School Committee Agenda #5 – February 1, 2018

ORDER OF BUSINESS

ACTION

aor #8-4 – Clerk   (January 24, 2018)

To consider approval of the Minutes of the School Committee Meeting of Thursday, January 18, 2018.

gb #8 25 – Administration   (January 22, 2018)

To consider input from the School Committee’s student representatives.

ROS #8-2 – Administration   (January 24, 2018)

FY19 PRELIMINARY BUDGET ESTIMATES

8-07 The Superintendent has APPROVED the APPOINTMENT of the person named below:

Gibree, Rene, Teacher, Special Education, North, MA, Step 6, $65,665*, effective January 16, 2018. License pending: Severe Disabilities All Levels.

Peck, Jason, Psychologist, Systemwide, effective January 19, 2018.

Crosby, Janet, Teacher, Elementary, Belmont, effective January 22, 2018.

Rocheleau-Demers, Marie, Teacher, Vocational, Worcester Technical, effective January 16, 2018 – March 9, 2018.

Molina, Maria     01/16/18

Carlson, Deanna     01/16/18

Hathaway, Haley     01/16/18

gb #7-392.1 – Administration/Mr. O’Connell/Mr. Monfredo/Mr. Foley/Miss Biancheria/Ms. Colorio/Mayor Petty   (January 12, 2018)

Response of the Administration to the request to apply for the McKinney-Vento Homeless Emergency Support Grant (Fund Code 313) offered by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to school districts enrolling 50 or more students “who lost their housing in Puerto Rico due to Hurricane Maria.”

Backup (1 page)

Response of the Administration to the request to provide the following information relative to the process for DCF referrals to include:

– the timeframe for a principal to make a call to DCF, when needed
– the individuals who are notified of the phone call and
– the follow-up regarding the incident

To consider approval of the following donations:

– $250 from Walmart to Woodland Academy
– $286.80 from Box Tops for Education to Tatnuck Magnet School

Request that the Administration encourage schools to participate in February’s “Love a Book Month” initiated by Worcester: the City that Reads with meaningful reading activities in school and at home as a way of focusing on the importance of reading within the community.

To accept the Unum Strong Schools Grant in the amount of $20,000.

To engage in a comprehensive plan in an effort to have children read on grade level by the end of grade three.

Request that the Administration provide an update on the district’s indoor recess policy.

Request that the Administration provide an update on the Attendance Policy currently in place and provide an:

– explanation of excused vs unexcused absences and
– the impact that the letters that are going home for chronic absenteeism are having on students and families.

Request that the Administration review the policy regarding absences of students from school and consider distinguishing in their student records unexcused absences from excused absences due to documented illnesses or religious holidays.

To review the reports on compliance and internal controls for the City of Worcester, including the Worcester Public Schools, from the Certified Public Accounting Firm of CliftonLarsenAllen, LLP for the year that ended on June 30, 2017 which included the GAO and OMB A-133 Reports and the Management Letter and the Independent Accountants’ Report on Applying Agreed Upon Procedures for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education End of Year Financial Report for fiscal year 2016-17, prepared by Robert C. Alario, CPA, P.C.

To consider approval of the 2018-19 Policies Handbook of the Worcester Public Schools.

Request that the Administration forward letters of congratulations to the students who participated in the Model United Nations Competition and the following advisers for having these students participate in this outstanding “Future Leaders Conference,” which was held at Clark University:

Patricia Peters – Doherty Memorial High School
Dave Crompton – Goddard at Sullivan Middle School
Max Stern and Cecelia Spencer – University Park Campus School
Daniel Makela – Worcester East Middle School
Brian Cormier – South High Community School

To forward letters to the following Worcester public schools’ students who were honored as winners of the Martin Luther King Jr. Youth Breakfast Poetry competition:

Grade 8

Lloydia Agyemang – Sullivan Middle School Goddard Scholars
Madeline Zafon-Whalen – Forest Grove Middle School
Elvin Sanchez – Worcester East Middle School
Zoanjeliz Jimenez – Burncoat Middle School
Jaylen Remillard – Burncoat Middle School

Grade 10

Antonia Amonu McCarthy – South High Community School
Gianna Castro – South High Community School
Kados Rashid – Caradonio New Citizens Center
Hawa Zuo – Worcester Technical High School
Noorhan Alzuhair – North High School
Deborah Doku – North High School

Grade 11

Magdalene Agyemang – South High Community School
John Pena – North High School

Grade 12

Ukamaka Asia – Burncoat High School
Mariangeli Hermans – North High School
Rose Vu – North High School
James Vega – North High School

To forward a letter of congratulations to Anthony Matimu, an eighth grade student at the Sullivan Middle School Goddard Scholars program, who has been honored as a winner of the 2018 Martin Luther King Jr. Essay competition, for his paper on “How can you be the best of whatever you are to make our community a better place?” – the question raised by Dr. King in a 1967 speech to Philadelphia junior high school students.

To forward letters of congratulations to the following Worcester public schools’ students who have been honored as winners of the 2018 Martin Luther King Jr. Art competition, for their artistic renditions inspired by the question originally raised by Dr. King in a 1967 speech to Philadelphia junior high school students: “How can you be the best of whatever you are to make our community a better place?”:

Individual Winners

Frist Place

Noah Mietla – May Street School
Annabelle Monero – Chandler Elementary School
Glendy Lopez Castillo – McGrath Elementary School

Second Place

Ava Davis – Worcester Arts Magnet School
Sofia Raya – Heard Street Discovery Academy

Third Place

Oscar D. Hernandez Molina & Hamza Al Sayed Hassan – McGrath Elementary School

Honorable Mention

Carmela Cifredo & Elaina Ocasio – Belmont Street School
Angelina Lam & Linda Nguyen – Canterbury Street School

Group Winners:

First Place

Flagg Street School, grade 4
Charlotte Martin, Matthew Lefebvre, and Aeden Wetherbee

Worcester Arts Magnet School, grade 5
Bodhi Parks, and Joshua Richard

McGrath Elementary School, grade 6
Yan C. Miguel, Kennedy Nkrumah, and Gabriel Lucas S. Timoteo

Second Place

Heard Street School, grade 5
Nehemiah Zoller, Nevaeh Gaudette, Joshua Juica and Brandon Humphrey

Third Place

Flagg Street School, grade 4
Bridgid Trainor, Arieanna Erlich, Jessica Hanna, Lily Coughlin, and Kylie Abdulky

McGrath Elementary School, grade 6
Maya Luna, Melanie Romer, Genesis Centeno and Jordy Jarama Castillo

To consider an amendment to the Innovation Plan for Worcester East Middle School which will eliminate the admission of 6th grade students commencing in the 2018-19 academic school year in order to prepare a proposed Citywide Health and Science Gifted Academy for 7th and 8th grade students for the 2019-20 academic school year.

To approve prior fiscal year payments in the total amount of $8,142.11 reflecting adjustments to Minimum Instructor Pay (MIP) rate increases for Air Force JOTC instructors.

Request that the School Committee keep the City Manager apprised regarding the purchases that will be made as a result of additional monies from the Health Insurance Trust Fund.

Request that the Administration study the feasibility of involving students in community service projects at the Senior Center.

Request that the Superintendent create an updated Health and Wellness Curriculum for middle and high school students.

To consider approval of funds for the most updated version of the AP texts and Grade 8 Science texts as a continuation of the current, approved Grade 7 series.

To consider approval of the Read Side by Side reading program to be implemented in grades 3-6 and also for the Fountas & Pinnell Classroom to be implemented in grades K-2.

Request that the Administration approve a transfer of funds resulting from excess funds in the Health Insurance Trust Fund to be used to make one-time investments in textbooks, educational materials, technology, school safety, and maintenance.

To discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining for Instructional Assistants, if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining position of the School Committee and the chair so declares.

To discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining for Plumbers and Steamfitters, if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining position of the School Committee and the chair so declares.

To discuss strategy with respect to litigation for J. Perez vs Worcester School Committee et al. if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the litigating position of the School Committee and the chair so declares.

Helen A. Friel, Ed.D.
Clerk of the School Committee