School Committee Agenda #7 – February 25, 2016

ORDER OF BUSINESS

ACTION

aor #6-5 –   Clerk
(February 17, 2016)

To consider approval of the Minutes of the School Committee Meeting of Thursday, February 4, 2016.

gb #5-321.1  –   Administration/Mr. O’Connell/Mr. Monfredo
(February 8, 2016)

To recognize Maureen Binienda, Principal of South High Community School, on her selection as Grand Marshal of the 2016 St. Patrick’s Parade.

To recognize South High Community School’s teachers Erin Morrissey-Hendricks, Mary Sebring and Tara Vaidya on receiving the Mass Insight Partners in Excellence Advanced Placement Teacher Award, “for their demonstrated teaching excellence through student achievement and exemplary leadership in working with Mass Insight Education on the AP STEM program.”

To recognize the following recipients of the 2015 Posse Scholarships:Burncoat High School

Alswell Tulasi, Denison University

Madelyn McKenney-Lydick, Denison University

Doherty Memorial High School

Tavian Vassar, Bucknell University

D’mone Walker, Centre College

South High Community School

Ngoc Ngo, Hamilton College

Worcester Technical High School

Esmely Munoz, Bucknell University

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

ros #6-2  –   Administration
(February 17, 2016)

BIRTH TO GRADE 3 INITIATIVE

c&p #6-1  –     Clerk
(February 16, 2016)

To consider a communication from a citizen regarding a:

• request that Worcester’s public high schools host a contest for students to design a banner to mount on the telephone poles/street lights near their schools and
• request that the School Committee’s videos be archived on the City’s website

The Standing Committee on Teaching, Learning and Student Supports met at 5:35 p.m. on Monday, February 1, 2016 in Room 410 at the Dr. John E. Durkin Administration Building.

6-07

The Superintendent has APPOINTED the persons named below to the position of Cafeteria Helper, permanent/intermittent at a salary of $12.94 per hour, from Civil Service List #315-073, effective as shown:

Grimaldi, Donna 2/4/16

Griffiths, Betsy 2/4/16

Riordan, Paula 2/4/16

Fisher, Joan 2/4/16

Benson, Kimberly 2/4/16

Barnes, Meagan 2/4/16

Worster, Nicole 2/4/16

Stapleton, Jillian 2/4/16

Garcia, Nuri 2/4/16

Miller, Helena 2/4/16

Evans, Cynthia 2/4/16

Hazard, Rasheedah 2/4/16

Legasey, Marie 2/1/16

Sebring, Caitlin 2/8/16

gb #5-150.1 –   Administration/Mr.Monfredo/Mr. O’Connell/Miss Biancheria
(February 17, 2016)

Response of the Administration to the request to review the summer school program and provide a report to include the number of students enrolled, attendance percentage for each school and an evaluation of their educational progress.

Response of the Administration to the request to provide a list of assessments that were administered to kindergarten students for the 2015-16 academic year.

Response of the Administration to the request to encourage Worcester secondary schools with robotics programs to consider participation in the 2016 FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition.

Response of the Administration to the request to provide the number of consultants that are paid by grant funding or taxpayer dollars currently working in the Worcester Public Schools.

To amend the amount of the HEARS Grant from $431,700 to $401,050.

To consider the suggestions made by the Worcester Chamber of Commerce for possible inclusion in the FY17 Budget of the Worcester Public Schools.

To forward letters of appreciation to the following Worcester Historical Museum Valentine Winners:

 Historic

 Contemporary

 Verse

Masters

To set a date in April for a public hearing on school choice.

To set a date to recognize Donna Lombardi, Director of School Nutrition, on her selection as the recipient of the Lemuel Shattuck Award for her leadership in Public Health and for her work to reduce health inequities in the Commonwealth.

To set a date to congratulate the following individuals who have been selected for induction into the Worcester Public Schools’ Athletic Hall of Fame:

To forward letters of recognition to the American Antiquarian Society, the Worcester Cultural Coalition, the United Bank Foundation and the Worcester Educational Development Foundation for bringing Isaiah Thomas, and the educational program “Isaiah Thomas – Patriot Printer,” to the fifth grades of the Worcester Public Schools, through the Culture LEAP (“Learning through Education and Arts Partnerships”) Initiative.

To forward a letter of appreciation, on behalf of the School Committee, to Richard Blaze for his donation of gloves to students at five of the Worcester Public Schools.

To publicize the “Go Fund Me” website of the South High Community School Band, which is raising funds to enable the band to represent the Commonwealth of Massachusetts at the celebration of the 240th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and to play with an ensemble of the United States Navy in Annapolis, Maryland on May 20 – 23, 2016.  The website is https://www.gofundme.com/SouthHighBand

To set a date to recognize the following winners of the Worcester Technical High School Tech Fair 2016 and its Coordinator, Jocelyn Coughlin:

1^ST Place

2^ND Place

3^RD Place

4^TH Place

5^TH Place

Honorable Mention (in no particular order)

Request that the School Committee seek a legal opinion regarding its responsibility for the evaluation and management of the following positions based on its hiring authority:

-assistant/associate superintendent

-school business administrator

-administrator of special education

-school physicians

-school nurses

-legal counsel

-supervisors of attendance

Request that the Administration review the Social Media Policies and Procedures and indicate what additional training is provided regarding Twitter, Facebook and other social media outlets for staff, students and parents.

To discuss strategy with respect to litigation of a worker’s compensation case for a Cook, if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the litigating position of the School Committee and the chair so declares.

To discuss strategy with respect to litigation of a worker’s compensation case for a Custodian, 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