TwiCLERK 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, March 19, 2015 |
| at: | 6:00 p.m. – Executive Session 7:00 p.m. – Regular Session |
| in: | Council Chamber, City Hall |
ORDER OF BUSINESS |
ACTION |
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| I. | CALL TO ORDER – REGULAR MEETING | |
| INVOCATION – Father Gaby Hoyek Our Lady of Mercy Maronite Church |
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| PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE/NATIONAL ANTHEM | ||
| II. | ROLL CALL | |
| III. | APPROVAL OF RECORDS
aor #5-4 – Clerk To consider approval of the Minutes of the School Committee Meeting of Thursday, February 26, 2015. |
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| aor #5-5 – Clerk (February 11, 2015)To consider approval of the Minutes of the School Committee Meeting of Thursday, March 5, 2015. |
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| IV. | MOTION FOR RECONSIDERATION – NONE | |
| V. | IMMEDIATE ACTION
gb #5-69 – Administration To consider input from the School Committee’s student representatives. |
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| VI. | REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT
ros #5-3 – Administration
(March 11, 2015)UPDATE ON THE SAFETY PLAN OF NORTH HIGH SCHOOL |
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| VII. | COMMUNICATION AND PETITION – NONE | |
| VIII. | REPORT OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE
The Standing Committee on Finance and Operations met at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, March 16, 2015 in Room 410 at the Durkin Administration Building. |
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| IX.
5-11 |
PERSONNEL
The Superintendent has APPROVED the APPOINTMENT of the person(s) named below: Fairbanks, Robert, Teacher, Vocational, Worcester Technical, VL4, Step 8, $72,159 effective March 9, 2015. Licensed: Carpentry 9-14. |
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| X. | GENERAL BUSINESS
gb #4-100.4 – Administration/Miss Biancheria
(March 11, 2015) Response of the Administration to the request to provide a report regarding the Energy Management contract.
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Annex A (1 page) |
| gb #4-287.2 – Administration/Miss Biancheria/Mr. Monfredo/Mr. O’Connell (March 11, 2015) Response of the Administration to the request to review the budget for bus passes for the last three years including purchased passes through grant funds specific to sites and programs. |
Annex A (2 pages) | |
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gb #5-70 – Mr. O’Connell
(March 2, 2015) To set a date to congratulate Michael Lyons, AVID teacher and Site Coordinator, on his selection as a recipient of the Thomas S. Green Public Service Award of the Worcester Regional Research Bureau. |
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gb #5-71 – Ms. Novick
(March 2, 2015) To set a date to congratulate Worcester East Middle School teachers Stacy Lord and Howie Fain for being among 28 teachers nationally selected to be Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors for NASA. |
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gb #5-72 – Ms. Novick
(March 2, 2015) To set a date to congratulate the Burncoat High Dance Team on their state championship win at the Massachusetts Secondary Schools Administrators’ Dance Competition. |
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gb #5-73 – Ms. Novick
(March 4, 2015) Request the City Solicitor advise regarding the use of personal email addresses for public business use, particularly with regard to public record keeping. |
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gb #5-74 – Administration
(March 6, 2015) To set a date in April for a public hearing on school choice. |
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gb #5-75 – Mr. O’Connell
(March 6, 2015) To request an explanation from the Superintendent regarding the deletion, from the SAGE automated system utilized by schools to suspend students, of the following grounds for suspension of students: Excessive Tardies – Code R09 Disruption of Assembly/Arrest – Code Ryh
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| gb #5-76 – Miss Ramirez (March 9, 2015) Request that the Administration establish a committee composed of a group of key stakeholders to review the data regarding the students at North High School who are most disruptive and not academically engaged and offer an alternative learning program within the school for these students. |
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| gb #5-77 – Miss Ramirez (March 9, 2015) Request that the Administration study the feasibility of hiring a full time mediation specialist at North High School to prevent conflict and bring about peaceful resolutions. |
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gb #5-78 – Mr. O’Connell
(March 9, 2015)
To set a date to recognize the following recipients of the 2015 Boston Globe Scholastic Art & Writing Awards:
Burncoat Middle School
Kiana Albertson Silver Key Thu Le Gold Key Savonne Pickett Silver Key Burncoat High School Doherty Memorial High School Nicholas Mangra Honorable Mention
Kathleen Miller-Vickers Honorable Mention Julia Narain Honorable Mention Tianna Rivera Silver Key Sofia Tanoglu Gold Key, 2 Silver Keys and an Honorable Mention |
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| gb #5-79 – Mr. Monfredo (March 10, 2015) Request that the Administration inform schools about Worcester: the City that Reads ninth annual book drive for children pre-k to grade 8 that will take place during the week of March 22nd with its theme “SPRING INTO BOOKS.” |
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| gb #5-80 – Mr. Monfredo (March 10, 2015) To forward letters of congratulations to the following seniors for being selected as winners of the Good Citizen Awards through the Colonel Timothy Bigelow Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution: Edith Otabil – Burncoat High School |
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| gb #5-81 – Ms. Novick (March 11, 2015) Request Administration clarify to parents, staff, and students the regulations and laws regarding the sharing of student information online. |
Annex A (3 pages) | |
| gb #5-82 – Administration (March 11, 2015) To conduct the School Committee’s FY16 Budget priority setting session. |
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| gb #5-83 – Administration (March 11, 2015) To accept a grant award of goods and services valued at $1,308,800 from Apple ConnectED to support equipment and professional learning to help achieve state-of-the-art, technology-based learning at Union Hill School and Woodland Academy. |
Annex A (2 pages) Annex B (6 pages) |
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| gb #5-84 – Mr. O’Connell (March 11, 2015) To review the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education report entitled, “Elm Park Community School Level 4/School Redesign Grant (SRG) Monitoring Site Visit” which took place December 4-5, 2014 and to consider the “Strengths” and “Areas for Improvement” detailed in it. |
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gb #5-85 – Mr. O’Connell
(March 11, 2015) To review the report of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education regarding the utilization of the extended instructional time grant at Jacob Hiatt Magnet School, and to consider any recommendations detailed in it. |
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gb #5-86 – Mr. O’Connell
(March 11, 2015) To notify parents and guardians as to the right to “opt out” of taking the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (“PARCC”) examination this spring, to provide substantive academic instruction, during test administration time, to students who are not taking the test, and to give guidance to teachers proctoring the test as to the procedures for working with the students not taking the test. |
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gb #5-87 – Ms. Novick
(March 11, 2015) Request an update from administration on the administration of PARCC and MCAS |
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| gb #5-88 – Miss Biancheria (March 11, 2015) Request that the Administration provide a report on the role of the Chief Academic Officer in terms of student suspensions. |
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gb #5-89 – Miss Biancheria
(March 11, 2015) Request that the Administration explain the difference between the release by Administration of an internal document versus a public document. |
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| gb #5-90 – Miss Biancheria (March 11, 2015) Request that the Administration provide an update on the feasibility of offering summer programs. |
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gb #5-91 – Miss Ramirez
(March 13, 2015) To discuss the use of cameras at North High School linked directly to the police department. |
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| gb #5-92 – Administration (March 11, 2015) To discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining or litigation if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining or litigating position of the governmental body, to conduct strategy sessions in preparation for negotiations with nonunion personnel, to conduct collective bargaining sessions or contract negotiations with nonunion personnel. |
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| XI. | ADJOURNMENT
Helen A. Friel, Ed.D. |