Quincy,
MASSACHUSETTS – January 5, 2022
Organizational Meeting of
the Quincy School Committee
An Organizational
Meeting of the Quincy School Committee was held on Organizational
January 5, 2022,
at 6:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers at the Historic City Hall. Meeting
The following
members and members-elect were present: Mr.
Paul Bregoli,
Mrs. Tina Cahill, Mr.
Douglas Gutro, Mrs. Kathryn Hubley, Mrs. Emily Lebo, Chairman
Mr. Frank Santoro,
and Mayor Thomas P. Koch, Chairman. Also
present were Presiding
Superintendent
Kevin Mulvey, Secretary and Ms. Laura Owens, Clerk; City
Councillor Nina
Liang; Assistant Superintendent Erin Perkins, Ms. Rita Bailey,
Mr. Michael
Draicchio, Ms. Julie Graham, Mr. James Mullaney, Ms. Maura Papile,
and Ms. Madeline
Roy.
There was a moment
of silence for members of the armed services at home and
abroad and for
past School Committee members in honor of their service.
Mayor
Koch proceeded to swear in Mrs. Tina Cahill, Mr. Douglas Gutro, and School Committee
Mrs.
Emily Lebo for the 2022-2025 term of office.
Members Sworn In
Superintendent
Mulvey called the roll and all School Committee members were
present.
§
Mayor Koch then
opened the Organizational Meeting of the Quincy School Committee. Organizational
Meeting
Mrs. Lebo made
a motion to open the nominations for the Office of Vice Chair of the
School
Committee for 2020-2021. Mrs. Hubley
seconded the motion and on a voice
vote, the ayes
have it.
Mayor Koch asked
for nominations for the Office of Vice Chair of the School Vice Chair
Committee for 2022-2023. Elected
Mr. Bregoli
nominated Mr. Frank Santoro for the Office of Vice Chair for 2022-2023.
Mrs. Hubley seconded
the motion.
Mr. Bregoli
made a motion to close the nominations for the Office of Vice Chair
and Mrs. Cahill
seconded the motion. On a voice vote,
the ayes have it.
On a roll call vote,
Mr. Santoro was unanimously elected School Committee Vice
Chair by a vote
of 7-0.
Mr. Santoro began
by thanking his colleagues for the honor of their vote as Mr. Santoro’s
Vice-Chair. Mr. Santoro is looking forward to working
with Mayor Koch, School Remarks
Committee, the
Superintendent’s Leadership and Principal teams as the Quincy
Public Schools
moves towards a bright future, including welcoming a Diversity,
Equity &
Inclusion Coordinator to the Superintendent’s Leadership Team,
negotiating new
contracts, collaborating with students and staff, planning a
new Squantum
Elementary School, and opening the DeCristofaro Learning Center.
§
Mayor Koch asked
for nominations for the Office of Secretary to the School Secretary
Committee for 2022-2023. Appointed
Mr. Santoro
nominated Superintendent Kevin Mulvey as Secretary to the School
Committee for
2022-2023. Mr. Gutro seconded the
motion.
Mrs. Hubley
made a motion to close the nominations for the Office of Secretary to the
School
Committee and Mrs. Lebo seconded the motion.
On a voice vote, the ayes have it.
On a roll call
vote, Superintendent Kevin Mulvey was unanimously appointed Secretary
to the School
Committee by a vote of 7-0.
§
Mayor Koch asked
for nominations for the Office of Clerk to the School Committee Clerk
for 2022-2023. Appointed
Mrs. Hubley nominated
Ms. Laura Owens as Clerk to the School Committee for
2022-2023. Mrs. Lebo seconded the motion.
Mr. Santoro
made a motion to close the nominations for the Office of Clerk to the
School
Committee and Mr. Gutro seconded the motion.
On a voice vote, the ayes have it.
On a roll call
vote, Ms. Laura Owens was unanimously appointed Clerk to the School
Committee by a
vote of 7-0.
§
Mayor Koch asked
for School Committee to allow Superintendent Mulvey to provide an Emergency
emergency update
on COVID-19 Metrics and Quincy Public Schools responses to the Update:
uptick in cases reported. School Committee unanimously consented on a
voice vote. COVID-19
Mayor Koch noted
that for the Superintendent, the Leadership and Principal Teams, Metrics &
there was constant
communication while the schools were closed and planning for Responses
the safest
re-opening of school possible.
Superintendent
Mulvey reviewed that the Department of Elementary & Secondary Education
released new guidelines about COVID-19 Case Isolation, Close Contacts, and
Quarantining that align with the most recent Centers for Disease Control
guidance. In most cases,
isolation/quarantine has been reduced to five days from ten days.
The
Quincy Public Schools nursing staff is working above and beyond to share
information with families, to provide guidance for families with positive cases
or close contacts, and to contact trace.
The new guidance was shared with families in a QPS Newsletter on December
31, posted on the QPS website and social media, and encouraged students and
staff to sign up for the QPS Pooled Testing and Test & Stay programs. We
have also created a new QPS COVID-19 Resource page as a permanent place to post
the evolving guidance and protocols. Principals
are working on alternate lunch plans to mitigate exposure when students are
unmasked. We are also requesting
National Guard assistance with COVID-19 Pooled Testing and Test &
Stay. All of these efforts have the goal
of maintaining in-person teaching and learning at our schools as safely as
possible.
DESE
also provided KN95 masks and home COVID-19 tests for all student-facing staff
at schools. The tests were distributed
to staff on Sunday, January 2 for them to voluntarily test prior to returning
to school on Monday. The KN95 and other
masks are available at all school sites.
Staffing continues to be a challenge, QPS is continuing to recruit
substitute teachers and paraprofessionals, bus drivers, and lunch
attendants. Superintendent Mulvey
thanked all Quincy Public Schools staff members for their dedication and
professionalism and parents for their patience and collaboration in monitoring
their students’ health.
Superintendent
Mulvey shared the COVID-19 positive case metrics (shared with School Committee
and also posted on the QPS website):
there have been 570 student and 140 staff cases in the two weeks
December 22-January 4. Today’s cases are
81 students and 13 staff members. For
pooled testing, just over 1,200 staff and students were tested on January 3 and
4, with 54 positive cases identified.
Mr.
Gutro asked for clarification on how students access remote learning while home
in quarantine. Superintendent Mulvey
said that schools have one day to transition a student to remote learning,
access information is provided by the principal or guidance counselor.
Mrs.
Lebo thanked Superintendent Mulvey noting that these cases are not in-school
transmission, families gathered over the holidays and in some cases, are
reporting cases already cleared before the return to school. Managing pooled testing and test & stay
is an enormous administrative task for our school nurses, requested additional
clerical support for them.
Mr.
Bregoli asked about hospitalization rates for staff or students. Superintendent Mulvey said there is one staff
member hospitalized currently.
Mayor
Koch said that the press coverage of the crisis is alarming to families and
staff and wants to reassure everyone that Quincy Public Schools administrators
are working hard to ensure the safety of staff and students.
Superintendent
Mulvey thanked Mayor Koch and the School Committee for their support.
§
On a motion by Mr.
Bregoli, seconded by Mr. Santoro, the Organizational Meeting Adjournment
was adjourned
at 6:35 p.m. The ayes have it.