School Committee

LOWELL SCHOOL COMMITTEE REGULAR MEETING MINUTES Date: March 1, 2023 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 6:36 p.m., members present were, namely: Ms. Doherty, Mr. Lay, Ms. Martin, Ms. Thompson, Mayor Chau, Ms. Chhoun and Ms. Delrossi. 3. SPECIAL ORDER OF BUSINESS 3.1. Spotlight On Excellence – Extended Learning Mr. Finn registered and spoke on this item regarding middle school show choir being cancelled. Ms. Rocheleau, Coordinator of Special Programs, informed the Committee the Lowell Public Schools offered forty-one (41) distinct programs to students in 2022. She stated that summer learning programs were at every school site for a minimum of four (4) weeks. She stated that the credit recovery is offered for provisionally retained students at all middle schools, Lowell High School and the Engagement Center. She stated that Special Education summer ESY programs were held in eight (8) locations across the district. She stated that we also held summer acceleration academies for Math and ELA (held in four (4) schools), that were open to all students and offered the week after summer programming ends. She stated that there was an Early Childhood summer grant that ran for six (6) weeks for Pre-K students, as well as the Student Police Academy & Ironstone Farm programs in collaboration with Lowell Police. She stated that IDEA Camp and Camp Invention was held and was around STEM focused programming. She stated as always we partner with the Lowell Recreation Department to offer extended day programming in summer for all students. She stated that this year we had a high school Intern project with fifty-four (54) LHS students in 2022. Ms. Doherty asked about credit recovery and stated that she heard that absenteeism was high and if the amount of time the students attended was sufficient. Lowell Public Schools • 155 Merrimack Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 2 of 8) Mr. Skinner stated that he didn’t have that information in front of him and would provide it by the next meeting. Ms. Thompson asked about how we ensure equity with limited space. Ms. Rocheleau stated that the accelerated programs are by invitation, but project learn is open to all. 4. MINUTES 4.1. Approval of the Minutes of the Regularly Scheduled School Committee Meeting of Wednesday, February 15, 2023 Ms. Doherty still has concerns around how communications are appearing on the agenda. She also stated that she has concerns around the middle school health program and made the following motion. Ms. Doherty made a motion to have a Joint Policy & Curriculum Subcommittee for the purpose of discussing Communications on the School Committee Agenda as well as the Middle School Health Program; seconded by Ms. Martin. 7 yeas APPROVED Ms. Doherty made a motion to accept and place on file the minutes of the Regularly Scheduled School Committee Meeting that was held on Wednesday, February 15, 2023; seconded by Ms. Chhoun. 7 yeas APPROVED 5. PERMISSION TO ENTER 5.1. Permission to Enter: March 1, 2023 Ms. Doherty asked about Pear Associates for $50,000. Ms. Phillips stated that a feasibility study is being done for universal Pre-K. Ms. Doherty felt this was not very timely and that the Committee knows who the partners are. She asked if ESSER funds were being spent on this. Ms. Turner stated that all monies under ESSER have been already earmarked. Mr. Lay made a motion to approve the Permission to Enter: seconded by Ms. Martin. 6 yeas, 1 present (Ms. Martin) APPROVED 6. MEMORIALS 6.1. Dr. James Kennedy, A Retired Lowell High School Science Department Head Lowell Public Schools • 155 Merrimack Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 3 of 8) 7. MOTIONS 7.1. [By Jackie Doherty]: Request the City Solicitor provide written opinion whether the School Committee followed Robert’s Rules in voting on the Feb. 15 Motion 7.1 that allowed the Solicitor one month to review claims prior to hiring outside counsel when previously the Committee had voted (Dec. 14, 2022) to hire outside counsel and had voted (Feb. 6) to select said counsel at its Feb. 15 meeting. Ms. Doherty asked for the report to also provide information when a member should use the term abstain when voting. Ms. Doherty made a motion to approve; seconded by Ms. Martin. 7 yeas APPROVED 7.2. [By Eileen DelRossi]: Request Superintendent to have the first special education subcommittee meeting within the next 2-4 weeks. Ms. Delrossi made a motion to approve; seconded by Ms. Chhoun. 7 yeas APPROVED 7.3. [By Eileen DelRossi]: Request Superintendent and chair of the school improvement and performance management subcommittee to plan a meeting soon to discuss a motion put forth on 5/18/2022: To create an anonymous survey for teachers and support staff to evaluate school building culture. Ms. Delrossi made a motion to approve; seconded by Ms. Thompson. 7 yeas APPROVED 7.4. [By Eileen DelRossi]: Request the Superintendent to add a line item for teacher appreciation so that during teacher appreciation week building administration can have an operating budget to spend to treat all staff that make teaching our students possible in our schools. Ms. Delrossi made a motion to approve; seconded by Mr. Lay. 7 yeas APPROVED 7.5. [By Connie Martin]: Requesting a report from the Administration on the implementation of the February Vacation recovery and other academic programs. Ms. Martin made a motion to approve; seconded by Ms. Thompson. 7 yeas APPROVED 7.6. [By Connie Martin]: Request that the Mayor re-convene the Ad Hoc Naming Subcommittee to begin the process of accepting community recommendations for naming opportunities at Lowell High School and any other school facilities as appropriate. Ms. Martin made a motion to approve; seconded by Ms. Doherty. 7 yeas APPROVED Lowell Public Schools • 155 Merrimack Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 4 of 8) 8. SUBCOMMITTEES 8.1. Human Resources & Labor Relations Subcommittee Meeting: Report and Approval of the Minutes of the Meeting of Wednesday, February 8, 2023 [Connie Martin, Chairperson] Ms. Martin, Chairperson of the Human Resources & Labor Relations Subcommittee informed the Committee that several job descriptions were brought forward to the Subcommittee for discussion, but the Committee haven’t received updated descriptions so no vote can be taken tonight. Ms. Thompson made a motion to accept the report as a report of progress; seconded by Ms. Doherty. 7 yeas APPROVED 8.2. Curriculum & Instruction Subcommittee Meeting: Report and Approval of the Minutes of the Meeting of Wednesday, February 8, 2023 [Connie Martin, Chairperson] Ms. Martin, Chairperson of the Curriculum & Instruction Subcommittee informed the Committee that a PowerPoint presentation was provided to the Committee that updated them on elementary Math and ELA Interventions. She stated that a PowerPoint presentation was also shared with the Subcommittee around the LHS Fine Arts/Health Program. Ms. Chounn made a motion to accept the report as a report of progress; seconded by Ms. Delrossi. 7 yeas APPROVED 8.3. Equity & Access Subcommittee: Report and Approval of the Minutes of the Meeting of Wednesday, February 6, 2023 [Stacey Thompson, Chairperson] Ms. Thompson, Chairperson of the Equity & Access Subcommittee informed the Committee that an update was provided around language access. She stated that this includes services such as translation, interpretation, staff professional development, and the implementation of communications tools. She stated that the goal of language access is to ensure that our English learner students and families have their communications needs met when it comes to the educational services of the Lowell Public Schools Ms. Martin made a motion to accept the report as a report of progress; seconded by Mr. Lay. 7 yeas APPROVED 9. REPORTS OF THE SUPERINTENDENT 9.1. FY24 Budget Update Ms. Martin made a motion to refer the FY24 Budget Update to a Finance Subcommittee; seconded by Ms. Thompson. 7 yeas APPROVED 9.2. Update on Student Registration and Placement Ms. Thompson made a motion to refer the Update on Student Registration and Placement to an Equity & Access Subcommittee; seconded by Ms. Doherty. 7 yeas APPROVED Lowell Public Schools • 155 Merrimack Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 5 of 8) 9.3. Response to Motion 06. CAO of 02/01/23 By Jackie Doherty Regarding Extended Learning Ms. Desmond, Chief Academic Officer provided a report to the Committee that informed them that the Lowell Public Schools provided summer school programming to approximately 3,990 students in the summer of 2022 through forty (40) distinct programs. The majority of summer learning programs operated from July 5-29th with some additional programming running through August 12th. The report included the following highlights:  Strong focus on alignment of curriculum standards/common core within summer school content.  Engaging and enriching curriculum to stem summer learning loss and post-pandemic academic recovery for at-risk students.  New high school internship program for 50 LHS students 16-18 years old to work as paid teaching assistants in elementary programs. This directly supports our education pathway at LHS and our teacher diversification goals.  Partnership with the Lowell Police Department to provide ELA and math teachers as well as college interns into the Summer Student Police Academy to increase academic content and rigor.  Expanded use of community partners such as Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust/Drumlin Farm, Lowell Parks and Recreation, Lowell Taekwondo, SNL Sports and Green Dragons.  Class sizes were manageable with all classes enrolling fifteen (15) students or fewer.  Summer field trips were provided weekly for students in elementary and middle schools  All students were provided with breakfast and lunch daily.  Transportation to and from school was provided (1/2 mile elementary, one (1) mile middle). Bus passes provided to all LHS students. Ms. Doherty made a motion to accept the following Reports of the Superintendent 9.2 and 9.3 as reports of progress; seconded by Ms. Chhoun. 7 yeas APPROVED 9.4. Home Education Superintendent Boyd recommended that the following parents/guardians be allowed to home educate their child: Nelimar Delgado-Rivera Ms. Doherty made a motion to approve; seconded by Ms. Martin. 7 yeas APPROVED 10. NEW BUSINESS 10.1. 2023-2024 School Calendar The 2023-2024 School Calendar was withdrawn from the agenda. 10.2. Budget Transfer Mr. Lay made a motion to approve the budget transfer of $1,041,401.16; seconded by Ms. Delrossi. 7 yeas APPROVED Lowell Public Schools • 155 Merrimack Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 6 of 8) 10.3. Approval to Accept and Expend Allocated FY23 Awards Ms. Turner asked the Committee to approve, accept and expend the allocated FY23 awards. The report states that these funds include Federal and State awards that have been secured by the Lowell Public Schools through the Department of Secondary and Elementary Education and the Center for Collaborative Education. Ms. Chhoun made a motion to approve, accept and expend the allocated FY23 awards; seconded by Ms. Martin. 7 yeas APPROVED 10.4. Approval of Research Proposal & Partnership Between Lowell Public Schools, UMass Lowell, and Boston University Dr. Elizabeth Bettini, an Associate Professor of Special Education at Boston University and Dr. John McKenna, an Associate Professor of Special Education at the University of Massachusetts Lowell are seeking to cultivate a Research Practice Partnership between Lowell Public Schools and Boston University and UMass Lowell. The partnership’s objective of their research, is to learn about how schools and districts can better structure and support substantially separate programs for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD), by iteratively improving Lowell’s Adjustment Program, and researching those improvements. The reports states that this study will collect descriptive data on current practice in the Adjustment Program at the Lincoln and the Wang. The goal of the study is that the research team will work closely with school leaders to identify specific improvements that can be made to strengthen the Adjustment Program at the Wang and the Lincoln Schools. Ms. Thompson made a motion to approve the Research Proposal & Partnership Between Lowell Public Schools, UMass Lowell, and Boston University; seconded by Ms. Chhoun. 7 yeas APPROVED 11. CONVENTION/CONFERENCE REQUESTS 11.1. Out of State & Overnight Travel Request: For Robinson School Students to Travel to Yellowstone National Park Ms. Doherty made a motion to bundle and approve the convention/conference requests; seconded by Ms. Martin. 7 yeas APPROVED 11.2. Out of State and Overnight Travel Request: LHS Outdoor Track & Field Teams to White Plains, New York Ms. Doherty made a motion to bundle and approve the convention/conference requests; seconded by Ms. Martin. 7 yeas APPROVED 11.3. Out of State & Overnight Travel Request: For Assistant Superintendent Phillips Ms. Doherty made a motion to bundle and approve the convention/conference requests; seconded by Ms. Martin. 7 yeas APPROVED Lowell Public Schools • 155 Merrimack Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 7 of 8) 11.4. Out of State Travel Request: For Christine Adams Ms. Doherty made a motion to bundle and approve the convention/conference requests; seconded by Ms. Martin. 7 yeas APPROVED 12. COMMUNICATIONS 12.1. Communication from Chief Operating Officer Regarding Capital Improvements Ms. Doherty made a motion to refer the Communication from the Chief Operating Officer Regarding Capital Improvements to a Facilities Subcommittee; seconded by Ms. Martin. 7 yeas APPROVED Superintendent Boyd presented a plaque to Ms. Thompson that recognizes Ms. Thompson being a speaker at Lowell High School during Black History Month. Mr. Lay made a motion to request the Superintendent work with the City Manager to tour the Ste Jeanne d'Arc School and to invite the School Committee and the City Council; seconded by Ms. Martin. 7 yeas APPROVED 13. ADJOURNMENT Ms. Delrossi made a motion to adjourn at 8:36 p.m.; seconded by Ms. Chhoun. 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  (Page 8 of 8) Lowell Public Schools • 155 Merrimack Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us