In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s BPS School Committee meeting. The meeting began with the Superintendent’s report, which included the revised policy for retention, and an update on an investigation regarding the Boston Student Advisory Council (BSAC), which was reported in length in a recent Boston Globe article. Following the Superintendent’s report, the Committee heard and voted on facility plans and the naming of the library at the Nathan Hale Elementary School. Concerns about some of the discussed topics were voiced during public comment, which featured multiple students and parents speaking about the ongoing BSAC crisis as well as staff and parents from the Horace Mann School. The meeting then concluded with two reports, one from the Boston Special Education Parent Advisory Council and another regarding systemized grading throughout the district. Overall, the plans presented last night outlined a positive vision for BPS grounded in equity and student achievement but lacking important detail around implementation.
We are left with the following questions:
What further steps will the district take to ensure that the current and former students of BSAC are okay? How will the district manage BSAC rather than outsource it in the future?
What is the plan for summer? The district promised months ago to know the plan for every student in BPS. Do we have a plan for every student?
Where will the Horace Mann students attend school until their new school is built?
How many teachers have been hired for next year and how many vacancies remain?
What are the updated enrollment projections for next year based on the first round of student assignments?
When will we hear a draft policy on exam school admissions?
What is happening with our graduating students? How many are attending college? If they aren’t going to college, what are they doing next? Does the district have any of this data?
Ways to Engage:
Attend an exam school task force committee meeting, which will be meeting weekly in May on Tuesdays, starting at 5pm.
The commission to advise the superintendent on how to spend the incoming $400m will have 5 public meetings, which you can attend. They will meet tonight at 5pm and on the following dates:
Thursday, May 13, 5:00pm
Thursday, May 27, 5:00pm
Thursday, June 10, 5:00pm
Sunday, June 27, 5:00pm
Thursday, July 1, 5:00pm
Resources
Boston Globe article regarding the BSAC Investigation
Meeting Presentations and Materials
Boston Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SpedPAC) Annual Update
Equitable Grading PowerPoint
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