Worcester School Committee - 2-27-25

001okay good evening everyone recording in progress good evening everyone welcome to the uh what the school committee if you can please stand for the PGE Allegiance international Anthem international Anthem is going to be sung by uh burn Middle School chorus directed by Andrea cook so do the pled region first and let's do States andice for oh say can you see by the dawn's early light what so proudly we at the Twilight last who stripes and bright stars through the fight or the r we were so G streaming and The Rock the in air gave Pro through the night that our flag was still there oh say does that star [Music] for the land of the free and the home of [Applause] the nice nice job everyone and uh I think your parents are out there

002somewhere nice job every everyone good job going to do a roll call member Alvarez president member bian carer here member Benda here member Guardiola here Vice chair Johnson here member mailman here member McCulla member Roy mayor Petty here okay we have um we have a item from executive session Education Association of wh W school committee agreements 24/ 25-7 the motion is to deny roll call member Alvarez yes member ban caria yes member Banda yes member Guardiola yes Vice chair Johnson yes member mailman yes member McCulla member Roy yes mayor Petty uh yes we have the consent agenda roll call member Alvarez yes member being carrier I'm sorry praa the roll call and see a hand member being carer thank you um I have three items here and I quickly the national anthem at the school

003committee meetings and is sung by uh students and individuals and what I'm asking for is that the school committee send them a letter um of thank you it and tonight is a great example of why we would want to do that okay then we have down here Martin Luther King Jr events held in the city um I was able to attend um a few of the events and um it was very exciting to see our kids up there whether they were singing dancing reading poems um looking at these events as something very um important here I will and then the other piece is was to historical museum for their participation they've been doing this event for 46 years within our wer public school system and uh point of fact they are open to the public

004so there is no fee for you to uh uh go to the Worcester Historical Museum thank you I appreciate it thank you roll call member Alvarez yes member Vian caria yes member Benda yes member Guardiola yes Vice chair Johnson yes member mailman yes member Mulla member Roy yes mayor Petty yes we have a reconsideration but I think maybe we do public comment first if that's all right with everybody okay public comment you get two minutes to is your name is to your res name is to your residence and uh thank you for it item number um I don't have an item number uh my name is you have to speak on something on the agenda okay we're going to speak on um donations approval donations I'm donating my time coming here tonight um what I

005want to talk about is together we eat my students at Vernon Hill um they requested me to come to speak to you guys we're doing an assembly March 12th on hydroponic farming um we would love for the members to come out Wednesday March 12th at 2 p.m. uh I want you to see the exciting students um Committee Member um Sue Melman um had a chance to experience what we're doing with uh the future okay thank you thank you will fall under announcements on the agenda and ask the court to uh send out an invitation to all the school commit members is your name see your residence item number thank you I don't actually know the number but uh Fred Nathan Wester on the mailman are consider what member mailman I'm sorry member mailman on the

006item of the reconsideration you all took a vote you have to live by it plain and simple thank you our next speaker please is's your name say your residence and item number hi Katherine Holmes uh live in Worcester um the item number I'm speaking on is 519 um talking about recess specifically in the elementary schools um so many of the schools have a lot of different situations that end up leaving the kids with no place to play when they can't go outside and basically what I want to talk about is even when the weather is nice there's constant excuses as to why they don't go outside whether it be it's too wet they don't have the right clothes I know we have a lot of barriers in this city that other Suburban districts might not

007face but we also have solutions to those barriers and it seems to me that when we only point to barriers and we don't look for Solutions we kind of leave our students with nothing um they don't go outside my son this week didn't go outside at all in a 40 Dee week because there was no place to play um and there was many other excuses provided as to why that didn't happen but there's kids in other districts going sledding um and so while they're learning that they're capable and resilient beings deserving of responsibility and privilege our students are learning that they're too fragile because it's too wet and it's too cold and there's a million other reasons that it can't happen so I just ask that we get a little more creative when it comes

008to recess we prioritize it um you can look at thousands of studies over decades um that show that recess is a free intervention to improve grades test scores ATT attention time on task creativity memory learning problem solving mood Behavior Health Sleep all of it so it's just something to take seriously and you know take responsibility for so that our kids can have the best day that they can have every day thank you thank you what your name see your residence hi dond Savage resident of Worcester item number 521 parent of uh burnco Middle School dancer um this item is discussing the schedule potential schedule change for 2627 and I am here to give some reasons why we should maintain our current start time um my daughter's a seventh grader she humbly I will say is

009a skilled dancer dances outside of school but also in school she is a member of the dance team for burncoat high school practices for dance team happen at 2:00 2:30 sorry 2:30 with a 310 departure time with a tear change that would no long longer be an option for her or any other middle schooler who's on the dance team there's several eighth graders there a couple seventh graders um so there's little conflict it's an enrichment that she enjoy um takes pride in I have my notes sorry I'm going to today we hosted uh divers diversity show concert dance band um the chorus you saw today who did so well um the dances that she participated in today were choreographed by high school students who are Tas in the Middle School classes so the because our

010schedules align high schoolers that take dance that have worked their way up are able to work with the middle school dance teachers and teach them so they choreographed all the dances today and they were beautiful so I have a little personal story out of that like I said humbly my daughter she will be the spotlight right in the show I don't know if you know dancers but the good ones are up front this show happened in the evening back in December and ego comes along with performance as well I've learned and um she wasn't she had her little Spotlight but not the Limelight and I was like how's that going and she told me the high school is choreographed and they wanted the magnet only students who don't dance outside of school to get an

011opportunity to have the Limelight this came from our high schoolers this life lesson makes me a little emotional holding it together but um that these high school schoolers gave my middle school daughter and probably a lot of others some really big life lessons so I think with this schedule change it happens with the musicians talented musicians get to perform your coms with the high school right and in along the lines so when we're making this decision I really think it's important that we consider that the magnets should be staying together with the time thank you thank you your name the residence and item number hello people uh my name is Gary Hunter and I've been attending both uh meetings for a few weeks now um I'm here to talk about the safe School resolution I

012do believe it's a separate resolution than what was passed last time I think a lot of you know me and I try to be fair but attending the meetings both the city council and the school committee meetings I've been totally disgusted with what's going on people stand here and come up and take their time to tell you what they believe and they speak out four resolutions and they speak out four people and then you guys get behind it and and try to make a vote and every time there are a few people that will change the resolution or table it now you've got you got a 100 people here speaking up for a resolution you know there's more out in the community I think it's about time that we voted on resolutions don't change the

013wording put your act where your mind is take a stand it seems to be that people don't want to take a stand on a resolution that's controversial so you change the wording or it gets tabled or I think the motion that comes up should be taken up and you should should vote on it and if you have the guts you'll vote no on it and I respect a lot of you more if you'll take the stand and vote on these resolutions rather than just passing by people out there are saying nothing's getting done because we're talking about these resolutions for five weeks six weeks and all the people come up for it and it never gets resolved I think that's most frustration in the community and I would appreciate you a lot if you would

014just reconsider this vote and also please just take a stand on the issues and I think we'll get more satisfaction thank you thank you did your name see your residence item number hi uh my name is Alex Rivera Ortiz I am a par educator at burn middle school and a Worcester resident I'm here to speak on Sue mailman's uh reconsideration on her resolution and on The burncoat Middle magnet schedule we should have a separate policy that helps protect our lgbtq plus students we need to acknowledge that our lgbtq plus students are marginalized and are currently being attacked by the federal government having this resolution keeps our students feeling a little more safe in our schools uh Worcester city council recently passed saying that Worcester is a transgender sanctuary and we need to reflect that in

015our schools with this resolution now on the burn coat middle scheduling we have many qualified Educators that will leave burncoat middle because the scheduling does not align with their personal lives many Educators have second and third jobs a lot of them have kids and have to pay for more for child care um you have uh you would have to pay for more gas because transportation workers and transportation workers because the transportation workers have to go to the school twice our magnet program will suffer because the high school uses our space in the middle school for the magnet programs and won't be able to use these spaces and most importantly a lot of our Educators go to school and that will affect their schooling if this passes a i and I'll leave you with this our

016students with younger siblings won't be able to get their siblings at their schools and it will affect their parents jobs because they will have to leave their jobs early to go and receive their kids thank you thank you and Bureau a Wester parent and um Community provider I'd like to speak on two issues R r54 the administration's work on climate and culture has been a GameChanger and so so loved by Worcester parents um the focus on family engagement parents are the experts of their children on their children's well-being engaging them um leads to so many positive outcomes and to the um increased educational attainment of other children holistic health and wellness one of the top needs of parents was the social emotional health of their kids the Mental Health crisis we're facing attention to that

017in our schools is so important Equitable resources making sure that there's Equity um to all kids despite their socioeconomic backgrounds and just the culture and climate a sense of belonging for all kids we've heard from many parents around racism um that they've experienced their children have experienced in the schools and I would also like to speak on GB 510 the reconsideration of um school committee member um suman's proposal to take lgbtq out and the last minute change was so unfair lgbtq students are particularly targeted all kids deserve to feel safe um and confident when they come to school so please um reconsider that thank you thank you hi Kiren Frasier resident of Worcester also an educator in the Worcester public schools and adviser for the GSA at North to here to speak on two different

018items one is General business item 520 um the safe schools program as far as getting the the um desie program in for training I can tell you right now as a member of the mass Comm uh Commission on lgbtq youth which is where this program was originated from it's a fantastic program um the the trainers come in and they present in a as a neutral third party they will get the information to Educators who might otherwise be resistant and you will not have to be doing professional development peace meal by having individuals in the school um either have to out themselves or be that be be seen as the token person to present this um information as far as how to treat our students who are in the in the lgbtq community more correctly and

019to um nowadays considering the the way the political environment is going as far as concerns about um unnecessarily forcing students to be outed if they request name changes so I highly recommend we look into that and I also implore you to reconsider the resolution um that member mailman presented at the last meeting um this is what I sent to you all in an email today but I'm going to read it to make sure you get a chance to hear it the LGBT community lgbtq plus Community particular the trans and non-binary gender fluid Community are being singularly targeted in this political climate the federal government is intent on erasing trans members of our society completely and doesn't care that they are going to see a massive increase in suicide and self har among among our queer

020youth the lgbtq plus community in our schools needs this original resolution that affirms that our schools are looking out for us the resolution that member Mulla offered in its place is the all lives matter version and it is inadequate it only mentions the lgbtq community once and it glosses over the reasons why this community in particular needs this particular support right now let me be clear queer lives matter at the time when we are being savagely targeted by the federal government we need to know that the schools have our backs and will stand up for us we need to hear that we as a community are welcomed and supported as stated in the resolution that member mailman had presented we need to know that as stated in that resolution the district supports education that celebrates

021our different identities Integrity in how we treat others and courage to do what's right by listening to learning from and respecting diverse viewpoints can you wrap up your comments I know that there are members on the school committee who do not necessarily approve of the lgbtq plus Community I want you to consider that regardless of whether or not you understand our our identities we are human beings and we have a right to exist and feel safe our identities do not harm you in any way we need to go not the polit politically expedient route of looking at the all lives matter because it protects all students political expediency is not the point at this juncture taking a brave stance and telling human beings that you honor their existence is please be brave be Resolute and

022stand up for our queer students and the Educators thank you thank [Applause] you Mr your name is see your residence sure Brian Keeny I'm a wher resident I'm here to speak on items 521 and 510 concerning item 521 the burncoat Middle School tier change proposal and its impact on the burncoat fine and Performing Arts Magnet programs I'm the parent of two former students who went through the Middle School and High School magnet programs one in music One in theater I've seen how thoroughly the magnet programs are truly aligned vertically in grades 7 through 12 uh burnod middle school and burnod high school have a unique relationship because of their physical proximity and shared magnet programs including the overlap of staff and rehearsal and performance spaces there are classes performance ensembles and clubs that are comprised

023of a blend of middle and high school students high school students Mentor middle school students in their magnets and viewing them with a continuous standard of quality and aspiration and all the teachers in the magnets the dance music theater Visual and Digital Arts programs have worked hard to build highly successful programs through the grades 7 through 12 um even here you've recognized them at times accomplishments that would not have happened without the unique connection between burncoat middle and high schools I can understand that you may have some reasons for wanting to align the start times of all the middle schools however disrupting the unique arrangement between burncoat middle and high school will harm the successful fine and Performing Arts Magnet programs I urge you to listen to the magnet teachers and do some more investigation

024before making a final decision concerning item 510 I urge you to adopt the resolution as resubmitted by member mailman while indeed we do want all students to feel safe and welcome in our schools in the current context of a presidency that is scapegoating and persecuting lgbtq people an extra affirmation of LGB BQ youth against this bullying is warranted at this time thank you thank you good evening my name is Francis anes I'm the mother of three Alum from Burn mid middle well Elm Park Community burncoat Middle and burncoat Senior magnet and have only good things to say about their continued success but I'm here tonight to talk about uh resolution 510 the reconsideration I'm urging I'm here to urge you to vote for the motion brought by Committee Member mailman for reconsideration this evening the

025original motion acknowledged the stress currently being experienced by lgbtq members of our community in light of the Trump musk project 2025 edicts and offers our support as we fight to retain our democracy we must Empower our compassion and respect for the Dignity of all members of our community and those members most impacted need to be able to feel our solidarity please vote for committee mailman's resolution this evening thank you thank [Applause] you hi my name is Julia Moren I am an educated in the woodster public school district I am writing to express my strong support for member Su mailman's safe School resolution and reconsideration for it as a multilingual educator who identifies as queer I can confidently say that her resolution effectively conveys that safety and conclus inclusion are priorities at the wher public school

026district if a resolution is PA with language that is redacted or simplified I know without a doubt that my students will recognize that underlying message because that is what I teach them to do to look for the subtext more importantly a resolution that communicates my stud students beautiful multifaceted identities they're not just one thing they're more than one thing that will help them be embraced and EMP powered within our schools which is essential this should be the goal and nothing less as Educators we set High expectation for students it would be contradictory to expect to expect me to to expect less of you I will not have that my students their families their peers and my fellow Educators both lgbtqia and plus and allies need this especially in this political climate anything less would fail

027to meet the expectations of that time safety should be your priority for everyone and if you do not understand lgbtqia that is what I believe schools are there for to prepare you for a multicultural World a diverse world where you can lead with empathy and curiosity so that you are able to understand this resolution is for everybody please reconsider it thank you [Applause] good evening my name is Francis Murphy I'm a resident Worcester an educator in the Worcester public schools and a proud member of the educational Association of Worcester I support item GB 5-10 Su mailman's original lgbtq plus safe schools resolution and your cons reconsideration of it as a queer educator I'm here to remind you of whom you serve you serve us students families Educators in our schools and when you don't listen

028and you don't believe us when we tell you what we need that we need explicit and direct support and protection because the federal government is directly attacking us and that in turn gives license to hate us you're only serving your cowardly selves when I walked into Worcester Tech this afternoon to work in the ICP program I saw a poster on the wall with the Reverend Dr Martin Luther King Jr he said and his quotation was depicted on the poster this chilling it had a chilling effect on me and I quote in the end we will remember not the words of our enemies but the Silence of our friends your eraser of explicit and direct support of lesbian gay bisexual transgender queer interex asexual non-binary gender fluid and other students families and employees does violence your

029silence is violence be courageous don't be cowards the students get it do you lives depend on it [Applause] hello my name is Renee St Louis I am a resident of Wester and I am a trans member of the career Community as I'm sure you all know um the current Trump Administration is Coming Out Swinging hostile against the queer and trans Community it is a very scary time for many of us I as an adult have a lot of resources and support but I can't imagine how scary this is for children for children who are told that their existence is harmful the administration does not just seek to harm us to silence us but to erase us to remove us from society I'm all in favor of anti-bullying and I do believe that every student has

030a right to equality education free from harassment but I find it very troubling that the school committee did not feel comfortable voting on an anti-bullying Bill unless the lgbtqia plus Community was sanitized from it the this is a community that is especially vulnerable this is a community that needs additional protections I just want the career students to feel safe you have another chance before you you have this motion to reconsider before you and I urge you please do what's right thank you thank you name see your residence night sorry Karen Valentine Goins resident of Wester I'm actually here to speak about item gb10 510 but um just wanted to reference the recess item so uh as I start to I'm I'm a parent of two graduates 2019 2022 so you can do the math and

031I have been was speaking about recess 20 years ago and it makes me really sad that we have not Advanced beyond that uh so again um speaking as a parent of two Wester public recent Wester Public School grads um I would like to urge you to support member mailman's request for reconsideration of the lgbtq plus safe schools resolution I was appalled to see what the school committee did in voting to amend the original resolution to say all lives matter it was an insult to students fearing for their safety and the awful climate being propagated by the Trump Administration and after the hours and hours of testimony provided um by Folks at the city council with all that as a backdrop and I cringed at the language harking back to the push back against black lives

032matter you have a chance to write this wrong please do [Applause] it my name is Barbara mud I live in West Boyston and I am chair of the Worcester NAACP education committee I am here to speak on item GB 510 I I urge um that the item to reconsider suman's original safe School resolution for lgbtq students um sorry um pass tonight the resolution proposed by su was necessary clear and specific what passed instead was not an amendment but rather a Waterdown version that as member Alvarez pointed out is an all lives matter response a response that ignores the very real targeted risks that LBGTQ plus students families and staff face today the fear is not abstract it is lived daily when children walk into schools and by families wondering if their children are truly safe

033and by staff who dedicate their lives to educating and supporting students and yet often feel understanding unsupported themselves we have a moral responsibility to safeguard those who are most vulnerable and to ensure that they are thriving not just surviving in addition to LBGTQ plus children families and staff this is also about their classmates and friends who witness Injustice and wonder where the adult stands it's about families who deserve to know that their teachers will be safe and affirmed it's about teachers and staff who need the spacking of strong policies to do what is right and to feel safe in who they are this is about seeing and protecting the humanity of children families and staff this is about the people that we love can you wrap up your comments yes in addition we need to

034look at the we must acknowledge the intersecting identities of students in our district 74% of the populations are students of colors there's a high poverty rate and many students have immigration or disability status lbgt youth face compounded challenges with M with um multiple identities face compounded challenges and discrimination the impact of an adequate protection for those with multiple marginalized identities that unfortunately others are doing to them is even more severe this makes a specific resolution more urgent and necessary thank you I'm going to tie it up one second um okay you wrap up please yes I promise I will wrap up I have one last thing to say um I ask that you pass unanimously the um resolution tonight the weaker one has caused harm if you are unable to do that I ask you

035to consider if you are the right person person to be sitting where you are because leadership means standing up for what matters most and it matters now I ask you to correct this mistake pass a resolution that is strong and makes clear that lbgt Plus student staff and families are seen and valued and fully protected by Wester Public Schools hello my name is Heather stanik I'm a Worcester resident and the mother of one current Wester public school student and I'm soon to be a second member mailman's resolution from February 6th meeting prioritized our lgbtq plus students Educators staff members and famili safety within Worcester public schools during this time when national leaders dehumanize and erase trans and non-binary people's very existence and Humanity it is up to all of us to do the most we

036can to reassure uphold and validate this community the fact that this body ch a watered down all lives matter Amendment to the original specific pointed wellth thought out and intentioned resolution is deeply disheartening and frankly disgusting all lives do not matter unless and until most margin the most marginalized and persecuted Among Us matter that is what member mailman's resolution attempted to do the resolution that this body voted to pass removed even the mention of the lgbtq plus community's name from the title never mind the specific protections included in the original resolution including Title 9 hiding behind a second resolution is an act of cowardice I feel like that's a good place to pause um anyway I am um as an active cardist in a way to look like you're you've done something when in reality

037it gives the appearance of empathy support and protection only these students and community members deserve at the very least the support that a specific targeted resolution like Sue would have provided thank you to members Alvarez and Johnson for their support of the original resolution and member mailman for putting it [Applause] forth uh Cara burp Powers she her wer resident um at the last meeting a member said that this is a bipartisan body but I think it's important to correct the record that this is a nonpartisan body our lgbtqia students Educators and families are not a political issue they are our community if there is offense to be taken as was implied it is that so many segments of our community are under attack right now so if member McCulla had introduced the alternate resolution which

038I will not call an amendment in January I'm sure it would have been welcome but since that is not what happened we can only speculate as it is the resolution was introduced in response to one that specifically identified the harm and vulnerability of our lgbtqia community members as others have said as such it stripped the critical context and the meaning and the statement of support I also think it's important to note that for a lot of us in the community it said that you all do not understand what is happening right now because this is not the only community that will come under attack our Title One funds are under attack our 504 protections are under attack I teach education I am teaching a disability Justice and education course right now and seeing the folding

039so quickly at the tiniest indication that things are going to be tough calls into question as others have said if you all are up to the task as a mom I want every kid to feel safe and supported and appreciate so much the strides this district has made under this Administration in that effort don't undermine that work with the cowardice you've displayed you have the opportunity to reconsider and I ask that you [Applause] do my name is fiana Jan Singh I'm a Wester resident I'm also the parent of four children two of which are Wester public school um students and my kids are friends with have teachers that are part of the lgbtq community so I support um Su mailman's original um resolution to protect the the rights of lgbtq and trans children and families

040and teachers because we have a number of them in our Wester Public Schools um and I can't speak more eloquently than the last two people just spoke but I just want to say I support this original resolution not the one that was switched for thank you good evening I'm Maria hunon from the Latino Education Institute and actually I came to talk about the culture and climate part that it's going to be the topic for today but I want to say that the Lei we support wer Public School strategic plan particularly the Strategic priority of culture and climate which should include also students from lgbtq as well that's part of culture and and and good uh climate culture and climate aims to create environments where all students as well as faculty staff and families feel valued

041saved and included uh one key strategy involves using culture responsive pedagogy uh which is today topic to connect learning with students backgrounds identities life experiences and interests the cultural wealth approach based on joso concept of community cultural wealth is essential for students success in today's increasing diverse schools everybody knows here that over 70% of public school students in Worcester are non white nearly have identify as Latinos and for 50% of them English is their second language more than 50% of them under critical race Theory which examine how race and power inter intersect in soci soci societal that's English is my second language structure the deficit thinking approach in education which was very common in the 20th century not anymore hopefully right but we don't see that at the federal level view students cultural backgrounds and

042as obstacles perpetuating systemic inequities and educational failure now as part of wer Public School strategic plan students language trans um traditions and experiences are recognized as valuable assets that enrich the learning environment this includes Linguistics wealth adaptability resilience and strong familial and Social Capital all strength students bring from their communities and home countries so I saw how this was being celebrated today this afternoon at the ribbon cutting ceremony of the Worster doer language magnet school this culturally responsive pedagogy which I understand is currently in his Pilot phase right uh is said to be integrated into Worster Public Schools instructional framework including instructional materials teaching practices and assessments in today's globalized Multicultural world this is world this is a vital positive step so the Latino Education Institute comment comments wer public schools and his superintendent for

043their efforts to make learning meaningful and relevant to all students when schools integrate cultural responsive pedagogy they affirm student identity enhance academic engagement and support their success as responsible members of this Society thank you thank you hi my name is Bonnie Johnson I'm from Boon and I want wanted to commend the wer school committee for their vote last time and I want to encourage you to stay true to that and not to reconsider this amendment um I do believe all children should be protected and that three-letter word all is important when you start saying that there's a small group here and a small group here and a small group here that needs different different things you're setting you're you're you're setting up yourself for these groups not to feel included they should all feel included

044it is all all our students in wer are it is it is your responsibility as desie said it is essential that all schools should continue to support all of their marginalized students as well as non-marginalized I don't care what the discrepancy is I just encourage you to support what you voted and not to change it thank you thank you hi my name is Andrea cook I'm a resident of Worcester and a teacher at burnot middle school here to speak about GB 521 so changing in times at the Arts Magnet Schools would be a detriment to our Arts programs at burnat um we do coaching after school we do coaching during the school day just before winter break uh before February break a student came to me and he said I have an audition over winter

045break and I don't have a piece and I need it and my teachers out can you help me and so I said here's my preps after school every single day and he went to his audition this February we'll see how he did but we collaborate and we coach our kids all the time and it goes both ways the high school teachers are coaching my kids every opportunity they get and we have tons of success with our Arts programs but it's because we were highly collaborative um high school jazz band performed on my middle school performance today why because we have a ton of middle schoolers in their eighth grade that are amazing players and the proper level for them is with the high school band when do they rehearse High School period 8 which is

046at 1:43 to 2:30 we would still be in school so that period not becomes unavailable to our students um space is a huge issue if you've come to visit us you've seen us teaching in hallways and all of the crazy things our dance teachers need their space after school to rehearse daily then middle school students can't be using those during the school day because our school day is still going um it's an opportunity lost to sports students our eighth graders play up a level High School practices would be already done um dance and theater teachers and and well dance and music teachers tonight would be here but they're at gigs like we we very strongly and passionately want to be on the same tier because of how collaboratively work um and I just want you

047to consider it thank you thank [Applause] you hello Hannah weinsaft um Wester resident and uh Union member of the educational Association of wer um I just wanted to speak on um both the the equity piece as well as um the the motion that we are reconsidering and I just I you know I worked with some of the people in this room on this strategic plan and I think there's some really clear language about our responsibility to our students so I just figured I'd read that real quick for us so aim one was to increase all School members feelings of value safety and a sense of belonging along all schools and grade levels a to to enhance the use of culturally responsive pedagog P pedagogy to connect learning to students backgrounds experiences and interests so I

048will also note that aim three part of what we're doing here talking to our community listening to each other hearing what each other needs um the the aim three was expand the use of restorative practices to create a more Equitable learning environment for all students thank you so much for helping us write this language Let It guide us this this should be guiding us until 2028 so appreciate thank you hi my name is Jody champoline I'm a resident of WI I'm talking about GB 5-22 volunteers to operate Elementary School libraries I appreciate that school libraries are still being discussed and brought to the school committee floor however this is not the way to proceed with them first volunteers are not sustainable as some years you may have many but few years you have none some

049schools have many volunteers and some schools have none second to operate a library school a libr school library you need training and education training and education are what school library teachers learn as part of their schooling Collective development and weeding are two areas where the school teacher librarian learns how to keep the collection updated diverse and inclusive I can't tell you how many times teacher Administration and volunteers would come to me and say I don't know what to weed and I don't know what to keep for my collection the same goes for what they also buy for their collection they are uneducated or trained third school teacher librarian help with the curriculum however parent volunteers do not know what the C what's in the curriculum for example I have students that would come to the

050library looking for an author the teacher has been reading about still we wouldn't have it because the parent volunteers don't know what's in the curriculum even more so now because we have a new reading program finally three years ago I came to the school committee asking for libraries and Librarians to be brought back to wer Public Schools I brought it back because our Scholars deserve a space for themselves this is not consistent for one school or another some schools have no space or no books um school librarians are in different stages working with various of different systems with the volunteers still help the school libraries and along with the teachers yes that will not change what needs to change is the idea that this can be done alone with untrained volunteers we need help with

051this endeavor we need a library service strategic plan someone the administration could explain this like in the other areas of the school system can this be done for our Scholars our Scholars need and deserve this more than ever thank you for listening thank you is your name see your residance hi um I originally just came here actually just to listen to my daughter sing the national anthem but um your name res I beg your pardon I gu your name and say your residence for the record it's Michael Douglas okay Wester yes I live in Worcester I have two form former students of the wer public schools and two current ones and I just want to Echo the lady that spoke a little while ago if you have a resolution that says all students are valued

052all students are protected and made to feel that they're a part of the community then all is exactly what it means all not singling out other student groups or whatever you know we're all equal but it seems that some of the speakers at this Podium want some students to be more equal than others and I would urge you to stick with your language that says all students thank you thank [Applause] you is your name c res item number my name is Julie stb I'm a proud wer resident a proud Wester School employee a proud Wester parent of a child in North High I am also a proud voter and I'm here because I love all the children that I teach and I fight for them in all the ways I know and my own children

053and my community can you address but I am here to say our lgbtqi plus children are under attack and it is our job to stand with them I implore you to learn to teach yourselves to ask friends and family I would be shocked to think that you don't know somebody who is in that Community they are here they are standing tall they are fighting to have equal rights to be seen to be loved to be cared for I'm asking you to please reinstate I know if that's the correct terminology I apologize but suman's I might pronounce original resolution it means something it matters it is not little don't be so afraid stand up for what you know is right thank you thank [Applause] you okay okay go ahead you want to do that well who's

054going to do that uh um speak of Fred Taylor Just unmute yourself FR yeah I get you now go ahead all right uh good evening everyone my name is Fred tale I'm a wer resident I'm the president of the wer branch of the NAACP I'm here to speak about r54 um I want to emphasize the crucial importance of seeing children through a culturally responsive lens in our increasingly diverse Society recognizing and valuing the unique cultural backgrounds of each child is not just beneficial but essential to the growth and development when we Embrace cultural responsive approaches we create an environment where each child feels seen heard and valued this helps Foster a sense of belonging which is a foundation to learning children come to us with Rich histories language and traditions that shape who they are

055by acknowledging these factors we Empower them promote their self-esteem and enhance their educational experiences moreover that culturally responsive practices and education can lead to improved academic outcomes research consistently show that when students see their culture reflected in their curriculum and when teachers utilize culturally relevant teaching strategies engagement and motivation increase this not only benefits children children from diverse backgrounds but it enriches and learning experiences for all students fostering mutual respect and understanding additionally reviewing children through the lens allows us to break down stereotypes and challenges biases it encourages open dialogue about differences teaching our future generation to appreciate diversity rather than fear it by preparing our students to thrive in a multicultural world we equip them with the skills is necessary to become empathetic and informed Global students in conclusion I adopt the culturally responsive

056by adopting the culture responsive lens it's and not merely adoption it's responsib we owe our children and Society let us commit to seeing every child as an individual with unique cultural identity uring that our educational practices reflect their varied experiences and aspirations together we can cultivate an inclusive environment where every child can flourish and I also would like to say we support the Committee Member mailman's item 510 GB 510 in its original form and I want to give a shout out and I really appreciate the hard work the superintendent monz and our team has done with W the public schools thank you thank you next speaker is Amy Julie hi can you hear me yes we can just your name see your residence uh my name is Amy KY I'm from Worcester I am the

057arts department head at burnod high school and I'm here today as a representative of all magnet teachers grades 7 through 12 on agenda item GB 521 magnet teachers are against uh are against this tier change move as it would put BMS and BHS on different schedules and would negatively affect the quality of the program that we are able to provide to our students to start thinking about our curricular school day burnat magnet teachers have worked for years to vertically align our programming to continually build the skills of our students and while of course the scope and sequence of the programming would not change because of the tier change the differentiation that we have been able to Design Within the program will undoubtedly be negatively affected currently we have worked for years to align our SCH

058scheduling to meet the needs of students and the various levels of skills within our programming so if there is an eighth grade violinist who has been playing their whole life they would be able to be to play with the more advanced High School Ensemble this type of differentiation would not be possible with the move to tier three because of the shared spaces um in addition our highly celebrated after school curriculum enhancement offerings would not be able to run as normally as they have with BMS and BHS being on different tiers we would not be able to rehearse our 7 through 12 fall play in Spring musical this would mean each school would have to produce its own fall play and spring musical which would drive up costs exponentially with the dance Department eighth grade students

059could no longer be on the JB dance team and there would have to be two separate evenings of dance the third in the nation Spirit team and the first in the nation pep band would also suffer as both teams have middle scho middle school students on them these are just some of the problems we would face if the tear were to change Beyond this the BMS BHS relationship especially in the Arts is a thing of beauty it allows older students to Mentor younger students and build meaningful relationships and connections and with a school that is not as shiny and new as the others it's often these relationships that keep kids engaged in school and the Arts and keep them committed to their art and Artistry in high school thank you so much for your time

060and consideration in this matter thank you we get next no Medina just unmute yourself hello hi can you hear me yes we can okay so I'm Nim Medina I'm from District e um and I support voting yes on the superintendent item k um GB 523 mailman GB 519 Johnson um for 522 voice item I ask for clarity and opportunity for parents to understand the item before a vot goes through but I'm speaking on item F in media representation lgbtqia plus youth are high school dropouts and are eliminated through murder unal living jail or psychiatric institutionalization and they blame queer youth for struggling to Envision aik for themselves what the media never talks about is why or the public shunning ostracization and the verbal and physical violence they endure because of their status as lgbtqia plus

061students in a culture that normalized antagonism towards them welcoming all children and staff means working towards gender equity and supporting transgender non-binary and gender expansive students as a society and school system it's our responsibility to work to prevent and address bias based bullying with an intersectional anti-racist lens and by understanding and respecting all people I don't want my son who loves and expresses solidarity with all people to witness his friends at school being mistreated school committee members must confront their fears and only learn unconscious biases a straightforward way is by eradicating the impulse to respond to the chorus of all students matter all students are not the target of hate and threats of violence because of who they are it's the lgbtqia plus community at the center of this hate therefore until all lives matter

062we have to keep saying the words our lgbtqia plus students and Community matters their safety matters and how you say it and the policies that change as a result of those words are all that matter I'll ask this committee to vote in favor of council memb su's original lgbtqia plus safe schools agenda item and for LGBT I qia full community I'll summarize it with a quote from transgender activist the late siia Rivera we must challenge the binary understanding of gender and embrace the diversity within our community thank you thank you next speaker sorry next speaker is Dena Hi good evening my name is Dina teski my pronouns are she her I'm a Worcester resident and a parent of a Worcester public school graduate in a current seventh grader first I want to applaud the efforts

063and actions of the superintendent and her amazing team now more than ever as a parent and Community Advocate I feel welcome and included in my child's school and engaged with more staff I also understand more of the actions and decisions made by the school in the district and other parents feel this way too in support of R 5-4 all children and families benefit from seeing themselves mirrored and represented in learning materials and I want to Echo the great comments that Fred Taylor mentioned earlier and just to support these comments diversity and variety is what makes our student population and Community extraordinary and expands our children's familiarity and understanding of others I also want to comment on GB 5-22 the request for the district to acquire volunteers to operate Elementary School libraries it seems well-intentioned while

064in Vol while volunteers should always be welcome at in school Li Li and in other capacities operating a school library is not reasonable or sustainable I would rather see the school committee and District Focus refocused attention on building a team of school librarians and thinking outside the box and looking at our schools our local colleges and Community universities for paid internships grant opportunities and I know that may be not such a viable option these days but uh or required rotations like student teaching and similar so I encourage the school committee to look at funding staff libraries staff staffed libraries with staff Librarians positions in these libraries uh regarding GB 5-19 recess is incredibly important for students well-being and I Echo the comments of Katherine Holmes from earlier this evening and I'm pretty sure that back

065in about 2012 or so the school committee had added a resolution that added School Comm added 15 minutes of recess within the school day didn't add time to the day but but it was added in that it needed to be part of the school day this went away during the pandemic and has not returned just want to wrap up with I encourage your overwhelming support and reconsideration of GB 5-10 member mailman's agenda item is critical for our lgbtqia plus students and families words matter language matters taking this into account doesn't take away from any other students rights or protections and adds a layer of protection for our lgbtqia plus Youth and I did email the school committee members and the mayor regarding all these comments for uh 5-10 so thank you thank you is it

066Taran who's next yes hi my name is Taran bernees um I'm a resident of Worcester and I'm an educator at North High School I am here to discuss the reconsideration for member mailman's GB 5-10 before I go into this I want to tell you all how much I love my students and care about them and their success these students come from so many different backgrounds that deserve to be recognized including their sexualities genders and experiences around the whole of their identities right now in 9th grade ELA which I teach we are reading the Holocaust Memoir night as I have been giving my students background information the Striking similarities between the history I am teaching and the current political climate floors me my students recognize it too well anti-Semitism which is attributed to the Holocaust right

067certainly continues to exist within our society as of right now lgbtq plus people and immigrant people of color have become the new scapegoats for the ills of society North High School is a primary population of students of color and there is a large queer population as well if you ever studied history this history in particular growing up and you said that you would have spoken up for the Jews or the gay men or the disabled people who were taken away and systematically killed in the Holocaust now is your time to take action you have the power although leader of this city have been wanting to skirt the truth of what's happening for lgbtq plus youth in staff for people in Palestine and for all of the big issues that Echo the biggest biggest mistakes of

068our history now is the time to turn that around if you have sat here and listened to all of these people speak and have not changed your mind you are not doing what you were elected to do it is cowardly and it shows us that you do not care about the people you serve but that you PRI prioritize your own personal agendas it is not only disheartening but appalling thank [Applause] you uh Jess you're next Name Is Res hi good evening my name is Jess uh I you see heard pronouns I'm a resident in the city of w W um I'm also a school adjustment counselor in Wester public schools and a parent of Wester public school students um as a Wester Public Schools employee I know that we have spent the past two years

069in our schools talking amongst ourselves as staff and with our students about our vision of a learner to quote from the vision of the learner wer public school students will be empowered to lean me to lead meaningful and purposeful lives there is no way that students or staff in the lgbtqia plus Community can realize this Vision if the school committee can't directly and specifically state that Wester Public Schools will affirm and recognize their identities in the face of a political climate where trans and nonbinary identities have already been erased as a clinician uh a core tenant of my work is building strong therapeutic relationships with students um we're taught as social workers and clinicians that no other clinical work can occur without that relationship in a similar way the school committee needs to build strong

070and trusting relationships with staff with students and families for any other work to occur as a clinician as a parent and as a voter in the city of Worcester I employ the school committee to unanimously pass GB 510 the original safe schools committee resolution thank you thank you the next speaker is Matt there you go y hi did your name see resents my name is Kate bjun I'm the parent of two Wester public school students in the burden Cod quadrant and I have comments on three items tonight first I'd like to voice support for item 5-20 with one addition the recommendation of school committee members to also participate in the safe schools training secondly I'm speaking against 5-22 and the librarian by trade Librarians go to graduate school to receive the professional training we need

071to serve our community it does our Scholars a disservice to rely on volunteers to run School libraries and it's also not a sustainable Staffing model our kids deserve professional Librarians at all levels not just middle school and high school as it exists currently finally I'm speaking in support of the reconsideration of 5-10 as a parent who spoke in favor of the original lgbtq plus safe schools resolution on February 6th the briefer version that passed is not sufficent efficiently address the concerns that were raised by myself and other commit other concerned members of the community Through the chair to those committee members who voted in favor of that amendment I hope that your heart was in the right place but I also hope you heard the anguish in the voices of the folks in the gallery

072that night after you voted no on member mailman's version I hope you have heard the disappointment from the community who have reached out to you in the days since and I hope tonight you take the opportunity to reconsider and adopt the original resolution that more clearly addresses the real concerns we have for our lgbtqa plus folks in the Wester Public Schools thank you thank [Applause] you no you're up next hello good evening my name is Noelia chaoya and I am a wor resident parent voter and student Advocate I'm here to urge you to vote Yes on the reconsideration of the lgbtq plus save School resolution item GB 510 this evening this resolution is crucial to ensuring that our lgbtq plus students feel safe supported and included in our schools I think we can all agree

073that the Baseline expectation and objective of all of us is to keep all of our students safe however this resolution specifically addresses the need to ensure that lgbtq plus students given the unique risk they're currently facing are made feel safe and included in our community the original safe School resolution outlined legal protections under the Massachusetts General law which prohibits discrimination based on gender identity gender expression and sexual orientation unfortunately the amended version and the one voted in uh excludes these protections weakening safeguards for the lgbtq plus students and Community uh the massachus department of Elementary and secondary education Desi has EMP side the importance of schools providing a safe and inclusive environment for all students especially marginalized groups like The lgbtq Plus student and and community research consistently shows that inclusive policies improve mental health

074academic success and overall well-being I ask you to rise above personal belief and focus on what's best for our students by voting yes on this reconsider reconsideration you reaffirm our community to creating a safe and supportive environment for all students especially LGBT Q Plus students um I'd also like to speak on item GB 522 um and and really imporing us to really consider having uh staff Librarians for our schools to ensure that our students not only have access to books and libraries but that there's dedicated staff to help guide and also support their learning grow and growing and um also becoming culturally and globally aware which can only improve our students um awareness and also education thank you thank you oh we have a St representative wants to speak or was that online Okay um

075hello my name is armag bisan I'm a resident of wer and I'm the student representative of burnat high school I'd like to quickly quickly speak upon item 5-21 about the tier change for burncoat middle school as a burn high school student who's in the theater magnet we are very very close of the Middle School many of our after school programs um such as the spring musical the fall show are all connected with the Middle School this year I had the opportunity to Mentor one of the middle schoolers during the fall show I was the stage manager and I got to Mentor in eth grader and teach her more about how to Stage manage which wouldn't have been possible if like we had times changed also like when I was in burnat Middle School I um

076auditioned for many of the after school shows and I got to meet so many new people and all the high schoolers I met taught me more about how to become a better actress and it it just wouldn't have been possible if our times were different and like along with our shared faculty it would just the the costs would rise so much to produce to two different shows as the middle school and high school like we share an auditorium two of my classes each day are in the auditorium in the middle school the high school does not have an auditorium thank you so much thank [Applause] you sorry we're going to uh go back to F item for reconsideration need two votes the first vote was suspend the r for reconsideration roll call member of Alvarez

077yes member banaria no member Benda no member Guardiola no Vice chair Johnson yes member mailman yes member McCulla member Roy no mayor Petty no okay we're going to go to the maor superintendent report uh from here to anywhere to get a culture responsive [Music] policies warning and experiences seriously who's doing this report our students matter if you just told them they don't talk to through the chair M superintendent yes through the chair good evening everybody um as the team gets acclimated to their seats tonight we are going to be sharing the work that we have been um I mean embarking on for quite a few years and really digging deeply into on how we can engage our Learners and making sure that students are at the center of our work and and the um and

078when we talk about the students it's really making sure that we understand who we serve um and what their needs are so next slide will go into and I'll connect it to the Strategic plan the Wier Public Schools promise there are a few priorities that are connected in this particular presentation one of them being around equital resources and educational programming and how we're um really working to enhance and provide equitable and consistent learning experiences from our prek through 12 experience so hear some um work around that next slide also includes the Strategic plan priority which is what I just said so the Equitable resources go ahead and click on the next slide please and climate and culture so just as we work on the um the educational offer offerings in the classroom setting that goes

079hand inand with what the school feels like what the classroom feels like how our children engage with each other and how our staff engages with our children and so that is another piece of this um engaging all children in their learning and seeing the value and and the beauty of each child next slide please specifically the aim that this presentation we'll speak to is the use of culture responsive pedagogy and how it's connected to the students back grounds experiences and interests and so um I may be stealing um Mr inar R's thunder so you repeat it if I am but um I just want to remind the committee and anyone watching we have culture in everything that we do it is the air that we breathe and um and and so when we talk about

080the culture of the children in front of us and we talk we speak to um recognizing their culture it is recognizing that diversity in our schools and the variety of cultures that exist and it's our responsibility not to only see one culture but to see all of those and that's really getting to the lived experiences of children what they bring to the table the languages that they speak um and again starting with who's in front of us and and creating and offering programming and resources and curricular materials that look like sound like and they can connect with it doesn't mean they're going to connect with everything and that's not what we're trying to get at because we are so diverse so um but that at some point in their learning that they get that so

081that's another part of this um cult responsive pedagogue do you go ahead and change the next slide and so how does this connect to um the superintendent goals specifically we're looking at the student learning goal and specifically um I stated that we will really work on defining refining and implementing and then monitoring culture responsive policies so we take what's in the Strategic plan and each year we go deeper on a portion of that um and then I aligned it to my my goals so this year this is directly linked to that and you will hear from the team on the progress being made and I'm really pleased with the progress because it's not work that's happening just at the district level it is already starting to go into our classrooms um our students and our

082staff next slide and so tonight specifically we're going to share the current state of our continuous Improvement efforts um to provide those equital resources to really start to make continue to make the Worcester public schools promise um a reality in our schools by recognizing and acknowledging the diverse backgrounds and the strengths of all of our Scholars and what they bring um to the table and then also we want you to become familiar with um culture responsive pet pedagogi not from a very um you know educationally language we're really going to try to make it just something that makes sense um and and how that um learning plan and what that learning plan looks like and the newly piloted auditing tool that we're really um happy to be using currently right now and so I think

083the next slide go ahead and click I am going to turn this over to Dr Morris and Dr Morris if you can just um introduce the other two fabulous people sitting at your table through the chair thank you I'd like to introduce timy Larry and Caleb and casion Rivera this Dynamic team have been working very hard on uh preparing our district for some really heavy lift around culturally responsive pedagogy so the next slide so our Y is always our students so in a district like ours where many students come from diverse backgrounds races languages and so socioeconomic status embracing this teaching approach which honors student identities isn't just important it's absolutely essential um you heard from some of the speakers today um in public comment about and they spoke very eloquently about the um culturally

084responsive pedagogy and its benefits to students but it's clear research shows that culturally responsive pedagogy and teaching leads to Higher Achievement stronger relationships and a great sense of belonging if we want all of our students to reach their full potential we must create classrooms well who they are is recognized and woven into their education every single day next slide please we thought we would share this slide with you because we wanted to share with you um the system Improvement model that we considered while we were working through how do we lift this important work throughout a very large system like we have so there are two first order change and then there's a second order change first order change is something pretty simple like just switching in a new curriculum buying something different or changing

085maybe a leader in a building second order change is much more um difficult to accomplish because it goes beyond the surface level adjustments it requires a fundamental shift in beliefs mindsets and practices culturally responsive teaching is just not a new strategy it's a deep systematic change and how we see understand and engage with students it challenges traditional approaches and it requires Educators to reflect in their own perspectives embrace the diverse identities of our students who they bring to school and design learning experiences that affirm and Empower students our model is well aligned with des's educational vision and des's linguistically and culturally sustaining um guidance and programming this next slide kind of um provides for you you see a lot of boxes You See Vision skills leadership resources and action plan when you have all these

086pieces moving together we we realize that um uh we have a better outcome and we have a better chance of great success so for any initiative to to succeed all these components must come together seamlessly and like GE of a well build machine each part plays a CL a very critical role and we're working hard to make sure that not even one element is overlooked and we are looking to ensure that every building block to make sure that culturally responsive pedagogy has all the pieces and support at the district level it needs to to succeed you're can hear a lot more about this um in the rest of this presentation from my colleagues so could we go to the next slide please I just want to ground you in where we were where we are

087um so with the adoption of ccla in 2022 the district began the process of renewing curriculum through this lens and and we work to ensure that the materials we select for students are just right for our Learners the district teen worked with a larger group evaluated units and made a few decisions to remove materials or to add and augment to lessons the team then reviewed other curricular in the district and audited courses that we offer and looked at materials and information that our students were learning in classes and we made further adjustments as we worked we realized that we're really large district and we believe it should not be a small group of people at the district making all of these decisions we believe that equipping all Educators in our district with the tools and

088training to make classroom decisions that are culturally responsive will ensure that our students have the right information and high quality materials and our students needs will be met so I'll turn the rest of this presentation over to um Caleb and casum rier oh I'm very sorry part two is timy Larry welcome Miss Larry for the remainder of this thank you for the remainder of this presentation we're going to talk about our current state and the work we have done in order to sustain and support culturally responsive pedagogy our District's in our District's Journey towards culturally responsive pedagogy the first step was developing a shared understanding of what CRP means and what it looks like in practice to achieve this the office of equity the office of teaching and learning curriculum Specialists and integrated coaches collaborated

089to research CRP review past District efforts and establish a clear definition this definition was then embedded into our District's instructional framework our guiding document for all things instru instuction Desi's content standards and Frameworks support this integration reinforcing alignment between culturally responsive practices and high quality instruction we intentionally placed CRP within this framework to ensure that it wasn't seen as an add-on but as an essential part of teaching and learning the framework includes a dedicated section that breaks down the definition provides detailed explanations and offers concrete classroom examples next slide please to support implementation we held a districtwide professional learning experience in November each school's instructional coach facilitated sessions using a standardized kit allowing Educators across the district to engage with the CRP definition explore its integration into the instructional framework and particip ipate in activities

090that deepen their understanding by embedding CRP in our instructional framework and providing structured professional learning we are ensuring that culturally responsive teaching becomes a core part of our District's instructional practices can move to the next slide so as we laid down the foundation for culturally responsive pedagogy defining it embedding it within our instructional framework work and then also initiating professional learning it became clear that this work it couldn't just be an add-on um we needed to assess it uh where we stand as a district what we're doing well where the gaps are and where are the areas that we need to Foster growth and so to answer these questions the office of equity along with the office of teaching and learning collaborated to develop an auditing tool and what this what this tool allows us

091to do is to evaluate and to monitor culturally responsive practices districtwide um and so in the next few slides I'm going to walk us through how we built this tool how we're currently piloting this tool and what is next for its implementation so when building this auditing tool we took if you can go to the next slide when building this auditing tool we took a multi-dimensional approach to culturally responsive instruction um and because of this we designed the tool around uh three key domains and the first domain is representation this is referring to instructional materials the content um and does that content of what we teach reflect the diverse identities of our students and while that's critical we also recognize that representation within content is also not enough it's not sufficient so this brings us

092to domain two which is around meaning making so if you can click to the next domain yep so in domain two the focus here is on pedagogy and instructional practice practices and what that means is it's not just about what is taught but it's also about how it is taught right and so even with representative materials if educators are also not engaging culturally responsive practices within their instruction then students may not necessarily be able to make those meaningful connections with the representative content and then finally in our third domain we're looking at assessments and so how are we providing students with multiple and culturally relevant ways to demonstrate their learning right what they know um and this is a key essential practice to ensure that learning is accessible for all and effective and so moving

093to the next slide we're now going to dive into each of the domains specifically of this auditing tool and so diving into domain one which focuses on how we represent diverse identities within learning material this domain is addressing four essential questions one does the learning material showcase individuals demonstrating leadership courage and creativity regardless of background two are there narratives and illustrations including um and featuring Central characters from a diverse array of identities and three does the historical and biographical content equally represent the social achievements and contributions made by individuals of various backgrounds and number four does the learning material include diverse photos names scenarios and text that equally reflect the experiences of students from varing identities and so when we say varying identities we're mean we mean a broad range of identities from race culture

094language gender gender identity religion familial makeup and more um and so these four essential questions what it allows us to do is to collect data regarding where the instruction and materials currently lie in terms of representing these various identities within the context of these questions and so I think it's also really important to mention that this connects back to our vision of a learner um in particular our disposition around curious learner and so our students they exist within a heterogeneous learning environment meaning that their experiences it shouldn't be limited to Just One Singular narrative um instead they should have access to multiple perspectives that mirror their own identities but not just their own but also the identities of their peers that are around them and what this does is it's going to Foster a learning

095environment that encourages students to be inquisitive um engaged and respectful of the rich diversity that is amongst them and so moving to the next slide we'll be diving into domain two where we shift from representation and material to pedagogy instructional practices so as I stated before it's not just about the content we teach but how we teach that content and so this domain is broken into three core components the first being academic achievement and funds of knowledge and what what this is saying is are we recognizing and leveraging the knowledge students bring from their lived experiences learning becomes so much more meaningful when it can connect to students um what they already know and the realities of that they experience daily in their lives the second component is cultural awareness and acknowledgement are we actively

096acknowledging and validating the diverse identities in our classroom this isn't just about being aware but it's also about ensuring that our students see their cultures languages and backgrounds and so much more honored within instructional choices and then the third sociopolitical awareness and critical Consciousness are we preparing students um to engage with the world around them our students there are future citizens and their education should Empower them to critically examine societal structures and actively engage in their communities and again it's important to mention that this all ties back to our vision of a learner and in this case particular dispositions around engaged Community member and empowered individual when students can see their knowledge value when their identities are honored and when they feel equipped to understand and navigate the world around them they're going to become

097more engaged in their learning and their communities and in the next slide we'll then go into our last domain domain three on assessments and what this is focusing on is how we measure what students know and this includes ensuring that assessments are first reflecting cultural identity representation in both content and structure providing cognitive challenge right with rigor that supports all Learners and lastly allow for students to engage and have agency and recognizing that assessments they go beyond just traditional tests um and there should be ways that we're providing assessments that um allow opportunities for students to apply their learning in meaningful ways that are relevant into their everyday lived realities for real world application and again this connects back to our vision of a learner and specifically in this case around our dispositions of Problem

098Solver and effective Communicator assessments should enable students to demonstrate their knowledge in ways that reflect their diverse skills experiences while also fostering critical thinking and communication skills and so in summary these three domains um representation of material meaning making within instruction and pedagogical practices and assessment design it's essential in assuring that our students are receiving an accessible culturally responsive education that prepares them to thrive in a diverse and complex world and so moving to the next slide um I'm going to begin to now talk about the piloting of this auditing tool and before fully implementing um our CRP auditing tool we recognized that we needed to put it through a pilot phase to assess its Effectiveness um we need needed to determine whether this tool would provide the data and the insights that we needed

099to ensure um smooth and High Fidelity implementation and whether it was extrapolating the information that we wanted it to um to try to receive and so in this next section I'm of the presentation I'm going to walk you through our pilot process its structure and its design so moving to the next slide we've selected three pilot schools across all levels um so City View at the elementary Sullivan at the middle school level um and South High at the high school level and at City View we have four Educators that are involved in our pilot team at Sullivan we have seven Educators um and at South High we've expanded the pilot to um include not just Educators but students as well um which I'm very pleased and excited about that process um we have five teachers

100and 10 students who are involved um and you'll hear from some of the teachers and students today who are involved in this pilot process um and so this diverse pilot is really ensuring that our tool is tested in various educational contexts that helps inform us how we refine it before we go for full implementation and so given the tools comprehensive nature for the purposes of this pilot we decided to focus on pedagogy and practices that specific domain um and while you know curriculum and assessment decisions are often happening at The District's level um pedagogy is where Educators have the most direct influence in their classroom and this is where we saw the most immediate and practical impact um and so starting in phase one if you can click um so phase one began in January

101uh and really just focused on building foundational knowledge of culture responsive education and the auditing tool specifically we wanted to ensure the Educators and the students that were going to be a part of this pilot understood its purpose and the purpose of the tool um before its implementation and so what we did was we held two full days of um professional learning uh with the Educators from all three pilot schools and as well the students also participated in collaboration with the Educators um and the sessions were just really grounded in self-reflection uh exploring cultural identity as well as principles of culturally responsive pedagogy and this phase really provided the foundation necessary for the next step in testing the tool real classroom settings which brings us to phase two um so you can click so Phase

1022 is the really the core of our pilot and it's where we're currently at right now um and for those that aref familiar um what we use is instructional rounds and for those that aren't familiar with what instructional rounds are it's a peer observation where Educators can watch and analyze each other's teaching practices and so Educators as well as um the students who are at South High a part of their team they're visiting each other's classrooms observing lessons through a culturally responsive lens um and specifically within the context of the auditing tool and this phase is so critical because it's allowing us to gather real time data on our culturally responsive pedagogy that's being applied in classrooms and whether the tool is effective in helping us capture those practices and a key component to this

103phase I just want to reiterate again is really the inclusion of students as active participants um at the high school level students they're not just being observed right in the classrooms but they're actually contributing they're perspectives are in discussions around the observations in the classroom as well as data analysis and this is so important because it's going to help us as a district ensure that their insights also help inform how we Monitor and Implement culturally responsive practices which brings us now to the last phase phase three which will take place from mid-march through early April and we're focusing on analyzing all of the data gathered cumulatively um throughout the pilot um we're going to have focus groups with Educators and students who are part of the pilot process to help us assess the Pilot's impact

104review the auditing tool um whether it's capturing the culturally responsive practices that we're looking to um seek as well as by engaging students and Educators as equal Partners um we're not just testing the tool we're laying the groundwork for lasting student centered institutional and instructional change and so moving to the next slide um as we come to the final portion of the presentation I want us to focus on what comes next how do we take the work that we've started to ensure that culturally responsive pedagogy and practices become deeply embedded within the instructional culture of our district and our goal is not just implementation but it's also about sustainability making culturally responsive education an integral part to how we teach learn and engage within our students and so in the next few slides I'll outline

105our concrete steps that we're taking to build on our progress expand our impact and ensure that culturally responsive um pedagogy and practices is fully integrated in our classrooms curriculum and assessments and so as we move into school year 2025 2026 um to ensure that culturally responsive pedagogy becomes a lasting part of our district we need to expand the foundation that we've built and so this starts with first evolving our pilot teams into what we're calling CRP agency teams and these dedic at groups within Schools they're going to focus on strengthen the capacities of both Educators and students and so um these teams will have Educators they'll also have students at the secondary level um and they'll be using the instructional rounds process to begin to observe classrooms collect data and assess how culturally responsive practices

106are being implemented and really provide that peer-to-peer support and so data is key and I think too often when we're thinking about culture responsive instruction and when it's discussed sometimes we we forget about the data piece and so by using this structured tool which has a numerical scale what it's going to allow us to do is to track progress identify those gaps and determine where the additional support is needed and this data will ultimately guide targeted professional learning so to ensure that educators are receiving the specific resources and training necessary to enhance those culturally responsive instructional practices and then ultimately this process is going to help build that Collective capacity um and as these teams grow they'll Foster engagement collaboration and a shared responsibility amongst everyone within our school Community to ensure that we are

107implementing culture responsive practices in addition as we also move again still sticking on school year 2025 2026 um we're also going to be focusing on expanding the work regarding representation within content and instructional material and so to do this we're going to be establishing um culture the responsive curricular teams as well and so not just about the pedagogy but going back into the content um these groups will be composed of Educators students as well and curriculum Specialists to begin to look at uh using our auditing tool and assess the existing gaps that we have regarding diverse representation within content and once we have that clear picture of where the gaps that exist we'll revise and update our Curriculum maps and so we're going to be be putting our Curriculum maps um that we've established through

108the first domain of the auditing tool um and the again these updates aren't going to be arbitrary they're going to be informed by data and so we'll be able to use the tool to collect data and then inform revision of those Curriculum maps um which then really the key outcome of this is that this work is going to help us to eventually establish the foundation for a districtwide resource library of culturally responsive instructional material and lastly moving into school year 2627 so looking further ahead um this is where we're going to really begin to look at excuse me assessments and so these what we're going to be developing similar to the CRP agency teams as well as the curricular teams we'll be looking at assessment teams and so we'll be using the tool to look

109at the common Assessments in our district and evaluating them through a culturally responsive lens and the goal is again identify gaps in culture responsiveness Within These assessments and like the curricular work collect data gather that information to guide revisions to these assessments to ensure that they're more inclusive and responsive diverse needs of our students and then by the end of the 2026 2027 school year we aim to have a culturally responsive assessment resource guide for our Educators and so lastly looking at the Timeline just the overall scope if you move to the next slide um our work is broken down into clear phases and for 2025 2026 we're really focusing on expanding our CRP agency teams into more Schools starting with the high school specifically and then we'll begin revising as well our Curriculum maps

110with new curricular teams and data from these instructional rounds in the CRP agency teams as well as the data from the curricular teams is going to help us eventually build the foundation for a culturally responsive pedagogy Academy um which is where professional learning will take place and that'll be happening um in the following school year of 2026 2027 moving into 2026 2027 year we'll continue to expand the CRP agency teams revise further The Curriculum maps and develop assessment teams that are focused on culture responsiveness the CRP Academy for professional learning for educators will be full in swing and the culture responsive research Library will begin to take shape um and then by 2027 2028 our work will begin to scale and embed CRP agency teams will be hopefully in as many schools as possible we'll

111have a CRP Academy with wide participation from Educators and cultur the responsive pedagogy will be fully integrated into the curriculum design um and within common assessments and our resource Library will be a go-to for our teachers and Educators and then finally by 2028 20129 school year culture responsive pedagogy is fully embedded within our District's instructional culture and at this point we're really focusing on the continuous refinement and sustainability of these practices to ensure that this work evolves and that it remains relevant for years to come and so to conclude and to wrap up I want to leave you if we move to the last slide with a powerful graphic one which many of you I'm sure are familiar with um and it shows often how success is perceived as a straight line simple linear and

112predictable uh but in reality it's especially when it comes to culturally responsive pedagogy it's more like the squiggle um it's complex it's a multi-dimensional journey and this squiggle what it represents it represents the diversity of experiences identities cultures that our students bring to the table it reflects the beauty of engaging with those diverse perspectives um and that's what makes this work so important we're not just doing it because it's required it's because it's what our students deserve culture responsive pedagogy involves understanding that identity is multi-dimensional encompassing Community lived experiences and so much more and so by embracing this squiggle we ensure that we meet the needs of every student offering them an education that honors their full humanity and so for the last piece of our presentation or um if you move to the last

113slide we're going to hear from voices in the field and so I'm going to welcome up um three very talented individuals um and I'm going to start with principal uh Kendra Cox from solivan middle um who's going to share a little bit about um her experience in engaging within this work in her school good evening everybody thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today about the meaningful changes happening at Sullivan middle school regarding culturally responsive pedagogy over the past year a small But Mighty group of Educators have been working tirelessly to integrate culturally responsive teaching into classrooms this work is transforming how we engage with students working to ensure that every learner feels valued included and seen as the renowned scholar B hooks once said all of us in the academy and in

114the culture as a whole are called to renew our minds if we are to transform educational institutions and Society so that the way we live teach and work can reflect our joy in cultural diversity our passion for justice and our love of Freedom this renewal is evident in the efforts of our Sullivan Educators who have designed lessons that reflect the diverse backgrounds of our students by sharing knowledge and strategies they have strengthened their teaching practices creating an environment where every student's identity is acknowledged and honored this collaboration has not only enhanced individual classrooms but is also in the beginning stages of fostering a larger cultural shift within our school tonight you will also hear from one of our incredible teachers Felipe Rodriguez who has been deeply involved in this work I wanted to share insights

115from other staff members who couldn't be here but who were eager to contribute their perspective one of our school adjustment counselors described her experience with culturally responsive practices as deeply rewarding she shared that integrating students cultural backgrounds into the curriculum and classroom interactions Fosters a sense of belonging and increasing engagement motivation and self-confidence when students see themselves reflected in their learning experiences they participate more actively take academic risks and develop stronger relationships with peers and teachers this approach not only strengthens social emotional well-being but promotes Equity leading to deeper learning and academic success she expressed how fulfilling it has been to help bring this practice into Sullivan and to support other Educators in their growth another teacher highlighted how working with culturally responsive pedagogy has allowed him to collaborate with colleagues across different departments and

116that those are connections that wouldn't have been possible under normal circumstances these Partnerships have helped him refine his teaching ensuring that he serves all students more effectively which he believes is one of the most essential aspects of his role as an educator it's clear that these Educators feel the power of this work but this work is not not just about one group of teachers it is about building schoolwide culture of belonging at Sullivan our goal is to spread these practices inspiring more Educators to adopt inclusive teaching approaches that create lasting meaningful change we want every student at Sullivan to know that they are seen heard valued and that they are capable of success we believe our students voices experiences and aspirations should shape their education and we remain committed to ensuring that their learning reflects

117who they are as we continue this squiggle journey I am confident that Sullivan will move forward with purpose embracing the richness of our community and striving for a future rooted in equity understanding and unity this work is ongoing but together we are determined to make a lasting difference in the lives of the students we serve thank you thank you principal Cox so now I'd like to welcome Filipe Rodriguez good evening oh excuse me good evening everybody um thank you Cayla for the introduction my name is Philip Rodriguez um I'm a seventh grade Agent H uh history teacher at Sullivan middle school and I'm very grateful today to be here um to speak with you uh about my experiences as a member of the Sullivan leap team the leadership in Equitable education pedagogy and practice initiative

118and the work that we've been doing with culturally responsive pedagogy um so over the last year my team and I um we began with training to expand our understanding regarding the importance of equity and education from this Baseline instructional work we've been able to begin constructing testing and assessing classroom lessons activities and projects using the pilot version of the new CRP auditing tool ultimately the goal of my team is to utilize the tool to collect data on areas where improvements can be made in our imple implementation of Equitable teaching practices or in other words what areas do we as Educators have the potential to demonstrate an unconscious bias regarding the diversity of culture within our school community and how can we fix that so so far my personal experience as a member of the Sullivan

119leap team has been very beneficial to me as a recent graduate and a second-year teacher here at solivan Middle School the opportunity to be a part of the leap initiative has afforded me the opportunity to begin expanding my expertise in Equitable and inclusive teaching very early on in my career speaking for my entire team our team is currently working on our third rotation of our instructional rounds at Sullivan and we are triing the CRP auditing tool and we've already noticed that our overall morale towards the levels of culturally inclus cultural inclusivity in our classroom has improved dramatically moreover we are seeing that the students themselves are better connecting with understanding and benefiting from our inclusive instructional practices which feels great so I mean we're teachers right we love to see the students connect with and

120be interested in their learning and having that culturally responsive pedagogy really benefits us I'm losing my place here all the time guys sorry uh so the Sullivan leap team has already begun noticing specific areas as well in our pedagogy where our own level of cultural awareness representation and our recognition of student identities is unfortunately lacking which as an educator is tough to think about we don't ever want to feel like our understanding of our students is lacking but just like our students we are constantly learning and so to be able to recognize that there are areas of our practice where we can improve on and well actually I'll give an example for instance for myself I have learned that connecting more with real world Concepts that affects my students lives has been a huge boost

121in not only their performance but in their understanding of historical Concepts so to end off I just want to speak for my entire team once again and say that one of our big hopes for the Sullivan uh leap initiative is that our work will help to benefit Educators all throughout the district by empowering them towards critical consciousness or the ability to recognize how and why the systems in our society um affect our students how those systems interact with their cultures and their identities and what we can do to help make a positive change so the CRP auditing tool and the total combination of the efforts of our um three wonderful uh team members up here tonight have given myself and the leap team at Sullivan a positive outlook towards the continued development of culturally responsive

122pedagogy in our schools throughout the district thank you very much thank you thank you Mr adri and last but not least I'd like to welcome up Mr Lewis scarrett from South High um who will be speaking on his experience and he had a long day so you guys hear me well good evening members of the school committee my name is Louis scarrett and I am a senior at South High Community School I'm here today because I know firsthand the impact at culturally responsive education has on students like me there have been many times in the classroom where I felt ostracized where my identity and upbringing were not reflected in what we were learning that feeling of being unseen or left out affects motivation engagement and ultimately success when students see themselves represented in their education

123they don't just learn more efficiently they realized that their learning applies to the real world every student's experiences bring value to the classroom and when we Embrace that we create an environment where all students feel empowered to particip ipate and grow being a part of the culturally responsive pilot program at South High and working alongside my teachers and instructional rounds has given me a deeper understanding of Education from an Educator's perspective it has also shown me the power of my own voice in shaping my learning experience this work is not just about my education it's about making sure future generations of students regardless of their identity feel included engaged and valued in their classrooms I urge you to continue supporting culturally responsive education because when we uplift every student's experience we strengthen the future of

124our schools and our communities thank you for your time thank you thank you Mr [Applause] SC and that concludes our presentation okay up I just want to last say thank you for the presentation Rivera and Mr Larry thank you you guys are outstanding hear the home run tonight and not just on the presentation but your enthusiasm and uh and I just want to say thank you it was a good presentation to our three guest speakers good job so thank you for coming out and participating and Dr Moss of course thank you and uh so I there any any questions member mailman it's incredibly ironic that tonight your presentation is about cultural awareness and um I think we've given you a case study in the whole classes to think about and talk about um and I'm

125sorry that the elected body didn't behave in a manner that um represents the cultural responsiveness of um folks in our system um but maybe there's learning opportunities there so I hope that we can use those um all our meetings are recorded so they can certainly be done um I am curious a little bit about you know where where I totally get it I see our high school excitement around this topic and what can be done and that is super interesting our Middle School leaders jumping in is there anything that you could see that we might embed in our um elementary schools as we kind of go through you know this is four years of of work that we're going to work on and please don't give it up yes yeah so through the chair um

126are you specifically referring to students participate or just pilot using this work doing this work at the elementary school I guess yes I mean the whole kind of pilot are there places where elementaries can be yes yes 100% so through the chair um the pilot is also being piloted at the elementary school level so we have a pilot team currently at City View right now and so we have um four Educators who are on that pilot team we really wanted to ensure that if we were going to go about this process we wanted to look at it holistically across the district K through 12 um and so the plan is hopefully to expand um to further elementary schools because um starting at the elementary level it's essential um we have to start at that level

127as a we grow and as we also seek to have that um vertical alignment that exists between elementary middle and high school and implementing these practices when you look at that timeline over the next four years do you imagine maybe you know we're going to be in double the schools you know for next year just a sense of how that will increase through the system so through the chair um we're currently in conversations around what the exact magnitude of that will look like um what I can say is definitely by next year um we're looking to further expand into the high schools particularly for the student engagement aspect um but we are looking into expanding into the um elementary schools as well and I would say by the following year um by that point I

128would like us to see in at least I'd say maybe four elementary schools per quadrant um again we're still sort of looking at those numbers based on the Capac capacity that we have um and really structuring it out um so I don't have exact numbers or figures for you um but I think definitely we will have looking at those what those concrete numbers will look like by the end of this school year it's a critical work that you're doing for our city for everything and so thank you very much and for all caring enough to engage at this level thank you member B thank you uh very much this I have a couple questions so usually when you think of um doing this work culturally responsive the first thing that you had there funds of

129knowledge is what we all expect right what does the student bring to us with their experience and how they see in their culture in who they are in the work that we're presenting for example you know we just don't read Romeo and Juliet we we would read other stories that are similar from the culture that students come from my question comes on the other two areas so that area let me just move this down a little bit uh critical Consciousness and one of the things in it that it says is that um it says this approach empowers students to build agency in transform oppressive systems and then the second one uh which is a little more concerned is sociopolitical context and it says culture responsiveness requires acknowledging how power privilege and oppression shape students experiences

130and addresses how societal structures impact their identities and the educator roles within them so my question here is who is defining for students you know what are pressive systems where is that information coming from what resources are you using for that because different groups of um students could have different experience with with that and then the the little um I think there was statements like that are underneath that it sounds like asking where did you get those questions on that because when I used AI to do those I got Rachel gz a professor at the University of Illinois that makes sense to me so I was just trying to figure out where did you get the statements like under the windows who's got that mam superintendent CH M Benda what you were reading off some

131definitions where did you get those where you in your chat which chart are you can you tell us what page uh okay this it's that chart there 14 page 14 yes okay so I was I was just wondering about funs and all which sounds wonderful it's what we always talk about but then I wonder about the experience of new teachers uh seconde teachers understanding definition misss that are in the critical Consciousness and the sociopolitical context so if I could remind you that this is part of the pilot of the work and in the pilot as was shared the teachers go through initial kind of an orientation or a training if you will before they start using the actual tool and in that that's when they come to Common understanding and um and then start to

132practice and Implement so it's not something that is we're not doing it districtwide yet this is a we are um making sense of it in the teacher teams and it is much more about recognizing the funds of knowledge if you will that the child brings to the table um and building off of that rather than the the piece about oppression we don't have to tell children about oppression if they're being oppressed they feel it so that's that's what this is about is is um is recognizing instead of kind of the the negative or the deficits of it what do children bring to the table how do we bridge that um in the learning and how do we recognize the um the lived experiences that are that are in front of us and as we heard

133from I'm sorry is it Mr Rodriguez yes as we heard from Mr Rodriguez um also working with the Educators because we all carry our own biases and it's based off of our lived experiences and what we know and so it's creating that space by which the Educators can really ask each other and learn from each other as much as then they're learning from their peers and the peers learning from I'm sorry they're learning from their peers but then also learning from the students and the students learning from each other as well uh thank you through the chair um that I agree with I'm just I just think that these two components are require training for teach a teacher to handle these two components so I wonder what other the resources that that are available are

134for this I know it's a pilot so are the resources coming from like a particular program or are teachers developing resources and how are they getting the support to know whose definition we're using to Define these things so uh through the chair we're using concrete research of culturally responsive pedagogy experts people like zaretta Hammond um as well as looking at um Setta Hammond's work um Geneva gay um Dr Geneva gay um were also looking at um uh Gloria Latson Billings um Dr Latson Billings who coined this term so I I do want to reemphasize that all of the learning material that is being used within the context of training is deeply embedded with scholarship and academic um knowledge and research um through the chair thank you that still doesn't answer the question though about what

135that's those are researches but where are the materials that the teachers would need in order to be able to do the work through the chair so I think um maybe it's just hard for you to picture what this looks like we actually Mr incarn Riva is training the teacher teams he is working with them they are reading materials they're learning that first before they go and use the actual tool and in the instructional rounds so it is not something that's being handed to teachers to do on their own somewhere else there is actual time where we are working with them and pulling them and and and and having the conversations does that help uh yes I think how I take that through the chair is that this is in the process of becoming and you

136know that those two parts those two components haven't really been worked on completely now mostly fund of knowledge sounds like and and because it's really important to know who's making the definition of privilege who's making the definition of Oppression and how does that relate to many different kids because we don't want to leave any kids out uh you know as we're talking earlier today we don't want to leave anybody out we want it for all students so I would love a report on the resources and a copy of the some of the things that the teachers are getting so that we could review them thank you okay anybody anybody else um remember Johnson yeah thank you um thank you for the report really really appreciate it so I'm just how did through the chair to

137the administration like where did how did this start and who kind of started to get this get this going I'm just wondering mam superintendent through the chair specifically the cultural responsive practices or the curriculum tool the practices the practices so this is embedded in our strategic plan so this came this this this ask was a really big ask from our community um through the listening learning tour that I did when I first arrived and over and over again this became a not just community community staff students um we Define it of course we say that's cultural responsive um pedagogi and practices but people saying we are a very diverse Community we have lots of different kind of people in our schools um both staff and children and and our programming doesn't reflect that and so

138can we get better in that area so that's where it came from and that's why it's so deeply embedded in the Strategic plan and why it's one of my goals this year because it took a few years for us to get to a place where we can say all right now we're ready to really dig into that because as Dr Mo said said this is really second order change this is this is the heavy work so it came from the the work around the Strategic plan thank you and I just want to say in regards to the the the school Community we have the community we live in and a diverse population of our our schools and kind of what's going on in the world today again I I would say this is brilliant like

139this is this is good stuff this is like I I think what people want to see I think this is what our Educators want I think this is what our students want want as you heard um young man there from my album M sou High speak about um again thank you guys for your work thank you for this presentation this this is this is real good stuff thank you appreciate remember being carer thank you when you um discuss this and talk about the years and the spin of what you're going to be accomplishing what would you suggest we as school community members request so we see how the stages are developing and working what would you say do we need data do we need you to come back in six or eight months so I'm

140I'm asking you for suggestions um as the panl that presented this because you did a great job job of presenting it I'm just not sure how to request the stages because we limit ourselves if we only ask for data from Administration um but perhaps we could ask for something during the summer months on how we we finished in what we're progressing for 25 26 goio yep so through the chair um the tool that we've designed the auditing tool is designed with a numerical scale so it is going to help us collect data um for the purposes of this presentation we didn't want to bring on some of the preliminary data that we're extrapolating now from the pilot just because it's in its initial preliminary stages but um in the following year um I think uh

141the committee would should be interested in looking at that data because that data is going to help us um and give you all a larger picture in informing where those gaps are and the areas that we're doing well um because culturally responsive pedag education is extremely complex and multi-dimensional so the the auditing tool is helping us collect that concrete numerical data um as well um uh also following up on the expansion of the different teams that we're establishing right so the agency teams um using the instructional rounds modality in each of the schools uh K through 12 as well as the development of the curricular teams and further along the assessment teams um and all of that work will also further guide how how we expand and build professional learning in this learning and procedures

142and what you're going through affects it all students yes yes every every student in our school yes culturally responsive pedagogy and education um it looks at recognizing culture is um very widespread right I think sometimes people will um conflate culture solely with race and ethnicity but culture expands much further beyond that um um and it's also important to recognize I just want to reiterate for the committee as well that culturally responsive pedagogies Eng G is um embedded within des's Frameworks um and within our standards and so it's also safe to say that if we're not engaged in this work for all students um teachers and Educators actually wouldn't be meeting curricular standards um so correct and that would be because it's all students yes so what I'd like to do is make a motion that

143um we receive what data may be available to us in July and August and if we could have a backup um information on the progress because by September of the new school year I would think we would be expanding what schools are affected so that might be a list also that we would want so we one motion but three items that would would go with it so we could keep up to date on this and certainly hear more about it thank you you good with that yeah okay okay so we're going to have a motion to approve in along with the orders all those in favor oppos awarded thank you great job tonight we are on reports to the standing committee uh teaching learning and student supports Guardiola member guard thank you Mr Mayor uh

144the standing committee on teaching learning and Student Success met on February 13 2025 we had three items on the agenda um I will typically I have them stand or as they're read but I I just want to dig in a little bit just because there are some interesting stuff here so uh so the first was uh GB 439b to provide data on all application programs and schools as information is known for example Middle School secondary sixth grade programs providing sending School data for applications for lottery accepted students and actual enrollment for September 2024 classes for Elementary programs schools provided by ZIP code data for applications again for lottery accepted students and actual enrollment for September 2024 of those classes the same programs and including uh the zip codes for the data that uh for lowincome

145English language and special ed uh accepted students in 2020 September 2024 2023 and 2022 um there was a motion made and and I we decided we asked that we would receive by anual updates on this data uh and received U you know number of students attending with the public school by quadrant in our what's happening report that we received uh on motion uh that that motion was passed unanimously for uh 40 uh our second item was GB 4-8 9 uh to consider the addition of new chapter 74 State approved Vocational Technical education programs at burncoat high school again we're very excited to see some of the options that we may be seeing there um for these new uh programs there so uh we did U there was a motion made uh to file the item

146motion passed for unanimously 4 Z and then the last item we took up was GB 517 to review and approve the 2024 2025 competency DET determinations prescribed for graduation from Wester public school since the recent removal of the mcast as a prerequisite for graduation uh again motion was made to approve and file that motion was passed unanimously again for Zer that is the report on the standing committee of tlss on February 13th Mr Mayor member Johnson yes thank you um to the chair um I I just so I'm talking about GB 4-39 member mailman's um item there regarding the the the application and the zip codes and stuff I read the backup from Administration I'm just wondering I'm just wondering like what what are we look where are we looking to go I know you

147guys are looking to get by anual whatever what are we looking for like is there a reason why we're we're getting that report by annually like what are we look what trends are we looking for like what what's going on here just wondering through the chair too thank you uh to the chair to Mr Johnson uh the idea being that we have been able to track where students are going by ZIP code and it seems and you know from the data that students are actually going to their quadrant high schools from their area so it's not know there's not this huge wave of Trends that's saying hey kids from the dhy quadrant are going to burn coat or in big huge waves are actually staying in their own areas in their own ZIP cods okay

148is there a concern I'm just wondering through the chair to is there a concern with some of the new chapter 74 programs and different things that are going on that we might start start to see a trend moving in other directions than what what we actually saw now through the chair M gu yep through the chair so obviously with the new uh Dory High being there uh with with all the new programs there and also with burn coat you know hopefully coming online sooner than later and with some of those programs that are going to be available there we just want to make sure we're tracking it to make sure we have adequate transportation and making sure that we have uh you know accessibility for everybody to get to the programs they would like to

149get to thank you thank you so take those the um three items four items I'll take them on a roll call not a roll call yeah roll call roll call member Alvarez yes member being ker yes member Banda yes member Guardiola yes Vice chair Johnson yes member mailman member Mulla member Roy yes mayor Petty yes we have approval of Grants and finance items on the N Roll Call member Alvarez yes member ban carer yes member Benda yes member Guardiola yes Vice chair Johnson yes member mailman yes member Mulla member Roy yes mayor Petty yes we are in the O General business 5-18 during budget prep the administration conses adding backup additional uh building sub positions if financially feasible particularly at the schools with the highest needs refer that to the administration those in favor OPP

150post so ordered 5-19 to look at the recess time in elementary schools that relates to whether that's whether in schools that share space in the schools for gym and lunch member Johnson yes thank you to the chair um as you heard some people speak on this item um today it's it came up um from a parent that that called me um in regards to this and it was more related to the weather um but then as we had further conversation learning about the space and then actually as we know going into different schools they have different situations multiple use for for gy kids not being able to get there and just I I guess we're looking for as someone explaining some I don't know expand I mean there's ways that we could be creative and

151ensuring that kids are are getting out and um get in the gym time and exercise that they need on a daily basis um again uh I was saying to someone I mean we we put hats and gloves and stuff on and we went out in 20° weather and we had fun that recess when when I was growing up I mean it I think it kind of builds character sometimes but um that's just me but again just take a look at it and see where we could go with it moving forward thank you Mr chair s Miss Council um member being carrier thank you I did want to touch on this uh briefly because I know that uh few years back um I want to say the mayor and I worked on um having additional funds

152put into the elementary schools into the budget on a regular basis and it stayed consistent for um games and so on and and balls and jump rope and and tools for the kids to go out during uh lunchtime and I do want to say that um I've spoken to some people in reference to um the schools and the size of the schoolyard and the conditions and so on so um when we look at this subject inevitably it comes up during the end of the school vacation um end of winter storms and I I think it builds up that people feel as though they're they're not getting outside as much as they should but we have to take into consideration that we have snow we have ice um it's New England it's coming off the roof

153of some of our school buildings into the schoolyard some of the stairs um have ice even with the salt and so on so uh when we take into consideration all of the above we should also um speak to uh some some of the staff members due to the fact that um at times their school area is very small their playground area isn't huge so so there are limitations on what we can do and it's great to have the kids go out for recess but I certainly want to thank the custodial work and and the staff members that have kept them busy and had them do activities inhouse um in the custodial work that was done to clear the walkways and so on for other kids and the staff and that has to be taken into

154consideration again it's New England and sometimes um we have to close the door and say let's do something a little different in the classroom thank thank you so refer that to the administration those in favor oppose so ordered expore des's offering a safe school programs lgbtq students as part of the um PD options as shared in their 2725 memo supporting all students including lgbtq students refer that to the administration those in favor oppos awarded next time to sure that the magnet Program scheduling for B Ms and BHS can be efficiently scheduled in relation to potential 2627 tier change for B burnco Middle School uh refer the fog those in favor postal ordered I request that the district require volunteers to operate Elementary School libraries member Roy thank you so before I begin I'd like to

155take a moment to commend the Wier dual language Magnet School today they had the ribbon cutting for their library and I think that's a wonderful thing um so since January I've had the privilege of visiting all but one of the elementary schools and one thing that really caught my eye was they have beautiful beautiful libraries that are not being utilized I know that um we didn't have it in the budget this year to actually hire Librarians um so of course my little mind was thinking that uh maybe we could get some volunteers to at least get the kids acclimated to the room and know what a library is like um even for an hour or two a week but I want to say I do totally 100% agree with many of the speakers tonight nothing

156nothing can take the place of a licensed librarian um and I know from my own childhood the library was a place to learn good study habits um learn the love of reading and librarian was the one who would say I know a book you'd like and they LED you down that road and sure enough it was so what I'd like to do is make a motion to explore the feasibility of including the hiring of Elementary School licensed Librarians into the elementary schools for the upcoming budget talks for 20125 26 um that's all thank you in place of this order I'm sorry in place of the order you have or in changing it right place of the one you just had yes please okay just introduce yourself and uh what school you from hi my name

157is Mary Jane Batar I'm a senior at Wester Tech I'm the ex official member of the student Advisory Board I just wanted to speak on this item a little bit because I totally like a vote you know taking like especially in elementary schools libraries and Librarians are extremely important I do a program with fifth graders and they know they're so familiar with technology and I that's an amazing thing but it's also great to be familiar with their own Library it's in their school and one librarian like can really stick in a child's mind I remember my Elementary School librarian and that's what made me so fond of reading so I think like I totally agree with this item I just wanted to speak in support and also I think students are are losing the motivation

158to read more and more and it's all online I swear like these kids know how to email now which is insane to me they're like 10 years younger than me but I do think this is a really important item thank you thank you so we'll do is uh as amended with the New Order who replac the order that was written uh originally so those in favor oppos order uh to provide updates and communication strategy Effectiveness employed by the district for the school year students parents community and also please include school committee Communications to the public refer to the administration remember mail mail so you know we've we put in parent Square we have other um we've changed the way that we um project our meetings for the public there are new parent tools new student

159tools and I just wondered if we could at some point get an update from Administration on what's working what what's not what we what we need to tweak again it would be appreciated thank you the administration those in favor oppos so ordered with that we have a motion to adjourn all those in favor oppose so ordered