School Committee

LOWELL SCHOOL COMMITTEE REGULAR MEETING MINUTES Date: April 6, 2022 Time: 6:30PM Location: City Council Chamber, 375 Merrimack Street, 2nd Floor, Lowell, MA 01852 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 an 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 2:00 p.m. on the day of the meeting. 1. SALUTE TO FLAG 2. ROLL CALL On a roll call at 6:53 p.m., members present were, namely: Ms. Thompson, Mayor Chau, Ms. Chhoun, Ms. Delrossi, Ms. Doherty, Mr. Lay and Ms. Martin. 3. SPECIAL ORDER OF BUSINESS 3.1. Spotlight On Excellence: 2022 Science and Engineering Fair The Spotlight on Excellence presentation featured the 2022 Science and Engineering Fair that was held on March 1, 2022 at Lowell High School. Advisors worked with students over the past several months to prepare projects and fifty-five (55) students participated representing all nine (9) middle schools and Lowell High School. The projects were innovative and demonstrated engagement with the science and engineering practices. This year’s winners were: Kiley Conlon, from Lowell High School who presented Printing Our Future. Kiley built her own 3-D printer that uses recycled plastic bottles as a printing material. The STEM Academy presented Build a Better Black Hole Model by Sidal Al-Obaidi, Nabiha Zaheen and Manasseh Muteba. This team made a working model of a black hole to help other students understand the science behind the phenomenon. Ms. Steinberg, a Lowell High School teacher was also thanked for her assistance. Lowell Public Schools • 155 Merrimack Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 2 of 10) 4. MINUTES 4.1. Approval of the Minutes of the Regularly Scheduled School Committee Meeting of Wednesday, March 16, 2022 Ms. Delrossi made a motion to accept and place on file the minutes of the Regularly Scheduled School Committee Meeting that was held on Wednesday, March 16, 2022; seconded by Ms. Chhoun. 7 yeas APPROVED 5. PERMISSION TO ENTER 5.1. Permission to Enter: April 6, 2022 Ms. Martin made a motion to approve the Permission to Enter; seconded by Ms. Doherty. 7 yeas APPROVED 6. MEMORIALS 6.1. Margaret “Peg” Lally, A Retired Lowell High School Paraprofessional 7. MOTIONS 7.1. [By Jackie Doherty]: Request the Superintendent provide the committee with a report on what each middle school offers students re enhancement/intervention programming, including type of instruction, number of students involved by grade, and when it is scheduled such as before/after school, during homeroom, allied arts, or other time block. Ms. Ros registered and spoke on this agenda item. Ms. Doherty made a motion to approve; seconded by Ms. Thompson. 7 yeas APPROVED 7.2. [By Jackie Doherty]: Request the Superintendent clarify when a vote was taken to hold off on spending ESSER funds set aside for facility upgrades. Ms. Doherty made a motion to approve; seconded by Ms. Martin. 7 yeas APPROVED 7.3. [By Dominik Hok Lay]: Ask superintendent for a report on "After Dark Program" at the high school. Do we have favorable response and what are we planning to do in the future? Mr. Lay made a motion to approve; seconded by Ms. Delrossi. 7 yeas APPROVED 7.4. [By Dominik Hok Lay]: Ask superintendent for a feasibility study for having a STEM Program at Lowell High School. Mr. Lay made a motion to approve; seconded by Ms. Chhoun. 7 yeas APPROVED Lowell Public Schools • 155 Merrimack Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 3 of 10) 7.5. [By Dominik Hok Lay]: Request the superintendent collaborate with the President of the United Teachers of Lowell to form an ad hoc task force of qualified local experts in fields relevant to school facility safety standards and maintenance to (1) review all facility needs across the district, (2) inventory historic attempts to remedy the issues and (3) build a long-range plan for improvement, including recommended funding vehicles and ongoing monitoring protocols to ensure that every school in Lowell meets the community’s high standard for students now and into the future. Regular status reports shall be submitted to the School Committee on a monthly basis in public session, outlining the progress of the task force until completion of the project. Ms. Doherty asked if there would be a cost associated with it. Mr. Lay stated that he doesn’t expect any expense and that he’s just looking for a plan to be put in place. Mr. Lay made a motion to approve; seconded by Ms. Thompson. 7 yeas APPROVED Ms. Thompson made a motion to refer item. #7.5 to the joint City Council & School Committee Facilities Subcommittee for further discussion; seconded by Ms. Martin. 7 yeas APPROVED 7.6. [By Dominik Hok Lay]: Ask superintendent for a feasibility study for providing a vocational program in Information Technology located inside Lowell High School, with some example courses including but not limited to Cyber Security, Web Development, Graphic Design, Networking etc. that are approved by DESE and also are not in conflict with the Greater Lowell Vocational School. Mr. Lay made a motion to approve; seconded by Ms. Doherty. 7 yeas APPROVED 7.7. [By Connie Martin]: Request an update on the current status of our Principal evaluation completions and contract cycles, including any anticipated vacancies for the upcoming school year. Ms. Martin stated that she was looking for a total number and the number of any vacancies and that she is not looking for names. Ms. Martin made a motion to approve; seconded by Ms. Doherty. 7 yeas APPROVED 7.8. [By Eileen DelRossi]: Request superintendent to provide report in regards to staffing delegations for technology department. Ms. Delrossi made a motion to approve; seconded by Ms. Chhoun. 7 yeas APPROVED Lowell Public Schools • 155 Merrimack Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 4 of 10) 7.9. UNANSWERED MOTION (By Jacqueline Doherty): Have A Third Party Audit Around Mental Health Services to Our Students. Ms. Lang and Ms. Bui registered and spoke on this agenda item. Ms. Doherty requested that an RFP be done immediately and that we need to move forward with this. Ms. Martin requested that this be done timely and that we have it heading into the budget season. Ms. Doherty made a motion to approve; seconded by Mr. Lay. 7 yeas APPROVED 7.10. [By Eileen DelRossi]: Request superintendent to provide a line item budget from Munis so committee can have clearer understanding of budget. Ms. Delrossi made a motion to approve; seconded by Mr. Lay. 7 yeas APPROVED 7.11.[By Eileen DelRossi]: Request the Superintendent to give a report on the printers at the STEM Academy. What has been done to fix this issue? 4 weeks of no working printers. Ms. Delrossi added that it’s be five (5) weeks now. Ms. Delrossi made a motion to approve; seconded by Ms. Martin. 7 yeas APPROVED 7.12. [By Eileen DelRossi]: Request the Superintendent to help coordinate the appropriate community resources to help our Next Generation Civics projects take their hard work to the next level in the community. Ms. Delrossi made a motion to approve; seconded by Ms. Thompson. 7 yeas APPROVED 8. SUBCOMMITTEES 8.1. Facilities & Transportation Subcommittee: Approval of the Minutes of the meeting of Monday, March 14, 2022 [Jackie Doherty, Chairperson] Ms. Doherty Chairperson of the Facilities & Transportation Subcommittee informed the Committee that they reviewed a summarized listing of the completed and expected maintenance and repair expenditures for FY2022. She spoke about the HVAC issues and stated that heating is not a wish, it’s a requirement as well as air conditioning which is essential for our students to learn. Ms. Doherty made a motion to go with the Collins Report and the HVAC RFP Assessment; seconded by Ms. Martin. 7 yeas APPROVED Ms. Delrossi 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 5 of 10) 8.2. Curriculum & Instruction Subcommittee Meeting: Report of the Meeting of Wednesday, March 30, 2022 [Connie Martin, Chairperson] Ms. Martin made a motion to refer the Curriculum & Instruction Subcommittee Meeting report to the next School Committee meeting on April 20, 2022; seconded by Ms. Doherty. 7 yeas APPROVED 9. REPORTS OF THE SUPERINTENDENT 9.1. Budget Update Ms. Turner, Chief Financial Officer provided a report to the Committee that included the following topics:  Update on Budget Landscape/Revenue (City Changes)  Update on FSF  Community Budget (vetting)  Next Steps The report gave a month to month breakdown of the following action needed:  January - update CBA, health and other contractual known increases and wait for the Governor’s numbers, review grants and revolving account balances to determine a tentative overall budget amount to start process with. - DONE  February - update with programmatic changes and determine a proposed SBB amount including FSF pool and supplements. Two (2) budget summits are held to update School Site Councils on the budget process. - DONE  March 2, we distribute the SBB amount to schools using weights, baselines and transition policies. On March 7th, we deliver allocations and workbooks to schools to work with School Site Councils from March 7th to March 22nd to translate QIP into fiscal plan.  March 22 - April 1st Schools present their budget to central office team to ensure that all curriculum, regulations, guardrails, finances and grant criteria have been met.  April/May After each school's budget has been approved, all budgets are merged into overall budget document to ensure balancing. During April, forums are held to share the draft overall comprehensive plan/budget with the parents, teachers, community and partners.  May 4th - budget is presented to SC in final draft format Public hearings are held May 18th- anticipated day of approval Shared with City Council for approval. Ms. Turner also spoke about the proposed single line appropriation support to the Lowell Public Schools in the city budget that is significantly lower than was anticipated. She stated that despite the conservative attempt to level fund the city cash amount with last year’s amount, the district is still faced Lowell Public Schools • 155 Merrimack Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 6 of 10) with significant changes to the current budget plans due to the $3-million-dollar reduction to our city cash rather than an expected increase. Ms. Turner stated that they are currently holding teacher, parent, student, and community forums Ms. Delrossi made a motion to accept the following Reports of the Superintendent 9.1 through 9.2.6 as reports of progress; seconded by Ms. Chhoun. 7 yeas APPROVED 9.2. Report On Motions 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. Ms. Delrossi made a motion to accept the following Reports of the Superintendent 9.1 through 9.2.6 as reports of progress; seconded by Ms. Chhoun. 7 yeas APPROVED 9.2.1. Response to Motion 3. CAO of 02/02/22 By Andy Descoteaux Regarding Neck Guards, Helmets and Safety Equipment Mr. Lezenski, Director of Athletics provided a report to the Committee informing them that all equipment for all of the athletic teams that is purchased by Lowell Public Schools including, but not limited to helmets and safety equipment is compliant and meets all NFHS and MIAA policies, regulations, procedures and rules for participation in the given sport. Ms. Delrossi made a motion to accept the following Reports of the Superintendent 9.1 through 9.2.6 as reports of progress; seconded by Ms. Chhoun. 7 yeas APPROVED 9.2.2. Response to Motions 17. & 07. COO of 03/16/21 And 01/19/22 by Connie Martin Regarding Aramark Reporting Portal Dr. Hall, Chief Operating Officer provided a report to the Committee that informed them that since the launch of the website, eleven (11) complaints or concerns have been logged. The concerns are sent to Dr. Hall and Aramark and a discussion occurs between Dr. Hall and Aramark related to each concern, the finding and the resolution. He stated that isues are also shared with the Superintendent when appropriate. The report included a summarization of the complaints and the findings. Ms. Delrossi made a motion to accept the following Reports of the Superintendent 9.1 through 9.2.6 as reports of progress; seconded by Ms. Chhoun. 7 yeas APPROVED Lowell Public Schools • 155 Merrimack Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 7 of 10) 9.2.3. Response to Motion 1. CAO of 12/01/21 by Jackie Doherty Regarding a Third Party Audit Around Mental Health Services to our Students Ms. Desmond, Chief Academic Officer provided a report that informed the Committee of an audit of the district’s mental health services that will be conducted as a part of the incoming Director’s entry and transition process to provide the newly formed department access to critical information that will support the strategic development of this department. A Request for Proposal (RFP) for an external vendor to conduct the audit will be finalized and released concurrently with the interview process for the Director position. LPS is focused on scaling up the operation and impact of our school-based mental health screening and response systems to support our students’ social emotional, behavioral, and mental health needs. In addition, the Support Specialist will work with the team to select and pilot a high-quality universal mental health screener vetted by school-based clinicians. Ms. Doherty thanked Ms. Desmond for the report, but stated that’s not what the intent of the motion was and she requested that an RFP be done immediately. Ms. Delrossi made a motion to accept the following Reports of the Superintendent 9.1 through 9.2.6 as reports of progress; seconded by Ms. Chhoun. 7 yeas APPROVED 9.2.4. Response to Motions 6. CEEO of 03/16/21 by Dominik Lay Regarding Translation Services & FY23 Budget Ms. Phillips, Chief Equity & Engagement Officer provided a report to the Committee that included the following:  Defining Language Access  Student & Family Demographics  Improving Access to Communication  Current Budgeted Services  Reflections on Services & Data Collection  Next Steps Mr. Lay stated that he still receives calls that the translations can be gibberish or they can’t make it out and asked if we can use local translators. Ms. Phillips stated that that we need certified translators and that to have families who have experienced an issue contact her office so she can help resolve it. Ms. Delrossi made a motion to accept the following Reports of the Superintendent 9.1 through 9.2.6 as reports of progress; seconded by Ms. Chhoun. 7 yeas APPROVED Lowell Public Schools • 155 Merrimack Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 8 of 10) 9.2.5. Response to Motions 16. COO of 03/16/21 by Stacey Thompson Regarding Equitable and Diverse Hiring Processes Dr. Hall, Chief Schools Officer provided a report that gave the Committee an overview on the following:  Teachers/Educators of Color  Diversity Working Group with UTL  The Aspiring Teachers Network 2019-2020  Job Fairs Attended 2019 – August 2021  Professional Development - BlackPrint  Professional Development – DESE  Informal Recruitment Efforts 2019-Present  Substitute Teachers’ Orientation/Workshop Offerings  Down Payment Assistance Program  Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program  UML Class Visits 2021-2022  Marketing/Advertisement Campaign  Diverse Teacher Leaders Program  Program Achievement  Plans for the Future  Virtual Career Fair January 2022 with the Lowell Career Center (MassHire – Lowell)  Affinity Groups and Goals  Recruitment, Job Fair, On-Campus Strategies  Spring 2022 – LPS Recruitment Timeline Ms. Doherty spoke about future educators and recruiting our alumni network. Ms. Delrossi made a motion to accept the following Reports of the Superintendent 9.1 through 9.2.6 as reports of progress; seconded by Ms. Chhoun.7 yeas APPROVED 9.2.6. Response to Motions 5. CEEO of 02/02/21 by Stacey Thompson Regarding Monthly Incident Reports Relative to Bullying, Discrimination and Racism Ms. Phillips, Chief Equity & Engagement Officer provided a report to the Committee that included data from August 2020 through February 2022. The report states that the majority of the presentation focuses on the data submitted this school year through February 18, 2022, which is the date this year’s dataset was initially analyzed and for this reason, there are six (6) reports not included in the dataset which occurred between February 19th through February 28th. The reports include three (3) bullying incidents, two (2) harassment incidents, one (1) discrimination incident and zero (0) racism incidents (although the discrimination incident was based on race, the submitter selected discrimination as the incident type on the submitted form). The report stated that of the 184 incidents, 129 investigations Lowell Public Schools • 155 Merrimack Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 9 of 10) had been completed and uploaded into the database. The investigation form is separate from the incident reporting form; therefore, while the Equity Office has centralized access to the submitted incident forms, the Office does not have access to the investigation data until the investigation form is uploaded by a school-based investigator. A synopsis of the investigation findings and administered consequences have been included in the presentation. The report stated that as it relates to the typical timeframe from the opening of a discrimination, racism, bullying or intimidation complaint until the time an investigation is opened, this information is not currently collected and automated in a database; the investigation form is a document that gets submitted once the school-based administrator or designee completes an investigation. Staff will investigate and report back on April 20th ways the database may be able to be adjusted to gather more automated data relating to the investigation process. The report will also include other process improvements that have been made or are being recommended based on the analysis of the incidents that have occurred, the determinations that have been made, and the consequences that have been assigned as well as an incident report with graphic from reported incidents from 2020 through 2022. Ms. Thompson stated that she was glad it was noted that something is missing and not available in the database. Ms. Delrossi made a motion to accept the following Reports of the Superintendent 9.1 through 9.2.6 as reports of progress; seconded by Ms. Chhoun. 7 yeas APPROVED 9.3. Home Education Superintendent Boyd recommended that the following parents/guardians be allowed to home educate their child: Laura Mimms Andrea Harris Ms. Doherty made a motion to approve; seconded by Mr. Lay. 7 yeas APPROVED 10. CONVENTION/CONFERENCE REQUESTS 10.1. Butler School Overnight Field Trip Request: Boston, MA Ms. Martin made a motion to bundle and approve convention/conference requests 10.1 through 10.4; seconded by Ms. Thompson. 7 yeas APPROVED 10.2. Lowell High School Out of State and Overnight Travel Request: Dallas, Texas Ms. Martin made a motion to bundle and approve convention/conference requests 10.1 through 10.4; seconded by Ms. Thompson. 7 yeas APPROVED Lowell Public Schools • 155 Merrimack Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 10 of 10) 10.3. Lowell High School out of State and Overnight Travel Request: Wilmington, Delaware Ms. Martin made a motion to bundle and approve convention/conference requests 10.1 through 10.4; seconded by Ms. Thompson. 7 yeas APPROVED 10.4. Out of State & Overnight Travel Request: Human Resources Recruitment Ms. Martin made a motion to bundle and approve convention/conference requests 10.1 through 10.4; seconded by Ms. Thompson. 7 yeas APPROVED 11. PROFESSIONAL PERSONNEL 11.1. The Members of the Lowell School Administrators Association Hereby Request to Donate Fourteen [14] Sick Leave Days to Katie McGann, Bartlett School Social Worker. Ms. Delrossi made a motion to approve; seconded by Ms. Chhoun. 7 yeas APPROVED 11.2. The Members of the United Teachers of Lowell Hereby Donate Fifteen [15] Sick Leave Days to Gerson Colon, Lowell High School Teacher. Ms. Martin made a motion to approve; seconded by Mr. Lay. 7 yeas APPROVED 12. ADJOURNMENT Ms. Delrossi made a motion to adjourn at 8:38 p.m.; seconded by Ms. Doherty. 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