Quincy School Committee: February 11, 2026

001Okay, at 6:15 we'll open up our budget and finance committee meeting. Uh we have Mr. Melania with us with our regular updates. Jim, >> Mr. Mayor, members of the uh school committee, um we've got the u uh budget review for the six months ended December 31st, 2025. Uh the uh 2025 budget uh was uh 146,734,627 which was an increase of $4.198 million over the previous year's budget. Uh the mayor's appropriation was uh 138,384,627 3.13% increase. Projected circuit breaker funding was budgeted at 8,350,000 a million dollar increase. And we had some good news relative to circuit breaker funding. The actual reimbursement uh for this year is going to be or for the prior year is 10,522,000. That's a 2,172,000 increase over the uh budget amount. Additionally, uh, council order 2025-149 provided a $6 million appropriation to

002fund anticipated collective bargaining settlements retroactive back to July 1. The amount covers collar expectations across multiple bargaining units, including all of the QPS units. Those monies have not been transferred into our accounts yet. Um, we still uh have some units that have not settled their u bargaining. So until we have all that done, um those monies won't be coming under here. So, uh there will be instances where we have a little bit more expended than we'd like at this point in time. That will all go away once we get the additional funding in for the uh cola raises. So, as of uh December 31st, 2025, there are eight bi-weekly payments for professional teaching staff for the academic classroom teachers uh with 18 remaining. At this time, there should be approximately 69% of the budget available

003to get through the year. There is currently 68.77% remaining in the academic classroom teacher line. The shortfall is a result of that 3% raise. Once all the contracts, union contracts are settled, the transfer will be made to cover the costs of all contractual increases. This will result in sufficient funding to pay all remaining salaries, including level upgrades for all bargaining units. Uh the longevity uh has a negative balance of $6,150. Typically, there's approximately $100,000 available in this line at this time, and it's used to pay for teachers who are retiring. Uh the teachers are now paid for a lump sum of 30 of their unused sick days when they retire. Uh the QEA contract uh which was bargained uh had an increase in longevity of uh $277,100. Uh and this is for the academic classroom

004teachers, academic program teachers, and academic support teachers. So under academic programs, as with the academic classroom teachers, 69% of the line should be expended. Uh currently the 67.89 uh is available and and that's the same thing that 3% when it comes over will take care of that difference. And the longevity again the same thing. There's a a deficit of 47,000 or $4,700 where typically there's about $75,000 available for academic support. The instructional line follows the patent of the AC academic classroom teachers and the academic program teachers. There's a balance of 67.64% remaining. Uh this one typically has a lower amount because of all the summer programs been fully expended at this point. So again, once that 3% comes over, we'll be in fine shape with all of these. Uh most of the clerical and administrators

005should have approximately 50% expended to date because there 26 pay periods thus far and you'll see that there's off by just a small amount 1 or 2% and that again will be covered with the transfer of the uh funds. The only uh items that I want to point out right now are the directors and the department heads. Uh more has been expended than normally would be at this time. The directors it's 41.23% 2 3% uh that was a result of um the retirement of uh Allison Cox her payout so that that has additional funds coming out of it and the department heads as we mentioned during the reconciliation the last time we have additional two coordinators in this line they used to be grant funded under title one we were told uh by title one

006uh the folks in DY that we couldn't put those administrators in we took them out and they're now funding four teacher positions. So there'll be a savings in the teacher lines that will be offset any deficit we might have in this line. So those are the only two that really stand out right now. And again the longevity uh this one has a larger amount uh $50,700 because this has all the longevity for uh other uh units. Um and um yeah so basically it just has more units in it. Uh so uh for non-academic support um the clerical uh line is 48.65 that's in very good shape. Uh this is combination of 52- week employees and uh 197 days and 193 day employees. Uh so uh we're in good shape with that custodial. Uh again, it's

007below the 50% and there's additional $400,000 at the end of the year that will transfer from food services to cover the uh operating expense um in this line item. We use that as an offset. Um maintenance again, security, all of these line items are in fine shape once we get uh that 3% in there. So, as of right now, uh we've uh expended $44,553,868 and we have a remaining balance of 73,688,518. And again, once we have that transfer, all those line items will be in fine shape. I don't know if anybody has any questions on the salary side. >> I could just add to that, Mr. Melani for the benefit of those that are viewing. So, uh, when we go through our yearly fall tax setting times when we do a lot of transfers and

008it was anticipated and we baked it in and the council appropriated the money this past fall for all those raises. So, it's just a matter of our municipal finance department sharing the call with Jim to get that over here. But, uh, this is typical. This is not unusual. U, so just a point of clarification. Anybody have any questions? >> Mr. Leoni, uh, thank you for this. Um, is there a breakout for, um, substitute teacher expense? >> Uh, yes, there is. Uh, we don't have it out separately here. I can get you that if you'd like. >> Okay. And do you know off the top of your head um if it's in line with um where we are uh at this point in the year? >> It it it's in in very good shape. We added

009a significant amount of money to it because we did increase the um uh salaries for or the the daily pay for substitutes the prior year. Uh so it's in it's in very good shape right now. >> Okay. Thank you. >> But I can get you the exact figures. >> That's it. >> Anybody else? >> See none. Anything further, Jim? >> Uh not on the the payroll. Um uh the only thing I'd like to point out on the expenses, all the expenses are in line. Uh again, the ones we always have to watch, uh the uh special ed tuitions and the special ed transportation. Again, we have an additional $2 million. So, um right now in the budget, it shows we have 800 8 million five $8.6 million available for uh expenditures and tuitions. That figure

010currently is actually 10.76 million. Uh because of that additional 2.1 million for uh circuit breaker. Uh we're working very hard to get uh a lot of we have additional uh thanks to the city's capital improvement plan. We have four new uh buses and we're looking at putting new routes together to try and take back some uh of the uh students that we have vended out outside that are in city students. uh that will save us money uh on this line. So, we'll be watching that one closely. And then the only other one um that will probably be in a deficit uh is the electricity. The um rate has gone up considerably over the prior year uh and as well as the delivery charge. Uh we had a small surplus in that line last year. We

011anticipate a deficit for this year. Uh currently we're running very well in natural gas even despite the number of heating days we've had. So I'm hoping that between those two lines they'll balance out and won't affect any other line in the budget. >> Mrs. Pios, >> thank you. Mr. Molini, could you just talk about um I know at one of the previous times that you came before us, uh we're in a different situation with the drivers, the bus drivers and the vendors. Could you just talk about a little bit about how it might be different now? How many vendors are we? Is it different? Is it a significant difference now on how much we're paying for bus vendors versus in QPS drivers? >> Uh it's a tremendously different situation. Uh the the first thing um

012you know we we settled with the the teamsters and we're back at it again now. Um but uh we were able to get back um uh the large buses. Uh we vented those out last year. That was a cost of approximately uh $1.4 million. uh that was you know funded towards our deficit. Uh taking that back was huge and again we've uh uh increased our cost our uh pay for our uh bus drivers and uh it's been had a great impact on us getting more and more drivers available to us and that's why we have once these vehicles get on the road uh we'll have drivers all set to go for them. So, it's been a big difference as well as um for uh athletics and field trips. We've had our drivers be able to

013do that as opposed to venting it out. So, uh the more we can take back uh the better it is, but I mean there's there's still just an awful lot of we still have a need for vendors just because of um the the special ed transportation. Uh it's going all over the city from all over the city. So, >> okay. Thank you very much. Thanks. Anything else? Okay, thank you Mr. Mel for the update. Appreciate it. >> Thank you. >> The sub remains and adjourned. >> Mrs. Kah >> present. >> Mr. Campbell >> present. >> Miss Mrs. Hubley >> present. >> Mr. Le Young present. Mrs. Perios >> present. >> Mayor Ko >> yes here. Uh, North Quincy High School. >> Thank you for joining us tonight. >> Thank you. If you could please rise

014for the pledge of allegiance. >> 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. If we could just remain standing for a moment of silence for the men and women serving our country overseas. Thank you. Pursuant to the open meeting law, any person may make an audio or video recording of this meeting or may transmit this meeting through any medium. Attendees are therefore advised that such recordings or transmissions are being made whether perceived or unpreceived perceived by those present and are deemed acknowledged and permissible. I just got to read that. Next on the agenda we have open forum. This is an opportunity for community input regarding the Quinsey public schools. Community in this

015context is defined as a resident of the city of Quinsey, a non-resident parent of a student who attends the Quinsey public schools or a non-resident employee of the Quinsey public schools. After giving his or her name for name and address, each speaker may make a presentation of no more than three minutes to the school committee. An individual may not exchange their time or yield to others. Residents or non-comm community persons may submit written statements of up to 300 words to the school committee at QSCO informum at quincseyublicschools.com by 4:00 the day prior to the posting school committee regular meeting. Written statements will be posted on the school committee section of the Quinsey public schools website by noon the day of the posting of the school committee regular meeting and I believe we have one posted.

016Do I have anyone for open forum at this time? Good evening, mayor, vice chair, and fellow school committee members. My name is Kylie from 42 President A. We had so much going on the past couple of weeks uh since the previous school committee meeting. I want to thank the city for prioritizing our school areas for snow removal and recognize the tremendous work by the fine folks at the department of public works. Thank you. This allows students to get back to school on Wednesday. It was an honor to be part of the round table with Commissioner Martinez. He shared with us how Southwest Middle School is an outlier amongst middle schools in the state and wanted to see how we were doing it. The sentiment shared by the folks that were part of the round table

017is because Principal Mitchell, we have caring students at Southwest and it involved PTO and most importantly our students. The students share some of the things they liked and would see like more of extracurriculars both before and after school and also input and feedback on what's being offered. They were a little bit shy on suggesting uh things that we could get improved on until someone mentioned lunches. We all share a good chuckle uh when the ice was broken. Apparently, the commissioner also had a recent discussion about food and shared part of what was discussed. Uh, did you know Massachusetts is one of 10 states that help fund school meals? Well, you guys know, but the people watching at home and maybe some of the parents here, families here might not. The other 40 states rely on

018federal funding, federal and private funds. He shared that he supports creative ways of using the funding on different menus and food options. The students and I look forward to the amazing meals cooked up by that Dr. Dufur and her team will cook up. On Monday, I attended the mayor's state of the city event and look forward to learning more about the next steps for Delza and the new school at St. Mary's. I like how in Quinsey we prioritize our schools and the decisions we make. Uh also happy Luna New Year and uh happy Valentine's Day. Thank you. Have anyone else for open forum? Open forum. This portion of the meeting is now closed. Thank you. We will now continue on with our superintendence report. Superintendent Great. Thank you. Good evening again, everyone. It's great to

019see everybody. As you know, Project 351 is a statewide service organization that brings together eighth grade students from every city and town in Massachusetts. Last month, students participated in an in-person day of service project at different locations, which they will tell you about tonight. Congratulations to the Quinsey Public Schools Project 351 ambassadors for 2025. So for Broad Meadows, we have Ryerson Bose. At Central Middle School, we have McKenzie Jordan. At Point Webston Middle School, we have Isabella Nadra. At Atlantic, we have Martin Roush. At Southwest, we have Michelle Seatau. How about a round of applause for all of our students? Before we have our students um speak on uh their projects, I do want to recognize all of the principles and assistant principles who are here uh to support our students tonight. Of course, Principal

020Deaf Farro and his assistant principal Kathy Mahoney, Principal Hearn, Principal Schneller, Principal uh Barrett, and Principal Mitchell. Thank you all for joining us tonight and supporting our students. And shall we go in order of students? So, Broad Meadows, Ryers and Bose. Would you like to tell us about your project? >> Thank you. >> Um Ryerson and Bose. I go to Broad Meadows. Um part of the project 351. On lunch day, I went to Cradles to Crayons. And my favorite part about that was being able to make packages of clothing for people that are less fortunate and making a difference in the community around me and just helping out. That's all. >> Great job. >> From Central Middle School, Mackenzie Jordan. >> Hello everyone. My name is Mackenzie Jordan and I am the ambassador from Central

021Middle School. I was so ecstatic to be chosen for something like Project 351 after hearing the wonderful things that they can achieve. On January 17th, when I stepped onto that bus, I knew I was surrounded by people who thought exactly like me. My sorry, my service group, Amanda Shay, was stationed at the IBW Center in Dorchester. In just the two hours that I was there, I filled rice packages for the hungry. I made hair kits for underprivileged children. and I made blankets for people who need a little bit more love. The sorry, the Project 351 class of 2026 came together and we impacted an astonishing 25,510 lives. I'm so excited to see where Project 351 brings me next. Thank you for your time. >> Thank you. >> Next is our representative from Point Webster Middle

022School, Isabella Nrea. Hi, my name is Isabelle Dretza and I'm from Point Webster Middle School. As a project 351 ambassador, I had the chance to volunteer a collaborative diva in Chelsea, a nonprofit that helps immigrant families with things like food, housing, jobs, education, and health resources. I work with about a hundred other students to make dental hygiene kits and it helped me see how even small actions can really have big impacts. I also learned more about the challenges that many families face every day and why organizations like L Collaboriva are so important. This experience has shown me how important it is to help others in my own community and I'm really excited to organize a clothing drive my school for creatives to create. Thank you for your time. Atlantic Middle School ambassador Martin Rous. >>

023Good evening, school committee. I am I'm Martin Ral and I'm the project 351 ambassador for Alans Middle School. I'd like to start by saying one word to describe my experience as a project 341 ambassador. Empowering. On launch day, there are three sites where ambassadors were able to work. Lac collaborativa, creators of crayons in the IBW workshop. I had worked at IBW and everybody at that state was everybody at that site was so welcoming and care car caring. My team and I worked at different stations around the site. One was making hygiene packets. Another was making f uh families meals for those in need. And after it all, a report said we impacted over 18,000 lives. Due to the positivity and care all ambassadors showed for the service, we created a new opening to a better

024world. In addition, I met plenty of students with beautiful diverse backgrounds from around the state. Although we were different, we shared a single mission. We all wanted to be to make a difference. That impact empowers me to continue representing my school in Quincy for my year as an ambassador. Thank you. >> And Southwest Middle School ambassador Michelle Stow. >> Hello and good evening. I'm Michelle Sito representing Southwest Middle School as this year's 2026 Project 351 ambassador. I'd like to thank the school committee for having me today. Project 351 was first founded in 2011 by Carolyn Casey to engage eighth graders particularly unsung heroes from every city and town in Massachusetts. Our mission is to address common challenges like poverty and clothing insecurity while cultivating project 351's core values of kindness, compassion, gratitude, and humility. This

025January, I attended launch day at Faniel Hall and met my service team. We represented Glattis Vega, the founder of Laculaper Diva and Chelsea. In the afternoon, we kicked off our first day of service at La Calaparativa where we distributed food and c and created Valentine's cards, makeup kits, and dental hygiene kits for families. In total, we impacted over 4,000 people in Chelsea, contributing to a statewide impact of over 27,000 lives served by the class of 2026. To reflect, launch day was extremely fulfilling for leading in those events. made me feel like I truly did something remarkable, not just for myself, but for our communities as well. I want to conclude by thanking my principal, Miss Mitchell, for this opportunity and for uplifting me since grade five to become the leader I've always wanted to be.

026Thank you >> and congratulations to all of us students. Very, very impressive. I don't know if anyone has any questions or comments. Did anyone have my colleagues have any questions or comments? >> Miss Cahill, >> thank you so much. And I have to say like this is one of the best presentations um every year when when you guys come in front of us because um to be honest it's emotional to hear how well spoken and poised you guys are and also to hear about how impactful this program is to you and how helpful it is to to our community. So thank you for for doing that and for being here to share your stories with us. Thank you. Mrs. Perios, >> thank you. I just similar to Mrs. Cahill, I just wanted to thank you

027for being involved in Project 351. And uh we're we're so proud to have you represent us um out there and just doing the great work that you're doing and families that um that that I think one of you said need a little extra love and um I'm so glad we have our Quinsey kids that are able to go and help with that. So, thank you so much for all your involvement in that. >> Thanks. >> And Mr. Le Young. >> Yeah, same. Thank you to you all. You're all so impressive and I thank you for coming here and speaking so eloquently. Um I encourage you to continue this work. Um you're off to a great start um on hopefully a long uh life of of service and I encourage you to again continue um you

028know as you go to high school and uh spread the word to um to your peers. So thanks again, >> Miss Campbell. Um, it's always so impressive to hear young people talk about their commitment to service, public service, and I've so enjoyed listening to how reflective you are about what the process that you participated in and what you took away. So, thank you for what you did. >> Mayor, >> thank you, Madam Chair. Um, sometimes it can be very discouraging looking at the news of the day and what's going on in the world. I always feel better and uplifted when I see and interact with our students. Uh you are the future. You give us great hope. We're proud of you. Congratulations and keep up the great work. >> Thank you so much for being

029here. We greatly appreciate it. You guys are wonderful. Um what you're doing is I love Project 351. Every year you guys come before us and give us a great presentation of all the wonderful things that you're doing and we love it. So thank you so much. Um Another round OF APPLAUSE FOR COME ON UP FOR A TO GET HOME TOO. SO, we'll be right back. I'm making a lotion. Let me see. back in session and we're going to car keep on with our superintendence report. >> Great. Thank you. Uh the next item on the superintendent report agenda is the updated 2025 2026 QPS school year calendar. Uh due to the snowstorm in late January and the two days of school closure, the QPS 2025 2026 school year calendar has been updated and shared with families

030and staff and posted on the QPS website. If there are no further weather related closures, the last day of school for students will be Monday, June 22nd, and the last day for professional staff will be Tuesday, June 23rd. Special thanks to the mayor and his staff, the Department of Public Works and Natural Resources for their assistance in clearing snow from school grounds and parking lots and streets around the city. And of course, thank you to our own custodial staff uh for making sure our buildings were cleared and safe. Uh the district review was impacted by the snow days uh with the first two days of interviews and observations being rescheduled to the following week. The consultants from AIR spent a total of six days visiting schools, observing in classrooms, interviewing students, staff, administrators, and parents,

031as well as Mayor Ko and Vice Chair Mrs. Hubley and Vice Chair, former vice chair, Mrs. Cahill. We are expecting the report to be available towards the end of the school year over the summer. And of course, we'll share that once we receive it. And once again, thanks to Dr. Perkins and the members of the SLT who spent many many hours and weekends documenting, scheduling, and organ organizing for this review. So, thank you team for all of that uh amazing and monumental work. Last Friday, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Pedro Martinez visited Southwest Middle School and saw firsthand the amazing school community and positive school culture under the leadership of Principal Courtney Mitchell and Assistant Principal Susan Foley. Thank you to the entire Southwest Middle School community, including staff, students, and families.

032Of course, Dr. Perkins and the SLT public buildings commissioner Paul Hines and his team and custodial coordinator Kevin Seagaler and his team for making the school look amazing for Commissioner Martinez's visit. It literally looked like a brand new school. So, they did an amazing job. Uh, Commissioner Martinez at the conclusion of the visit stated that he wished to clone Southwest and spread its model of success throughout the state. So, that's really really impressive. Uh, Commissioner Martinez was also in Quinsey on Thursday for the annual early college uh, high school symposium. So, he has learned a lot about the strengths of our district in the LA in the last few days. We'd also like to replicate he would also like to replicate the success of the early college high school model here in Quinsey throughout the

033state. Uh thank you of course uh to the mayor and the school committee uh for for supporting uh both events and for making uh the programming that m that commissioner Martin has reviewed uh such a success here in Quinsey was certainly uh two very great days. Upcoming Quinsey public schools and city of Quinsey events. The city of Quinsey will be hosting the annual President's Day Winterfest on Monday, February 16th from noon to 5:30 on Hancock Adams Common and inside the Church of the Presidents and historic city hall with entertainment for the whole family. Parent Academy events, substance abuse prevention in partnership with Bayate Community Services will be held on Tuesday, February 24th at 6 p.m. via Zoom. understanding the new IEP format on Thursday, February 26 at 6:30m via Zoom and strategies for helping with

034math anxiety on Tuesday, March 3rd at 6 p.m. at Central Middle School. And the first of five middle school STEM fairs will be held on Thursday, March 5th, starting at 5:00 p.m. at Point Webster Middle School. The other schools will be later in March, so those dates will be shared at the next meeting. With that, that concludes the superintendent report. If you have any questions or comments, >> Mrs. Proteios, >> sorry. Um, Mr. Mauvi, just a quick uh clarification. The math anxiety workshop. When was that again? I'm sorry. I sure >> writing. Uh, let's see. Uh, let's see. Strategies for helping with math anxiety on Tuesday, March 3rd at 6 p.m. at Central Middle School. >> Thank you. >> No problem. >> Mayor, >> quick question, superintendent. Um, >> for the public because I get

035asked the question. >> Mhm. Is this something that trips the district review or is this a regular routine thing that happens to the districts around the Commonwealth and how often? >> It's a great question. So, um it is a statutory review that's um supposed to be done essentially um over the course of a 40-year period. Believe it or not, um Quinsey's uh time was up uh this time around. And so it is a regular review although Quinsey has not had such a review in many many years and it's understandable as to why it's done so infrequently is because the review is so thorough and the documentation required is monumental. Um so um for us to be able to have accomplished that and have it done and behind us is a great thing. Uh and we

036probably will not see that again uh certainly probably in any of our tenure here. Um, but it is a great accomplishment and we're happy to have it behind us. But it is a statutory requirement that each district have that done and it's usually done over, believe it or not, a 40-year period. So there are probably about uh maybe six districts a year uh that are selected or fewer depending on uh DZ's DZ schedule. Um but it is in depth and you'll see a very um in-depth and large report as a result of uh of this audit. Thank you. >> All set. >> Thank you, Superintendent. Okay, moving on. Uh, next on the agenda, we have old business and we have Mrs. Partios uh to make a motion. >> Thank you very much, Miss Hubly. Um,

037so tonight I'm proposing uh to my colleagues on the school committee that we form an ad hoc subcommittee that will focus on district-wide master planning as a way of proactively looking at issues across the district in a holistic and collective way. As we heard about at Lincoln Hancock, we have multiple buildings across the district with space issues. Schools that have temporary classrooms and hallways and immediia centers and students learning in areas with half walls that allow for distractions and disruptions and are not conducive to the highest level of attention and learning for our students and educators. At the top at the opposite end of the spectrum, some of our schools are underenrolled and have space capacity in them. Addressing space concerns across the district means exploring potential solutions like redistricting, building additions onto existing school

038buildings, adding modular classrooms like those currently being used in Squanum, or opening brand new school buildings. A new elementary school at the St. Mary's site is something that Mayor Ko has talked about for years and in fact he just mentioned it again at his state of the city address the other night. It's an idea that I definitely support. Uh but bringing a new school online will will require us to redistrict which we haven't done in fif over 50 years. If we're going to redistrict, I think we need to do it in a way that makes sense and that considers and addresses space concerns at all the schools across the district. We don't have another subcommittee that fits this work. Historically, we have created ad hoc subcommittees that look at focused issues like this where school

039committee members can be part of the team that fully discusses and vets alternatives before plans and proposals are developed and brought before our full committee to be voted on. Mr. Gutro and Mrs. Lebo at their last meeting in December both noted the need for district-wide planning. I truly believe establishing an ad hoc committee like this dedicated to planning on a district level is the most responsible collaborative way forward of addressing issues that we're already seeing across the district like our space concerns. So with that I uh would like to make a motion to uh establish an ad hoc subcommittee for districtwide facilities master plan. >> Okay, Mrs. Proteius has made a motion. Do I have a second to her motion? Mr. Le Young is making a second to Mrs. Partios's motion and are opening up

040for discussion on the motion. I have discussion on the motion. Mrs. Campbell. >> Um Courtney, this is something that I heard a lot about. Um while campaigning, families brought this issue up quite a bit at different points that and mostly redistricting came up a lot or overcrowding. So, um, I'm intrigued and I think it's reasonable and I'm I I would be interested in supporting that. >> Mayor, >> uh, thank you, Madam Chair. Um, I'm going to vote no on this. Um, couple things. One is um I I think that if you look around and look at the district and you look at what's happened to our buildings over the last several years, we have made incredible incredible improvement and um we have been very successful as a district working with the school building authority. In

041fact, they call us the model community when we go in with our paperwork. Um now I think everybody realizes because we've gone through it before. We've done Quincy High, Central, Southwest, the process of Squanum because we did the Dristoph Center without state help. So that was done with federal money uh and city money. Uh but when you're in the queue uh or when you're under construction, the school building authority is reluctant to give you another project. So just as we learned with Southwest waiting on Squanum, we had to wait a little bit of time. Uh we made a strategic decision a few years ago to buy the St. ary site cuz they ain't making any more land. And that would end up probably ended up in condominiums or something on that site. And I certainly

042uh am one that believes that um to a large extent Clifford Marshall addressed the shortage in Quinsey Point. I believe an elementary school in West Quinzy will alleviate the challenge there. I think they probably aside from special needs and other things, but regular students attending their neighborhood school, that's probably the farthest distance somebody goes. I'm not sure of that, but from West Quinsey, the other side of the highway uh to Montlair. Now, we made a lot of improvements at Monontlair to meet the demand. Uh but I do believe at some point and hopefully when the school building authority um invites us in which I think is could be a couple of years away uh then we begin the process of designing a military school and then I believe would be the right time to look

043at redistricting. Now I'm not suggesting that we shouldn't be talking about things we should but I think we get a facility subcommittee meeting that could address a number of these issues on a regular basis. So uh I don't think we need to go this extent. So I I will be voting no for that reason. >> Anyone else? >> Mr. Le Young. >> Um I think an ad hoc subcommittee would be the best place to um do this work. Um I feel that there are issues um perhaps beyond uh what would be addressed by facilities. um it couldn't hurt to um take a little time um and consider uh a more holistic approach and so I will be voting yes. >> Anyone else? >> I just want to add um so I I'm also a a

044no vote on this but for slightly different reason. um the ad hoc committees are made up in in our policy to only last two years and I believe that this is something that um needs to be talked about further after that. I don't really think in the next two years would be when we would be able to implement any of the redistricting um that we would be talking about in the ad hoc. We tried to do this about I want to say it was 2014. Um, Barbara Azola chaired a a looking into committee for redistricting and we were not anywhere near close back then either and I don't think we're there yet. Um, so that would be my my opinion on this and I see Miss Partio would like to speak. >> I just wanted

045to make I I respect your uh your opinions on this. Um, Mr. Mayor, I don't quite see how I I guess I just don't quite see why we couldn't start that conversation now and at least look at these things. Um, and you know, if we had to create a more permanent subcommittee to address your concern, Mrs. Huby, that would be fine with me, too. The the point I just wanted to make, though, is I see this as a different um kind of uh focus than a facilities subcommittee, mostly because facilities is dealing with maintenance and up um repairs and things that uh we're lucky enough to have the public buildings department help us out with with Paul Hines's team, who is great. So, I'm not suggesting any change to to that um process. This is

046just more of a, you know, 30,000 foot view of, um, addressing things at at Parker right now that have half walls, uh, North Quinsey that have temporary walls and telling them that they have to wait two years to for us to have those conversations to find space for them like we did for Lincoln Hancock feels, um, not a responsible way to be doing this. But, um, that's just my opinion on that and that's why I'm bringing this forward. >> Any other discussion? Seeing none. Uh, Mr. Mull, Superintendent Mulby, can we have a roll call vote, please? >> Mr. Begley, >> no. >> Mrs. Gahill, >> no. >> Miss Campbell, >> yes. >> Mrs. Hubley, >> no. >> Mr. Le Young, >> yes. >> Mrs. Perios, >> yes. >> And Mayoke, >> no. >> Thank you.

047Motion does not pass. Next on the agenda, we have um proposed revision to the school committee policy. Mrs. Cahill. >> So um you may >> Oh, I'm so sorry. Go ahead. >> In our policy subcommittee meeting, we had a presentation on um a a new revised um policy for the recruitment, admissions, and retention at the CC CTE. And um so we moved it to the main committee for discussion. So is there any discussion on the policies as they were presented? >> Anyone have any discussion? >> Okay. So that will be that will move to the next meeting on March 11th for a vote. Okay. >> And next on the agenda we have establishing school committee policy. Mrs. Kill. >> So the same thing. Um Jessie required us to create a policy um for middle school

048pathway exploration and um it's something that we have done but um we're putting it in a per in a in a policy um setting. So we um brought that to you for a discussion. Any discussion on that? >> Okay. And that will be moved to the next meeting on March 11th for um vote. >> Thank you, Miss Kahill. Thank you. Next on the agenda, we have new business. Um, we have early college high school pathway update. Mr. Sagala and Miss Giovanio to present start your interview ready. Thank you, Vice Chair Ubi, and good evening, everyone. It's a pleasure to be here this evening to share and highlight Quinsey's Early College High School Pathway, year five of our state designation. Presenters joining me this evening include Megan Jovenoni, vice president of student success and partnership at

049Quincsey College, Joanna Martell, Early College High School Music teacher at Quincsey High and North Quincy High School, as well as Daniel Gould, early college high school transition coach at North Quincy High School. This evening, the team and I will will highlight a variety of um early college components, including our partnership with Quinsey College, Quinsey's early college pathway, enrollment, and demographics, course offerings, and and credits earned, as well as um our successful program elements such as um our pathway pillars, a parent advisory team, college visitations, our accelerated associates degree pathway, early college prep, middle school program, professional develop, professional development and training, um early college summer academy as well as our fifth grade I'm sorry our fifth annual symposium before you you see a Quincy College um folder with some wonderful marketing materials flyers newsletters our

050symposium program booklet so feel free to peruse through that at your convenience public schools is is grateful for our partnership with Quinsey College we appreciate the leadership of President Christopharo and his leadership team exhibit A beside me. We consistently collaborate um on numerous post-secary initiatives also known as myap including dual enrollment early college pathway CBT pathways accelerated associates degree Quinsey's elite program professional development initiatives our program advisory team memberships as well as the college's very supportive our of our college and financial aid nights on the spot admissions and so much much more. This slide represents Quincy's early college pathway 2526 enrollment. We're pleased to report that 328 students are currently enrolled in in in early college high school program. I just wanted to please note that out of the 328, 38 students are enrolled in

051uh Quinsey's accelerated associates degree. There would be 24 in grade nine and 14 in grade 10. You notice the breakdown between Quinsey High and North. is exactly the same at 164. Each varies at each grade level a bit except for grade nine, but 164 students enrolled in early college, high school as well as Quinsey Accelerate Associates. This next slide represents Quinsey's um demographics 25 26 demographics. Our special populations, you'll note there are 10 students in English as English learners, 34 students enrolled in special education and 151 who are economically disadvantaged. The chart to the right, the matrix to the right, excuse me, um represents or reflects the diverse um student body of students in in early college high school, both Quincy High and North. Of the 3228 students enrolled in Quinsey's early college pathway, 176

052are females compared to 152 males. 104 of those students are first generation students. And we're pleased to report that 133 students are enrolled in career pathways also participating in Early College High School. We're so proud of that. >> Good evening everyone. It's great to be here tonight and thank you again for having us. As Keith mentioned, my name is Megan Jovenoni and on behalf of Quinsey College, we're extremely grateful for our ongoing partnership, collaboration, and work that has really just been tremendous with Quinsey Public Schools. I'm going to talk a little bit about um our recent graduates, those who graduated from the early college program in June of 2025. As you'll see on this next slide, out of the 92 early college high graduates, 22 of them actually stayed right here in Quinsey to pursue

053their degree with us at Quinsey College. As many of you already know, that's not a requirement of the program, but it's certainly something we encourage, and we're excited to welcome those students here as they complete their first year at the college. 63 of our graduates attended a 4-year institution, four went off to the work in the trades, and three to the United States Armed Forces. The fact that all of these students had some plan upon high school graduation, I think most folks will agree, is incredible and something that I know the city is very proud of. This is an overview of our current course offerings. All classes are at the honors level. So, students and families who do inquire about what type of credits am I going to earn, if I do embark on the

054early college program, they're at the honors level. We thank the teachers and the support staff for making these courses not only fully aligned with Quinsey College equivalents, but also providing these students with the opportunity to get real hands-on experience with our instructors. As you'll see here, in grade nine, students earn three college credits in the second half of their freshman year with their intro to computer science class. Our early college teachers who teach that class have graciously worked with us to provide students with an intro to early college high school pathway class as well. That really gets them equipped to the program. In grade 10, they complete intro to criminal justice and music across cultures. Grade 11, they take the environmental science and US history 2. And then grade 12 is really where they increase

055those number of credits, earning nine credits as seniors with English comp 1, English comp 2 and statistics. And for many to all students, those are taking care of significant gened requirements that they need when pursuing a college degree. All of these courses are required. So, I think it's important to always remind folks that this is the pathway that the students are following and they're completing high school graduation requirements while also completing this program. This is an overview of how many credits students are earning each year if they are to begin in grade nine. You'll hear more this evening, but we are doing more and more to really highlight this program for students while they're still in middle school. And it's important that the number of students that start in grade nine continue to increase because

056that's where they're earning their first three credits. Students who start in grade nine and go through grade 12 will earn a total of 25 credits minimally. Students also have the opportunity to earn additional credits with us through dual enrollment early college summer academy. And as some of you heard at the symposium last week, they also have the opportunity to take classes with us online if they so choose. And so this is just a look at the um different elements of the early college high school program. I know that um Joanna and Dan are going to be speaking in just a moment, but I think it's also important to note um Eli Stewart, who is also an early college high school transition coach with Quinsey High School, has been instrumental to a lot of the work

057that you'll see up here along with my colleagues up here as well. Eli has really taken the lead on our parent advisory team which currently has 17 parents and you'll hear more about this evening. We have a variety of early college high school pillars, academic and non-academic support services that are offered to students as well as our accelerated associate degree program which is in its second year this year. The early college high school symposium, our fifth annual which was held just last week which we'll talk more about this evening. four college visitations that happen throughout the course of the academic year. So each quarter, the high school seniors um who are part of the early college program spend a full day at Quincsey College working with our faculty, experiencing the campus, utilizing our resources. The

058early college high school prep program on Saturdays. Um we're starting our next one at the end of this month, which I know Mr. Gold will talk more about. And our summer academy, which has seen tremendous increase in enrollment in the past four years. We also continue to provide all faculty and staff with ample professional devel development trainings and opportunities for them throughout the year. I'll pass it over to Joanna. >> Good evening everyone. My name is Joanna Martell. I'm one of the early college high school teachers at both Quinsey High School and North Quinsey High School. Um I teach the 10th grade music across cultures elective. Um and I'm going to be presenting to you on the four pillars of Early College High School. Um excuse me. During our first year of the early college

059high school pathway program, we recognized that we had the infrastructure in place for the program to be successful, but we wanted to encourage more student buyin. Um, as a team, we discussed the importance of helping students develop an identity as early college students. And from that conversation came the four pillars of early college high school. The E stands for excellence and reminds our students to set high standards for themselves, both academically and personally. C stands for the community that's built within the pathway and reminds our students that they have many peers and staff members supporting them not only throughout their years in early college but also beyond. Um H stands for honor and serves as a challenge to our students to treat each other with to treat each other with respect and to conduct themselves

060with integrity in all they do. And finally, S stands for self- advocacy and helps our students remember to ask for help or guidance when they're struggling or overwhelmed. This is a necessary skill not only for college but also in life. Hi everyone, my name is Dan Gould. I'm the early college transition coach at North Quincy High School. I just want to thank you all for having us here tonight to be able to share the wonderful opportunities and initiatives we offer our QPS students. Um I'm going to start off with our second element and that's our early college pathway parent advisory team. Um this initiative provides awareness to early college high school pathway program offered at both Quinsey and North Quinsey high schools. Through four quarterly meetings, parents have the opportunity to connect with fellow parents

061of our current and prospective early college high school pathway students as well as take part in our early college high school workshops and trainings. Our goals um we're always going to want to increase parent involvement. Whatever we can do to get more parents involved, it's always that's what's going to help our program grow. It's going to help hear the truth from our students what they're telling their parents. So, we're really doing everything we can to make sure we get more parent involvement. Um, and then also raise awareness for the early college high school program. I think in year five, we're starting to get the word out a lot more. We're doing a lot. We're going to PTO meetings, doing information nights, we're going to course selection nights and everything. But we still think the best

062marketing is parents talking to parents, students talking to students. So, the more we get more people aware, the more uh aware everyone else is going to become of the program, right? We also offer uh early college workshops and trainings. We kind of allow the parents to structure what they want to learn about. We'll give them certain ideas and then we structure uh workshops based on that. Some of the ones that we've done are FAFSA training, how to pay for college. Uh one of our most successful ones every year is uh successfully navigating the transition from high school to college. Um so we're able to offer offer parents a variety of different trainings and workshops. Um and we're always being flexible. we kind of want to tailor our trainings and everything to what the parents uh

063and the students want. So, we always are looking for feedback. Um, another note at our early college symposium last week, executive director of early college at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Felicia Jameson, said that we are the only district in the state to have a parent advisory team. Another element of our early college pathway is college visitations. Um, Quinsey's Early College High School Pathway seniors are provided the opportunity to attend Quinsey College once per quarter to participate in their college classes as well as college and career readiness instruction activities. These visits enable students to experience a collegiic environment while still in high school. In the mornings, the students take their English composition and statistics classes taught by college faculty. And in the afternoon, students participate in a series of college and career readiness

064instruction and activities such as creating a resume, building a personal uh brand, comprehensive interview skills. This all led to last Thursday at our early college symposium. Our seniors all participated in a series of mock interviews uh with community partners. We've hit on this a little bit, but another uh the next part of our program that we're going to talk about is Quinsey's accelerated associate degree pathway program. Um, we're currently in our second year. This program is offered to highly motivated 9th grade students at both North Quincy and Quincsey High School. Students who successfully navigate the pathway will earn an associate of art degree in liberal arts, which is 62 college credits um from Quinsey College by the time they graduate high school, which is an incredible feat for those able to uh get through the

065pathway. Most importantly, the program is at no cost to the students and families. So this will help expedite their post-secondary goals and future successes. Um our cohort this year is 20 uh is 24 which is made up uh which is up from our previous year which was 14. So our um I think we said it earlier but our 9th grade cohort's 14. We actually increased to 24 this year which is a really really big increase from uh year to year we're very happy about. Um actually on Tuesday January 13th we held our second annual accelerated associate degree pathway signing ceremony. This is just really a way to celebrate uh the commitment that these students and families are going to be making the next four years. It's been one of my favorite days over the last

066two years to really get together and celebrate these students for the major commitment uh that they're going to be making over the next four years in high school. Um both our nth and tth grade cohorts just started a class at Quinsey College for the spring semester. Our ninth graders started their first class which is introduction computers. uh while our 10th graders are continuing the pathway by taking public speaking. Uh another element of our Quinsey early college uh pathway is our early college high school pathway prep program. This initiative is designed to provide middle school students with a strong foundation for academic and career success. Through five intensive Saturday sessions, selected seventh and eighth grade students engage in college and career readiness topics such as leadership, STEM, critical thinking, statistics, and communication. So far, we've had

067209 students from three middle schools. We've been able to go to Southwest Point Webster Middle School, and Central Middle School. Um, we are, uh, we start our fourth early college pathway prep program on February 28th at Broad Meadows Middle School where we currently have 51 students registered. Um, I don't know about you, but when I was in middle school, I don't think I I'd like to go to school on Saturday mornings. So, it's really incredible to uh, see the amount of student middle school students we get to school on Saturday mornings. And I think the most incredible part uh being a part of it is seeing that the students are actively participating in everything. They're not just there because their parents told them. They're actively participating in all the classes uh that we offer. So

068it's it's it's really uh really incredible. And once again, we are the only district in the state offering uh a program like this. So our next element that we're going to be discussing is the professional and uh professional development and training of our staff. Um that's obviously an important piece of the pathway and its functionality. Um since the beginning of the program, uh we have been supported as high school staff members by the faculty members in our disciplines at Quinsey College. We have collaborated with Quincsey College faculty through common planning time, co-eing lessons, and observing each other in our respective classrooms. This has helped us to maintain a rigorous college level curriculum and to exchange ideas for best practices and student engagement. Another component of our training and professional development comes in the form of

069common planning meetings. The teams from both high schools meet four times a year, one once per quarter roughly after school to collaborate on upcoming events, initiatives, curriculum and most importantly the best practices for supporting our students across the entire pathway. We have been very fortunate for the support of our educational consultants at RTI who um have engaged uh conducted engaging professional development sessions on essential practices for college and career instruction alongside inquirybased learning. These sessions were offered for our high school teams at the professional day of learning and most recently additional sessions were offered at the early college symposium where the Quinc Quinsey College faculty were actually able to participate with us. Six members, 16 members from both high schools additionally have been participating in a series of in-person workshops and online sessions with the

070Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. These workshops have focused on building capacity for rigorous instruction and enhanced student support. And lastly, for the fa past four years, team members from both high schools have participated in on-site observations and attended professional development workshops, participated in training sessions both statewide um and at the early college national summit in North Carolina. This amazing opportunity has given us the national summit has given us a chance to see how many early college programs function throughout the country and to learn about various protocols for providing our students with the highest quality instruction and support. Uh Quinsey's early college program has had the honor of being asked to present this year at the 2026 National Summit and we're very much looking forward to sharing our model with educators from around the

071country. Another key element of our pathway involves the summer academy. Uh the early college high school summer academy offer students the opportunity to earn up to seven college credits by taking classes on campus at Quinsey College in July and August. The summer academy has been facilitated by North Quinsey High School staff member Marissa Smith and myself since it began four years ago. The academy is open to all Quinsey public school students entering grades 10 through 12 as well as graduating seniors. And it offers a wide range of college level courses including fundamentals of business, website design, introduction to programming, general sociology, pre-calculus, introduction to biotechnology, introduction to forensic science, introduction to social work, writing for professionals, and more. And we're excited this year to be adding courses on social media and marketing as well as

072anatomy and physiology 1 and the sociology of the family this coming summer. Thanks to funding from the department of elementary and secondary education and the state street foundation, we are able to offer these courses free of charge um including tuition fees and textbooks to over 300 students last summer alone. Um and this is up from our number of 200 around 200 students enrolled in summer 2024. Um, this program has been incredibly crucial to um, our students in their pathway. Uh, just as Dan was saying about middle school students not wanting to come to school on Saturdays when it was us in in school. Um, I think the same can be said for our summer academy students who are willing to come over the summer to produce uh to pursue extra extra credits has been uh

073really impressive and to just see them kind of take ownership of their coursework being on campus in the summer um has been really exciting to see from the facilitator perspective. So, and in closing just a few highlights from last week's early college high school pathway symposium. It was our fifth annual symposium held right down the street at the Boston Quinsey Marriott. A special thank you again to the Quinsey School Committee, Quinsey Public Schools, and of course Quinsey College um for collaborating and making this event possible. We very much appreciated those school committee members who are in attendance, including Vice Chair Hubley, Courtney Pertios, and Kate Campbell. Of course, our guest speakers, Mayor Tom Ko, Superintendent Mulvy, President D Christopharo, DZ Commissioner Martinez, Speaker of the House Ron Mariano, Bob Leage of the office, the executive

074office of education, as well as Madori Morikawa, vice president at the State Street Foundation, and Felicia Jamerson, executive director of Early College High School at the DZY. We really really appreciated the participation and really outstanding delivery of our three grade 12 students. Three students um speaking about their own experiences, how many credits they've earned, sharing fun facts with the audience, and our grade 12 Quincy High student who's um served as the MC. I think everyone there was in agreement that um she did an incredible job and had a very difficult job. So, just a special thank you to all of them, the staff who worked with them to practice and to rehearse for weeks leading up to the event and for everyone who made last Thursday possible. As most of you know, and as you'll

075see in the brochure, which is in your um folders, this is an opportunity to really recognize and celebrate all of the incredible work of these students. Students had the opportunity to participate in a variety of leadership workshops and as Dan mentioned the mock interviews and other professional development opportunities for instructors, faculty and staff. Also, we bring back early college high school alumni each year and they serve on a panel with current students and that was incredible again this year. Again, Dan and Eli do a tremendous amount of work to make that possible. And of course to our early college staff, Quinsey College faculty and leadership who took the time out of their day to be a part of this special event. We really appreciate all of the support. >> And with that, we'll entertain questions

076and comments. >> Thank you so much for the presentation. And Leah was amazing. She did a great all the students were were amazing, but she did a great job. She did that symposium was was really really wonderful. Thank you so much for that. Um questions for my colleagues, Mr. Le Young. >> Uh thank you Mr. Sagala and team. Uh a lot of good information here. I I learned a lot. Um I have three questions and one suggestion. Uh question one, um is it correct that there is no cost to any QPS students for any of these programs? >> That is absolutely correct. free tuition, free textbooks. >> That's impressive. Um >> materials. >> Question two is on I guess the transferability of the course offerings. Um so those uh when those are completed, are they

077generally accepted at other um institutions besides Quinsey College? I wish I could say it was just Quinsey College, but no, it is every other college as well. So, um, while we do welcome students to of course, um, transfer their credits to us, um, one of the lists you'll see in the, um, folders, I believe, is a list of all the current colleges that we know have accepted the credits firsthand. However, um, we always say that it is up to the college that the student is transferring to as to determine how those credits will be applied. So, it's not that the credits will not transfer, but it's always up to the college that the student chooses to transfer to to decide how those will be allocated. So, for example, if the students going into a very

078specific um STEM major, um the college could ask that student to retake a microbiology with that specific college if the student um needed that specific class for whatever reason. However, what we've found is that by and large, the credits that they take through early college, through dual enrollment, um do transfer very very seamlessly. And again, this list reflects those schools that we've spoken with directly to confirm that the credits do come in. >> Great. Thank you. >> Yeah. >> And then my final question is um I guess related to uh students and their completion of the program. So, do you generally find that once students enter the program that they see it through to completion? And if not, are there any trends or anything in particular that jumps out at you as to why they

079may uh withdraw early? >> Yeah, we actually do see the majority of our students uh they they fulfill the program once they start, they end up going uh going through it until the end. I would say the number one thing that doesn't allow students to stay in the program or not complete it is attendance. And that's why it's one of our major criteria when um we go through the application process. We want students that are in school in school on time and actively participating in classes. And those are the students we've found that are the most successful in this program. So I would say attendance is is probably the number one reason that a student might not be as successful in this program. >> Yeah. And if I could also could you also um elaborate

080a little bit on the student support services that we we offer? >> Oh yeah. Um so we're lucky enough at East each high school uh we have an early college transition coach. Myself at North Quinsey as Megan said earlier, Eli Stewart at Quinsey High School, but we're also lucky enough to have a dedicated guidance counselor for just our early college students at North Quinsey. Kerianne Hart is an incredible resource for me. She's does an unbelievable job with our students and Tim Leuzo does that uh at Quinsey as well. But other sports that we have for them, um each student in their high school schedule, they have what's called a support block. What that is is it it's a study but it's dedicated to just early college students. So they're a little smaller and they're mostly

081staffed by our early college staff. Um, so it gives us, me, Kerianne, an opportunity to go into those, do check-ins with students, make sure that students are on the right on on the right, uh, page with everything. But we also, um, go in and we teach college and career readiness skills as well. So once a month um each grade level uh we go into their classes and we teach uh anywhere from time management to goal setting to interview skills um all the necessary skills that you're going to need to be a successful college student and most importantly to us to make the transition to college easier. We go in we've developed a curriculum to help our students with with all those things. Um and then the last part is kind of incredible. These students are

082technically Quinsey College students. So they have access to all of Quincsey College resources as well. The their tutors, their library is a huge huge resource. They can either go there or they can use all the databases that a college uh college the college library has. So we just have so many supports built in uh for these students to make sure that each student is successful in the program. >> Great. Thank you. And then the suggestion um I don't know if it's possible um but I'd be interested in uh some of the details on um you know where they go after completing the program. Right. So so you summarize it but I mean I'd be interested to to know like what branch of the service they go into or what 4-year institution they they continue on

083to if that's possible but thank you so much. >> Great >> Mrs. Pio. >> Thank you. Thank you all for being here. Thank you for making this program a success and an opportunity for students that some of them who wouldn't, you know, uh continue on on their education kind of possible. So, this is fantastic. Thank you guys. Um and I know how much work and how many people go into uh to doing that. So, I just have a couple questions. Um do you happen to know I'm just looking at this chart on um the number of graduates that kind of went on to Quinsey College after the 22 here. Do you know how do you have any information on how many Quinsey graduates went to Quinsey College prior to the Early College High School program

084being in existence? >> Sorry, can you just rephrase that? >> Yeah. Um, so you said 22 of the early college high school students went on to to be Quinsey College students. Do you have any information on how many students you prior to the early college high school program being in place, how many students from Quinsey went on to Quinsey College? >> That's a great question, Courtney. I don't have um exact numbers. However, I can tell you that just the I think sheer recognition and reputation around the college has um changed for the positive. I know that by and large the number of early college high school graduates over the past 5 years has steadily increased. So even compared to um June of 2022, the number certainly wasn't at 22, it was much lower. So I'd

085have to assume that overall the number of QPS graduates coming to the college is steadily increasing. Um but of course I think as much as we do, we're still facing every day that notion of um I've been in Quinsey my whole life. I want to go outside of Quinsey. And that's something that we continue to try to um work with. But I would say overall it has increased. Okay, thank you. Um, >> can you um can students choose to take um say for instance the 10th grade introduction to criminal justice? Can students just take that course and get college credit or do they have to be part of the whole early college high school program to be able to participate in in like a singular course? >> Uh once the students are in the program,

086they have to take all of the classes that are in the program. So, a 10th grader would have to take both intro to criminal justice and music across cultures. They both take uh so they're both semester courses, but in the high school they're two terms. Um, but there you can't pick and choose. Once you're in the program, we're trying to create a cohort and kind of a community. So, we want all students to take every single class that is on the pathway. And the pathway is built for a reason. It's to uh hit all those gen all those gened classes and to kind of build up in difficulty as it goes on. So, taking music across cultures and criminal justice is going to help you when you get to US2 and environmental science, which are

087more in-depth classes. >> Gotcha. And I probably didn't phrase that right. I meant students that aren't in the early college high school program. Can they part can they take part in just one of these courses or does it have to be they have to be part of the whole program? >> Um, no. So, these courses uh is music cross cultures and criminal justice are only offered to early college students at least at North Quinsey. I believe it's the same at Quinsey as well. It certainly is, but also the enrollment is climbing, so there's a limited spaces and seats, >> right? >> Strictly just for the early. >> No, I was just curious whether students can kind of bounce in and out or if it has to be u just, you know, that uniformity, which makes

088sense. Um Dan, I'd love to see a transition from high school to college for parents because uh navigating with your child going off to college as I'm going to be. I uh I would love that. Want to throw that out there. And then um for the accelerated associates degree program um what is can you talk a lot a little bit about the time commitment that students need to make um to make that program work for them and to to complete that program? >> Yeah, absolutely. I mean as you can might be able to tell earning 62 college credits while in high school is definitely a time commitment. Um, but we've been able to kind of create a pathway to make sure that the students are feel comfortable and they're able to do things in high

089school and be regular high school students while also taking on this college coursework. Um, the majority of our classes are done during the summer. They uh integrate with our uh early college summer academy. Um, usually once per year um students do go to Quinsey College to take a class after school first semester. Um but then there's also they they end up joining in our early college um program. They take music across cultures. Uh they take intro to criminal justice. They take US2 and environmental science with our early college students as well as dual enrollment classes. So about 50% uh of their classes actually take place during the school day and then 50% take place after. Um the great thing that we've actually seen um especially in our um 10th grade cohort, we have students in

090ROC, students in band, students in sports. I can uh right off the top of my head, I can think we have a a student who plays girls volleyball. So we have students doing other extracurriculars on top of it, which is what we really want. We don't want students to lose the high school experience of being because you only get it once. But at the end of the day, you will have major time commitment with your college classes uh to earn those 62 deg uh college credits. And I think it will be worth it for all those students when in May of their senior year they they earn both a college degree as well as a high school degree. >> No, for sure. I appreciate that. Um and we we're telling we're upfront with the time

091commitment that that program is and just making sure families and students understand how much of a time commitment that is. >> Yes, we absolutely are. So, actually with our accelerated associate degree pathway program, part of the application process, we call it an interview um with a students and some sort of parent uh or or guardian or family member. And in that it's more of a informational session so we can explain the program to them and and learn more about them to make sure that we think they'd be a good fit. But we are totally upfront to a uh let them know what the schedule will look like and um how rigorous the program is. >> Right. I wouldn't I would think you wouldn't want students to come in that that couldn't handle it. And um

092if you said that there's a student in there that can handle band then I know that it's uh it must be flexible enough because there's quite a commitment there. So, thank you. Um, thank you for explaining that. >> Thank you, >> Mrs. Cahill. >> Hi, Quincy College. Close to my heart as we know and um used to work with Megan. So, I I just have a quick question about followup. So, now that it's five years, right, are we doing anything to kind of follow up with the students who have gone into either a four-year institution and and kind of see because one of the things I like about this is giving kids confidence in in the rigor of college um work, right? So that they'll go off to school and they'll kind of be comfortable

093with the the rigor of work that they'll be doing. But is there any way we can kind of track some of the kids who went through the early college program, went to um a 4-year institution, and just kind of see if, you know, did they save a lot of credits, you know, were they able to cut off a um semester from their um four-year degree, save some money, maybe use it towards grad school or something? And also maybe interview some of them to say, "Was that helpful to you?" because I think, you know, you brought someone back to the um symposium for for kind of a recap on what the program was for them, but I think it's valuable and it's valuable for, you know, we have this discussion here tonight for us to kind

094of ask you questions, but hopefully people are listening and they'll learn a little bit about what the early college program is about, you know, for their kids who might be entering high school. So, I think one one of the values that we should highlight if if you have the information is to see how kids do once they've gone through the program and then gone off to um maybe a four-year institution and what the um the benefits were for them in terms of, you know, even the grades and their, you know, their um financial savings and things like that. And then um so that's one suggestion. I don't know if we do it, but I think it would be really helpful and could can highlight the work that you're doing. Um the other thing I was

095thinking um I just had a question about when you do the scholarship for the um early the merit scholarship. So that's for kids who because the 62 credits will give you an associates degree. So a lot of kids aren't going to have that um have those credits. So if they go to Quinsey College, they will get um a $1,250 scholarship so that they can go and complete their associates. Is that correct? >> Yeah, >> that's correct. Yes. So um yeah, I think everything's outlined on the flyer there. And for the students who complete the accelerated associates degree, of course, they would be welcome to stay on and continue at Quinsey for the balora program if that's something that they're interested in. But I think you're absolutely right. The um scholarship is really more geared towards

096those students who have completed the early college program and are planning to finish off their associates degree with us. >> They need more credits. Correct. And um and so and then the the last thing in terms of the prep pathway um teacher recommendations and and maybe their MAP scores and things like that when they were in um middle school in terms of recommending them for the program. How do we do that? >> It's traditionally um eighth grade guides counselor. Yeah. >> And or principal. >> Okay, perfect. >> That would best bet. >> Um okay, thank you. That's good for me. Thank you, >> mayor. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. Um just to revisit a little history on this. I know I mentioned at the symposium, but when when we go back on this uh the

097meetings we held initially, Katherine Craraven was an important part of getting this all set up, getting the buy in from obviously Department of Education. Uh Speaker Mariano has been a huge supporter of getting some of that funding in and our local legislators have been very supportive and state street. So State Street's been a important corporate citizen of the city for a long time. uh employing thousands of Quinsey people. I know when I went to North uh some of my pals did the work study and went on to have a career with State Street uh and they've done done a tremendous work in the community and they've they've committed hundreds of thousands to this program. So I wanted to give uh each of them a shout out and of course the teams president with the team

098in the college superintendent Maui with the team QPS here all the people that do the work on the ground just a big thank you. This is an incredible opportunity for our young people and clearly they're taking advantage of it. So great job. Thank you, >> Mr. Begoli. >> Thank you for presentation. Um, so the courses, just so I'm correct on this, the courses that they take in the pathway program, those are high school courses, but they're also college courses. So, they get credit for, uh, a diploma at North Quincy or Quinzy, and then they get credit for the associates degree. >> Yep. Absolutely. So every uh class in our pathway you get both high school and college credit. >> Okay. >> Yep. So they're it's helping them fulfill their high school graduation requirements as well

099as earning college credits towards an associate degree or baloric degree wherever they choose to go. >> So it's buy one get one free. >> Buy one get one. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Um the other thing is I I noticed that the honors course is is offered. That's required. Correct. Why isn't it an advanced course? Is that because of space in the high schools in the advanced program just I mean I I would think that if you're getting college credit that it should be a little higher level uh in terms of um what's required when we were planning this five years ago Mr. goalie. Um it was originally CCP and then we have elevated to honors. So we're moving the right direction right upwards. Um we wanted to make sure that students who were special ed

100or e would have a chance to participate. That's this is what the program was made for is the special populations. Of course students do participate if they're advanced. They have that opportunity. They don't get advanced credit but they can take other advanced courses right or AP classes as well. Right now it is just strictly honors. It's something we can consider. >> Uh just an observation. >> Thank you, >> Miss Campbell. >> I just want to um comment on how fabulous the students were again on Thursday. It was such a wonderful presentation and to listen to them. They really told the story of how successful the program was or is. And so I really appreciate that. Then I also um would say I appreciate how inclusive the program is in looking at and and how well

101it supports all the students who participate. So I just thank you for that. >> Thank you. Appreciate >> anyone else. All said >> thank you so much. >> Thank you very much. >> Thank you. >> Okay. Uh next on the agenda, uh school committee policy book section 2.4.5 agenda format. I am asking that we move this into um subcommittee just to look at for housekeeping purposes. Um so so moved. Um next on the agenda, oh sorry, >> Miss Hy, could you speak a little bit more about um what what's going to h what you're looking to have discussed in there about the format? Just is it just a mask update or is it um >> No, just just to review. We'll discuss it in subcommittee. >> Okay. Well, what I what the reason I'm asking

102is because um I if if it's something that I maybe all of the members would like to be, I'd like to ask for it to be a meeting of the whole. So that's why I'm asking what the substance would be to see whether or not I'd like to ask for it to be a meeting of the whole. >> Okay. Thank you. Uh next on the agenda, we have the consent agenda. This is a roll call vote. Superintendent. >> I just need a motion. A second. >> Motion to approve by mayor. >> Second by Mr. Begali. >> Uh, Mr. Begali. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Cahill. >> Yes. >> Miss Campbell. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Hubley. >> Yes. >> Mr. Lee Young. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Perios. And Mayoke. >> Yes. >> Thank you. >> All right.

103Uh, next on the agenda, we have additional business. um before you you have an application for approval for student travel that came in after our time to print this and it needs to be done. So, this is in timely manner that it needs to be voted on tonight um for the um for the Quinsey High School North Quincsey High School hyper robotics team to go on their trip to Durham, New Hampshire for the first robotics competition. Do I have a motion to approve? Motion by Mor Ko, second by >> Second by Miss Cahill. All those in favor? >> We need a roll call vote on the superintendent. >> We should do a roll call. >> Roll call vote, please. >> Uh, Mr. Begley, >> yes. >> Mrs. Cahill, >> yes. >> Miss Campbell, >> yes.

104>> Mrs. Hubley, >> yes. >> Mr. Le Young, >> yes. >> Mrs. Perios, yes. >> And Mayor Coke, >> yes. >> Thank you. >> All right. Thank you. Uh, next on the agenda is communications. We have uh upcoming school committee meetings at 6:30 on March 11th and March 25th, April 8th and May 6th, May 20th, June 10th. Upcoming subcommittee meetings 6:00 on March 18th, we have athletics and wellness and special education. On March 25th, we will have policy. Next on the agenda, we have reports of subcommittee. On February 4th, we had a teaching and learning subcommittee meeting that I chaired and we had the senior director of curriculum Michael Morani and curriculum coordinator Bridget Bond present the advanced learning opportunities program improvement plan reflecting on the range of programs available to students in elementary, middle,

105and high school levels. opportunities increase as students move up through the grade levels with multiple points of entry starting with the reach program at the elementary APC program and advanced classes at middle school, early college, high school, AP honors and dual enrollment at the high school. These minutes are online in full that you can read there and I did not see any um changes that need to be made to the minutes. So we'll move those. Next on the agenda, we have the February 4th policy subcommittee meeting, Miss Cahill, to report. >> So, we had a um policy subcommittee meeting on February 4th, 2026. Um what we had was a review of two new policies that were brought before us. Um, executive director Keith Sagala and department chair Jill Bern Bernardo presented an overview of the

106revision to the school committee policy 1053 with the pro proposed new title for um CTE recruitment, admission, and retention. Mr. Sagala noted that the department of elementary and secondary education visited both high schools and reviewed and pre-approved the revision to the Quinsey's policy. Um, we also had a presentation for the establishment of a new middle school pathway exploration policy. Um, Mr. Sagalis of the draft was also pre-approved by Desi and noted that many of the elements are already in place. These policies will be brought to the sub um, school committee on March 11th for a vote. >> Thank you. All right. Next on the agenda, we have executive session. Um, we do we have Tonight >> we will not be having executive session. So we >> motion to >> see we have nothing else on

107the agenda. We will adjourn. Thank you.