CLERK OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE
WORCESTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS
20 IRVING STREET
WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS 01609
AGENDA #5
The School Committee will hold a regular meeting: | |
on: | Thursday, February 1, 2018 |
at: |
6:00 p.m. – Executive Session
7:00 p.m. – Regular Session
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in the: | Esther Howland, South Chamber at City Hall |
ORDER OF BUSINESS |
ACTION |
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I. | CALL TO ORDER – REGULAR MEETING | |
INVOCATION – Reverend Kevin L. Downer, Greendale People’s Church | ||
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE/NATIONAL ANTHEM | ||
II. | ROLL CALL | |
III. | APPROVAL OF RECORDS
aor #8-4 – Clerk (January 24, 2018) To consider approval of the Minutes of the School Committee Meeting of Thursday, January 18, 2018. |
Annex A (16 pages) |
IV. | MOTION FOR RECONSIDERATION – NONE | |
V. | IMMEDIATE ACTION
gb #8 25 – Administration (January 22, 2018) To consider input from the School Committee’s student representatives. |
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VI. | REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT
ROS #8-2 – Administration (January 24, 2018) FY19 PRELIMINARY BUDGET ESTIMATES |
Annex A (20 pages) |
VII. | COMMUNICATION AND PETITION – NONE | |
VIII. | REPORT OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE – NONE | |
IX. | PERSONNEL
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. |
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8-08 The Superintendent has ACCEPTED the RESIGNATION of the person named below:
Peck, Jason, Psychologist, Systemwide, effective January 19, 2018. |
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8-09 The Superintendent has APPROVED the RETIREMENT of the following person named below:
Crosby, Janet, Teacher, Elementary, Belmont, effective January 22, 2018. |
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8-10 The Superintendent has APPROVED the LEAVE OF ABSENCE of the person named below:
Rocheleau-Demers, Marie, Teacher, Vocational, Worcester Technical, effective January 16, 2018 – March 9, 2018. |
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8-11 The Superintendent has APPOINTED the person named below to the position of Cafeteria Substitute Helper, permanent/intermittent at a salary of $13.20 per hour, from Civil Service List #317-050, effective as shown:
Molina, Maria 01/16/18 |
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8-12 The Superintendent has provisionally APPOINTED the person named below to the position of Word Processor, permanent/fulltime at a salary of $18.09 (minimum) to $22.38 per hour (maximum) effective as shown:
Carlson, Deanna 01/16/18 |
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8-13 The Superintendent has provisionally APPOINTED the person named below to the position of Principal Clerk, permanent/fulltime at a salary of $20.39 per hour (minimum) to $25.10 per hour (maximum) effective as shown:
Hathaway, Haley 01/16/18 |
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X. | GENERAL BUSINESS
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.” |
Annex A (1 page) |
gb #8-22.1 – Administration/Miss Biancheria/Mr. O’Connell/ Mr. Monfredo (January 24, 2018)
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 |
Annex A (17 pages) | |
gb #8-26 – Administration (January 11, 2018)
To consider approval of the following donations: – $250 from Walmart to Woodland Academy |
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gb #8-27 – Mr. Monfredo (January 15, 2018)
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. |
Annex A (1 page) | |
gb #8-28 – Administration (January 16, 2018)
To accept the Unum Strong Schools Grant in the amount of $20,000. |
Annex A (1 page) | |
gb #8-29 – Mr. Monfredo (January 16, 2018)
To engage in a comprehensive plan in an effort to have children read on grade level by the end of grade three. |
Annex A (1 page) | |
gb #8-30 – Miss McCullough (January 19, 2018)
Request that the Administration provide an update on the district’s indoor recess policy. |
Annex A (1 page) | |
gb #8-31 – Miss McCullough (January 19, 2018)
Request that the Administration provide an update on the Attendance Policy currently in place and provide an: – explanation of excused vs unexcused absences and |
Annex A (1 page) | |
gb #8-32 – Mr. Foley (January 19, 2018)
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. |
Annex A (1 page) | |
gb #8-33 – Administration (January 19, 2018)
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. |
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gb #8-34 – Administration (January 19, 2018)
To consider approval of the 2018-19 Policies Handbook of the Worcester Public Schools. |
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gb #8-35 – Mr. Monfredo (January 22, 2018)
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 |
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gb #8-36 – Mr. O’Connell (January 22, 2018)
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 Grade 10 Antonia Amonu McCarthy – South High Community School Grade 11 Magdalene Agyemang – South High Community School Grade 12 Ukamaka Asia – Burncoat High School |
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gb #8-37 – Mr. O’Connell (January 22, 2018)
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. |
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gb #8-38 – Mr. O’Connell (January 22, 2018)
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 Second Place Ava Davis – Worcester Arts Magnet School Third Place Oscar D. Hernandez Molina & Hamza Al Sayed Hassan – McGrath Elementary School Honorable Mention Carmela Cifredo & Elaina Ocasio – Belmont Street School Group Winners: First Place Flagg Street School, grade 4 Worcester Arts Magnet School, grade 5 McGrath Elementary School, grade 6 Second Place Heard Street School, grade 5 Third Place Flagg Street School, grade 4 McGrath Elementary School, grade 6 |
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gb #8-39 – Administration (January 23, 2018)
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. |
Annex A (1 page) | |
gb #8-40 – Administration (January 23, 2018)
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. |
Annex A (1 page) | |
gb #8-41 – Miss Biancheria (January 23, 2018)
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. |
Annex A (2 pages) | |
gb #8-42 – Miss Biancheria (January 23, 2018)
Request that the Administration study the feasibility of involving students in community service projects at the Senior Center. |
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gb #8-43 – Mayor Petty (January 24, 2018)
Request that the Superintendent create an updated Health and Wellness Curriculum for middle and high school students. |
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gb #8-44 – Administration (January 24, 2018)
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. |
Annex A (1 page) | |
gb #8-45 – Administration (January 24, 2018)
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. |
Annex A (1 page) | |
gb #8-46 – Administration (January 24, 2018)
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. |
Annex A (2 pages) | |
gb #8-47 – Administration (January 24, 2018)
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. |
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XI. | ADJOURNMENT
Helen A. Friel, Ed.D. |