Last Night At School Committee

Welcome to our bonus special edition of Last Night @ School Committee, which we're calling Fact or Fiction. Every two weeks, we discuss the key moments and open questions from the Boston School Committee meeting. We do this to help Boston parents and community members stay informed and engaged, and to hold the superintendent and district leaders accountable. One key to that accountability is tracking the promises that are made over the course of many months, and ensuring that those promises are kept. So in this special episode, we go back over some of the things we’ve heard at recent meetings, from transportation, to exam schools, to vaccines and more, and evaluate whether they turned out to be true. In other words, what is fact, and what is fiction. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s Boston School Committee meeting. The meeting began with the Superintendent’s report, in which she promised an update on exam school simulations at the next meeting. She also discussed the ongoing transportation issues and painted a rosy picture of the timeliness of buses, in spite of the fact that hundreds of students are still unable to get to school, hundreds more are not arriving on time, and families are still facing troubling uncertainty. Following a short public comment period, the School Committee heard two reports on an update to the Code of Conduct and library services, and the Committee took a vote on ESSER funding that has already largely been allocated. Even as school has started and students will begin their third week on Monday, we are still left with the following questions: What is the plan for ensuring students receive healthy food rather than plastic wrapped, processed food? How will BPS continue to address transportation issues? How will they ensure this issue will not continue? How many staff have been vaccinated and / or signed on for weekly testing? We heard many testify during public comment about the Mission Hill School. What is the plan and strategy for MHS and supporting their school community? What is the plan for the Horace Mann School for the Deaf? What is the plan for a long term strategy for the EMK?  Is it now too late to take any action on the new exam school admission policy? How will we measure the impact of the ESSR funding to help inform round 3 of ESSR funding. Especially considering a plan must be submitted by October 4th? The School Committee will meet again on October 6th tentatively at 6pm. Ways to Engage and Resources: Vote for a new Mayor in September and November. Education should be a core issue for all elected officials and your vote matters.  As the Supt team said on the news last night and this morning, if you know of 25k of space for EMK please let them know. If you have issues with busses, school food, water, safety, or other basic human needs, email Sam Dipina. His email address is sdepina@bostonpublicschools.org Advocate to the School Committee members to increase their accountability of the Superintendent and her team.  Chair Jeri Robinson: grobinson@bostonpublicschools.org Vice Chair Michael O’Neill: moneill2@bostonpublicschools.org Dr. Hardin Coleman: hcoleman2@bostonpublicschools.org Ernani DeAraujo: edearaujo@bostonpublicschools.org Quoc Tran: qtran2@bostonpublicschools.org Meeting Presentations and Materials Tentative Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Boston School Committee and the Boston Teachers Union regarding Health and Safety for School Year 2021-2022 FY22 Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Funding Implementation Plan Code of Conduct Update PowerPoint Library Services Strategic Plan, 2022-2026 PowerPoint Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

<< In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s Boston School Committee meeting. With school starting next Thursday, the Superintendent and her team presented on back-to-school and reopening updates. While the updates began on a positive note with a recap of summer programming and backpack distribution, it quickly turned to a discussion of major operational deficiencies that remain unresolved one week before school starts: a severe bus driver shortage that will impact transportation for an unidentified number of students, a food service shortage that will prevent kids from eating fresh, healthy food, and a lack of data or accountability on how many school staff have complied with the vaccine requirement.   Following a public comment that featured the outcries of community members from Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers about the fact that they still have not been provided with adequate learning space, the School Committee received two presentations: one on reforms to the Boston Student Advisory Council, and another on updates regarding federal relief funding.    Given that students will be sitting in classrooms a week from today, we are left with the following questions:   How will students get to school in one week? When will families know if they have transportation or not? What is the plan for ensuring students receive healthy food rather than plastic wrapped, processed food? How many staff have been vaccinated and / or signed on for weekly testing? What is the plan for the Horace Mann School for the Deaf? What is the plan for a long term strategy for the EMK? When will we see a simulation for the exam school admissions policy? Will it also be too late to take any action? How will we measure the impact of the ESSR funding to help inform round 3 of ESSR funding? What will happen if the Superintendent does not pass her licensure exam? This should be made available on September 10th.    The School Committee will meet again on September 22nd at 5pm.    Ways to Engage and Resources: Watch the Boston Mayoral Debate on September 9th at 7pm, and learn where candidates stand on Education in Boston And, of course, Vote for Mayor in September and November. Education should be a core issue for all elected officials and your vote matters.  Advocate to the School Committee members to increase their accountability of the Superintendent and her team.  Chair Jeri Robinson: grobinson@bostonpublicschools.org Vice Chair Michael O’Neill: moneill2@bostonpublicschools.org Dr. Hardin Coleman: hcoleman2@bostonpublicschools.org Ernani DeAraujo: edearaujo@bostonpublicschools.org Quoc Tran: qtran2@bostonpublicschools.org Meeting Presentations and Materials Preparing for School Year 2021-2022 Boston Student Advisory Council (BSAC) Reform Update PowerPoint FY 22 Budget: Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Funding Update PowerPoint >> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s Boston School Committee meeting. Just before the meeting began, the public was made aware of a bombshell story, broken by the Boston Globe, that Superintendent Cassellius’ license had expired. We also learned that state officials had notified the Superintendent multiple times in the six months prior about the pending expiration, and yet the Superintendent did not take the assessment necessary for renewal. The meeting began with the Superintendent’s Report, with the Superintendent honoring the late Thomas Payzant, former Superintendent of Boston Public Schools. She then addressed the report on her license expiration, deflecting blame for her failure to renew her license, and she went on to provide updates on summer learning. While the Superintendent and her team showed some of the highlights of summer learning, it was reported earlier this week that thousands of students did not attend any summer programming and were not contacted about these opportunities. After the School Committee voted to approve a policy allowing students to complete their degrees even if they are over age, and to renew their existing Memorandum of Understanding with Unlocking Potential, an organization that operates two schools in Boston, members heard two reports on back to school planning and the BPS Wellness Policy. However, their discussions did not respond to the concerns and outcries of families and community members during public comment, which focused largely on the lack of adequate learning space for students in the Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers (“EMK”). Given the significance of many of the topics discussed last night, we are left with the following questions: Who will carry out the Superintendent's duties until she is licensed to do so? Are the facilities for the EMK, Horace Mann, and Jackson Mann students sufficient and serving the needs of students while we wait for their new buildings to be built? When will we see simulations released on the approved exam school admission policy which was different from the final task force recommendation? The School Committee will meet again on September 1st at 5pm.  Ways to Engage and Resources: Advocate to the School Committee members to increase their accountability of the Superintendent and her team. Help them identify the rocks.  Chair Jeri Robinson: grobinson@bostonpublicschools.org Vice Chair Michael O’Neill: moneill2@bostonpublicschools.org Dr. Hardin Coleman: hcoleman2@bostonpublicschools.org Ernani DeAraujo: edearaujo@bostonpublicschools.org Quoc Tran: qtran2@bostonpublicschools.org Meeting Presentations and Materials Suspension of the Maximum Age Policy, School Year 2021-2022 UP Academy Boston Charter Amendments Preparing for School Year 2021-2022 Wellness Report SY 2019-20 Understanding the Rocks and Sand Allegory Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s Boston School Committee meeting. The five-hour meeting began with the Superintendent providing an update on summer learning, the hiring of new positions in the district, and more. The bulk of the meeting focused on the Superintendent’s proposal for a new Exam School entrance policy, which was different from the previous proposal presented to the School Committee at the last meeting. The new policy sets a weighted composite score consisting of a test score and grades to rank students via tiers based off of census tracts, with additional points going to students living in Boston Housing Authority housing, in the care of the Department of Children and Families, and experiencing homelessness, or to students who attend a school with 40% or more of students from economically disadvantaged families. Even as many during public comment offered their support for distributing 100% of seats via tiers, many opposed the policy and argued for using the previous admissions policy, while others offered their concern for approving the new policy given the lack of simulations running the new policy and no opportunity for the public to provide feedback.  Even with many of the members expressing confusion and wishing to review the policy further, the School Committee unanimously approved the proposal and agreed to revisit the policy at a later meeting in September. The School Committee will meet again on August 4th at 5pm.  Ways to Engage and Resources: Email School Committee members feedback and questions about the Exam School admissions policy that was voted on last night Chair Jeri Robinson: grobinson@bostonpublicschools.org Vice Chair Michael O’Neill: moneill2@bostonpublicschools.org Dr. Hardin Coleman: hcoleman2@bostonpublicschools.org Ernani DeAraujo: edearaujo@bostonpublicschools.org Quoc Tran: qtran2@bostonpublicschools.org Meeting Presentations and Materials Exam Schools Admissions Policy Recommendation  Horace Mann In-District Charter Renewal: Dudley Street Neighborhood Charter School UP Academy Charter Amendments Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s Boston School Committee meeting. The six-hour meeting began with the Superintendent preemptively framing the evening’s conversation around the recommendation from the Exam School Task Force for a new admissions policy to the three exam schools. The Superintendent also provided updates on summer learning, saying, with just a week before summer programs begin, 75% of seats are filled. The meeting then moved to public comment, in which nearly every commenter spoke in opposition to the new admissions policy, with many advocating for a return to the decision that was reached just two days earlier before it was subsequently revised. The School Committee then voted to approve the Superintendent’s performance evaluation and extend her contract by two years, coming just one week after a new report showed overwhelmingly low morale and disengagement from district leaders.   The School Committee then heard a report from Tanisha Sullivan and Michael Contompasis, co-chairs of the Exam School Task Force, on the Exam School Task Force’s recommendation for a new admissions policy to the three exam schools. The proposal uses a weighted composite score consisting of a test score and grades to rank students first city-wide (20%), and then via tiers based off of census tracts (80%). While the task force co-chairs presented the final policy, multiple members dissented and expressed their discontent with the new policy. The meeting concluded with a report regarding the federal funding coming to the district and how funding could be spent. With summer programming starting next week and the committee set to vote on the exam school admissions policy at the next meeting, we are left with the following questions: How will the school committee vote on approving the recommendation of the Exam School Task Force if questions of implementation haven’t been resolved? Will BPS be able to fill the empty summer school seats, and do we know who still needs a plan for the summer? Where will the Horace Mann students attend school until their new school is built? How are the issues being resolved with the McCormack BCLA merger? How many teachers have been hired for the 2021/22 school year and how many vacancies remain?  What are the updated enrollment projections for next year based on the first round of student assignments? What are members of the graduating class of 2021 doing next? Ways to Engage and Resources: Attend the next exam school task force listening session on July 7 The commission to advise the superintendent on how to spend the incoming $400m will have 5 public meetings, which you can attend. They will meet on the following date: Thursday, July 1, 5:00pm Read each of the school committee member’s individual evaluation of the Superintendent’s performance: Superintentendent's SY20-21 Evaluation - Hardin Coleman Superintentendent's SY20-21 Evaluation - Ernani DeAraujo Superintentendent's SY20-21 Evaluation - Michael O'Neill  Superintentendent's SY20-21 Evaluation - Jeri Robinson  Superintentendent's SY20-21 Evaluation - Quoc Tran  Meeting Presentations and Materials Exam Schools Admissions Task Force Policy Recommendation  Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Funding Update Suspension of the Maximum Age Policy, School Year 2021-2022 Horace Mann In-District Charter Renewal: Dudley Street Neighborhood Charter School Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Last Night at School Committee Recap: June 16, 2021 Meeting Recap In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s Boston School Committee meeting. The first meeting since the resignation of two committee members, Lorna Rivera and Alexandra Oliver-Dávila, the meeting began with the election of the new chair, Jerri Robinson, with Michael O’Neill remaining as vice chair. The Superintendent provided an update on the end of the school year and summer programming, which starts in a few weeks and currently has 73% of its seats filled and a need for staffing. The meeting then featured an emotionally-charged public comment period featuring 42 speakers, covering numerous topics of concern. Following public comment, the school committee heard a report from the co-chairs of the Exam School Admissions Task Force with an update on the task force’s considerations for a new admissions policy to the exam schools. Despite the fact that this recommendation is expected to be finalized by the next school committee meeting in two weeks, the report contained a wide spectrum of options without any consensus. The meeting concluded with a review of the Superintendent’s composite performance evaluation. With the last day of school tomorrow, June 18th, we are left with the following questions: How will the momentum created last night by the school committee for the creation of another exam school influence decisions moving forward? What will the task force proposal ultimately include? And how will the conversation about high quality high schools continue once the policy is approved by the School Committee? 73% of seats for summer programming have been filled. The district promised months ago to know the plan for every student in BPS. Does every student have a plan for the summer, and how will the district address staffing needs for the summer? Ways to Engage and Resources: Attend an exam school task force committee meeting, which will be meeting weekly in May on Tuesdays, starting at 5pm  Attend one of the listening sessions for the exam school task force. They will meet on June 22nd at 6pm, and June 23rd at 4pm. You can find previous information and data from previous meetings hereSunday, June 27, 5:00pm Thursday, July 1, 5:00pm The commission to advise the superintendent on how to spend the incoming $400m will have 5 public meetings, which you can attend. They will meet on the following dates: Read each of the school committee member’s individual evaluation of the Superintendent’s performance: Superintentendent's SY20-21 Evaluation - Hardin Coleman Superintentendent's SY20-21 Evaluation - Ernani DeAraujo Superintentendent's SY20-21 Evaluation - Michael O'Neill  Superintentendent's SY20-21 Evaluation - Jeri Robinson  Superintentendent's SY20-21 Evaluation - Quoc Tran  Meeting presentations and materials Exam Schools Admissions Task Force Update: Potential Areas for Consideration Superintendent’s Composite Performance Evaluation, School Year 2020-2021 PPT Renewal of Transdev Transportation Contract  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s BPS School Committee meeting. The meeting began with the Superintendent’s report, which included the revised policy for retention, and an update on an investigation regarding the Boston Student Advisory Council (BSAC), which was reported in length in a recent Boston Globe article. Following the Superintendent’s report, the Committee heard and voted on facility plans and the naming of the library at the Nathan Hale Elementary School. Concerns about some of the discussed topics were voiced during public comment, which featured multiple students and parents speaking about the ongoing BSAC crisis as well as staff and parents from the Horace Mann School. The meeting then concluded with two reports, one from the Boston Special Education Parent Advisory Council and another regarding systemized grading throughout the district. Overall, the plans presented last night outlined a positive vision for BPS grounded in equity and student achievement but lacking important detail around implementation. We are left with the following questions: What further steps will the district take to ensure that the current and former students of BSAC are okay? How will the district manage BSAC rather than outsource it in the future? What is the plan for summer? The district promised months ago to know the plan for every student in BPS. Do we have a plan for every student? Where will the Horace Mann students attend school until their new school is built? How many teachers have been hired for next year and how many vacancies remain?  What are the updated enrollment projections for next year based on the first round of student assignments? When will we hear a draft policy on exam school admissions?  What is happening with our graduating students? How many are attending college? If they aren’t going to college, what are they doing next? Does the district have any of this data? Ways to Engage: Attend an exam school task force committee meeting, which will be meeting weekly in May on Tuesdays, starting at 5pm. The commission to advise the superintendent on how to spend the incoming $400m will have 5 public meetings, which you can attend. They will meet tonight at 5pm and on the following dates: Thursday, May 13, 5:00pm Thursday, May 27, 5:00pm Thursday, June 10, 5:00pm Sunday, June 27, 5:00pm Thursday, July 1, 5:00pm Resources Boston Globe article regarding the BSAC Investigation Meeting Presentations and Materials Boston Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SpedPAC) Annual Update  Equitable Grading PowerPoint Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s BPS School Committee meeting. The meeting began with the Superintendent’s report, which included an update and summary of the results of the one-year, temporary exam school admissions process. The meeting then followed with a presentation and vote on changing graduation requirements and implementing Masscore standards across the district. While the Committee ultimately adopted the proposal, there was dissent from one member who expressed hesitation on the district’s ability to implement Masscore standards in all BPS high schools. The meeting concluded with a presentation on the capital budget and an ambitious plan for replacing all BPS schools older than 50 years. As the School Committee voted in a new graduation policy and shared a vision for new buildings, there were many things that were not addressed in the meeting, including attendance numbers in schools, updates on the return to full in-person learning for high school students, and detailed plans for summer learning. We are left with the following questions: How many teachers have been hired for next year and how many vacancies remain?  What are the updated enrollment projections for next year based on the first round of student assignments? What is happening with our students who are graduating without any graduation standards? Are they attending college, the job market, does the district have the data? What is the plan for summer? The district promised months ago to know the plan for every student in BPS. Do we have a plan for every student? Where will the Horace Mann students attend school until their new school is built? Ways to Engage and Resources: Attend an exam school task force committee meeting, which will be meeting weekly in May on Tuesdays, starting at 5pm  The commission to advise the superintendent on how to spend the incoming $400m will have 5 public meetings, which you can attend. They will meet tonight at 5pm and on the following dates: Thursday, May 13, 5:00pm Thursday, May 27, 5:00pm Thursday, June 10, 5:00pm Sunday, June 27, 5:00pm Thursday, July 1, 5:00pm Members of the commission include:  Sam Acevedo, GBLN, HERN, OAG CO-Chair  Celina Barrios-Millner, Equity and Inclusion, City of Boston Rahn Dorsey, Stakeholder Pam Eddinger, Bunker Hill Community College Ivan Espinoza-Madrigal, Lawyers for Civil Rights Theresa Garcia de Quevedo, Mildred Ave School Roxanne Harvey, Boston Special Education Parent Advisory Council  John Jackson, Schott Foundation Karla Jenkins, Principal of Higginson Inclusion School (K0-2) Suzanne Lee, ELL Task Force Margaret McKenna, Human Rights Commission Xyra Mercer, Boston Student Advisory Council (BSAC) Keith Motley, Urban League Alex Oliver-Davila, BPS School Committee Lee Pelton, The Boston Foundation Paul Reville, Harvard Graduate School of Education Ruby Reyes, Boston Education Justice Alliance (BEJA) Nicol Riley, Citywide Parent Council Valerie Roberson, Roxbury Community College Jeri Robinson, BPS School Committee Jim Rooney, Boston Chamber of Commerce Ayele Shakur, OAG Task Force Chris Smith, Boston After School and Beyond Marcelo Suarez-Orozco, UMASS Boston Chancellor Tanisha Sullivan, NAACP Neil Sullivan, PIC Jessica Tang, Boston Teachers Union Pastor Matt K Thompson, Jubilee Church Dania Vazquez, Head of School - Margarita Muniz Grace Wai, School Superintendent & Executive Team Member TBD, Boston Student Advisory Council (BSAC) TBD, District English Learner Advisory Committee Boston Globe article on last night’s meeting Meeting Presentations and Materials Boston Public Schools MassCore Graduation Requirements Update Proposed BPS Graduation Requirements Policy Heat Map - High Schools Road Map to MassCore FY22 Capital Budget PowerPoint Capital Budget and BuildBPS Update Summary of Projects Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s BPS School Committee meeting. The meeting began with the Superintendent's report on the status of the return to in-person learning for K-8 students. Following this report, the School Committee unveiled their goals and values for student achievement over the next five years. These goals set the bar notably low for student proficiency, with an aspiration of one in two students graduating unprepared for college or the workforce, and that bar was set even lower for students of color and students with disabilities. Despite hesitation from the members, and unanswered questions about how these goals will be monitored and enforced, they were approved unanimously. Last night’s meeting also included a vote on the revised attendance policy and on an agreement between the Boston Teachers’ Union and the Boston School Committee regarding Family Liaison Classification. The meeting ended with a report on equitable policy. Missing from last night’s conversation were a number of topics on the minds of students and parents across the city, including the exam school invitations that were just sent out and any plans for the fast-approaching summer. We are left with the following questions: Where are the students? How are they doing? Mentally, emotionally, academically? What do we need to do to plan for next year given that we don’t have measures in place to discern where kids are? No plans for the summer-- why didn’t this make it on the agenda? When will this be communicated to parents? And how? How many graduates are going to college? What is going to happen to the rest of the senior class? Families received a notification about the results of the exam school admissions process. What are the results of this?  Ways to Engage and Resources: Attend an exam school task force committee meeting, which will be meeting weekly in May on Tuesdays, starting at 5pm  The commission to advise the superintendent on how to spend the incoming $400m will have 5 public meetings, which you can attend. They will meet on: Thursday, May 13, 5:00pm Thursday, May 27, 5:00pm Thursday, June 10, 5:00pm Sunday, June 27, 5:00pm Thursday, July 1, 5:00pm Members of the commission include:  Sam Acevedo, GBLN, HERN, OAG CO-Chair  Celina Barrios-Millner, Equity and Inclusion, City of Boston Rahn Dorsey, Stakeholder Pam Eddinger, Bunker Hill Community College Ivan Espinoza-Madrigal, Lawyers for Civil Rights Theresa Garcia de Quevedo, Mildred Ave School Roxanne Harvey, Boston Special Education Parent Advisory Council  John Jackson, Schott Foundation Karla Jenkins, Principal of Higginson Inclusion School (K0-2) Suzanne Lee, ELL Task Force Margaret McKenna, Human Rights Commission Xyra Mercer, Boston Student Advisory Council (BSAC) Keith Motley, Urban League Alex Oliver-Davila, BPS School Committee Lee Pelton, The Boston Foundation Paul Reville, Harvard Graduate School of Education Ruby Reyes, Boston Education Justice Alliance (BEJA) Nicol Riley, Citywide Parent Council Valerie Roberson, Roxbury Community College Jeri Robinson, BPS School Committee Jim Rooney, Boston Chamber of Commerce Ayele Shakur, OAG Task Force Chris Smith, Boston After School and Beyond Marcelo Suarez-Orozco, UMASS Boston Chancellor Tanisha Sullivan, NAACP Neil Sullivan, PIC Jessica Tang, Boston Teachers Union Pastor Matt K Thompson, Jubilee Church Dania Vazquez, Head of School - Margarita Muniz Grace Wai, School Superintendent & Executive Team Member TBD, Boston Student Advisory Council (BSAC) TBD, District English Learner Advisory Committee (DELAC) Boston School Committee’s Goals and Values Boston School Committee Goals and Values PowerPoint   Revised Attendance Policy and Procedures SY21-22 Equitable Policy Review PPT Letter from Superintendent Cassellius to BPS Community in response to the guilty verdict in the Derek Chauvin case Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s BPS School Committee meeting. This meeting began with the Superintendent's report on returning to school, including the plan to return many students in k-8 to 5 days a week of in person learning beginning April 26th. The Superintendent also announced a major reorganization of her leadership team. The final presentation provided an overview of a policy regarding attendance and course completion and discussion about chronic absenteeism. Notably there was a concerning conversation about the lack of consistency in teaching and learning between and within schools in BPS.  There were two votes removed from the agenda on the day of the meeting; school committee goals and guardrails, and using masscore for the district’s graduation policy. Public comment featured 16 speakers, nearly all of whom advocated for suspending this year’s MCAS exam. The Biden administration has already granted one waiver to a school district to postpone their standardized testing. We are left with the following questions: We didn’t hear a summer school update. How many openings are there? Are they in person or virtual? How many students have already signed up for a summer program? What is the update on teacher and school leader hiring to ensure an effective opening in September? How is the district thinking about using the federal stimulus funding? School assignments have been released for most students. What are the enrollment numbers for next year? With pending litigation, when will assignments go out for 7th and 9th grade students and exam school applicants? Which assessments will the district use for the end of year for both the social emotional needs and academic needs of our students? Ways to Engage and Resources Boston’s City Council approves the school department’s budget that was voted on last night. It is the biggest part of the city budget. Make sure that they know what you think about the budget and where you have questions or would like to see changes. Advocate for a clear strategy on how the influx of recovery money will be spent for long term positive change for BPS.  Attend an exam school task force committee meeting on Tuesday nights from 5-7pm Here is a recent article on the Biden Administration rejecting requests from states to cancel standardized testing Composite Superintendent’s School Year 2019-2020 Performance Evaluation Operational Readiness for the Return to 5 day In-person Learning on April 26 Revised Attendance Policy and Procedures SY21-22 Op-Ed from Superintendent Cassellius in The Boston Globe 2021-2022 Boston Public Schools calendar Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s BPS School Committee meeting. The meeting began with the Superintendent's report on returning to school including the plan to return students in K-8 to 5 days a week of in person learning beginning April 26th. After a three month process of community listening sessions, meetings, and revisions, the School Committee voted unanimously to support the Superintendent’s FY22 budget. Additionally, there was an elaborate presentation on high schools including celebrating the highest graduation rate ever. The presentation also featured a resurfaced proposal to implement MassCore as the district graduation standard.  We are left with the following questions in reflecting on this meeting... How will support 2020 graduates as well as graduates from this school year, who ended their high school careers in less than optimal circumstances? How will we use the federal funding to help both them and current families who also suffered greatly these past two years? What will 5 days a week in person or fully remote look like across all grades? Will students have different teachers, will students be able to switch classes in person at the upper grade levels? What happens if a family wants to switch from in-person to remote learning? With the school choice season coming to a close, when will families find out next year's assignments? What are the enrollment numbers for next year? Who is taking advantage of the 22,000 summer opportunities that were presented at last week’s school committee meeting? How will the district ensure that every student has a plan? And, how will they track this? How will BPS ensure safety in their programs this summer? Will they include Covid-19 testing? What are the other expected protocols?  How to Engage and Resources Boston’s City Council approves the school department’s budget that was voted on last night. It is the biggest part of the city budget. Make sure that they know what you think about the budget and where you have questions or would like to see changes. Advocate for a clear strategy on how the influx of recovery money will be spent for long term positive change for BPS.  Email Your City Councilor: Matt O’Malley (City Council President, District 6) matthew.omalley@boston.gov Annissa Essaibi-George (At-Large) a.e.george@boston.gov Julia Meija (At-Large) julia.meija@boston.gov Michelle Wu (At-Large) michelle.wu@boston.gov Michael Flaherty (At-Large) Michael.F.Flaherty@boston.gov Lydia Edwards (District 1) lydia.edwards@boston.gov Ed.Flynn (District 2) Ed.Flynn@boston.gov Frank Baker (District 3) frank.baker@boston.gov Andrea Campbell (District 4) Andrea.Campbell@boston.gov Ricardo Arroyo (District 5) ricardo.arroyo@boston.gov Kim Janey (Mayor of Boston, City Councilor for District 7) kim.janey@boston.gov Kenzie Bok (District 8) kenzie.bok@boston.gov Liz Breadon (District 9) liz.breadon@boston.gov Attend an exam school task force committee meeting Email us your ideas on how to support this year’s and last year's graduates of BPS: info@shahfoundation.org Dorchester Reporter article on City of Boston Finances Superintendent's Final FY22 Budget Recommendation Letter College, Career, and Life Readiness PowerPoint BPS Graduation Rate (2019) by high school Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s BPS School Committee meeting. The meeting was preceded by the last budget hearing before the School Committee vote next week. The meeting then went on to the Superintendent’s report on reopening, as the state and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education push schools to offer full in-person learning starting April 5th. Public comment featured parents and community members advocating for the full in-person learning model as well as others expressing concern and distrust with the district. The meeting ended with two reports on in-person summer learning plans and an update on the School Committee’s goals and guardrails.  The district continues to follow its hybrid model of re-opening and parents are being asked to decide by Monday if they want to have their child fully in-person or fully remote in April. There continues to be lots of questions about the details of these learning models. We are left with the following questions in reflecting on this meeting... Do teachers have what they need to teach simultaneously as more students go back to school in person each week - and some families choose to stay remote until the end of the year? What will 5 days a week in person or fully remote look like across all grades? Will students have different teachers, will students be able to switch classes in person at the upper grade levels? What happens if a family wants to switch from in-person to remote learning? How will the obstacles the Superintendent outlined be resolved? Will the district apply for a waiver? What is the strategy for using the influx of federal funds for long term investments in BPS? With the school choice season coming to a close, when will families find out their assignments? What are the enrollment numbers for next year? What are the strategies to deal with students' attendance. How will the system address their learning and social emotional needs? How will summer programs be advertised to parents? How will they ensure that every student has a plan? And, how will they track this? How will BPS ensure safety in their programs this summer? Will they include Covid-19 testing? What are the other expected protocols? The School Committee will vote at the next meeting on March 24th on the 2022 budget proposal.  Ways to Engage and Resources Boston’s City Council approves the school department’s budget. It is the biggest part of the city budget. Make sure that they know what you think about the budget and where you have questions or would like to see changes. Advocate for a clear strategy on how the influx of recovery money will be spent for long term positive change for BPS. Email school committee members encouraging them to find answers to the questions families have about returning to in-person learning.  Attend an upcoming exam school admissions task force meeting, which will be meeting weekly on Zoom.  March 17 Budget Hearing and Meeting Presentations and Materials Superintendent's Final FY22 Budget Recommendation Letter Summer Learning Planning Update Update on Boston School Committee Priority Setting: Goal Measures Goals and Guardrails, March 17, 2021 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s BPS School Committee meeting. The meeting was a long one, about 6.5 hours. There were 62 residents providing public comment, who included students, parents, and community organizations, and they all had one unified message: we do not trust the district. There was a fierce vibration as students advocated for a stronger voice in decision making. Families continued to express both sides of the back to school in person story - representing fears of returning because of their experiences with the pandemic, and fears of staying home because of their fears of the social, emotional, and academic impact that this is having on our children. There were two presentations including a literacy program “pitch” that we have all seen before, and a hollow reiteration of why the committee needs new goals and guardrails in addition to the goals that they have already set for the superintendent and the district. With thousands of students returning to school on Monday, there was little discussion or questions from Committee members about how remote learning is going, what back to school will look like, and how we will address the academic and social emotional needs caused by this pandemic. We are left with the following questions in reflecting on this meeting... Do teachers have what they need to teach simultaneously with all K0 through 3rd graders returning to school on Monday? What will transportation look like on Monday? How will the state’s sponsored pool testing program be implemented in schools? How is this being communicated to parents? To those who are returning to school on Monday? It’s Exam school admissions time. How many students were in the pool of applicants? What are the results of the new policy that was implemented this year? The presented budget begins July 1st. What will summer look like for our students? What will school look like in the fall? Will hybrid and remote learning continue? For how long? What tools should be in place to support teaching students both in person and remote simultaneously? What measures will be necessary to return all students to in-person learning?  What is the plan for teacher vaccination? The next school committee meeting will take place on March 17th at 6pm, with a budget hearing taking place before the meeting at 5pm. Ways to Engage and Resources: Attend a Budget HearingTuesday, March 9th, 5pm Review your school’s proposed funding for FY22 Reach out to your City Councilor and tell them what you think about the budget Attend an upcoming exam school admissions task force meeting, which will be meeting weekly on Zoom.  Learn more about the state’s K-12 pooled testing program Review last night’s meeting presentation and materials: Update on Remote/Hybrid Learning and Reopening  Early Literacy Update Update on Boston School Committee Priority Setting: Goals and Guardrails  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s BPS School Committee meeting. During this 4-hour meeting: The Superintendent provided a concerning update on student attendance A number of students provided spirited testimony about their voices not being heard in decision making The Committee voted to approve one-year of flexibilities for graduation requirements, promotion, grading and advanced work class admission The Superintendent and her team unveiled a preliminary FY 2022 budget to the School Committee. The presentation included a breakdown of the $1.3 billion of funding, the allocation of the funds and discussion about the sustainability of the investments the Superintendent and her team are recommending given the short term nature of the funding and continued declining enrollment.  The approval of the FY2022 budget will take place in late March, and there are multiple opportunities to express your thoughts and opinions to the district and the School Committee.  We are left with the following questions in reflecting on this meeting... Do teachers have what they need to teach simultaneously with more than 7000 students with high needs returning to in-person learning today and tomorrow? How many families have changed their preference from remote to in-person hybrid learning?  What are the strategies to improve students' attendance? How will the system address their learning and social emotional needs? The presented budget begins July 1st. What will summer look like for our students? What will school look like in the fall? Will hybrid and remote learning continue? For how long? What tools should be in place to support teaching students both in person and remote simultaneously? What measures will be necessary to return all students to in-person learning?  Will each student and staff member be tested for Covid-19, utilizing the state’s testing program, at least once per week in their respective school?  What is the plan for teacher vaccination? What are the outcomes of the interim exam school’s admissions policy this year? In the listening sessions that begin this week, will the Committee provide real numbers instead of the X’s used in her stated goals and guardrails? Will this year’s budget be aligned to these goals.  Ways to Engage and Resources: Attend a Budget Hearing First hearing: February 11th, 5 p.m. Review your school’s proposed funding for FY22 Reach out to your City Councilor and tell them what you think about the budget Attend a School Committee Community Meeting and push for “X’s” to be defined as well as clarification on alignment with existing stated goals, the superintendent's strategic plan and the superintendent's performance evaluation goals.  February 6th, 10 - 11:30 a.m. February 8th, 5:30 - 7 p.m. Email the School Committee and the Superintendent and encourage them to take advantage of the state’s Covid-19 pooled surveillance testing program.  Learn more about the state’s K-12 pooled testing program Review last night’s meeting presentation and materials: Request for Flexibilities on the Following BPS Policies due to COVID for SY 2020-2021 Superintendent’s Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) Preliminary Budget Recommendation PowerPoint BPS School Year Dashboard   Check out the Boston School’s Fund blog on the BPS budget Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s Boston Public Schools’ School Committee meeting. During this 3-hour meeting, the School Committee discussed newly announced school building reopening updates, heard from families and community members in public comment, and reviewed a proposal from the Superintendent about the readjustment of certain policies for this school year, including changes to testing and placement for the Advanced Work Class program. As Covid-19 cases throughout the City of Boston trend in a better direction, the Superintendent presented school building reopening updates, with more students being welcomed back to in-person learning on February 1st. The pooled surveillance testing program sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education was discussed, and the Superintendent and her team presented operational updates that support welcoming more children back to school. Following this, parents and community members spoke during public comment about the need for the reopening of buildings, and allowing children to be physically back in school, along with concerns about the revised exam school admissions policy and changes to the Advanced Work Class model. The Superintendent, in her final presentation, requested greater flexibility on policies including direction for promotion and retention of students, graduation, and Advanced Work Class testing. The next School Committee meeting will take place on Wednesday, February 3rd at 5pm EST, and will feature the preliminary budget recommendation for FY2022. Over the next few weeks, there will be many opportunities for students, families, and community members to voice their opinions, concerns and ideas to district officials and School Committee members at a variety of hearings.  Ways to Engage and Resources: Attend the Reopening Schools Community Meeting hosted by the Superintendent January 28th, 5:30 - 7 p.m. Attend a School Committee Community Meeting and push for “X’s” to be defined as well as clarification on alignment with existing stated goals, the superintendent's strategic plan and the superintendent's performance evaluation goals.  February 6th, 10 - 11:30 a.m. February 8th, 5:30 - 7 p.m. Attend a Budget Hearing Stay tuned for Exam School Task force dates and attend if you are able. Ask for the data from this year’s “one year” interim assignment methodology. Email the School Committee and the Superintendent and encourage them to take advantage of the state’s Covid-19 pooled surveillance testing program.  Learn more about the state’s K-12 pooled testing program Review last night’s meeting presentation and materials: Update on Health and Safety Preparations for Reopening of School Buildings PowerPoint Request for Flexibilities on the Following BPS Policies due to COVID for SY 2020-2021 BPS School Year Dashboard Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Last Night at School Committee: 1/13 Meeting Recap In our first episode of 2021, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s Boston Public School Committee Meeting. During this 5-hour meeting, the School Committee discussed reopening updates, heard from families and community members in public comment, and heard updates on the Superintendent’s goals as well as updates from the Exam School task force and the Office of Equity. This was the first meeting since Mayor Walsh has accepted the nomination to be Labor Secretary for President-elect Joe Biden as well as hearing from Governor Baker about a plan for pooled testing for schools. The School Committee heard from the Superintendent regarding an updated reopening timeline as well as updates from her team on numerous subjects, including daily attendance and grading among many others. Public comment featured students calling on the School Committee to listen to and allow Student Representative Khymani James to have a vote, as well as parents showing frustration regarding the change to exam school admissions and reopening plans. As of now, BPS is planning to re-open schools starting on February 1st for high in-person priority students, with the remaining students starting to return on March 1st. For more information regarding reopening as well as ways to engage, check out the links below. Ways to Engage and Resources: Here is the link for school registration.  Attend a Budget Hearing Stay tuned for Exam School Task force dates Email School Committee members and the Superintendent encouraging them to take advantage of the state’s surveillance testing program.  Tune in to the 39th Annual MLK Celebration here Poll on an Elected School Committee Article on the School Committee seat remaining open  Meeting Presentations and Materials Reopening and Remote Learning Update Exam Schools Admissions Task Force Membership and Charge Office of Equity Update Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Last Night at School Committee Recap: 12/16 Meeting On this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross discuss the highlights of last night’s Boston School Committee meeting, the last meeting of 2020. As we heard updates regarding reopening 28 schools as well as financial updates and discussion about the Superintendent’s performance goals for 2020-21, public comment featured frustration, anger and a lack of confidence from different community members about reopening schools. This lack of confidence has become more present this week, as the Boston Teachers Union gave a vote of no confidence towards the Superintendent. The Superintendent reported on a variety of things, including the re-opening of 28 schools this week for about 1700 high priority students as well as recapping some important discussion points that were discussed at the School Committee’s Saturday retreat. As the reports continued, many important issues became apparent, including the fact that nearly 25% of high school students aren’t logging onto classes. The meeting ended with the School Committee discussing the performance goals for the Superintendent for 2020-21. The School Committee will not be meeting until the new year in January. You can read more about the updates and information the School Committee looked at this past week here. Resources: Presentations from 12/12 Retreat Presentations from 12/16 Meeting Remote Learning Data Update Reopening Update Boston Globe article on the BTU Vote of No Confidence Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this special edition of Last Night at School Committee, Ross and Jill talk to Will Austin, CEO of the Boston Schools Fund, and Latoya Gayle, founder of Boston School Finder and parent activist. As the Boston School Committee heard an update regarding the BuildBPS plan last week, Will and Latoya help to provide additional insight and thoughts about this important update. Since 2014, the City of Boston and Boston Public Schools have been discussing BuildBPS, a Facilities Master Plan for the Boston Public schools aimed at bringing Boston’s school buildings into the 21st century.  The first BuildBPS Report and Plan was released in March of 2017, and last Wednesday’s school committee meeting featured an update regarding some of the ongoing and future projects in BuildBPS as well as important developments and changes to the plan. BuildBPS is a ten year plan and continues to change and evolve over time. We will continue to get updates at school committee meetings and will continue to discuss the plans and their implications as they come. As the school year progresses, here are a few topics to keep an eye on: The challenges of decreased enrollment on BuildBPS and how enrollment changes will impact future plans The impact of BuildBPS on school choice and the future of school choice What the BuildBPS process should look like moving forward  Next steps for the closing of the Edwards Middle School, the upcoming 7-12 models at East Boston and Charlestown High Schools, the BCLA-McCormack merger, and the future of the Horace Mann School To read more about Boston Schools Fund’s analysis of Boston Public Schools’ 2020-2021 enrollment data, you can find it here.  The Boston School Committee will be holding a virtual retreat this Saturday, December 12th, from 9am-3pm. You can find more details about this meeting here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, Jill and Ross discuss the highlights of last night’s Boston Public School Committee Meeting. A little less than 5 hours long, the School Committee discussed important topics relating to the BuildBPS plan that is ongoing, updates from the Superintendent, and public comment from community members, families, and students. While the last meeting touched on a variety of topics, the School Committee mostly focused on updates surrounding the BuildBPS plan that deals with the construction of school buildings, reimagining of school pathways and more. While there are multiple projects ongoing, the meeting focused on the closing of the Edwards Middle School, the merging of the McCormack Middle School and Boston Community Leadership Academy, 7-12 grade pathway expansions at Charlestown High School and East Boston High School, and the Horace Mann/Jackson Mann. Public comment featured multiple testimonies about school reopening and outcries from parents, community members and students on the need for reopening, as well as comments about other issues that were not discussed at length at the meeting. The School Committee will be holding a virtual retreat on December 12th that is open to the public. You can find information about this public event as well as more information presented at the meeting here. Resources: BuildBPS Update PowerPoint  Resources from December 2nd Meeting Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices