That's That's good heads-up by Mac. >> Yep. Gets the ball over to Pellegrino. Pellegrino could just hold on to that. Ooh. Time out red or time out East Long Meadow. Spartans up 9 to 5 with 4:08 left in the fourth quarter. >> All right, we are back with potentially the last 4 minutes of this Western Mass final game. East Long Meadow has the ball with 4:13 left. Spartans up 9 to 5. What's your game plan, Bo, for the Spartans for the next 4 minutes? I mean, I can always understand that, you know, playing it safe, eating the clock, certainly can understand that, but I also love controlling your own way forward, putting the pressure on them, bringing it right to goal. So, honestly, if they see the seams, if they see openings, take it to goal. So, in other words, if Mac has a one-on-one, take it.
I know that medicine says they can't but it is something that students definitely struggle with. Um we have to deal with that. We do it in a variety of ways. We have vape detectors in all our bathrooms. We're obviously paying attention to what's going on. We'll get uh you know anonymous signals from people. It's it's it's a a huge issue that I think again every school and not just the Commonwealth but also across the country has dealt with. Um we have to make sure that we're consistent with our approach. Uh we're dealing with it. It it typically results in a suspension uh because it does fall under a Mass General law uh that that allows us to uh suspend students without you know emergency removal. We start there, but then there's going to be a hearing with the principal. Uh we do want to restore that safety.
You've heard me say this before, that our students just took the Smarter Balanced test, and that not only is a test of your knowledge, but is a test of your computer skills. So, we're asking 8-year-old children to maneuver a computer that if they don't utilize on a a regular basis, they could struggle especially in the area of mathematics. Technology infrastructure. We're not going to buy one of our switches. E-rate reimbursement came in better than we expected. A telecommunications audit, Mr. De Mauro said they'll handle that internally. I really enjoyed what one of the uh speakers said today and I didn't get to speak to the speaker before, so I'm glad I'm on the same page and my team's on the same page. We are reducing educational software by 17,500. That is going to change what we purchase relative to software and what students will be utilizing in in the classroom.
They had a list of criteria that is in the board report that really shows like where that particular product is in terms of our criteria and uh our power standards. So, the team went through that, they narrowed it down, they did further interviews, and they decided to pilot Savvas, which is uh from this vendor. um Um They went through a I said pilot and I'm not supposed to use that term. So, we went through a field test of Savvas at the high school this past semester. So, we had English two and English three teachers along with special educator and EL support staff go through that field test of the Savvas product. What we discovered through that was that it was very rigorous. Our students were struggling a lot with it. It took like some time to get the the rigor under control for students. They felt a sense of accomplishment.
Oh. Yes, it is. I will cross that out and we'll make that update. Thank you. You're good kids. Eagle eyes. I have nothing better to do. >> [laughter] >> Okay. Um on page two, there's a little bit more language. It's the carryover of number four there and then number five is also added. Uh Uh it the district has a reasonable belief that the request was not submitted by a a person. These are reasons that we can say no to a FOIA. Uh and the requestor fails to verify orally or in writing that they are a person within 30 days of the district's request for verification. So we do get FOIAs that look like they're not from an actual person or mailbox. Um there are bots that people send out FOIAs to thousands of districts across the country and we have the right to request that they provide their information and if they don't then we don't have to respond to the FOIA.
Uh so, if we can get it in before Memorial Day weekend, great, on a Sunday. But usually it falls after Memorial Day weekend on the following Sunday. Uh a question that I get and we did review the calendar with our liaison committee, our staff. Um and there was very little discussion. I think people have become very accustomed with this cuz it's a very it seems like a very clear uh calendar. Um The question that I get is about building in inclement weather days, like building in the snow days. Okay? And so, the proposed calendar does not include building inclement weather days. I've been here long enough and I'm I'm an old history teacher, so historically, when we have built in snow days, they never materialize. So, embedding snow days has created challenges as families and staff often would make plans when they'd see a three-day weekend.
>> Take it, yep. >> There we go. Looks like they're setting up with Mac and Sabina doing a little two-man. Mac pulls the ball out. Mack still with the ball, man. At some point you're you're if you're Chugg, you're going to have to like Yep. double that up. Mack with the ball. Mack still with the ball, gets the ball up to McKechnie. McKechnie with the ball. McKechnie still with the ball, switches left hand. McKechnie finds nothing, pulls the ball back out. You hear me and Chugg saying, "Go get it." >> Yep. McKechnie still with the ball. McKechnie gets the ball over to Marino. Now it will be Marino's turn to run around. The Spartans with a variety of different options that can just keep going and running for days. And Marino definitely one of those. As Marino just does a full 360. Takes 30 seconds off the clock, finds a seam, nothing there.
We want to teach them. Uh going to the next slide, it kind of combines with tobacco, which isn't uh if you go to the next slide, is not obviously as dangerous, but it is a bad habit forming drug that is not appropriate for our students, our school age students. We have implemented along with Miss Westway, our uh mental health specialist counselor in the office, a program called I decide this past year. Um we actually built our school goals around it uh because it's something that could help students to learn about building healthy habits. So um that's part of the student wellness thing that u Mr. Nelson is probably going to talk about later as we get into this week and uh on Friday we have a a fair that's devoted to that. But again uh I I mentioned I decide which is a program that we're running to try to help the students with that.
And that's all right. That's all right. >> in the curriculum Will you update us incorrectly? >> Yeah, what exactly they will be, yes. Okay. Staff professional development. This was not um anything that this administration proposed. This was um at a Board of Education meeting when we were at CIS and the the principal mentioned if you The question was asked if you can have one thing, what would you want? It was professional more professional development funds and we cut last year $20,000 out of the budget for professional development, so the Board of Education requested when I was developing the budget put 20 that $20,000 back in and speaking to the administrative team and um with teacher union, it's as we're saying, it's more important for our teachers being classrooms and we're going to reduce that 20,000. Small capital, $92,000. We're hoping and we go that uh with the drip grant that comes from the state of Connecticut, that was you this should cover the $92,000 that we're going to receive from the state.
They were doing far more writing through the the field test than they were previously. And the the teachers really worked hard to implement the field test. As we debriefed with them, as we looked at the SALT team, we went through our process that CAC regulates and they made a recommendation to move forward with Savvas. So, we did a training with them just to introduce all of the staff to Savvas and what's in the textbooks. We did that on April 6th, I believe, the the day back from break. And then we've been planning for implementation since then. So, I met with the English department. Um That was yesterday. That was yesterday. And then we discussed several things. They wanted to talk about communication with parents, separate trainings for English one, two, and three, and then their concern about not reading any novels. So, we talked about those concerns.
We can deny it. Any more questions about that? Uh the next two are exhibits. Exhibit 3:40 E, checklist for the superintendent employment contract negotiation process. And then the next one is 4:130 E, free and reduced price food services meal charge notifications. The next one is a policy 4:165 awareness and prevention of child sexual abuse and grooming behaviors. There are a couple of uh changes on here. On page one they just removed the word grooming uh under number three you'll see that in the first paragraph. And on the next page they removed uh Number four previously said provide parents, guardians, and of students in any of grades K through eight with not less than five days written notice before commencing any class or course providing instruction in recognizing and avoiding sexual abuse as well as the opportunity to object in writing. Um so that is uh recommended to be taken out.
And then lo and behold, when we have inclement weather, those three days go away and then you have a lot of attendance issues both from students and from staff who made plans, and now you're changing the calendar. So, we got away from built-in snow days quite some time ago, and I just think this calendar really lends itself to being very clear, very established. Um, there's been any rare time that we've had to maybe add a day at the end of the school year, or we've had too many virtual learning days in a row and we just call it a a traditional snow day, knowing we have to make it up at some point somehow. So, I bring this calendar for your consideration. Again, it falls really in alignment with our past calendars for about a little over a decade now since we went to this format, and I would just ask for the board's consideration to to approve it so our our families know what to expect in two school years.
Finds Lucy Parsons. Lucy Parsons and takes a shot and puts one in the back of the net. Well done. Well executed. There you go. That's what you were uh That's what you were asking for, right? You wanted the Spartans to to do that. And Kylie Marino once again finds Lucy Parsons to put the Spartans up 10-5 with 3:04 left in the uh the game. Just that little circle she did relaxes the defense a little bit, opens them up, gives Lucy a perfect little seam in there. Great finish. Lucy with a great catch and nice finish. Spartans doing a good job finding that ball around again. Me, it makes a big difference when the other teams have to play out. Now you can start doing different options. And now when those girls are that, now you have the Julia Lingsworth, the Jane Pelletiers, the Lucy Parsons that can finish it right in front of the net.
So um to summarize we have a lot of different interventions and consequences that we are using. uh we're always trying to develop new ones, but it's very important for us to again build those relationships with the students. The conferencing with students is vital because eventually no matter what we're we're trying to get those students back into class. Um it does take some efforts on our part. A lot of times we're holding them accountable. Back in the day it might have just been a detention or a suspension. You're getting rid of them. You're putting them in the house suspension. Yeah. you're getting them out of class. What are you building? Restorative justice is really the way of the future. Something that we are still building. We're still working. You need to understand the wise. You need to be able to deliver good messages to students so that they could help their brains develop and become better citizens.
And then there is that line of the 2.0 FTE staff members. And as I said, this will not be teachers. This will be that we're going to need to look at some of the things that people have mentioned um today and in the past, these are things that we're going to have to look at relative to $52,000, whether we're going to be reducing positions, but we're we're going to have to eliminate 2.0 FTE, but that is not going to be the teacher cut. That's $375,000 for a total reduction of $575,000.
There is a book club that's kind of an attachment to Savvas, but because this is such a big shift from going from a teacher developed curriculum by tradition to implementing this this curriculum, Um, we put a pause on that the book club, the novels uh for a a period of a year. Now, within Savvas itself, there are full-length texts as well as interviews, um um podcasts, um screenplays, um those types of things. So, there's full texts like The Tempest and Metamorphosis, um The Crucible are example of full-length texts within it, but it also uses a variety of texts to teach the standards in English for those classes as well. So, um whole process, we have like a scheduled plan to revisit the use of novels within that, but because this is such a a huge lift for both our staff and our students, we put a pause on that um for a period of a year.
We have things in place that we notify our parents before we do anything related to Aaron's Law and parents are allowed to decline to have their children participate in that. What is different between this and Aaron in the Aaron's Law notification? I don't know what the difference is, but as a district we would not do the Aaron's Law because that would also fall under topics that are I'm going to forget the word, but a controversial the controversial topics for us. So that is something that even though they are recommending taking that out here, that's something that doesn't change our practice whatsoever. So the district's going to continue to notify parents. They're maintaining that requirement. Right, the district will maintain requirement. We actually give parents much more than 5 days notice. We do this quite a bit ahead of time, several weeks typically. So it doesn't change our practice.
Thank you. Mhm. Yes. I'll ask the board for a motion to approve the 2017-2018 calendar. I'll make the motion. Second. I have a motion and a second. Any discussion? Yeah, I I there's confusion I think in the community that they think that the teachers love virtual days, and that's far from the truth because typically our teachers have plans for that day, and you can't typically do the same thing you wanted to in the house when you're trying to do it virtually. So, um it happens. It It's not fun for anybody. I know that parents are trying to scramble to find babysitters, and who's going to do this, and it's just it's just crazy, but I think for the most part most people deal with it as best they can. Um, you don't want buses driving on ice. It's just know that the priority is number one and safety.
Yep. As we just saw and they just did put the Spartans up 10-5 with 3:04 left in the game. Mack Whitwer and Taylor on the draw. Ball goes up and Kozub comes up with it. Kozub with the ball, getting the ball over the restraining line. They're going to Minnechaug's going to have to work quick as she does a roll, turns around. Good job by Kylie Marino to fill that in. They get the ball up to Sergenko. Sergenko behind the net to Stackwitz. Stackwitz still behind the the net. Kicking the ball back to Kozub. Spartans doing a good job holding them off as Lee goes in there at all. Oh, unfortunate for the Spartans. Look like Mac Whitworth got a got a piece of that ball on Lee and the ball went over Julia Gray's head for for the goal. Certainly a little unlucky bounce there, but Yeah, that's it's a tough one.
Uh that doesn't just happen with us. It really is vital that we're communicating with home. It's really vital that we're communicating back with our staff. Um, we have definitely some busy days ahead of us as we roll down this year. Uh, but again, the common goal, we're always trying to ensure that we have a safe and productive learning environment. I'm going to turn it back over to Christa. I think there's a few more things that we want to just talk about. >> Thank you, Bill. So, uh, one of the big things, like I said before, is that we have seen a big uptick with mental health, um, over the last couple years, not only at Greater Lawrence, but you do see it, um, across the world, unfortunately. So, we have the we're very lucky to have Jamie with us. Um so she deals with students who are dealing with any type of social emotional um you know problem um relationship issues, friend issues um outbursts in class really trying to understand and getting at the core of the problem what is happening.