Minutes
Quincy, MASSACHUSETTS – April 7, 2021
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Regular Meeting of the Quincy School Committee
Regular Meeting
Chairman Presiding
A meeting of the Quincy School Committee was held on Wednesday, April 7, 2021 at 6:30 p.m. at the Coddington Building. Superintendent Kevin Mulvey called the roll and present were Mayor Thomas P. Koch, School Committee Chair, Mr. Paul Bregoli, Mr. Doug Gutro, Mrs. Kathryn Hubley, Mrs. Emily Lebo, Mrs. Courtney Perdios, and Mr. Frank Santoro.
Also present were: Superintendent Kevin Mulvey, Assistant Superintendent Erin Perkins, Ms. Allison Cox, Mr. Michael Draicchio, Mr. James Mullaney, Ms. Maura Papile, Mr. Keith Segalla, and Ms. Laura Owens, Clerk.
School Committee observed a moment of silence for the men and women in the armed forces serving at home and overseas.
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Approval of Minutes
Mrs. Hubley made a motion to approve the minutes of the Regular Meeting and Executive Session for March 24, 2021. Mrs. Lebo seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
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Open Forum
As there were no letters submitted for Open Forum, School Committee moved on to the next item on the agenda.
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Superintendent’s
Report
Superintendent Mulvey recognized Mayor Koch for the Chairman’s Report. Mayor Koch said analysis is underway on the federal funding that the City of Quincy will be receiving, there will be capital improvements, replacement for lost revenue, and funding for summer programming. Additional guidelines are still to come before the plan can be finalized and in addition, Norfolk County was also awarded funding that will be shared with the City of Quincy as well.
The FY2022 Budget development is underway; all contracts are up for negotiation city-wide. The Massachusetts School Building Authority is meeting on April 14, 2021 and will consider inviting the City of Quincy into the Eligibility Phase for the Squantum Elementary School project.
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Superintendent Mulvey reviewed that of the 9,683 students currently enrolled in Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12, 53% are attending school in-person and 47% are attending school remotely. Students who attend remotely may request to return to school by contacting their school principals.
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Superintendent Mulvey reviewed the COVID-19 metrics for the two weeks March 24-April 6. There were 63 student cases: 8 hybrid, 44 in-person, 11 remote and 5 staff cases. No evidence of in-school transmission during these two weeks.
Thanks to the collaboration with Manet Health, over 200 staff members have been now received their 2nd dose of the vaccine and many other educators have secured appointments on their own. We are continuing to work through the on-call list when notified of additional vaccine availability.
For the QPS Pooled Testing Initiative, 628 students and 156 staff are signed up to participate. High school Last week, the positivity rate was 0.0%.
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The English Learner Parent Advisory Council meeting is scheduled for April 12, 2021 at 6:00 pm; presentations on Fostering Healthy Relationships in Young Adults, will be held on April 13 & 15 at 6:00 pm; and the DESE Special Education Audit Parent Orientation & QPAC Meeting will be April 14, 2021 at 6:00 pm.
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Quincy Public Schools is hosting in-school SAT administration on Tuesday, April 27. 225 students are signed up at both North Quincy and Quincy High Schools.
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The curriculum division of Boston’s Museum of Science is supporting the implementation of the Engineering is Elementary Virtual Learning Series for all Grade 5 students next year through a $20,000 grant from Analog Devices Inc.
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QPS will be participating in the Massachusetts Partnership for Diversity in Education Building Bridges Conference on April 28 with 33 local communities.
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Congratulations to the North Quincy High School Quiz Show team on their first round win on April 3 vs. Andover High School! They will next compete on May 29, their opponent will be the winner of this week’s Lexington vs. Wakefield match.
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Old Business
2021-22 School
Committee Meeting
Calendar; 2021-22
School Year Calendar;
Policy Book Section 2
Mayor Koch noted that the 2021-2022 School Committee Meeting Calendar, the 2021-2022 QPS School Year Calendar, and the School Committee Policy Book Section 2 updates are all on the agenda for discussion. Seeing none, Mayor Koch said that the items are eligible for approval vote at the May 5, 2021 School Committee Meeting.
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New Business
QPS Summer Program
Ms. Perkins the plan for Quincy Public Schools Summer programs on behalf of the Curriculum Team, many people contributed to the development of this plan.
The objective of the summer program is to provide high-quality summer learning experiences that intentionally monitor, promote, and reinforce the health and well-being of students and staff. Summer 2021 programming will be focused on in-person instruction as much as possible and aligned to the pre-requisite content standards identified for success in the next grade level, provide supports for social-emotional learning, provides advanced learning opportunities as well as support the transition back to school in September.
For elementary school students, there are a menu of programs are one to two weeks and focus on reading (in partnership with the Thomas Crane Public Library), civics, STEM programs, mathematics, and project-based learning. In addition, Bridge to Reading and Math, a four-week invitation-only programming for learning and practicing essential literacy and math skills for Grades 1-5 will be offered. For middle school students, one- to two-week programs will be offered for boosting academic learning, challenging advanced students, STEM academy programs, hands-on mathematics, and a summer study skills workshop for students with executive functioning challenges. At the high school level, there will once again be the Bridge to High School Summer Institute, Elevate Math & Science, High School Summer Pathways (for credit recovery), and SAT Prep.
Thanks to a grant from the MassHire South Shore Workforce Board, the Summer YouthWorks program will provide 85 Grades 9-12 students with paid employment opportunities with public, private, and non-profit organizations in Quincy. Ladders to Success is also funded by the MassHire South Shore Workforce Board for Grade 8 students transitioning to high school and students are paid for their participation in this program.
For students with disabilities, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is mandating that programming is offered in person and remotely. The five week Learning Center program will be offered at the Della Chiesa Early Childhood Center for Pre-Kindergarten and at North Quincy High School for Grades K-12. English Learner Education students are invited to participate in Camp Can Do (elementary school), SWELL Academy (middle school), and AccELerate (high school).
Mrs. Perdios thanked Ms. Perkins, an amazing array of opportunities for students. Ms. Perdios asked and received confirmation that students can participate in multiple programs and if they will be multi-grade. Mrs. Perdios asked about the length of the day, Ms. Perkins said most will be half day in the morning. Mrs. Perdios asked about the YouthWorks program, can School Committee get a list of the companies involved.
Mrs. Lebo asked about the locations, Ms. Perkins said some will be site specific and others are citywide. Transportation is offered for the invitation-only programs. Mrs. Lebo asked for and received confirmation that there is income eligibility for the Ladders to Success and YouthWorks programs. Mrs. Lebo said some districts are paying high school students to attend summer programming rather than securing outside employment. Mrs. Lebo asked if the schedules will be finalized soon so that parents can plan with summer camps and other opportunities.
Mrs. Hubley said parents are anxious to see this, was curious about the length of the camps. Ms. Perkins said shorter programs allow families to pick and choose based on their children’s interests and their family vacation plans.
Mr. Santoro thanked Mayor Koch for the funding that makes this programming possible. Mr. Santoro asked how we can reach the student who may need to skills boost who are reluctant to attend, Ms. Perkins said students are invited and family meetings scheduled to encourage participation.
Mr. Gutro asked how this compares to last year’s programming. Ms. Perdios said that last year, there was a large-scale remote program that ran for four weeks, close to 2000 elementary and middle school students participated. The intention was to close the gap from the time spent away from the classroom during the initial stages of the pandemic. The Middle School Boost and Bridge to High School were successful last summer, so will be continued this year. In a normal summer, fewer than 200 elementary and middle school students participate in invitation-only summer programming.
Mr. Gutro asked how the need was determined, Ms. Perkins said that the staff and parent feedback throughout this school year have indicated a desire for this.
Mr. Gutro is curious to see if the interest level is the same as last summer when there was less competition.
Mr. Bregoli thanked Superintendent Mulvey, Ms. Perkins, Ms. Roy, this is a monumental task to put this programming together. Ms. Perkins said the majority of the programs will begin July 5, but there may be some offered the week after school year ends.
Mr. Bregoli asked about staff recruiting, Ms. Perkins said the staff postings will go out next week for the staff to indicate their interest. Mr. Bregoli asked if there is a cut off for enrollment, Ms. Perkins said we want any student interested to be able to participate, so we would add another section or session of popular programs. Ms. Perkins said all programming is free and a brochure will be shared with families following April vacation.
Mr. Bregoli asked about in-person vs. remote opportunities, Ms. Perkins said the focus will be on as much in person as possible. Some programs may be hybrid for families who are not yet comfortable with their students attending in person.
Mr. Bregoli asked about evaluating students for their baseline skills, Ms. Perkins said the invitation-only programs have beginning and ending assessments. Teachers will be working to develop curriculum and baseline assessments.
Mr. Bregoli is concerned that there might be more need for programming to support the social-emotional wellness. Ms. Perkins said building students comfort and confidence in being in the school buildings will be key. Ms. Perkins said programs like BOKS encourage socializing, movement, and fun. Ms. Perkins said that the shorter program commitments will allow for smaller sections, encourage families to begin the transition back to in-person school. Mr. Bregoli suggested coordination with other departments such as Recreation to coordinate the programming so students can participate in the City offerings as well.
Mrs. Lebo asked if the Bridge to High School program is site-specific and Ms. Perkins confirmed. Mrs. Lebo asked if there might be opportunities for CVTE majors who were not able to complete their practicum hours; Ms. Perkins will follow up with Mr. Segalla.
Mrs. Lebo asked about a high school social opportunity, depending on the COVID-19 restrictions and get students involved in planning.
Mayor Koch is concerned about pandemic fatigue affecting the staff, asked if there are concerns about recruiting teachers for the programs. Ms. Perkins said the shorter program length will hopefully help with that and there are the staff who will always participate.
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New Business
QPS Staff Recognition
The next item on the agenda was discussing the recognition of QPS staff who have been working so hard during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mrs. Perdios introduced this item and Superintendent Mulvey agreed that there are many categories of QPS employee that deserve the recognition. The total QPS staff is 2500 including substitute teachers. Mr. Gutro suggested a letter of gratitude signed by School Committee to be sent out to employees in recognition of their efforts.
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New Business
Review of Security
Cameras
Mrs. Perdios referred the Review of Security Cameras to the Facilities, Transportation & Security Subcommittee.
Mr. Santoro suggested that this be incorporated into item 4 of the existing items in Subcommittee list.
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Mr. Gutro reviewed the resolution submitted on Comprehensive Teen Dating Violence Prevention: Be it resolved that we support implementing DOVE’s comprehensive Youth Speak Teen dating violence prevention in both high schools and all five middle schools to address the issues of sexual harassment, assault or dating abuse.
Mr. Gutro requested a dual referral to the Teaching & Learning and Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Subcommittees.
Superintendent Mulvey confirmed that Ms. Chandler and Ms. Boulton from DOVE, Inc. will present on the program at the next School Committee meeting on May 5, 2021.
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Additional Business
There was no Additional Business.
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Communications
Mayor Koch noted that the next Regular School Committee meetings are scheduled for May 5, 2021; May 19, 2021; and June 9, 2021 at 6:30 pm at the Coddington Building. Subcommittee meetings will be held on April 28, 2021 (Athletics & Wellness at 5:30 pm; Joint Teaching & Learning and Special Education at 6:00 pm).
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Reports of
Subcommittees
Mrs. Lebo noted that the Subcommittee minutes are posted on the Quincy Public Schools website https://quincypublicschools.com.
Mr. Santoro reviewed the March 29, 2021 Joint Equity, Diversity & Inclusion and Facilities, Transportation & Security Subcommittee meeting where the issue of Grade 5 students at Point Webster and South~West Middle Schools was reviewed.
Mr. Bregoli reviewed the March 31, 2021 Policy Subcommittee where the items reviewed under Old Business on tonight’s agenda were discussed and approved for consideration by the full School Committee.
Mrs. Lebo reviewed the March 31, 2021 Joint Teaching & Learning and Special Education Subcommittee, where a Girl Scout Silver Medal project was presented, along with the Internship in Education, and a review of Special Education Related Services.
Mrs. Hubley requested a change for the March 31, 2021 Policy Subcommittee minutes which were accepted as amended.
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Executive Session
There was no Executive Session.
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Adjournment
On a motion by Mr. Bregoli and seconded by Mrs. Hubley, the Regular School Committee meeting was adjourned at 7:45 pm.
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