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A meeting of the Quincy School Committee was held on Wednesday, September
27, 2023 at 6:30 p.m. in the School Committee Room at the Coddington Building. Superintendent Kevin Mulvey called the roll
and present were School Committee Members Mr. Paul Bregoli, Mrs. Tina Cahill,
Mr. Douglas Gutro, Mrs. Kathryn Hubley (arrived at 6:50 pm), Mrs. Emily Lebo,
and Mr. Frank Santoro, Vice Chair.
Also present were:
Superintendent Kevin Mulvey, Assistant Superintendent Erin Perkins, Mr.
Robert Cavallo, Ms. Kim Connolly, Ms.
Allison Cox, Mr. Michael Draicchio, Ms. Julie Graham, Ms. Andrea Huwar, Mr.
Michael Marani, Mr. James Mullaney, Mr. Daniel Pacho, Ms. Maura Papile, Ms.
Kelly Powers, Mr. Lawrence Taglieri; NQHS Student Representative Amy Tan, QHS
Student Representative Mina Al-Takriti; and Ms. Laura Owens, Clerk.
Mayor Thomas P. Koch was absent.
Ms. Owens read the following statement
into the record: Pursuant to the Open Meeting Law, any person
may make an audio or video recording of this public meeting or may transmit
the meeting through any medium.
Attendees are therefore advised that such recordings or transmissions
are being made whether perceived or unperceived by those present and are
deemed acknowledged and permissible.
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Regular Meeting
Vice-Chair Presiding
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Mrs. Lebo made a motion to approve
the minute of the Regular Meeting for September 13, 2023. Mr. Bregoli seconded the motion and on a
voice vote, the ayes have it.
Mrs. Cahill made a motion to
approve the minutes of the Executive Session for September 13, 2023. Mr. Gutro seconded the motion and on a
voice vote, the ayes have it.
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Approval of
Minutes
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As
there was no one present who wished to speak at Open Forum, School Committee
went on to the next item on the agenda.
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Open Forum
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Superintendent Mulvey announced
that the Department of Elementary & Secondary Education publicly released
the Spring 2023 MCAS Data & Accountability information last Tuesday,
September 19. Individual score reports will be mailed out to families
by mid-October and an analysis of district-level data will be presented at
the October 11 School Committee meeting. Montclair Elementary
School has been classified by DESE as a “School of Recognition,” one of 66
schools statewide. Montclair was identified for the students
demonstrating high achievement and growth and meeting or exceeding
targets. Congratulations to Principal Renee Malvesti and the Montclair
Elementary School staff on this recognition.
The letter received recently by Quincy
High School awarding continued NEASC Accreditation was shared in your
packet. The letter cites many of the impressive programs and services
at Quincy High School, as well as areas for focus for the School
Growth/Improvement Plan due on November 1.
This past Monday, 200 students in
Grades 4 and 5 who are electing to join the elementary instrumental program
received theIR selected woodwind and brass instruments (saxophone, flute,
trumpet, trombone, or clarinet). In addition, this week, students in
those grades will see a demonstration of string instruments and have the
opportunity to take lessons after school in violin, viola, and cello.
Applications for the Quincy Public
Schools Educator Mini-Grants are being accepted through September 29.
Once again, the Quincy School ~ Community Partnership will award 57 grants of
$350 to support the academic, social, and emotional development of our
students. The $20,000 in funding is made possible by the generosity of
our community partners.
The Arbella Foundation &
Boston Celtics All-Star Program will be offered to each of our five
middle schools during the 2023-2024 school year. This initiative aims
to encourage regular school attendance and positive school
culture.
Lincoln Hancock, Clifford
Marshall, and Snug Harbor Grade 2 students are being offered swim lessons
through a partnership with the Hale Family YMCA. The Swim, Safety &
Skills classes will run for eight weeks beginning this week, students
participate with parent permission.
Finally, at the next School
Committee meeting on October 11, there will be an update on the DeCristofaro
Learning Center, including information on the programming and student and
staff transitions. This coming Monday, October 2, the City Council
will receive an update on the Learning Center as well.
Mrs. Cahill asked that the NEASC
letter be posted on the QPS website so parents can see the positive
information about the school.
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Superintendent’s
Report
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Senior
Director of Student Support Services Maura Papile presented the 2023-2024
Student Support Services Program Improvement Plan, starting with a reflection
on last year’s goals. In collaboration with the principals and student
support staff, a systematic approach to social-emotional learning has been
rolled out over the last two years. Staff
have continued to analyze data that identifies students at risk throughout
the school system, providing outreach and interventions. The implementation of the Open Parachute
program at elementary, middle, and high schools, along with interventions for
families with attendance, housing, and economic insecurity were key to
meeting student needs.
Looking
ahead to this school year, schools are continuing to practice community
building at the classroom level, professional development is offered throughout
the school year, and will utilize interventions to raise the attendance
rate. The full day of Professional
Development on November 7 will allow additional opportunities for classroom
educators to participate in workshops on social-emotional learning topics.
Mr.
Gutro asked for clarification on the high-risk statistics, the number of
students identified tripled in the 2021-2022 school year and increased
another 25% in the 2022-2023 school year.
Ms. Papile said these are documented interventions with students
self-reporting distress or observed as being in distress. Mr. Gutro would like to quantify if the
increases are due to more awareness of mental health issues. Ms. Papile agreed that staff building
relationships with students may lead to an increase in comfort in disclosing
anxiety and other mental health issues.
Mr.
Gutro asked about Chronic Absenteeism data, Ms. Perkins said this will be
presented on October 11 as part of the Accountability data and indicators are
there was some improvement.
Mrs.
Cahill asked about the residency verification process; Ms. Papile said families
can be referred during the registration process when they cannot present
acceptable proofs of residency. In
addition, returned mail can also raise a concern about residency or families
reporting a new address without verification.
Mrs.
Cahill asked about attendance officer training, Ms. Papile said all have
social work training/backgrounds and are sometimes accompanied by guidance
staff or school resource officers on their home visits.
Mrs.
Cahill asked how are students incentivized to return to regular school
attendance. Ms. Papile said positive
reinforcement is provided through checking in at school, analysis of
educational needs (proper program placement), providing mental health
supports and referrals.
Mrs.
Cahill asked if there is an increase in reporting of bullying or discipline
incidents, Ms. Papile said the restorative practices techniques stress taking
responsibility and repairing relationships.
This is the 3rd school year for restorative practices and
the 2nd year for Open Parachute curriculum implementation.
Mr.
Bregoli asked about the attendance staff caseload, one staff member is
currently on leave. Ms. Papile said
residency verification has been the priority for the two staff members, with
some assistance from other staff members.
Mr. Bregoli would like to add another staff member to the team to
balance the caseloads across the schools.
Mr. Bregoli is also concerned about staff safety, Superintendent
Mulvey reiterated that the Quincy Police Department is a partner to Quincy
Public Schools in this.
Mr.
Bregoli asked about statistics for outside and emergency referrals and 51As,
Ms. Papile will follow up. Ms. Papile
said as often as possible, parents are asked to bring the students to crisis
centers, rather than the student leaving school in an ambulance.
Mrs.
Lebo said that the additional supports are so important in surfacing student
issues. Mrs. Lebo asked about Build Up
Youth, Ms. Papile said this is substance use prevention program with Bay
State
Mrs.
Lebo said Homeless Coordinator Ms. Bridson does an amazing job, noted that
federal funding has declined to support some of the programs. Superintendent Mulvey said that there are
discussions with the Mayor about building a safety net of services for
families at risk with economic or residence insecurity.
Mrs.
Lebo asked about unaccompanied youth, these are typically high school
students without parents or guardians who are staying with another family or
friends temporarily. Ms. Bridson also
works with the students to assist them through high school and transitioning
beyond.
Mrs.
Lebo appreciated seeing the timeline for the social-emotional learning
curriculum. Mrs. Lebo asked about
using the VOCAL survey data to inform the work, Ms. Papile agreed that these
school culture and climate concerns are the basis of the planning.
Mrs.
Hubley thanked Ms. Papile for the plan and the detailed data. Mrs. Hubley asked about Open Parachute
data, Ms. Papile said this was a snapshot of last year’s completed
lessons. Working with the unfamiliar
platform may have led to inconsistency in reporting what was completed.
Mr.
Bregoli asked about residency verification through mailing. Superintendent Mulvey confirmed this is
done in the summer and returned mail is forwarded to the schools for further
verification.
Mrs. Lebo made a motion to approve the
Student Support Services Program Improvement Plan. Mrs, Hubley seconded the motion and on a
voice vote, the ayes have it.
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New Business
Student Support
Services PIP
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Health
Services Coordinator Andrea Huwar presented the 2023-2024 Student Support
Services Program Improvement Plan, reflecting on last year’s goals including
implementing new regulations around mandated vision and hearing
screenings. For this school year, the
focus will continue to be on infectious illness (strep throat,
conjunctivitis, influenza, COVID-19) preventative health measures with
emphasis on recognizing/reporting illness symptoms, proper handwashing, and
immunization. Professional development
topics will include enhancing nursing assessment skills, ENT, orthopedic, and
seizure assessments, and food allergy updates.
In
the 2022-2023 school year, there were 91,088 student encounters across the 19
school buildings, with a return to class rate of 87%. 10,840 scheduled doses of prescription
medication were admnistered. Decreased
documented communication to parents, staff, and community agencies mostly due
to the change in reporting requirements for COVID cases.
Mrs.
Hubley asked about the Healthy Smiles program, they will visit all
schools.
Mrs.
Hubley asked about the increase in students with life-threatening
allergies. Ms. Huwar said that there
seems to be an increased awareness of food allergies.
Mrs.
Lebo said the data is amazing, glad to see the decline in communications
related to the COVID notification requirements being relaxed.
Mrs.
Lebo asked about the COVID guidelines for this year. Ms. Huwar said that this is the same as the
end of last school year, students stay home for five days and can return to
school on day 6 with a mask until day 10.
Mr.
Gutro asked about the SNAP uniform data initiative, Ms. Huwar said that the
program has been in QPS since 2004, but there is a focus on consistent
reporting, using streamlined templates.
Mr. Gutro asked if the data is returning to pre-COVID levels, Ms.
Huwar said it is getting closer.
Mrs.
Cahill asked if the results of mandated screening are shared with parents
before students are aware of the results.
Ms. Huwar said sometimes students are aware that there may be an
issue, but letters are sent to parents for referrals for further screenings
for vision, hearing, and postural.
Parents are not notified about BMI, SNAP calculates based on height
and weight.
Mrs.
Cahill asked if there is education on Nutrition; at middle and high school,
the Health staff cover these topics.
At the elementary schools, there sre not formal lessons.
Mr.
Bregoli asked about vaccine requirements, these differ for grade levels.
Mrs. Lebo made a motion to approve
the Health Services Program Improvement Plan.
Mrs. Hubley seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
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New Business
Health Services
PIP
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IT
Systems Administrator Robert Cavallo, IT Data Coordinator Daniel Pacho, and
Digital Communications & Web Accessibility Specialist Kelly Powers
presented the 2023-2024 Technology Planning & Training Program
Improvement Plan. In reflecting on
last year’s goals, there were significant hardware and software acquisitions;
an enhanced partnership with Quincy Access Television on video production and
broadcasting/livestreaming of public meetings and school events; and
significant improvements to the Quincy Public Schools website and social
media presence. Looking forward, most
of the team’s goals are continued from previous years with some new action
steps and initiatives.
Mr.
Gutro thanked the team, the IT infrastructure is critical to the success of
the school system. Mr. Gutro asked
about the Aspen Gradebook usage, specifically training to ensure universal
implementation for middle and high school staff members. Mr. Pacho said that taking daily class
attendance is one part, the other is the direct use of the Gradebook
(training and usage support documents), and the ability to import Google
grades into Aspen. Mr. Gutro
complimented the enhancements to the QPS website.
Mr.
Gutro asked about Technology needs in School Improvement Plans. Mr. Cavallo said that Principals were
surveyed on building needs in the spring to inform the budget
development. Mr. Cavallo said there
are still projectors to be received and installed, hopefully later in the
fall.
Mrs.
Cahill thanked Ms. Powers for the increased social media presence,
information is more readily available.
Mrs.
Cahill asked what are some of the challenges related to technology
evolution. Mr. Cavallo said that there
is a constant need to replace existing hardware as it ages out.
Mrs.
Cahill asked about assisting parents with using Aspen. Mr. Pacho and Ms. Powers have collaborated
to create a page on the website for Aspen access and usage information. There is also a helpline and there were
over 200 requests for assistance in September, which is typical for the start
of the school year.
Mrs.
Hubley agreed that the website and social media enhancements are
wonderful. Mrs. Hubley noted that over
800 desktops are over 8 years old, Mr. Cavallo said these are being
maintained as much as possible to increase their useful lifespan.
Mrs.
Lebo agreed that parent access for Aspen is important, asked the Student
Representatives whether students are comfortable with the platform. Ms. Tan and Ms. Al-tikriti agreed that
students are comfortable using the platform and there are resources on Google
classroom to support Aspen usage.
Mrs.
Lebo asked how many Chromebooks are deployed, all students in Grades 3-12
have been issued one and there are Chromebook carts in elementary schools for
Kindergarten through Grade 2 use.
Mrs.
Lebo asked about specific software lines and budget deficit (covered by
surplus from FY2023). Mrs. Lebo asked
about IT technician openings, Mr. Cavallo said there have been a number of
resumes submitted and a new staff member will join October 10. Interviews are ongoing.
Mrs.
Lebo suggested that Chat GBT might cause QPS to develop a Policy on academic integrity. Mr. Gutro agreed that this is a critical
topic.
Ms.
Al-Tikriti said that if students were taught about the pros and cons, this
could be a beneficial tool.
Ms.
Tan said that teachers are concerned about student use of Generative AI,
looking for guidance.
Ms.
Tan suggested that students be allowed to personalize their Google
identification, Mr. Cavallo said that feature is locked, but if the students
email IT, unwanted pictures can be removed.
Mrs.
Cahill thanked Mrs. Lebo and Mrs. Hubley for advocating for the return on the
Student Representatives and their input is so valuable.
Mrs. Cahill made a motion to
approve the minute of the Technology Planning & Training Program
Improvement Plan. Mr. Gutro seconded
the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
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New Business
Technology
Planning &
Training PIP
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Mrs. Hubley made a motion to
appoint Caitlin Coneran as a School Nurse.
Mrs. Lebo seconded the motion and on a roll call vote, the ayes have
it.
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New Business
Appointment of
School Nurses
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Mr. Bregoli made a motion to
appoint Kathryn Hubley as the School Committee Delegate to the Massachusetts
Association of School Committees General Meeting. Mrs. Cahill seconded the motion and on a roll
call vote, the ayes have it, 6-0.
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New Business
Appointment of
Delegate for
MASC
General Meeting
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Superintendent
Mulvey shared that for the 2023-2024 school year, $150,000.00 in funding has
been granted by the Department of Elementary & Secondary Education to
support the Early College High School program. This funding, along with
the matching grant from State Street, funds the salaries of the Early College
Guidance Counselors and Transition Coaches at each high school.
Mr. Bregoli made a motion to accept the Grant
of $150,000.00 for the Early College High School program from the Department
of Elementary & Secondary Education. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Hubley and
on a roll call vote, the ayes have it, 6-0.
Mrs. Hubley made a motion to accept the Grant
of $150,000.00 for the Early College High School program from the State
Street Foundation. The motion was
seconded by Mrs. Lebo and on a roll call vote, the ayes have it, 6-0.
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New Business
Grants for
ECHS 2023-24
(VOTE)
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Superintendent
Mulvey shared that for the 2023-2024 school year, $22,000.00 in funding has
been awarded by the MassHire South Shore Workforce Board for connecting
activities for high school students, including career fairs, career
exploration, and resume building activities.
Mrs. Cahill made a motion to accept the Grant
of $22,000.00 for connecting activities from the MassHire South Shore
Workforce Board. The motion was
seconded by Mr. Gutro and on a roll call vote, the ayes have it, 6-0.
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New Business
Grant from
MassHire (VOTE)
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For
the Growing Literacy Equity Across Massachusetts (GLEAM) grant Year 3,
$170,000.00 in funding has been awarded by the Department of Elementary and
Secondary Education to support the continued implementation of the Core
Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) program, including purchasing materials,
coaching, and professional development.
Mr. Gutro made a motion to accept the GLEAM
Year 3 Grant of $170.000.00 from the Department of Elementary & Secondary
Education. The motion was seconded by Mrs.
Cahill and on a roll call vote, the ayes have it, 6-0.
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New Business
GLEAM Grant/Year
3
(VOTE)
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Superintendent
Mulvey noted that a grant for the ST Math program was approved last spring
for Grades 5 and 6 students at Point Webster and South~West. Quincy
Public Schools recently had the opportunity to apply for and was granted $3,200
in funding from DESE to support the program implementation for Grade 4
students at Lincoln Hancock and Clifford Marshall.
Mr. Bregoli made a motion to accept the ST
Grant of $3,200.00 for Lincoln Hancock and Clifford Marshall Grade 4 from the
Department of Elementary & Secondary Education. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Lebo and on
a roll call vote, the ayes have it, 6-0.
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New Business
ST Grant (VOTE)
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Quirk Subaru recently made a donation of $3,000.00 to the
Point Webster Middle School through their Adopt a Classroom program.
Six classrooms will receive $500 each to use for books, supplies, or
equipment to enhance learning opportunities.
Mrs. Hubley made a motion to accept the
Donation of $3,000.00 from Quirk Subaru.
The motion was seconded by Mrs. Lebo and on a roll call vote, the ayes
have it, 6-0.
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New Business
Donation from
Quirk Subaru
(VOTE)
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Mrs. Lebo made a motion to refer Generative
Artificial Intelligence to the Teaching & Learning Subcommittee. The motion was seconded by Mr. Bregoli and
on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
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New Business
Referral to Teaching
&
Learning Subcommittee
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There was no Additional Business.
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Additional
Business
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Mr. Santoro noted upcoming School Committee Meetings on October
11 & 25, 2023; November 15, 2023; December 13, 2023, all at 6:30 pm at
the Coddington Building. On October
18, 2023, there will be a Quarterly Budget & Finance Subcommittee meeting
at 6:00 pm followed by Policy Subcommittee at 6:30 pm.
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Communications
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There
were no Reports of Subcommittees.
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Reports of
Subcommittees
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Mrs. Hubley made a motion to adjourn
at 8:20 pm. Mrs. Cahill seconded the
motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
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Adjournment
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