in favor of this

46:28 agreement. Uh the district has built a

46:31 very strong relationship with this with

46:33 the custodians over the years and we

46:36 appreciate all the work that their

46:37 bargaining team did and to all the

46:40 members for all the work that they do

46:41 for us every day. The custodians

46:44 represent approximately 410 full-time

46:46 employees and 65 part-time employees who

46:50 oversee custodial services,

46:52 groundskeeping at our schools, and other

46:54 operational services. Um, as the

46:58 superintendent told you, we had uh

47:00 custodian appreciation day last week.

47:03 Um, they literally do all the dirty work

47:05 at the school to keep it clean, a safe

47:07 environment for our children and our our

47:09 students to to learn.

47:12 Uh, the parties reached a tenative

47:13 agreement with the union on a one-year

47:15 wageonly contract from September 1st,

47:18 2026 to a August 31st, 2027.

47:23 the financial package.

47:28 Uh the financial package um of the 2%

47:32 plus the $800 that's going to be spread

47:35 across every paycheck carries a one-year

47:38 cost of $787,51

47:41 for fiscal year uh 27. And that's what

47:45 we'll be asking for the supplemental

47:47 appropriation um with the uh city

47:50 council. Um the annualized number would

47:54 be in FY28 if no other agreements

47:56 reached would be $934,269.

48:01 Um I want to thank uh our partners in

48:03 the city finance team. I want to thank

48:06 uh the superintendent and thank our

48:08 union partners um and thank all the

48:11 school committee members. And we ask

48:13 that you vote in favor of this tenative

48:15 agreement and supplemental

48:16 appropriation.

48:17 Great. Thank you.

48:19 And I'll open it up to questions and

48:21 comments from the committee.

48:24 Anyone?

48:26 Just if you can explain mostly for the

48:29 benefit of the public one more time, how

48:32 is it that we do have money to uh pay

48:35 those races to our staff?

48:39 So this is the actual this money was the

48:43 uh city package that we have. It's

48:46 across all the different city unions.

48:47 this was what was um you know agreed to

48:51 by the city. Um I think David Bloom

48:54 might have a more information on that.

48:57 So um the city keeps funds for these

49:01 types of contract um increases in a in a

49:06 collective bargaining reserve that they

49:08 keep at the city. We work closely with

49:10 them. Um, so if you were to approve uh

49:14 this uh supplemental appropriation

49:16 request, it would then go to the city

49:18 council uh who would effectively

49:21 transfer funds from that reserve to our

49:24 appropriation to support this work. Um,

49:27 as um like I said, this is consistent

49:32 with uh the raises we've been giving to

49:34 other members of other unions across the

49:36 city.

49:39 Thank you. Uh, I asked because my city

49:42 councelor Weber is in is in the

49:44 audience. So, thank you in advance,

49:45 counselor.

49:48 Great. Just I just had one.

49:51 Go ahead. One. Oh, sorry.

49:53 No, no, you go ahead.

49:54 Oh, apologies for me.

49:55 Just a question. This um goes through

49:58 just through this existing school year,

50:01 2627, correct?

50:03 Yes. So, will the the custodians

50:05 actually work full year? So, they would

50:08 be working over the summer. So this

50:09 would go all the way until August of

50:11 August 31st, 2027.

50:14 And what does that um imply or suggest

50:17 for uh what comes next for bargaining in

50:21 subsequent years?

50:23 So you know, our work never stops. We're

50:25 always um in conversation with our union

50:28 partners. So I mean I think the

50:31 bargaining will start, you know,

50:33 tomorrow. you know, we we'll be ready

50:35 for next uh the next session and next

50:37 negotiations.

50:40 You okay?

50:42 Yeah.

50:43 Uh no thing. I I just this is just my

50:47 shout out to to you and to your your

50:50 your team. I do uh appreciate the fact

50:54 that you add

50:56 $800

50:59 to spread ac all paycheck for custodian

51:02 given the fact that 2% increase is not a

51:05 heck of a lot. That $800 added into the

51:08 base salary will help in the long run

51:12 and that deserve a shout out. Thank you.

51:15 Well,

51:15 thank you. I appreciate your shout out.

51:22 All right. Thank you. And um we'll vote

51:24 on this later in the evening.

51:26 All right. Thank you.

51:27 Okay. We will now move on to general

51:30 public comment. Miss Prax.

51:32 Thank you, Chair.

51:35 The public comment period is an

51:37 opportunity for individuals to address

51:39 the school committee on school related

51:40 issues. Questions about specific school

51:43 matters would be referred to the

51:44 superintendent and BPS staff. Policy

51:47 questions may be discussed by the

51:49 committee at a later time. We have two

51:52 public comment periods. The first is

51:54 limited to one hour. Anyone who has not

51:56 spoken by then will have the opportunity

51:58 to do so at the end of the meeting. We

52:01 have eight speakers this evening. Each

52:03 person has three minutes to speak and I

52:05 will remind you when you have 30 seconds

52:07 remaining. Speakers may not reassign

52:10 their time to others. The time that an

52:12 interpreter uses for English

52:13 interpretation will not be deducted from

52:15 a speaker's allotted time. You may also

52:18 email comments for distribution to the

52:20 committee. Please direct your comments

52:22 to the chair and refrain from addressing

52:24 individual school committee members or

52:26 district staff. Please note the comments

52:29 of any public speaker do not represent

52:31 the Boston public schools or the Boston

52:33 school committee. Please start with your

52:36 name, affiliation, and where you live.

52:38 Zoom speakers, please be ready to unmute

52:40 and turn on your camera when called. To

52:43 support interpretation, please speak

52:44 slowly and clearly. We will start with

52:47 our in-person speakers.

52:51 Our first group is councelor Ben Weber,

52:54 Gada Alib, John Mud, Dedra Manning, and

52:59 Muhammad Burhan. Councelor Weber,

53:03 could I just ask it? It is uh very hard

53:06 to hear. It sounds like the microphones

53:09 are set lower. I have a loud voice. So,

53:11 hi.

53:12 So, either uh just make sure to speak

53:14 close and maybe in the meantime we can

53:17 adjust it up a little bit.

53:20 Okay. Thank you very much. Uh and member

53:23 Peralta, uh the CFO got that question

53:26 right. Uh there's a collective

53:27 bargaining reserve that, uh you know,

53:29 the city council, if we approve the

53:31 appropriation, the money comes out of

53:32 there. we don't have to take it from

53:34 somewhere else. Um,

53:37 okay. And, uh, so good evening. Um, as

53:41 the chair of the, uh, city council's

53:43 Ways and Means Committee and as a BPS

53:45 parent, uh, you know, I'm continuing our

53:48 practice on the city council seeking to

53:50 get involved in the BPS budget process

53:52 early. And I'll be chairing our first

53:54 fiscal year 28 BPS budget hearing on

53:57 Thursday, November 19th at 2 p.m. at

54:00 city hall. I hope we can collaborate

54:02 while the budget is still on the drawing

54:04 board and I urge the members of of this

54:06 committee to either attend the hearing,

54:08 watch it afterward, or reach out to me

54:10 if you have any questions. Uh based on

54:13 my conversations with Chair Robinson,

54:15 you know, I think we both agree that the

54:17 school committee and the city council

54:18 should work to complement each other.

54:21 The school committee uh you know I

54:23 believe uh should put its expertise to

54:26 good use by focusing on issues around

54:28 learning making sure every BPS dollar

54:30 goes directly toward classroom models

54:32 that serve our students highquality

54:34 curriculum and strong classroom

54:36 staffing. The city council meanwhile

54:38 should focus on broader systems

54:40 surrounding students families and

54:42 families ensuring the broader city uh

54:45 budget builds a stable foundation

54:47 students need outside of school.

54:49 Classroom investments are undermined if

54:51 a student's basic needs aren't met. For

54:54 example, we recently held a hearing on

54:55 the city council about the impacts of

54:57 homelessness on BPS students. Studies

55:00 have shown that students who have even a

55:01 single episode of homelessness by the

55:03 age of nine, can lead to measurably

55:06 lower uh achievement levels at 15, even

55:09 when compared to other students from

55:12 lowincome families who have not

55:13 experienced homelessness.

55:16 We have around 5,000 kids in BPS every

55:19 year that experience homelessness. So,

55:21 it seems obvious that addressing this

55:22 issue outside the classroom is one way

55:25 we can help families, not only families,

55:28 but help kids in the classroom. That's

55:30 why I've pushed so hard for and my

55:32 council colleagues have supported the

55:34 access to council pilot program, which

55:36 provides an attorney to families with

55:37 kids in school who receive an eviction

55:39 notice. It's become apparent, however,

55:42 that while we have set up a program with

55:43 $450,000,

55:45 not all families even know the program

55:47 exists. We have uh already helped dozens

55:50 of families, but we can help many more

55:51 once we establish

55:53 seconds

55:53 a pipeline. I'm hoping you can help us

55:56 improve notice of the program to

55:58 families who can then work with BPS

56:00 family liaison and homeless homeless uh

56:03 liaison who can then connect them to

56:06 legal services we have waiting for them

56:07 at Greater Boston Legal Services. I look

56:10 forward to working closely with all of

56:11 you starting this November so we can

56:14 align our shared goals and secure the

56:16 future our students deserve. Thank you

56:18 very much.

56:19 Thank you very much. Our next speaker is

56:22 GAhatim.

56:32 Good evening madame chair,

56:34 superintendent skipper and members of

56:35 the school committee. My name is Ga

56:37 Alcatib. I am here as the legally

56:40 authorized representative for my son

56:42 Omar Ramadan, a recent Jaziah Quincy

56:44 upper school graduate. Omar publicly

56:46 praised his teachers at the state of the

56:49 school's address because he truly loved

56:51 them and loved the school community.

56:52 This matter is not a failure of our

56:54 classroom teachers. This is a failure of

56:57 a leadership. Behind closed doors, this

57:00 administration committed a documented

57:02 pattern of negligence. failing to submit

57:05 my son's accommodation for three SATs

57:09 and PS his PSAT. Furthermore, despite

57:12 notice of his overseas program timeline

57:15 since June 24th, they left his ACT

57:18 portal undocumented for 27 days this

57:21 summer, missing critical deadlines. They

57:23 then claimed they have never done the

57:25 ACT and don't know how it works. A

57:28 student should never pay the price

57:29 because administrators failed to

57:31 navigate a portal required to secure

57:34 their accommodation. When I filed a

57:36 compliance grievance on September 1st,

57:38 they chose active retaliation. On

57:41 September 16, the principal confirmed in

57:44 a written email that he explicitly

57:46 instructed the guidance counselor to

57:48 freeze my son's recommendation letter

57:50 for his program in Jordan that already

57:52 started on September 2nd until receiving

57:55 permission from the BPS legal office. To

57:58 deliberately place a student in fear of

58:01 losing enrollment by withholding

58:03 credentials is an act of pure

58:05 retaliation designated to conflict to

58:08 inflict maximum harm. A student leader

58:12 honored by the mayor for his civic

58:14 engagement and storytelling here on this

58:16 stage cannot have his story silenced

58:19 behind closed doors by an abusive

58:21 administration.

58:23 Madame Chair, you famously stated,

58:25 "Student outcomes don't change until

58:27 adult behaviors do." Does BPS have an

58:31 official policy that allows a head of

58:33 school to freeze a student's credential

58:35 standard credentials just because their

58:37 family asked for civil rights

58:39 compliance? Superintendent Skipper was

58:41 explicit explicitly

58:44 um CCD on both my September 1st and

58:46 September 18th notices. I am handing

58:51 this committee formal accountability and

58:53 record release statement. I call upon

58:56 chair Robinson to immediately instruct

58:58 the superintendent cabinet to overrule

59:00 this act of retaliation and execute an

59:03 immediate

59:05 release of Omar recommendations letter

59:08 and order the unrestricted release of

59:10 his legally mandated IB Proctor

59:13 log logs and porter records. Tonight I

59:17 insist on a formal letter for his

59:19 academic transition notorized from the

59:22 superintendent office establishing full

59:24 accountability for all violation

59:26 included those in addressed in my

59:28 September formal grievance. Thank you.

59:31 Thank you.

59:36 Our next speaker is John Mud.

59:58 Good evening. My name is John Mud. I'm a

1:00:00 resident of Cambridge and a longtime

1:00:02 education advocate in Boston.

1:00:05 Overall, there is not much good news in

1:00:08 the BPS MCCAST 2026 data on the percent

1:00:12 of subgroups of students achieving state

1:00:16 grade level content standards. The

1:00:19 pattern continues a decline in MCAST

1:00:22 MCCAST scores and increases in

1:00:25 achievement gaps both since before COVID

1:00:29 and during the last year. The only

1:00:32 exceptions seem to be a small recovery

1:00:34 in white scores for grades 3 to 8 in ELA

1:00:38 and math and a reduction in achievement

1:00:40 gaps in 10th grade which is entirely the

1:00:43 result of a dramatic reduction in white

1:00:45 scores. While black, Latino,

1:00:48 multilingual learner scores continue

1:00:50 their decline.

1:00:52 The passing proficiency rates for

1:00:54 marginalized groups remains

1:00:58 much too small.

1:01:01 The simple chart which I think is in

1:01:04 front of you for MCCAST results for

1:01:06 grades 3 to 8 in reading illustrate this

1:01:10 pretty clearly. For whites, 65%

1:01:14 meet or exceed the MCCAST standards.

1:01:16 That means they pass. For black

1:01:18 students, only 18% pass. A 14 percentage

1:01:23 point difference with whites. Similarly

1:01:26 for Latino students, 18% pass, 47%

1:01:32 difference with whites. And for English

1:01:35 learners, it's astounding. Only 4% meet

1:01:39 or exceed their MCCAST standards while

1:01:43 that leaves a gap of 61 percentage

1:01:46 points with whites. This pattern is

1:01:50 repeated in every measure in the MCRAST

1:01:53 2026 results. What are the lessons?

1:01:57 The implementation of current

1:01:58 educational strategies is not producing

1:02:01 adequate student outcomes according to

1:02:04 MCCAST. Whatever that strategy,

1:02:08 whether it's inclusion, equitable

1:02:10 literacy, highquality instructional

1:02:13 materials, or highquality educational

1:02:15 experience.

1:02:17 What will BPS do to change in order to

1:02:20 improve these educational outcomes for

1:02:22 kids? We don't know. We are waiting to

1:02:26 see what the strategic implementation

1:02:29 plan proposes for smart goals and what

1:02:32 changes in education strategies will

1:02:35 help students reach these goals.

1:02:39 Given the state data, for BPS to say, as

1:02:42 was reported in the press, the latest

1:02:46 state data shows steady progress is

1:02:48 simply not true. To deny reality does

1:02:52 not change reality. I urgently plead

1:02:54 let's face the facts together and do

1:02:58 something together to benefit all our

1:03:00 students. Thank you.

1:03:02 Thank you.

1:03:05 Our next speaker is Ste Manning.

1:03:24 Good evening. My name is Dear Dra

1:03:25 Manning. I'm a single parent of two

1:03:27 public school children and uh we live in

1:03:30 Dorchester. Um there's been quite a bit

1:03:32 mentioned about problems with BPS buses

1:03:36 over the years. I completely agree. The

1:03:38 most important issue is the loss of

1:03:40 academic instruction and idle time after

1:03:42 school due to late buses. My daughter's

1:03:46 younger friends are impacted. One boy

1:03:48 who attends the Laya Frederick is late

1:03:50 almost every day. But today I wanted to

1:03:53 tell you about a different problem with

1:03:55 buses and that relates to buses for

1:03:57 students who participate in athletics.

1:04:00 On September 9th of the first game of my

1:04:03 daughter's soccer season, uh the bus did

1:04:05 not show up. Parents put miners in

1:04:09 multiple Ubers so that they would not

1:04:11 miss the game. at a swim meet in

1:04:14 Duxbury, I like to say Deluxeberry,

1:04:16 Massachusetts on September 9th, the

1:04:19 first meet of the season. Um, sorry, the

1:04:22 second meet of the season. Um, the team

1:04:24 arrived 1 hour late. There was only one

1:04:27 heat per event possible because another

1:04:30 event was scheduled at the facility at

1:04:32 6:00 p.m., depriving both teams of

1:04:34 opportunities to compete. The bus not

1:04:36 only left late, but the driver was lost.

1:04:39 Parents were tracking their children,

1:04:40 watching them drive um all over the

1:04:42 Southshore. Last year, a bus taking the

1:04:46 swim team to Denim never showed up. The

1:04:48 coach called the Urseline coach who

1:04:50 called Zarian, which sent a bus to

1:04:52 Boston to pick up the team. Kind of

1:04:54 crazy, I think. With 1.7 billion spent

1:04:58 on busing annually, BPS should provide

1:05:00 good service to BPS students. BPS

1:05:03 athletes have not had access to a diving

1:05:05 board this season. and swim teams give

1:05:07 away all 13 diving points at the

1:05:09 beginning of all swim meets because BPS

1:05:12 athletes cannot practice, making it

1:05:14 difficult or impossible to compete. The

1:05:16 issue is similar to BPS track athletes

1:05:19 who train in hallways because they don't

1:05:22 have access to athletic facilities. I

1:05:24 understand that funds have been raised

1:05:26 to purchase a diving board, but BPS

1:05:28 won't provide the funds for the

1:05:29 installation at Madison Park.

1:05:32 Mismanaging and underfunding services

1:05:33 that directly impe impact students are a

1:05:36 big factor in the district's declining

1:05:38 enrollment. My 12-year-old, who wants to

1:05:40 be a kindergarten teacher, is so sad

1:05:42 that our three-year-old neighbor is

1:05:44 moving to Marshfield. His father is a

1:05:46 city employee, a lifelong resident who

1:05:48 is a graduate of BLA. They are leaving

1:05:50 just like other members of our

1:05:52 community, primarily because the

1:05:53 district schools are not wellrun.

1:05:55 30 seconds. I'd like to end my time with

1:05:58 you by saying how wonderful it was to

1:06:00 read the Globe article on the heroic

1:06:02 efforts of Mr. John Mud. School

1:06:04 committee members, please act on his

1:06:06 suggestions to help the most vulnerable

1:06:08 members of our community. Listening is

1:06:11 not enough. Implementing his

1:06:13 recommendations is your duty. Thank you.

1:06:16 Thank you. Our next speaker is Muhammad

1:06:18 Burhan.

1:06:32 Dear school committee, good evening. I

1:06:35 am Burhan, a Dorchester resident and

1:06:37 founder and executive director of

1:06:39 intersectional innovation and impact

1:06:41 labs, a social enterprise addressing

1:06:43 interconnected social, digital, and

1:06:45 climate challenges.

1:06:47 I'm here to support a comprehensive

1:06:50 personal finance graduation requirement

1:06:52 for Boston public school. But first, let

1:06:55 me start with a quick story. I became

1:06:58 financially independent in my teenage

1:07:00 years. I grew up in Pakistan. I remember

1:07:03 when applying for my SATs,

1:07:06 I did not know what a credit card was.

1:07:08 Neither did my parents. It was a process

1:07:10 for me to just get a credit card to pay

1:07:13 for SATs.

1:07:16 Now I also came to United State as a

1:07:19 teenage scholar in 2017 and I arrived to

1:07:22 Boston in 2021 with two suitcases and

1:07:24 built a life here including a husband

1:07:28 who lives in Boston and is a K12

1:07:30 teacher. Throughout my life I had to

1:07:33 teach myself financial skills often

1:07:36 through difficult experiences and then

1:07:38 share that knowledge with my family and

1:07:40 my communities that I work with in

1:07:42 Boston. communities that are deeply

1:07:45 underrepresented in many ways. In a city

1:07:48 where roughly 28% of our population is

1:07:51 foreignb born, accessible financial

1:07:53 education should be essential.

1:07:57 Students deserve a chance to not just

1:08:00 understand their paycheck, but navigate

1:08:02 banking, credit, recognize predatory

1:08:04 lending, and evaluate college costs

1:08:07 before facing consequential financial

1:08:11 decisions.

1:08:13 Massachusetts recently received an F in

1:08:16 2026 national financial literacy report

1:08:19 card, but Boston has an opportunity to

1:08:21 lead. On September 16, the city council

1:08:24 unanimously endorsed a graduation

1:08:26 requirement through a resolution led by

1:08:29 councelor Flynn, Santana, and Mahia. So

1:08:32 my question to you all is what barriers

1:08:36 stands between that support and

1:08:38 implementation and how can we help

1:08:39 address them during national economic

1:08:43 education month which is this month. I

1:08:46 urge you to schedule this proposal for a

1:08:48 future agenda. invite us and our

1:08:51 coalition

1:08:53 and work with BPS on an implementation

1:08:55 plan with a timeline, funding, teacher

1:08:58 trainings, and access for multilingual

1:09:01 learners and students with disabilities.

1:09:03 30 seconds.

1:09:04 Please involve students, families, and

1:09:06 educators in shaping that plan. Thank

1:09:08 you.

1:09:10 Thank you.

1:09:13 We will now transition to public

1:09:16 testimony on Zoom. Our first speaker is

1:09:19 councelor Julia Mahia.

1:09:25 Please accept the prompt.

1:09:31 Hi. Can you guys hear?

1:09:34 Can you hear me?

1:09:35 Yes.

1:09:37 Would you be able to turn on the Oh,

1:09:38 there's

1:09:39 I don't have a light. I'm I'm I'm at a

1:09:42 Yes, sir. It's your light.

1:09:43 Yes, please. You're on.

1:09:44 Oh my god.

1:09:47 Good evening um school committee. I am

1:09:50 Boston city council at large.

1:09:54 You're muted first and foremost

1:09:57 muted

1:09:58 now we can hear you.

1:10:00 I was I'm starting over my three minutes

1:10:02 start now. I'm city council at large and

1:10:06 I'm the chair of education um the

1:10:08 committee on city council. First and

1:10:10 foremost, I'd like to thank the

1:10:11 administration for their presence um and

1:10:14 thoughtful responses at yesterday's

1:10:16 follow-up hearing on docket 0276 on

1:10:20 transparency and accountability in

1:10:22 service provisions and spending for

1:10:25 English learners. I also wanted to thank

1:10:27 the Multilingual Learners Alliance's

1:10:30 hard work in holding BPS to the highest

1:10:32 standards and ensuring that we are doing

1:10:35 all that we can to make sure that our

1:10:38 students can thrive. We first held this

1:10:40 hearing um docket back in March and uh

1:10:44 passed a resolution over the summer

1:10:46 affirming the city's commitment to

1:10:48 supporting our most vulnerable learners

1:10:50 and creating a comprehensive

1:10:52 district-wide plan. And yet MCCAST

1:10:55 scores show that only 1% of 10th graders

1:10:59 eels are meeting expectations. This

1:11:02 directly contradicts our commitment to

1:11:04 supporting our highest need students. We

1:11:07 need to increase equitable access to

1:11:10 multilingual education and a

1:11:12 comprehensive plan would mean every

1:11:14 multilingual learner would have access

1:11:17 to the same curricular resources and

1:11:19 support regarding um regardless of the

1:11:22 school that they attended. As discussed

1:11:24 at the hearing um yesterday, we made a

1:11:27 commitment to work well and the

1:11:29 administration did say yes that they

1:11:31 were going to work alongside the council

1:11:34 community, the alliance and educators

1:11:37 and parents to develop a citywide plan

1:11:40 that is centered in community. So, I

1:11:43 want to thank the administration for

1:11:45 showing up and understanding that this

1:11:47 moment is calling for true collaborative

1:11:49 work um and not contradicting and always

1:11:53 in conflict with each other. So I look

1:11:54 forward to facilitating that alongside

1:11:57 the school committee and other

1:11:59 stakeholders to ensure that our budget

1:12:02 reflects the comm the committing the

1:12:05 commitments of to helping our most

1:12:07 vulnerable learners and that it's really

1:12:09 vital v vital for parents, advocates,

1:12:12 and educators and district leaders to

1:12:14 work in partnership to support our

1:12:16 students. And if the public would like

1:12:18 more information about yesterday's

1:12:20 hearing, uh, please, uh, get in touch

1:12:22 with the Multilingual Learners Alliance

1:12:24 and please reach out to our office at

1:12:26 julia.meia

1:12:29 boston.gov. Thank you so very much for

1:12:31 the time and I appreciate the

1:12:33 opportunity. Thank you.

1:12:34 Thank you very much.

1:12:36 Our next speaker is Alexandra Oliver

1:12:39 Davila followed by Rebecca Ostapuk.

1:12:44 Alexandra Oliver Dala Davila.

1:12:59 Hello.

1:13:00 Sorry. Yes. Sorry. Can you hear me?

1:13:02 Yes, we can hear you.

1:13:04 Thank you. Sorry about that. Um, good

1:13:06 evening school committee members and

1:13:08 Superintendent Skipper. My name is

1:13:09 Alexandra Oliver Davila. I am a resident

1:13:12 of Rosundale and I'm also the executive

1:13:14 director of Soci Latina. Um I want to

1:13:18 start off first by thanking the district

1:13:20 for supporting a bell-to-bell policy and

1:13:24 creating a distraction-free school day.

1:13:26 This is going to go a long way towards

1:13:28 building community, helping students

1:13:30 connect with one another, reducing

1:13:33 conflict, increasing well-being, and

1:13:35 improving focus. As we have asked

1:13:37 before, we urge that phones be off and

1:13:40 away from the body, which is the

1:13:42 recognized best practice, and that

1:13:45 consequences be supportive rather rather

1:13:47 than punitive. And finally, a policy is

1:13:50 only as strong as the culture behind it.

1:13:53 This is only going to work if it's

1:13:54 consistent and um there's accountability

1:13:57 across every school classroom and with

1:14:00 adults um modeling healthy device use

1:14:02 themselves. I also want to thank all of

1:14:04 the young people from Sociad Latina and

1:14:06 the staff who've been advocating for

1:14:08 this for many many years and also um

1:14:11 counselors Pep and Weber and Santana um

1:14:14 and Mahia who also helped to advocate

1:14:16 and promote our the work that we were

1:14:18 doing around this. Um I am here to

1:14:20 propose a technology advisory committee

1:14:23 a standing body with formal recommending

1:14:26 recommending authority not an informal

1:14:29 feedback group. The TAC would include

1:14:31 parents and caregivers alongside

1:14:33 students, educators, and administrators

1:14:35 with disability and IEP representation

1:14:38 built in. It would meet quarterly and

1:14:40 report publicly to the school committee.

1:14:43 Its scope would cover device policies,

1:14:46 social media, classroom, screen use, AI

1:14:48 tools, emerging technologies, and

1:14:50 community education. A core function

1:14:52 would be transparency, regular reporting

1:14:55 on how devices are actually used during

1:14:57 the school day across all grades. The

1:14:59 TAC would also work proactively building

1:15:02 shared community norms and helping

1:15:03 families with emerging issues before

1:15:05 they become a crisis. One principle

1:15:08 should guide all of this work that

1:15:10 technology companies are not our

1:15:12 partners in education. They are vendors

1:15:14 selling a product and their interests

1:15:16 are not the same as those that we have

1:15:18 for our students. Most importantly, the

1:15:20 TAC would develop and vote on policy

1:15:22 proposals that come before this body for

1:15:24 action. We're asking for a real seat at

1:15:27 the table as technology in our schools

1:15:29 changes rapidly. I'm also asking the

1:15:33 district to pause student facing AI in

1:15:35 our schools.

1:15:37 Uh we've seen this before. Social media

1:15:39 was introduced with promises of

1:15:41 connection and we later learned about

1:15:43 their harm. And we know that uh New York

1:15:46 City, the largest school system in the

1:15:48 country, has just put a one-year

1:15:49 moratorum on student facing generative

1:15:52 AI and high school students are learning

1:15:54 to think critically and there's only

1:15:56 limited pilots. So if New York can do

1:15:58 that and put student safety and human

1:16:00 instruction first, then we can too. So

1:16:03 if we're asking for the same for a pause

1:16:05 to AI for a year, thank you so much.

1:16:07 Thank you very much. Our next speaker is

1:16:11 Rebecca Ostepshuk.

1:16:21 Please unmute and turn on your camera.

1:16:23 Thank you.

1:16:25 Um, hi. My kids have been with BPS for

1:16:28 four years. Transportation has lost my

1:16:31 kids on multiple occasions. They haven't

1:16:34 followed doortodoor correctly, had

1:16:36 bullying issues that they let go

1:16:39 unresolved, and bus monitors and bus

1:16:41 driver issues with following safety and

1:16:44 driving protocol. My two boys at the

1:16:46 beginning of the year had what I would

1:16:49 call a rare gem for transportation. A

1:16:51 bus driver that this wasn't just a job

1:16:54 for him, but actually cared for the kids

1:16:56 and what he did. The kids every morning

1:16:59 were greeted with a cheerful hello and

1:17:01 reassured that they would never be late

1:17:03 to school while he was their driver. He

1:17:05 set the bar high and he kept that

1:17:07 promise to my boys. Unfortunately, their

1:17:10 bus driver's last day was this past

1:17:12 Friday, October 9th. On Tuesday, the bus

1:17:15 showed no bus on the Zoom app. I called

1:17:17 the bus company and they said that the

1:17:19 bus driver was just getting in and

1:17:21 leaving the yard. 30 minutes later, the

1:17:23 bus was still there. I called and was

1:17:25 told that the bus was having mechanical

1:17:27 issues, but they fixed it and sent it on

1:17:30 the way. They didn't fix it. They put a

1:17:32 band-aid on the problem and the bus

1:17:34 broke down before it reached the first

1:17:36 stop. We waited 2 hours for their bus.

1:17:39 And when the bus driver arrived, it

1:17:41 wasn't a cheerful hello. There wasn't

1:17:43 any kind of greeting. Before my kids got

1:17:45 on the bus, I asked if he was going to

1:17:47 Troder, which he told me no. And the bus

1:17:49 monitor had to correct him and said yes,

1:17:52 he was going to Troder. That day, my two

1:17:54 sons on IEPs missed half the day because

1:17:57 of the bus. Today, my sons went out at

1:18:00 6:30 and their bus never came to pick

1:18:02 them up. I called transportation where

1:18:05 the bus driver tried to say that he

1:18:07 drove by and we weren't out. However, we

1:18:09 were outside since 6:30 a.m. and we saw

1:18:11 him drive down the hill two streets away

1:18:14 from us, never once, in other words,

1:18:16 stepping foot on our street. I asked for

1:18:18 them to turn around and service our door

1:18:20 to door stop. The new bus driver refused

1:18:23 to come back. I asked for a replacement

1:18:26 bus which never showed. I asked for two

1:18:29 days for supervisors to call back which

1:18:31 they haven't. Last time the only way I

1:18:33 received any call back was coming to the

1:18:35 school committee meeting. So I am back

1:18:37 again asking for not only the bus

1:18:39 drivers but the bus company and BPS to

1:18:42 be held to some accountability for the

1:18:45 unsafe buses, no show buses, and the bus

1:18:47 delays to and from school. I have

1:18:49 experienced repercussions at my job and

1:18:52 loss of wages due to no show buses and

1:18:54 buses arriving late both the morning and

1:18:56 afternoon buses. And I am not the only

1:18:59 parent. So today I'm coming here as a

1:19:01 last resort for the ongoing bus issues

1:19:02 to be heard and changes to be made to

1:19:05 receive a call back from a supervisor at

1:19:07 BPS Transportation and hoping that BPS

1:19:09 will start to think about using a

1:19:11 different bus company to get our kids to

1:19:13 and from school safely and on time.

1:19:15 Thank you.

1:19:17 Thank you very much.

1:19:19 Chair, that concludes public comment.

1:19:20 Yeah.

1:19:21 Thank you, Miss PraVox, and thank you to

1:19:23 those of you who spoke this evening and

1:19:26 shared your perspectives. Your

1:19:28 testimonies and feedback are very

1:19:29 important to us. I want the community to

1:19:32 know that when parents and community

1:19:34 members come forward and testify about

1:19:37 specific issues, BPS staff follows up

1:19:40 with them. This often happens the same

1:19:42 night with those that are here in

1:19:44 person. So you are being heard and we

1:19:46 take your concerns seriously. Thank you.

1:19:50 Our first two action items this evening

1:19:52 are the grants for approval totaling

1:19:55 82,289,934

1:20:01 and the inind donations with a total

1:20:03 estimated value of $21,78.99.

1:20:09 Now I'd like to turn it over to the

1:20:10 superintendent for any final comments.

1:20:12 Wonderful. Thank you, chair. So tonight

1:20:14 there are 13 grants for your

1:20:15 consideration totaling uh more than $82

1:20:18 million. The largest group are the

1:20:20 federal entitlement grants for this

1:20:22 school year. Uh and next which includes

1:20:26 just over $40 million in title one

1:20:28 funding for districts and public schools

1:20:31 with high percentages of children from

1:20:33 lowincome families serving more than

1:20:35 41,000 students and 4,000 teachers

1:20:38 districtwide. There's also more than 2.6

1:20:41 6 million in title 2 funding to provide

1:20:44 supplemental resources to support

1:20:46 systems of support for excellent

1:20:48 teaching and leading districtwide.

1:20:50 There's nearly 2.2 million of title 3

1:20:53 funding to support our approximately

1:20:55 14,900 multilingual learners and 1,000

1:20:59 bilingual education teachers

1:21:01 districtwide and nearly 3 million in

1:21:04 title 4 funding supporting wellness and

1:21:06 technology programs districtwide.

1:21:09 The next largest grant is the more than

1:21:12 $32 million Commonwealth Special

1:21:14 Education Reimbursement Program. We call

1:21:17 this circuit breaker. This is

1:21:19 reimbursing the cost serving 489

1:21:22 students with disabilities. The

1:21:24 remaining approximately 2.2 million will

1:21:27 support a combination of things. College

1:21:29 and career readiness, health and

1:21:31 wellness, special education, food,

1:21:33 nutritional services, facilities, and

1:21:36 three transformation schools. the Ellis

1:21:39 Elementary Higginson Lewis K to8 and

1:21:42 Young Achievers.

1:21:44 There's also before you uh in two in

1:21:46 kind donations. The first donation is

1:21:48 from Kingsington investments for an

1:21:51 outdoor storage shed, tables, stools,

1:21:55 and a greenhouse kit and inind labor for

1:21:58 the Higginson K2 inclusion school worth

1:22:00 nearly $21,000.

1:22:02 The second donation is $250 in office

1:22:06 supplies to succeed Boston from the

1:22:08 Bostonbased IE partners private equity

1:22:11 firm. Uh we would ask for the

1:22:14 committee's granting or acceptance of

1:22:16 these grants affirmative approval um and

1:22:19 vote in favor of tonight's grants

1:22:21 package. I also know that uh Chief Bloom

1:22:23 is here where there be any questions.

1:22:26 Great

1:22:28 questions.

1:22:31 Thank you madam chair. Um I want to ask

1:22:34 you about the title one title three

1:22:37 money federal money you suppose that

1:22:39 title three used for multilingual

1:22:43 student part that the money used for

1:22:45 multilingual students.

1:22:47 I need to know the last fiscal year what

1:22:51 is the result? How many school use that

1:22:54 money for multilingual student? What is

1:22:57 the result the the last fiscal year

1:23:01 compared

1:23:02 this year the money how how how much?

1:23:08 So um

1:23:11 thank you for that question. I would say

1:23:15 um each of our schools is required to

1:23:17 prepare a plan for the use of that

1:23:20 funding and then at the end of the year

1:23:23 we go through sort of a review and

1:23:25 checklist with them. Um we can we can

1:23:28 send you all of those plans um and or

1:23:32 and give you a summary of them. The

1:23:35 amount of funding for title one is down

1:23:38 slightly for the current year. So most

1:23:40 schools that amount is down slightly in

1:23:43 accordance with the amount of federal

1:23:44 funding we're receiving. Um

1:23:48 but the vast majority of that money is

1:23:50 spent in the first year of the grant and

1:23:53 any money that isn't spent in f the

1:23:55 first year is spent on additional summer

1:23:58 programming for multilingual learners um

1:24:00 in the second year.

1:24:03 Thank you. Um

1:24:06 uh I understand your point. You say I

1:24:09 pass the information but I think my

1:24:12 follow my question again is so far what

1:24:16 happened with the money for the h for

1:24:19 the multilingual student what is the

1:24:21 result you say the result how many

1:24:25 school use how many school not use the

1:24:28 money what is the result for this

1:24:32 particular student

1:24:35 today you can share with the the

1:24:38 community, with the family.

1:24:41 So, we can certainly for every

1:24:43 individual school, we could give you

1:24:45 information on their allocation,

1:24:48 uh what types of supports they um bought

1:24:51 and the amount that they ended up fully

1:24:53 spending and any amount that was

1:24:55 unspent. Um the thing we don't

1:24:58 necessarily have is the connection to

1:25:00 each individual student in the school um

1:25:03 and the outcome of that program, but I

1:25:06 think we can tell you a little bit more

1:25:07 about what those specific programs are

1:25:09 at each school. Um so Marcela and I and

1:25:12 her team will work together um to give

1:25:15 you sort of a summary of each school's

1:25:18 programming.

1:25:19 Yes, please. It's important for the

1:25:22 family involved to the family because

1:25:24 the mo the federal money is supposed for

1:25:27 that when the family say part that they

1:25:30 make a decision in the school is

1:25:32 important because sometime the the

1:25:34 student needed tutoring.

1:25:36 Right.

1:25:36 Is supposed to use that money for

1:25:38 tutoring. Right.

1:25:39 Right. For help the title one for

1:25:42 example help the um student loan income.

1:25:47 Yes.

1:25:47 And support.

1:25:49 Yes. It's important the information the

1:25:53 family uh collect.

1:25:56 Yes,

1:25:57 I think that there's I think two things

1:25:59 that member Polano Garcia has been very

1:26:01 consistently asking for year to year if

1:26:03 I remember. Uh so one is to make sure

1:26:06 that uh on the title three dollars that

1:26:09 it's being directed appropriately to our

1:26:10 multilingual learners. And so I think

1:26:13 having the schools be able to give

1:26:15 examples of the kinds of programs that

1:26:16 they're doing specifically for our

1:26:19 multilingual learners. I think the

1:26:20 second is that there was one year I want

1:26:23 to say it was like three years ago where

1:26:25 there was um a cons an an amount of

1:26:28 unspent money uh by a certain portion of

1:26:31 schools and we ended up funding the

1:26:34 summer programming for multilingual

1:26:36 learners specifically for that. And so I

1:26:38 think that's the other piece like I

1:26:41 think member Palano Garcia also wants us

1:26:43 to make sure we're educating the schools

1:26:46 to use the money because that's what

1:26:47 it's there for. Right.

1:26:48 That's that's a a a great point. And I

1:26:50 think the other thing um that uh Marcel

1:26:54 is working on. I won't make her give you

1:26:55 all the details now because I know she

1:26:57 doesn't want uh to to talk you through

1:26:59 all of it publicly, but her team's doing

1:27:01 some great work working in collaboration

1:27:03 with the Office of Family and Community

1:27:05 Advancement on the education we're

1:27:08 providing to families about what's

1:27:10 available in the Title One programs for

1:27:13 their schools. Um there's actually some

1:27:15 specific guidance she's worked

1:27:17 collaboratively with that team to

1:27:19 provide to all schools in the district.

1:27:22 Um it's very exciting work that they're

1:27:24 doing, Marcela and her team are doing

1:27:25 this year.

1:27:27 Thank you.

1:27:28 And title three is managed centrally a

1:27:31 different than title one. So for title

1:27:34 one is what David was um referring that

1:27:37 the schools create the plan and then we

1:27:40 follow up through the year and we make

1:27:41 sure that um they spend um 100% of their

1:27:45 their allocation and if they don't then

1:27:48 we

1:27:49 use it in the second year. I I will say

1:27:51 the other thing that Marcela and her

1:27:54 team have been working on is uh having

1:27:56 improved goals and outcomes in the um

1:28:01 for each of the grants. So if you look

1:28:03 at tonight's package for you for title

1:28:05 three, there are some more specific

1:28:08 goals for that spending for multilingual

1:28:10 learners listed than we've had in prior

1:28:12 years. And at the end of the year next

1:28:15 fall, we'll be able to come back to you

1:28:17 and talk to you a little bit more about

1:28:18 the results for those outcomes.

1:28:20 Thank you.

1:28:27 I just briefly want to say thank you. I

1:28:29 mean the public probably cannot see this

1:28:31 but we did receive a bunch of

1:28:33 information about each of these grant is

1:28:36 um unfortunately that for personal

1:28:40 reasons member um Stephen Arin is not

1:28:43 here but he will be very happy. I know

1:28:45 he's been asking for this for for a long

1:28:48 time. So thank you so much. it. We

1:28:50 definitely have a better understanding

1:28:51 of what we are voting when we approve

1:28:53 these grants. Thank you.

1:28:55 Thank you. And definitely a shout out to

1:28:57 member Alkins for his partnership in

1:28:59 helping to design some of this paperwork

1:29:01 so we so we did it right.

1:29:08 Same question around the uh how the

1:29:10 money is used. How do you know that they

1:29:12 are using? because I see smart goals

1:29:14 usually smart go have a measurement

1:29:16 piece there and how do that's how does

1:29:19 it come back so we'll know that they are

1:29:23 using the money for what they say

1:29:25 have it

1:29:26 so um this fall we're launching our

1:29:30 redesigned ground grant outcomes

1:29:32 reporting process um where we'll be

1:29:36 reporting back on those specific

1:29:38 outcomes unfortunately this fall's

1:29:41 report is the last year's goals, which

1:29:43 are still the old format of goals, so

1:29:46 they're a little bit less specific than

1:29:48 what the committee's been looking for.

1:29:50 But with these specific smart goals that

1:29:53 Marcela and her team have developed this

1:29:55 year, um we are going to be in a really

1:29:58 good place next year to come back and

1:29:59 say, you know, um if just looking at

1:30:03 title, what was this? Title four.

1:30:06 Um, we have an inc a proposal for an

1:30:09 increased percentage of students who are

1:30:11 participating in at least two career

1:30:13 exploration activities within their my

1:30:15 cap from 55% to 68%. We'll be able to

1:30:18 come back and tell you did we hit that

1:30:21 68% goal um using this funding for next

1:30:24 year.

1:30:28 Thank you.

1:30:31 uh just for my uh education

1:30:37 cross funding

1:30:40 given the concern of the OIG

1:30:43 let's I this is just an assumption

1:30:48 say you have a big amount of money for

1:30:53 of grant for curriculum and instruction

1:30:57 um curriculum and instruction uction

1:31:02 and then you also have money for

1:31:04 bilingual

1:31:06 uh English language acquisition. Let me

1:31:09 just give you a a scenario that I had

1:31:14 encountered way back when I worked for

1:31:15 this school committee. I mean for for

1:31:17 the Boston school way back when title 7

1:31:20 was not the title one.

1:31:23 say if uh

1:31:26 in in developing

1:31:31 uh what's the word again um high quality

1:31:35 uh curriculum

1:31:37 high quality uh education curriculum

1:31:41 that is used for

1:31:43 uh the the standard uh classroom

1:31:48 and then there are

1:31:52 bilingual students, linguistic minority

1:31:55 students who are now

1:31:59 in a sense immersed into those schools.

1:32:03 um

1:32:05 the curriculum development uh budget

1:32:10 from uh title one

1:32:13 uh from title three.

1:32:16 Can it be somehow infused into into

1:32:21 title one for

1:32:25 a better curriculum that would fit the

1:32:29 needs of the linguistic minority zones?

1:32:32 That's one that's that's a question. The

1:32:34 second question is given the fact that O

1:32:36 a

1:32:38 has identified problematic issues

1:32:43 with

1:32:46 these kind of um transactions.

1:32:50 Uh I know that back then that is a

1:32:53 process that is allowable. I don't know

1:32:55 what now whether it is allowable or not,

1:32:58 permissible or not but uh but if if it

1:33:04 is if it is that's great and and there

1:33:06 there of course are safeguards to ensure

1:33:10 that whatever the cross funding you know

1:33:14 gear forward toward helping students are

1:33:18 in line with the compliance requirement.

1:33:21 So um certainly there are possibilities

1:33:24 there. We work closely with DESIE to

1:33:27 ensure um that any crowfunding we're

1:33:30 doing is allowable. Um most of the time

1:33:34 though, we actually don't require

1:33:37 specialized crossf funding to be able to

1:33:39 accomplish what you're suggesting. So

1:33:42 for Title 3 funding, for example, um if

1:33:45 we're supporting curriculum initiatives,

1:33:47 even if they're in the general education

1:33:49 setting or a sheltered immersion

1:33:51 setting, um we can still use Title 3

1:33:54 funding for that without crossf funding

1:33:58 um as long as it's still in support of

1:34:00 multilingual um education. So and

1:34:03 multilingual learners. So, uh, we work

1:34:05 closely as we're developing the grant

1:34:07 budgets with our colleagues at the

1:34:09 Department of Elementary and Secondary

1:34:10 Education to ensure that everything's

1:34:13 allowable and if cross funding is

1:34:15 required, there is a mechanism for us to

1:34:17 do that.

1:34:18 Thank you.

1:34:23 Anything else?

1:34:27 Just a question. When will we be getting

1:34:29 our updated report on the grant

1:34:32 outcomes?

1:34:34 Um, I think it's I I'm not uh totally

1:34:38 sure with the agenda um for the next few

1:34:41 meetings, but it it's in in the fall in

1:34:44 this fall,

1:34:45 right? I also think it's what we talked

1:34:47 about was embedding it as part of

1:34:49 presentations like depending on what

1:34:51 something was being funded. So if we for

1:34:54 instance um you know if we're if we're

1:34:57 talking about uh chronic absenteeism and

1:35:00 student support you know we can refer to

1:35:02 the grants that are supporting that. I

1:35:04 think Marcela's tool I've caught a

1:35:06 glimpse of it. Um, it's really

1:35:08 impressive because I do think it'll

1:35:10 allow us to be able to better report to

1:35:13 you the individual like as we file um

1:35:17 with the grantee with the grtors when we

1:35:19 file those reports. We'll be able to

1:35:21 link those so that you can see that

1:35:24 because we're constantly updating the

1:35:25 grtors on all of these grants including

1:35:28 the title grants and so we'll be able to

1:35:30 link to that and that will just make it

1:35:32 much easier for you guys to be able to

1:35:34 track the outcome.

1:35:36 Great. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. So,

1:35:38 if there are no further questions, I'll

1:35:40 entertain a motion to approve the grants

1:35:42 as presented. Is there a motion?

1:35:45 So, move.

1:35:45 Thank you. Is there a second?

1:35:46 Second.

1:35:47 Is there any discussion or objection to

1:35:49 the motion? Is there any objection to

1:35:51 approving the grants by unanimous

1:35:53 consent? Hearing none, the grants are

1:35:56 approved. We'll now continue with the

1:35:59 inind donations. If there's no further

1:36:01 discussion, I'll now entertain a motion

1:36:03 to approve the inind donation as

1:36:06 presented. Is there a motion?

1:36:08 Thank you. Is there a second?

1:36:10 Second.

1:36:10 Thank you. Is there any discussion

1:36:11 objection to the motion? Is there any

1:36:14 objection to approving the grants by

1:36:15 unanimous consent?

1:36:18 Hearing none, the inind donations are

1:36:20 approved. Thank you.

1:36:26 Okay. Our third action item this evening

1:36:28 is the approval of the Horus man charter

1:36:31 governing update for the Dudley Street

1:36:33 Neighborhood Charter School,

1:36:35 specifically the memorandum of

1:36:37 understanding a that was presented at

1:36:39 the September 16th meeting. I would like

1:36:42 to turn it over to the superintendent

1:36:44 for any final comments before opening it

1:36:46 up to the committee for any questions or

1:36:48 comments.

1:36:49 Great. Thank you, Chair. So tonight

1:36:50 we're asking the school committee to

1:36:52 vote to approve the Dudley Street

1:36:54 Neighborhood Charter School MOUA.

1:36:57 At the last school committee meeting on

1:36:58 September 14th, uh you heard assistant

1:37:00 superintendent of autonomous schools,

1:37:02 Dr. Irv Ano, who presented on the MOA on

1:37:06 the MOOA for the Dudley Street

1:37:08 Neighborhood Charter School. As a

1:37:10 reminder, Horus man indistrict charter

1:37:13 schools are independent public schools

1:37:15 that operate under five-year charters

1:37:17 granted by the Commonwealth Board of

1:37:19 Elementary and Secondary Education. Each

1:37:22 of the Horus man charter schools must

1:37:25 operate under a memorandum of

1:37:26 understanding with us, which we call

1:37:30 MOUA.

1:37:31 The MOUA aligns with Horus man schools

1:37:34 that have come before the school

1:37:36 committee with some provisions that are

1:37:38 specific to the Dudley Street

1:37:40 Neighborhood Charter School, including

1:37:42 the district's commitment to collaborate

1:37:45 with the school to establish a K12

1:37:48 academic pathway to Dearborn STEM

1:37:50 Academy. Uh Irvy is here to answer any

1:37:53 additional questions where you to have

1:37:55 them. But again, we would ask for a

1:37:57 favorable vote.

1:38:00 Okay. Anyone have any questions,

1:38:03 concerns?

1:38:05 Yeah.

1:38:05 I just have one quick question that

1:38:07 bridges um this vote and our next

1:38:10 presentation on accountability uh in

1:38:12 light of Horus man charters. Just can

1:38:14 you clarify uh how they factor into our

1:38:18 accountability data?

1:38:20 Yeah. So, they currently don't um they

1:38:22 are literally standalone LEAs. Uh nor do

1:38:25 they count toward our enrollment.

1:38:27 However, there was a change of law which

1:38:30 will uh enable beginning July 1st for

1:38:32 them to count both in accountability and

1:38:34 enrollment formally for the district. We

1:38:37 are the only ones that have horse mans

1:38:40 in the state.

1:38:41 The only district in the state

1:38:42 the only district in the state that has

1:38:43 horse mans.

1:38:46 Thank you.

1:38:48 My understanding is that the W Street

1:38:50 Neighborhood Charter School is a school

1:38:52 of recognition. So congratulations

1:38:56 and what are what are you doing there?

1:38:59 How are you getting those results?

1:39:01 So Irv is assistant superintendent uh

1:39:04 for the autonomous schools in general.

1:39:06 Um the principal isn't here for the

1:39:10 Dudley um K uh K invite them to come.

1:39:14 Correct. Yeah. But they are an

1:39:16 outstanding school and um very you know

1:39:19 we're very supportive of them much like

1:39:21 the rest of our horse mans. We work

1:39:22 exceptionally close with them. They're

1:39:24 part of our fabric, which is why now

1:39:26 they formally will count in enrollment

1:39:28 and accountability. Um, but I think if

1:39:30 you were to go in there, uh, you would

1:39:33 find it's, uh, it's a small school, but

1:39:35 it's very intimate. Uh, teacher, the

1:39:37 educators know each of the kids, the

1:39:39 principal knows the kids, they use their

1:39:42 autonomies, uh, in ways with the

1:39:44 curriculum, uh, but also with, uh,

1:39:47 schedule to be able to maximize resource

1:39:49 to schedule. Um they're just a very high

1:39:52 functioning school.

1:39:54 Thank you.

1:39:55 And jump in. I know you're you're new to

1:39:58 to the to the role, but if you want to

1:40:00 add anything.

1:40:01 No. Uh what what I wanted to say is you

1:40:04 you said it so well. Uh Superintendent

1:40:06 Skip Skipper. uh I I think the smallness

1:40:11 of the school that is geared to change

1:40:14 or create the conditions so that every

1:40:16 student is able to maximize their

1:40:18 learning is the key of their success.

1:40:21 Thank you.

1:40:24 Anyone else?

1:40:27 Okay. If there are no further questions,

1:40:29 I will entertain a motion to approve the

1:40:31 least neighborhood charter schools

1:40:33 memorandum of understanding a as

1:40:35 presented. Is there a motion?

1:40:38 So moved.

1:40:38 Thank you. Is there a second?

1:40:40 Second.

1:40:41 Thank you. Is there any discussion or

1:40:42 objection to the motion? Miss Pavix,

1:40:44 will you please call the role?

1:40:46 Thank you, Chair. Dr. Alkins, Mr.

1:40:48 Peralta,

1:40:49 yes.

1:40:50 Miss Palanka Garcia,

1:40:51 yes.

1:40:52 Miss Torres,

1:40:54 yes.

1:40:55 Mr. Tran,

1:40:56 yes.

1:40:57 Miss Garrett,

1:40:58 yes.

1:40:58 Miss Robinson,

1:40:59 yes.

1:41:00 The motion is approved.

1:41:01 Thank you.

1:41:05 Right. Our next one. Okay. Our next vote

1:41:09 is the tenative collective bargaining

1:41:11 agreement local union 1952 painters and

1:41:14 allied trades dis district council

1:41:17 number 35 representing custodians and

1:41:19 the Boston school committee effective

1:41:21 September 1st, 2026 through August 31st,

1:41:25 2027. That was presented earlier

1:41:28 tonight. If there are no further

1:41:29 questions, I will entertain a motion as

1:41:32 presented. Is there a motion? So moved.

1:41:35 Thank you. Is there a second?

1:41:36 Second.

1:41:37 Is there any discussion or objection to

1:41:39 the motion?

1:41:41 Miss Prax, will you please call the

1:41:42 role?

1:41:42 Thank you, Chair. Dr. Alkins, Mr.

1:41:44 Peralta,

1:41:45 yes.

1:41:46 Miss Panco Garcia,

1:41:47 yes.

1:41:48 Miss Torres,

1:41:49 yes.

1:41:49 Mr. Tran,

1:41:50 yes.

1:41:51 Miss Garrett,

1:41:52 yes.

1:41:52 Miss Robinson,

1:41:53 yes.

1:41:54 The motion is approved.

1:41:55 All right. Thank you. Our last vote

1:41:57 tonight is the fiscal year 27

1:41:59 supplemental appropriation request

1:42:02 totalingly $787,5001

1:42:06 to support the collective bargaining

1:42:08 agreement between local union number

1:42:10 1952 painters and allied trade district

1:42:13 council number 35 custodians and the

1:42:16 school committee of the city of Boston

1:42:18 that was presented earlier tonight. If

1:42:20 there are no further questions I will

1:42:22 entertain a motion as presented. Is

1:42:25 there a motion? So moved.

1:42:26 Thank you. Is there a second?

1:42:28 Second.

1:42:28 Is there any discussion or objection to

1:42:30 the motion?

1:42:31 Miss Pavix, will you please call the

1:42:33 role?

1:42:33 Thank you, Chair. Dr. Alkins. Mr.

1:42:35 Peralta.

1:42:36 Yes.

1:42:37 Miss Palanka Garcia.

1:42:38 Yes.

1:42:38 Miss Torres,

1:42:39 yes.

1:42:40 Mr. Tran,

1:42:41 yes.

1:42:41 Miss Garrett,

1:42:42 yes.

1:42:42 Miss Robinson,

1:42:44 yes.

1:42:45 The motion's approved.

1:42:46 Thanks. Um, we will be shortly

1:42:48 transitioning to our report, but we're

1:42:50 going to give everyone a quick fivem

1:42:52 minute break. So,

1:42:53 thanks. Y

1:42:57 Five minutes.

1:42:58 Five minutes. Quick.

1:42:59 Yes.

1:52:43 Yeah, that was terrible.

1:52:47 Our only report this evening is the 2026

1:52:50 state assessment and accountability

1:52:53 results. Now I'd like to turn it over to

1:52:55 the superintendent for introductory

1:52:57 comments.

1:52:58 Wonderful. Thank you.

1:53:02 Uh on September 22nd, the Department of

1:53:04 Elementary and Secondary Education or

1:53:07 what we call DESIE released the 2026

1:53:10 accountability results and MCCAST data

1:53:13 for schools and districts across the

1:53:14 state. As a reminder, students in grades

1:53:17 3 through 8 and grade 10 took the MCCAST

1:53:20 in the spring of 2026 in ELA, math,

1:53:24 science, and civics. Also, a reminder

1:53:27 that the MCCAST is no longer a

1:53:29 graduation requirement.

1:53:31 I'll keep my comments brief because

1:53:33 tonight's presentation is long um but

1:53:35 thorough. Um shortly, I'll turn it over

1:53:37 to the team. Deputy Superintendent of

1:53:39 Academics, Dr. Simone Wright, chief of

1:53:42 data information and systems

1:53:43 improvement, Monica Hogan, Andrew

1:53:46 Rollins, the executive director of

1:53:47 school and district transformation, and

1:53:50 Courtney Sheff, the principal of

1:53:51 Blackstone Elementary School. Uh we also

1:53:54 have um one of our leaders is under the

1:53:57 weather. So we have the regional school

1:53:59 soup, Christine Landry, um of uh region

1:54:03 4, who will represent the Raphael

1:54:04 Hernandez School. Um each of them will

1:54:07 discuss school's growth and achievement.

1:54:10 The team will also provide aggregated

1:54:12 and disagregated data updates on three

1:54:14 of the proposed success measures, grades

1:54:16 3 to six, 3 to8 MCCAST achievement for

1:54:20 ELA and math, progress in English

1:54:23 language proficiency for multilingual

1:54:25 learners, and chronic absenteeism.

1:54:28 Although the success measures have not

1:54:29 been approved by the school committee

1:54:31 yet, this is the first set of measures

1:54:33 that will be used as a baseline going

1:54:35 forward. These results reflect progress

1:54:37 across the district while reminding us

1:54:39 that we cannot shift our focus from the

1:54:42 goal of improving student academic

1:54:43 performance and accelerating learning

1:54:46 for specific student groups. I'm proud

1:54:49 that we met our target for four-year

1:54:51 cohort graduation rate and are

1:54:53 continuing to reduce chronic absenteeism

1:54:56 while exceeding our targets for students

1:54:58 completing advanced coursework before

1:55:00 graduation and dropout. At the same

1:55:02 time, we recognize the need to improve

1:55:05 proficiency levels across the district

1:55:07 and ensure each student is prepared for

1:55:09 success beyond the classroom. We will

1:55:12 continue to invest in resources that

1:55:14 support instructional improvements,

1:55:16 expanding access to advanced and

1:55:18 rigorous academic programs, and creating

1:55:20 more learning opportunities to move this

1:55:22 work forward. At this point, I will turn

1:55:24 it over to Dr. Wright.

1:55:27 Thank Thank you, Superintendent. Good

1:55:30 evening, Chair Robinson, Vice Chair

1:55:32 Scared, and members of the Boston School

1:55:34 Committee. I am here with leaders from

1:55:37 across the academics team to share how

1:55:39 BPS performed on state assessments and

1:55:42 the accountability framework during the

1:55:45 2526 school year.

1:55:48 We do want to acknowledge that there is

1:55:50 quite a bit of summitive data available

1:55:53 as it pertains to the student experience

1:55:56 interconnected to the accountability

1:55:58 framework.

1:56:00 For the purpose of today, we will

1:56:03 primarily focus on the data related to

1:56:06 the proposed district success measures,

1:56:08 district and school trends specific to

1:56:11 the accountability framework and the

1:56:13 performance of transformation schools.

1:56:16 We will then close with commitments to

1:56:19 support increased student performance

1:56:21 across BPS.

1:56:25 I do want to connect a few dots.

1:56:29 Building on the presentation in

1:56:30 September about the strategic roadmap

1:56:33 and the district success measures. Much

1:56:36 of the data shared today will be

1:56:38 disagregated and fulfills the spirit of

1:56:42 the updated opportunity and achievement

1:56:44 gap policy. our northstar for the

1:56:47 district.

1:56:48 In addition, I do want to acknowledge

1:56:50 that the data for MCCAST access and

1:56:54 chronic absenteeism will serve as the

1:56:58 district baseline for the five-year

1:57:00 targets that will be shared later this

1:57:02 fall.

1:57:03 I will now transition the presentation

1:57:06 to Chief Hogan to continue to frame the

1:57:08 district success measures and share

1:57:11 bright spots and opportunities.

1:57:15 Thank you, Dr. Wright. Um, as you may

1:57:18 remember, Dr. Rose and I shared this

1:57:19 slide in September's presentation

1:57:21 outlining the proposed success measures

1:57:24 and the expected data release calendar.

1:57:26 As Dr. Wright shared, tonight's

1:57:28 presentation includes three of the four

1:57:30 success measures listed in October,

1:57:32 MCCAST achievement for grades three

1:57:34 through eight, progress towards English

1:57:36 language proficiency, and chronic

1:57:38 absenteeism.

1:57:40 As a reminder, the high school

1:57:42 achievement measure included as part of

1:57:43 the district's success measures remains

1:57:45 under development as we await more

1:57:47 clarity on the statewide graduation

1:57:49 requirements.

1:57:53 So, we'll start briefly with a slide

1:57:55 comparing Boston's performance on the

1:57:57 district success measures to our urban

1:57:59 district peers within Massachusetts as

1:58:02 well as the state overall.

1:58:04 The set of columns in blue include the

1:58:06 percentage of students meeting and

1:58:07 exceeding expectations on the MCCAST for

1:58:09 grades three through eight. In ELA,

1:58:12 Boston's performance was stable, while

1:58:14 peer districts and the state experienced

1:58:16 declines.

1:58:18 In math, Boston saw a 1 percentage point

1:58:21 increase while most of our peers in the

1:58:22 state had no change.

1:58:25 The green columns include the percentage

1:58:28 of multilingual learners who are making

1:58:30 progress towards English language

1:58:31 proficiency as measured by the access

1:58:34 assessment. Boston saw an increase for

1:58:37 2026, but it was smaller than most of

1:58:39 our peer districts.

1:58:41 And the final columns in purple show the

1:58:43 percentage of students who are

1:58:44 chronically absent. Boston saw one of

1:58:47 the larger declines in chronic

1:58:48 absenteeism, which as a reminder is

1:58:50 positive. We want to see this measure go

1:58:52 down. Um, but we also have a higher rate

1:58:55 of chronically absent students than our

1:58:57 peer districts.

1:59:00 So, we'll now transition into looking at

1:59:02 the 2026 MCCAST results for the

1:59:04 district. As part of the presentation,

1:59:07 I'll go into detail on the grades 3

1:59:09 through 8 MCCAST results in ELA and

1:59:11 math. In the appendex of this

1:59:13 presentation, you will find data slides

1:59:15 for grades 10 ELA and math, high school

1:59:18 science, grades five and eight science,

1:59:21 and grade 8 civics. And as a reminder,

1:59:24 data for the district in this

1:59:26 presentation does not include results

1:59:28 for our five Horus man charter schools

1:59:30 as they are considered their own LEA.

1:59:34 So we'll start tonight with grades 3

1:59:36 through 8 ELA. Um before I get into the

1:59:39 results, I want to take a moment to

1:59:41 explain the data points that we talk

1:59:43 about. For achievement, we look at

1:59:45 scaled scores on the assessment. Scaled

1:59:48 scores range from 440 to 560 and are

1:59:52 grouped into four categories that we

1:59:54 refer to as performance levels.

1:59:56 Exceeding expectations, meeting

1:59:58 expectations,

2:00:00 partially meeting expectations, and not

2:00:02 meeting expectations. A score of 500 is

2:00:05 considered proficient and on grade

2:00:07 level.

2:00:10 On the left hand side of this slide, you

2:00:13 will see the green table that includes

2:00:15 the percentage of students meeting and

2:00:17 exceeding expectations over the last

2:00:19 four years, disagregated by major

2:00:22 student groups.

2:00:24 Compared to 2025, the percentage of

2:00:26 students meeting or exceeding

2:00:28 expectations was stable with all student

2:00:30 groups seeing results between plus or

2:00:32 minus two percentage points.

2:00:35 The graph on the right shows the average

2:00:38 composite scaled score by student group.

2:00:41 The green dotted line is at 500, which

2:00:44 is that proficiency score line. Only two

2:00:48 student groups have an average scaled

2:00:49 score over 500 are Asian and white

2:00:52 students.

2:00:57 When we look at MCCAST results, we also

2:00:59 look at growth. Um, so the MCCAST

2:01:01 measures growth using what is called the

2:01:03 student growth percentile or SGP.

2:01:06 Every student with at least two years of

2:01:08 MCCAST results receives an individual

2:01:10 SGP.

2:01:12 This number compares their performance

2:01:14 in the second year to the performance of

2:01:16 their academic peers or in other words

2:01:19 to students who had the same score as

2:01:22 them the previous year.

2:01:24 This ranking determines their percentile

2:01:26 which is then averaged to aggregate for

2:01:28 different groups.

2:01:30 This calculation does not take any

2:01:32 demographics into account. Students are

2:01:34 compared to other students with the same

2:01:36 score regardless of race, disability,

2:01:39 income, or language status.

2:01:42 Typical growth is defined as between 40

2:01:45 and 60. So when we look at the grades 3

2:01:48 through 8 ELA MCCAST data, average SGP

2:01:51 for all students and across groups, we

2:01:54 see that all groups at the district

2:01:55 level attained an average SGP in that

2:01:58 typical range.

2:02:02 So, we'll now move to talk about grades

2:02:04 three through eight math.

2:02:10 This slide is the same format as ELA um

2:02:13 but shows achievement data for grades 3

2:02:14 through 8 math. When you look at the

2:02:16 slides in the appendex, they will all

2:02:18 also follow similar formats.

2:02:21 Um, in math, the percentage of all

2:02:24 students meeting or exceeding

2:02:25 expectations increased by 1 percentage

2:02:28 points. Um, and most student groups saw

2:02:30 changes within plus or minus two

2:02:33 percentage points. Um, we also saw

2:02:35 particularly larger increases in grades

2:02:38 six and eight in the percentage of

2:02:39 students meeting or exceeding

2:02:41 expectations.

2:02:48 Um and so this is the slide looking at

2:02:51 grades three through eight math for

2:02:53 growth. Um so again that's the student

2:02:55 growth percentile. Um all student groups

2:02:58 in math again remained in the typical

2:03:00 range of 40 to 60 and we did have three

2:03:04 grade levels with an SGP over 50. Grades

2:03:06 five, six and eight.

2:03:15 So we'll now transition to talk about

2:03:17 the 2026 Access for ELLL's assessment.

2:03:20 This is the required assessment for all

2:03:22 multilingual learners that is focused on

2:03:24 English language proficiency.

2:03:27 In 2026, WEDA, which is the organization

2:03:30 that creates the assessment, um rolled

2:03:32 out a new assessment to reflect the

2:03:34 increased rigor of the 2020 WEDA English

2:03:38 language development framework, which

2:03:39 BPS teachers use in instruction.

2:03:42 The 2026 results are a new baseline for

2:03:45 measuring student growth and the

2:03:47 proficiency levels released in 2026 were

2:03:49 aligned to the 2025 assessment by WEDA

2:03:53 for instructional use and for

2:03:54 determining if students met progress

2:03:56 targets andor if they met exit criteria.

2:04:04 So making progress is the measure that

2:04:06 we look at on access and that means that

2:04:09 a student is on track to attaining

2:04:11 English language proficiency within six

2:04:13 years of entering a Massachusetts

2:04:15 school. A student has made progress if

2:04:18 they met or exceeded their individual

2:04:20 progress target.

2:04:22 This slide shows the longitudinal trend

2:04:24 at the district level. Um, the

2:04:26 percentage of students making progress

2:04:28 has increased eight percentage points

2:04:29 since 2023 with students in grades 1

2:04:32 through 8 having higher rates than

2:04:34 students in grades 9 through 12.

2:04:41 The next slide shows disagregated data

2:04:43 for making progress um by race and for

2:04:46 multilingual learners with disabilities.

2:04:49 um all students all student groups have

2:04:51 seen an increase in this in the

2:04:53 percentage of students making progress

2:04:54 since 2023.

2:05:00 We also look at meeting exit criteria on

2:05:02 the access assessment. Um so this is

2:05:05 defined as earning an overall composite

2:05:07 score of 4.2 or higher and a literacy

2:05:11 score of 3.9 or higher.

2:05:14 Um, this slide shows disagregated data

2:05:16 for meeting exit criteria. Um, and all

2:05:19 student groups have seen an increase in

2:05:21 students meeting exit criteria since

2:05:22 2023 as well.

2:05:29 We'll now move into chronic absenteeism.

2:05:32 So, as a reminder, chronic absenteeism

2:05:34 is defined as missing 10% or more of

2:05:36 days enrolled. A chronically absent

2:05:38 student enrolled for the entire school

2:05:40 year would miss 18 or more days of

2:05:42 school.

2:05:45 We'll start with looking at chronic

2:05:47 absenteeism for our non non- high school

2:05:49 grades, specifically grades 1 through 8,

2:05:52 which is what is included in the

2:05:54 accountability system. Um, all groups

2:05:56 have seen a one-year and fiveyear

2:05:58 decrease in chronic absenteeism, which

2:06:01 again is a positive thing.

2:06:07 And moving into high school grades, um

2:06:09 this slide shows the same disagregated

2:06:11 data for specifically grades 9 through

2:06:13 12 as part of the accountability system.

2:06:16 Um almost all of our student groups saw

2:06:18 a decline um in chronic absenteeism

2:06:20 compared to last year.

2:06:26 We know that attendance is critical for

2:06:28 student achievement. This slide displays

2:06:31 the difference in MCCAST scores between

2:06:32 chronically absent students and students

2:06:35 who are not chronically absent. The

2:06:38 difference column shows what that gap in

2:06:40 scores is. Um, and the gap is actually

2:06:44 larger in math. Um, so chronically

2:06:47 absent students do worse in math

2:06:50 compared to their not chronically absent

2:06:52 peers than they do in ELA.

2:07:00 So we'll now transition to talking about

2:07:02 the accountability system.

2:07:08 Before I go into the accountability

2:07:10 system results, I want to share more

2:07:13 information about how the state

2:07:14 accountability system works. So there

2:07:16 are two components of the state

2:07:18 accountability system. The first is the

2:07:20 criterion reference component which

2:07:22 measures a district's or school's

2:07:24 progress relative towards their

2:07:26 individual improvement targets.

2:07:28 This gets reported as a target

2:07:30 percentage.

2:07:33 The second component is what we call the

2:07:35 normative component which measures the

2:07:37 performance of a school compared to

2:07:39 other schools across the commonwealth

2:07:41 that serve similar grades.

2:07:43 This is reported as a percentile.

2:07:47 All schools and districts are then

2:07:49 placed into two broad categories, either

2:07:51 requiring assistance or not requiring

2:07:53 assistance. Um the spectrum at the

2:07:56 bottom shows the groups within those

2:07:57 categories. The five groups in blue are

2:08:01 the not requiring assistance and the two

2:08:03 groups in red are the requiring

2:08:05 assistance category.

2:08:11 So we'll start with the district's

2:08:12 overall accountability classification.

2:08:15 Boston was classified as not requiring

2:08:17 assistance or intervention and making

2:08:20 moderate progress towards targets. Our

2:08:23 target percentage was 49%.

2:08:26 Which is similar to previous years.

2:08:30 The table at the bottom shows the

2:08:31 distribution of districts by

2:08:33 accountability classification.

2:08:35 The orange line represents the category

2:08:37 Boston is in with 180 other districts

2:08:40 across the Commonwealth.

2:08:45 Um, this slide shows the detail behind

2:08:47 the district's target percentage. So,

2:08:49 how did we do relative to our targets at

2:08:52 the district level? When you look up a

2:08:54 school or district accountability

2:08:56 results on the DESIE website, you will

2:08:58 see a visual that looks like this.

2:09:02 Highlighted in green are the areas where

2:09:03 the district met or exceeded our target

2:09:06 and earned three or four points,

2:09:08 respectively. This includes math growth

2:09:11 for grades three through eight, ELA and

2:09:13 math growth for high school, graduation

2:09:16 and dropout rates, English language

2:09:18 proficiency progress for non- high

2:09:20 school grades, chronic absenteeism for

2:09:23 all grades, and advanced coursework

2:09:25 completion for high school students. I

2:09:28 particularly want to highlight the

2:09:29 advanced coursework data for this past

2:09:31 year. The percentage of students in

2:09:33 grades 11 and 12 completing advanced

2:09:35 coursework increased to 74.9% in 2026,

2:09:40 meaning that three out of four high

2:09:41 school students participated in advanced

2:09:43 coursework.

2:09:46 Highlighted in red are the areas where

2:09:48 the district's performance declined and

2:09:50 we earned zero points in the

2:09:51 accountability system. This includes

2:09:54 achievement in all subjects for high

2:09:56 school grades as well as English

2:09:58 language proficiency progress for high

2:10:00 school.

2:10:01 We did not go through the slides for

2:10:02 MCCAST high school data tonight, but it

2:10:04 is all available in the appendix.

2:10:07 Following the change in mass general law

2:10:09 after the 2024 election, the MCCAST is

2:10:12 no longer part of the graduation

2:10:13 requirement for high school students.

2:10:16 The declines in performance we saw in

2:10:17 Boston are similar to statewide trends

2:10:20 and likely reflect a change in

2:10:21 graduation requirement rather than a

2:10:23 decrease in proficiency.

2:10:28 We'll now transition to talking about

2:10:30 school level accountability data. This

2:10:33 slide shows the number of schools in

2:10:34 each classification category. I want to

2:10:37 highlight the increase in the number of

2:10:38 schools making substantial progress

2:10:40 towards targets from 17 in 2025

2:10:44 to 25 in 2026.

2:10:47 These schools earned between 50 and 75%

2:10:50 of their target percentage points.

2:10:53 I also want to call out two schools

2:10:55 exiting the broad comprehensive support

2:10:57 category. This reflects the Dearborn

2:10:59 exiting what is known as underperforming

2:11:01 status and UPAC Academy Holland exiting

2:11:05 what is known as chronically

2:11:06 underperforming status. Um UP Academy

2:11:09 Holland has now transitioned back into

2:11:10 the district out of receiverhip as the

2:11:12 Holland Elementary.

2:11:18 Uh in 2026, we also had four schools

2:11:20 named as schools of recognition. This

2:11:22 includes Boston Latin School, the Grrew

2:11:25 Elementary, Dudley Street Neighborhood

2:11:27 Charter School, and the Edward M.

2:11:29 Kennedy Academy for Health Careers.

2:11:31 Since Dudley Street and EMK are both

2:11:34 Horus man charter schools, their data

2:11:35 was not included in the previous slide,

2:11:37 but we wanted to ensure they were

2:11:39 recognized tonight.

2:11:44 Um, this slide displays the one-year

2:11:46 change in accountability percentile for

2:11:48 schools. Um, in the graph, each bar

2:11:51 represents a school. You can see that

2:11:54 roughly half of schools saw an increase

2:11:56 and roughly half saw a decline.

2:11:58 Since the percentile is a comparative

2:12:00 measure, changes from year to year are

2:12:02 dependent on performance of schools

2:12:04 across the state.

2:12:07 The bar all the way on the right

2:12:08 represents an increase in accountability

2:12:10 percentile of 29 points. That bar is for

2:12:13 the Hernandez elementary school. In

2:12:16 addition to seeing an increase in their

2:12:17 accountability percentile, the Hernandez

2:12:19 increased the percentage of students

2:12:21 meeting and exceeding expectations by

2:12:23 more than 15% compared to 2025 in both

2:12:26 ELA and math.

2:12:28 Um, and they also decreased their

2:12:30 chronic absenteeism by 5.5% compared to

2:12:33 2025.

2:12:34 Um so tonight we are joined by Dr.

2:12:36 Christine Landry, region 4 school

2:12:38 superintendent who is joining us in

2:12:40 place of the school leader for the

2:12:41 Hernandez who is not able to be here. Um

2:12:44 the Hernandez is one of our dual

2:12:45 language schools serving grades K1 to

2:12:47 six and Dr. Landry will share a little

2:12:49 bit more about the strategies and

2:12:51 support that led to this growth and

2:12:52 success.

2:12:53 Thank you. Thank you Monica. Good

2:12:55 evening everyone and thank you

2:12:57 superintendent, chair, vice chair and

2:12:59 and members of the school committee. Um

2:13:01 it's my pleasure to be here to speak on

2:13:03 behalf of uh Principal Costello or

2:13:06 Danielle um to school families who are

2:13:10 listening in um and on behalf of the

2:13:13 Hernandez community. The Hernandez dual

2:13:16 language school's remarkable 29 point

2:13:18 increase in accountability

2:13:21 is a powerful example of what happens

2:13:23 when strong instructional leadership, a

2:13:26 deeply committed staff and coherent

2:13:29 systems of support come together.

2:13:32 In speaking with Danielle about what

2:13:34 drove this success, um, two things

2:13:37 emerged for us that I wanted to share.

2:13:40 So number one, at the Hernandez, dual

2:13:42 language education isn't simply a

2:13:45 program. Um it is a shared mission.

2:13:49 Teachers are skilled professionals who

2:13:51 do the complex work of planning,

2:13:53 differentiated learning, teaching,

2:13:56 assessing, and adjusting support for

2:13:59 students each day in two languages.

2:14:03 Principal Costello has built a culture

2:14:05 that honors that expertise while

2:14:08 intentionally growing the next

2:14:10 generation of bilingual teachers

2:14:14 through university partnerships and the

2:14:16 primaris program that she started when

2:14:20 she was the operational leader at the

2:14:21 school many years ago.

2:14:24 Um that trains community members to

2:14:26 become bilingual paras. The Hernandez is

2:14:28 developing an educator pipeline for both

2:14:31 the Hernandez and for the broader Boston

2:14:33 community.

2:14:35 Today there are 14 participants in the

2:14:38 primaris measures program and the

2:14:41 graduates have been hired across six

2:14:43 schools and BPS um as well as early

2:14:46 childhood programs throughout the city.

2:14:49 This investment brings additional

2:14:51 skilled adults into classrooms at the

2:14:53 Hernandez, expands opportunities for

2:14:55 targeted student support, and broadens

2:14:58 the broader bilingual educator workforce

2:15:01 in the city.

2:15:03 Secondly, the Hernandez builds systems

2:15:06 that ensure that every student gets what

2:15:08 they need. The Hernandez has been very

2:15:11 intentional about strengthening its

2:15:13 multi-tered system of support with a

2:15:17 relentless focus on high quality tier

2:15:19 one instruction.

2:15:21 The team understands that reaching 80%

2:15:24 of students through strong core

2:15:26 instruction requires continuous

2:15:28 improvement,

2:15:30 careful examination of individual

2:15:32 student data and consistent schoolwide

2:15:35 cycles of class reviews for by each

2:15:39 priority. So instruction

2:15:42 um a sense of belonging through climate

2:15:44 and culture and attendance.

2:15:48 Importantly, intervention is additive at

2:15:51 Hernandez. It's not a replacement for

2:15:53 highquality core instruction and it

2:15:55 happens in two languages. Further

2:15:58 developing academic language and

2:15:59 literacy in both.

2:16:02 So the MTSS approach also extends beyond

2:16:05 academics to attendance, culture, family

2:16:08 engagement and to support students basic

2:16:11 needs as well.

2:16:13 So I believe that the broader lesson

2:16:15 here is this uh that the Hernandez's

2:16:17 success is not about a single strategy

2:16:20 or a quick fix. It reflects leadership

2:16:22 that trusts educators.

2:16:25 It builds coherent and collective

2:16:27 capacity and creates systems that

2:16:29 respond to every learner through steady

2:16:31 and consistent work. So thank you for

2:16:34 giving me an opportunity to talk about

2:16:35 the Hernandez success.

2:16:39 Thank you Dr. Landry.

2:16:43 Uh so we're now going to transition to

2:16:45 talking about our transformation

2:16:46 schools. Um and so I'll introduce my

2:16:48 colleague Andrew Rollins who's the

2:16:50 executive director of the transformation

2:16:52 office. This next portion,

2:17:00 good evening. Um it's been a while since

2:17:02 I've been here in this space, so I'll

2:17:04 start with a quick introduction or

2:17:06 reintroduction. My name is Andrew

2:17:08 Rollins leading the transformation team

2:17:10 and this is my 23rd year in BPS. I

2:17:13 served as the principal at the Mildred

2:17:14 Avenue K to8 for eight years and at the

2:17:16 Perry Elementary for three years prior

2:17:19 to coming into this work this summer. At

2:17:21 the Mildrid, we were able to come

2:17:23 together as a team around a very clear

2:17:25 and narrow instructional and school

2:17:27 climate focus. And we were able to

2:17:30 elevate from being named the lowest

2:17:31 performing school in the state to the

2:17:33 24th percentile in just a matter of two

2:17:36 years.

2:17:37 We remained at level one at the time uh

2:17:40 for the next six years despite a full

2:17:43 accountability reset at one point and

2:17:45 then working our way through co as well.

2:17:48 We are trying to harness similar

2:17:50 momentum in our current transformation

2:17:53 schools and we are excited to have seen

2:17:55 accelerated progress in a number of our

2:17:57 schools this past year.

2:17:59 Before we get to that, we want to first

2:18:01 align on the term transformation.

2:18:04 Transformation is a BPS specific term

2:18:06 for schools that fall at the 10th

2:18:08 percentile or below. This designation

2:18:11 remains in place until a school has

2:18:13 emerged at the 11th percentile or above

2:18:15 for multiple years. We require two years

2:18:19 of data above the 11th percentile in

2:18:21 order to truly ensure that the school is

2:18:24 on an upward and sustaining trajectory.

2:18:28 Additionally, as noted at the bottom of

2:18:30 the slide, the accountability percentile

2:18:32 percentile is just one of the two

2:18:34 components of the accountability system.

2:18:36 We do see schools that do relatively

2:18:38 well in the progress towards targets

2:18:40 component

2:18:42 but have not yet moved in the

2:18:44 accountability percentile. For example,

2:18:46 the King Elementary and Ruth Batson this

2:18:49 year made uh had much better progress

2:18:53 towards targets but have not seen the

2:18:56 lever move in terms of accountability

2:18:57 percentile yet. This is often an initial

2:19:00 indicator that the school is turning

2:19:02 around. They are starting to make

2:19:03 progress in a lot of areas and have laid

2:19:05 the foundation to continue to grow.

2:19:10 As mentioned, we are excited to uh

2:19:12 highlight accelerated moves amongst many

2:19:14 of our transformation schools, including

2:19:16 a number of schools that had been

2:19:17 stagnant for some time. In total, 12

2:19:21 transformation schools recorded

2:19:23 percentiles at the 11th or above,

2:19:26 including four that met the exit

2:19:28 criteria for transformation to leave

2:19:31 transformation status.

2:19:33 The percentage of schools with increased

2:19:35 percentiles grew in this past year while

2:19:38 the number of schools that experienced

2:19:39 declining percentiles shrank.

2:19:46 Amongst the success stories, the Kenny,

2:19:49 the Mason, Tech Boston, and Troder have

2:19:52 met the criteria to exit transformation.

2:19:55 I'll briefly note here the Mason as the

2:19:58 last time they exceeded the 11th

2:20:00 percentile in back-to-back years was

2:20:02 2013 and 2014.

2:20:05 Amongst our uh schools that accelerated

2:20:08 above the 10th percentile, I'll

2:20:10 highlight highlight the LS who elevated

2:20:13 the above the 11th percentile this year.

2:20:17 They had not been above the fourth

2:20:18 percentile since 2017 and had not

2:20:22 exceeded the 11th percentile previously

2:20:24 since 2012 when percentiles were

2:20:27 initiated by Desi. For the Ellis, this

2:20:30 is truly a transformative moment,

2:20:32 excelling to a point that they have not

2:20:34 reached in nearly a generation.

2:20:37 Likewise, the Blackstone ascended to

2:20:39 their highest point since 2018. Their

2:20:42 progress has been driven primarily by

2:20:44 very high growth in both ELA and math.

2:20:49 Notably, they ranked in the top 25 in

2:20:51 the state in math growth amongst the

2:20:53 black or African-American subgroup and

2:20:55 top 50 in the state in math growth

2:20:58 amongst the Hispanic subgroup.

2:21:02 What do our ascending schools have in

2:21:04 common in their stories of acceleration?

2:21:08 clear, concise 90-day plans with a

2:21:11 focused, high lever instructional

2:21:13 strategy that is solicited by and

2:21:15 throughout the school community. These

2:21:18 plans elevate rigor, access, and

2:21:20 engagement instruction. And at the same

2:21:22 time, they strengthen professional

2:21:24 culture. We start to see true

2:21:26 collaboration in team meeting spaces,

2:21:29 professional development, and beyond.

2:21:32 These schools have been supported by

2:21:33 effective deployment plans that

2:21:35 strategically integrate liaison and/or

2:21:38 transformation team supports.

2:21:40 Finally, there is at the same time a

2:21:42 strategic focus on building student

2:21:44 connection, sense of belonging and

2:21:46 attendance.

2:21:48 The Blackstone is a school where we see

2:21:50 many of these practices emerging and we

2:21:52 saw accelerated outcomes this past year.

2:21:55 In that respect, we are very fortunate

2:21:56 to have principal Courtney Shepek from

2:21:58 the Blackstone with us today. She's in

2:22:01 her 13th year as principal. We started

2:22:04 together, but she outlasted me. And

2:22:08 third year at the Blackstone. Uh, and

2:22:10 she's going to show share a little bit

2:22:12 about the Blackstone story that will

2:22:14 further illuminate what specifically is

2:22:15 working to accelerate schools in our

2:22:17 transformation space.

2:22:19 Well, thank you, Director Rollins, for

2:22:21 the introduction. Um, it's exciting to

2:22:23 have you in this new capacity. Uh, thank

2:22:26 you all for having me here tonight. I'm

2:22:28 extremely grateful to lead a school in

2:22:30 the city of Boston that I love so much.

2:22:33 Like Andrew said, this is my 13th year

2:22:35 as a BPS principal, my 26th year in the

2:22:38 district. I'm also a BPS graduate and a

2:22:41 very proud mother of a recent BPS

2:22:43 alumni. To name it plainly, um this is

2:22:46 my life's work. I'm always honored to

2:22:49 shine a light at the brilliance of the

2:22:51 Blackstone School and I will do my best

2:22:53 today to share the action steps and

2:22:56 highest leverage moves we made as a team

2:22:58 to move the needle on transformation.

2:23:01 To begin, I will name some of our recent

2:23:03 accomplishments and celebrations.

2:23:06 Uh we demonstrated meaningful progress

2:23:08 and moved our accountability rating from

2:23:10 three to eight. As director Rollins

2:23:13 pointed out, we're at the highest

2:23:14 accountability point since 2018, and we

2:23:17 saw strong success in both math and ELA.

2:23:21 We ranked in the top 25 in the state for

2:23:23 MAP um excuse me, math growth amongst

2:23:26 our black and African-American student

2:23:28 groups and the top 50 in the state and

2:23:30 MAP, I mean, math growth among the

2:23:33 Hispanic, Latino student groups.

2:23:36 This growth shows the collective effort

2:23:38 to close historical achievement gaps and

2:23:40 accelerate student learning. It also

2:23:43 demonstrate the creation of foundational

2:23:45 schoolwide systems to cultivate our

2:23:48 students potential or what we call their

2:23:50 Blackstone brilliance.

2:23:52 Blackstone earned 93% of possible

2:23:56 accountability points for the category

2:23:58 of lowest performing students,

2:24:00 demonstrating significant progress

2:24:02 towards proficiency.

2:24:05 We believe and we want our students to

2:24:06 believe that we are turning the tide. A

2:24:09 major turning point came during our

2:24:11 second 90day cycle when we paused and

2:24:16 revisited our quality school plan and

2:24:19 made a deliberate decision to reset our

2:24:21 approach. Rather than adding more

2:24:24 initiatives, we streamlined and

2:24:26 clarified on four high impact levers.

2:24:30 First, we increased our consistency of

2:24:32 instructional coaching. We laid the

2:24:35 foundation for intentional, focused,

2:24:38 multi-tered systems of support. And we

2:24:41 strategically deployed our BPS

2:24:43 instructional liaison and supports. And

2:24:47 we created a culture of buyin so that

2:24:49 all our educators had clear commitment.

2:24:53 We understood that in order to create

2:24:55 access for all students, we needed

2:24:56 highquality instructional materials. as

2:24:59 the instructional foundation. These

2:25:01 included illustrative math,

2:25:03 expeditionary learning, foundations, and

2:25:05 BPS focused curricula. Then we supported

2:25:09 the use of these HQIM

2:25:11 with more intentional and coordinated

2:25:13 adult actions.

2:25:15 We also began using data trackers to

2:25:18 note trends and better understand how

2:25:21 students were performing on grade level

2:25:23 tasks on a routine basis to progress

2:25:26 monitor rather than wait for our

2:25:28 summitive benchmarks.

2:25:31 This work is ongoing. As a result,

2:25:34 Blackstone demonstrated high growth in

2:25:36 ELA and exceeded typical growth in

2:25:38 mathematics.

2:25:40 Particularly encouraging was the

2:25:42 progress among student groups.

2:25:44 Multilingual learners and former

2:25:45 multilingual learners earned 84% of

2:25:48 possible target points. Black or

2:25:51 African-American students earned 84%.

2:25:55 Hispanic or Latino students earned 79 of

2:25:57 the possible points. We also saw chronic

2:26:00 absenteeism decline from 42% to 34%, an

2:26:05 8 percentage point improvement.

2:26:08 These results is reinforced with

2:26:09 instructional strategies are targeted

2:26:11 and consistently implemented, we can

2:26:14 begin to close gaps to reach

2:26:16 proficiency.

2:26:18 One of my most important leadership

2:26:20 lessons this past school year was

2:26:22 embracing distributed leadership by

2:26:25 leveraging the expertise of coaches,

2:26:27 liaison, and teachers. I was able to

2:26:30 increase the my touch points in

2:26:32 classrooms, strengthen instructional

2:26:34 monitoring and respond more effectively

2:26:36 to the emerging needs. This experience

2:26:39 reinforced that school leadership is not

2:26:41 about doing everything by ourselves but

2:26:43 about creating the conditions for others

2:26:45 to lead effectively and leveraging our

2:26:47 regional model. Our region 2 liaison

2:26:50 play a huge role in our growth and

2:26:52 outcomes. Finally, Blackstone's progress

2:26:55 is not simply about approved

2:26:57 accountability numbers. It is a story

2:26:59 about what becomes possible when we

2:27:01 align our vision, focus our resources,

2:27:04 and build collective ownership for

2:27:06 students success.

2:27:07 We do recognize that we have still much

2:27:10 more work to do to get all students to

2:27:12 proficiency. Our next challenge is to

2:27:15 sustain this momentum and translate this

2:27:17 growth into lasting proficiency so that

2:27:20 every student can demonstrate their

2:27:22 Blackstone brilliance. So, thank you for

2:27:24 this opportunity.

2:27:29 I'm going to give it back to director

2:27:31 Rollins.

2:27:32 Thank you. Uh the Blackstone is a school

2:27:35 that continues to receive supports

2:27:36 directly from transformation in the form

2:27:38 of an academic director. They have

2:27:40 multiple transformation coaches and the

2:27:42 school as Courtney pointed out is also

2:27:44 supported by a strong coordinator

2:27:46 approach at the regional level with

2:27:47 thoughtful deployment.

2:27:49 With this in place and a very strong

2:27:51 school team in place, we are very

2:27:53 excited to see where Principal Shep and

2:27:55 the Blackstone are headed in this coming

2:27:57 year. Thank you for sharing your

2:27:59 experiences with us. With that, it's my

2:28:02 pleasure to turn it back over to Dr.

2:28:03 Wright.

2:28:20 I just want to acknowledge Principal

2:28:22 Sheep again. Um, this slide has a lot of

2:28:25 information on it, but she spelled out

2:28:27 what it is that we want to be true

2:28:29 across every school in BPS. So, just

2:28:32 want to acknowledge her leadership.

2:28:35 Um yeah,

2:28:37 thank you everyone that spoke for

2:28:40 highlighting our bright spots and and

2:28:43 the opportunities um as we look at this

2:28:45 data. Um as you heard from Principal

2:28:48 Shepik, Dr. Landry and Andrew, there are

2:28:52 a number of instructional practices and

2:28:54 strategic supports that are

2:28:57 strengthening the quality of instruction

2:28:59 in service of increased student

2:29:01 achievement across our schools.

2:29:05 And we still feel a sense of urgency as

2:29:09 it pertains to increasing the percentage

2:29:12 of students achieving at grade level

2:29:15 both aggregated and disagregated.

2:29:19 This slide outlines where we believe we

2:29:23 need to go deeper um and I would say

2:29:26 scale um as it pertains to existing

2:29:29 instructional priorities and necessary

2:29:32 systemic pivots to strengthen the

2:29:35 instructional experience for our kids.

2:29:38 In summary, we must continue to build

2:29:42 educator capacity to utilize highquality

2:29:45 instructional materials to prepare to

2:29:48 facilitate rigorous and culturally

2:29:50 affirming learning experiences.

2:29:53 Emphasize the necessity for academic

2:29:57 language supports across all learning

2:29:59 spaces, especially in the content areas.

2:30:04 These two items paired with our focus on

2:30:07 increased progress monitoring of student

2:30:10 learning and supporting educators to use

2:30:13 various data inputs to inform their

2:30:15 instructional practices and provide

2:30:18 targeted supports to each student will

2:30:21 continue to be the levers that we

2:30:23 prioritize to support educators with

2:30:26 ensuring highquality instruction happens

2:30:29 across BPS in every classroom every

2:30:33 single day.

2:30:36 I do not want to minimize

2:30:39 the necessary supports for each school

2:30:42 community to ensure standards aligned

2:30:45 and pedagogically sound instruction is

2:30:48 happening every single day. Much of our

2:30:51 efforts this year continue to build the

2:30:55 capacity of our school leaders to be

2:30:57 instructional leaders. Whether that is

2:31:00 through the regional school

2:31:01 superintendent or content focused

2:31:03 support.

2:31:05 Before we take questions, I do want to

2:31:07 close with gratitude.

2:31:09 Students and educators are working

2:31:11 really, really hard to ensure that our

2:31:14 students are equipped with the skills

2:31:16 and experiences to write their success

2:31:18 narratives.

2:31:20 I have not been in a classroom this year

2:31:23 where I did not see intentional effort

2:31:26 from either a teacher, a parah or

2:31:29 students to actively engage in learning.

2:31:33 While we still have quite a bit of work

2:31:35 to do, the effort and desire for BPS to

2:31:38 be the best is there. Thank you. And we

2:31:42 will now take your questions.

2:31:44 Thank you.

2:31:46 Who would like to begin?

2:31:52 Thank you. Thank you everyone for the

2:31:55 report.

2:31:57 Um yes, thank you Monica.

2:32:01 The Blaston School is the school very

2:32:03 close my heart because um my first

2:32:08 connection with BPS is Blaststone. My

2:32:11 song when Aria Boston in 2015. My song

2:32:15 is four year and

2:32:19 the the the

2:32:22 whole

2:32:23 the endor when I walking in the school I

2:32:28 receive that inspiration for myself

2:32:32 involved in education system.

2:32:37 Um

2:32:39 I want to say congratulation

2:32:41 principal the blast principal shipping.

2:32:44 You are really really good job and you

2:32:47 staff too.

2:32:50 important very important too is the

2:32:52 teachers

2:32:54 the blaststone teacher working very hard

2:32:58 for the school with love we involve

2:33:04 with passion passion

2:33:07 allar

2:33:09 I know some teacher in blast

2:33:12 sometime buy the material for the

2:33:15 student for her money.

2:33:20 No waiting for district to provide

2:33:23 because the the teacher have a lot of

2:33:25 love for the students.

2:33:29 I recognize too many teacher in Blasto

2:33:33 working very hard. Right now Blaston now

2:33:37 is more grown up efficient is because

2:33:42 the teacher and principal and staff is

2:33:45 the same

2:33:48 hard working for the better result for

2:33:51 the students.

2:33:54 Congratulation. Thank you for your job.

2:33:56 I want to say Rafael Hernandez. I

2:34:01 uh I have been to the Rafael Hernandez

2:34:04 school before. I know the first teachers

2:34:06 program is really really good because

2:34:09 the parents involved in working with uh

2:34:14 urban college some uh urban college uh

2:34:18 working very close with the program is

2:34:22 inspirational. So I say thank you e

2:34:27 congratulation

2:34:29 um thank you so much but I have a

2:34:32 question about the income's result

2:34:36 now is the good part I wanted the

2:34:40 critical part

2:34:43 I think the uh multilingual students

2:34:48 and the result the multilingual student

2:34:50 I want to say that these three how You

2:34:54 learning about the result?

2:34:57 How the district learn about the result?

2:35:02 The multilingual students because the

2:35:05 multilingual student

2:35:08 year per year per year the result is

2:35:11 very low.

2:35:17 How you learning about it?

2:35:34 Good evening, Chair Robinson and Vice

2:35:37 Chair Scarret and school committee

2:35:40 members. Um, thank you for the question.

2:35:44 It's very important for us to be very

2:35:46 reflective of the work that we do and um

2:35:52 when we look at the results,

2:35:54 we are not complacent with results. We

2:36:00 look and we do highlight the bright

2:36:02 spots that we have, but we're also

2:36:04 reflective of what we can do um

2:36:08 instructionally

2:36:10 to help support our multilingual

2:36:12 learners, what we can do through

2:36:14 professional development to support our

2:36:16 educators, what we can do communitywise

2:36:20 to work with our families and the

2:36:23 community. Um there's lots of

2:36:26 conversations that we've had. Um even

2:36:29 today I was speaking to um John Mud and

2:36:33 um many members of my team have been

2:36:35 going to organizations like St. Stevens

2:36:38 and the Massachusetts Haitian um parents

2:36:41 association uh IFC which is immigrant

2:36:44 family services because you know we sit

2:36:47 in offices and we make decisions and we

2:36:50 go to classrooms and we see things but

2:36:52 we also need to in involve the community

2:36:56 um which we have been doing and will

2:36:58 continue to do but in the reflection of

2:37:01 our data we're looking to see the bright

2:37:03 spots where can we leverage those bright

2:37:07 spots where do we see the small gains

2:37:08 and how do we continue to build on those

2:37:12 gains like for example for the

2:37:14 Blackstone uh principal sheep has gone

2:37:17 there they have continuously be been in

2:37:20 transformation but really leveraging

2:37:22 those gains and those moves that

2:37:24 principal Shepek at the Hernandez uh

2:37:28 schools like that how how have they

2:37:30 leveraged and how can we scale that

2:37:32 district-wise when we look at the

2:37:34 Margarita Munes this year they've made

2:37:36 gains as well and so how do we look at

2:37:39 that and leverage and build the capacity

2:37:42 across the district in our opportunity

2:37:45 achievement gap one of the points is

2:37:48 really about enabling conditions how do

2:37:51 we set conditions across the district to

2:37:54 ensure that we have success for all of

2:37:56 our students but particularly our

2:37:57 multilingual learner students. Um you

2:38:00 know we talked about equity centered

2:38:01 cultural practices embedding that in

2:38:04 practices for our teachers in our

2:38:07 schools having inclusive schools

2:38:10 shifting mindsets as well. We have a lot

2:38:12 of work to do with mindset. Um we have

2:38:14 brilliant students who are working

2:38:16 really hard to get into um key schools

2:38:19 and we have to ensure that we set the

2:38:22 conditions when the students walk in.

2:38:25 One of my colleagues um said something

2:38:27 that to me was very profound and she was

2:38:30 talking about

2:38:32 it's about setting the conditions. It's

2:38:34 for to create a culture of inclusion for

2:38:37 our students. Who is learning at the

2:38:39 school and who's not?

2:38:43 who feels welcomed and affirmed and who

2:38:45 doesn't,

2:38:47 who comes to school and who does not.

2:38:50 And those are rooted in our three

2:38:52 priorities of really creating

2:38:54 highquality instruction for students,

2:38:57 safe, welcoming schools, and looking at

2:38:59 our chronic absenteeism. And those

2:39:02 conditions when we set them correctly

2:39:05 and leverage moves like at the

2:39:07 Blackstone Munes or Hernandez and scale

2:39:11 them across the district, we will see

2:39:14 better um outcomes for our students,

2:39:17 stronger outcomes, I should say. There

2:39:19 are pockets in areas where we have seen

2:39:22 it but we can leverage it and make it

2:39:23 scale it on a greater basis. So

2:39:28 uh you recognize that

2:39:33 the districtto program the program

2:39:36 provide district is not enough right

2:39:40 needed more support for the English

2:39:45 students English learning student right

2:39:48 you recognize

2:39:50 I do recognize that we as a district

2:39:53 need to ensure that we are centering our

2:39:55 multi multilingual multilingual

2:39:57 learners. But when you're saying the

2:39:58 programs, which ones in particular are

2:40:01 you talking about

2:40:03 that the pro the program that this

2:40:06 provide is the program ELLL, ESL that

2:40:10 program you know the data about what is

2:40:13 the result for each program? What

2:40:16 program working the the best program

2:40:19 working? are working. You know the

2:40:22 result the result about the each program

2:40:26 if it's important if you you um if you

2:40:31 you sharing the different program what

2:40:36 is the result the different program you

2:40:38 know why because you see what is real

2:40:42 situation what program working better

2:40:45 what program know it's good

2:40:47 results absolutely and that is part of

2:40:49 the reflective process and so we are

2:40:51 viewing program evaluations. And so the

2:40:54 our department has just done we just a

2:40:57 comprehensive program evaluation of our

2:40:59 dual language programs went into each

2:41:01 dual language school. We got surve

2:41:05 survey and feedback from school leaders,

2:41:07 from teachers, looking at student data

2:41:11 um grade by grade looking at achievement

2:41:14 results um where there are discrepancies

2:41:18 in data or where we can improve

2:41:20 ourselves. Um we're we're doing that

2:41:22 comprehensively yearbyear. Um right now

2:41:25 we're working on the SEI where the

2:41:27 majority of our multilingual are and

2:41:29 we're looking at um the data for the

2:41:32 students receiving feedback from

2:41:34 teachers where we need to do more

2:41:36 intense professional development right

2:41:38 because teachers when they feel equipped

2:41:41 then they feel more empowered to help

2:41:44 support the students. And so that's part

2:41:47 of the program evaluations. We're doing

2:41:49 extensive program evaluations

2:41:51 um for our different programs. In

2:41:54 addition, we're also working on a

2:41:56 strategic plan that is aligned to the

2:41:58 district's strategic plan that will have

2:42:01 yearby-year outcomes and measur

2:42:04 measurable outcomes for our students and

2:42:06 looking at that data and then also

2:42:08 working with the community. Um community

2:42:10 has asked us for data grade by grade by

2:42:13 student groups, language groups. Um that

2:42:16 is part of the work that we're going to

2:42:18 be doing and work that we are doing.

2:42:20 Yeah.

2:42:21 Yeah. I would also add because I think

2:42:23 this is really important question um

2:42:27 when we we think about our multilingual

2:42:28 learners there's the language attainment

2:42:31 and that's the access and so I think

2:42:34 what you see on access is you see a

2:42:37 pretty steady uh improvement for our

2:42:40 multilingual learners with attaining

2:42:42 English and then there's the MCCAST

2:42:45 which is testing content for many of our

2:42:48 many of our multilingual learners it's

2:42:50 also testing language

2:42:52 uh whether everybody acknowledges that

2:42:55 or not at the state level, it's also

2:42:57 testing language. And I think what I've

2:43:01 seen as I go out into the classrooms and

2:43:03 I'll use Blackstone as a good example,

2:43:06 you know, most of the multilingual

2:43:08 learners when you look at their

2:43:09 accountability made terrific progress.

2:43:12 And so it's everything from going into

2:43:15 classrooms where there is an explicit

2:43:17 language objective

2:43:20 because the teacher is designing that

2:43:22 unit and that lesson plan with a

2:43:25 multilingual learner in mind. uh it is

2:43:28 hiring staff that speak the languages of

2:43:32 the students in the school and having

2:43:35 paraprofessionals which we see at the

2:43:37 Blackstone who are engaged supporting

2:43:39 and scaffolding the instruction with the

2:43:42 students. So I think it's we are

2:43:46 learning from the schools like

2:43:48 Blackstone and others who are doing a

2:43:51 really good job helping to support our

2:43:54 multilingual learners. We need to a big

2:43:57 piece of the work of the regional

2:43:59 network this year is to scaff is to

2:44:01 actually like expand those best practice

2:44:04 right so that more schools can see what

2:44:07 Courtney's doing and what other schools

2:44:09 that really hit it out of the park for

2:44:11 our multilingual learners are doing.

2:44:13 Additionally, we invested a lot the last

2:44:15 two years in ESL curriculum because we

2:44:18 recognized it was outdated and it was

2:44:20 not giving our multilingual learners the

2:44:22 supports and that's been under Joelle's

2:44:24 leadership, right, that she came in and

2:44:26 said, "We need to revamp this." I think

2:44:29 the regional liaison

2:44:32 work directly from the office with the

2:44:36 coaches and with the school leaders and

2:44:39 they're looking particularly at our

2:44:41 multilingual learners. what's working,

2:44:43 what's not, where can we take best

2:44:45 practice. That's the conversation in the

2:44:48 walkthroughs that's happening at levels

2:44:50 that never happened in BPS before.

2:44:54 Most importantly, I think the OAG policy

2:44:58 is our northstar and the strategic plan

2:45:02 command us

2:45:05 to look at the data and to ask the very

2:45:08 questions you're asking Rafa, which is

2:45:10 how is what our strategies and

2:45:13 implementation of them working for each

2:45:16 group of kids that historically is not.

2:45:20 So I'm glad you asked the question

2:45:21 because I think our team is constantly

2:45:23 talking about this and I think at the

2:45:26 regional level it's making sure that all

2:45:28 the liaons

2:45:30 are in sync and thinking about a

2:45:33 multilingual learner, a multilingual

2:45:34 learner with disabilities, a student

2:45:36 with disabilities in every single

2:45:39 classroom in the district.

2:45:41 I just want to add one more thing as

2:45:43 well too is I think um well I know under

2:45:46 Superintendent Skipper's leadership and

2:45:49 um Dr. Wright's leadership I don't feel

2:45:52 alone anymore. Um I do feel supported by

2:45:55 my colleagues um working through

2:45:59 academics, working with operations,

2:46:02 working um with the family with AFKA, I

2:46:05 really feel supported um so that when

2:46:07 we're thinking and creating initiatives

2:46:10 for multilingual learners, it's not just

2:46:12 the ownership of our office, the office

2:46:14 of multilingual and multicultural

2:46:16 education. It's really an onus. The same

2:46:19 way that we're saying to schools that

2:46:20 you need to have ownership over your

2:46:22 multilingual learners from this parah to

2:46:25 this teacher to the math teacher science

2:46:27 that we're doing that collectively from

2:46:29 a central office and I've definitely

2:46:32 seen that shift from me coming in to now

2:46:36 um working collaboratively and crossf

2:46:38 functionally.

2:46:40 Thank you so much. Thank you.

2:46:44 Thank you. Um, thank you for the

2:46:46 presentation and congratulations to the

2:46:48 Hernandez and and the Blackstone.

2:46:51 Um, at the beginning of the

2:46:53 presentation, you compare the Boston

2:46:56 school district to similar um districts,

2:47:01 including districts like Lean and

2:47:04 Lawrence.

2:47:08 with with all due respect to our sister

2:47:13 cities of Lyn and Lawrence, they can

2:47:15 just dream of having the per student

2:47:19 investment that the district of Boston

2:47:21 has.

2:47:25 These results,

2:47:28 we are we are a $1.7 billion system.

2:47:32 These results needs to be better at

2:47:35 seven eight% 7% of our multilingual

2:47:39 learners our

2:47:41 meeting or exceeding expectation is just

2:47:43 not acceptable and superintendent

2:47:46 I trust you and and I trust your team

2:47:50 but you're not new anymore.

2:47:52 Oh absolutely.

2:47:53 Yeah. Like we need to start when are we

2:47:55 going to close these gaps?

2:47:56 Yeah. Yeah. I think for us um

2:48:00 with a system like well first of all I

2:48:02 think on the comparison question um

2:48:05 member paralta the reason we do that

2:48:08 that's like a very standard comparison

2:48:10 that both DESI does and we do and the

2:48:14 comparison there is really looking at

2:48:16 populations of students served percent

2:48:18 of multilingual percent of special

2:48:20 education so that is just a very typical

2:48:22 way that we sort of look and guide at

2:48:26 who we serve and how the performance is.

2:48:29 Certainly for us, we have said very

2:48:32 clearly this year, all means all. We

2:48:35 don't hold a lower standard for our

2:48:37 multilingual learners for special

2:48:38 education regardless of what happens in

2:48:40 the rest of the state. I think for us um

2:48:45 when we came in at different stages,

2:48:49 we needed to build a foundation on which

2:48:52 you could lay a lot of the improvement

2:48:56 and acceleration that we are now in the

2:48:58 process of. In a district our size, that

2:49:02 does take time. Even though we all feel

2:49:05 that sense of urgency, myself at the top

2:49:10 now that we have high quality

2:49:11 instructional materials and teachers

2:49:13 know how to use them, which is a process

2:49:16 in itself. And one can ask how in a $

2:49:20 1.5 billion budget four or five years

2:49:23 ago was that not the case. I don't have

2:49:26 your answer for that. But I can tell you

2:49:28 now with a 1.7, we have high

2:49:30 instructional quality materials in every

2:49:32 classroom. The teachers know how to use

2:49:34 them. There is a calibration of

2:49:37 instructional practice classroom to

2:49:39 classroom. We know this because when we

2:49:42 do our rounds, we see it and we see the

2:49:44 students doing the heavy lift that did

2:49:46 not exist four or five years ago. There

2:49:49 are certain elements we have to have in

2:49:51 place that as we accelerate literacy,

2:49:54 we accelerate it on that foundation. And

2:49:57 I think that's a big part of what Dr.

2:49:59 Wright has spoken to. It's certainly

2:50:01 what you're going to hear from Joelle or

2:50:03 you're going to hear in special

2:50:05 education is there were pieces we that

2:50:07 were missing that had to be put there in

2:50:10 order to now accelerate

2:50:12 part of the OAG and part of I mean

2:50:16 frighteningly when you look at the

2:50:19 history of MCCAST and the history of

2:50:22 Boston or many districts it's been very

2:50:25 flat and stagnant for two decades. So

2:50:28 the same question you're asking has

2:50:30 helped you over time. The difference now

2:50:32 is we have that foundation. We have the

2:50:36 people leading it correctly. We have a

2:50:38 mission with our OAG policy and with our

2:50:42 strategic plan that for the next 5 years

2:50:45 looks to do that acceleration you're

2:50:47 speaking to. So I don't think there's

2:50:48 anyone on our team that would disagree

2:50:50 at all that mediocrity is not what we

2:50:54 strive for here in Boston. Right. We

2:50:56 always assume we're going to be the

2:50:58 best, but assumptions have not worked in

2:51:00 the past. You actually need a concrete

2:51:02 plan. You need training. You need to

2:51:05 hire staff that can deliver. And you

2:51:07 need to have everybody on the same page.

2:51:10 And that is actually I think the hope

2:51:12 that we now have.

2:51:13 Thank you. What I hear you saying is

2:51:15 that you've been putting the bases that

2:51:18 you need.

2:51:18 Yes.

2:51:19 For the last three, four years.

2:51:21 Yes.

2:51:21 So is your commitment that these are not

2:51:23 going to be the numbers next year? Well,

2:51:25 actually you're going to hold us to that

2:51:27 commitment because you are creating

2:51:29 metrics, right? Which is the first time

2:51:31 that we will have solid metrics to say

2:51:34 this is the acceleration plan.

2:51:37 Thank you.

2:51:37 You're welcome.

2:51:41 I'll take a crack at the whole thing.

2:51:44 First of all,

2:51:47 thank you.

2:51:49 And looking at all of you,

2:51:53 I have to say that with the collective

2:51:56 uh experience, knowledge and

2:51:58 intelligence of this group,

2:52:02 um

2:52:04 you are and commitment of course you are

2:52:07 doing a heck of a job despite the fact

2:52:10 that I do recognize as other members

2:52:13 here

2:52:15 that the uh improvement

2:52:19 uh are

2:52:21 are not up to the kind of expectation

2:52:24 that that we we like to see.

2:52:28 But at the same time, I'll I I'll I'll

2:52:32 put aside my lens of uh perfectionism

2:52:35 because I don't I don't think that is

2:52:37 applicable given all these uh social

2:52:41 factors and social uh

2:52:44 and family uh um situations among

2:52:49 students that contribute to all these uh

2:52:53 issues. And I know that

2:52:56 you all are doing a heck of a job. Uh

2:53:01 you provide

2:53:04 ample

2:53:06 uh instructional u material, curriculum,

2:53:11 uh teacher training, um

2:53:15 everything that that that are needed to

2:53:19 improve

2:53:21 the student um achievement gap. I

2:53:24 recognize that. But I at the same time I

2:53:27 also recognize that the

2:53:30 despite everything that we are doing the

2:53:33 uh improvement is slowly coming. So

2:53:38 I'm not going to hold you liable for for

2:53:41 for this because I was a teacher 40

2:53:43 years ago and I know it it how how it

2:53:46 takes. I understand

2:53:49 one one thing that comes to mind

2:53:54 when it comes to

2:53:57 the percentage

2:53:59 of achievement between multilingual

2:54:02 students, students with disability

2:54:06 and

2:54:07 white students

2:54:10 and you know monolingual students.

2:54:15 I think

2:54:18 may result from

2:54:22 them having taking the same exams, same

2:54:25 tests.

2:54:27 U not so much cultural um

2:54:34 not so much culture was added into into

2:54:37 into it.

2:54:40 a student uh who is struggling with

2:54:43 English sitting in front in front of you

2:54:46 taking the same ELA exam as as his white

2:54:52 counterpart.

2:54:53 Apparently, he he or she won't do as

2:54:56 well as we we would expect them to do. I

2:54:59 understand that. So maybe with all these

2:55:03 uh

2:55:05 with all these um

2:55:08 supports that you are providing

2:55:10 teachers,

2:55:12 maybe we should also take a look at the

2:55:14 the testing system, the MCAST out of the

2:55:17 way. and and we know that the MCCAST was

2:55:19 was was a a a horrible horrible

2:55:24 um technique to to to

2:55:27 measure the the students achievement. So

2:55:31 uh

2:55:33 I just I just hope that now we have

2:55:39 ample of uh

2:55:42 uh supports for everything from teaching

2:55:45 to curriculum uh to all these

2:55:52 extraneous u criteria.

2:55:56 Maybe we should also look at how the

2:55:58 testing system is to be uh to be

2:56:01 developed

2:56:03 between mainstream, you know, mainstream

2:56:06 students and students with uh given the

2:56:09 fact that we are now inclusion

2:56:11 and students with multilingual um

2:56:15 learners.

2:56:17 I uh

2:56:20 I think that that that may help. I I

2:56:23 don't know. But um uh you know uh

2:56:29 the way I look at it is

2:56:33 by providing a different means of

2:56:38 testing

2:56:40 students with disability and students

2:56:42 with uh multilingual um

2:56:47 uh ability. Maybe

2:56:51 that would be the kind of accommodation

2:56:54 that would bring them toward meeting the

2:56:57 same level as their monol language

2:57:00 students. So that that that's the only

2:57:03 thing I can see. Hoping that next year

2:57:06 we'll see some some more increase. Okay.

2:57:09 Thank you.

2:57:12 Thank you for that, Member Tran. Um we

2:57:15 appreciate um your thoughts and

2:57:17 reflections. Um, and I I do want to just

2:57:20 name this. We we are working to be a

2:57:22 system where culture, race, language,

2:57:25 and ability are no longer predictors of

2:57:27 performance. Um, so we received the

2:57:29 challenge. Um, we have a lot of work to

2:57:32 do. Um, and we will continue to to

2:57:35 strengthen how we progress monitor

2:57:37 student learning and we are responsive

2:57:39 to each student.

2:57:43 Yeah. I I just have one recommendation.

2:57:48 So um according to slide 27 um 86

2:57:53 schools were present. So 39 improve

2:57:57 uh 49 decline and seven flats stay flat.

2:58:00 You know where they are right. So, I was

2:58:03 wondering, can we think about being

2:58:06 proactive

2:58:08 in catching the schools before they go

2:58:12 either lower to the present or

2:58:16 so we can support them before they just

2:58:22 be there?

2:58:23 Yeah.

2:58:24 Where they need that extra support.

2:58:26 Yeah. Uh, thank you for that, Member

2:58:28 Torres. Um I do want to acknowledge um

2:58:33 what principal sheep shared. I think she

2:58:36 modeled our continuous improvement

2:58:39 cycle. Um and

2:58:42 um I I mean just to like distill down

2:58:45 what she she shared, every school

2:58:47 develops a quality school plan. It's

2:58:50 grounded in three priorities. High

2:58:51 quality instruction, culture, and

2:58:53 climate attendance. Each of those

2:58:55 priorities have measures with specific

2:58:58 targets. Um there are opportunities

2:59:00 throughout the school year where we are

2:59:03 as a district looking at that data

2:59:06 deeply and having the conversation led

2:59:09 by the regional school superintendent to

2:59:12 support continuous improvement efforts.

2:59:15 So I just I want to articulate that

2:59:17 broadly. Um, I think the other thing I

2:59:21 do want to add, um, in alignment to the

2:59:24 charge the superintendent gave our

2:59:25 school leaders, we're pushing on

2:59:27 proficiency. If we're focused on

2:59:30 proficiency, students will grow and the

2:59:32 accountability percentile will take care

2:59:34 of itself. And I don't want to minimize

2:59:37 the culture shift around having a

2:59:40 conversation around who is proficient

2:59:42 and who is not and what are we doing

2:59:44 about it.

2:59:47 Yeah, I would also say amen to so on

2:59:50 slide 27 I think just one of the things

2:59:53 to point out is different from past

2:59:56 years the schools that saw a decline

2:59:59 while the overall number may have been

3:00:02 similar it was not as deep of a decline

3:00:06 and that does matter because a school

3:00:08 that is consistently in the bottom five

3:00:11 or the bottom you know eight as Courtney

3:00:14 said is very hard to turn that school

3:00:17 around. So, what Blackstone did by going

3:00:19 from 3 to 8 is actually fairly

3:00:21 unprecedented. It's making those kinds

3:00:24 of gains. Madison Park is another one

3:00:26 I'll use as an example. Madison Park in

3:00:29 this district before

3:00:31 two years ago was always at the 1

3:00:34 percentile.

3:00:36 Always

3:00:38 at the one

3:00:39 at the one.

3:00:41 And it is now made progress every year.

3:00:44 and we no longer have a school at that

3:00:47 one, whereas in past years we've had

3:00:48 multiple schools in the one. Um, and I

3:00:52 can give you other examples, but the the

3:00:54 point is that what we're trying to do is

3:00:57 take every school and move it in a

3:01:01 positive direction.

3:01:02 And sometimes that means that they don't

3:01:05 decline as deeply as they previously

3:01:07 had. And so that is a sign of at least

3:01:10 turning. like schools have to turn in

3:01:13 order to gain. Brighton High is another

3:01:15 example um where Brighton High is

3:01:18 consistently we just made a visit with

3:01:19 the commissioner into the classrooms.

3:01:21 Chair Robinson was there as well. And

3:01:23 what we saw was language objective in

3:01:25 every classroom,

3:01:27 which is important. And being able to

3:01:30 see just really good engagement by the

3:01:33 students with the materials that were

3:01:36 high quality, asking questions, engaging

3:01:38 in the lesson, and doing the lifting.

3:01:41 And that's the calibration across the

3:01:43 district that has to happen in every

3:01:45 classroom. When we see that, we see

3:01:48 schools move. And so that's the work

3:01:51 Tanya and the schools division does

3:01:53 doing the walkthroughs going in. So if a

3:01:56 school did go down,

3:01:59 the QIP for that school is reflecting

3:02:01 it. There's a reflection component that

3:02:04 the principal and the staff are talking

3:02:06 about as to why that happened and more

3:02:08 importantly their plan for that next for

3:02:11 this current year is to react to that so

3:02:14 that they have an action plan.

3:02:16 It's that level of just deep

3:02:18 accountability. school to school. And

3:02:21 for the schools that have been stagnant,

3:02:23 which we know there's fewer of them, but

3:02:25 the ones that we have, Tanya and her

3:02:27 team are going in and doing additional

3:02:30 walkthroughs to help the principal so

3:02:32 that they can go into classrooms, see

3:02:34 what's happening, give feedback to the

3:02:36 to the instructors, give feedback to the

3:02:38 teachers, uh so that the the principal

3:02:40 isn't the only one that has to do that

3:02:43 lift, right? and you know from your past

3:02:45 coaching

3:02:46 that's such like that is the incredibly

3:02:49 important work right but now that now

3:02:52 that we have the materials we have the

3:02:54 training and the PD in place the next

3:02:57 piece to this is that consistency and

3:03:00 accountability in every classroom that's

3:03:02 what we have to have for our kids

3:03:04 so we're being proactive

3:03:05 we have to be proactive

3:03:07 that's what

3:03:08 we have to be proactive I mean we

3:03:11 Tanya Simone and I started with a list

3:03:13 of schools that We know have we have to

3:03:15 be in every how often Tanya?

3:03:18 Every week.

3:03:20 Every week. Because that's that's how

3:03:24 you change the culture of a school.

3:03:27 Giving the feedback, the observation,

3:03:29 the tools to the teachers to do

3:03:31 different and better.

3:03:33 Yeah. And probably having like So those

3:03:37 are the little pockets that I look for

3:03:39 when I go into schools. and having um

3:03:43 leaders visit the schools that are

3:03:45 making progress and what is it in talk

3:03:48 having that onetoone talk about what is

3:03:50 it that is working

3:03:52 that's right

3:03:52 that is really making a difference

3:03:54 y

3:03:54 so they can take it back and try it

3:03:57 exactly

3:03:58 the best practice

3:04:02 thank you

3:04:06 thank you for the presentation team um I

3:04:09 will also start with um some positive um

3:04:12 and mirror my colleagues. Um just

3:04:15 recognizing the uh decline in chronic

3:04:18 absenteeism and the um full attainment

3:04:22 of all available points in um the

3:04:24 category of advanced coursework um that

3:04:26 three out of four uh students uh is a

3:04:29 real is a real metric um to celebrate.

3:04:32 Um certainly want to recognize the two

3:04:34 schools that presented today. Um

3:04:38 appreciating that the types of increases

3:04:40 that they're experiencing are truly

3:04:43 inspirational. Um and it was just

3:04:46 wonderful to see that those kinds of

3:04:48 real results for students across

3:04:50 demographic groups. Um also at the

3:04:53 district level just um for clarity want

3:04:56 to make sure I clarify my understanding.

3:04:59 uh our accountability percentile was at

3:05:02 a 49%

3:05:03 making moderate progress toward targets.

3:05:06 If I'm reading the slides correctly,

3:05:08 that's one point away from substantial

3:05:10 targets uh progress toward targets. Um

3:05:13 so just wanted to um make sure I

3:05:15 understood that so I can put that in the

3:05:17 celebratory category as well. Um that

3:05:20 said um you know sharing so many of the

3:05:23 sentiments of my colleagues particularly

3:05:25 member Peralta um that these proficiency

3:05:28 gaps are are beyond sobering um and

3:05:32 their chasms and I'm just thinking a lot

3:05:35 about how not just with the success

3:05:38 measures because you can't have every

3:05:40 data point in success measures but how

3:05:43 we can be leading with that commitment

3:05:47 to address gaps through the ways that we

3:05:51 share data and talk about data. Um so

3:05:54 that that's some of my thinking that I

3:05:56 just wanted to share today. Um one is um

3:06:01 very much appreciating the focus on

3:06:02 proficiency and also realizing that so

3:06:06 many of the students in the demographic

3:06:08 groups about which we're mo most

3:06:10 concerned are not there. Um, and we want

3:06:13 to make sure that we are looking at

3:06:16 their data on their journey to get

3:06:17 there. Um, and so I do wonder in future

3:06:21 MCCAST presentations whether we're

3:06:24 looking at movement out of the lowest

3:06:27 MCCAST category into the partially

3:06:30 meats. There wasn't anything looking at

3:06:32 that over time in these slides. And I

3:06:34 think that's really useful to know,

3:06:36 especially thinking about our students

3:06:38 with disabilities and MLS. um you know

3:06:41 that movement is giving us a good

3:06:43 indicator on whether we're on the

3:06:45 journey toward proficiency. And so just

3:06:47 curious what's happening with that um

3:06:50 percentage year-over-year and hopefully

3:06:51 that percentage is declining of students

3:06:54 in the lowest category. Um, also

3:06:57 thinking about um as uh as principal

3:07:01 Shepik was describing at the Blackstone,

3:07:03 she was a um there were demographic

3:07:06 groups, specific demographic groups that

3:07:08 made substantial progress toward their

3:07:10 targets um and were in the top um

3:07:13 compared to um the state. And you know,

3:07:17 as a district, we also have demographic

3:07:21 group targets. Um, and I think looking

3:07:24 at whether each demographic group is

3:07:27 making progress toward targets would be

3:07:30 another useful addition to this

3:07:32 presentation going forward. Um,

3:07:35 basically Desi gives its own target for

3:07:39 each group. Um, and you can make that

3:07:41 same moderate progress, substantial

3:07:43 progress, little to no progress. So it

3:07:45 would be good to have that by all of the

3:07:48 indicators which include high needs,

3:07:51 students with disabilities, all racial

3:07:53 demographics, multilingual learners,

3:07:56 um lowinccome I believe as well. Um I am

3:08:02 troubled

3:08:03 about high school. I'm troubled about

3:08:07 the trend statewide, which is definitely

3:08:10 a trend. Um, but I'm also troubled at

3:08:14 the resolution that our success measures

3:08:19 will be absent

3:08:21 a grade level indicator for the time

3:08:25 being. Um it's just an uncomfortable

3:08:29 state that we don't actually have a

3:08:32 metric that we're identifying as a

3:08:34 success measure that really suggests

3:08:36 whether students are reading and

3:08:39 performing math at grade level. Advanced

3:08:42 coursework indicator is great. There is

3:08:44 research that exposure to advanced

3:08:46 coursework um is a very um um powerful

3:08:51 measure in post-secary preparedness as I

3:08:53 know we know and it's not the same thing

3:08:56 as knowing whether folks are reading,

3:08:59 writing, performing math at grade level.

3:09:02 Um I know that DESIE is in the process

3:09:05 of examining the right assessment. We've

3:09:08 heard that there may be end of course

3:09:10 exams. Um, but I just think in the

3:09:14 meantime, something like map updates or

3:09:17 something as we get high school updates,

3:09:20 um, to have some lens into testing

3:09:23 results would be important. Um,

3:09:27 and

3:09:30 I'm out of time, but I did have one more

3:09:32 question. I'm sorry. Um, and I think Dr.

3:09:35 Dr. Wright, you spoke to this a little

3:09:37 bit in the um systemic reflections and

3:09:39 commitments page, which I really

3:09:41 appreciate. Um, as you talked about like

3:09:44 scaling some of the positive things that

3:09:47 we're seeing in schools. Um, and I think

3:09:50 Principal Shep said it in terms of the

3:09:52 highest leverage moves. Um, and I'm just

3:09:56 wondering if

3:09:58 maybe we could name

3:10:00 a what like the big data informed bet is

3:10:05 in our strategic plan. Um, that will

3:10:08 move from kind of incremental

3:10:10 proficiency increases to the types of

3:10:13 significant interest uh increases that

3:10:15 we want to see year-over-year. I feel

3:10:17 like I'm hearing a theme of coaching as

3:10:21 like the big strategy, but I'm just

3:10:24 wondering from

3:10:27 this list to what we're hearing our

3:10:29 strong school leaders doing to the

3:10:32 strategic roadmap like what what is the

3:10:36 primary strategy to change outcomes?

3:10:43 So, this might be long.

3:10:45 That's okay. Okay.

3:10:48 Um, so we've talked a lot about high

3:10:51 quality instructional materials

3:10:54 and I think what we have done well is

3:10:56 gotten people to say yes. We've not

3:10:59 really talked about why highquality

3:11:01 instructional materials. What it looked

3:11:04 like for member train to teach 40 years

3:11:06 ago is very different than what we know

3:11:09 about how kids learn now. And I would

3:11:12 offer that the right high-quality

3:11:14 instructional material is a resource to

3:11:17 the teacher to facilitate learning

3:11:21 grounded in researchbased practices

3:11:23 that's at grade level. One of the things

3:11:25 in the strat plan is around how we are

3:11:29 evaluating the curricula that we are

3:11:32 using and determining if it actually

3:11:35 aligns to best practice that teachers

3:11:38 should be leveraging to to teach our

3:11:40 kids every single day. You know, I do

3:11:42 want to acknowledge we've been using the

3:11:45 same ELA curricula or iterations of it

3:11:48 since 199 since the 1990s

3:11:51 and Yep. Yes, I got my historian with

3:11:55 me. Um,

3:11:58 and I think transparently, you know,

3:12:00 something we are exploring, I think

3:12:03 twofold is really thinking about what is

3:12:06 the right resource to support

3:12:10 honestly grades K2 through six ELA

3:12:13 instruction.

3:12:15 Um, and that is something outlined in

3:12:18 the strategic plan. We should never be

3:12:21 using the same curricular frame for 30

3:12:24 years. Um because we are learning every

3:12:27 single day how to teach our kids better.

3:12:30 And if we're in the business of closing

3:12:31 disparities, we got to upgrade our

3:12:33 practice. Um so I think that's one

3:12:36 aspect of it, right? I think the other

3:12:38 thing I want to acknowledge and and

3:12:40 kudos to member Alkins, he said this

3:12:42 last week on the call. He said people

3:12:44 minimize the change minimize the impact

3:12:47 of the change when it comes to the

3:12:49 supports needed to drive a change in

3:12:52 instructional practice. Um so you said

3:12:54 coaching right but I think one of the

3:12:57 the things that um Dr. Dr. Hley Mitchell

3:12:59 is spearheading this year is actually

3:13:02 training up our liaons around the

3:13:04 curricular framework so that they are on

3:13:07 the ground continuing to strengthen

3:13:10 teacher practice grounded in

3:13:12 researchbased practice and grade level

3:13:14 instruction.

3:13:15 I'm sorry which les you

3:13:18 uh our regional coaches.

3:13:20 So our our content regional coaches.

3:13:22 Thank you. Um and so I think um that is

3:13:26 also named in the Strat plan like how

3:13:28 are we iterating on the regional

3:13:30 supports so they do function as a

3:13:33 mechanism of job embedded professional

3:13:35 learning

3:13:37 and I will just acknowledge everyone

3:13:39 knows about the 12-hour PD but we got to

3:13:41 revisit what that really means when we

3:13:43 are fundamentally asking a seasoned

3:13:46 educator to change the way they teach

3:13:48 kids to get different results.

3:13:51 Dr. Right. I think those examples and

3:13:53 and I think maybe the last time that we

3:13:55 got the strategic roadmap some of those

3:13:57 things may not have been outlined as

3:13:59 clearly because I think when you when

3:14:02 you say strengthen educator capacity to

3:14:04 leverage HQIM here you just name the

3:14:08 through this this and this through these

3:14:10 positions that Dr. Hedley Mitchell is

3:14:13 shoring up to deploy here through

3:14:17 uh collective bargaining around our

3:14:19 woeful number of PD hours. I said it. I

3:14:22 don't know if y'all if any do it, but

3:14:24 through whatever it is that we're doing

3:14:28 it just the the how I think as you

3:14:31 articulated coming through the plan when

3:14:34 we next see it and like the sequence of

3:14:36 that I think would be really helpful to

3:14:39 kind of help answer where member Peralta

3:14:41 started tonight which is like how are we

3:14:43 going to move from like this to really

3:14:46 having you know Blackstone Hernandez

3:14:49 type gains across our district. uh

3:14:52 year-over-year. So, I really appreciate

3:14:53 that. Thank you.

3:14:54 Just a couple of quick follow-ups, too.

3:14:56 Um Monik, you can correct me, but um as

3:15:00 far as the subgroups, I'm pretty sure we

3:15:01 made moderate progress across the

3:15:03 subgroups, but I do think that that's a

3:15:05 good um thing to for us to include since

3:15:09 we're committing to disagregate the

3:15:11 data. Pretty sure we made moderate

3:15:13 progress across each of this at least.

3:15:15 Well,

3:15:17 I don't know off the top of my head, but

3:15:18 we can certainly follow up on that.

3:15:20 Okay, I'll bet you. Um, but secondly,

3:15:24 um, I think as far as the high school

3:15:27 piece, you know, we can we can have

3:15:29 conversation about MAP, but I think like

3:15:32 we even heard I mean Sher and I talked

3:15:34 with the group of high school kids and

3:15:36 they were pretty forthcoming. Um, and

3:15:38 they just acknowledged that they just

3:15:40 didn't feel like they or their friends

3:15:42 really took the 10th grade MCCAST

3:15:43 seriously because it was no longer a

3:15:46 graduation requirement. So I and I think

3:15:48 the state has also come out to say that

3:15:52 the way it's very hard to interpret the

3:15:54 results because they went down across

3:15:56 the state. So that does leave us with

3:15:58 like a lot of limbo, right? In terms of

3:16:01 how to ensure that our our high school

3:16:03 students are making the progress to

3:16:05 proficiency that we want and need them

3:16:07 to. Um and I do think their attitude

3:16:11 about MAP is different. And so that may

3:16:14 be something that we could look at. But

3:16:16 again, we're like with the with map, we

3:16:19 want to make sure it's organic and being

3:16:22 used for progress monitoring as opposed

3:16:24 to public result. Um, but maybe in

3:16:27 update there's a way to be able to

3:16:29 accomplish that because I do agree that

3:16:30 that

3:16:32 just gap is problematic for the next

3:16:35 year to two, right, until the state

3:16:38 comes out with the end of end of course.

3:16:41 Um I think additionally like in addition

3:16:44 to everything Dr. right said, I think we

3:16:48 are also just in a really important

3:16:52 rhythm with the regional model of

3:16:55 continuous progress monitoring, looking

3:16:58 at the data with school leaders on a

3:17:01 regular cadence. You know, they are now

3:17:04 used to it, they expect it, they're

3:17:06 looking at it. the liaison are now

3:17:09 working content specifically in a way

3:17:12 that they previously had not which is

3:17:14 super important particularly as you get

3:17:16 to that fifth grade on. Um so there's

3:17:19 just the way that we've been able to

3:17:21 evolve the regional model you know under

3:17:23 Tanya's leadership I think is the is

3:17:27 also a missing component of um marrying

3:17:31 it to the coaching right so that we know

3:17:33 exactly what we are coaching our

3:17:36 principles and our leadership teams on.

3:17:38 I also think a big move and uh I think

3:17:43 Courtney like models this great and I

3:17:45 think Daniellea would have as well is

3:17:48 that no principal can do the lift

3:17:50 themsself.

3:17:52 It has to be a team

3:17:54 and I think at ALI we talked about it

3:17:57 being a team. Everybody heard the same

3:18:00 messaging as a district. We've done that

3:18:02 at central as well. And so when we say

3:18:05 proficient for all it is proficient for

3:18:07 all. And I think Courtney has activated

3:18:10 her team to be able to do that. And

3:18:12 that's the only way in a building like

3:18:14 Blackstone you can get into every

3:18:15 classroom and you can actually make sure

3:18:17 it's happening. And I think that is

3:18:19 something that the school leaders are

3:18:21 doing in a really powerful way that

3:18:23 wasn't necessarily happening before. And

3:18:26 I also think they are um also doing a

3:18:30 lot more communication to parents about

3:18:33 the importance of our absenteeism

3:18:36 because you guys saw full well when a

3:18:39 student is chronically absent they are

3:18:41 20 percentage points lower on the

3:18:44 proficiency scale. That is a gap we

3:18:47 ourselves cannot alone close. We have to

3:18:50 get our kids in school. So the more we

3:18:52 can message that and the more I think we

3:18:54 are as a parent community um and we'll

3:18:57 continue to do that. This is the village

3:18:59 we have to activate to finally start to

3:19:02 close these gaps.

3:19:05 And just to circle back, thank you,

3:19:07 Superintendent. Um you're correct that

3:19:11 um the demographic groups made moderate

3:19:15 progress um toward targets with three

3:19:18 exceptions. white students, Asian

3:19:21 students, and multi-racial students all

3:19:23 made substantial progress toward prog uh

3:19:25 progress which um toward targets, which

3:19:29 I think is really where we want to see

3:19:31 the goal for all demographic groups. I

3:19:34 think we want to see all all of our

3:19:36 students making substantial progress

3:19:38 toward targets, but we specifically need

3:19:40 to see the students furthest behind

3:19:42 making it. So it does feel like a good

3:19:44 um and strong goal to um try to reach

3:19:48 that substantial progress for um the

3:19:50 remaining demographic groups. But you

3:19:52 were correct that everyone um made at

3:19:54 least moderate progress.

3:19:55 Very so often I'm right on the data

3:19:58 stuff and you know

3:19:59 take my kudos on that.

3:20:02 So I want to thank you all also for the

3:20:05 presentation and especially thank the

3:20:08 Blackstone Hernandez um for your reports

3:20:11 and really for some of the things that

3:20:15 you said that you've talked about that

3:20:17 has made a difference and I think what

3:20:18 you both have spoken about are the

3:20:20 adults.

3:20:22 Um, as I've said often here, our kids

3:20:26 get the labels for

3:20:28 what they do or don't do, but they can't

3:20:31 do any better than what all of their

3:20:33 adults are providing them with. And

3:20:37 we've looked at this data for a decade

3:20:40 or more, and things have not changed

3:20:43 in spite of the billions now of dollars

3:20:46 that this district has invested.

3:20:51 And we still have schools who have been

3:20:53 in the lowest 10% for more than a

3:20:56 decade. And no child stays in a school

3:20:59 that long. So it's really not about our

3:21:02 kids.

3:21:06 And so my question, and I think I've

3:21:08 asked the same question two dozen times,

3:21:11 at what point do we say enough is

3:21:14 enough?

3:21:15 Our kids deserve better. And if it's

3:21:19 about our adults, we seem to be pouring

3:21:21 into them highquality materials,

3:21:25 coaching,

3:21:26 etc., and we make minimal gains. So,

3:21:30 what do we have to do to disrupt

3:21:34 this situation in a place like Boston

3:21:37 that's spending almost $2 billion a year

3:21:42 for the kids that we have? As I said, we

3:21:44 don't get to send a different group

3:21:46 here. these are the children that we

3:21:47 have. Can we educate these kids or not?

3:21:51 And what is it going to take to do it?

3:21:55 Yeah. I mean, I I think a lot of what I

3:21:58 I said to vice chair I would repeat

3:22:01 again. Um and chair, you might not like

3:22:03 this answer,

3:22:05 but the interaction that is most

3:22:08 impactful that we have to strengthen is

3:22:11 the interaction between a teacher,

3:22:13 student, and content. Right. And you

3:22:17 know, we acknowledge there are a lot of

3:22:20 layers when we when it comes to the

3:22:22 adults, right? And and you heard the

3:22:24 school leaders, you you heard Courtney

3:22:26 talk about some of the adaptive work and

3:22:29 building buy in, right? Like there is

3:22:32 there's our focus on building the

3:22:34 capacity of school leaders to be

3:22:35 instructional leaders, but I don't want

3:22:37 to minimize distributive leadership,

3:22:40 right? Getting folks all on the same

3:22:42 page, right? I I would offer that we're

3:22:46 still on that journey as a district. We

3:22:48 got people to say the thing, but how do

3:22:50 we get people to behave in a way to

3:22:53 really bring that thing to life? Um, you

3:22:57 know, one thing I do want to even

3:22:58 acknowledge is the conversation around

3:23:00 multilingual learners. Um, when someone

3:23:02 asks, they expect to see Joelle answer

3:23:04 the question. And the conversations that

3:23:07 Joelle and I have had is around greater

3:23:10 ownership

3:23:11 around supporting our multilingual

3:23:13 learners.

3:23:15 Every there's a multilingual learner in

3:23:17 almost every BPS classroom.

3:23:19 I should be seeing academic language

3:23:21 supports. I should be seeing adults that

3:23:24 are leveraging a student's native

3:23:27 language even if it is not their native

3:23:29 language to provide scaffolds and entry

3:23:32 points for learning. Um,

3:23:34 so I think I I just want to acknowledge

3:23:37 that we're we're still on a journey. And

3:23:40 I think the other thing that's not being

3:23:41 said is it wasn't until school year 2122

3:23:45 that BPS put out clear instructional

3:23:48 guidance. So I think it's it's easy to

3:23:51 talk about the the decade, but we really

3:23:54 didn't put a stake in the ground around

3:23:56 how to teach students better till five

3:23:59 years ago.

3:24:04 I know you may not like my answer.

3:24:07 My other question will will again be, do

3:24:11 all of our teachers believe that the

3:24:14 children that are sitting in front of

3:24:15 them are capable of learning and that

3:24:18 they are willing and able to educate

3:24:20 them.

3:24:21 Yeah. I I go back to something I said

3:24:24 when when framing this slide. I've not

3:24:26 been in a classroom this school year

3:24:29 where I didn't see teachers working

3:24:32 really hard.

3:24:33 You can work hard without still having

3:24:36 that other piece.

3:24:37 I would offer I don't know that you

3:24:39 would work that hard if you didn't

3:24:41 believe your students could do it. Um so

3:24:44 I live in the space of knowledge

3:24:48 overwhel. Um and I do acknowledge that I

3:24:51 have an immense amount of optimism

3:24:53 around where we're headed as a district.

3:24:56 Yeah, I mean I would I would just say

3:24:58 that I think part of the work of getting

3:25:01 everyone to row in the same direction is

3:25:05 making sure they have what they need for

3:25:07 resources. Making sure the mindset is

3:25:10 correct, which is what you're talking

3:25:12 about, the heart and the mind.

3:25:14 Making sure that the team is the team

3:25:17 that can lead that work with the

3:25:18 principal, right? Not everybody has the

3:25:22 same skill set and so you have to have

3:25:24 the right balance of that skill set as a

3:25:26 team which like I think with Courtney

3:25:28 you've got a great team when I think

3:25:30 about like your leaders I think it's

3:25:33 principles working toward that goal and

3:25:36 then I think with the teachers it's

3:25:38 really being there to support them in

3:25:40 the moments they most need it um you

3:25:42 know where they're willing to take those

3:25:44 risks you know new teachers really

3:25:47 mentoring them to do the workh And for

3:25:50 teachers that have been in the classroom

3:25:51 for a long time, it's scary to do things

3:25:54 differently and to use materials they've

3:25:56 never used before. And so it's walking

3:25:58 that journey. And I think that's what

3:26:00 the school's division is really trying

3:26:01 to do with the regional networks is to

3:26:04 make sure everyone is rowing. They have

3:26:06 the right materials and supports for the

3:26:09 schools that need that extra piece that

3:26:11 lift that you're talking about. The

3:26:13 schools that it's inexcusable for a kid

3:26:15 to be in a school multiple years that

3:26:18 it's at the bottom.

3:26:19 It is just not okay. And I think that's

3:26:22 where transformation and Andy's work

3:26:25 comes in with his team to buffer that

3:26:27 and to support to give them that lift.

3:26:30 And that's why when I see schools that

3:26:32 have decades been in that low bottom

3:26:36 side of things, see them all of a sudden

3:26:40 moving like first one point, then two

3:26:43 points, then three points, then four

3:26:45 points, moving in that direction. That's

3:26:48 telling me that the foundation is

3:26:50 sticking and that things are starting to

3:26:52 move. But we all want this as fast as

3:26:55 possible. And that's where I think some

3:26:57 of the stuff we talked about tonight we

3:26:59 will be doing.

3:27:01 But in addition to that,

3:27:03 the metrics are going to be really

3:27:04 important for us as a body to put into

3:27:08 place because that is the guard rail for

3:27:11 kids to say this is what the district

3:27:13 should be reaching in the schools.

3:27:16 that's been a missing piece in a lot of

3:27:18 ways. So,

3:27:22 no,

3:27:25 it's a conversation that continues to go

3:27:27 in a loop because my question is, you

3:27:31 know, where does the rubber hit the

3:27:33 road? When when do you say enough is

3:27:35 enough? We've tried all of these things.

3:27:38 We continue to support. We do all of

3:27:41 these things, but year after year,

3:27:44 how many fiveyear intervals do we need

3:27:47 before we will actually say, "Aha, we

3:27:50 see this moving." Because this has been

3:27:52 five plus five for some of us with

3:27:56 similar conversations with different um

3:27:59 options in terms of activities. And each

3:28:03 time we have to believe what the

3:28:06 district is telling us is the best of

3:28:08 what should be done that's going to help

3:28:11 us to move the needle. And then five

3:28:14 years later we still see and hear, well

3:28:16 that really wasn't it. Um we're going to

3:28:19 try this and now we're doing this and

3:28:22 we're going to see it. And then still

3:28:23 some kids continue to not have their

3:28:26 needs met. So the question is when do

3:28:28 you say

3:28:29 it's time to eliminate something to do

3:28:32 something drastically different? So if

3:28:35 if you're saying this is now our drastic

3:28:38 move

3:28:40 in five years we're going to see

3:28:42 something happening differently. Is that

3:28:44 what we is that what we should be

3:28:46 expecting? I don't get what we should be

3:28:49 expecting because I haven't seen

3:28:52 anything happening over the years that's

3:28:54 showing me that all of these investments

3:28:57 are really moving this beyond 29%.

3:29:02 Yeah. You know, I acknowledge

3:29:06 where we are in the trajectory of time,

3:29:08 right? And I do want to name that in

3:29:12 2223

3:29:14 we said to schools you need to use HQIM

3:29:18 for just ELA

3:29:22 like and I think that's important

3:29:26 because while I gave you a five-year

3:29:28 frame when I think about the following

3:29:30 year and it was like HQIM in every

3:29:32 content right and then we said inclusion

3:29:35 and you know a lot of things that we we

3:29:38 we needed to do. Um I think chair what

3:29:43 the journey we're on right now is really

3:29:46 a journey around continuing to refine

3:29:49 practice and getting hyperfocused on

3:29:54 frequently progress monitoring student

3:29:56 learning. Um so I I just I think what I

3:30:01 the things we've identified I've shared

3:30:02 this with the superintendent. They're

3:30:03 the right things. The question is, how

3:30:06 do you get a lot of people to do it

3:30:08 really well and remain focused on our

3:30:12 students every single day? Um, and I

3:30:16 don't know if you want to add anything

3:30:17 cuz I was talking about curriculum.

3:30:20 Yes. Um, I would say it's been a

3:30:23 journey. This is my 26th year in the

3:30:25 district. Um, and where we were was a

3:30:29 very autonomous space where schools

3:30:31 would adopt what they wanted to. Um and

3:30:34 as a district person to go into schools

3:30:36 and see varying curriculum across it was

3:30:39 you could see 10 different things go to

3:30:41 10 different schools and in order to

3:30:43 support that was not feasible um you

3:30:46 would have to become an expert on 10

3:30:47 different curricula um and I think

3:30:50 setting the field in regard setting the

3:30:52 playing level of like we are looking at

3:30:54 researchbased grade level standards

3:30:57 aligned to Massachusetts standards

3:30:59 curricula in schools. Um there it was a

3:31:02 journey in regards to the adoption. Um

3:31:05 I'm not going to say it was like 100%

3:31:07 off the bat. It was a journey in regards

3:31:09 to getting schools to adopt curricula.

3:31:12 There is also a hesitancy of looking at

3:31:16 national curricula as an answer. As a

3:31:19 former history teacher, I know you look

3:31:21 at curriculara and you add curricular um

3:31:24 supplemental resources because you're

3:31:25 like this is not necessarily meeting the

3:31:27 needs. We wanted to make sure it's

3:31:28 cultural linguistically sustaining. it's

3:31:30 meeting the needs of where we where we

3:31:32 are in Boston, which might be different

3:31:34 from where we're looking at different

3:31:35 states in the union and getting that

3:31:38 piece was important, but that was just

3:31:40 the resource in the room. Um, it's just

3:31:43 the fidelity. My move is like where's

3:31:45 the integrity? We have instructional

3:31:47 practices that are embedded in these

3:31:49 resources. It's not just picking up the

3:31:51 book and giving it to the student. It's

3:31:52 about if I'm going into an IM classroom,

3:31:55 I want to see a cool down. I want to see

3:31:57 the synthesis happen. just to have that

3:31:59 material and they're not going through

3:32:00 those instructional practices is like

3:32:03 what's the point of that? I think at

3:32:05 this point now we have the materials in

3:32:07 the schools. We're looking at what are

3:32:10 the intentionality that you're doing

3:32:12 with those instructional practices and

3:32:14 that's really important. I just did two

3:32:16 walkthroughs today and we're doing those

3:32:18 walkthroughs not only with myself but

3:32:21 also with other chiefs and we're doing

3:32:22 those with our content liaison and our

3:32:25 executive directors of content. We're

3:32:27 all in those rooms together with school

3:32:29 leaders, with our executive team, having

3:32:31 conversations with school leaders about

3:32:33 what we're seeing. And it's not like we

3:32:35 just saw this, okay, we're on our way.

3:32:36 It's that now we're having a plan of

3:32:38 action. Where do you need us to step in?

3:32:41 Where do we feel we need to step in and

3:32:43 then revisit and come back to those

3:32:45 classrooms? I would say what's really

3:32:47 been important is that in our content

3:32:50 we've had maybe I was a one person we

3:32:54 had one to five people at a time in a

3:32:56 content trying to serve the district.

3:32:58 What was really critical is that we have

3:33:00 liaison that can work at a content for

3:33:03 each region not just I go to certain

3:33:06 transformation schools my charge to the

3:33:10 department is that you need to you're

3:33:11 held responsible for every school in

3:33:13 that region transformation or not exam

3:33:16 school or not you need to know the data

3:33:19 of each one of those schools you need to

3:33:21 as your early education literacy coach

3:33:24 you need to know exactly what's going on

3:33:26 in that foundation accelerated lesson in

3:33:29 that you fly pilot you need to know it's

3:33:32 very critically important and then I

3:33:34 need to see in your tracker what are you

3:33:36 doing in those schools talk to my

3:33:38 executive directors what's going on in

3:33:39 those schools and then actually come

3:33:42 back and look at the data from those

3:33:44 curriculum embedded assessments to say

3:33:45 what's going on not using just MAP

3:33:48 MCCAST along the way how we're progress

3:33:51 monitoring our students so that we can

3:33:53 have those moves that happen not even

3:33:56 just 90 days, but that they can happen

3:33:58 from week to week. I think that's

3:34:00 critically important to moving data

3:34:02 where we've always like looked at these

3:34:04 summitive measures of MCCAST or we've

3:34:07 looking at MAP. We need to look

3:34:10 critically beyond those things to look

3:34:12 at crit curriculum embedded assessments

3:34:14 to tell us more. Having dashboards

3:34:17 available for our schools, schools that

3:34:19 we've have visited, I've visited with

3:34:20 Dr. right where they had dashboards

3:34:23 where they're having constant

3:34:24 conversations and um content planning

3:34:27 teams about looking at data. Then the

3:34:30 coaches going into the classroom,

3:34:32 teachers are visiting each other, seeing

3:34:34 practice, having conversations,

3:34:36 intentionally planning based on that

3:34:38 data. Um and that's some of the work

3:34:40 that we're doing and also involves our

3:34:43 content leads. My folks love my team. We

3:34:46 haven't taught in 101 15 years. We

3:34:49 didn't teach this curricula. We have to

3:34:51 be able to pour into our folks who are

3:34:53 serving our schools. So, one of the

3:34:56 things is doing partnerships with local

3:34:58 universities and organizations where we

3:35:00 can train up the folks who are

3:35:02 constantly in our schools to build their

3:35:04 capacity to be better. Once you come

3:35:07 into a position, sometimes it's like,

3:35:09 oh, we're not really feed. We have to

3:35:11 continually feed into them as well. And

3:35:13 that's one of the things that we're also

3:35:14 doing.

3:35:15 Thank you so much.

3:35:18 Okay. I'm not going to bother you

3:35:20 anymore.

3:35:24 Okay.

3:35:27 So, we've got our questions.

3:35:30 Thank you all. All right. So, that's all

3:35:32 we have to do for tonight, but thank you

3:35:34 so much for all of this and particularly

3:35:37 thank you for what you've just shared.

3:35:39 That's very, very helpful.

3:35:41 Thank you.

3:35:41 So, we will now return to public

3:35:43 comment.

3:35:44 John Mud.

3:35:58 Uh, good evening. I I I'll try to be

3:36:01 brief and uh not belabor the obvious.

3:36:05 You know, I think the committee members

3:36:07 have been very forthright tonight in

3:36:09 recognizing that student outcomes are

3:36:13 not improving fast enough, that

3:36:15 achievement gaps are still unacceptable.

3:36:18 And I just want to make raise a couple

3:36:20 of questions and a couple of pretty

3:36:23 small suggestions, but might be helpful.

3:36:26 one, I I did, as you see in the paper

3:36:28 that I gave you, look at the progress

3:36:31 over four years of kids from grade three

3:36:34 to grade six this year in the equitable

3:36:38 literacy effort and using MCCAST data

3:36:42 and there hasn't been much progress

3:36:44 according to that analysis. So I guess

3:36:47 that suggests the question is do we have

3:36:50 the foundation there you know and how

3:36:53 are we evaluating if this is if this

3:36:56 data reveals something about the lack of

3:36:58 progress how are we evaluating what

3:37:01 we're really doing there and what will

3:37:03 be different in the future

3:37:06 secondly um I am troubled by this whole

3:37:10 issue of the difference between

3:37:16 a record of passing

3:37:18 classes and what the performance shows

3:37:22 on content tests like MCCAST. And the

3:37:25 latest Ed Trust report on on adolescent

3:37:29 literacy suggested a comparison between

3:37:32 course passing and MCCAST. And I've put

3:37:36 a little table in your handout and it's

3:37:39 pretty frightening. uh 68% of Boston

3:37:43 students passed courses, but only 28%

3:37:47 passed MCCAST ELA. And you you see that

3:37:51 that's true for every subgroup. The

3:37:53 astounding difference is for

3:37:55 multilingual learners. Uh it said 62%

3:38:00 passed courses and 1% passed MCCAST. So

3:38:06 what what are we going to really measure

3:38:09 as uh you know progress? I mean and I

3:38:12 think giving up the 10th grade MCCAST

3:38:15 metric until we have something that we

3:38:18 can all accept is very dangerous and uh

3:38:22 really removes our accountability for

3:38:25 the progress of the kids we say we care

3:38:28 about. uh and I don't want to belver it

3:38:30 more but because most of the other you

3:38:33 know mass core other statistics show

3:38:37 even though there may be some progress

3:38:38 still not enough you know these

3:38:41 alternate metrics two quick easy

3:38:44 suggestions uh when we look at the

3:38:47 bright spots what are the specific

3:38:50 systemic lessons that we can glean from

3:38:54 those bright spots that could be applied

3:38:56 to other schools

3:38:58 Secondly, what are the on most of these

3:39:00 issues, what are the 10 best schools,

3:39:03 you know, and what can we learn from

3:39:04 them? Thank you. Sorry.

3:39:06 Thank you.

3:39:10 Thank you. Any new business?

3:39:14 All right, that concludes our business

3:39:15 for this evening. The next school

3:39:18 committee meeting will take place in

3:39:20 person on Wednesday, November 4th at 6

3:39:22 PM here at the Bowling Building in

3:39:24 Nubian Square. There's nothing further.

3:39:27 I'll entertain a motion to adjourn the

3:39:28 meeting. Is there a motion?

3:39:30 So move.

3:39:31 Thank you. Is there a second?

3:39:32 Second.

3:39:33 Is there any discussion or objection to

3:39:34 the motion?

3:39:37 Hearing none. Oh, is there any objection

3:39:40 to approving the motion by unanimous

3:39:42 consent?

3:39:44 Hearing none, the meeting is adjourned.

3:39:45 Thank you all. Have a good night.