Regular Meeting of the Quincy School Committee
Regular Meeting
Vice-Chair Presiding
A meeting of the Quincy School Committee was held on Wednesday, October 9, 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, Mrs. Courtney Perdios, and School Committee Vice Chair Mrs. Tina Cahill.
Also present were: Superintendent Kevin Mulvey, Assistant Superintendent Dr. Erin Perkins, Mr. Robert Cavallo, Ms. Kerri Connolly, Ms. Kim Connolly, Ms. Allison Cox, Mr. Michael Draicchio, Ms. Julie Graham, Ms. Jennifer Leary, Mr. Michael Marani, Mr. James Mullaney, Mr. Dan Pacho, Ms. Maura Papile, Mr. Keith Segalla, Mr. Lawrence Taglieri; NQHS Student Representative Tabitha Lee and QHS Student Representative Myshtee Malavia; and Ms. Laura Owens, Clerk.
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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Open Forum
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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Superintendent’s Report
Superintendent Mulvey opened his report with a review of the Quincy Public Schools October 1 Enrollment & Class Size Data. The official October 1 enrollment is 9,977, an increase of 47 students from October 1, 2023. QPS Enrollment peaked last year at 10,163 students at the end of May. Since October 1, 42 students have completed registration and another 40 students have registrations pending, so enrollment will likely reach 10,050 students within the next month. The last page of the document has a breakdown of new registrations and transferring students by level for the 2023-24 school year to provide insight into the administrative workload related to the over 2,000 transactions into and out of the school system.
The elementary class size average for Kindergarten through Grade 5 is very favorable at 18 students. For Grades 6-8 Core Curriculum classes, 84.1% of classes have 24 or fewer students, the low end of School Committee’s class size range.The Grade 6 cohort is among the largest in Quincy Public Schools and that has led to an increase in class sizes between 25 and 28 students, particularly at Atlantic Middle School.For Grades 9-12 Core Curriculum classes, 83.1% of classes have 25 or fewer students (a decrease of 1% over last year).Seventeen sections are above 28 students, most are honors or advanced. At North Quincy High School, students enrolled in two math classes to prepare for advanced work in college are driving the higher class sizes.At both Atlantic and North Quincy High School, class sections will be added to address this issue.
Detailed class size information at the school level will be shared during the School Improvement Plan presentations in November. In March, updated enrollment and class size information based on February 1 data will be presented. That presentation will also include projections for school building capacities for the next school year and the effect on Open Enrollment.
Mrs. Perdios asked about enrollment projections for future planning. This can be done for existing students moving up the grades, but anticipating new enrollments is difficult.
Mrs. Lebo asked for clarification on out of district Special Education students, the enrollment number for Grade 12 includes students between 18 and 21.
Mrs. Hubley asked about capacity at Atlantic. Superintendent Mulvey said that collaboration with Paul Hines, the school is utilizing all spaces possible.
Mrs. Lebo noted that although enrollment may remain relatively flat, when students move in and out and they don’t always take the same classes, so class sizes are difficult to predict.
Mr. Bregoli asked about the capacity for Atlantic when it was first built, it currently has 600 students enrolled. Mayor Koch noted that class sizes were larger in the era when the school was built and there were fewer academic program classes.
Mayor Koch asked for class size data from other comparably sized school districts.
Mr. Bregoli asked about the budget constraints in adding staff to address class sizes. Mayor Koch said that issues will be addressed as they arise.
Mrs. Cahill asked about DESE requirements for class sizes; Superintendent Mulvey confirmed that this is a local determination.
Mr. Gutro said it is encouraging that young families are choosing to move to Quincy and enroll in Quincy Public Schools.
Superintendent Mulvey continued his report by announcing that Quincy Public Schools has been selected to be part of the United States of Reading program. This is a state-funded, school-wide program designed to partner with teachers in Title I schools across the country with the goal of empowering students to choose, own, and read books that they love.Over the course of the school year, students at Clifford Marshall, Lincoln Hancock, Parker, and Snug Harbor will have the opportunity to build a personal library by selecting two books five times a year from the Scholastic library. Each student will receive a total of 10 books along with bookplates to personalize their books. Every teacher will also receive 25 books throughout the school year to build their classroom libraries.
We are so thankful to be selected as one of the four Massachusetts communities to be a part of this program. Scholastic will be hosting a kick off celebration on October 17, 2024 at 10:00 A.M. at Clifford Marshall Elementary School. Award-winning author Jerry Pallotta will be there to meet the students and kick off this amazing program. School Committee is invited to join in the celebration, a calendar invitation was sent to you this morning.
Mrs. Cahill suggested that schools can have the option for students to trade books once they have read them.
Upcoming Quincy Public Schools and City of Quincy Events include: North Quincy High School and Quincy High School Student Support Services are hosting the annual QPS College Fair for parents and students in Grades 11 and 12 on Thursday, October 10, 2024 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm in the Quincy High School gymnasium. Representatives from over seventy colleges, universities, and career and technical schools will be in attendance to share information about their degree and certificate programs.
The Quincy Special Education Parent Advisory Council is hosting the annual Trunk or Treat event on Saturday, October 19 from 1:00 to 3:00 pm in the parking lot of the DeCristofaro Learning Center. Additional information can be found on their website quincysepac.com.The Massachusetts Instrumental and Choral Conductors Association (MICCA) will once again be hosting the state-wide Marching Band Championship Finals at Veterans Memorial Stadium on Sunday, October 27. Best of luck to the QNQ Band and color guard as they compete in this competition.
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Old Business
School Committee Goals
Mrs. Cahill reviewed that School Committee met on Monday, October 7 to review the draft goals, set benchmarks and action steps. Research is being done on some of the goals, so there will be further discussion.
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New Business
Technology Planning & Training PIP
IT Systems Administrator Robert Cavallo and IT Data Coordinator Daniel Pacho presented the 2024-2025 Technology Planning & Training Program Improvement Plan and began by reflecting on last year’s goals. With the support of grants and the FY2024 Quincy Public schools budget, significant investment has been made to replace desktops, laptops, chromebooks, interactive projectors, and in the implementation of Incident IQ ticketing and asset management system. In addition, training and support for accurate and timely scheduling; implementation of the new IEP format in Aspen; and accurate data submission for state and federal requirements are ongoing commitments for the IT staff.
Goals for 2024-2025 are continuation of previous years goals: supporting administrators and staff use of Aspen; expanding online registration for parents to initiate, including filling out forms and upload documents; supporting the accuracy and timeliness of the scheduling process; and supporting home to school communications through website and social media.
Mrs. Lebo asked to review the Acceptable Use Policy.
Mr. Gutro asked about replacement of Chromebooks. Mr. Cavallo estimated 1600 will need to be replaced annually. Many are purchased new and others are rebuilt using parts from older machines.
Mr. Gutro asked about cybersecurity, Mr. Cavallo said that we partner with the City of Quincy IT department on this issue.
Mr. Gutro noted that the Aspen usage has expanded and requested updated information. Mr. Pacho said there are over 2000 active Family Portal accounts, teachers are utilizing the Google to Aspen grading tool.
Mrs. Perdios asked for details about Chromebooks. Quincy Public Schools owns over 8,800 student Chromebooks; these were purchased in batches of 2,000 so the warranties are expiring over time.
Mrs. Perdios asked about self-service registration, concerned about the language barrier for families who utilize Central Registration. Mr. Pacho said that the forms will be translated and capable of being filled online and families will be requested to upload documents. The registration forms and supporting documents will still be reviewed by staff members.
Mrs. Cahill said that expanding the online options for registration is important for families, but is concerned about parents who don’t have access to technology. Mr. Pacho said that there will always be support for families who need language and/or technology support.
Mrs. Cahill asked about the replacement for the Website Communications Coordinator. Mr. Cavallo said an offer of employment was made to a candidate today, so hopefully we’ll be able to make an announcement soon.
Mrs. Lebo made a motion to approve the 2024-2025 Technology Planning & Training Program Improvement Plan. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Hubley and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
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New Business
Early Childhood PIP
Special Education Coordinator Jennifer Leary presented the 2024-2025 Early Childhood Program Improvement Plan, reflecting on last year’s goals of successfully incorporating daily teaching of letter-sound relationships; the completed training and planning for the implementation of the new statewide Individual Education Program (IEP) form; and the training on the implementation of the Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT).
Looking ahead to 2024-2025 school year, the Integrated Pre-Kindergarten team will utilize data collection tools to track progress towards IEP objectives and use data to write progress reports and develop new goals as necessary; through the Commonwealth Preschool Partnership Initiative (CPPI) grant, the leadership team will conduct a needs assessment and develop a strategic action plan to provide 3- and 4-year olds with equitable access to high-quality preschool through options at public and community-based classrooms; and Pre-Kindergarten paraprofessionals will be trained on the Pivotal Response motivational strategies.
Mrs. Perdios asked about caseload management, the data shared are the starting point for the beginning of the school year. Ms. Leary said that the caseloads evolve depending on the changing needs of the student. Mrs. Perdios asked about the complexity of the cases vs. the number of students. Ms. Leary said the staff is very good about reflecting on the complexity and the evaluation workload as well. Ms. Leary said that there are typically over 200 evaluations per school year.
Mrs. Lebo asked if Massachusetts will require universal Pre-Kindergarten for all 4-year olds by 2031. Dr. Perkins said that this seems to be the direction, but curriculum collaboration with community-based partners will hopefully be part of this model.
Mrs. Lebo asked how many Kindergarten students have preschool experience, Dr. Perkins said that approximately 85% attended some type of preschool program. Mr. Tierney is analyzing data for last year’s Kindergarten students to look at outcomes for students with and without preschool experience.
Mrs. Hubley made a motion to approve the 2024-2025 Early Childhood Program Improvement Plan. Mr. Gutro seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
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New Business
School Nurse Appointment
Mayor Koch made a motion to appoint Bridget Leblanc Nims as a School Nurse.
On the motion, Mayor Koch asked if there are many applicants for these positions. Superintendent Mulvey confirmed that there is interest, but they do not often have licensure completed. Mrs. Lebo said this is true for CVTE teacher licensure.
Mrs. Hubley seconded the motion and on a roll call vote, the ayes have it, 7-0.
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Consent Agenda
Mayor Koch made a motion to approve the item listed under the Consent Agenda: Approval of the September 25, 2024 Regular Meeting. Mr. Bregoli seconded the motion and on a roll call vote, the ayes have it, 7-0.
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Additional Business
There was no Additional Business.
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Communications
Mrs. Cahill noted that upcoming School Committee meetings will be held on October 23, November 13, and December 11, 2024, all at 6:30 pm at the Coddington Building.There will be a Quarterly Budget & Finance Subcommittee meeting on October 23, 2024 at 6:15 pm.
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Reports of Subcommittees
There were no Reports of Subcommittees.
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Executive Session
Mayor Koch made a motion to move to Executive Session at 7:40 pm for the purpose of Contract Negotiations. School Committee will not return from Executive Session. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Hubley and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
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Adjournment
As School Committee did not return from Executive Session, the Regular Meeting was adjourned at 7:40 pm.