From the Office of the Executive Secretary to the School Committee
School Committee - Regular Meeting March 19, 2019
*REVISED: A G E N D A
1. *Public Hearing on the Budget (3 Minutes):
1a. Public Comment (3 Minutes):
2. Student School Committee Report:
3. Presentation of the Records for Approval:
• Regular Meeting, March 5, 2019
4. Reconsiderations: None
5. Unfinished Business/Calendar: None
6. Awaiting Reports:
#19-39, Motion by Committee Member Dexter, that whereas Cambridge Public Schools values a collaborative relationship between CPS schools and Cambridge's Out of School Time (OST) Programs in order to ensure continuous and appropriate learning throughout the day for the many CPS students attending afterschool programs; and
Whereas the different ending times of CPS schools makes quality programming difficult for afterschool programs, resulting in lost OST learning opportunities for students;
The School Committee requests that the administration provide an estimate of the added transportation costs if all CPS elementary schools ended at the same time, and if all CPS Upper Schools ended at the same time. This estimate is requested by March 19, 2019.
7. Superintendent’s Agenda:
7a. Presentations: None
7b. CPS District Plan:
Strategic Initiative 4.1: Engaging Families as Partners......
Maryann MacDonald, Asst. Supt. for Elementary Education
Melody Brazo, Welcoming Schools Coordinator
CPS Family Liaison Representatives
7c. Consent Agenda:
19-47 Day & Residential Program Services not Available from
The Cambridge School Department
19-48 Contract Award: Shore Educational Collaborative
19-49 Grant Award: Food Equipment (SC19158)
8. Non-Consent Agenda:
9. School Committee Agenda (Policy Matters/Notifications/Requests for Information):
#19-50 Motion by Committee Member Dexter, that whereas the School Committee unanimously passed a motion on December 18, 2018, to hold a roundtable on disproportionality in special education, to be held before June 1, 2019, the Committee requests that this roundtable be scheduled on April 9, April 23, May 28, or another suitable date before June 1, and that this date be determined by March 31, 2019.
#19-51 Joint Motion by Committee Member Dexter, Vice Chair Kelly, and Ms. Nolan, that whereas the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School administration has been engaged in a two-year process, supported by a School Committee Ad-Hoc Subcommittee, to revise the high school Attendance Violation (AV) Policy toward greater equity; and
Whereas the School Committee values data-informed policy-making and comprehensive communication of policies;
The School Committee requests that a draft of the new policy, to be implemented beginning in September, 2019, be presented, as a First Reading, to the School Committee no later than May 21, 2019, along with a communication plan to ensure that all students, faculty, and administrators are aware of the new policy and that there is faculty "buy-in"; and
The Committee requests data from the Fall, 2018, semester showing the following attendance data disaggregated by lunch status, race/ethnicity, gender, disability status, and ELL status: 1) number of students absent and tardy; 2) number of students absent and tardy without an excuse (Earned AV); 3) number of students "buying out" of their Earned AV's; and 4) number of students whose grades were reduced due to an Assigned AV. These data are requested by May 7, 2019.
#19-52 Joint Motion by Ms. Nolan and Mr. Kimbrough, whereas the School Committee worked to raise the level of instruction for all students through the Level Up initiative at CRLS; and
Whereas a recent Globe project on valedictorians documented a sobering and critically important question of whether high schools are preparing students for success: and
Whereas the recent report The Opportunity Myth by The New Teachers Project found that despite 71% of students in a national representative sample of audited classes met classroom expectations and succeeded on assignments, only 17% of those assignments were on grade level when evaluated; and
Whereas both the Valedictorian Project and The New Teachers Project identified the need for high expectations and intentional focus on rigorous curriculum, instruction and assignments as key to delivering on the promise of success in college and life; and
Whereas there were gaps by racial subgroups in performance on common assessment; and
Whereas nearly 1 in 3 CRLS students indicated that teachers do not have very high expectations of them; Therefore, the School Committee directs the Administration to have an external audit of the Level Up ELA classes, by an organization with expertise in this specific area, done in conjunction with the School Committee as a joint effort to ensure that the initiative is as successful as possible.
#19-53 Motion by Mr. Kimbrough, whereas the 2020 Budget had allocated funds to a boys mentoring program at CRLS; and
Whereas data from Qualls Academy shows that students in the program are making academic progress;
Be it resolved that the Superintendent and Budget Office will explore adding Qualls Academy to the CambridgePort School and King Open School to create a triad of mentoring programs that feed into Cambridge Street Upper School.
#19-54 Motion by Ms. Nolan, that whereas there have been recent concerns about a drop in immunizations for certain diseases; and
Whereas health experts advise that immunization rates of 95% or more are necessary to ensure collective resistance to preventable diseases and therefore safety for those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons; and
Whereas CPS may have some schools below the threshold of 95% vaccinated students;
That the School Committee requests a report from the school district on current vaccination rates; and
Further that the report include recommendations for how the district can work with families, perhaps with the city’s public health experts to increase vaccination rates for all schools below a safe rate; and
Further that the district communicate to the state delegation to consider changes to the law to ensure only legitimate reasons for opting out of vaccinations are honored.
#19-55 Joint Motion by Ms. Bowman, Mayor McGovern and Ms. Nolan, whereas there has been an increase in the number of families declining immunization for their children across the country and in Massachusetts, and
Whereas there has been an outbreak of diseases once annihilated, which are causing public health emergencies in communities in other parts of the country, and
Whereas the CPSD is committed to ensuring the safety and public health of our students, and
Whereas most schools within the district have an immunization opt-out rate of 1.5% or lower, the Graham & Parks opt-out rate is at 10.0%, the highest in the district,
Therefore, be it resolved that the Administration work with the leadership of the Graham & Parks school to understand the root cause of this higher opt-out rate for vaccinations within the district and work with the CPSD community to emphasize the importance of immunizations for the safety of all CPSD students.
#19-56 Report of the February 26, 2019 Athletic Eligibility Ad-Hoc Sub-Committee
10. Resolutions (letters of congratulations, letters of condolence):
11. Announcements:
12. Late Orders:
13. Communications and Reports from City Officers:
Revision
* At the conclusion of the Regular Meeting, there will be a Special Meeting of the School Committee for the purpose of a Budget Workshop in the Dr. Henrietta S. Attles Meeting Room, Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, 459 Broadway, Cambridge, for the purpose of a review of the proposed FY 2020 Budget.
Note: This meeting will be televised, no votes will be taken and there will not be public comment.