Quincy Public Schools

A meeting of the Quincy School Committee was held on Wednesday, October 23, 2024 at 6:30 p.m. in the School Committee Room at the Coddington Building.

Superintendent Kevin Mulvey called the roll and present were Mayor Thomas P. Koch, School Committee Chair and School Committee Members Mr. Paul Bregoli, Mr. Doug Gutro, Mrs. Kathryn Hubley, Mrs. Emily Lebo (arrived at 7:00 pm), Mrs. Courtney Perdios, and School Committee Vice Chair Mrs. Tina Cahill.

Also present were: Superintendent Kevin Mulvey, Assistant Superintendent Dr. Erin Perkins, Ms. Kim Connolly, Ms. Allison Cox, Mr. Michael Draicchio, Ms. Julie Graham, Mr. Michael Marani, Mr. James Mullaney, Ms. Kimberley Quinn, Mr. Keith Segalla, Mr. Lawrence Taglieri, Mr. Christopher Tierney, Ms. Bridget Vaughan; NQHS Student Representative Amy Tan and QHS Student Representative Mirudulaa Suginathan Yamini; and Ms. Laura Owens, Clerk.

Superintendent Mulvey recognized the following Quincy Public Schools retiree who passed away recently:elementary school teacher Catherine “Kay” Barrett, who taught at Beechwood Knoll and Bernazzani for 30 years.

Mrs. Cahill 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

As there was no one present who wished to speak at Open Forum, School Committee went on to the next item on the agenda.

There were no letters submitted online for Open Forum.

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Open Forum

Superintendent Mulvey opened his report with staff recognition, congratulating Quincy High School Culinary Arts Teacher Jacqui Niosi who recently coached her 300th win as the Girls Varsity Volleyball Head Coach. Coach Niosi has built a strong tradition over her years coaching at Quincy High School; this year’s team is 16 and 2 and has already clinched the Patriot League title.

Both North Quincy High School and Quincy High School will have accreditation visits from representatives from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) in the next few weeks. First up is the Collaborative Conference at North Quincy High School on November 6 and 7 where the school’s self-reflection report will be reviewed with staff and members of the Superintendent’s Leadership Team.The NEASC Decennial visit will take place at Quincy High School on December 2 through 4, where growth on the previously defined priority areas will be documented and discussed. School Committee is invited to attend a meeting with the NEASC team on Monday, December 2 at 7:00 pm; a calendar invitation was sent out today.

Upcoming Quincy Public Schools and City of Quincy Events include: on Wednesday, October 30, the annual Presidential birthday wreath laying ceremony will be held at the United First Parish Church in Quincy Center. Students from Quincy High School and North Quincy High School have been invited to attend.The inaugural Adams Speaker Series Event will be held at 5:30 pm in the Quincy High School Auditorium. A distinguished panel of historians will be presenting on the topic of President John Adams’ Passion for the Public Good & Civic Education. This event is free and open to the public.

The North Quincy High School Parent Advisory Council is once again hosting the Holiday Shopping Expo on Saturday, November 9 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm at North Quincy High School.

Superintendent Mulvey announced that Stop & Shop is sponsoring a food pantry for students from the Quincy Point neighborhood, located at Point Webster Middle School.

The City of Quincy’s annual Veterans Day Parade & Remembrance ceremony will be held on Monday, November 11 beginning at 10:30 am at Quincy High School and ending at Mount Wollaston Cemetery. Mayor Koch reminded School Committee that on Saturday, November 9 at 10:00 am, there will be a dedication of a new monument to veterans of the last forty years at the Mount Wollaston Cemetery. Veterans are encouraged to contact the Mayor’s Office to be included in the recognition.

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Superintendent’s

Report

There was no Old Business.

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Old Business

Assistant Superintendent Dr. Erin Perkins, Curriculum Director Michael Marani, English Language Arts Coordinator Bridget Vaughan, Mathematics Coordinator Kimberley Quinn, Data & Assessment Coordinator Christopher Tierney presented the Quincy Public Schools Spring 2024 MCAS, MAP, and Accountability Data. Overall, ELA scores were lower than 2023, but mirror the state’s results. Mathematics scores were flat and Science showed improvement in Grades 5 & 10 but a decline in Grade 8. MCAS participation continued to meet or exceed state levels for all grades and curriculum areas.

The Accountability System is made up of five indicators: Achievement, Student Growth, High School Completion, English Language Proficiency, and Additional Indicators (Chronic Absenteeism). 0 to 4 points are awarded towards meeting improvement targets. The high school graduation rate declined by 0.8% and the annual dropout rate increased slightly from 1.2% to 1.7%. Advanced coursework completion improved below target, high school and non-high school ELA and Mathematics achievement had typical growth. Growth was seen for many subgroups.

For Chronic Absenteeism, the non-high school student rate declined by 5% to 9.9%, thanks to the hard work of the elementary and middle school principals and staff. High school Chronic Absenteeism declined by 1.1%, meeting the target set, but we are still looking for further improvement in this category. For non-high school students, the targets were met for all subgroups. This goal will continue forward for the 2024-2025 school year, with target reduction of 2% for Grades 1-8 and 3% for Grades 9-12.

English Language Proficiency declined 5.2% for students in Grades 1-8 and increased below target for students in Grades 9-12 at 1.1%. Quincy High School had a 10% increase in students meeting their proficiency targets. For the 2024-2025 school year, the goal is a 7% increase across all grades.

For Mathematics, Grades 4 and 7 met the district goal of increasing achievement percentage on constructed response questions. In reviewing cohort data, students currently in Grade 5 showed an increase in exceeding or meeting expectations between Grades 3 and 4 and all other grades declined. An analysis of question types and standards by grade was shared. For MAP data, all grade levels exceeded growth targets. For 2024-2025, the MCAS goal will be maintained and new targets for MAP RIT growth.

For Science, there was a decline in the percentage of students meeting or exceeding expectations for Grades 5, 8, and 10, but scores still exceeded state achievement levels. Science MAP growth exceeded the goal for all grades 2-8. The staff are continuing to work with students on preparing for the new format MCAS field test and continuing the implementation of Project Lead the Way for middle school grades. For 2024-2025 goals, MAP growth will be the goal for Grades 4-8 and for Grade 10, the goal is an increase of 4 percent in the number of students meeting or exceeding expectations.

For English Language Arts, MAP data showed that Grades 2-7 exceeded the goal for RIT growth. ELA MCAS achievement declined for Grades 3, 4, 7, and 10, with the level of students meeting or exceeding expectations at or above the state’s data. Cohort data showed growth year over year for students currently in Grade 7, 8, and 9. The goal for last school year was to increase the number of points for writing by 2%, which was met for Grades 3, 5, 6, and 7. Goals for 2024-2025 are based on extending growth for MAP and the MCAS writing domain.

Schools and curriculum-based programs are analyzing data and drafting School and Program Improvement Plans; A-Days have been held at all levels and teams are working on goals, action steps, and benchmarks.

Mrs. Lebo thanked the presenters, this is a lot of information to absorb. Mrs. Lebo is very pleased to see the reduction in Chronic Absenteeism and the growth on the MAP data across the board for grade levels and curriculum areas.

Mrs. Lebo asked if there are benchmarks for growth on the high-dosage tutoring for Mathematics. Ms. Quinn said that there are pre- and post-tests for each domain; there are two 12-week sessions of tutoring under the grant.

Mr. Gutro asked for clarification on the Overall District Classification of Moderate Progress. Dr. Perkins said that classification is a weighted average of achievement from 2023 (40%) and 2024 (60%).

Mr. Gutro asked if DESE has a theory on why MCAS achievement dropped; Dr. Perkins said that the younger students who were impacted during COVID-19 are now getting to the tested grades. Dr. Perkins said the chronic absenteeism has been a priority, student achievement can’t be increased unless students are in school.

Mr. Gutro asked how many students did not graduate because of MCAS scores, but met the other graduation requirements. Dr. Perkins will follow up with the data.

Mrs. Perdios asked if data will be shared for the Science MCAS Pilot, Mr. Marani confirmed the data will be shared later this fall.

Mrs. Cahill asked about the data timeline, Dr. Perkins said the preliminary data is available in August and is finalized in September. Dr. Perkins said that the areas that need intervention are issues the schools are aware of and in many cases, the ACCESS and MCAS data confirms what staff are observing.

Mrs. Cahill asked if DESE looks at MAP data, Dr. Perkins said that is internal to Quincy Public Schools.

Mr. Bregoli is concerned about Grade 5 MCAS achievement, this is a time of growth and development and not all students will be on the same level.

Mrs. Hubley thanked the presenters for all of the hard work analyzing the data, the MCAS is a snapshot in time. Mrs. Hubley is very happy to see the chronic absenteeism rate declining.

Mayor Koch echoed the thanks to the team, MCAS achievement is expected to show mastery of the content standards set by the state. MCAS is an important measurement, although it is not the only measurement of success.

Mrs. Perdios asked to look at Grade 5 achievement in elementary schools vs. middle schools. Dr. Perkins said the individual school data will be presented in the School Improvement Plans.

North Quincy High School Student Representative Ms. Tan asked about expanding the AP offerings, some colleges are looking for Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, and Physics C. Ms. Tan suggested considering offering AP classes to qualified sophomores.

Quincy High School Student Representative Ms. Suginathan Yamini noted that National Honors Society students could be available for peer tutoring assistance.

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New Business

QPS Spring 2024 MCAS & Accountability Data

Superintendent Mulvey noted that the proposed 2024-2025 Superintendent’s Goals were shared with School Commmittee.

Mrs. Lebo made a motion to move the Superintendent’s Goals for 2024-25 to the Teaching & Learning Subcommittee.

On the motion, Mrs. Lebo asked for and received confirmation that suggestions can be sent to Superintendent for edits to the goals, action steps, and benchmarks.

Mrs. Perdios seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.

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New Business

Superintendent’s 2024-

2025 Goals (DRAFT)

Mrs. Lebo made a motion for Mrs. Hubley to represent the Quincy School Committee at the General Meeting of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) conference.

On the motion, Mrs. Lebo thanked Mrs. Hubley for her service to MASC.

Mr. Gutro seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.

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New Business

MASC Conference

Delegate

Mrs. Hubley reviewed the ten resolutions that will be voted on at the General Meeting of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees on November 8, 2024. School Committee considered each motion and voted on how Mrs. Hubley will vote in representing the School Committee.

Mr. Gutro made a motion to oppose Resolution 1, which urges the creation of an alternative to MCAS. Mrs. Lebo seconded the motion and on a roll call vote, the ayes have it, 7-0.

Mr. Gutro made a motion to abstain from Resolution 2, which advocates to increase the compulsory age of school attendance from 16 to 18. Mrs. Lebo seconded the motion and on a roll call vote, the ayes have it, 7-0.

Mrs. Perdios made a motion to support Resolution 3, which advocates to increase communication on the safe storage of firearms.Mrs. Lebo seconded the motion and on a roll call vote, the ayes have it, 7-0.

Mrs. Perdios made a motion to support Resolution 4, in favor of the Bus Stop Arm Surveillance Act and Enforcement Penalties.Mr. Gutro seconded the motion and on a roll call vote, the ayes have it, 7-0.

Mrs. Lebo made a motion to oppose Resolution 5, aligning tax authority with the required local contribution. Mayor Koch seconded the motion and on a roll call vote, the ayes have it, 7-0.

Mayor Koch made a motion to oppose Resolution 6, which supports legislation to improve the fiscal health of rural school districts. Mr. Gutro seconded the motion and on a roll call vote, the ayes have it, 7-0.

Mr. Gutro made a motion to support Resolution 7, in favor of fully adjusting Chapter 70 Aid for Inflation.  Mrs. Perdios seconded the motion and on a roll call vote, the ayes have it, 7-0.

Mayor Koch left the meeting at 8:30 pm.

Mrs. Perdios made a motion to support Resolution 8, in favor of equitable funding for non-regional school districts with high transportation costs.Mr. Bregoli seconded the motion and on a roll call vote, the ayes have it, 7-0.

Mrs. Perdios made a motion to support Resolution 4, in favor of the Bus Stop Arm Surveillance Act and Enforcement Penalties.Mr. Gutro seconded the motion and on a roll call vote, the ayes have it, 7-0.

Mr. Gutro made a motion to support Resolution 9, in favor of expanding MSBA Grants Evaluation for Chapter 74 programs, if amended to include comprehensive high schools with Chapter 74 programs. If the amendment is not accepted, the School Committee will abstain.Mrs. Hubley seconded the motion and on a roll call vote, the ayes have it, 6-0.

Mrs. Lebo made a motion to support Resolution 10, in favor of expanding capacity in Chapter 74 Vocational Technical programs.Mrs. Perdios seconded the motion and on a roll call vote, the ayes have it, 6-0.

Mrs. Perdios made a motion to support keeping the expiring MASC resolutions active. Mr. Bregoli seconded the motion and on a roll call vote, the ayes have it, 6-0.

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New Business

MASC Conference

Resolutions

Mrs. Cahill made a motion to refer creating a Policy on Artificial Intelligence to the Policy Subcommittee.

On the motion, Mrs. Hubley asked for clarification, the item is already in Teaching & Learning. Mrs. Lebo suggested researching other districts’ policies. Mr. Gutro noted that Hingham Public Schools is currently in court for an issue related to this topic.

Mrs. Perdios seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.

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New Business

Policy on Artificial

Intelligence

For referral to

Subcommittee

Mrs. Lebo made a motion to move DESE Indicator 14: to the Special Education Subcommittee. Mrs. Perdios seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.

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New Business

DESE Indicator 14

For referral to

Subcommittee

Mrs. Lebo made a motion to refer Athletics Coach Salaries to Budget & Finance Subcommittee.

On the motion, Mrs. Lebo said this is to address equity between schools and among different sports.Superintendent Mulvey reminded School Committee that Athletics coaches are stipended positions and the rate is set in the contract with the Quincy Education Association.

Mr. Bregoli seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.

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New Business

Athletics Coach Salaries

For referral to

Subcommittee

Mrs. Hubley made a motion to approve the item listed under the Consent Agenda: Approval of the October 9, 2024 Regular Meeting & Executive Session minutes and donations from the Quincy School~Community Partnership. Mr. Bregoli seconded the motion and on a roll call vote, the ayes have it, 6-0.Mayor Koch was absent.

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Consent Agenda

There was no Additional Business.

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Additional Business

Mrs. Cahill noted that upcoming School Committee meetings will be held on November 13, December 11, 2024, and January 8 & 22, 2025 all at 6:30 pm at the Coddington Building. There will a number of Teaching & Learning Subcommittee meetings scheduled for School and Program Improvement Plans; tentative dates are November 18, 20, 25; December 2, 4 at 6:00 pm.

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Communications

There were no Reports of Subcommittees.

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Reports of

Subcommittees

There was no Executive Session.

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Executive Session

Mr. Bregoli made a motion to adjourn at 9:00 pm. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Lebo and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.

Adjournment