School Committee

LOWELL SCHOOL COMMITTEE REGULAR MEETING MINUTES Date: May 19, 2021 Time: 6:30PM Location: City Council Chamber, 375 Merrimack Street, 2nd Floor, Lowell, MA 01852 Pursuant To Governor Baker's Emergency Order Modifying The State's Open Meeting Law Issued March 12, 2020, Meetings Will Be Held Using Remote Participation As Follows: Members Of The Public May Not Participate In-Person And May View The Meeting Via LTC.ORG (On-Line; Live Streaming Or Local Cable Channel 99) And Zoom. 1. SALUTE TO FLAG 2. ROLL CALL On a roll call at 6:42 p.m., members present were, namely: Mr. Lay, Mayor Leahy, Ms. Martin, Ms. Clark, Mr. Descoteaux, Mr. Dillon and Ms. Doherty, 3. SPECIAL ORDER OF BUSINESS 3.1. Members Of The Public May View The Meeting Via LTC And Those Wishing To Speak Regarding A Specific Agenda Item Shall Register To Speak In Advance Of The Meeting By Sending Email To The Superintendent Indicating The Agenda Item, A Phone Number And Email Address So We Can Provide A Zoom Link To Access The Meeting. Email Address Is Mpalazzo@Lowell.K12.Ma.Us If No Access To Email You May Contact Us At 978-674-4324. All Requests Must Be Submitted Before 3:00 PM On The Day Of Meeting. 3.2. Public Hearing Inter-District School Choice Program No one spoke in favor or in opposition. 4. MINUTES 4.1. Approval of the Minutes of the Regularly Scheduled Lowell School Committee Meeting of Wednesday, May 5, 2021 Mr. Descoteaux made a motion to accept and place on file the minutes from the Regularly Scheduled and Special School Committee Meetings of Wednesday, May 5, 2021 and May 12, 2021, as well as the Minutes of the FY20 Budget Session of Monday, May 10, 2021; seconded by Ms. Dillon. 7 yeas APPROVED Lowell Public Schools • 155 Merrimack Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 2 of 8) 4.2. Approval of the Minutes of the Special Meeting of the Lowell School Committee of Wednesday, May 5, 2021 Mr. Descoteaux made a motion to accept and place on file the minutes from the Regularly Scheduled and Special School Committee Meetings of Wednesday, May 5, 2021 and May 12, 2021, as well as the Minutes of the FY20 Budget Session of Monday, May 10, 2021; seconded by Ms. Dillon. 7 yeas APPROVED 4.3. Approval of the Minutes of the FY20 Budget Session of Monday, May 10, 2021 Mr. Descoteaux made a motion to accept and place on file the minutes from the Regularly Scheduled and Special School Committee Meetings of Wednesday, May 5, 2021 and May 12, 2021, as well as the Minutes of the FY20 Budget Session of Monday, May 10, 2021; seconded by Ms. Dillon. 7 yeas APPROVED 4.4. Approval of the Minutes of the Special Meeting of the Lowell School Committee of Wednesday, May 12, 2021 Mr. Descoteaux made a motion to accept and place on file the minutes from the Regularly Scheduled and Special School Committee Meetings of Wednesday, May 5, 2021 and May 12, 2021, as well as the Minutes of the FY20 Budget Session of Monday, May 10, 2021; seconded by Ms. Dillon. 7 yeas APPROVED 5. PERMISSION TO ENTER 5.1. Permission to Enter: May 19, 2021 Ms. Clark made a motion to approve the Community Teamwork Inc. contract on the Permission to Enter in the amount of $18,000; seconded by Mr. Descoteaux. 5 yeas, 1 absent (Ms. Martin), 1 present (Ms. Doherty) APPROVED Ms. Doherty made a motion to approve the remaining items on the Permission to Enter; seconded by Mr. Lay. 7 yeas APPROVED 6. MOTIONS 6.1. [By Jackie Doherty]: Request the Superintendent provide the Committee with a job description to add Grant Writer position to LPS staffing recommendations for discussion along with other new positions in Suspense Account. Ms. Doherty made a motion to approve; seconded by Ms. Martin. 7 yeas APPROVED Lowell Public Schools • 155 Merrimack Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 3 of 8) 7. SUBCOMMITTEES 7.1 Finance Subcommittee: Report and Approval of the Minutes of the Meeting of Monday, April 26, 2021 [Connie Martin, Chairperson] Ms. Martin, Chairperson of the Finance Subcommittee reported that the School Committee authorized an increase to the fair student funding pool by $4 million. She stated that concerns were shared by some members when it was recommended that $2 million of this was coming from an anticipated increase to Chapter 70, thus the district increased the pool that is shared between all of the schools by $4 million using ESSER II dollars. She stated that these dollars were prorated between the schools using the fair student funding process that allocates funds using a weighted equity system so that the dollars follow the students and the individual school allocation amounts were released to schools on March 5th. She stated that one (1) of the three (3) main goals of Fair Student Funding is to provide transparency on where the dollars go and why. She stated that the goal of providing equity is obtained through having the dollars follow the students through a weighted system that gives more funds based on student characteristics. Ms. Martin made a motion to accept the report as a report of progress; seconded by Ms. Doherty. 7 yeas APPROVED 7.2. Facilities Subcommittee: Report and Approval of the Minutes of the Meeting of Wednesday, May 12, 2021 [Jackie Doherty, Chairperson] Ms. Doherty, Chairperson of the Facilities Subcommittee reported that the infrastructure improvements and repairs for the summer of 2021 have continued to move forward. She also informed the Committee that some playground sets that will cost approximately $300,000 have been identified and Mr. Underwood believes that the City is on board. She stated that if we allocate the funds we can get the playgrounds done by the end of the summer. Superintendent Boyd stated that at the June 2, 2021 School Committee meeting available funds will be presented that will be able to cover this as well as band uniforms and possible inventory of musical instruments. Ms. Doherty made a motion to move forward with allocating funds for the playground sets; seconded by Mr. Descoteaux. 7 yeas APPROVED Ms. Doherty made a motion to accept the report as a report of progress; seconded by Mr. Lay. 7 yeas APPROVED Lowell Public Schools • 155 Merrimack Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 4 of 8) 7.3. School Improvement and Performance Management Subcommittee: Report and Approval of the Minutes of the Meeting of Wednesday, May 12, 2021 [Connie Martin, Chairperson] Ms. Martin, Chairperson of the School Improvement and Performance Management Subcommittee informed the Committee that nine (9) schools were invited to provide and present a PowerPoint presentation to the Committee that spoke about their individual School Site Council QIP and Budget Process. The schools chosen to present were: four (4) elementary schools (Shaughnessy, Reilly, Murkland and Lincoln) two (2) middle schools (Robinson and Butler), one (1) therapeutic school (Laura Lee), one (1) high school (Lowell High School) and one (1) K-8 school (Pyne/Arts). Each presentation included the following:  Introduction of School Site Council Team.  Overview of QIP Goals and PROCESS for landing those goals.  Overview of major budget decisions to align resources to those goals.  Any new developments as a result of this process: What will be exciting for students next year? Ms. Martin made a motion to accept the report as a report of progress; seconded by Ms. Doherty. 7 yeas APPROVED 8. REPORTS OF THE SUPERINTENDENT 8.1. Budget Update The following people registered and spoke on the Budget Update: Diane McLean Patricia Pappathan Melynda Mellett Melissa Desroches Sophia Crawford Karen Miranda Susan Uvanni Barbara Burgess Anna Amlashi Krystal Gratta Andrea Regina Laura Katz Cara Gallagher Bethanne Welch Stacey Thompson Superintendent Boyd and Ms. Turner, Chief Financial Officer gave the Committee an update that included the following: Lowell Public Schools • 155 Merrimack Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 5 of 8)  Forecasted Revenue  Eligible Expenses  Application Process  Stakeholder Engagement  Guiding Principles for ESSER II and III and Resource Allocation  A Multi-Tiered Support System to Accelerate Student Learning  ESSER Targeted Improvement Investment: Extended Time for Learning  ESSER Targeted Improvement Investment: Supporting Students with Strategic, School-Based Interventions  ESSER Targeted Improvement Investment: Supporting Teachers to Improve Classroom Practice  ESSER Targeted Improvement Investment: Meeting the Non-Instructional Needs of Students and School Communities  ESSER Targeted Improvement Investment: Supporting the Home-School Partnership  ESSER Spending by Year  ESSER Spending by Investment Category  ESSER Spending by Personnel and Non-Personnel  Admin vs Non-Admin  Next Steps  Job Descriptions Ms. Doherty stated for the record that she has been emailed and received letters from sixteen (16) schools that included more than 620 signatures and she stated that some of the letters she received did not have someone speak at the meeting tonight. She stated that she has also heard from twenty-two (22) speech pathologists and thirty-five (35) social works and more than 675 staff members across the district have signed these letters and are in opposition of the ESSER Funds spending. She stated that community engagement is not just presenting webinars, but actually listening to what our front line staff tells us and if we are make the assumption that the information they’re receiving is miscommunication that is dishonoring their work. Committee members expressed concerns around some of the positions and felt that the Personnel Subcommittee that is going to held will dig deeper into the job descriptions and the needs around them and allow for more discussion. They also stated that they felt that more needs to go back to the classroom and direct services to students. Ms. Clark stated that she was pleased with the presentation and believed what was presented was very good. Mr. Descoteaux made a motion to accept the following Reports of the Superintendent 8.1 through 8.3.1 as reports of progress; seconded by Mr. Dillon. 7 yeas APPROVED Ms. Martin made a motion to vote to allow the meeting to go over the 10:00 p.m. curfew; seconded by Ms. Doherty. 7 yeas APPROVED Lowell Public Schools • 155 Merrimack Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 6 of 8) 8.2. Afternoon in the Arts Program Overview David Grenier registered and spoke on Afternoon in the Arts Program Overview. Jessica Daviso, Fine Arts Department Chair at Lowell High School presented a PowerPoint Presentation that spoke about the Lowell Pubic School Middle School Band Program. She stated that our district has no orchestra and that students in grades 5 – 8 can’t take choral music, dance or theater classes in every school. She stated that there is no budget at all for K – 12 visual arts, dance, show choir and theater and not enough funding for instrumental music. She stated that it doesn’t have to stay that way and that following the already successful model used by the UMass Lowell String Project, the district can create a robust, rigorous, and equitable 5-8 arts program for all of the district. She stated that we can use the money from the three (3) open band positions to start an entirely new and innovative fine arts program for $267,800. She stated that this will include band, orchestra, dance, show choir, theater, and visual arts experiences for all 5-8 Lowell Public School students. Committee members agreed and were excited and pleased with her presentation and very supportive of this. Mr. Descoteaux made a motion to accept the following Reports of the Superintendent 8.1 through 8.3.1 as reports of progress; seconded by Mr. Dillon. 7 yeas APPROVED 8.3. Report on Motions Mayor Leahy asked about his motion regarding Lowell Public Schools Appreciation Day. He suggested and it was determined that it will be held on the same day as the gathering to honor the retirees. Superintendent Boyd provided the Committee with an updated report on the status of outstanding motions and asked the Committee if they had any concerns or questions. Mr. Descoteaux made a motion to accept the following Reports of the Superintendent 8.1 through 8.3.1 as reports of progress; seconded by Mr. Dillon. 7 yeas APPROVED 8.3.1. Response to Motions 3.CSO Of 07/21/21 By Jackie Doherty Regarding School Site Council QIP and Budget Process Dr. Guillory, Chief Schools Officer provided a reported that stated that nine (9) schools provided a PowerPoint presentations to the Committee that spoke about their individual School Site Council QIP and Budget Process. The schools chosen to present were: four (4) elementary schools (Shaughnessy, Reilly, Murkland and Lincoln) two (2) middle schools (Robinson and Butler), one (1) therapeutic school (Laura Lee), one (1) high school (Lowell High School) and one (1) K-8 school (Pyne/Arts). Each presentation included the following: Lowell Public Schools • 155 Merrimack Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 7 of 8)  Introduction of School Site Council Team.  Overview of QIP Goals and PROCESS for landing those goals.  Overview of major budget decisions to align resources to those goals.  Any new developments as a result of this process: What will be exciting for students next year? Mr. Descoteaux made a motion to accept the following Reports of the Superintendent 8.1 through 8.3.1 as reports of progress; seconded by Mr. Dillon. 7 yeas APPROVED 9. NEW BUSINESS 9.1. FY22 Budget Adoption Ms. Martin made a motion to and to approve the FY22 Budget Adoption with a bottom line figure of $194,284,378 and to submit it to the City Manager; seconded by Ms. Clark. 7 yeas APPROVED 9.2. Vote of Inter-District School Choice Mr. Descoteaux made a motion that the Lowell Public Schools maintain its current stance to opt out of participation in the inter-district school choice program for grades 9-12 for the 2021-2022 school year; seconded by Mr. Dillon. 7 yeas APPROVED 9.3. Approval of Summer Volunteer Work Pay Rates Dr. Hall, Chief Operating Officer provided a report to the Committee that informed them that in order to safely staff our schools this summer as the district attempts to provide summer school opportunities in as many locations as possible, he recommends that we increase the pay for nurses to $50/hour for summer school. Last summer, we paid nurses $30/hour and if we continue to use that same rate of pay, we would continue to have trouble filling all of our requirements, as neighboring communities are increasing their nursing rates as well. He stated that nurses are critical to the successful operation and expansion of summer school for a number of reasons and it is a necessity to provide competitive wages to nurses in order to provide additional incentives to nurses to opt to work in the summer. These rates of pay per hour will be in effect from June 17, 2021 until the day before the start of the 2021/2022 school year. Funding is coming from ESSER summer school as well as ASOST, 21st Century and SPED grants. Ms. Martin made a motion to approve the hourly rate for summer work for nurses to $50.00/hour; seconded by Ms. Doherty. 7 yeas APPROVED 10. PROFESSIONAL PERSONNEL 10.1. The Members of the United Teachers of Lowell Hereby Donate Thirty-Seven [37] Sick Leave Days to Patricia Teague Daley Middle School Paraprofessional. Mr. Dillon made a motion approve; seconded by Ms. Martin. 7 yeas APPROVED Lowell Public Schools • 155 Merrimack Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 8 of 8) 11. ADJOURNMENT Ms. Doherty made a motion to adjourn at 10:14 p.m.; seconded by Mr. Lay. 7 yeas APPROVED Respectfully submitted, Joel D. Boyd, Ed.D., Superintendent and Secretary to the Lowell School Committee JDB/mes Lowell Public Schools • 155 Merrimack Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us