School Committee: March 25, 2026

001Heat. Heat. N. Good evening everyone. I'll call to order the March 25th meeting of school. All stand als for all. I'd like to start um by offering a moment of silence for Nolan Milton student who attended Southshore Educational Collaborative. Nolan passed away March 13th at the age of five years old from a rare rare neurological disorder. On behalf of the Milton School Committee and the entire Milton School community, our condolences are sent to Milton's family and friends. Take a moment of silence. Thank you. We will begin our meeting with public comment. Um, in accordance with school committee policy, we welcome members of the community to share their perspectives with us during public comment. We have set aside up to 15 minutes for this part of the meeting and individuals who may speak for up to

002three minutes each. While the school committee does not respond directly to public comment, there may be opportunities for members to address issues that are raised over the course of the meeting when relevant topics are on our agenda. We strive to engage in respectful discourse during our meetings and the public and ask that public comment speakers keep that in mind. Speakers should introduce themselves further. We have front so people in the community come forward. If you could just state your name. Thank you much uh madam chairman for the record James 118 Elm Street East Rainham leave a copy of my remarks for for the minutes of the record by way of context I served 18 years on the Bridgewater Rainham regional school committee was the first person to graduate from Bridgewater Rainham to serve on that

003school committee and I was the selectman of the town of Rainham for a number of years. Good evening madam chairman and members of the Milton school committee. I come with a message of grave and immediate importance to the students of Milton school system, members of the Milton School Committee, and the administration staff of Milton's public schools. The issue is twofold. First, it concerns the decadesl long underfunding by the Massachusetts state legislature of the several categories of local aid, including but not limited to chapter 70, which as you know is one of the biggest factors in setting the local property tax rate, and hence how much the residents and businesses of Milton are asked by you to pay. After Prop 2 and a half, the cities and towns were limited in how much they could raise

004the prior year's levy and consequently many local services, mostly education, were annually reduced to due to insufficient legislative appropriations for local aid and chapter 78 to education. This brings up a second point. Where does so-called state revenue come from? fact and indeed it comes from every resident and every business in every city and town including Milton which in turn leads me to ask why isn't the money being taken out of your municipality then appropriate and returned to you in order to reduce how much the town has to ask its property owners to pay. It's been my experience that our state legislature has never made full funding of aid education rate a priority. I've been checking it every year since 1973. Members of the majority party bemoan how tough things are on Beacon Hill. We're already

005hearing that. While the members of the minority party say there isn't much I can do about it. Last year, Rainham's budget process resulted in the failure to pay its requested share of the regional school assessment. After failed Proposition 2 and a half override, a large layoff of VR teachers then followed 41 31 the next year and maybe more this year. A resident I discussed this with said, "It sounds like bad management." I responded that it wasn't bad management, but rather a shortfall caused by our state legislators not fully funding local aid and chapter 70. His response, hear these words. "Sounds like our local officials mismanaged their relationships with our state legislators. The time has come for all local officials, including the members of the Milton School Committee, to demand that their state legislators change their

006vote on local aid in general and chapter 78 education in particular from the current here's what's left. Change that to here's what the town of Milton and public schools and the students in them are entitled to under the general laws of the common law. As long as our state reps and state senators are laotted for getting half a loaf, the local residents and businesses will be told to make up the difference. You, the people elected, the school committee, not the governor, not the legislators, will take the brunt of the public eye when taxes go up and educational services go down. Madam Chairman, I'll just conclude by saying as guardians of the educational opportunities of the young people of Milton, this time each of you demand that the legislators who represent Milton vote to fully fund

007all categories of local aid, including but not limited to chapter 7 so that the town won't have to ask the local taxpayers to make up another shortfall in state funding by raising local taxes for an override of Prop 2 and a half. After that, state has a shortfall, let them raise taxes and do a massive playoff. Thank you, Madam Chairman. The members of the committee have left copies of my remarks. All we're asking for is that we somehow persuade the legislators. And so you'll know just parathetically, I'm probably going over time. I've been this is the 19th presentation of these remarks I've made to a school committee going back about a month now. It's not just here and there. Hopefully, one town speaking out isn't going to cause action. If they start hearing from you,

008they're not the worst guys in the world, but if they don't hear it, they won't I thank the committee, the chair. >> Is there anyone online who is interested in um public comment? If so, if you could raise your hand. >> I do not see anybody online tonight. Is there anyone else in the audience who's interested in speaking? move on. Um item is the superintendence report. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. I would like to welcome back uh two student representatives who have attended meetings in the past. Uh Adam Chairs and Olivia Wolson to come up and speak to the school committee tonight. So, welcome and welcome. Hi, thank you so much for welcoming us back. Um, we are two juniors on the uh, student government and our role is student representatives to the school committee.

009Um, so we regularly attend these meetings to provide updates on um, what we're seeing at the high school but also across the district. Um, and I want to begin by wishing you all a happy spring. um which started just a couple of days back. Um and I have several exciting updates. I'll get started with Milton High School's theater department um advance to the finals of the Massachusetts Educational um theater guild competition. Um this recognizes student performance, um acting, tech, production, all hands that are involved in the production of a one act play called The Sparrow. And um they are among a few schools that advanced to this finals um round after, you know, several uh semi-finals and other opportunities to to show the play. um I got to see uh you know some of the

010other um competition um at Boston College High School and um I think it's a great thing that our high school is recognized among um some of these schools and um you know sort of this collaboration and commitment that we have to the arts um is on display for the rest of the state. Similarly, spring sports started on March 16th. Um, which has been an exciting opportunity for students to engage in team sports. Um, we have a, you know, variety of offerings and I play tennis. Um, and um, today and yesterday was the administration of ELA MCCAST at the high school for sophomores. >> Hi, I'm Olivia. Um, I want to talk about our student leaders program, which both Adam and I are part of, which is a program in which upper classmen seek to like

011work with freshmen and guide that transition. And then during the month of March, we do something called mindful mindfulness Mondays. We host um little gatherings to hopefully inspire a little calm during the winter. So, these past few Mondays, we've had a therapy dog come in after school for a couple minutes. We've done a four-way volleyball competition um hosted in our gym. We ran two craft days. We did bedazzling and bracelet making which were both really fun. Um we had a sound bath last Monday which is really interesting in our library. And then next Monday we're going to be doing journal decorating um for all students and that's available for all students that are looking to find some mindfulness in March. Um, April 15th, um, our high school is hosting an SAT date for upper classmen.

012That's another opportunity to take that test and get those results back before, um, summer. And then we have our parent teacher conferences tomorrow. Um, those will be happening after school. Um, not it's not like a half day, which is important to know. And then prom, prom is May 30th. We're looking forward to that happening. and we have a really beautiful space Marriott. Um, and ticket sales are going to be starting after April vacation. Um, so we're really excited for prom and we're encouraging people to start together. Can I ask you a question? When did the mindfulness and the general work and the other activities happen during during advisory or after school? Right. Yeah. So, we off offered some of the shorter ones during advisory, but then like the volleyball, the therapy dogs, anything that would

013be like go too long during that advisory period, we offered after school. Um, and some of them like our bedazzling we did during advisory, but we had such a big group that like next year if we run it again, we'll probably do it after school because there were so many people that we had need a little more time to manage everything. But yeah, we were looking for spaces where people were already taking time off so we could kind of make that a little more fun. >> Who are the two who are the teachers that support student leaders? You want to give them a shout out? >> Yes, that's Miss Warren, Miss Jarbo, Miss Daly, and Miss Murphy. And they're like fantastic. They work with we create little um committees during this month, and we work

014with people that we wouldn't normally work with to um put on these events. and we're very all we're all very involved in the planning and the hosting and we each work with like one teacher as an adviser and they're incredible. >> Questions for Adam or >> and I think I think um I was going to give us Friday off this week. >> I think you're giving us >> we have off. So this is if we can sleep in on Friday morning, we don't have a meeting from 7 a.m. So we're looking forward to that. >> And I I want to shout out to Adam have been doing a great job um uh summarizing what have been going on in the school committee and wring down some very detailed summary to share with the other um

015high school representative in the group so that we all look into the same conversations about school budgets and all the positions that we have been in discussions. So, thank you so much for doing that. >> Yeah, no worries. >> I've seen you in the background. So, thank you very much. >> And Olivia have been doing a lot of community outreach. I I saw her at so many different community events so far. So, thank you so much for doing that. >> Thank you both. >> Thank you. >> Um I will continue with my um my superintendent report. I want to uh give a special congratulations to the music department for the entertainment they provided throughout the month of March. It is music in our schools month. So many performances. Um last night I believe we had

016grades 5 through 12 band uh at the high school auditorium and many shows during the month of March. Uh big news in Milton. We had uh last Friday at Tucker Elementary School. Uh they hosted Congresswoman Ayanna Presley. During the visit, Congresswoman Presley toured the building, spent time in the classrooms, and connected with both students and staff. She met with our fifth grade students during special grade five student assembly where she listened to the ideas and answered their questions. A key focus of her visit was discussing ways she could support uh Tucker in including and helping move forward the playground project that they have at Tucker. Um engaging day for the students and the community. We're very honored to have her presence in the town of Milton at the Tucker School. Uh, as Olivia pointed out

017earlier, uh, March 26, which is tomorrow, is conferences for our families to come to our schools. Um, as Adam pointed out, huge, uh, shout out to our, um, Milton High School theater program. We will be competing in the finals on Friday night uh, at the Massachusetts Educational Theat Guild. That's a really big deal. Uh, it's in Boston and it's going to be a great night for Milton High Company. Uh, first grade choice uh, program choice. Last week we had our first grade night for all existing kindergarten families. Uh there um after the presentation uh we answered questions and the following day an email was sent out to all kindergarten families with the slides and the form for them to fill out for their choice for grade one whether that be the uh the English program

018or the French program. Zena Hermada is here as our world language director. She was present that night along with Karen McDavid and Chrissy G. Petta to do a presentation and answer questions from about 200 folks that we had that night. It was a very good night. So, if you haven't sent in your choice, please do so by this Friday. Um, on behalf of uh Dr. Fa Shavers, who we have here presenting tonight, we have a uh diversity event on Monday uh March 30th and 4th 6 at the Milton High School Library. uh all of the diversity committees from each of our schools will be uh gathering to talk about what that happens in their schools, sharing good ideas and best practices um in deciding what might be the important themes that we want to address

019next school year. So Dr. Sha speaking to that when she presents and the Tucker Talent Show is Friday the March 27th. Uh Tucker's Got Talent starts at 6 PM at the middle school. Um one last announcement, the Milton Foundation for Education is in its 30th year. Uh the MF will have its celebration uh in May. Uh a new award they're going to give out is on behalf of one of the founding members of the Milton Foundation, Burn Lovely. Uh Burn Lovely was at one point the head of the Milton Foundation. He was also a school committee member. Um he was also an avid Milton public school fan, chair leader of everything Milton and um they naming a new award uh in his state. So, if anybody would like to nominate Vern Lovely for that, nominate

020someone on behalf of Burn Love's award, you can go on the MF website. There's a form to fill out. Um, I'm very, very happy for his family uh to see this award be given out to Burn. Uh, he was a longstanding supporter of the Mil School. So, congratulations to him and his family, and I appreciate the MVP recognizing his uh contributions uh since he's passed. I am here through the agenda. So, one thing I wanted is that we will not be um going over the final uh review outdoors club main trip um approval for the high school. So, with that said, we'd like to bring up um Claire Younger and Dean Kamada to talk about the trip uh that is planned uh for next school year. Uh this was um brought to the school committee

021uh last meeting. So, this would be the second meeting and uh we're so happy to have you here in person to answer any questions. The committee has seen uh the two-page document that uh represents the details of the trip. uh they had a couple of questions that he did like to ask so we wanted to make you available to do so. Uh but first uh Zena and Claire do you can introduce yourselves and then describe your trip a little we'll walk through the highlights of the the trip and then answer any questions you may have and we'll go through. >> My name is Zina Hamada. I'm the director of world languages for the Milton public schools grades 1 to 12. >> Hello I'm K younger and I'm French high school teacher. Um we all have

022the document but if you just want to talk a little bit about the trip and some of the the background and the planning and um some of the points of interest were some of the financials uh what's going on in the trip where the folks going and it's open to and just uh you can use this as a way to work your way through the discussion. >> So we uh we did this trip uh in April last year and it was a great success. The everything went well. We did have a few sick kids but really everything was well organized and it was a real success. Uh students were the best u to tell us about it. So we wanted to do this again. Uh people parents have been asking us and so we hope

023it's going to happen next year. The we have worked with a company and wish to or decided to work with the same company for the safety, the quality uh of the travel and the support in organization. It is open to students in any language or even who are not taking languages. Uh so last year we had students from uh the Spanish program, the students in uh Latin and students in French. Um And we are giving a priority to the current sophomore and juniors. So who will be uh juniors and seniors next year after a week or we going to open to uh the current uh freshman who will be sophomore next year. So I think age wise we are not ready to open it to the ninth graders who are not here. Okay. Uh so

024the itinerary will be um Madrid Madrid in Spain, Bordo which is the south coast of France and a few other towns on the way and then we'll end with this Paris which we thought last year was a great way to end. We we chose for the second time we're choosing a trip that includes uh spa Spain to make sure people understand even if you were to go to Germany or just France, it's really for everyone. It's more than just a language. It's also um cultural. It's also independence. There's a lot to learn in such trips. Uh so how safety uh the safety of students is maintained. Uh we will have one adult for 8 to 10 students. Uh we have contacts from our companies uh in every city big cities that we go to. uh

025students have are distributed cards that uh have the information uh from our company for safety reasons but also we added last year we added uh every teacher's phone number. Uh there was also a um an app where we could follow each other so we always knew where students were. They are supposed to be always at well all together most of the time but they did have uh some free time and they were already three students minimum together with that point of meeting. We were so surprised like everybody always arrived before so afraid to to miss the time and to be in trouble. No. So, uh it really worked well and we also asked we um every hotel has someone 24hour uh 24/7 uh at the entrance and they don't let our students out and they

026also make sure not everybody is coming here. >> Um so the proposed budget it is we have a limited number of spots. it's about 40 students who can go. Um, so we cannot fund raise like the high school trip and fundraising for a whole group. It would be actually I think not equitable to put an effort fundraising for just 40 students and then the others didn't take advantage of it when maybe had it been lower they could have etc. So there are options though offered through the company for families to do a self funding. The earlier we offer that um the uh registration the longer people have to actually fund raise or save money. So we did it a little bit last minute last year and we found it was not fair to give so

027little time to families. So we that's why we really tried uh to get the approval early on. The uh there's no cost to the town. It's uh purely funded by families who send each other. >> The estimate of students said it's 30 to 44. We need a minimum of 30 students. Uh 44 is the maximum because it's the size of the bus. Um general plan of schedule of the field trip. Uh we are asking that we could have the student uh miss up to two days. Um they it was for several reasons. Uh they need a little bit of time at the end of the vacation to rest. It's very tiring trip. It's true for the teachers too. >> Uh it's a lot of work and regularly uh that happens with all the field trips.

028Students miss a day for the music trip. They miss two days and we felt that uh last year was really difficult to go back to school after one day. >> The jet lag is real. So >> yes, they come back on Sunday. It's hard to start back on Monday. >> Um procedure for emergency notification. Uh yes. So the there's an admin on the trip. Um here we last year we had Mrs. Sam with us. Then there were we also have teachers as um >> as leaders. So each teacher has the group and then actually the guide from the company's with us all the time. >> Yes, we have a guide. >> All the time. And uh and then I think that the administrator is in lining with the superintendent for any uh real emergency >>

029which we did not have to do last time at all. >> We have um and so and we're also in contact with parents through one of the uh AC's website. It's an app and so we were able to send them photos but that means we could have reach out all the parents at once >> if they registered. But I think um that was a great way to know that we have a way to we have teachers who have had also the experience before long ago. So teachers have done similar trips for years. Uh and the one last year was pretty success. Um so procedures for students to use if separated from the group. So they have so those phone numbers they explain they we we explain to them that they have them on the phone

030and on a card not on the phone. So in case uh they phone as well they know where they are because of the phone they when they given freedom they limited uh in the area >> they shared location. So we had uh groups go together, never anyone alone, but one captain was for each group and that person shared location with with us >> and uh we knew where they were at all times and we gave them the time to come back in case uh one of the students got sick. Last year we had two students get really sick. One of us stayed behind with the students. So uh I stayed for one day and there was another day where another one of our teachers stayed. >> Um so there's always someone with them. We never

031leave them alone in a hotel and we get them what they need with their pharmacy, doctor. >> Yeah. And then there's a curfew. So we check all the rooms after the curfew. We check everyone is home in the morning. We make sure everybody's ready so we don't forget anyone at the time >> and they have to open the door and we have to count them. >> Yeah. >> So we were strict like that. Um, so yes, that's about a summary of uh our >> Thank you. First of all, I want to say thank you for taking your time to plan a trip and taking your time to attend the trip. It's a lot of work. And on behalf of any child who would like to participate for some folks, this may seem very expensive, but

032it might be the only chance that they're able to actually travel abroad uh because their families might not be able to go as a larger group. Um, and I really appreciate you getting all this work done this year so you can have a longer on-ramp for folks to be able to think about their finances, sign up in advance. And I know that you spoke the earlier we establish the registration actually the cheaper uh the trip will be. So having the chance to get this up and running as soon as possible is very important uh for the financial package that we can provide our fans. It's really nice to get this up and running the year before again to give everybody time to be considered to consider whether they could afford it or not make the

033trip. So, thank you for doing all that and thank you for taking care of the juniors, the current juniors and sophomores first because they weren't able to last year. So, we appreciate all the thought. Thank you. stress. >> I I want to echo what Superintendent Fen just said because I just came back from a trip with my students for 10 days in Taiwan. So um I just have a few logistic questions I would like to ask like um how many student will be sharing a hotel room because I know European hotel rooms are very small and they have very strict how many people can stay. >> So we have a maximum of two and they do chair BS. Okay. Which is one of the reason um and it seems like the the quote that they

034gave you is valid through May 1st. So >> it says May 1st, 2026. >> I know that's a mistake. >> April 1st. I have >> Oh, maybe they changed already. This one >> it says May 1st on the attachment itinerary for sure >> fly. I will double check on this. >> So assuming we approve it today, then this information will be sent out to families and they will have to sign up as ASAP before April 1st. >> So April 1st, I think is we cannot ask people to that would be not fair. >> Yes. >> So assuming that is said, then the people can family can start thinking about how they're going to fund this trip. >> Correct. Yes. >> Okay. And other than um they're asking for donations or what not um do do

035they offer a monthly payment plan? >> Yes. >> Additional insurance which is very good insurance. That's one of the reasons. >> Do they charge fees for the monthly payments? >> No. If you No, there's no extra for monthly payments. It's actually they give you even more time to pay. Any other questions? >> Absolutely. It sounds wonderful. It sounds wonderful. >> Did you notice you mentioned last year uh there was less time for families to plan to live was there less students that >> it was such a soft to demand. uh that yes, it was full, but we would like to be able to to make sure it doesn't go any any expensive than it already is. >> Yeah. >> So, is the com uh transportation from Madrid to San Sebastian those dotted lines means on

036bus? >> Yes. >> And then the from Bordex to Paris is by rail train. >> Yes. is the highspeed train which is an experience in and out of itself. >> I loved it last year. >> Yeah, >> it's neat. It's on time and it's um it's very fast. It's real. So, it's a treat and also we actually considered other trips but that have so much bus so much traveling that we decided against them. So that's also something we take into consideration that if you have to be in the bus all the time it's slower comfortable um in the uh and just too much trouble. We found also that this company puts quality in what they pick whether the bus or the hotels but also in authentic experiences for students whether it's a restaurant they give

037you the authentic experience and not just let's feed the children the students and go it give them nice experiences that uh is very impressive. >> Yeah. And among the transportation also always were in the city, never outside. So we don't have to take the bus like at night. We walked back from the restaurant every time. >> So little details that make a big difference and it's expensive either way. >> Yes, definitely. >> Europe is not cheap to travel to. So this is a good price. >> Yes. So yeah. >> Um do you guys consider visiting schools there just to give student a little? >> We ask. Yeah, >> we ask and it's not easy to organize uh one day on vacation at the same time. So that was one of the issues with one of

038the trips that offered it. Uh it's more difficult to uh to organize. There are limitations. Um so very few trips offer it. Uh after that there are other trips that would offer maybe a few overnights at someone's house, things like this. But that I think that would >> Different kind of trips. Yeah. >> That's even more work. >> Yeah. And it's not an exchange uh you know that we're trying to do. We're really trying to immerse our students in the culture of the country with experiences. It's more experiences than um yeah school. And I think that whatever program students are coming from, we in a school where start the language early and at one point having um that hope with that dream to be able to go uh is amazing and I think they were

039very excited and we we asked about the next trip regularly. If this trip also come back successful, would you consider doing this every other two years? Like every other year which is every two years you bring student over so to if students who were not able to go last like this time two years later they can like think ahead and save money to go next. >> Yes. So that's the hope. >> That's the hope. >> And then we realize that maybe we will be too much more on the teachers and the organization point of view. We think we may have enough people to go. But >> our teachers are excited also. And also I have to say that the company was so proud of the students. The students were amazingly disciplined, amazingly respectful to the

040people, to the country, to the asks that we had. We did not have a single glitch. Not one. >> Yeah, we were good. >> Not one. So I wish you success and congratulations and thank you so much for all your hard work in organizing and running this trip. >> Thank you very much. >> Thank you real person in real time. >> So >> second a motion to Yeah. Motion >> final approval of the Milton High School trip to Spain and France >> in April 14th through 23rd of 2027. >> Thank you all your time. >> I would like to uh next bring to the table Dr. William Fish, principal of the Pierce Middle School. Um, we are glad to have Bill here tonight to talk about a committee that he has put together uh in

041connection with um principal of the high school, Karen Cahill, who would not be at the table, but she's here tonight. Any questions come up to analyze and talk about the transition of our students from 8th grade to 9th grade. Um, Bill has created a team of folks that will be analyzing that will be um considering the analyzing and building systems to support students transition to high school. Um, Bill was going to give us an update on that work. Um, we appreciate the attendance bringing this to our attention and for doing this work with his colleagues at school. >> Of course. Thank you. I'd say before we get started, as the dad of a 17-year-old who went on that trip last April, could not endorse it more. It was a transformative experience at a time and

042everything that Clarence and are saying absolutely spot on. So, um, first of all, thank you for the opportunity to join the committee tonight to provide an update on the work that our team has been engaged in throughout the winter and early spring. Um we have what I'd like to do is just start who has the um start by taking through an overview of um the work we have put in place to date as well as some preliminary short-term uh strategies that we view as being really supportive of this focus. So when we talk about the background and context, um this this the story starts with building on successes that have already been established at Pierce. And um we saw several years ago coming out of the pandemic an opportunity to do uh better, more intentional

043work in how we supported the fifth and sixth grade transition. Um and through a multi-year strategy that in uh focused on increasing both fifth grade fifth graders familiarity with the school and building routines um that attended to both social emotional and academic considerations um that sought to bring educators together from both levels, fifth and sixth. uh we've really seen some powerful moves that have uh led to feedback from families about their sixth graders experiences that sound a lot different than the feedback that we were getting three and four and five years ago. Um so we see we we look to build on those experiences and those successes and to uh find the right way to put together a system that is developmentally appropriate to support and nurture the transition from 8 to 9th grade. Uh

044for some more context we've been using stakeholder input uh and that's been an integral part of this work. Um, Principal Cah Hill contested that in both the Pierce and Milton High School site council meetings from very early on in the fall, this was a a point of interest for conversation. Uh, among our families, um, parents and guardians in particular who were attending. Uh, many of those parents have had children who had a very successful transition from Pierce from fifth to sixth grade. Uh, and they are either in the middle of getting ready for that transition from 8th to 9th or had recently made it. Um, and we're just raising some really good curious questions around what are we doing? Is there a way to mirror so that when our students get to high school, um,

045they are feeling that same sense of connection, excitement, and um, and eventually success that they were feeling when they were younger students. Uh it's it's worth noting that as in the monthly school visits that I do with with John and Carlo, this has been a through line of of our conversations and our notice too, particularly when when visiting eighth grade classrooms and they have the perspective of visiting nth grade classrooms. So it feels now like this is a really good time um to elevate our focus on this work. Um when we talk about we often talk about the whole student approach to any aspect of our work uh and the way that that situates in looking critically at the transition. Uh our team has looked at uh where do we need to attend to students

046needs from a social emotional perspective and where do we need to attend to needs from an academic and teaching and learning perspective. And from my experience that the transition from fifth to sixth grade tends to be more heavily focused on the social emotional needs of students. You've in the unique space that we are in is Vid Pierce where we are a very large middle school that is onboarding for um four classes from four uniquely uh different elementary schools and they come together for the first time at Pierce in the school of nearly a thousand students. you can imagine where the the the social and and emotional focus comes from. Um and in my experience and many of our experiences, the transition to high school, while there's always going to be that that component, that transition

047is more academic in nature or or the the balance of academics to social emotional will tip toward the uh the academic needs. So it um it really ultimately we arrive at this at this uh core question of what are our opportunities to strengthen and to improve students experiences with the transition. You know um I just came from the beginning of an event at Pierce where um we have uh some community partners coming in to talk about the antidotes to approaching high school from parent perspective. demystifying what it should be and reclaiming the high school experience. Um, and both it was interesting getting knowing I was coming over here to to talk with the committee these pivotal moments of transitions, right? And whether there's there's four there's coming to kindergarten, there's a transition from fifth and

048sixth grade, there's a transition to high school, and there's the the transition of to um to postsecary. And what I think we should feel good about particularly as we approach the work around the eth nth transition is we're not starting from scratch. We have we've done this work. Um we have some expertise. We have some experience drawn and now we're really looking to scale it to uh to our students who are going to be making the the move from from middle school to high school. If we talk about the uh professional development strand, this is the team that we've referenced. Um this is the team that's leading the work and as a strategy to create a space to bring more educators together. Um, we proposed and with the support of John and Carlo were approved

049to run a professional development strand throughout this winter and spring that invited eighth through and nth grade educators to come in to bring in their experiences and perspectives um around this transition. And we honestly wasn't sure what to expect. I didn't know if it was going to be me and four people in the Pierce Library for five weeks um or if if or what the interest would look like. But we had uh we had over 20 people sign up and we have about 17 that consistently participate split almost down the middle between eth and nth grade educators. Um we've met three times so far. Um and we have two more two more sessions planned uh early in the spring. And uh it's important to note that the not just both schools grade levels are represented

050but all the disciplines are represented from math ELA science and social studies special education inclusion specialist. We have unit B curriculum leaders Darren Brian Cook and Hardy. Um this is this has uh while it began in maybe an organic way uh it has really evolved it and has um has gotten a lot of attention to the point where our my staff I'm sure Karen would say the same thing are asking like hey how's it going what are you guys working on what can we expect and um change isn't easy in schools we know that so when we can create a sense of excitement around this I think it's easy to get behind talking about our students and want to set up to be to be successful during one of these um tender times of transition

051and change. We're we're well positioned to make to make some really really positive moves on their behalf. Talk a little bit about our process and how we've approached the work so far. Um we began by grounding our work in our educators experiences. These are the people who were in classrooms every day. Many of them on this team have depth and breath of of experiences both within the Milton public and outside. Um, and I think in an effort to honor their time and willingness to be there, we start with questions like what brings you to this work? Why is this matter? Why is it important? And um the the first meeting was just really inspiring because I went into it with my own sort of expectations and hopes for it and um I think my own

052expectations and hopes were elevated by spending an hour and a half with people who were equally invested in this work. Um, we have spent some time doing some research and grounding our conversations in the research base and trying to learn from what other schools and school districts are doing well um in identifying best practices that may you know could could eventually guide some of these short short-term and long-term opportunities for enhancements. Um, a lot of the time we have spent has been on the structural analysis doing doing uh a review of what's in place and what's going well because there are there are plenty of strategies and moves that are already happening at Pearson High School um in in sort of giving people who are doing that work credit that will surface uh shortly. So

053identifying those existing structures um both through the social emotional lens and the academic lens and then digging into the question of what's missing. What what would be better except this would be better for more students if we did what um and again looking at social emotional and economic. um in trying to dig in more what are those concrete moves or those concrete structures that would enhance students experiences. Uh we had a really awesome opportunity to scale this work up to go to the next slide. Um as our plans for the March 3rd professional day materialized um and I said to our team, what would it look like if we offered a workshop? Right? Not everybody there's lots of people who are interested in the work but they may not be able to come from 2:45

054to 4:15 Thursdays. Um so we proposed that workshop we had over 30 educators eth and nth grade educators again spanning all the disciplines both levels. Um we had special educators we had BCBAs we had EL teachers. So um and we approached that time similarly how how the the team has been working what brings us to the work um reviewing an article doing some reflection identifying what's going well about where the opportunities for for continuous improvement exist and it brings us to where we are now and that's to performance gap. We're in the middle of performing with the gap analysis. Um looking at what's in place and stacking that up against what do we aspire to, what do we want, and what do we see is in students best interests and then from there reconciling any

055uh any differences between those two aspects by identifying goals that can be actualized. and where those can live would be in places like school improvement plants as as we evolve from year to year. Um so that has been our process at this point and going through that process there have been a handful of themes that have emerged. Um you may not be surprised or taken a back by them but I think it's important to to name them. Um so when we ask the question really where are our opportunities for KC this growth um and what we're learning uh what we're learning about what matters to the staff who are close to the transition I emphasize staff because that's that's the first stakeholder group where we've spent the most time and there are we we do

056believe as a team there's opportunities to dig in a little bit further um with our students with and with our campus to get some more feedback on this. Um, so what are we learning? We learn we're learning that we believe it's important to give students, eighth grade students, more familiarity with Milton High School. Uh, and thanks to Principal Cahill and and her team, um, we believe that we that's something that's a move we're going to be able to put in place in the short term and I can address that shortly. Um, we believe that there's a structure that exists already and I heard uh Adam and Olivia talking about it through the uh peer leaders program and the ninth grade advisory. there's structure that exists already and how do we leverage that structure to um

057get more out of it in say get more out of it but to to uh be more strategic and more focused in how those those structures that already exist can be um the most can be can be gotten out of it. And when we think about both familiarity and that peer support those are those are attending to the social emotional needs. we transition thinking um some of the emergence themes that are specific to the academic program um really comes down to the work with the adults and increasing communication between and among Pierce and Milton High School educators and that was when we did this work with 56 that was probably the um the single most impactful aspect of of what moved the needle there was for for example a sixth grade teacher to get to

058a fifth grade class and say, "Oh, this is what upper elementary instruction looks like, right?" And uh and this is where our this is where our sixth graders are this is the environment they're coming from and not just assuming that the way that we are doing it is the way or the kids should just be able to transition or to adjust to um new methodologies because they're 11. Um so that has been being thinking about how and where and where would our high leverage moves in increasing communication between peers and multi high school educators. Um we also believe and we're going to say it and this falls in the academic strand um with academic readiness there is spa there is space to better align expectations to build kids stamina um in in stamina around academic

059demands and you know I guess what do we mean by that when we talk about expectations there are differences in practices between 8th grade and nth grade around due dates and around makeups and around the types of assessments that we're using and that's Okay. Um but it it's important that for the particularly for the for the teachers who are sending their students to high school, the teachers who are receiving very young high school students to have uh a really better understanding and better alignment around what those expectations are. Um and what do we mean by building stamina? Uh it's really helping students to navigate the increased expectations of academic independence. um expectations around homework and expectations around independent reading and and um and taking a more independent and personally responsible for their learning. Um we

060think about moving from these identified needs or these emergent themes. We start to think about changing practice. We've categor categorized the uh opportunities for for change in two buckets. One in the short-term wins. Where where's the lowhanging fruit? um what can we do now to benefit the 324 eighth graders that are in Pierce Middle School today? Uh and then what might this look like in a longer term strategic approach that maybe may maybe benefit that same cohort of students, but it might be benefiting the kids who are in sixth grade right now and thinking about that in the longer term. So when we look at specifically what moves can we make this spring, one of the uh one of the educators on our on our team, I when asked the question, what do you want

061to get from this work? She said action. She said, I signed up for these teams, these committees, and it's good to come and talk with people, but I want something I want something to come out of this that our students are going to benefit from. Um, so we're happy I'm happy to share u that wi with principal Kah Hill's commitment. We are going to bring back the step up days at Milton High School that had been lost um primarily from the pandemic. Uh, and that looks will look very similar to the step-up days of Pierce where the students will go over um most likely by team, have some time with student leaders, have some time with Karen and Brian, uh, learn a little bit more about the extracurricular program and ideally get them in the

062space, get their familiarity, have hopefully get them excited. Um the next few short-term wins um are really about the adults and the work with our staff. Uh and the first we're recommending comes by way of peer observations. One of the things that I've noticed is we have lots of educators who are doing good work, but they may not know what their colleagues in a building a quarter mile away are doing. And that is something that it's no one's fault. It is it is um it is what it is. And I don't think it's unique to our district. So as a a strategy to build in opportunities for peer observations, as a strategy strategy to facilitate an increased shared understanding. So what that would look like would be providing educators with release time so that eighth

063grade teachers can get over to the high school and see ninth grade uh classrooms both in and outside of their discipline at multiple levels. What is college prep ninth grade English class look like? What does an honors ninth grade English class look like? Um, there's some value in seeing your former students there, too. Not just because you want to see them, but you you were their teacher for 180 days and to see what their where they are now in the spring of their freshman year um would seemingly provide some some really helpful insights. And then um reciprocally having the ninth grade teachers coming to Pierce because I think that um it's important the same comment about when our sixth grade teachers visit the elementary schools. It's important for high school teachers to have an understanding

064of what does an eighth grade classroom look like? Um what are the routines that are consistently in place? What is the discourse of a classroom look like? What are students expected to do independently versus with support? Um, and and we see this all the time. I I was I said to our team, I put myself out there as being guilty of it. Many of you know that I was a high school principal for a long time and I would be the first one to be like, they didn't what did that middle school do, right? And then I become a middle school principal and I'm middle school is doing a lot, right? Like there our kid our kids we are getting these guys ready. It's a I think it's a natural human assumption that who wherever

065the students are coming from that something should be different or better or more. Uh and what we're seeing is really just understanding gap among the adults and it's at no fault of anybody. So how do we create in this case um some shorter term opportunities. So in addition to the peer observations, we are looking to um provide opportunities during the school day to bring those eth grade teachers together and to um not just talk about what it was like to be in the classroom, but to be able to ask reflective questions um to talk about what they saw and learned in through this through this process to share course materials and syllabi. That's something that's come up with this team that I have being able to have one of my eighth grade English teachers sit

066with Hardy as the high school department chair and see what are the expectations of independent reading when students are doing a novel study in the CP class versus an honors class. These are just um again through the no fault of anyone. These are just not moves that we had had taking to bring people together, you know, and do it in the Pierce Library, do in the high school library to have it have lunch and to just be able to talk and to build relationships and connections between um between educators. And the final short-term uh move really gets at alignment. And this I give Cat Young, our literacy director, a lot of credit for partnering with me and with us on this. Um the approach to literacy in six to eight is very different than the

067approach to English in ninth 12th grade. Um in with the way that comes out is is often as a critique of oh the our students aren't reading or they're not reading novels and contemporary models and in middle school literacy is to not do the long novel study. Right? People have opinions on that and that's okay. Um but that's not what our curriculum is designed to do. But we still have to recognize that in a few months when our students are ninth graders and they're reading To Kill a Mockingbird or Animal Farm or whatever that might be that there's going to be expectations on them that they have not had. And it's not that they're not capable, they just haven't practiced them. So um through a partnership with CAT and working with their eighth grade English

068classes, um each of the teams is going to do a novel study that's modeled after the approach that students will experience in high school. So that what that will look like is uh sort of the flip into students having more responsibility for independent reading at home and using using the guidelines that the high school uses of the CP class is reading 15 to 20 minutes independently a night and that the honors class is reading 25 to 30 I think it was and then um so not just giving them exposure to what the instructional model might look like in high school um but giving them practice in sustaining reading and building stamina for whatever that might be 20 to 40 minutes a night for a student and then being coming into class the next day to

069be able to come into at that point have the discussions do the analysis think critically from their peers. So, um we're excited that in has been a relatively short period of time to um to build out actionable steps that we think that will benefit our kids as they make a transition next year. in thinking more of the long game in the longer term goals in looking at building these longer terms structures and systems. I think emphasis has to be on the systems and not just plugging a need because we can or because we need to. Uh alignment is definitely a theme of the of the long game. uh alignment in curriculum and the need to strengthen cohesion between the eighth and nth grade curriculum uh through sustained collaboration and this is this is a two-way

070street. Um ninth grade teachers I would by their own admission through our work as the team are are seeking to have a better understanding of what knowledge and skills students are developing in the eighth grade curriculum. Uh and similarly, eighth grade teachers are seeking a better understanding of how the specific knowledge and skills h how how are what's being taken successfully in the transition from 8th to 9th grade. Uh and where might the opportunities be to strengthen the foundation? Uh similar conversation around alignment, alignment of expectations. These aren't academic expectations. They're more the routines. How does the high school handle the cell phone policy versus the middle school? How do we handle attendance in tardies versus the middle school? Um what is the approach to makeup work? Because in many classrooms here it's we want

071you to make up your work and we want you to demonstrate. We want to see that you've demonstrated mastery. And in the upper grades it's this is the due date and if it's not here by if it's not there's no deliverable then there's no credit. Um, so helping to to to get better aligned and I think of it as a gradual release model where what it may look like in the eighth grade year in September may look a little bit different in January, may a little bit more differently. Um, a few more longer term goals. Clarity is an important um, concept particularly when we're talking about the course recommendation and course selection process. Um, we've begun, Jenny Belvo has been a great partner in helping to um, put together data on students who override a

072level of teacher recommendation. How are they doing? Um, because there's, I think, assumptions that the adults have and through no fault of their own that may not um, may not align with what we're seeing in in the data trends. And it's early. This is I I'm not prepared to report on what those are, but like preliminarily I think that it will be insightful for both eighth grade teachers making those recommendations and nth grade teachers who are receiving those students to see what those data are. Um because I think our kids sometimes need to be given a little bit more credit. Um and then finally the not finally the continuous exposure. And this is getting back so we're rounding out the familiarity and the social emotion attention social emotional um continuous exposure. We're thrilled that principal

073Kah Hill is willing to work with us to get our guys over there uh before the end of the year. But ideally having multiple touch points and multiple opportunities, it's it's pretty it's customary in many high schools, particularly in the fall, to be able to bring eighth graders and eighth grade families and showcase what's going on there. The fall is it's not by accident. That's the same time families who may be considering sending their children outside of the school district. Uh, and there's just as as a parent of three middle high school kids, there are so many um opportunities and experience that people should be excited about. They need to know about them. Um, and and for students to be able to get excited about it. Uh, and then have that second touch point in

074the spring as they're getting ready to launch from from middle school to high school. Uh and similarly as we mentioned before that ninth grade advisory and the student leader program has has existed for some time and um they do some really great work with students as as reported by the student leaders as we saw tonight with with Adam and Hannah but Olivia sorry. Um but are the you know the question is are there ways that we can think about um what the nth grade advisory looks like that may be different than it is now or different than like the 10th grade advisory. Uh, one of the ideas we've had a lot of success with our sixth grade seminar program, sixth grade seminar class. Is there other ways to fold in those focus areas of developing

075community explicitly teaching executive functioning, organizational skills, doing a whole class, whole grade reads, some of those elements that have found to be uh really positive in the in the seminar class, could can those be scaled up into into the nth grade advisory program students? Uh and finally the data collection a lot I mentioned earlier much of what I'm sharing with the committee right now is is the reflection are the reflections and experiences of the educators uh and those matter and those are valuable but I also we believe that there are opportunities to solicit input from our students and from families and whether that be by way of of surveys or focus groups to be able to triangulate um the data around what these experiences are students who have been successful. What made their transition successful?

076Students who struggled um and families who struggled because their kids struggled, what what was it about? What was missing? What was hard? Um how can that inform where we might be able to do better? So ultimately, um these reflections, most of them are mine, perfectly honest. Um these challenges of the transition, they're not unique. I always hear Carlo's voice in the back of my head like this is this is a challenge that is tail as old as time. Um but I think that we're uniquely positioned to to make some really good progress on behalf of our kids. I think there's a shared interest between the educators uh at both levels which is a huge the buy in there is is authentic. Um there's mutual interest with families as we're seeing from our site councils um

077at both at both schools and we're we have educators who are committed and we're reflective that we they don't need to be convinced of the value of it especially if they know that kids are going to benefit from this. Um at the end of it everything we're talking about here aligns with our district priorities from talking about high quality tier one instruction to increasing rigor to using data. Um this is a a pretty specific strategy that is really closely aligned to what we say we believe in and what matters. Um and and but while there are some things we should be excited about for the short term and in the spring, we also need to give oursel be be realistic that building systems and doing it takes some time. This is going to be a

078multi-year uh approach and um but it's worth doing. We have we have the assets. We have the framework and we believe that in the same way that we've seen significant gains in improvements in the transition from elementary to middle school that we can we can scale that up and provide similar types of experiences and outcomes for Any questions come up high school question? >> I can start. I'm actually in the process of 8th to 9th transition. So this is a some an area that I'm very interested in. Um this is my fourth year at Pierce as a parent. So um a lot of the things that you mentioned are exactly things that I've picked up from my own kids and you know just my own experience what I've seen um and just talking to other

079uh parents at the school. Um so it's very on point. Everything that you're saying is what I've kind of they've been kind of the pain points and so I'm glad that you were able to identify that. Um so I was first of all I was curious in this um over the course of these five weeks what is kind of the goal at the end of that meeting like that last what are you trying to get to people? Um by the end of that two group have completed that gap analysis of where we are and where we aspire to be and from there I imagine that group becoming almost an advisory group. And I think I view Karen and me as the building principles to be the ones that are carrying the work, but having having

080this deep bench of people who are committed to its success to um not just help us to circulate new school improvement plans that that attend to particularly those long-term long-term um goals, but to be conduits to their peer, their colleagues in in helping to carry that message of the value of the work and when there are opportunities to become actively involved. I I hope that this experience is one that will get people bought into the idea that we can bring people together and enact meaningful change on behalf of through the value of continuous approval. So, um I would expect Anna that there will be some well-developed um priorities and related goals that would guide our our work particularly in the longer longer stuff over the course of the next couple years. >> Yeah. No, I

081think I think that's fantastic and I really like I appreciate that there's a kind of um a lot of thought is going into this and there is going to be a plan that's going to come out of this and then hopefully you can you know get to that where you want to be what you aspire to be much quicker because I mean three years is a very short time but I mean it is also a pretty long time right like it's so um it might feel short but it is it is three years of their lives so I do hope we can get to that place a lot quicker faster so that our kids can benefit um from it. Um I do appreciate that you have um touched on kind of um aligning expectations and

082you know academic readiness. That's something I've I've seen pockets of it I would say in my last four years you know depending on individual um teachers and so on and so forth. But like building consistency I think from one grade to the next to the next, right? Like I would say like for instance like seventh grade English was really strong and there's like a you know it kind of dips down for eighth. like so how do we kind of build up that momentum and just kind of keep going so that when you get to ninth grade as you're talking about with whether it's honors or CP and you're building those like you know this interest in wanting to read because there's reading logs in sixth grade and then seventh grade you're doing more independent reading

083and then that kind of disappears in eighth grade. So how do you kind of build towards that? So when you get to ninth grade, you're still reading 20 to 40 minutes a night because you really want to and you want to be engaged in that discussion when you go into class the next day. So just kind of consistency with that and I think you know I would I would love the idea um you mentioned here um of introducing the novel study for fourth term that I'm some really excited about that. I would say like my in my our own house uh we really struggled with a graphic novel. we just felt like there wasn't much content in there to write from or so we were looking at other resources to kind of build our essay

084from. So I I really appreciate the introduction of having more substantial uh reading material for the students because I think I mean they're ready right because I think when they get to nth grade they're kind of building towards that. So I really love that um the addition of that and I think seeing more of that would be really great. Um so um this is this is all great work. So, how can I support? I would love to get this up and running as fast as possible. I know some of you guys have uh middle schoolers, so hopefully you could benefit from it. So, um however we can support at least I would love to, you know, be part of these discussions and I hope you come back and share with us. So, thank you. >>

085Um agree with Anna on all of that. Um, you mentioned this at the end, but as you were going through it, actually pulled up another document just to as you were going through like the work and purpose, it's like this feels so aligned to the districts um to the school committee goals and the district's like five teaching and learning priorities and they are like it's it's cool to just see a strategy like this um be a thread through all of the goals that you all just a great illustrious example. Um, I think the the transition struggle is real. Um, so I'm glad you are addressing like the problem and taking action on it. Like I think I struggled at every transition. I bet that's true for many of the adults in the room. It's like

086a part of the human condition. Um, I just had a couple of quick thoughts and don't feel like you need to respond to all of them. Um, one was at the end you talked about you're going to be looking at student um, surveys and focus groups for families and students. I think you mentioned this, it does seem to be up until now a relatively adult driven process, which seems like a good place to start, but I think talking to students and understanding what their transition pain points are um and building that into the process, just they're the end users, they're the customers or whatever in this in this equation. Um I think that'd be good for anything you give to parents I think would be super valuable or just resources. I think most parents for

087your first kid, you haven't dealt with these transitions in 30 years and you were the kid back then. So, you know, I'll have a I'll have, you know, next year an eighth grader going to ninth grade and I'm not totally sure how to navigate that situation. Um, one other reaction, but now I can't remember what it is. But anyway, thank you for this. It's great great to see this morning. >> I I agree. I I mean, as a parent of a current sixth grader who I feel is has really benefited both her and our family from the attentiveness and the like improvements that were put in place for the fifth to sixth grade transition. I'm really definitely excited to see the um intentionality here as well. And I think approaching shorter term, longer term, like

088parallel, I think that makes a a lot of sense. I agree with you, Anna, like the sooner we can implement some of those more systemic um improvements, the better. I I'm especially I think excited to see the focus on vertical alignment both in curriculum and pedagogy and just the way you're going to be supporting educators to learn from one another. Um it just raises questions for me about you know how this will be situated within the larger um sort of plans and goals around professional development time and you know that's like a um it it you're sort of thinking big picture and this is going to be an important initiative within that. I'm also wondering like what role that curriculum directors will get to play in this because they will obviously be key. I guess

089we're fortunate in this way that we have curriculum directors who do actually like bridge. >> Um, and so I'm kind of wondering like what work have they presumably been doing all along that um can be incorporated and you know >> Yeah, we're thinking about that already. >> Yeah, particularly with the the collaboration. One, it's one thing to get in and see another colleague teach and what the classroom looks like, but in the collaborate the collaborative structure is not just reflecting on that but being able to bring student work samples to to your uh nth grade if I'm an eighth grade teacher or n just to be able to bring a to be able to bring syllabi and um rubrics and there's a lot of this work that is going to just be about auditing and

090strengthening understanding among the educators And it's not because someone's done something wrong. This point is we just haven't tackled it that way. So I think I'm that part I'm I'm excited about because I do think to go back to your your comment where the curriculum leaders fall in they are perfect facilitators for that. Like you said Anna just excited to sort of see how this proceeds. So, thank you two more comments. Um, I know you mentioned that there's a lot of great work that happens up here. So much happening. It would be great if you in L newsletters if you could add more photos. I'd love to see like pictures because I want to see those kids engaged in classrooms and doing stuff. It's like, you know, because it really sends it it's it it's

091a great way to share to families all the good stuff that's happening there. and just seeing those kids engaged, it really just would be amazing. Um, and just capturing that. And then the other thing I would suggest is, you know, you mentioned um, you know, uh, student leaders if there's a way for them to come into the eighth grade and talk to because I know my daughter and other eighth grade students have reached out to ninth graders and hey, what's ninth grade like? And, you know, kind of seeing are are these classes hard? especially when you know during course selection process like hey is this what is this do you think I can handle it is it is it too hard like getting their perspective from a student so if there are opportunities like that

092to bring student leaders would be amazing >> so can I speak to that so this year we had the student leaders with us in the fall and I'm sorry to interrupt the bill but also not just the student leaders but our national hon society members coming down probably in the next two weeks to speak to the eighth graders as well so definitely something we're talking more about as well and making them more the center of the conversation versus the adults because they've lived the experience. So, um, Bill has definitely I appreciated the fact that Bill came to me to present all of this and then having conversations council because it's really meaningful and great work. >> That's awesome. >> I want to give him a shout out for taking the lead on too. >> Thank

093you. I I just want to comment on how exciting this is at as a educator myself like all those professional development meeting I have attended the most exciting thing is to listen to each other the colleagues who are teaching the same subject area and to hear each other's idea about how we can approach similar topics and this bridge that you have presented previously regarding the fifth grade to sixth grade on transition I have been excited about that because my son was benefited from it as well. So this transition from 8th to nth grade I'm also very excited about it because I myself was very scared about transitions. So I'm very um amazed at the reflection that you guys have been doing and um and I just hope that this kind of reflections should be built

094into our professional development pattern. Right? So it's it should not be just a once in a while thing and thinking only thinking about the transition part but it should be within departments and also uh across grade level. So how can we build common knowledge between all the eighth grade teachers on different subject area and like how how is that student from seventh grade to eighth grade and eighth grade to nth grade how do they transition and regarding what Anna had mentioned earlier about the the novel reading part right so you have noticed that in your case uh seventh grade reading have been like pike up and then in eighth grade seems deep down again. So like building the momentum throughout the same subject area across grade like how is that look like uh from year

095to year like we we should always reflect on what works and what doesn't work right so I hope that this kind meeting style is going to continue on uh throughout the school year and not just in certain grade level but across grade levels. Thank you so much for I was thinking about the fact but I believe right now teacher and so I think that that's a really I think you sort of started doing that within the group of the students for special ed. So somebody like they're helping bridge that gap right and they're kind of they're bringing two different schools together and sort of helping prepare the students earlier and previewing for the high school students what the middle school students are doing which is great. So I think that there's a lot of probably

096learning that you could even get from that from those team chairs on sort of what have you found helpful what are the you know especially a lot of you know talking about kids who transition a little harder so there might be great insight from that um I think the other thing is we talked about the families and um and you talked a little bit about um the night the um it's a great opportunity when they're learning what high school tonight. I would I don't know if there's the opportunity to families are welcome to come from younger middle schools because I don't know if we're missing the opportunity for families who are considering going out and who are considering um starting to think about school, you know, because they're going to private school that I think

097if you have a seventh or eighth grader, sixth grader that you're beginning to preview and hear about all the great things that high school is doing and the opportunities and the and that's being school. I think that that's a really great opportunity to maybe stem that off a little bit. Um, and I guess to that same question when when you are reaching out, I think the kids are really important. Um, I just really encourage the parent piece because I think you just hear and you know other families are there other things that you know I think sometimes kids don't know what they don't know so they're like oh you know be this but if you had a kid who's gone through it or you've seen sort of the pain points on your own as kids

098it might there might be things that you haven't considered or things that have worked. So I think that that piece would be really import I think the work that you've done is great and obviously you start internally and then maybe go out but that might there might be sometimes I think there are things that you think are important like big deal like for the kid or the parent so it might just be a nice check >> from the early conversations with our site council I the there was a desire and a push to co to survey students focus groups that I'm completely in agreement with but we needed to get our own stuff in in ter and I in saying that to the council. Yes, we we can yes we will but um let's start

099with the people who are more engaged in it now because I also you also don't want we didn't want I don't you're saying for it to appear that we're going to go out and survey students and find out what's not going well and from the from the parents and now we're going to come back and have put it on our educators to have to to fix so to speak. I think uh I am that reflection I shared about feeling like we are uniquely positioned mostly because of the people who are here in the best um we have a good starting point. We have a framework for doing this and really like many other things it's a matter of just deciding that this is going to be the place where we're going to focus time and

100energy. No, I think I think it's really great too because I mean I'm you know with middle schoolers they don't really share much with families. So you're kind of getting bits and pieces too. So as much information as you can kind of put out there, you know, so that to show families what a phenomenal experience they're getting at Pierce and want to keep them, you know, from like, you know, discourage them in some ways going private and continue on at the high school because it is, you know, and as we bridge that transition and make that more seamless, I think there would be a lot of interest for families to continue and stay and support our schools. agree that's >> so I want to thank I think the Milton public schools is um between benefiting

101by fact both uh Bill who was a high school administrator and now a middle school administrator and Karen Cahillo was a former middle school teacher and guidance counselor and now high school principal that we have two folks that know the end game and transitions are really important uh for all of our students and some students have a hard time transitioning than others Um I had the pleasure of going to the fall of course of course night fall >> information night over >> I I I really think this is just good for teaching and learning good for students to be successful when they have a good uh preparedness to be ready for high school but just for the community. I want every single parent to be excited about going from elementary to middle and middle to

102high. I want every single child to be excited and prepared to go from elementary to middle to high. Um and I'm really excited to have our colleagues talking to each other about going from elementary to middle to high and that that's the work that that Bill is facilitating. And I want every single child to go to K12. every single child should experience their elementary school and they should experience all the good things about Pierce and they should experience all the great things about high school. So these these bridges are really important uh academically, social, emotionally um and very excited to have two talented and also the uh the willingness to have build his team ask all the right questions and let people have their voice starting with the teachers and the students and the curriculum

103piece is really important. I mean right now uh we are talking about five priorities. I have great respect for our all of our folks. This is really pushing a lot of good questions to all of us about how very very thankful for the work. Excited to see how transition between now and the next steps. Uh very happy with the amount of of our colleagues participating. That's a lot of folks to commit to five Thursdays after school having 30 show up during the day and excited to do this in the fall of next year where um that is a decision point for folks and we want to make sure that we put the high school's best face forward and then do it again in the spring. Uh, everybody should know like when we had program studies

104tonight all the great things that the high school offers and I appreciate Bill making sure that everybody's ready to take advantage of all thank you very Next we want to introduce uh Dr. EP Shavers. Uh EP is our director inclusion. Um we wanted to to come and present uh tonight uh because the last time we had good to share about her work become ill wanted to make sure she part of the group to talk a little bit about what's going on in this school year including and talk a little bit about her work that bring to us for >> hi everyone Um like um Surrender said, last time I didn't get the opportunity to do this, so I'm really grateful for this time um here. Um so today, my goal or the focus of our

105time together will be to um provide a brief overview of some of the work that um I do as a director of EIB as well as what members of the department do. Um it will be impossible to capture every single I'll be highlighting um some of the more concrete structure things that um I participate in and then I also want to highlight going back in time a little bit to um the good news that I didn't get to share last time and then also highlight some of the importance of why we're engaging in the work and give an update on how that's going um in March end of March 2026. Um so before we dive into the um work I do want to again just introduce the members of the team here at Milton public

106schools. So you have myself and um Cyrus Rivers as who serves as the restorative justice coach. Um he and I work across the district in all six schools um working with building leaders, curriculum leaders and um staff and students to ensure that all our students have equitable access to restorative practices um so that again they feel safe and um they feel like they belong in their schools. In each school we also have an equity lead at the elementary level. Uh we have Nicole at Tucker, Laurel Collicott, Rebecca and Glover, and Sarah at the Cunningham. At Pierce Middle School, we have Desiree, Marian, and Colin um serving as the equity leads. And then at the high school, we have Megan and Jessica. Um the the use of the equity leads is very important. I meet with

107them monthly as a group and then I also meet with them individually at the schools with the exception of middle and high school where I meet with them as a team. Um, and I offer consult in the work that they're doing within their buildings as well as um, supervision of whatever they need my support in and um, as they navigate the often difficult um, factors of the EIB within the building. Um, I also engage in community partnerships with the Milton Anti-Racist Coalition, Mark, um, and the citizens of a diverse, um, Milton CDM. So, I have my monthly meetings with them and then once a quarter, um, Superintendent Dalen joins and we're able to give updates as to what is going on within the district and use that as our touch point with the community. Um

108I also engage with the schoolbased CIB committees which are run by the principles and I um attend those meetings as a district level um presence. Um and then I will talk a bit more about what goes into that. And then just in continued partnership with all of Milton staff, the teachers, the curriculum directors, the principles, everyone has been a thought partner and continues to be just very collaborative in making sure that whatever systems we have in place in each individual area um continues to be embedded in equity work. Um so for the school year 2526 um the goal has been supporting all students to ensure that they have equitable access to the curriculum and that they have an increased feeling of belonging. Um so to that end I engage in um monthly meetings with the

109school principles again just offering um acting as a consult offering support um and then engaging in real time school-based triage and support that has looked like classroom lessons um we've had some um situations where a principal's um consulting with me about how to respond to a situation and I sometimes in collaboration with Cyrus in collaboration with the principal this is the principal have come up together with a classroom lesson either to be implemented by the classroom teacher or I myself u might go in there and run the classroom lesson as a way to um provide training and support and then pass it on to the teachers. Um that is my one of my favorite things to do to be in front of the students and um just see their response um when we talk about

110multiple things that help them feel like they belong at schools. Um the consultations range from addressing attendance issues um providing support with um interactions with parents um and various things that come up. Um and so in my monthly meetings with the principles as are scheduled, we might touch base about the things that um Cyrus might be doing in the school, the things that the equity leads might be doing in school, how to um improve on them, and then again just ongoing support um each month as we know is different within the school year. Um some months are calmer and some months there's a lot more um consult and support needed. Um, I also began um to engage in equity walks at Tucker this year um after Celeste Hope presented her um accountability data. There was

111a lot of conversation about ways to be more equitable with my with my time at the Tucker School to address um a lot of the um disproportionate data and the disparities in our in the findings. Um and so during our time during the equity walks which are um pretty similar to the walks that superintendent and assistant superintendent Kosa engage in we're looking at what are some things that um contribute to students having equitable access to the curriculum. So um just keeping an eye out for some things that the teachers can change really quickly in real time and what are some things that we need to kind of create and implement the systemic um approach to those are um those equity walks happen about once a month and it's um it's been going really well. Um

112and then again just continuing to support the work that is being done in schools by the restorative justice coach. Um like I said there's a monthly meeting with the Mark and CDM group um the Milton anti-racist coalition and um citizens of a diverse Milton. During this time, I present data. I work very closely with director of data analytics to um provide and present data to um our community partners to ensure that we're being transparent with the work that is being done and the effect that it's having as well as identifying gaps um that we might need to u address as time goes on. Um and then the for the schoolbased DIB committees like I said I'm there as a district presence um but before the meetings before the DEIB meetings which is held once a

113month um virtually it is run by the principal during my principal meeting I'm also meeting and consulting with them and thinking about what the agenda for the meeting would be what the goal of the meeting is um oftentimes I know what the the plan is for the school so if a school is thinking of doing an event if the school is thinking of doing or taking on an initiative of um for example Pierce because Bill was just here. Um they're looking at the books um that the DEIB committee created and bought last summer to help students increase their reading and increase the um presence of more diverse characters in our books. Um and so this year they're looking at taking that even further. And um Bill and I consult on what are the next steps?

114What does that look like? do we need to do something in school with the students before that before the summer before we get back to the books. Um so when I am at those meetings um the DIB committee meetings are run by the principal and I am there um again just as a consult and um making sure that there's that through line between each of the schools as the person who attends um the one in all the schools. Um, I also make sure that um in all my conversations with whether it's district leadership, with um cabinet members or whether it's with coordin um curriculum coordinators or the director of counseling or whoever that my um input is always focused on ensuring that our students have a positive school climate, that there's feelings of belonging that

115are increasing um and that ultimately we're thinking of ways and resources to address the issues that arise for our students specifically um or especially rather um the students that fall within those subgroups that are identified when we're looking at test scores, when we're looking at dibble data um and stuff like that. And so that is an overview of the general um work that I do on the day-to-day. Um, and like I said, it is also very much um, while we're trying to while I take a proactive approach to putting systems in place um, to engage to improve our student outcomes, there's also a lot of responsive um, initiatives that come up um, specifically when it comes to student supports. Um so for the um the March 30th event, we are going to be like Superintendent

116Balen said, inviting the members of the DEIB committees to come together at the high school library to discuss successes, but also to share to share the the events that are happening in its school, share resources, and just have a celebration of the work that is being done. Um, a lot of the work, a lot of good work is being done in silos and it's being done in schools and there's not a lot of conversation um about who has what resource and what's and so a lot of times the wheel is being reinvented over and over again in different schools. And so the goal of this is to have a have a space where we can celebrate the work we've done but also share resources for the work that has that will be continued to be

117done in each school. Um so that will be at the high school and um the hope is to do this the goal is to do this now in the spring and then to do another one in the fall um possibly October of 2026 um and have one and make it a b by annual event so the spring and fall of each school year and build on that. Um so that concludes the general overview of the work that I do. Um but for the year for the school year 2526 um one of my goals was hiring um and retaining staff that represents our students demographic. Um we want to address the representation gap in our students. to the representation gap being when you look at the data of the makeup of our students and you look

118at the data of the makeup our of our staff who is being represented um in the in the staffing and who's not. So the next slide shows um this is data pulled from their reports um for the 2526 school year um looking at the demographic of the makeup of students and staff here in Milton. Um you can see that the student population um is 11 11.7% when it um for African black and African-Americans um and that the staff population is 5.2%. The representation gap for that is 6.5%. Um and as you look down it's 4.2% gap. Um Asian is I mean sorry for Hispanic and Latino uh for the Asian students there 7.6 six gap. And then for multi-racial non-Hispanic, there's a 6.5 gap. And then for our students, uh, where the students make up

119about 65% of, um, the population, white students make up 65% of the population and our staff is showing up at 89.8%. Um, so there's the gap is swinging to the positive side on that one where there's more staff and students represented in that. So ultimately we're when you think of just the bipok students and staff gap we are at a 24.8% gap um in the negative for our staff makeup and our student um demographic. So we are making this a sizable chunk in terms of our goal and the goal for the school year um 26 27 is to increase the bipox staff by 2%. So currently our bipox staff um is at 10% cumulative cumulatively and we're hoping to move up to 12%. So that's an increase of 2%. Um there's research that shows that

120when students see staff that look like them or represent their makeup, there's an increase in feeling of belonging. There's an increase in um feelings that they can achieve um higher levels of achieving post-secary and ultimately that leads to an increase in um academic and life outcomes. And so we're in our goal to make sure that all students feel like they belong and that the school culture is improved. This is a very tangible way to be able to measure that. Um and so to address the this gap um we've engaged in some work. Um one of them being the grant. I'll come back to that. But before that there's some additional efforts that we have engaged in as a department. Um so in terms of the hiring, we've partnered with the teachers lounge um and the

121Boston plan for excellence BP. Um these are two organizations that are very strong and well-known um organizations in the Boston area who focus on this um setting staff of color up with districts and then helping with the retention piece as well. Um the Boston the teachers lounge has a job portal where you can directly um load up your job description and your job posting and they have a network of teachers of color and educators of color that they would send the job posting to and those people could apply. Um they also provide PE on equitable hiring practices and antibbias training. Um we're engaging them on that for the next school year as well. Um and then the BPE um the Boston plan for excellence um we will be using them with additional recruitment of staff

122of color as they have direct connections to um those staff members who are looking for jobs and they also provide mentorship mentorship um for those staff of color to help improve and increase the chances of retention within the district. Um so that is the hiring piece and then on the retention side I have also been engaged in um a staff book club which meets monthly and it's been divided up to um elementary and secondary just to allow for ease of use um with the elementary getting out later than the secondary um staff. Um, the book that we're focusing on this year is called Unearthing Joy with the focus of making sure that all our students, especially students of color, see themselves reflected in um, curriculum, that they engaging in culturally sustain sustaining pedigogy and making

123sure that um, they are also thinking more thoughtfully about the ways that they engage with other staff, especially staff of color. Um the goal of of this obviously is to directly improve the chances of retaining our staff of color and improving the lives of our students of color. Um and then um I also have a monthly staff of color affinity group which meets um either virtually or in person. We um have alternated so that we um make it a lot more accessible to those people who might have a harder time showing up in person. And the goal of this group has been to just create again that culture of belonging within the staff. Creating a space where people who might not see themselves reflected within their um co-workers on a regular basis have a space

124to come congregate. Um they they also have direct access to me in a a different way where they feel like their voices can be heard and as we know that increases the retention rates. Um, and so the the good news that I didn't get to share last time and you have some information about it already is Desi Grant. So the Desi Grant helps um helps us achieve this goal by providing backup funds to help um make it happen. Um, so we know that the grant is um the transforming diverse educator pathways and the way that I wrote the grant in was about building our own pipeline um in addition to the other things that we're doing. So we're investing the money in our current staff. Um so the retention piece but also growing them into

125um more licensed or more certified educators. Um so the the um total amount awarded to us was $73,000. Um 20,000 of which was written to um work directly with um organizations. So that was one of the requirements of the grant was what organization or um professional development will you engage in this work to make sure that it's done with fidelity. And so 20,000 of that was written towards that working with the teachers lounge. And then the other 53 um will go towards um course tuition, professional development, cost, licensing fees, exam fees. Um it's been left a bit broad because we know that not we can't do a one-sizefits-all in terms of what the our educators might need. Um the makeup of the educators who have opted into using this grant um range from a unit

126A um staff who is trying to engage in furthering um a degree to um a staff member who would like to start just getting a certification to do the work that they're already doing and then moving from there. Um, I've worked really closely with um, assistant superintendent Blake in making sure that we're using this funds with Fidelity and that we're able to get the money dispersed down from Desi so that we have it as a district. Um, Desi has because the funds um, came in late from Desi. Um, there was just a a delay for a few weeks almost a few months um, at that point with when the grant actually did come through. Um Desi has extended the deadline to spend the money till August 30th of this school of this year. So we

127have a bit more flexibility especially with our staff members who have now have the summer to start a course. Um so I've been very excited about that and um right now I'm in the process of getting those staff members to submit their reimbursement forms and sign up and and so on. So, that's been um that's been a lot of the work that's been done this school year. Um it's been very rewarding and it's been very exciting to be able to talk to our staff of color and see them feel seen and invested in here in Milton. Um and so looking ahead at um the school year 27, um my goal is to apply for additional grants um to continue this work. Um there's Desessie has had some type of grant that's specific to diversifying staff

128um over the years. It's just been called different things and so I will be keeping an eye out for that and um working at it. There's also opportunities to partner with other districts um if that because sometimes that makes you a bit more competitive. Um, I also plan to engage our staff of color um, especially those who have come to the affinity group space um, to become to sign up as mentors for the staff of color or the diverse um, the staff from diverse backgrounds that we will hire. Um, we know that, um, having a mentor who can provide support specifically, um, to this part of your identity is, um, pivotal to helping people feel like they belong and want to stay in the district. Um, and then just continue our work with the, um,

129Boston plan for excellent excellence in the teachers lounge. Uh we actually have met with the teachers lounge folk um about the equal amount of time that we've met met with the Boston plan for excellent folk. And so we are talking about we're planning out what the trainings would look like for our um leadership with the hiring the equitable hiring practices and then what it would look like to then and recruit staff of color. So trying to catch it on both ends to make sure that we're getting the people in and we're able to keep them um happy. Um and then just exploring additional strategies um being open to resources and then um as always continuing to engage in restorative justice practices across the school. I do want to give a shout out to Cyrus. Um,

130we are a small department, but I feel like we're very present in the district and Cyrus does a really good job of being responsive to our principles and our assistant principles and he's his presence is felt in each school. Um, so I that is something that I am very excited to do next year. >> Yeah. Um it's great to great to meet you Nathan. Um thanks for coming and sharing your work and talking about this uh data strategies etc. It's great great to learn about it. Um I had a couple of questions. Um first could you just tell us a little bit more about the work schoolbased equity leads like um just what do they do? How do you work with them? What does that look like? Um and then maybe I'll just pause there

131and then I have a few questions or thoughts around the D the hiring data and some strategies there. >> Um so the equity leads um they were implemented by Claire Gall Jones I believe her first end of her first year here. Um and the goal of the equity needs was to be an extension of the DIB communities in the schools. So understanding that I believe when she started she was the only one in the department and then ended up adding Adena Shector and then ultimately Cyrus. Um the equity elites are they serve as the unit A members of the department who are on the ground with other unit A um teachers and and staff. Um, when I started last year, I created more of an aligned job description of sorts in terms of what they

132do. And what has been documented is that they partner with the principles to plan out the DEIB committee meetings. They work with the principles to plan out any P that they might want to engage in that has to do with equity for DEIB. um they partner with me to um be the output of resources and within the sphere and then I'll say they with me they act as a lead on to help me kind of keep a pulse on what's going on. um actually just had a meeting with the group today and one of the things I really appreciate about them is that if I had um something that I wanted to implement in a school or within the district, they give me feedback as to whether or not it would work. Um we don't

133want to start something that cannot be done with fidelity and that people would actually say this is actually being damaged. So, um I have monthly meetings with them to kind of get feedback of what's going on um with the multiple multiple um upheavalss going on in our nation today. Um we've had students asking questions, parents worried and so on. It's impossible for me to be in every school and so I rely on them to serve as those touch points um for what's going on, what students are worrying about. Um and then I take that information and then partner with the right people. So maybe to the director of counseling and saying, "Hey, our students are worried about this. What can we put in place and then um continuing the work as needed?" >> That's great.

134That's cool. So, it's kind of a community practice. People who are passionate or skilled in this area working together also kind of board directors bounce ideas off of. Um, great. Thank you for that. Um I had some thoughts around the the data you shared and some of the strategies. Um I think just these are just you know not you don't have to respond to this today just um looking at the representation gaps. Uh first of all just a clarifying question. It says student population and staff population. I assume you're looking that's sort of all of Milton public schools not just teachers or student basing rules. Okay. Mo most most most folks are, you know, in schools, but that's everybody. Okay. Um I actually think that's that's a really interesting way to look at it. Just

135think about the fact that the district is a community that all students are experiencing a lot of different ways. Um we don't have to pin it down to just the teacher in front of them in front of the classroom. Um I think it would be interesting to to look at these data disagregated by school. Um it would also be interesting to compare this to um if this data exists state level comparisons or DART district comparisons so that we can understand okay if if the state or our DART peers have generally the same kind of representation gaps. Um, okay. Maybe that's a question of teacher pipelines, teacher preparation, like who's going into the field. Um, and if we're really different than our peers, that could be an indicator that there's something different happening here in school

136district. Um and then I think um just looking at your goal of uh increasing representation of IPO staff by two percentage points. I think um I think it's I think it's I think it's good good to focus on that and good to measure that. I think it would be important I almost I I think as an ultimate impact goal I think that's important. I think as an intermediate goal it would be really helpful to look at the diversity of the hiring pipelines themselves. So how diverse is the funnel of candidates coming down to hiring managers and is that changing? Because it can be if if that funnel is not diverse then your your hiring manager at the at the end of the interview process is faced with really challenging decisions when you're you want to

137hire you have to hire the best teacher in front of you and you have diversity goals. If you um if you haven't been given a diverse candidate set to begin with, then you're putting your hiring managers in a really tough position. Not you, but we are putting our hiring managers in a tough position. >> Oh, sorry. Can I speak for that? >> Yeah, sure. That's why we're working with the teachers lounge and >> totally bossing plan for excellence because we we're also posting on school spring which is what you know the traditional kind of gives you the less diverse um candidate pool but by utilizing and being very intentional with um Boston plan for excellence and a teachers lounge that increases exponentially the people that show up in front of us. >> Yeah, I think

138that's great. Um, so I just think it would be good to measure that and then to pair it with antibbias training for hiring managers, >> which you may already be doing, but if you're not, I think it's it's the fail safe like if you're diversifying your pipeline, but then have inevitably have bias in in hiring practices. Um, so trying to drive that away is really critical partner to diversifying pipeline. >> Thanks. Thanks for the work and It sounds like Nathan was at our meeting last week. >> I love the date. >> Um talking about the event on Monday um and talking about the successes. I think it would be great to share that just see because it sounds like if you're all of the different together and sharing resources there's a way um summary >>

139summary or something but just hearing you know about because I think even having an understanding of what success looks like because I'm sure there are small things that are wins and things that are wins but how do >> I I'm putting together a slide deck and the principles I've been asked to um I've been invited to add about two or three sides so that they can um speak to it. So the agenda will be me kind of sharing a lot of what I share today and then the principles or parents speaking to what has been happening in their buildings. Um so currently there the slide deck is being populated by principles. Um once it's ready my goal is Friday to be able to say everything's in. um once after Monday I'm happy to share the

140slide deck with you. Um I'll just add whatever was said and and so on and I'll share >> I do um this is great. Thank you so much for coming in and uh presenting to us. Um I um a lot of lot of good stuff in here and u um it's really nice to get kind of an overview of of the database and things that um your department does. Um I did have a question. Um I know you mentioned belonging a few times in your um presentation and I appreciate that creating a sense of belonging for our students. Um but I did notice I feel uh when I was um at one of the schools at Pierce last week we had uh a meeting of students for the end of the year celebration for 8th

141grade. I noticed when I walked into the classroom, everybody students who look like each other sat with each other but not together. And that really bothered me. And I was wondering if you as we built a sense of belonging for our students, right, our students of color, have we kind of looked at how do we build a sense of community among all students so that they can, you know, collaborate with each other and not feel like, oh, I have to look I I cannot sit with someone who doesn't look like me, you know, and just feel separated. And there were there was so much space between the students and it was actually really uncomfortable because we were hoping for like a discussion of sorts and no one spoke because they just were in those corners.

142And I was wondering if if you could just kind of provide some insight on like kind of bringing that to like like that next level, you know, creating a sense of belonging, but then how do you build a sense of community? >> Definitely. Um before I speak to that, I just also wonder how much of that is just developmentally appropriate um you know grouping of students into um things and people that they're more comfortable with. Um but yes, that is something that we have um talked about within the department and have talked to principles about in terms of a through line between the lessons that are being done on the elementary level and the middle school and the high school. So at the elementary level, we're tying it with the SEAL secondst step lesson. And

143so we're doing things like identity, empathy, um being kind, being um a community member, stuff like that. And then also in those highlighting and focusing on every like the differences and celebrating differences and being curious about differences and so on. And so again, the reason I went to the developmental aspect is because in elementary they can and they do know that there's differences and they love it and they're together and they, you know, and then by middle school they're now starting to notice like, okay, you're this gender and I'm that gender and I'm this gender and you're this color and I'm this color. And so it's just a developmentally appropriate to some level um grouping of like where do I belong? Who am I? Right? And then by the high school it becomes more of

144what are your interests, right? Okay, you're the band person, I'm the music person, you're the, you know, and it becomes less about that, but by middle school, they're trying to figure out who themselves they are. And so the work then becomes how do we celebrate where they are rather than trying to push them to an awkward we're just kind of standing next to each other because the adult told us we have to, right? So yes, you're together with people who look like you, but let's look beyond that and then let's help you guide you towards the the depth of who the person is, right? Um and then middle school there's also a lot of impulsive behavior, right? So they they say what they they're thinking without really taking time to process it. So there's also

145a lot of sometimes is um mean words that are being said and sometimes it is about the way people look and what they eat and so on and it is them just trying to figure out again who they are and what's important to them. So when we address that, a lot of the work that Cyrus and I do with the restorative piece is highlighting, hey, the impact of your words, right? Like you just said that because maybe because you're curious, but really the way it came out was almost like you're demeaning the person. And so doing a lot of that re-education of yes, everyone's different and it's better to have this kind of conversation and this kind of conversation. Um, and then again by high school they've had that so that when they get to

146high school they're more in the high school it is a lot more integrated. Students are just nobody's like really sitting apart. The gender thing goes away. They start living together again. The the color thing like there's a lot more coming together and it's just that developmental piece over the summer from middle to high school. Um, but again we see that we know where the students are and we work with that. we work with where they are we work with celebrating um so I know last year they did like a few Haitian flag day like celebration stuff because yes this is where the student is like I'm Haitian and this is important to me okay so let's celebrate it right and let's invite other people to celebrate it um so I think that is something that

147we are being very intentional about and again working with the counseling department because that is something that um clinically you understand that this is just where they're at developmentally and we meet them where they're at and work with that. >> Yeah. And it's great that the DIIB committee at Pierce is creating that event, schoolwide event for our students and kind of, >> you know, kind of including other cultures too, so that it's representative of the of the school and and the things that that kids want to share and kind of learn about each other. So, it's nice that nice that it's um um Colin and his um team at Pierce have created a very kind of informal way of doing that to kind of celebrate cultures. And I, you know, I do appreciate um seeing

148seeing some of those highlights because again, it's like as much as we're different, it's about finding similarities, you know, and and um you know, and >> we're always trying to feel like a sense of community, right? So I think I think as much as it is developmentally by the time you get to eighth grade and stuff I think there's a real opportunity to do some more of that work. So you know so that it's not you know sixth grade it's different. You're at a new school and everybody's you know new but I think by the time you get to eighth grade it would be great if there's some more work done in that area at you know at the middle school. So that we were just talking about that >> great yesterday. >> Yesterday and

149talking about how we want to make the student focus because if students feel like they're taking ownership of it and they will feel proud of it and want other people to come and then they'll celebrate each other rather than it say like us saying here's another thing the adults are making you do it participation is going to be lackluster and they're not going to learn a lot from it. that if the students are the ones celebrating, showing off their culture, showing off their stuff, and then their friends and other people can opt to come see it, then it's them leading that work as well. So, that is in process. We're meeting on the 13th to finalize things. So, we'll see. We'll see how it comes. >> Thank you. >> I have a question. >> Um,

150does the middle school have a community groups for students? >> No, I don't believe they do. Um, but I can confirm that answer with you. Um I know that last year there was some affinity space made for the Haitian students because of the immigration issues. Um but I don't believe that there's an affinity for students. >> But as you mentioned earlier like if student have more buy in to what they wanted to do to celebrate their cultures then it would be created a more a collaborative community within the school buds. So I know that in high school they do have a affinity group for students. But it would be beneficial for middle schoolers to have that chance to build their own community as well especially in a first time when they leave their elementary school

151into a giant school and then there over a thousand students in that school to just finding their space. Sometimes just that little pocket of time to hang out with >> people who look like them, right? and across grade level and hear from each others like what what was your experience like when you first came in sixth grade or like when what is it like to be the only Asian student in the whatever sports club that you attend like things like that I think you'll be great for the students and also you it would create a stronger uh school culture right to to collaborate and also to to to feel more seen And I think it's great. I think those individual groups are great, but I think somehow bringing them together because sometimes when you have

152these conversations, right, of kids, >> you know, you and I could have had a lot of similar experiences growing up, right? Like so it just when you share those experiences, it that's when you make that connection. You we met we're from two different countries, came here to America. Like we've had a lot of similarities, but at the same time, like that's what you connect on, right? Because that's where those bonds build. So I think you know as much as those individual affinity groups are really great but I think then like then that next level of how do we bring them all together right >> yeah I can I can talk to the school leadership about that um there's obviously logistics in terms of um their day and what that looks like the high school the

153affinity groups are student um led so it they're clubs and if a club wants to form it's the students themselves that say hey we want to form this and the um principal K Hill does a really good job of saying you have ownership of it, you make it happen, you find an adviser. Um again going back to the alignment of what Bill was talking about, we want them to be able to do that eventually and maybe at the middle school they don't have that skill yet. Um and do do teachers have capacity to be the adviser? So, there's a few pieces that would have to be considered, but um I think there's definitely pros to engaging in that kind of work. >> Um I know it's getting late. I really I also really appreciate the

154presentation and um all the work that you've been able to share. You were reminding me of when Dr. Fish was sharing about the work um happening with eth and nth grade transition and he paraphrased the teacher who had um spoken about how they hoped for action to sort of result from all of the work and I am um really pleased to see I think some of these concrete action steps that you're able to report are in process that are planned um securing the additional resources from Desi is huge um to allow us to partner with these outside expert resources that we haven't been able to partner with before. So, there's that, you know, the cliched saying about you're not going to see different results by just doing the same things you've been doing. And I

155think the representation gap is just it's a long-standing issue here. Um I think we all know that. Um, and so what are we going to do differently to try to make progress there? I am hopeful based on um, what you've been sharing. Um, and I hear I I do appreciate what you were saying, Nathan, about um, sort of the potential perhaps like unintended consequence of setting a a metric goal. Um and also I appreciate the um honestly the that is a different action step that to my knowledge has not been taken you know to actually put a stake in the ground of you know even an incremental goal to demonstrate the progress. I think um I appreciate the um honestly just like the boldness to be able to do that and then to hold ourselves

156accountable to the progress that we want to see. Um and it sounds like you're doing a lot of creative things um that hopefully will bear some good fruit. I also would like to acknowledge I really appreciate the um shift in terms of the focus on Tucker. Um that to me is um as with other initiatives that we've seen um on the academic side like I feel that being data informed in order to deploy our limited resources like where the data tells us our our students are needing some additional andor different forms of support. I really um am am glad to see that you're able to um sort of reallocate time in order to put some focus there. Um and then the I just also wanted to echo the um appreciation for what I think this

157bringing together of the DEIB committees represents. I think that sounds like a really um great like thing to do on its own and also to me it represents another action step that has been spoken about but not I don't think like really acted that much upon which is the sharing and um you know we've talked about this for years now wanting to allow like the seeding of some of these ex really exciting and many cases volunteer-driven by parents, you know, who want to show up and support their own students sense of belonging in the community. And so that's how, you know, you end up with the amazing Lunar New Year celebrations in one school, the unity night in another school. Um, you know, and how can we maybe while retaining the special uniqueness of each

158of our individual schools at the same time like expand some of those opportunities? Um, so I'm really I'm hopeful that just as you mentioned, I think breaking down the silos like um represents some opportunity to make progress um there and you know I I think with all of this like I really am so mindful of the fact that you are a very small department. I mean, you're actually um a twoerson department with your equity leads who are full-time teachers um who take on this additional responsibility. Um and you know, we've just been through the conversation about our um our budget and like the fact we have so many challenges and we're not able to do everything we want to be doing as a district. But um you know with that said I I like your

159focus towards FY27 getting the DEIB committees input um because I think that at the same time is it's a really good idea to to like adopt these narrow focuses on actionable steps which you have which you have done this year and that's been I think for me um really positive to see. Um, I I also want to help like make sure we're retaining the focus on the big picture of the work that still needs to be done even if we're not able to be focusing on it as directly right now because that helps us as a district like remain or become aware and remain aware of the needs, you know, even if they're not things that our current staffing is able to support. for example, but they that doesn't mean that they're not still things

160we should be aspiring to do together. Um, and so for example, you know, just one example that's been on my mind recently based on some conversations I've had with community members is the um, you know, this idea of sense of belonging for all of our students. this was, you know, you were just speaking about this. Um, and that includes our Jewish students. Um, I've, you know, spoken to a couple of community members who have you unwitnessed and experienced incidents of anti-semitism in our in our community, not only in our schools. Um, and so that just reminds me um just of like how large the umbrella of this work is. And DEIB is so all-encompassing. So that's a tension um because you can't do everything um and because the focus on representation for BIPOX students like

161in our hiring and retention is such a key focus and it's a high leverage focus. Um, and so I think that the like special attention there is so warranted and also let's not lose sight of, you know, and I'm not saying you or anybody's losing sight of it, but it seems like um it's just something that um I think for us having been through this budget process, like just really staying aware of where we have, you know, perhaps additional investments that we might like to be making, whether it's in professional development or how we're you know tracking and sharing data um and so on. Anyway, so I feel I feel this like combination of the real um you know appreciation for the work that's happening and the continued like sense of urgency for the work

162that you know is still needs to happen. Um, and so I think um, yeah, sorry I just kind of went on for a while, but I just this work is I I know all of us like care about it so much in different ways, but it has become we have like stated the goal. We have, you know, put it out there at all the levels, you know, from the school committee to the superintendent um, and to to your department here. um you know so I I do think that this conversation is really really so important um and I'm I mean last thing I'll mention is just appreciating your um engaging with the community and you know the community beyond the schools because this is something that our town can stand to improve with as well.

163Um, and you know, I think there are opportunities whether it's like the equity and justice for all committee at the town. I think there are so many people in town that share this sense uh that this work matters. Um, and so, you know, the more we can just do the breaking down of the silos and um find like the connections, the common ground of the work. um is is how we're going to really be able to move it forward. But um thank you for being here and you know for the the work and thank you to you know the whole leadership team for and like you're mentioning of the principles like you can't you need to be integrated with this work into um the team and we haven't even talked about curriculum or any of

164that but that's a whole like it's all it all needs to be um integrated and um the more we can learn, stay in the know, you know, that's updated, I think for me, better. So, um, can I just make a quick recommendation based on what you said like at some point I know the the individual school DIB teams are committees are coming together next week, but at some point should we open it up to include the uh maybe so that >> so that you have more support behind the work that you're doing? I mean we're always going to have budget you know constraints and things like that. So but this work needs to keep moving forward right in the meantime. So how do we leverage our volunteers and there's so many groups within the community

165who are so you know passionate about this stuff right >> say we had events too. So it's like how do we kind of support you I guess you know so that we can you know and we've been talking about the equity audit from you know years ago like how do we start like kind of shaving off some of those areas right and kind of like even the lowhanging fruit in that like if we can tackle some of those I think we've made some you know we've made some gains so I think I think if there is an opportunity kind of have all the stakeholders you know and kind of get feedback from everyone and say Okay, what can we do? Let's put our heads together and do stuff, right? So, I think that would be

166really good because I think, you know, I don't want to like go through like next year budget process like, hey, like we haven't seen much movement here like I don't want to h keep having those discussions. I want to see change happen, right? I want to see action as uh Bill had mentioned in his presentation. So, like whatever we can do to kind of bring these groups together, you know, and maybe include some other groups too, right? like I don't know if Muslim neighbors might want to be part of this or you know members of the you know um the Jewish community want to be part of this so that like all the voices are at the table and we can kind of create a very positive inclusive you know kind of goal moving forward

167and working towards that. So >> so I I just want to first of all um I want to thank Dr. Shavers for being here and presenting uh at this hour. Um it really is important to point out that that FA is a member and participant of the cabinet which is our small cabinet that you see here tonight along with um uh Daniel Wetmore a participant and member of our leadership team participant member of our PNC meetings we have the secondary and elementary principles and a member of our full leadership team so involved in in different levels of the work throughout the district. Um, and I do appreciate this year was about concrete steps. The kind of dialogue that this meeting evolved to that we were just having, it's like really great ideas and it sounded

168like a lot of great ideas been talked about for a long time and then this year was really about the convenience of being in terms of attendant. So we just want to talk about action steps. So, one of our first conversations that FI Fi and I had was what do we think we could do that's really concrete that people can see? >> That was her clear goal that was supported by clear data that was supported by concrete strategy that is now resulting in concrete partnerships towards that goal that we should see some different data next year. That's real stuff. That's traction. That's movement. that's action that should re reduce registry those other things are really good but we had one year to make something work and get traction and that's what we decided to do

169so I appreciate all the necessary steps to get all those pieces moving and we'll be really excited to see what it yields for results for next year and we'll continue to work on that other part of the work that we're talking about a little bit more at the end is the big work that the district needs to take on over time so we've been very clear that we aren't going to be that group that does that in just 18 months. But this we're planting seeds, we're moving to work. We're finding concrete examples is of success in engaging as many folks as we can. So, thank you for taking on that concrete work. And it is a risk to say 2% of the staff. 2% of 400 unit members is eight folks. The district hasn't hired

170eight people of color in probably 25 years in one year. And if we do all 600, which is what we have for all the other aspects work groups, that's that's 12. So that's a big jump from zero this year. So FA is putting herself out there. We're putting our work and support behind her in that work. And whatever we get from that, we're going to move forward. But we are increasing the pipeline. We are having all good conversations with real partners work. So I just want to really uh commend her work across the district with all the team she serves, but also take taking that real clear goal and that narrow focus and really working through it. So thank you. And I do want to thank Cyrus uh Rivers for his work. Every time we

171kill, every time we hear of something popping in a school, uh the the next day the principal sends out an email to thank Cyrus and FA for being there. So, with all this programmatic work that's being done, there's also day-to-day work that's uh uh in effort to support students who are in need or in some sort of situation that they need to be uh worked with, seen, heard, valued, supported, um talked to. Uh all sorts of conversations that happen uh from the third from the third grade at Cunningham two days ago to the Pierce last Friday. Um you know, this work this happens every day. And there's the things that happen with children every day that uh FA and our educators look at the um the um the age appropriate way of working through these

172issues with children or just children. And your example and your answer to the question about the middle school was spot on developmentally appropriate. right time at the right moment, education and support for children in order for them to learn from these experience move forward. Um, so thank you for that work and I just wanted to make sure I tried to put all that together and say thank you very very much. >> Um, John is the chair's report. The only thing I wanted to report on is um Lizzy and I had a conversation today with one of the co-chairs of the CPAC which was great. Um, for a lot of people who don't know, CPAC is a special education parents advisory council and um, every school district is required to have a group. um not all

173of them are as involved I would say as the women and I was fortunate to be part of it for a number of years and um it was just a great opportunity for to check in with them and I think the outcome really is that we would love to find the opportunity follow up with John on this um to have them come and share um with the school committee you know probably twice a year it's um I think where it would be good just you know some of it is just reporting out kind of what they're hearing they are really the eyes and ears from the parents and it's really their job to advocate on behalf of the parents. They don't solve individual parent problems, but if they hear things systemically, they tend to bring

174it uh their role is to bring it to the district. Um but also it's their role to share um good feedback as well. You know, along things like, you know, one of the things that came up is is Danielle's feedback on you know, program alignment. So anyway, we really appreciated their time today and um it's, you know, for for families who have a child in special education, it's a great place to get involved to feel like you are part of a community. It kind of shrinks down when you can feel isolated and it's it's like-minded parents who are going through similar things. So I always encourage people to um to join it if they haven't yet. Um but moving forward, we will find a way. Hopefully we'll get them in. I think we have them

175coming up uh get them in before the end of the year and then as we look forward um maybe next year having you know having them come in twice a year. So um it was really it was a great opportunity to meet with them. So we appreciate Rob's time. Um so that's all I had. Oh no the other well sorry the one other thing is right now we have school can be scheduled for6 >> which is town meeting so I think we typically still it has crossosted do we still post it but because town because we are every all members go to town meeting um but there won't be a school committee meeting it would just be that all school committee members will present to town meeting so I just wanted to put that out

176there ahead. So then our next meeting we don't have one on the 22nd and the 29th meeting. So but just to call that out that that meeting will not be able uh finance subcommittee report. So as you notice Mark is not here so Ethan will be providing the update. >> So we uh yeah so first thing here is reporting out on a couple of meetings that have happened. Maybe I'll do this in reverse order. So warrant committee meeting. I I meant to do this this morning but then I struggled to come off mute. I just wanted to acknowledge Mark uh Superintendent Failen Assistant Superintendent Blake did an absolutely incredible job at war committee presentation was excellent. Um and it'll be a good I assume some of that presentation will make its way into our town

177meeting. um just a really really great job sort of explaining our financial position, the success of the district over the year, clarifying where all these investments go. Um so just thank you for that. It was great to be there and I think it created um a really positive conversation with warrant committee. Um, and then I think everyone in this room knows this, the warrant committee um, unanimously approved the article for the school budget for next year as we voted on it um, a couple of weeks ago and unanimously approved um, an article for $500,000 of free cash to be channeled into the special education stabilization fund. Both of those will be voted on at town meeting. Um, and maybe I'll just go back to the finance subcommittee meeting which I think pre predated the warrant

178committee meeting. Um but essentially is a joint finance uh select board finance subcommittee and school committee finance subcommittee meeting where um I don't know if I remember every detail of the conversation but the main purpose of the conversation was to sort of debate our perspectives on how that um how that free cash allocation ought to go. I think it was generally, you know, I'd characterize the school committee's position as it would be great if that money was um channeled into our budget and the circuit breaker fund and um I think it was the select board's position that they would prefer for it to go to the special education stabilization fund. But I think it was the first of what will be a couple of conversations around the dynamic between these two reserve accounts. Um and

179obviously that free cash is going to the spend stabilization federal at least that'll be the recommendation to town meeting. Um and then today in finance um we it was great meeting very productive. Katie, thank you for bringing a draft of that sped stabilization policy. We basically finished during the meeting a first draft of the special ed stabilization fund policy which Mark sent to the select board. I guess it's their policy. Um so they'll they'll do the work of finalizing it but I he requested we discussed and he requested a meeting uh potentially with the select board um finance subcommittee so that we could talk about this and I think others feel free to weigh in. I think it was the sentiment of the group that it would be great to discuss again to have like

180a part two conversation of how these two special education reserve funds fit together in a puzzle of providing financial stability to the way that we pay for special education needs in the district. Um, and that would that sort of mutual understanding would then inform the way the sped stabilization fund policy was constructed. And then ultimately our next job will be to write a circuit breaker um involving account policy which we will we'll basically kind of work on work on collectively as a as a full committee because it involves both finance and policy um and eventually bring that to a vote. Um, so that's kind of the the work to date as I understand it and invite others to come in with any additional color. The only thing that we talked about was with respect to

181the special ed stabilization fund and and understanding our timing might not align, but the ultimate goal will be for it to be voted on from a school committee perspective and approved by a select board perspective prior to town meeting given that there a vote is on the allocation of $500,000 to the special ed reserve fund. So that there is set policy around it. It might those planets might not align but ideally if there we are trying to have a meeting next week um with both the select board and the school finance subcommittee and the full school committee. So if there's the opportunity that it works with everybody's schedule that you could come and participate in that so that we could have a have as much conversation as we can prior to a possible vote. Um

182on That's sort of what we're trying to line up. Whether or not that will line up with the select boards schedule is to be determined, but that's sort of where we're pushing for. >> Yeah. Um I'm not aware of any vendor warrants that have been that have come through. So, >> uh capital planning committee. So, um I'll just provide a brief update. Um I did not get this on the agenda over the past um couple of meetings. So this update is somewhat belated going back a few weeks uh when the um capital um uh voted to recommend the budget request uh which will be article 4 before town meeting in May. Um so I just wanted to formally let you all know I think I had um shared some like more general updates um earlier

183on the nature of the requests that were made um especially from schools, facilities and technology uh for capital requests but um where it ended up in terms of the recommendation and I um put in the folder in our meeting the minutes from the uh meetings where these um were voted on. Uh ultimately the request um going before town meeting is for a total of 6,596,100 in capital requests. Of that um $5,380,100 would be for bonded items. And of those um I just wanted to let you know what are the school related ones. So, uh, what ended up being, uh, recommended include rooftop unit upgrades, uh, roofing improvements, plumbing upgrades, uh, replacing smartboards, and network hardware, those are all bonded items that are included in the, um, larger town requests. Um, as for non-bonded items, um,

184the total request for those was 1,216,000, um, dollars. And for the schools portion of those items, it includes um, some heating repairs at Cunningham Collott, some district-wide window hardware upgrades, um, upgrades to the high school locker room, and some enduser devices. Um and so that is where that all ended up and um sorry for not bringing the update sooner. Any questions? >> Does bonded mean I think it is like we we're issuing the town is issuing bonds to to generate the revenue to pay for these things. Okay. >> Yes. The criteria for that just pertains to the useful life of the item. >> The bond is for as long as the useful life. uh the items with a longer useful life end up in that bonding category. >> Understood. >> Thanks. >> Okay. So, Dr.

185F already mentioned about um one of the uh Mr. lovely award that the MF has um um considered looking for a nomination for this um coming year. So there there's also another potential new scholarship funding from a local family that they are in negotiation and communication with. So um more information will coming up um later on. So uh we also mentioned about the MF 30 for30 anniversary outreach is still going on. So for community members who are willing and able, please um donate to the MF uh anniversary outreach. No amount is too small. Um the MF is looking have already received nominations for teachers of the year. Um and that nomination was ended on March 13th and I will be representing the school committee uh on the nomination review committee meeting which is on April

1862nd. Um and the celebration those decision will be made at that meeting for who will be the teacher of the year at each building and celebration at each school will be on Tuesday, April 14th. Um and the awarded teacher and their family are invited to attend the derby event on Saturday, May 2nd. um at 5:00 pm at the Blue Hill Country Club. I never been there and I heard it's very nice. So um we should all have this on our calendar to have that evening available to to join the celebration. Um yeah, and that's pretty much all. Oh, and MF is also looking uh into updating their website and the donation receivable portal, which is their internal stuff that they're going to look into. Um but that's pretty much what we have discussed about last

187time. >> Negotiations. >> Yes. So our negotiations are ongoing and um going very well. Um we are still currently in negotiations with the Milton Educators Association unit A. Um that is traditionally the sort of most in-depth um uh part of the negotiation is with unit A. Um and we will um begin subsequently negotiating with the additional units as well as with ASME. Um but for right now the update I wanted to share just briefly is that um we have um reached the phase of negotiations where we are now responding back and forth um to proposals uh the um first you know meeting uh where we initially set ground rules um took place. We then engage in three sessions of um exchanging proposals and all of that has um taken place. So now we're in the

188process of um going back and forth. Um I uh we are happy that um at our most recent meeting the MEA is um back with their representative from the Mass Massachusetts Teachers Association um Sarah Vagani who has represented them in previous negotiations and had been out on leave and in the meantime they had had a couple of different representatives. I think now that Sarah is back, that um really is good news for us to keep moving forward. Of course, we continue to be represented by our attorney, Joe Emerson. Um and all of that seems to be going well so far. I think at our next meeting uh it might be appropriate to um hold an executive session in which we can provide some more detail to the whole school committee about um some of the

189substance of uh what is under negotiation and that's all I have unless um definitely appreciate the full team that's participating in the negotiations. um been productive so far. >> Thanks Lizzy. >> Um we have again I did not the agenda but there are no um so the next thing is just uh reviewing draft agenda items. So have the 2526 district subcommittee reports. It sounds like we'll have an executive session. And then we'll have a finite subcommittee meetings prior >> April 8th. >> So I have MF meeting after that. So, it just sounds like it's just the finance and MF before we close. Just confirm again. I just want to make sure I have the dates right for upcoming meetings. We have April 8th, then not and then nothing until after town meeting. Is that right?

190>> April 29th. Okay. All right. I thought earlier you said not April 29th. >> I meant April. No, April 22nd. >> Got it. Okay. All right. Excellent. >> And that will be the >> And then possible. If not, I will make a motion to return. meeting. Thank you everyone.