Agenda Preview: September 19th School Committee Meeting
Agenda Preview: September 19th School Committee Meeting
Superintendent’s Goals, Speaking Time Limit, Burncoat Vocational Programs
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September 19th School Committee Meeting
Sorry this is arriving in your inbox less than two days before the meeting! According to a new message on the school committee website, the agendas will now be posted 48 hours before the meeting (on Tuesdays) rather than six days before (on Fridays), as has been the custom. It’s a little odd, because per school committee rules the agenda has to be compiled a full week before the meeting—something can only be added after that deadline if the mayor “determines an item is time sensitive.” All this to say, if the agenda is basically settled a week before the meeting it’s not clear why it’s not being shared with the public then. Of course it can change up to 48 hours before, per open meeting laws, but rarely has an agenda changed drastically from when it was initially posted. Only 48 hours notice definitely makes it more challenging for the community to engage. I hope whoever made that decision reconsiders.
That said, let’s get to the preview:
The next school committee meeting is scheduled for September 19 at 5:30 p.m. There is no executive session, so the general meeting will start at 5:30 p.m. See the full agenda here. You can no longer watch the meeting on Facebook live, but you can watch it via Zoom or stream it. Spanish translation is available on Zoom. Always a good reminder that remote participation is a courtesy, and that the meeting will continue even if there are issues with the virtual broadcast. So if there’s something you really want to speak on or listen in on, in-person is always the most reliable bet.
Report of the Superintendent.
This meeting’s report is on the superintendent’s proposed goals for the 2024-2025 school year. If you attended the Citywide Parent Planning Advisory Council (CPPAC) last week, Dr. Monárrez presented these proposed goals at that meeting. As you might remember from last month’s brief, the superintendent’s goals are approved by the school committee and are a significant part of her yearly evaluation.
Speaking time limit.
Member Sue Mailman (at-large) is requesting the committee consider a speaking time limit of five minutes, with an additional five minutes allowed with approval from the chair. The issue of school committee members speaking at length is definitely not new to this committee. Consistently over the years, members without time limits have meant unnecessarily long meetings. Case in point is the school committee general meeting on September 5, where Member Dianna Biancheria had three instances of speaking for over 10 minutes. If every member did that, meetings would last almost five hours.
Burncoat Vocational Programs, Alternative High School Naming, Grants.
As part of the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) process for building a new Burncoat, the district must present vocational programs for the feasibility study. Further along in the process these will be refined, but putting these in the feasibility study means that Burncoat, which does not currently have vocational programs, will most likely have them in the future.
Up for approval is naming the creative arts classes wing of the Worcester Alternative High School after Dr. Mike O'Neil, “recognizing his extraordinary dedication to the students and the arts.”
A $210,000 grant from the state for a M-Th after school program for 50 Vernon Hill students that will focus on academics and enrichment.
A $56,000 grant from the state for civics education that will go towards an Investigating Curriculum for grade 5 students and the Discovering Justice curriculum for K-2.
Have a good week! If you have feedback you can always get in touch: aislinn.doyle@me.com