Welcome everybody. My name is Mina Jane and I'm the director of the Ashlin Public Library. I'm really excited to be here with David Crew is going to be talking about Route 128, why we love to hate it, um, and so many other things. So, um, he's going to be talking about that in just a minute. Before we get there, as I mentioned, please use the chat to let us know where you're coming from and what you might know about 128 already. Um, in the meantime, I'd like to just say a couple things. One is I I'd like to thank the friends of the Ashlin Public Library for supporting all of our programming. We could not do this kind of stuff without them. In this particular program, we also are um collaborating with a 10 libraries in Massachusetts. And I'm so excited because I feel like when libraries get together and work together, we make magic as we have today.
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Good evening. Thank you all who have come tonight for our family academy from Baltimore public schools. All those in person and those joining us um online. Tonight we have um a couple of special guests. So we have Fernandanda Sera from Source Hub, a great community partner who is always there to help families. Um we so appreciate that. Um Fernanda will be talking about some uh financial literacy um planning. Um and we have and from where the Selves Funeral Home will talk about uh some really important uh information about to pay for end of life. Thank you again. Thank you. Hi everyone. My name is Fernanda Syla. I'm going to be on this side cuz I decided to stay a little bit further out. Um so we have a nonprofit called Stars Hub here in Fall River on South Street and we offer a community with a bunch of programs.
So, um I really just really appreciate everyone's uh different viewpoints and stories. So we started the process with a lot of things uh against against us. Declining enrollment, a series of political executive orders that have a impact in our school, financial struggles uh due to recession, inflation, all of those things. uh we're in a critical point of artistic and wish uh changing our mindset into results oriented and changing behaviors of the ways that we have done things. And yet we come together because we all care about the same students, families, staff members, and communities. And we have a great desire to do better and be better for everyone. And so I know that even though we didn't address the 13 things, we addressed five. And I think with what we have, less people, less money, and with the people that are coming, students and families that are coming with greater need of services and support, I think five out of 13 I don't consider a loss.
Um most likely we will be doing that in the afternoon toward the end. Um Like I said, here is our agenda and our objectives are posted plus um what's not on there is the board study. Okay, and our IBN process skills which again are the team will complete a temperature check at the close of the meeting to protect individual opinions and perspectives. Facilitator will list talking points agreed upon by team to Emily. Emily will request consensus in the chat before publishing IBN summary toraton connection and we will check on time restraints and let's do that. Do we have any time restraints for today? Okay. Any other time, Kelly? I just have a short meeting from 9:30 to 10:30 that I'm just going to take in the office online and then I'll come back. You come back. Okay. Any other um after one after lunch? Okay.
I'll call this meeting to order and we will start with uh a moment of silence followed by a pledge of allegiance led by Miss Jill Humphre. We would uh invite you to uh remember uh Jude Flores and Andrea Jung. Um, Andrea Jung was a teacher uh that recently passed away. Um, and Jude Flores is uh a a student uh in Gilbert Public Schools. So, we'd like you to invite you to remember them during our moment of silence. If you'd please stand. If you'll join me in the pledge.
So um thank you David. if um so David's got slides as you can tell and while his slides are uh playing and he's talking I will turn the chat off so that you're not distracted and then when we come back for the Q&A I'll turn it back on but if you have questions for him at any point put them in the Q&A and I will ask David those questions at the end of the um the slides and and we'll get to as many as we possibly can. So you might know David Crew because he has been with us several times. He's an author. He's a he's a historian. He's been is a spokesperson webmaster for the big dig. He's been retired for a few years and he has written and spoken about some of the most fascinating topics I think we've ever really had here like the big dig and we were just talking about like Shakespeare.
So we have libraries in Tukesbury uh patrons coming from Tukesbury, Beverly, Sherburn, Belmont, Norwood, Stowe, Wayland, Denim, Needam, and Draket as well as anybody who randomly heard about this program. So we're very excited to welcome you from all over the state to this incredible what I think is going to be an incredibly interesting program because we have hosted David Crew before and I know that for a fact. So um if you have questions, please put them in the Q&A. chat is for chatter and for any tech issues. I'll be paying attention to that. We will be taking questions at the end of the program and I will be moderating those for David. So, um without further ado, I'm going to tell you that David is has a masters in computer engineering from Boston University. He's worked as a copywriter, computer programmer, radio producer, radio engineer, and for a few years as a spokesman and web master for the big dig.
Um, and I'm going to go over what those programs are, but just so you know, our hours of operations are Monday through Friday from 9 to 5. Mondays, we see walkins. The other days, we need you to set up an appointment for us to uh provide services. Okay. On Mondays, we also have health connector and mental health at the office. Um, they see everyone without an appointment. It's um you get there, they come to see you. You don't need to set up an appointment. The services that we offer is quite a bit of immigration services. We help you prepare the forms. Um we do DACA, green card and work authorization renewals, citizenship applications, um family petition, change of venue, change of address with immigration, foyer request, foreign check. Um, we do contracts, I 10 application, and we're going to go over what that is in a second.
I consider the next step into making us better for our families. Um, so I I I I appreciate meet and confer a great deal actually. It's a very unique committee, right? Any committee or any meeting that I've ever been to, there's there's always a decision maker, right? It may it it may be collaborative in the process, but at the end of the meeting, nine times out of 10, there's one person that's going to be that final decision maker. So, it's you you have uh you have voice, but you're not necessarily a decision maker. Um, and sometimes that can be very very frustrating uh in situations like this where not only are you a participant, but you are a decision maker, right? You have the ability to push things forward, you have the ability to hold something back as an individual. And that's a very powerful thing.
A um I just have to be gone for a little bit for a meeting with Dr. Pombo on my campus um at like 1:15. So I should be back by around 2ish though. Okay. Avon 9:30 to to 10 I have a bit meeting for a foster care child. Okay. Okay. Thank you everyone. Yes. Um, no. We're going to do a full Well, who knows? I mean, it depends really on our recommendations and how fast that goes. So, we'll see. Thank you everyone for your input with that. Our guiding principles um remember it's alignment with student outcomes focused governance goals sustain us and really remember this today. Okay. sustainable salary for all staff, sustainable health care benefits, explore revenue generation options, and adhere to budgetary recommendations. Um, remember our norms. Please review them. Um, especially when you see the comments from the evaluation today. Um, you'll see what I mean, but we really do need to focus on our norms today.
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you everyone. Uh I will ask Miss Wilson to uh perform roll call. Mr. Chad Thompson here. Dr. Blake Robersonson here. Miss Jill Humphre here. Miss Shaina Murray here. Mr. Jesse Brainard here. Mr. President President, all board members are present. You have a quorum. Thank you, Miss Wilson. Uh, agenda item number 3.01, approval of agenda. Is there a motion to approve tonight's agenda as outlined? So moved. Thank you, Miss Humphre. Is there a second? Second. Thank you, Miss Murray. All those in favor of approving tonight's agenda as outlined, say, "I." I.
I mean your interests are just so far reaching. It's amazing. So today, like I said, we are talking about um No More Curse: A History of the Red Sox, but it's more than that because this was based on a play that you wrote. Is that correct, David? Uh musical. Yes. So, what can't you do? Well, I can't tell you if the Socks are going to win this year. That's what I can't do. So, you can't tell the future, huh? If I could, I'd be on Bed MGM and, you know, not being I'd really have Fenway Park behind me. That's right. And you wouldn't be doing this for peanuts. Get it? Oh, very nice. Nicely done. All right, I'm going to go off screen and let you do your thing. And I'll be back when we get to the questions. Thank you so much, Mina. And hello everybody from around the country.
So, he knows what he talks about. So, um, his book called Building, uh, Route 128 is, um, is what he's going to be talking about today, but he has several other books, including his most current book, Inseparable, which is based on three inmates who, um, escaped from Alcatraz. And I would love to have David back at some point to talk about that. So, um, like I said, without further ado, I'm gonna hand it to David. Welcome, David. Thank you so much for being here with us, and I look forward to this talk.
Um, we also do life insurance workshops in different fields. Um, especially if you come from another country and you're trying to validate your diplomas from your country to here, we can assist you with that as well. Um, we do case management, translation, we, um, have a public notary with staff, rent assistance. work with those draft applications. Um, and just to go over that a little bit, it's a an assistance where if you pay a rent and it's past due, we can apply um it's a very easy application, but the landlord also has to do their part of the application and rent can pay up to $7,000 a year. Um, and again, the rent has to be laid. They need to have a certificate. um snap applications and that right there is our social um our social media and our page on [Music] Instagram. Right now we're going to go over the topics for this family academy which is navigating life's challenges and essential planning for families.
Um, and that's why it's so important to build that sense of team. Um, and you come up with little catchphrases and things like, you know, it's my understanding or can I ask a clarifying question because it's all about relationships, right? And, uh, the best example I can think of is like board meetings. If you don't have relationships with that, you're you're you're not going to be able to pass your stuff through. So, it's not it's not just about how you present things. It's also about how um how you go about that process and building relationships in the room. Um so building team, a sense of team I think is really really important. Other and and it's tedious, right? The whole process is tedious. I mean I I remember sitting in a governing board meeting where they talked for 45 minutes about a sentence and one word in the sentence and I was like sweet Jesus, can't we just move on and do something else?
And as you know, this is the scope of meet and confer work. Um, we've gone over this several times. It's up there for you all to see. Okay, speaking of our evaluation, uh, and by the way, I just want to say upfront again, thank you everyone for filling these out. I appreciate your honesty. Um, even though when I read it, I'm like, I'm a failure. Um, but it does guide me. It really does guide me. It opens up my mind. And I just want to thank you. We didn't have as many um, complete it, but I know this evaluation was designed to be the last evaluation. So, I did tell some of you you didn't need to fill it out. Um, and we have another evaluation today. So um please especially because this is our last meeting. This will guide the first meeting for IBN the next time.
Any opposed? Thank you. That passes. And moving on to uh our favorite part of the evening uh superintendent recognition awards. Dr. McCord. Thank you, Mr. President. Governing board members, if you join me in front of the dis, we will uh introduce some great people to you.
I'm seeing people from Oakland. And uh by the way, you folks, I feel so badly for you cuz there's next to the Red Sox fans, uh Oakland fans were so devoted. You guys, what they did to you guys, taking your team away. But anyway, um welcome everybody. I am going to turn off uh my video because I would like you all to focus on this which is um a uh cartoon that um that I had uh seen um many many years ago. And of course, I cut it out and I had to save it. Uh, back before 2004 when Red Sox fans were filled with nothing but frustration, coming for so many years so close to winning at all only to have well things that we're going to be talking about tonight. Um, this frustration, this coming so close and this Sisophian type existence that the Red Sox had is what inspired me to write a musical which premiered at Boston's Lyric Stage way back in 2001.
Well, thank thank you. Thank you very much. Make sure that I'm unmuted. Can you all hear me? Yes, we can. Fantastic. Okay. Because as as I've demonstrated to Amina, uh having a degree in engineering doesn't mean that I can always use Zoom. Thank you everybody. And thank you to all the libraries who've gotten together and uh put together this presentation today. Uh yeah. So in 2003 uh I wrote a book with a a Boston developer named Yanni Cypus. We both found each other through our interest in the local highway system and we put together this book on Route 128. We call it the road we love to hate because like many of you and by the way the best thing about Zoom is that none of us have to sit in traffic on this road. And where I you probably often as I do wonder how the heck did we get a road that is so apparently inadequate to the task of getting us from one place to another.