School Committee

AGENDA #21​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Page 1 ​ ​ ​ CLERK OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE WORCESTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS 20 IRVING STREET WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS 01609 The School Committee will hold an in-person meeting with a virtual option*: on:​ Thursday, November 20, 2025 at:​ 5:00 p.m. Executive Session; 6:00 p.m. Open Session ​ Esther Howland Chamber, Worcester City Hall Virtual: ​ https://worcesterschools.zoom.us/j/82746440670?pwd=dmp4TnIxYThBd nhkZWQ1bm1hMjFFZz09 Also accessible by telephone, to dial in call: +1 301-715-8592 or +1 305-224-1968; Webinar ID: 827 4644 0670 *This meeting/hearing of the Worcester School Committee will be held in-person at the location provided on this notice. Members of the public are welcome to attend this in-person meeting. Please note that while an option for remote attendance and /or participation is being provided as a courtesy to the public, the meeting/hearing will not be suspended or terminated if technological problems interrupt the virtual broadcast, unless otherwise required by law. Members of the public with particular interest in any specific item on this agenda should make plans for in-person vs. virtual attendance accordingly. ORDER OF BUSINESS A.​ General Business Items taken in Executive Session To discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining position of the public body and the chair so declares – Successor Contract Negotiations - Massachusetts Laborers’ District Council for and in behalf of Worcester Public Service Employees Local Union 272 of the Laborers’ International Union of North America, AFL-CIO, Custodians. To discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining position of the public body and the chair so declares – Side Letter of Agreement re: Utility Crew Senior Custodian - Massachusetts Laborers’ District Council for and in behalf of Worcester Public Service Employees Local Union 272 of the Laborers’ International Union of North America, AFL-CIO, Custodians. To discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining position of the public body and the chair so declares – Successor Contract Negotiations - Massachusetts Laborers District Council for and in behalf of the Worcester Public Service Employees Local Union 272 of the Laborers’ International Union of North America, AFL-CIO, Educational Secretaries. To discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining position of the public body and the chair so declares – Successor Contract Negotiations – Educational Association of Worcester, Paraeducators Unit.  AGENDA #21​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Page 2 To discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining position of the public body and the chair so declares – Successor Contract Negotiations – Educational Association of Worcester, Parent Liaisons Unit. To discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining position of the public body and the chair so declares – Successor Contract Negotiations - Massachusetts Laborers’ District Council for and in behalf of Worcester Public Service Employees Local Union 272 of the Laborers’ International Union of North America, AFL-CIO, Unit D, Computer Technicians/IT Professionals. B.​ Call to Order C.​ Pledge of Allegiance/National Anthem: The National Anthem will be performed by Zoe Bodinizzo, a grade 9 student at Burncoat Senior High School. D.​ Roll Call​ M. ​ Student Advisory Committee Items E.​ Consent Agenda i. ​ Approval of Minutes of the October 23, 2025 School Committee Meeting. Approval of the Minutes of the October 30, 2025 Doherty Memorial High School Naming Committee Approval of Minutes of the November 10, 2025 Finance, Operations, and Governance Standing Committee meeting. Approval of Minutes of the November 17, 2025 Teaching, Learning and Student Success Standing Committee meeting. ii. ​ Approval of Donations To accept a $20,000 donation from Russ Haims of Hampton Properties for the Woodland and Claremont School Community. To accept a donation of Outfit Packs / Winter Coats / Hygiene kits / Socks and Underwear packs to benefit Family and Community engagement - McKinney Vento from Cradles to Crayons. To consider approval of a $500 donation from Pat at St. Spyridon Church to benefit Worcester Dual Language Magnet School. To consider approval of a $2,700 donation from Phi Sigma Sigma Foundation to support Belmont Street School's reading intervention blocks and to purchase a subscription for all teachers to A-Z reading.  AGENDA #21​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Page 3 To consider approval of a donation of automotive paints, paint supplies and related materials Felix Bonilla from Keystone Automotive to benefit the Auto Collision department at WTHS. To consider approval of a monetary donation from Reading for Education in the amount of $1141.82 to benefit Columbus Park Academy. To consider approval of Electrical fittings, connectors, couplings etc. to support the electrical program at Worcester Technical High School. iii. ​ Notification of Personnel Records a.​ New Hire Non-Instructional Staff b.​ New Hire Instructional Staff c.​ Resignations/Retirements ​ iv. ​ Initial filing of Recognition November 20, 2025 ​ (McCullough) To recognize Bay State Bank and President and CEO, Seth Pitts, for their generous $15,000 donation to help support WPS students facing food insecurity. November 20, 2025 (McCullough) To recognize Burncoat High School students for being grand prize winners of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s (MassDOT) statewide Safe Streets Smart Trips high school video contest. Junior/Senior category: Joel Chuku, John Fitzgerald, Abraham Muniz Quiros, Noah Koza, Edwin Olney, and Brendan Sullivan for the Video titled "Buckle Up.” v. ​ Notices of Interest to the District or to the Public F.​ Item for Reconsideration ​ gb 5-112 (Mailman with motion from Johnson) ​ ​​ (October 23, 2025) ​ Reconsideration Information ​ Please provide a report which includes information by sport by season by high school and middle school describing which sport uses which fields and when. Also include our district process for ensuring equitable access to fields for games and practices and explain how we ensure alignment with title 9 requirements. Vice Chair Johnson requested a friendly amendment to this item to receive this information in a Friday newsletter with additional information from Mr. Shea which will be posted on the WPS website. ​ Click to view the prior action for gb 5-112 G.​ Held Items  AGENDA #21​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Page 4 H.​ Recognitions ​ October 23, 2025 (McCullough) To recognize Maria Gardner, a paraprofessional at WAMS, for her efforts to beautify the grounds of many WPS properties. I. Public Comment-Any member of the public may address the Committee regarding any item before them for two (2) minutes. Those speaking will state their name, their residence, and the item on which they wish to speak for the record. Those speaking may do so in person or via remote participation. Those wishing to address the Committee in a language other than English are asked to notify the Clerk of the Committee in advance, so the Committee may be provided with an interpreter. Members of the Committee may not respond to the comments of the public at the meeting. Click to view Policy BEDH-Public Comment J. ​ Public Petition K.​ Report of the Superintendent ​ ros 5-15 (Administration) ​ Vision to Action…District Improvement Plan ​ Recommendation: Approve and file L.​ Reports of the Standing Committees ​ ​ FOG - November 10, 2025 ​ ​ gb 2-201 (Mailman) ​ ​ ​ (July 11, 2022) To review the availability of childcare for system educators in various positions and in various geographic parts of the city; one example - high school teachers at Burncoat and lack of early childcare availability in the area. Past practices? ​ ​ Result: Due to lack of funding, this item was filed on a roll call vote of 4-0. ​ ​ gb 3-244 (Mailman) ​ ​​ (November 4, 2023) Request that a policy revision be considered so that volunteers for book drives or similar events are held to the same high standard as are parents who volunteer at our school. Member McCullough requested to amend the item so as to institute a system-wide training program for volunteers. Member Mailman accepted the amendment to her item. ​ ​ Result: Member Johnson made a motion to approve the policy with language ​ ​ that allows the Superintendent, or a designee, to be the final decision maker ​ ​ for approving or denying a volunteer, beyond a CORI check. A motion to keep ​ the policy as is, with the caveat suggested in Member Johnson’s motion was ​ ​ approved on a roll call vote of 4-0. ​ ​ gb 3-271 (Administration) ​ ​ ​ (December 12, 2023) ​ ​ To consider approval of the WPS full-service community school.  AGENDA #21​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Page 5 ​ ​ Result: This item was filed due to lack of funding, on a roll call vote of 4-0. ​ ​ ​ ​ 4-30 McCullough ​ ​ ​ (March 7, 2024) ​ ​ To work with administration and the Doherty High School community to work ​ ​ on naming a space in the new school after fallen WFD Firefighter, Lt. Jason J. ​ ​ Menard. Menard is a Doherty alum, met his wife, Tina, while they were both ​ ​ students at ​ the school and even took his Firefighter exam at the current ​ ​ building. ​ ​ Result: This item was approved on a roll call vote of 4-0 and moved to the full ​ committee for a final vote. ​ ​ gb 4-100 (McCullough) ​ ​ ​ October 24, 2024 ​ ​ To get an update on the Versatrans MyStop App and its functionality. ​ ​ gb 5-7 McCullough ​ ​ ​ (January 16, 2025) ​ ​ With the passing of the bill that would allow individual school districts to ​ ​ install camera systems on the exterior of school buses, please provide a ​ ​ report that includes the district’s next steps, including the costs associated ​ ​ with additional equipment (stop arm cameras) and a potential timeline for ​ ​ implementation. ​ ​ Result:Items gb 4-100 and 5-7 were taken together. The item was filed with a ​ motion to receive an update in June 2026 in a Superintendent's Friday ​​ ​ update. ​ ​ gb 5-70 (Administration) ​ ​​ ​ (June 18, 2025) ​ ​ To approve the:High School Mastery-Based Grading Practice Information and ​ ​ Proposed Mastery-Based Grading Practices Written Policy ​ ​ Result: This item was approved on a roll call of 4-0 with motions to change ​ ​ the grading scale for a “D” to 60-69, to receive 6 sample syllabi showing ​ ​ teacher policies on makeup work and to receive an update in March/April ​ ​ 2026 on how the roll out is going. ​ gb 5-75 (Biancheria) ​ ​​ ​ (August 14, 2025) Request administration provide the student discipline data for 2024-2025 include all offenses. ​ ​ Result: This item was filed on a roll call vote of 4-0, with several motions: to ​ ​ receive a report on universal coding, a report on alternative supports or use ​ ​ and cost of safety centers, to receive a monthly safety report and to see ​ ​ disciplinary actions broken down by schools. gb 5-78 (Administration) ​ ​​ ​ (August 14, 2025) ​ Request that the School Committee establish an ongoing review and revision of  AGENDA #21​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Page 6 the WPS Student Handbook to ensure alignment with current laws, district policies, evolving best practices, and provide a structured opportunity for timely updates as needed throughout the year. Result: On a roll call vote of 4-0, this item was held. ​ ​ gb 5-99 (Administration) ​​ ​ (September 14, 2025) To review the status of the FY26 Budget and make appropriate transfers as required. ​ ​ Result: The transfers requested were approved and this item was held for ​ ​ additional FY26 budget updates and transfers. ​ ​ gb 5-107 (Binienda) ​ ​ ​ (October 9, 2025) ​ ​ To discuss funding for the GearUp Program at North High School. ​ ​ Result: This item was held on a roll call vote of 4-0. ​ TLSS - November 17, 2025 ​ ​ 3-89.4 Johnson ​ (March 8, 2023) To consider a review of the Chapter 74 programs in the comprehensive high schools including enrollment processes, criteria, and acceptance. Result: This item was filed on a 4-0 roll call vote with more information forthcoming later in the year in the biannual report. ​ The following 2 (two) items were considered together: ​ gb 5-38 (Administration) ​ ​ ​ (May 1, 2025) ​ ​ To consider approval of the proposed new chapter 74 courses ​ gb 5-76 (Biancheria) ​ (August 14, 2025) ​ Request administration provide an update on College and Career Readiness ​ providing a listing of Chapter 74 courses and Technical courses including ​ ​ division of Perkins funds. ​ ​ Result: Both gb 5-38 and gb 5-76 were filed on a roll call vote of 4-0 with ​ ​ additional information on chapter 74 forthcoming later in the year during the ​ bi-annual report. ​ gb 5-53 (McCullough) ​ ​ ​ (June 5, 2025) ​ To request administration explore piloting the COMPASS program in the WPS. ​ The COMPASS program is designed for students involved in foster care and ​ ​ was adapted from a successful model established 20 years ago by the BRYT ​ ​ program. WPS has over 400 students currently identified as being in foster ​ ​ care. ​ Result: A motion was made to keep the current program we have in place ​ ​ and not approve the COMPASS program model. On a roll call vote of 2-2, this  AGENDA #21​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Page 7 ​ motion was defeated. A motion was made to hold this item and receive more ​ ​ information. On a roll call vote of 2-2, this motion was also defeated. ​ gb 5-83 (Mailman) ​ (August 14, 2025) Request administration provide an update on preppy kindergarten program. Result: This item was filed on a 4-0 roll call vote with a motion to receive a listing of all pre-k programs in WPS. gb 5-93 (Roy) ​​ ​ (September 4, 2025) To review the process of honoring students of the Worcester Public Schools who achieve the highest grade point averages in their classes or who meet any other appropriate criteria that demonstrate outstanding academic achievement. ​​ Result: This item was filed on a 4-0 roll call vote. gb 5-94 (Roy) ​ (September 4, 2025) To request that the Administration update the committee on all anti-bullying initiatives and the impact it has had on our schools, and whether additional programs need to be implemented. ​ ​ Result: This item was filed with a motion to get a report back on a motion ​ ​ that explains​ what events/actions are deemed either bullying, harassment ​ ​ and conflict and what WPS is doing with regard to parent education on ​ ​ bullying. gb 5-63 (Administration) ​ (June 18, 2025) To review and approve the WPS Dual Language Program Plan. ​ ​ Result: This item was approved and filed on a 4-0 roll call vote with a motion ​ to receive a timeline for the expansion and next steps of the program. N.​ Approval of Grants and other Finance Items ​ To consider approval of Innovation Career Pathways Implementation and Support Grant in the amount of $46,434.64. ​ To consider approval of the Connecting Activities Grant in the amount of $102,000 to support work-based learning and other career development education activities for students. ​ To consider approval of the Bravely Grant in the amount of $10,000 to develop capacity in liberatory design and transformation design while addressing a high-priority challenge for reimagining student success. ​ To consider approval of the School Breakfast Grant from Project Bread in the amount of $8,000.  AGENDA #21​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Page 8 ​ To consider approval of 2 (two) prior year payments in the amount of $12,838.39. ​ To consider approval of a prior year payment for extra hours Saturday buyback in the amount of $390.00. To consider approval of a prior year payment for extra hours Saturday buyback in the amount of $560.00. To consider approval of a prior year payment SEP payment in the amount of $4,333.33. O.​ General Business ​ c&p 5-2 Public Petition ​ ​​ (March 20, 2025) ​ Response from Administration c&p 5-2 ​ DMHS class of 1972 requests the designation of a replacement tree in memory of our class with the addition of a memorial plaque to be financed by our class committee. ​ Recommendation: Approve and File ​ The following eight (8) items will be considered together: ​ Response from Administration for following eight (8) items gb 5-57 a (Motion from Member Biancheria) ​ ​ ​ (June 18, 2025) To receive a report on layoffs that effect the nutrition department. gb 5-57 b (Motion from Member Biancheria) (June 18, 20025) To receive a report of all school sites that have a full time building substitute teacher. gb 5-57 c (Motion from Member Biancheria) (June 18, 2025) To receive a report on the number of classrooms that support students with autism. gb 5-57 d (Motion from Member Mailman) (June 18, 2025) To receive a report on the Night Life program finances and growth. ros 5-11 (Motion from Member Mailman) ​ (May 15, 2025) To receive data number for the information presented on the key performance indicator evidence for District Goal #1: Acquire and Retain Talent. gb 5-75 (Motion from Member Alvarez) ​ (August 14, 2025) To receive additional data regarding demographic information and foster care status of students involved in disciplinary action. AGENDA #21​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Page 9 gb 5-70 (Motion from Member Mailman) ​ (September 11, 2025) To receive sample requirements and data in chart form from communities who are already using the mastery based grading. gb 5-73 (Motion from Member Biancheria) ​ (October 6, 2025) To receive a report on how many 7D van drivers we currently have employed and to confirm when the solar panels at Doherty Memorial High School have been connected. Recommendation: Approve and file​ gb 5-114 (McCullough) ​ (November 20, 2025) To request that the safety department work with the schools, particularly those in high traffic areas, to review pick up and drop off policies and require right turn only into and out of school driveways during specific drop off and pick up times to improve significant congestion in those areas, with a particular focus on middle and high schools. Recommendation: Refer to Administration gb 5-115 (McCullough) ​ (November 20, 2025) To request the district explore the possibility of a centrally located family resource center that provides centralized services for food and clothing needs as well as the possibility of including washers/dryers for family use and one of the school based health centers. Recommendation: Refer to Administration gb 5-116 (Alvarez) ​ (November 20, 2025) Request that the Administration work with the city of Worcester's Department of Transportation and Public Works to assess traffic and pedestrian safety concerns at the crosswalk located on Belmont Street across from Stanton Street, near the basketball located in Bell Hill Park. It has been reported that drivers speed through this area despite the existing crosswalk. Further, request that the City explore safety enhancements such as flashing pedestrian lights (for non-school hours), additional signage, or the assignment of a crossing guard during school hours. Recommendation: Refer to Administration gb 5-117 (Johnson) ​ (November 20, 2025) Request administration provide a report on school accountability report. Within report please report on four year cohort graduation rate, extended engagement rate, chronic absenteeism, and advance coursework completion. And report on the plan to address the concerns regarding the accountability report. Recommendation: Refer to Administration  AGENDA #21​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Page 10 gb 5-118 (Administration) ​ (November 20, 2025) To consider a disclosure by the Superintendent of Schools pursuant to Mass.G.L. c. 268A, § 19, and after a review of its contents to make a determination thereon. Recommendation: Approve and File ​ P. Announcements Meeting Dates: -​ December 4, 2025, 5:00 p.m., Esther Howland Chamber, Worcester City Hall, 455 Main Street. -​ December 8, 2025 Standing Committee on Finance, Operations, and Governance, 20 Irving Street, Room 410 -​ December 11, 2024, 5:00 p.m., Standing Committee on Teaching, Learning, and Student Success, 20 Irving Street, Room 410 Q.​ Adjournment Kristi Turgeon, Clerk of the School Committee