Ep. 86, Last Night @ School Committee: 5/24 Meeting Recap

Last Night At School Committee

Last night’s meeting began with the Superintendent’s Report, which started with a moment of silence for the recent loss of two students. The Superintendent then discussed a recent Boston Globe article on chronic absenteeism, noting that BPS has seen a 7% improvement in its chronic absenteeism rate but still has a long way to go (chronic absenteeism is currently around 40%). School Committee members pressed the Superintendent for answers on two other issues that have been in the news recently. First, members asked about a recent controversy surrounding improper payment of a plumbing contract, to which the Superintendent noted that an external auditor will be reviewing procurement practices. She also noted that the district has hired a director to lead its internal auditing office but is still working to grow that capacity. Second, members asked for data on exam school admissions, seeking the number of students who applied and did not get a seat. The Superintendent was unable to answer this question but said she would provide this data at the next meeting. (For more information about the exam school admissions process, including an eleventh-hour change in the policy that was ultimately adopted, listen to our recap from that July 2021 vote).

The meeting moved on to public comment, where parents raised concerns about discrepancies in exam school admissions, overdue back-pay for educators, and the impending mergers of the Shaw/Taylor and Sumner/Philbrick Schools – a topic that would be brought to a vote later in the meeting.

After public comment, the School Committee voted on withdrawal from the Massachusetts School Choice Program. This annual vote is typically perfunctory, with School Committee members quickly adopting the Superintendent's recommendation not to participate in school choice, but last night there was a lively discussion and a close vote. Members questioned the district’s logic in opting out of participation, highlighting how this program could help create more pathways for students and increase enrollment in under-enrolled schools. The motion to continue opting out of participation in school choice ultimately passed 3-2, with one abstention.

After the school choice vote, the School Committee held two votes on merging the Shaw/Taylor and Sumner/Philbrick Schools. Again, members pushed for details about both the merger process – including a calendar for public engagement over the next year – and the specifics for each school – including who will lead the merged communities, what services will be provided to students, and how much funding the combined entities will be given. The Superintendent and her team said the work to answer these questions will happen after the vote and advocated for the Committee to move forward. The Committee approved both mergers unanimously.

The meeting ended with a report on a recommended admissions policy for the Madison Park Technical Vocational High School. In response to a state mandate that all vocational schools have an admissions policy, BPS presented a new policy by which students would apply and submit teacher recommendations, rather than being assigned to the school without applying (which currently happens for 30% of students). According to the new policy, students who apply beyond the current capacity will be selected by lottery. Members were receptive to this policy that gives students more agency in the schools they choose.

The next School Committee meeting will take place Wednesday, June 7 at 5pm on Zoom.

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