--------- Good evening. Good evening and welcome to this meeting of the Boston School Committee. >> Hold on. >> Good evening. Could we Good evening. Good evening. Could we just ask if everyone can take their seat, please? You hear it?
>> No. >> Hello. Testing. >> Hello. Our mics aren't on. >> Please sit down. I know. These are not >> We have no mics. >> Not online. >> Hello. Testing, testing, testing, testing.
>> No. No workers. >> I know, but the problem is they can't. Okay, now we can. Can you hear that better? Can those in the last row can you hear us? >> Test test. >> Leia. Leia. Serena. Leia, can you hear
us? No, >> you cannot. >> Becca's going out to fix it. >> I love audio. >> I feel the same way sometimes in my
class >> when the tech when the tech doesn't work. >> No, more like >> Hello. Hello. >> Oh, that Yeah. Hello. >> Is that what we do? >> Hello. Hello. >> Yeah, now they're working. Can you hear us clearly? >> Yes. >> Okay, great. Thank you. >> All right. Good evening and welcome to
this meeting of the Boston School Committee. I'm Chair Jerry Robinson. We'll begin with the pledge of allegiance. >> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation
under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Good evening everyone and welcome to this meeting of the Boston School Committee. I'm chairperson Jerry Robinson. I want to welcome everyone who is joining us tonight in person on
Boston City TV and on Zoom. I'm going to ask everyone here in the chamber to please turn off the volume on your laptops or other devices. so that it does not interfere with the audio for tonight's meeting. Thank you for your
cooperation. Tonight's meeting documents are posted on the committee's web page, bostonschools.org/schoolcommittee under the December 17th meeting link. For those joining us in person, you can access the meeting documents by scanning
the QR code that's posted by the doors. The meeting documents have been translated into all of the major BPS languages. Any translations that are not ready prior to the start of the meeting will be posted as soon as they are finalized.
The meeting will be rebroadcast on Boston City TV and posted on the school committee's web page and on YouTube. The committee is pleased to offer live simultaneous interpretation virtually in
Spanish, Haitian Creole, Cap Viran, Cantonese, Mandarin, Vietnamese, and American Sign Language. The Zoom interpretation feature has been activated. Zoom participants should
click the globe icon at the bottom of your screen to select your language preference. I'd like to remind everyone to speak at a slower pace to assist our interpreters. Before we continue, I want to
congratulate Superintendent Mary Skipper. The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce's Women's Network has announced its 2026 Pinnacle Awards, one of the region's most prestigious honors recognizing exceptional women leaders.
I'm proud to share that Superintendent Skipper has been selected for the achievement in management and governor award. Please join me in congratulating her on this well-deserved recognition. I want to remind members that you
received a school year 2526 school enrollment trends update memo last week. This memo is available in your meeting folder and is has also been posted on the website under today's meeting materials.
Members also received a memo providing update on cycle 3 recommendations for closures, mergers, and grade reconfigurations. This memo is also available in your meeting folder and posted on the website under today's meeting materials.
Superintendent will offer remarks before the vote later in the meeting. We will begin this meeting with the approval of minutes. I will now entertain a motion to approve the minutes of the December 3rd meeting. Is there a motion? >> So move. Thank you. Is there a second?
>> Second. >> Thank you. Is there any objection to approving the the motion by unanimous consent? Hearing none. The minutes are approved. The report and vote on the Elliott Innovation School Plan will be deferred
to a future meeting. We'll now move on to general public comment. Miss Paraveck. Thank you, Chair. The public comment period is an opportunity for individuals to address the school committee on school related
issues. Questions on school on specific school matters are referred to the superintendent. Questions on policy matters may be discussed by the committee later. The meeting will feature two public comment periods with the first comment period limited to one hour. After one hour, anyone who hasn't
testified will have the opportunity to do so at the end of the meeting. We have 30 speakers this evening. Each person will have two minutes to speak and I will remind you when you have 30 seconds remaining. Please feel free to email your comments for distribution to the
committee. Speakers may not reassign their time to others. The time that an interpreter uses for English interpretation will not be deducted from a speaker's allotted time. Please direct your comments to the chair and refrain from addressing individual school committee members or district staff.
Please note the comments of any public speaker do not represent the Boston public schools or the Boston school committee. Please state your name, affiliation, and where you live before you begin. If you're on Zoom, please sign in using the name you register with for public comment and be ready to
unmute and turn on your camera when it's your turn to speak. Please raise your virtual hand when I call your name. To support interpretation, please speak slowly and clearly. Our first speakers are Solomon Macdonald, Saraphina Lambert, Jason
Lambert, Leia Serena, Eileen Carver, and Travis Marshall. Solomon Macdonald. >> My name is Solomon. I go to the academy. >> What is school committee? >> School committee. Please don't
close the academy. We really like heal, so please don't close it. Thank you, Sarafhina Lambert.
Hello, my name is Saraphina Lambrite. I am a former student at the Lee Academy. These four schools that you are proposing to shut down include so much diversity. At the Lee Academy, I was able to go to a school where the majority of people looked like me, which
has not been common in my experience at other Boston public schools. Going to a schools with that sense of belonging can be life-changing for kids. It helps students see themselves positively and remind them that they have that they matter and have power. Decisions about
school closures should not be based only on whether a school fits a certain vision, especially if that vision does not fully consider students lived experiences. These four schools serve student populations that are over 40%
black, African-American, and over 40% Hispanic and Latinx. That tells me these schools are important spaces for communities of color. These schools are places where students needs are met and where students feel supported. Closing
these risk closing them risks removing environments where students are succeeding emotionally and socially which direct directly impacts learning. You are setting students up for failure by taking away these schools where their needs are met and are cared for. That is
not doing the best for us. Thank you. >> Thank you very MUCH Jason Lamre. Hello, my name is Jason Lambright. I have had three kids go to Lee Academy Pilot School. That's where they started. Then they would go to Murphy School. And then my eldest, who you just heard, she
is at Boston Latin School right now. Without the start of Lee Academy Pilot School, I do question their ability to be able to grow and learn in a way that they felt free and able to just be willing to learn those different things.
At Lee Academy, they not only learned ABCs in reading, but they learned emotional intelligence. They learned how to play with friends. They learned how to be able to talk and be willing to be empowered, such as my oldest daughter. When you close these schools, don't just
look at it as a facility because again, they were not asked to be in many of these facilities. They were told they would be put in these facilities. I want you to think more about the community that was built around them. people that were laughing, smiling, kids having a great job, people that are being uh
empowered to make decisions. One thing, for example, is my youngest son. Without a smaller school, I fear he wouldn't have been able to get noticed for some of the discrepancies and disabilities that he does have. Without a Lee Academy pilot school noticing some of the delays
or things going on, I question if he would have just been kept moving along until later we'd realized there was a problem. Schools like Lee Academy exist for a reason. It's not just because it's a specific boutique school. It's a school
that is helpful for many kids and families. >> So, I ask you again to really think before you vote and close a school that didn't just help just a small group of kids, but bigger kids that turned into adults. Thank you,
Serena. >> Good evening. My name is Leia Serena and I am the vice president of the Boston Teachers Union, a former Boston public school student, and a former Boston public schools educator. I began my teaching career at Lee Academy, one of the schools being voted on closure today. Lee Academy is a small
Doorchester school with over a decade of experience in inclusive education. Its size is not a weakness, it's a strength. Small schools like Lee Academy create more opportunities for students to form deep relationships with their teachers, which is particularly crucial for the developmental the development of
students with complex needs. I am the proud godmother of two young women, now 15 and 17, who were once my first and second grade students at the Lee. They walked down the street to school every day, and our bond began with home visits, a unique characteristic to Lee Academy. When they showed me their room
and their toys, I learned that their father had passed away in a car accident and that mom had lots of fears about who their children bonded with. That fall, the mother told me she was too afraid to allow the girls to take the long bus ride to a school field trip. So, I went back to the house to speak to them and told them that she could FaceTime me
throughout the ride. They have not stopped FaceTiming me since. This relationship established an emotional safety which led to academic growth because mom not only trusted my professional opinion but trusted me as a person and the school and the trust was particularly possible because of the
small school setting that allowed me to dedicate the time and attention to kids who needed it the most. Earning their trust and doing my part to make sure those kids developed into successful young adults is one of my greatest successes as a teacher. Closing schools like Lee Academy, Cash, CAC, and the
grades of the Henderson upper without a clear full resource plan does not improve outcomes. It creates harms. The communities do not feel like there's a clear plan for where students will go and how inclusion services will be perceived. Disruption without direction is not a strategy. Our students deserve
stability. Our families deserve trust and our communities deserve better. Thank you. Eileen Carver. Eileen Carver. Eileen Carver, retired BPS teacher, mother of two BPS grads. I speak tonight
in solidarity with the students, families, and educators from Lee Academy, Cash, ACC, and Henderson. The last school I taught at was the PA Shaw. Our young students and their families, 98% of color, pleaded with you not to
close or merge our school without a clear plan for how your actions would positively benefit our children. At that time, the Shaw was a beloved school um with strong student and family voice. You made the decision to merge us
without a plan to benefit the students. And today, the Shaw is underenrolled and struggling. During the same time, you decided to merge two Roslandale schools with significant populations of white middle-class students. In this case, you
postpone the merger until these two schools could move into a wonderful renovated building. We are happy for these students and families, but the lack of racial equity remains stunning. Now today, the students and families at
the above mentioned schools, all with large majorities of students of color and all striving to be inclusive communities for students across abilities, are facing closure without a clear transition plan nor clarity on how students will benefit. While it may make
sense to reduce the number of buildings, it never was and never will be acceptable or just to do this on the backs of the black and brown students of Boston. In 2023, school committee member Cardette Hernandez stated, "How we move
forward on these mergers will set the stage for the future." The future is now. I join with parents, students, and educators in calling for data on the impact of school closings, strong transition supports for affected students, a transparent and thoughtful
process with real community input, and a facilities master plan showing long-term investment in school buildings in every neighborhood. Until these conditions are in place, please postpone the vote to close these schools. Thank you.
Our next speakers are Travis Marshall, Ross Kaufman, Stephanie Warf, Douglas Peters, and Roger Woods. Travis Marshall. Good evening. My name is Travis Marshall. I live in Roslandale. I'm the proud parent of students at the English
High School and the Bates Elementary School. I'm also a member of Quality Schools for Every Student, Quest, a grassroots BPS parent group. I'm sure we all agree that students and staff deserve better than the dilapidated school buildings they've
inherited after decades of disinvestment, but facilities neglect has not impacted all schools equally. We must be honest about which school communities enjoyed the stability of regular maintenance for their buildings and which school communities bounced
from building to building across the city. We must be mindful of which school communities were first in line for renovations and which were first in line for closure. I'd like this committee to consider why BPS spent six months soliciting public
feedback on exam school admissions compared to the six weeks these school communities received from closure announcement to vote. Why communities which communities does BPS try to engage and which communities does BPS expect to quietly fold?
I'd like this committee to consider what it means to vote to set aside exam school seats for exam for advantaged students in the name of predictability and 42 days later vote to uproot and destabilize some of our most vulnerable
students in the name of cost savings. In the BPS cast system, the price of rights sizing the district footprint is historically borne by students who are already intensely segregated by race and disability. We cannot close our way out
of a system designed to concentrate privilege in some schools and concentrate need in others. Thank you. >> Rosman, >> good evening. My name is Ross Cotchman. I live in Jamaica Plane and I'm a fifth grade teacher at the Henderson School
where I've proudly taught for 15 years. I'm also a BPS parent. Uh my daughter is a third grader at the Mendle. So, this district is deeply personal to me. I care about it and I believe in its potential. I want to speak tonight from a place of collaboration and shared responsibility
when it comes to meaningfully inclusive secondary education in Boston. A meaningfully inclusive high school is not just a program preference. It is both a moral and legal imperative. We must put the needs of our young people
before the needs of adults and their desire to save money and ensure that this option continues to exist for the families of Boston. Our students need a meaningfully inclusive high school option. Inclusion is not being together only during lunch or gym. Meaningful
inclusion means students with disabilities spend the majority of their school day learning alongside their peers, supported by co-eing, shared expectations, and a school culture built for everyone. The Henderson High School and Transition
Program is that school. Regardless of the outcome of tonight's vote, we must keep this model. We must because we have not been shown another high school in the city offering this level of meaningful inclusion. A similar model to the Henderson doesn't exist here in
Boston. I want to be clear, families and educators are committed to creating, restarting, or continuing a meaningfully inclusive high school program in Boston. This is not about holding on to a building. It's about holding on to a promise we made to students and
families. We believe this can be done together. The expertise exists. The staff exists. The families are ready. We need a shared commitment. So, I invite you to sit down with us, sit down with parents, educators, and students, and join us in ensuring this meaningfully
inclusive high school experience. Like doc, like Dr. Henderson himself recently said, it is a moral and legal imperative. Thank you, >> Stephanie. Stephanie War. So, please do not move the mic. No, no, you can come. This is for the public.
We're having an issue with the mic. So, just you can speak and leave the mic there. >> Okay. >> Yeah. >> Hi, I'm Stephanie. Um, I have a student at ACC. I live in JP. I have attended all the meetings about closing ACC. I've been talked at and
I've heard the same talking points over and over again. But not once did I feel genuine empathy. I certainly did not feel the concern I saw for those who want to make Latin white again. Instead,
I saw an equity analysis that didn't address the fact that the school is 50% black and has over 50% bipok educators and 40% students with IEPs. This uneven treatment feels very
racialized and makes me question how you are conducting your equity analysis. When I pointed out that the high school closest to me disproportionately suspends black students, I was told that BPS has gotten better. While growth is
good, to expect my black student to feel good about the inequity because it's not as bad as it was isn't reassuring. I have heard some acknowledge that BPS uprooted ACC and moved it into a
elementary school in Hyde Park that they did not want to move to without their input. Yet, nobody has taken responsibility or spoken on how to mitigate the fact that you set up a community for destruction because you
favored an advantaged Green Academy. >> That's not justice. >> 30 seconds. >> It's not equity. It's not even equality. It's injustice. Supporting these proposals is being complicit in a system that has systematically advantaged a few at the
expense of the majority. If you don't want to be complicit, you need to actively work against the system that is set up to advantage so few. The proposed closing seem to embody anti
by any equity metric >> and that makes complicit an understatement. >> Thank you, >> Douglas. Douglas Peters Uh, good evening. My name is Douglas Peters. I'm a sixth grade science and special education teacher at the
Henderson Epan School. And tonight, I want to speak for the near total lack of transparency throughout this entire process. So far, can only speak for the Henderson, although I would imagine that the members of the other school committees here tonight feel likewise. From the moment we began this process a
month ago, a little more until now, we have found more and more questions and no answers to any of them have been given and there is no accountability for that either. At the start of our plan meeting with BPS employees last Monday, reporters in the audience were forced to
identify themselves and then forced to leave the meeting despite the protest of parents and teachers alike. Public employees of a public government at a public school were expelled so that there was no accountability for the lack of information that was given at that
meeting. They did not make any effort to check if any of the rest of us were there as members of the community. This was a move meant for concealment and not a move to protect privacy. Although we had many questions for parents, students and teachers and
concerned community members that night, the big question was essentially the same. Which schools in BPS are p prepared to receive our 9th through 12th inclusion students from the Henderson? And will they receive the same inclusive services and accommodations at that we
give at the Henderson? After five rounds of vague questions, >> 30 seconds, >> one BPS employee would dismissively tell us uh dismissively just not give us an answer and told one of our students, "It'll prepare you for the real world when you leave here." >> They have no answers. They have no plan.
They just told us one of the 20 high schools will do fine and then refuse to answer any of our questions for the second half of that meeting. If you give a vote of yes tonight, you are giving them a blank check to bulldoze these buildings and then whatever happens next, your name is on
it. >> Thank you. >> Roger Wood. Roger Wood. Roger Wood. Hello. Our next speakers are Joseph Burch,
Christa Magnus, Ricky Preston, Susan Asai, and Megan Moscow. >> Joseph Burch. >> Hello. How are you guys doing? I'm Joseph Burch. I'm a onetoone parah for the zool program at Cash. Um, I also
live in Brighton. Um, sorry this um, I'm currently finishing up my degree in psychology at UMass Boston right now. And my career plans is to become a speech pathologist. And I wouldn't be able to become a speech pathologist or
understand that career without the zool program and the cash community supporting me. And I truly don't know where I will be at without the cash community as a BPS alum. And that's really all I have to say. And I
feel like you guys are doing a disservice of closing these amazing schools. Mr. Magnus Good evening. My name is Christa Magnuson. I live in Jamaica Plane and I'm a parent to two BPS students. I'm also the statewide organizer for MAI,
the Massachusetts Education Justice Alliance. I'm here tonight to speak about these proposed school closures and mergers up for a vote this evening. I feel as if I could have repurposed a large portion of the testimony that I delivered just a few weeks ago when this body was voting on exam school admissions changes. Uh I spoke then
about the lack of community engagement and the speed at which that decision was made. This decision is no different. It's speedier. There has been little to no engagement with the school communities affected and the timeline is you know lightning fast. It's been barely a month uh more than a month since these closures and mergers were
announced. As we all well know, the time of year is suspect at best. It is much more difficult for families to find time to engage in the holiday season. It's also more difficult for you as a body to engage uh given this time and this timing. The only way this timing isn't also an imposition for you as a school
committee is if there was never any chance of you as the school committee truly debating the proposal in the first place. I and many BPS families grow weary of the lack of consideration given to our communities and the consistent non-agnowledgement of our stake and our expertise with regards to those
communities. The ongoing lack of a context or framework within which to understand these closure decisions contributes both to that feeling of being devalued and to a lack of trust in BPS as a system. Both Mayor Woo and Superintendent Skipper have spoken about the need to build trust, but these decisions have the exact opposite
effect. MESA calls on BPS to create and release a long-term facilities plan that can provide a framework for understanding these BPS decisions. And we stand in solidarity with the students and the families from the affected schools. We urge you to listen to them and to their work in organizing and
testifying before you. Thank you. >> Wicked Preston. Good evening. I want to start the same way I end with saying God is good all the time. >> My name is Ricky Preston and I work at Cash High School as a community field coordinator serving as one of the dean
of students. I'm a proud Boston public schools alum. Born and raised in Boston. I attended the Alberger Middle School in West Roxberry, the John D. O'Brien High School in Roxberry and earned my undergraduate degree in Springfield College. And I am currently pursuing my master's program in clinical mental health counseling at William James
College. But enough about me because today we're here to talk about cash. I started working at Cash this past September. In just three and a half months, I can say without hesitation that Cash is not just a building. It's not just a school. It's a community.
It's a place where students and staff feel protected, seen, uplifted, and appreciated. It feels like home. There's a quote from the film Remember the Titans that I feel will help paint a better picture of Cash and it says, "Attitude reflects leadership.
A leader's mindset sets the tone for their entire community. At Cash, that leadership starts with Principal Simpson and extends throughout every adult in the building. The culture here is intentional. The relationships are real. And for many of our students, this is the first time school has felt like
home. From meaningful professional development meetings that we've had that strengthen us as a team to greeting students each morning, sending them off at the end of the day, the message is clear. Our students matter. And for our students, seeing a principal who looks like them, who believes in
them, matters deeply. There is enough There isn't enough time for me to fully help you guys capture what cash means in two minutes, but I hope to leave you tonight with this on your heart. Cash is a family and families are worth fighting for. God is
good all the time. >> Asal. Good evening. My name is Susan Asai and I'm a member of the NAACP Boston. I'm a retired educator and I live in Malden. NAACP Boston opposes the four school
closures in the superintendent's proposal to the Boston public school committee for the school year 2027 2028. The school closings impact Boston's most vulnerable students, special education
students and English language learners, and it disproportionately disadvantages lowincome black and Latino students. Black students currently enrolled in the four schools range from 43 to 50% of the
total student population. Latin Latino students enrolled in the same schools comprise 40 to 47% of the student population. It is apparent that the city administration and BPS is deploying the
same top-down playbook that isn't working. Since BPS students today are mostly black or Latino, we need a more nuanced way to identify and emphasize harmful racial impacts.
We understand that fewer students attend BPS than in the past. Some creative resizing of the school building inventory seems inevitable. How this should be done seems to be where there is room for improvement
within the proposal. Is there a distinction to be made between saving a school's culture slash secret sauce versus saving the building? for more acceptable capital planning and greater transparency. We ask that a
comprehensive long-term master facilities plan needed to systematically improve schools as promised by the commissioner Jeff Riley and Mayor Woo in 2022 be crafted with parents is up
>> and community input before finalizing and announcing future school closures and mergers. Thank you. >> Thank you. Thank you. Megan Mos. Megan Mosc. Hi,
my daughter with autism is a student at CASH in the Azul special needs program. I just want to take a moment to shine a bit of light on this amazing program. I can't say enough about how wonderful it's been for her. Of all four of the schools she's attended at BPS, this is the first school where she actually
wakes up excited to go to school and comes home saying she had a great day. When I drop her off there, everyone knows her name and says hello. She's always felt very inconcluded in included there and has really thrived. One of my favorite things about the Azul program
at Cash is that students get to run something called the Cash Cafe. Running their own cafe gives students the opportunity to interact with the general ed population and also exposes them to real life vocational environment requiring use of real life skills. These
include consistency, problem solving, serve safe protocols, excellent job place behavior, following instructions, communication, joint attention, food preparation and cooking, cleanup, including doing dishes, laundry, and mopping, cash register skills,
inventory, and grocery shopping. For this reason, the location of this program is pivotal because it gives the students the unique ability to walk to nearby grocery stores and Target to do the shopping for the cafe while also gaining the independence and applying
money skills in a real life setting. It is my understanding that another school is being moved into our building and I wish you would consider keeping the program in place there. >> Second. Sorry. >> Thank you for YOUR TIME.
NEXT speakers are Jovana Tovar, Witch She Prosper, Foster Allison and Genesis Moretta. Joanna Tovar. >> Hello, my name is Joanna, but they call me Miss Joy. Over at the Lee Academy, I'm the family liaison and the proud par
I'm proud parent of two Lee Academy alumni. First, I'd like to acknowledge that I understand you did not make the plan to close our schools. I have been hearing a lot of public comments and at times it seems like a lot of it is being directed and personal to the members. Please do not take it personally. Our
school communities are just passionate about their work. I had mentioned last meeting that the problem was systematic. All of these communities are unique and special in their own way and I stand here in solidarity with all schools. ACC is one of the only schools of its kind with strong supports for students with
emotional impairments. CAS serves students with complex IEP needs. The Henderson is the only high school where most classrooms use a co-eing model. What is unique about my school is that we are a pilot school. We are fully autonomous school. Autonomy given to us
by BPS. Pilot schools are a unique educational model distinguished by their greater autonomy compared to traditional public schools originating from a response to the growing popularity of popularities of charter schools in the 1990s. Pilot schools operate under an independent governing board and are
exempt from many district regulations allowing them more freedom in curriculum budget and staffing decisions. Typically smaller in size students population ranging from 200 to 300. These schools aim to foster a close-knit community where educators can provide personalized instruction and support. It seems that
specific social, legal, and political pressures caused the birth of the pilot schools. We were created to save our public school system. Now, it's time for us to for you to save ours. For you to save us, sorry. And studies suggest that pilot schools have demonstrated a higher academic achievement and engagement
levels compared to traditional schools. The capital planning team should have convened a meeting with our governing board prior to this decision as we are the governing body that makes decisions for our school community. Not convening a meeting and giving our governing board the opportunity to discuss, ask
questions and bring up solution and vote is like taking away our rights and our autonomy. >> Richie prosper. Richie prosper. Richie Prosper. No. Um, Foster Alison.
Good evening. My name is Allison Foster, parent of my son, Sage Foster, who attends the Lee Academy. I am here with the simple but urgent ask to please keep our school community together. I want to be clear as a parent and on behalf of many, I'm sure, agree that our current
building is subpar and in need of improvement. No one knows that better than the families, students, and educators who spend the days inside it. But a building, however imperfect, is not the heart of a school. People are. And the strength of this school lies in
its community. Our school has built something rare in a powerful a deep connected inclusive community where students of all abilities learn together and thrive. Our inclusion model is a abstract concept. It is lived every day through strong relationships, trust,
collaboration among students, families, and staff. Disrupting or dismantling the community would risk losing what makes the school successful. We believe that this is a better path forward than closure. We are asking the district to work with us and not around us to find solutions that address the building's
challenges without breaking apart a proven successful community. We are ready to collaborate creatively and constructively on options that preserve our school's identity, culture, and inclusion model while meeting facility needs. Closing the school would not simply move students. It would fracture
relationships, undo years of intentional inclusion work, and scatter a community that has taken time and care to build. Once lost, that cannot be easily rebuilt. >> 30 seconds. >> Urge you to slow down. Listen to the families and educators who know this
school the best and commit to the solution that honors both safety and community. Fix the building if needed. Do not dismantle the school. Please keep our community together. Thank you for your time and consideration. Genesis Moretta. Genesis Moretta.
Good evening. My name is Genesis and I have two children in the Lee Academy. A third grader with autism and a K0 with speech delay. I will start by saying there's a saying that says you don't fix what's not broken. And I feel like this applies for our community at the Lee
Academy. When my daughter started last year in second grade, she was a student that had gone through many schools, big beautiful buildings with great structure, but my daughter was not learning. She was not happy and it became traumatic for her and for me. So
much I was worried about her futures in future in schools. so much that when she began in the Lee Academy last year, I signed up for parent mentor program to be close to my child. I was able to do this for a few months. But in the in this time, I can say Lee Academy was the
best choice I could have made. And I should have come across a school community like this long ago. But better late than never, they say. Sorry. Better late than never, they say. Um, now my child
is in third grade. She can interact in a classroom setting. She can tell me about her day. She can go on field trips without me. She has friends and great teachers with amazing communications communication that help her thrive. And
that's why I started my toddler in the league this year in hopes that this will be her school and her team. 30 seconds. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. Our next speakers are Kio Mcclelay, Kristen
Granham, and Neil Beers. Kio Mcclelay. >> Good evening. I am Kandra Mcclelay, the executive director of Beija, um, former student rep on the Boston School Committee as well as a BPS alum. Here we are once again because students, families, and educators are being asked
to absorb the harm of another round of destabilizing school closures and mergers. We know that this decision is made for you all. But I'm also sure that decisions were made with limited community engagement, unclear data, and no meaningful transparent planned
transition plan directly which directly contradicts the values and of equity, transparency, and shared leadership that Boston Public School has promised and yet to deliver. For over a decade, Beija has worked to center the most impacted by education policies. Black and Latino students,
students with disabilities, English learners, immigrant families, and frontline educators. Today, we are sounding the alarm that closures and merger processes threaten to deepen inequities, displace vulnerable students, and further erode the trust
um further erode the trust at a moment when BPS cannot afford to lose it. Boston facility challenges are real, but closures are not the solution. Community research, district audits, and state funding all point to chronic under investment as the root cause of failing
buildings and instability. Yet, instead of committing to long-term infrastructure investments and strong school programming, BPS is choosing to close schools serving some of the district's highest need students. The call for immediate halt to all closures
and until transparent community-led process publicly released data and impact analysis and co-created facility plan and guarantee transition supports including transportation staffing stability and mental health services. We uplift the leadership of students and
families from schools like Cash, the Henderson, ACC and the Lee and we and we salute them to organizing and um fighting for the demands with dignity. Beij stands with them and we know the saying that you don't know what you have until it's gone. But we know that our
schools and our communities are being dismantled in the name of efficiency only to realize later what is lost. But our community knows exactly what we have and we know the potential that comes from investment in our schools rather than erasing them. This is about more than buildings. It is about stability,
trust and the future of our kids. Tristan Granham. Tristan Granham. Tristan Granham. Good evening. I'll start with a little story. In September of 2001, I walked in the doors
of another course of college. It was a change that I wanted and sought from English high school. And in my two years a at ACC, because it was still a two-year school at the time,
I was exposed to what equity really was. I sat in so many classrooms where the teachers looked at us, some from district schools, some from exam schools, and some from schools around the country, and said, "You all can rise
to that standard." I've never forgotten that. And I've been honored to see ACC grow to accommodate so many more students in the years since.
And about six weeks ago, I found out that ACC was slated for closure along with Cash Henderson, the Henderson 912, and the Lee. And the difference between myself and those students was the fact
that I chose to change. And it was still enormously disruptive and enormously painful, but at least I chose it. And those students now do not have that choice.
>> 30 seconds. >> And I will say this, you've heard a lot of testimony from students, families, and the community on the impact that these schools have had on them on their families, themselves, and the community.
And I understand the decision that the school committee needs to make. What I will ask is that you listen to the voices in this room and at the very least take into consideration the impact that these decisions will have. >> Thank you.
>> And honor the time and honor the time that they're asking for. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Our our last in inerson speaker is Neil Beers. Good evening. My name is Neil Beers. I live in Newton and I teach at the
Henderson K to2 school. And uh all these schools are great. I think students are really going to lose valuable services if they're closed. But uh tonight I just want to speak about the unique Henderson experience. When I began teaching there, I was uh I taught sixth grade. Those sixth graders are now
eighth graders. I currently teach in the high school. I looked forward to seeing them next year. If we eliminate the high school in 18 months and cut ninth grade next year, I'm not going to have that experience. And what's unique about the Henderson is I may not have been their favorite when I taught them the first time, but when they come up for specials
now, they're like, "Oh, Mr. Neil, I got high fives and side hugs and everything." They really look forward to seeing me again. And that is only possible at a K to2 school. And that's very common. We teach siblings throughout the grades. I am familiar with a bunch of my student siblings
because we have bus duty where we interact with the youngans. And our high school students, we see them with their siblings when they don't have to go across town to pick them up and take them home. They can walk downstairs, get their uh their sibling, and walk them
home. This is only possible in a K to2 school. Some of these students have been at the Henderson from grade 2 to 12. So these students have a decade of uh trusted adults in the building that a lot of them still look for. We have a
lot of kids with various needs, disabilities, crises, etc. And sometimes >> the middle school teacher they had um is the best person they want to talk to. or they bring kids up for specials and their middle school teacher, our high
schoolers see them in the hallway and these middle school teachers are able to connect with them. again um we are the model for the district of inclusive co-eing and it makes no sense to tear down our model when our contract
suggests that it is important and in fact our contract suggests >> you know with a certain number of students with IEPs there must be a co-teer in the room so it makes much more sense to combine >> rather than collapse. Thank you. We will now transition into test public
testimony on Zoom. Um our next the next speakers are Brian Warell, Cheryl Bachmann, Han Lee, Robert Jenkins. Um we will start with Councelor Warel who's not in the meeting. So we will um
continue with Cheryl Buckman. Sharon Buckman, please accept the prompt. >> Hi, you can. >> Good evening. My name is Cheryl Buckman. I'm a parent of a seventh grader at the Ruth Batson Academy, the parent lead at
the DER and longtime resident of Boston. Every child deserves a high quality education and a school where they feel safe, known, and loved. I understand that school closures and mergers are very difficult. But what has happened
here is something real and painful. Children have been moved from schools that were working for them and entire communities will be torn apart. I stood here before this committee nine months ago pleading with you not to
close my child's school, a school that had also educated me when I was young. Families and educators before me warned you what would happen. The harm was crystal clear. Yet the decision move forward anyway. Now here we are again
asking you to stop. Tonight, you've heard directly from students, educators, parents who had organized, rallied, and found the courage to speak about their schools. Their voices matter. For many students, that separation has already happened.
Trust trusted adults are gone. Friendships are broken. Stability is lost. And the emotional toll is very real. But it doesn't have to be the future for these schools you are considering to close. Now, when you vote to close a school, you just don't close
a building. You take away the community, you take away that family. Schools are cultural homes and lifelines for our children. The damage from past closures is already visible. If we know this cause harm, why repeat it? I ask you to
listen to students, educators, and families. And please vote no on these closures. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. Our next speaker is Han Lee. Handy. >> You can start. >> Hi, my name is Han Lee. I am the mother
of two BPS students from at the Henderson. My older son is 19 years old. He is in his second year in the junior program at their Henderson. He has been at the Henderson since uh the fourth grade and he has continued his middle
school and high school career and right into his tition program. We I cannot tell you how important the Henderson has been in our life where from the support, the staff, the people and today I don't
speak just for my son. I speak for his friends who don't have voices. I speak for the teachers. I speak for the staff and every single person ever supported us throughout this whole career. My son was told that he was not going to be able to move. he wasn't going to be
able to do all these things. But today, my son stand tall and he speaks loudly. He rides a bike. He cookie clean. He navig award back in 2022. Um, I
urge that you guys please reconsider closing this program. to the school because it'd be such a disservice to our community as a whole and as a community we want to come together and not break apart. >> The people who came from up instead of
from my son did not is beyond the school wall. We have came here and supported my son through many different places and I believe that this model works and my son is the success story of that and I feel like every single person and every
single student can deserve that same rich life that he got from this program. Thank you. Our next speaker is Robert Jenkins. We can't hear you. No. No, we can't hear you. >> Hear me now?
>> Yes, we can hear you now. >> Real quick, uh, my name is Robert Jenkins, class of 1978, Madison Park, president of the Madison Park Alumni Association. Welcome everyone. Listen, uh, Madison Park, we got the MSBA funding for a
school that's over 50 years old. Schools, um, when you look at the schools that are being closed, they are in, you got high school students in middle schools and elementary schools. Ro enrollment is down. All right. And there is a need. Sorry for the
background. I just stopped in because it's cold out. But, uh, these closures were going to happen. Everybody knew change is different and it's a shame but one of the things that has to happen is that you have high again high school
students at the Henderson 9 to 12 they're on the fourth floor they're not getting the high school experience as I got being class of 1978 at Madison Park and I'm on the uh school parent school site council work with the district this
not a surprise that schools are going to close one of the other things I want to put to the school committee the superintendent is program 617. It's a program that deals with kids at Madison Park with uh the office of um
student supports and uh athletics. You have close to over over 100 families every Sunday at Madison Park getting uh you know uh athletic training and programs. Sorry for the background noise, but
>> these school closes, I you know, you have to look at them. Change is different. Work with the district. They're not going to leave the kids and the students out in the cold. Thank you very much. >> Thank you, Mr. Jenkins. >> Our next speaker, our next speakers are
Edith Bazil, Mike Hushman, Sule Sto, and Dedra Manning. Edith Pazil Thank you. BPS must interrogate school closures that reinforce systemic racial inequities. Highly resourced schools like the Elliot, 63% white, four times
the district average, are structurally protected from closure through school assignment algorithms and unmititigated resources. The same assignment rout algorithms cluster black and brown students into underresourced schools, then target these schools for closures
based on the very conditions the district creates. Take the Henderson, the only nationally recognized inclusive high school. Yet, school assignment algorithms reflect sharp declines in white enrollment at the high school
level, leaving a predominantly black and brown student body, and predictably vulnerable to racialized closure. ACC and CAS should be merged to preserve stability, reduce displacement, and the district should audit racial disparities
in special education identification and placement, not use it as an excuse to close the schools. Lee Academyy's highly qual highquality developmentally responsive inclusive programming with arts, wellness, and strong family
partnerships should be expanded for young, black, and brown learners, not closed. This is not about resisting change. It's about rejecting decisions made without evidence-based educational data and innovative solutions. It is
about racial equity over political expediency, stability overusion over convenience, and also district accountability. using the racial equity planning tool and authentic community
voice to correct racialized assignment disparities that protect some students while leaving black and brown students out. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. Our next speaker is Mike Hishman. Mike Hushmanchester.
Mr. O'Neal, thank you for your many years of service. Good luck with your new position. On a personal note, I want to thank you for your kindness. This is the time of year the BPS has to deal with the painful decisions on which
school communities it wants to destroy. Tonight, the committee will approve the superintendent's recommendations to close some schools. A weird way to wish school communities a merry Christmas and a happy new year. In years past, the community was given sufficient time to
make its case to stay open and organized resistance by pressuring the mayor and this committee. Sometimes the resistance was successful and school communities were saved. However, the BPS is a learning organ organism. In the past, there were more
authentic family and community engagements. Under the current misleadership, little time is deliberately given for school communities to make its case and organize resistance. This is what family and community disengagement looks like.
We need an elected school committee which would be accountable to the citizens of Boston. Thank you Sleto. Our next speaker. So like a photo, please accept the prompt.
No. >> Okay. Hi. Can you hear and see me? Okay, >> we can hear you. Thank you. >> One second. Sorry. Um, good evening. My name is Leica Stone
and I am a Boston public schools parent. I want to speak on what I have first witnessed over years of coming for this committee. I have watched family, students, educators and committee members from schools were being closed come to microphone school after school
year after year raise concerns and learning about harm. And I watched the same thing happen every single time. The testimony changes the changes outcome to not for a long time. Families ask why
this keeps happening. After years of watching this re on repeat it comes very clear that is accidental the p is produced a governance model this can be used called student outcomes governance
under this model outcomes are first engagement happen after the section is already decided for example 90 schools by a certain year it only had to happen every three years engagement community meetings have been people show up in
good fit but participant is not designed to change outcome. That's why school left school come and leaves with the result. Closures are described as data driven family educative harm. Those reaction as outside the
scope of the decision. The impact is not neutral. school children boss consistently fall on black, brown, immigrant, multilingual, and lowincome communities. When the same outcome repeats across your neighborhoods, that is not a coincidence. That is an equity failure
reduced by the system your system students educate community members and asking special treatment. And I'm calling this committee to publicly document how family student >> the time is up. Thank you. >> Romani is not in the meeting. So that
concludes public comment here. >> Thank you Miss Parvex and thank you to those of you who spoke this evening and shared your perspectives. Your testimony is very important to us. Our first action item this evening is the grants for propo approval totaling $592,990.
Now I'd like to turn it over to superintendent for any final comments. Great. Thank you, chair. Uh so tonight before the committee there are six grants totaling nearly $593,000 for your approval. The largest of these is the $390,000
fair share earmarks grant from the state executive office of education serving 3,000 students at the Adams and Gild Gu Elementary Schools at Madison Park Vocational Tech High School and O'Brien School of Math and Science. The purpose
of this grant is to reserve various earmarks for education projects to support students at every level of education from affordable child care, learning to read, and building innovative high-quality classrooms for the workforce. The remaining
approximately $22,990 includes a $69,990 continuing competitive MYAP planning and implementation grant serving 24,000 students districtwide that provides supplementary support to school districts currently engaged in the
implementation of MYAP or interested in entering the planning phase of MYAP. My CAP is a student-driven process designed to ensure all students graduate from high school, college, career, and civic ready. The $67,500
Coutar Foundation International Arabic Language Expansion Grant will fund the expansion of the Arabic language program at Brighton High School. serving 114 students. It will allow the program to expand from 1 to two FTE, allowing a
greater number of students to enroll in Arabic language classes. There's a 30 $37,500 fair share earmarks state budgeted funded grant from the Department of Early Education and Care serving 330
students at the Harvard Kent Elementary School. Similar to the grant I mentioned earlier, this funding will pay for playground enhancements at the Harvard Kent Elementary School. There's also a new competitive mass cultural council creative experiences grant totaling
$25,000 in the s in the school year 2526. Uh in addition to the 22 previously approved schools and the student advisory council, there are five schools, the O'Donnell, the Sarah Roberts, Jaziah Quinsey, Kilmore, and
Tech Boston Academy that would benefit from this. This funding will support creative experiences for students districtwide, such as woodworking courses, music classes with local choir performances, dance programs, and workshops. Lastly, there is a $3,000
influence 100 grant that will provide stipens for three district staff members who want to participate in a two-year fellowship to prepare for the role of superintendent. Inind donations. Um, we're also asking the school committee to accept as inind donations from AZW Law of various items
to the Ellis and the MLK elementary schools and the Blackstone Innovation Schools. These are things like Legos, art supplies, printers, and other materials. Uh we have chief financial officer here uh to be able to answer any questions for where you to have them.
We're asking for an affirmative vote. >> Any questions? >> The um FC FC598. Um the form lists an end date that precedes
the start date. So maybe we can just confirm that the correct grant period and I don't know correct the grant after acceptance. >> Apologies that should be 6:30 2026. >> Thank you.
>> Any anybody else anything else? Okay. Thank you. If there's no further discussion, I will now entertain a motion to approve the grants as presented. Is there a motion? >> So move. >> Thank you. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Is there any objection to approving the motion by unanimous consent?
>> Madam Chair, could we just make sure the minutes reflect that it's um that the change that Mr. Card Hernandez called out that it's as as amended for the correct grant date? >> As amended. You got that information? All right. Thank you. Hearing none, the the grants are
approved. Our second action item for tonight is the inind donations that the superintendent just described with a total estimated value of 13,000 um $110. I'll now open that up for questions or
comments from the committee. >> I have one. Are the decodable like the stuff that's being offered including the decodable readers are they we check to see if they're aligned to the district-wide uh literacy curriculum and
the scope and sequence? >> Yeah, I mean generally uh when we take in a donation if it's technology or materials we check with the department that would be overseeing that area. So yeah, it's a good question but yes. >> Okay. Right. If there's nothing further, I'll
now entertain a motion to approve the inkind donations as presented. Is there a motion? >> So move. >> Thank you. Is there a second? >> Second. >> There any objection to approving the motion by unanimous com consent? Hearing none, the inind donations are
approved. Our next action items are two collective bargaining agreements between the Boston School Committee and the Boston Association of School Administrators and Supervisors or Basis. You will recall that Jeremiah Hassan, director of office
of labor relations, presented these agreements to the committee at our December 3rd meeting along with a request for an FY26 supplemental appropriation in the amount of 1,37,900 $91. Now, I'd like to turn it over to the
superintendent for any final comments. >> Uh, wonderful. Thank you, chair. Uh so as the chair said at the last school committee meeting on December 3rd, director of labor relations Jeremiah Hassan provided an update on the tenative agreement with the Boston Association of School Administrators and
Supervisors or basis for their 2024 2027 collective bargaining agreement or what we call a CBA. Director Hassan's presentation followed an executive session with members of this committee. On Thursday, November 6th, we reached a tentative agreement with the basis for
their 2024 2027 CBA, which became effective September 1st, 2024 and extends through August 31st, 2027. On Tuesday, December 2nd, BAS's members ratified the agreement with an overwhelming majority. Tonight, we are
presenting the 2024 2027 contract for school committee approval. Uh, as with other contracts, this agreement includes a general wage increase for employees of 2% in fiscal years 25, 26, and 27. The CBA also adds a step nine to the salary
scale to align it with other salary scales. The basis salary scale ends at step 8. A wage increase of 2.5% has also been added in between steps eight and nine. It also adds a $3,000 differential for members with a JD degree.
guarantees. It also guarantees salary placement at the step closest to but above their base salary when transferring from a BTU or managerial position. The contract solidifies this practice. Uh it also automatically applies the career awards. Members no
longer have to apply and again the contract solidifies this practice. Uh other changes requiring members to work with school leaders on a PDP learning plan, 18 weeks of paid parental leave to align with the current management policy, and when possible, notification
by April 15th if there are any changes to a member's assignment or lack thereof for the following school or contractual year. Uh we're also asking for approval of an FY26 supplemental appropriation request for $1,37,91 to support the CBA. Senior adviser Megan
Costello is here as well as Chief Bloom is already seated at the table if the committee has any further questions. >> Thank you. I'll now open it up to questions and comments from the committee. >> All right. All right. Thank you. We have two agreements. So, we'll take two
votes. There are no further questions. I'll entertain a motion to approve the to approve the collective bargaining agreement between the Boston School Committee and bases effective September 1, 2024 and August 31, 2027 as
presented. Is there a motion? So, move. >> Thank you. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Is there any discussion or objection to the motion? >> Miss Provic, will you please call the role? >> Thank you, Chair. Dr. Hkins. Yes, >> Mr. G Hernandez. >> Yes, >> Miss Panko Garcia. >> Yes,
>> Miss Rachel Scarret. >> Yes, >> Mr. Tran. >> Yes, >> Mr. O'Neal. >> Yes, >> Mr. M. Robinson. >> Yes. >> The motion is approved. >> Thank you. Our second action item this evening is a fiscal year 2026
supplemental appropriation request to support the collective bargaining agreements between the Boston school committee and basis in the amount of 1 million $37,91. I'll now entertain a motion to approve the fiscal year 26 supplemental
appropriation requested as presented. Is there a motion? >> So move. >> Thank you. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Thank you. Is there any discussion or objection to the motion? Miss Provix, will you please call the role? >> Thank you, chair. Dr. Alkins, >> yes. >> Mr. Ket Hernandez, >> yes.
>> Miss Falanko Garcia, >> yes. >> Miss Garrett, >> yes. >> Mr. Tran, >> yes. >> Mr. O'Neal, >> yes. >> Miss Robinson, >> yes. >> The motion's approved. >> Thank you. Okay, our last action item tonight is the approval of the closure proposals
for school year 2027 as recommended by the superintendent. Before that we take the vote, I want to share some reflections. As I reflect on my time on the Boston School Committee and as a former BPS parent and student, I have seen so much
change over these last seven decades. I've also seen how some things haven't changed or at least haven't progressed enough. We have closed in merge schools as our enrollment has declined. Tonight, we'll
vote on another round of schools. I've had a chance to hear from many impacted by closures. Those we've moved forward in previous cycles as well as the schools impacted in this current cycle. I've been to community meetings and have walked the halls of the schools
recommended to close. In each school, I witnessed talented students, special attributes, and dedicated educators. It's clear each school has built a community despite the buildings and physical spaces we have provided. It's
also true that our students deserve the best. They deserve the best physical spaces, which we are on a strong path towards, but also we know it will take time. Why I'm truly focused on that it is our students also deserve the best
education. A challenging and inspiring academic education that provides them with the opportunities and experiences that high performing schools can uniquely impart. I'm also focused on an education that results in strong student
outcomes. That is why we're pushing for change. And as the governing body on the Boston public schools, that is our most important charge, strong student outcomes. Closing schools is an important piece of a larger strategy to ensure we provide
school dis schools districtwide equipped to provide a challenging and inspiring educational, academic, and holistic experience for both the students in our care right now as well as for future generations. Closing schools is about improving our
facilities, but more importantly, it's about ensuring we have stronger academic student outcomes. To accomplish this, it will require us to make bold decisions and demand more of the school system and demand more of ourselves.
For those directly impacted by school closures, many of whom are in this room, this is particularly hard. I emphasize with losing something that feels is so very very special. I have heard so often how much we all care for our students.
My challenge for each of us is to care enough, to love enough, to provide academic excellence so our students graduate from Boston public schools prepared with the knowledge and skills to not only succeed beyond our care, but
to be the next generation of change makers. Now, I'd like to turn it over to the superintendent for any final comments. >> Uh, great. Thank you, Chair Robinson. Uh, so tonight we are asking the committee to approve our latest recommendations as part of the
district's long-term facilities plan. As we presented on November 19th, our recommendations for this cycle include the closure of three schools, the merger and reconfiguration of another school, and the grade reconfiguration of two schools. If approved, all of the
recommendations will take effect June 30th, 2027 with one exception, the Russell Elementary School, which gets is an additional sixth grade, which will begin at the start of the next school year. As I said in previous meetings and in the past years, closing emerging
schools is some of the most difficult work we do. No superintendent, no school committee member wants to lead through closures. We fully understand that closing a school is an emotional and often painful experience, even when the
recommendations are grounded in what is best for students and long-term health of the system. We're in the situation we face today because for far too many decades, the district avoided or postponed making these difficult but necessary decisions.
As a result, we now have as a reality far more seats than students, leaving many classrooms and buildings underutilized. We have too many students enrolled in schools that want to offer a full high-quality experience. But they simply don't have the enrollment, the building,
and the resources to do it. And we have too few resources spread across too many schools, making it harder to deliver on the strong student outcomes the chair just referenced that this committee and our entire district want for our students and they deserve.
In 2023, the district established the long-term facilities plan and built a clear five-year roadmap for how we would approach future school closures, merges, and reconfigurations. This framework was shaped through extensive community engagement with
families, educators, and stakeholders, helping define the criteria and metrics that guide our recommendations. At the same time, closure decisions must reflect broader district realities. Alongside community informed criteria,
we arrive we rely on enrollment data, long-term projections that show enrollment declines and significant mismatches between buildings capacities and the number of students we serve. Factors that directly affect educational
quality, resource allocation, and long-term stability. The long-term facilities plan was a critical step for BPS, one which we had never previous been able to do for the community or for the school committee. This plan is grounded in our projection
of how many schools with high quality seats Boston will need by 2030. It guides our decision-making today and it will continue to guide us each year at this time, ensuring we can sustainably support students and reasonably deliver the
capital project improvements required over the next 5year cycle. I know how difficult school closures and merges are. I was a principal through multiple ones leading Tech Boston Academy. These are not recommendations
we make lightly knowing it impacts students, families, staff, communities who are deeply connected to their schools. We also know that closes and merges are an important and necessary part of the work that we must do to ensure that
every current and future BPS student has access to schools that can fully support that highquality experience now and for generations to come. Since our presentation on November 19th, we've met with school communities to
share the data we use to make these decisions and to share important information about how we will support students and staff through different transitions. While we're not making any changes about the recommendations to close and reconfigure the schools, we do have a
much better understanding in the case of these communities of how we can support students, families, and staff through successful transitions. For example, how are we going to support our specialized populations? How can students transition as a cohort? And if
students can transfer sooner than the 18-month timeline, what would that look like? These were really important things for us to hear. I'll share more details in a few minutes about how we're going to address what we heard from these recommendations. There's approximately
800 students who will be impacted by a closure and about 300 students who will be impacted by a reconfiguration. Just as a comparison, last year's recommendations, there were approximately 900 students who were impacted by a closure and about 400
students who were impacted by a merger. Our staff has been hard at work to ensure a successful transition for our students and families and job opportunities within the district for our staff. The majority of students impacted by a
closure or merger from last year are either settled in their new school already or have a plan for when their school closes. Of the students who have transferred, 93% of students got one of their top three choices. Our commitment to making these
transitions as smooth as possible for every individual student is real and grounded in action. The work we've done during recent closures highlights our deep commitment to students, to families, to staff, and we stand ready to bring that same level of care,
coordination, learnings, and support to the impacted schools. Tonight, as a reminder of what we proposed, we're proposing to close Lee Academy Pilot School K0 to3, another course to college, and Community Academy of
Science and Health Cache. We also recommended that we shift the Henderson K12 inclusion school into a preK to 8 by reconfiguring the Henderson upper, which currently houses grades 2 to 12, eliminating grades 9 to 12, and
the transition program. We would merge the Henderson lower and upper into one preK to 8 school community and shift grade 1 into the upper building to expand prek capacity in the lower building. This change would meet the growing need for K0, K1, and K2 in the
Dorchester neighborhoods. In addition to the recommendations on which we're seeking a vote by school committee tonight and in alignment with the school committee's 2019 configuration policy, we'll be reconfiguring two schools over the next two years. The Tobin K8 school will be
reconfigured as a preK to 6, closing seventh and eighth grades effective the end of 2627 school year. and the Russell school prek to 5 will be reconfigured as a prek to six adding grade six effective the start of the upcoming school year
2627. Boston International Newcomers Academy or Binka would move into the Cleveland building which is where cash currently occupies half of the space allowing it to expand as a multilingual hub in the Dorchester community.
The committee does not need to vote on reconfigurations or relocations, but with each of these steps, we want to make sure that members are clear and the publics are clear of what we're proposing. One question we heard at the community meetings and from members alike is the question about why we're not considering
merging rather than closing in this round of proposals. We considered that if any merges were possible and and ultimately we determined this really couldn't work for a couple of reasons. First, merges are not always feasible
because receiving schools need to be in good physical condition. They need to have space to receive new students. They programmatically need to be able to support those students. And this is very difficult for a system like ours because as we know there's so
many of our buildings that are in poor condition. 40% are over a 100red years old and require major capital improvement. And secondly, we have to be thoughtful when we merge schools that already have high percentages of students in
specialized settings such as special education and multilingual learners. When we merge two schools that have high concentrations of specialized programs, then what can happen is we can overwhelm a school community not able to be
successful and we can we can actually almost ensure that we can't do inclusion because the percent of students in the specialized programs are so high and the number of gened students is so low. Ultimately, our recommendations have to
prioritize student access to stronger options, schools in better physical condition, the appropriate academic, social, emotional, and special education supports, and they have to be sustainable given long-term enrollment trends.
When a merger cannot meet these criteria, as was the case in this round of proposals, then a closure paired with a thoughtful transition plan and placement becomes the more responsible student centered path forward.
We also shifted the recommended proposal timeline based on community feedback from the last two cycles. We wanted the school committee vote to take place before the 2627 school registration period which begins in early January.
And this was something that was raised um in the community meetings. It was raised here again tonight. Uh but it really was raised from families going through these transitions. This schedule allows families to be fully informed knowing which schools are closing or
merging as they make decisions during the school choice season that's now underway. Another strong theme we heard in public comment and at community meetings is the need for the development of appropriate programming needed for students especially students with disabilities from our closing or merge
schools. We have the programming necessary at many of our schools and once the school committee votes and if it is affirmative um then we will further develop and refine programs at welcoming schools to ensure every impacted student has
access. This is what we did in the last set of last two times. This work has to be student centered. It will be and it has to be coordinated directly with the receiving school leaders of those schools. Just a few examples of work that's in progress. The mission was
going to is going to work closely with the district to welcome some of the ACC students for students witho emotional impairment. We're also working right now with multiple schools to ensure continuity of academic and social emotional support so that students uh
who have emotional impairment have lots of opportunities and choice. CASH which currently serves 39% multilingual learners will provide students we will provide students the option to attend Binka where we'll actively expand programming to meet student needs.
Lee Academy. Um, students will have access to uh all the schools on their choice list, but that and that includes the Henderson, and we'll be working with the Henderson on this uh which is really on the majority of the famil family's preference lists anyways. Uh the Henderson 9 to12 and the transition
program, students will have access to high schools such as Tech Boston, Quinsey Upper, and the next program. And there's more to come with this, but we have to do this carefully if the committee votes affirmatively tonight. These examples represent just a portion
of the high-quality options that are available and that we will create. Families maintain full choice. That's really important. And our priority is to work directly with them to ensure every student is placed in the school that best fits their academic, social, emotional, and specialized program
needs. The reason that all we leave this 18 months is that all impacted communities, it takes that time to create the transition planning before the closure actually goes into effect. And it's during that time that we'll work to
support every student in transitioning to a welcome welcoming school community that can offer them the experience that we we talk about as high quality. For me, um I'm a lifelong educator. I've spent most of my time here in the BPS.
Um, and that's true of the majority of our team uh who are involved with these plans. You know, many of us, we've seen closures and merges throughout years. We've seen where it's been done well. We've seen where it's not been done well. And we we're really working to
improve every time the process, but more importantly, the result of where students can can actually finish their education. These are hard decisions. They never ever get easier. Um, but I'm here making
these recommendations tonight because I know that these closures that they are the right decision not just for the students today as they would go into their new settings, but for future generations of kids that are going to come behind. And I I know that not everyone will see
it that way. And I know that the impacted school communities, they will grieve and they have every right to do that. Um because it is a loss in many ways of special communities. But we are committed as a team and as a district to walk with each of the
communities um much like we've done in the process with Excel and with Lions High with Endeavor with our merge school communities and we will keep doing that until we are able to say that all of our students in the BPS are able to attend a school where they have that highquality
experience the community laid out back in 2023. So tonight I ask the committee to vote in support of the recommendations with full acknowledgement that we will and we will complete a lot of work on behalf of the communities to have this be the
right decision for kids. So thank you madam chair. The team is here if there are questions on it. Um and I I uh Dell Sos as well as several other um central staff are here if there's questions and uh certainly happy to take questions
from the committee. Thank you. I'll now open it up to questions and comments from the committee and go straight down. >> Thank you, Superintendent BPS. I want to begin by acknowledging the district's intention in bringing forward
disclosure proposals. We understand that BPS is facing real challenges. Declining enrollment, underutilized buildings, and the responsibility to manage resources sustainably in order to ensure a strong public education system in the long
term. I recognize the weight of these decisions and the district's effort to plan for the future of the system. fundamental At the same time, it is essential to give equal weight to what has been
shared by the communities directly impacted, school staff, families, and most importantly, students. For them, these schools are not just buildings. They are places of belonging, stability, and care where deep relationships and
effective learning environments have been built. Forech. Forech. Significant. One concern that has been voiced very clearly is that this proposal focuses only on closing buildings without
presenting any alternative options that could be considered to avoid closures. This concern is even more serious for students who have already experienced one or more transitions due to previous closures and who are now facing the
possibility of another significant change. What has happened to these students who have moved from one school to another due to closures? What kind of followup have they received? What kind of information do we have about these
students? Did they continue their studies? Did they graduate? I also want to highlight the particular impact that these decisions may have on students with special needs. For many of these families, stability, trusted
relationships with staff, and continuity of the services are essential. Any poorly planned disruption can have serious consequences for students. Academic and emotional development, and this reality must be considered with
great care and sensitivity. Personal impact. For these reasons, I respectfully believe that any path forward must include a clear, humane, and sustained commitment to ongoing followup with
impacted families, students, and staff, not only during during the transition, but beyond it. True support means listening, adjusting, and responding, especially when challengings when challenges arise that cannot always be
anticipated in an initial plan. I want deeply thank you to all the families and students. We've been listening to all your concerns and questions. Inote defilicia. My vote will be a thoughtful and
deliberate one guided by institutional responsibility by also but the deep respect and love I hold for our families and students. I firmly believe that the way they we make these difficult decisions must reflect not only
efficiency but also compassion, fairness and care and a lot of love. >> Thank you. Thank you, >> Dr. Thank you. Um, the announcement of the
proposed school closures and the subsequent processes since that announcement have been challenging, frustrating, and disappointing for the students, families, and staff members at the four school communities, as well as for the many individuals outside of
those campuses who have deep connections to the affected schools, including alumni, community partners, and former staff members. As someone who counts myself as an extended member of one of the school communities as I served as headmaster at another course to college
ACC almost 20 years ago, I know firsthand the tight-knit family environment that has been forged there by longtime staff members, some of whom I'm looking at in front of me right now. And over the past few weeks, I've also heard that same feeling of being seen,
supported, and affirmed, described so compellingly by community members at the Henderson, Cash, and Lee Academy. I'm not sure that there is an engagement and communication strategy that will ever make a school culture announcement easy or wellreceived. But that said, we've
heard some clear themes from constituents at the virtual and inerson meetings, at public comment here, and through individual conversations and visits that we've had with members of these communities. First, we're framing what is necessary
district restructuring and right sizing as a facilities plan. Facilities do play a huge role in the ultimate vision for the BPS school portfolio and in the definition of a highquality student experience. But to emphasize facilities
as the primary driver as much as the district has can be confusing particularly for communities such as cash where the building is in condition for continued use and it's also confusing for families who will likely be enrolling at another school that is
not yet modernized. We also heard that the why for closure is not fully understood by school communities, especially when our systemwide reasons do not necessarily resonate for them specifically. We do have dramatically declining enrollment as a district, though that decline isn't
as sharply felt at Lee Academy. We emphasize highquality school options close to home as a goal for our restructuring, but ACC represents the only open access high school in four adjacent neighborhoods. We named the ongoing work to ensure inclusion models
at every high school when the Henderson Upper was founded on this promise. We also heard from students and families served by specialized programs for students with disabilities who feel like the programs at these schools are working. And we were also reminded that
some of the factors that place these specific schools on the recommendation list for closure were due to decision-making by BPS leaders many years ago. Whether it was abandoned plans for a merger for Lee Academy or promises to upgrade a facility that ACC
was asked to move to after being relocated there at the district's request. Those are all very difficult truths to hold even as we must face the truth about what the district is today. A reality that is being experienced by school districts across the country.
Just in the last month, Atlanta public schools and Cleveland public schools voted to close or merge dozens and dozens of schools as just two examples. Enrollment in Boston and in many cities nationally is not what it has been. And as I'm sure we'll hear in tonight's finance update, it is doubtful that
enrollment will significantly rebound in the near future. Strong inclusion models are more successful with healthy and stable enrollment and enrichment offerings are more easily provided with a critical mass of students in order to bring more funding. It doesn't necessarily have to be a large school
per se um because the district has very few large schools but a critical mass. BPS has provided an 18-month runway for school closure, one where there is sufficient time to answer many of the questions that have not yet been clarified. The trust does not exist for
families to feel satisfied with this runway. I am hopeful and more hopeful hearing your update tonight, Superintendent, where you provided some more information that I think would have been helpful to share at the in-person meetings around these communities that through this process of ongoing
communication, individual support, and a commitment to deeply seek and understand preserve the values and strengths of these communities that we can in time repair some of the fractures that are being felt today. As a school committee, I feel we should feel an obligation to
progress monitor the implementation and impact of our vote. And I would suggest that we receive regular updates through super superintendence reports as well as through a formal presentation this spring on the status of preparing for clo for closures of the schools that
will close this June. Updates on student and staff support for the four schools being recommended for closure in 2027. and regular op updates from the office of specialized services, including more detail on the district's vision for special education at the high school
level in particular, including school by school views on the programming and staffing models and structures at those schools. And in addition, as we prepare for budget updates and an eventual vote on the FY27 budget, we should ensure that the impacted schools have the
resources to remain at the level of programming that current families expect for those students who choose to remain at their schools through next school year. Going forward, as we sadly have to face the prospect of future closures and mergers in years to come, it would also
be helpful for BPS to be more transparent and situate the role of school performance outcomes in the district's decision-making and to share the exact scenarios and capacity projections that lead the district to determine when relocating or merging a building whole cannot take place. I'd
like to conclude by expressing deep appreciation for the staff of the school communities who have centered students and families throughout their advocacy even as these proposed closures directly impact your lives as well. Thank you for your ongoing role in the culture of care
and commitment that has been forged in all of the affected schools. >> Can I go to you next? Oh, >> we're gonna bounce back and Okay, come on. >> I like to go after you after all guns. I had the
opportunity to attend some of the virtual meetings as well as the inerson meetings over the past week. And I left each meeting
saying the same thing to myself. community's right. Everything that they pointed out in regard to one that the historic blunders per se that the district has made, which if you
trace it all the way back does in fact address or lead to some of those systemic inequities that are rooted in racism. It is true that as a what I was hearing
by the community was that the responses from the district were inadequate in the sense that families, anybody would want to know if you're taking me away from my current situation, you got to give me something on the other side
of it to to hold on to. And I know that families did not feel that. I saw students cry. I saw teachers, staff talk about the history of those
communities, which is it's palpable. I saw a lot of folks who really also clung to what they know that they
did best in serving their students. And it's hard to imagine when you're in such a tight-knit community that anyone else can do that better than you because you know your students. And I don't want to understate the
impact that we know that's small. school environments have on the experience for any student. The personalized sorry the personalized attention that a student receives. The fact that I think at every school I
heard directly from students who said a principal knew my name and that was the first time I had ever experienced that. the fact that particularly for I think ACC and Cash serving a number of students who have bounced around not just schools um you
know um who have experienced transition but also schools in our own district that either didn't serve them well or um or were ended up there because of district assignment. you know, so all of
the things that I was hearing, I left like this is completely accurate. And at the same time, I also heard the the the district's response of or lack of
transparency as we cannot overpromise things and underdel. I think some of that particularly when we talked about inclusion is that we are in the midst of trying to revamp much of what inclusion is across the entire
district. It doesn't mean that co-eing is not a valuable model. It absolutely is. But it's not the only way that inclusion can be done. And we must not underestimate that we have a plethora of schools in our district that are wanting to welcome
each student community with open arms and wanting to serve those students with the same level of fervor as every teacher does sitting here tonight and those who are not in this room. I think also what our district is trying to do is why
you can't think about who gets served where in terms of inclusion plans is because we owe it a responsibility which is a commitment to equity to go back through IEPs particularly thinking about our black and brown boys who are overly
designated on IEPs. And so in some cases, that's why you can't give a clear answer as to what's going to happen with this student when it goes there because you really need that 18-month runway to re reassess and re-evaluate.
And I think it's in the messaging there was something that was that was lost there at at at many of the meetings. Um, and I'm and I hear from from both sides
like on this and I see both sides um on this which makes it extremely tough to think about it. Um, I agree with my fellow colleagues that we have a responsibility as a commi as a committee to think about the overall
academic outcomes that we see from as a district. And the way that I interpret it is that our district is not necessarily looking at, dare I say, a bright financial future.
There are not a lot of resources. We're stretched thin. And anybody knows who's had to just do a monthly budget how that works where you take something away from someone else. And and I also hear the questions of why
is it always these students that we have to take from and I feel that and I think the I think the reasoning like I said goes back to systemic inequity and that means that also this our our
most vulnerable students are going to be the ones that experience that disruption. because on the other side what we're hoping for and what we're building toward is something that is better. To some of the comments that I heard earlier um this evening, I actually want
to recognize a little bit that the district is doing when we talk about taking resources particular away from our black and brown uh students and our multilingual learners. Our next upcoming renovation projects are at the Shaw Taylor
the Ruth Batson Academy and Madison Park, which we heard earlier about receiving a bid. Those are all school environments that serve majority black and brown students. And so it's not a
comforting like statement, but it is true that the district is doing and making that hard work. And we as a committee are trying to do our best to funnel those resources to ensure that those most vulnerable populations are seeing those investment dollars and are
seeing the programming expansion and closing the opportunity and achievement gaps that are associated with that. And that's also going to start with literacy. And that's where the funding is mostly invested.
And like I said, none of this makes me feel any more comfortable. I don't think it should make you all feel any more comfortable. In fact, I understand anyone who walks up and says, "I still don't trust the district." I respect that. But at the end of the day, there is
still the issue of we cannot spread our most vulnerable students across the district and continue to sustain that long term.
Yes, this community deserves community schools that serve a spectrum. Goes without saying. It also needs the funding to do so to do it the right way and it does not have
that. And I think that's just an unfortunate reality of where it is. And I think that weighs just heavily like on me. And so um I don't look forward to taking a vote
on any school closure. Um, but I do appreciate the time that each school took to welcome me in and just to let me listen and to let me just be a part and just commiserate with this.
And I will end with this. regardless of anything of any of the outcomes that's here. What I did learn was that there is an opportunity that we have as a district to go into these school communities a lot earlier and to work
with the staff and to work with them to say this is what we're thinking. Where are you all at? Let's brainstorm. Think of what we can do. Not just alternatives, but everything. transition
plan so that I know that because we don't have that trust with everybody in this room, but I do know who does have that trust, your school leaders and your teachers. So, they should be the ones that are mostly delivering this news, this message, this transition updates,
whatever it is. And I think that there is an opportunity that we have and an obligation that we have. Um, that is also part of equity. And I understand we got to get the timeline right. But
equity is not meant to be convenient. It is meant to inconvenience us but in the face of doing something that we feel is right. So if we are to move forward on continued closures which we have planned then we got to get this we got to get
this engagement pro process right. Um and so I'll end there. Um thank you. Thank you. Um, I guess I I just want to begin by acknowledging how difficult this decision is. Um, and how much pain and
fear it generates for students, for families, for staff. Um, school closures, they're not abstract policies. They're personal. Um, and the public comment over the last few weeks has made that very clear. Um, and I also just want to thank the school leaders and
educators and community members who have engaged with me during this process and shared with me uh the things that made their community so special. I also agree with member scarret. Uh I'm not sure there's an engagement process that would satisfy in this moment and at the same
time I know that less than a month is definitely not it. Um, I also think BPS and this body uh has a history of being incredibly reckless. um from continuing
to expand the budget despite all evidence that we are hitting a fiscal cliff, avoiding the development of an actual master facilities plan and refusing to give families a clear vision for the future of the system, one that many people, I believe, at our central
offices have for their own family and just years of general gaslighting around the state of our enrollment. It is good that we are being a bit more honest today and I appreciate that. Uh, superintendent. Um, but like many community members, maybe even Dr.
Elkins, I am suspect given the history. Um, we don't have a long-term facilities plan. I hate that we call it that. Uh, and part of me wants to continue to protest vote, uh, which I have in the past till we get one. But I also know
that this body has waited too long to do anything to create accountability here. And so doing nothing in this moment also feels like a decision. Uh one that I also think perpetuates inequalities. Uh allows for underutilized buildings to
continue to exist and really at its core um continues to operate a system that spreads resources far too thin to deliver consistently high quality education. Um, but also a yes vote comes with responsibility to ensure that closers
actually lead to better outcomes, not just operational savings. >> My greatest concern in this vote is students with disabilities. In our private conversations, that has been all uh of the questions that I have generated. I'm not confident based on
the information that we've received that we really have capacity in seats and staffing and specialized programs, inclusive settings, or even a transportation plan to fully serve every student impacted by the closures, particularly at ACC um and the Henderson. And I've asked for data. I
felt much better in the conversation that you led tonight, Superintendent, um and the statements that you made around where we are building new system capacity. Um, but intent is not enough when we're talking about students legal rights and their daily access to
services. So, I'm holding a lot of concern and worry here. Um, and then I think like everyone else, I have also held some deep concerns around the process. Um, we're moving forward with closures um, after a very short engagement period for decisions of a large magnitude. And it hit me tonight
during public comment uh, that we spent more time talking about exam schools than we did about this. And um here we are talking about closing schools and reassigning students um including some of our highest need students after only a few weeks. Uh and the imbalance
matters and it affects me. Uh but but I'm going to end here. I understand the financial pressure the district is under. I have um never minimized it. Uh and the urgency does not absolve us of our responsibility to plan carefully. Um
and speed can't substitute our own readiness. Cost savings alone can't justify the decisions. Um I I have this could be my last meeting. So I have I'm up. So like I have sat here
long enough to hear at votes complicated votes where it's like we're going to follow up and we're going to stay engaged in the implementation and the roll out and I think it's been four years. I haven't ever seen that and that
makes me nervous. I I will also say I really do trust you to do this differently than we've seen before. Um and I just hope whoever makes it onto this body, there are three of us, one of us who's definitely leaving, two of us who could be leaving, whoever
comes on this body, I hope we continue to try to hold that accountability. Uh we don't set our own agendas. We don't know what's happening until we're told. I think we could really create a system here that if we we are moving forward
with this I would not I would be shocked if we weren't um as I think the whole room would be but I think we can do something really different um and actually following through on understanding what is happening to the
most vulnerable kids where their place where we've built system capacity and I think in the next trunch of school closures we can do have the conversation that you led this evening which is actually start with if this happens because people know it's happening like
we can use all the semantics but they know it's happening as this is happening this is what we are doing to build system capacity elsewhere so that you can start to lower the anxiety we're in this weird tension where we're doing the political theater of like we're going to
vote on this and all of the things will happen and there's a high probability we'll go through anything's possible But what we're missing is that like I'm telling you systemwide where we are building new seats. I'm telling you for our EI students like we're going to try
to get 20. We've talked to this principal and there's going to be 20 seats here. I know that's what you're doing behind the scenes. I just and I we heard that tonight. I just think it would make this entire experience different for kids, for families, for educators if we led with that at the
announcement of a closure and that the engagement process was actually around that and not around am I saving my school or not, but like what is actually going to happen to our kids in the transition. That's all I have. >> Thank you.
You don't have to. You don't have to. I'll make it short. I hear you. I hear you loud and clear. Uh, I've reviewed and read all the materials pertinent to
the proposing uh closures of the the schools. And pretty much like uh my colleague sitting right next to me here, the concern I have boils down to equity.
The way I look at equity is not equality. No. And of course, we've been hearing racism. We've been hearing uh different categories of people being
affected by these proposed closures. But the bottom line is still equity. My way of looking at equity is this. the closures given the totality of everything. Your concerns
that actual uh situations happening around these three schools taken all together the totality of everything.
The equity question is this. Are these students the likelihood of these students be successful educationally uh to be better or to be worse?
To be worsened those are you that is the bottom line of the questions for me. Thank you. So, thank you to everyone who has presented over the past several weeks, um, who
have talked to us in public comment, who attended the virtual and in-person meetings, who have sent us letters and emails, certainly have read everyone. I think we've all been receiving them. And I'm also very struck by the comments
of my fellow members tonight. Um the issues you were brought up. I always think in in terms of school closings, which is, as we've all said, the hardest vote you take as a school committee member because of the direct impact it
has on our students, on our staff, on our families, on our community. I think in terms of the why and the how and uh member scar I really appreciate how you pointed out we as committee
members think systemwide right we are charged with what's thinking in the best interest of the students all of them in our care we think of the fiscal responsibilities we think of the equity issues etc and member scar it was very thoughtful how you said that we may
think of the systemwide why But it's very different to why at an individual school level. And that was that was very thoughtful. I understand why the superintendent has made the recommendation, why she has
made that recommendation. And I also think in terms of the how, if we approve it, how will the recommendation be carried out? And I very much appreciate and share the concerns my fellow members have raised
today and the direct calling out of the lack of trust. The chair and I speak often about votes we have taken in the past that we felt the district made promises and for a variety of
reasons. You know, my wife always teaches me assume good intent and for a variety of reasons were unable to carry them out. And we think of one school closing in particular where it was talked about a program was moving to another school and that it was said both the students
and the teachers would move and then some teachers chose on their own as they have the right to do not move and parents were very surprised when they moved to the new school and the teachers that they were expecting were not there. So I understand
how the superintendent has said um that this takes time. It's a longer process than we have. I appreciate last year and this year it's a longer process. It's a year and a half process. And I I appreciate deeply the
superintendent's deep commitment to figuring out how we have highquality student experiences for our students to move into and that your refusal to do it without. I second my fellow members
comments about the value of your comments tonight, superintendent. U makes a difference to me too, particularly when you talked about the how how you would do this. I understand and and I I I I wrote it down because it was so
important to me. I think it was Dr. Alkins who said we can and I forgive me if it was another member who said we cannot overpromise and underdel because we have done that in the past. I appreciate the work that is being done now about schools that we voted on last
year to close at the end of this year, Excel, etc. and hearing the superintendent, knowing of the one-on-one work, the meetings that have happened, and hearing from the superintendent about the amount of students that got their first, second, or third choice, um, particularly those
who wanted to transfer early, intentional work has been done that is very different from what has been done in the past. And so the trust I believe is starting to build, but trust takes a long time to build and can be
immediately taken away. And so um I have to believe that you are doing this superintendent because you believe this is going to lead to stronger outcomes for our students. As the chair has said which you you have laid out chair, you believe it is job one for us
to do that. We have to continue to have sensitivity to the communities that we impact in every parts of the conversation. Um both initially how it's laid out and the work that is done with them.
I want to really call out superintendent tonight. not only what you said, but how you said it. >> And anyone who knows this superintendent and has worked with her in the past as a teacher or as a school leader or as an
administrator or as a superintendent another district and now we're lucky enough to have you back here knows that you were speaking directly from the heart tonight and how hard this recommendation is for you and how hard this is as a vote for us as members.
I do believe in the why and the how as you have laid out and I will support your recommendation. Um but we must continue to work with the communities impacted and continue to think about in the future
um how this work is done. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. >> Um I want to thank everyone that has spoken tonight. Thank you all to the members of the committee. I know this is hard, but I'm going to move forward because I think we've heard from
everyone. So, before we take the vote, I'll read the motion. It says, "Ordered that the Boston School Committee hereby approves the following actions as recommended by the Superintendent of Schools.
Close another course to college on June 30th, 2027. closed community academy of science and health on June 30, 2027. Merge the Henderson K to2 inclusion school lower and the K Henderson K to2
inclusion school upper into one prek to8 school community on June 30th 2027. Close Lee Academy pilot school on June 30, 2027. Another course to college, Community Academy of Science and Health in the
Henderson inclusion K to2 upper school will not enroll grade nine students in the school year 2627. Lee Academy Pilot School will not enroll new preK students in the school year 2627.
The school will not be assigned new students except in the case of siblings in grades K 2 to three. All students at another course to college, Lee Academy pilot school and community academy of science and health will receive
transition support and a no pathway priority enrollment preference in the school choice process for placement in school year 2027. If there's no further discussion, I will now entertain a motion to approve the proposal as presented. Is there a
motion? >> So move. >> Thank you. Is there a second? Second. >> Thank you. Is there any discussion or objection to the motion? >> Miss Pavix, will you please call the role? >> Thank you, Chair. Dr. Alkins, >> yes. >> Mr. Kneth Hernandez,
>> yes. >> Miss Palano Garcia, >> no. >> Miss Scarit, >> yes. >> Mr. Tran, >> yes. >> Mr. O'Neal, >> yes. >> Miss Robinson, >> yes. The the motion is approved with six
yay and one no. >> Thank you. Now we'll move on to our report which is a finance update. I'd like to remind our presenters to please speak at a slower pace to assist our interpreters. Let's aim to keep the presentation to 20
minutes. I'd like to remind our city. >> Just give me a second. >> I'd like to remind our presenter to please speak at a slower pace to assist our interpreters. Superintendent, I
invite to give you introductory remarks. Uh thank you chair. Um so tonight we are going to give our annual financial update and uh shortly you will hear from chief financial officer David Bloom and deputy chief financial officer Blair
Dawkins who will review our 2025 2026 spending and frame the district's projections for the upcoming FY27 budget. In November, we began working with schools on their budgets, starting with the release of enrollment projections.
The schools have now received their FY27 budgets, and the planning work will continue through individualized crossf functional meetings with school leaders and their central office liaison. Chief Bloom, budget director Serena Laro, and their teams are working hard
to make sure every school in the district has the funding it needs to serve students, its students. will will return to the committee in early February to present the FY27 spending plan, the official start of the budget season. As I've indicated at the last
few school committee meetings, I'm as always going to be honest and transparent. We're preparing for a difficult budget season. Our budget challenges are due to several factors, including significant cost increases related to historically high health care premium increases, collective bargaining
agreements, rising transportation and special education costs, and of course, this year's enrollment decline of approximately 700,700 students in next year's anticipated decrease of an additional 1,300 students. Tonight, the team will share fundamental
information about the shift to the new funding formula, reimagining funding that is replacing the weighted student formula or what we used to call WSF. They will explain how we are using our new rules-based funding formula that was developed during the reimagining student
funding project, which started in 2022 with an 18-month community engagement process. While it will take a few years to fully implement, we are paying close attention to ensure that no one school community is impacted more than others.
As part of this process, central office departments were asked to use zerobased budgeting and identified significant efficiencies totaling around $30 million. Just as a reminder, these savings will allow us to support schools through the enrollment reduction.
And as a reminder, we took a $17 million deduction in central office in FY25 and five million in FY26. As needed, the team will continue to identify additional reductions from the central office that can be transferred to schools.
As we move toward FY27, I want to assure you that my priorities and our commitment to our key investments have not changed. We will continue to implement the inclusion education plan in our schools. We will support the use of equitable literacy with a focus on
academic rigor. We will provide dual language, bilingual, heritage, language pathways, and language access opportunities in every cluster and region across the district. We will move forward with the implementation of our long-term facilities planning. As you heard earlier tonight, we will continue
the implementation of Mass Core and growing our early college and career connected pathways for our secondary students. and we will continue to make our operations as efficient as possible. These are all long-term district priorities that are needed to get the positive student outcomes we
collectively are looking to achieve. As I cheered with as I shared with school leaders, the budget process is iterative and it requires many conversations from the time enrollment projections happen to when that final budget is presented to you. There will be continuous adjustments,
clarifications, and updates. This update is just one milestone of many in the process. At this time, I will turn the meeting over to Chief Bloom and to Deputy Dawkins. Thank you, uh, Superintendent, and thank you members of the committee for this
opportunity to provide a financial update. Um, this presentation gives a comprehensive look at where we've been in FY25, where we are in FY26, and where we're going for FY27. Our financial strategy remains anchored
in the BPS opportunity and achievement gap policy and a mandate for more inclusive education. Our budget must reflect the lived experiences and diverse needs of our students and prepare them for college, career, and life, ensuring every child has the same
opportunity for greatness. Uh overall, we're presenting sort of three main themes tonight. In school year 25, we closed the year on budget, but required temporary funding to offset some overruns.
For FY26, we are seeing uh continued cost overruns that are requiring more active management to ensure that we're finishing the year on budget. And then finally, we're going to discuss our FY27 budget proposal in its initial form,
including some of the corrections we're making for those overruns. Um so as I just mentioned in school year 24-25 um we strive to match our we strive to match our budget to the approved budget
as much as possible. As we discussed in the FY25 approval process, we had some carryover funds left over from the end of Esser that we were using to help us um sort of what we call it land the plane, right, of the cost uh reductions
we needed to take with the end of Esser. Um unfortunately costs were actually exceeded what we had originally expected for um FY25 for the use of those u carry forward funds. In particular, we saw higher than
expected health insurance and transportation costs. Um, special education costs were high, but that was more in line with expectation and planned use of temporary funding as as were food service costs.
Um, temporary funding came from uh the end of ESSER. We had about $20 million of available carry forward that was used to offset FY25 costs as part of our plan. We also had available additional circuit breaker revenue that we had
carried forward. This is revenue to support um special education and we we'd spent that. We also had about $9 million of areas of cost under spending that we could use to offset these increases. I'll now turn it over to Deputy Chief
Financial Officer Blair Dawkins to walk through our FY26 budget. >> Thank you, David. Over the past few years, we've had to use various uh mitigation strategies to
manage our budget. In that regard, this year is no different. But what is different is that we no longer have a safety net um by way of federal COVID relief dollars. Another difference is the significant
and unexpected increase to health insurance costs. This increase to health insurance is being experienced by not only our city but by districts and municipalities across the country. Other costs contributing to our
projected deficit for FY26 include yellow bus transportation, out of district special education costs, food services for students, and an increased fill rate for our positions. We are actively exploring strategies to
manage costs both in the immediate and long term while still focusing on our student facing academic investments. These strategies are being crafted in close collaboration with district and city leadership. Current efforts
underway include a pause for central office spending, active cost management for the division of operations, IEP review for appropriate support systems for students, and the management of positions in
underenrolled schools. Our ultimate goal is to manage costs with as little disruption to the student experience as possible. Thank you, Blair. Um, so as we look forward into FY27, as the superintendent
mentioned, we're facing a difficult budget season. Um, our period of more stable enrollment has ended. We have a memo in your materials tonight that goes through the drivers of enrollment decline in more detail, but those reductions are primarily due to smaller
cohort sizes moving through the system and impacts from federal immigration policies. Beyond declining enrollment, we face continuation of the cost increases that Blair mentioned in health insurance rates, rising transportation costs,
including bus monitors, and growing special education service costs. As we think about how these major factors impact our schools and our school budgets, we are really at the intersection of three challenging topics we need to engage in our communities.
First, enrollment decline is not evenly spread across the district versus supporting schools in understanding both what this means for the district and more broadly how it impacts their school community. Second, as we shift to our new funding formula, schools with a legacy of hold
harmless or temporary funding have to make decisions for the future year that are tougher but more equitable. Third, this funding model is a uh is new and marks a significant shift in practice after years of not using a full
funding model. To address this, we had to explain the rules of our new formula to our broader community. Last Thursday, we completed the school leader training reviewing these topics and they're now beginning their engagement process for school uh for their school communities. I will say
as a quick aside, I do want to shout out the school leader at the Bates, Megan Harrington. Um I got texts last night uh from a former colleague who's a parent at the Bates who's like, "Oh my god, are you guys actually doing RSF this year? I see I'm at the school site council
meeting and the school year is doing such a great job of explaining the new formula." Um it was so exciting um to just hear that uh directly from the field. Um um so um back on topic, sorry. Um
so every year when we give out school budgets, before we give out school budgets, excuse me, we do a review of central uh budgets with a focus on efficiency and effectiveness. This year we pushed especially hard knowing the challenges ahead and asked our teams to complete a detailed budget
analysis for review by senior leadership. We the superintendent gave us a clear vision of focus on student and family facing positions versus um and preserving
uh those with a focus on changing or reduction to more internal facing positions. So far, we've reduced about 16.5 million in operational efficiencies in transportation, facilities, and food services, and an additional $12.5
million in uh uh true reductions uh after a more detailed review of central budgets for alignment to our strategic objectives. That represents about a 4% reduction overall. So, that brings us to school budgets.
Um, as we've mentioned earlier, we're rolling out our new re-imagined school funding system, name pending, um, this year. This work has been three years in the making. As the superintendent mentioned in her remarks, as we headed into the pandemic, we knew that weighted
student funding or WSF was no longer working for BPS. And after some pandemic related delays in getting our project started, um we engaged in a multi-year community involved planning process to create a new system to more equitably fund our schools.
We know that rolling out a new formula can be challenging and we are committed to providing transition supports to schools as needed over the next two years as we implement. Um we'll be following up with a lot more details with the committee uh about the
rules and um the impacts on schools, but there are a couple of key details I wanted to present tonight. Number one, the formula is rulesbased. Right? This is the same as weighted student funding. You will still, every member of the public will still be able to look at
every single school's budget and go from zero to every dollar in the budget and understand exactly how those dollars get there or be able to ask very specific questions based on the information we've provided. Um, some things that are slightly different. Required staffing and
non-personnel are funded first, unlike weighted student funding that was based on a per pupil model. So instead of funding something like instructional staff per pupil, what we say is based on the number of students you're serving and their needs, how many staff are
required either by contractual obligation, um special education regulation, ESL service minutes, and so on. And then we fully fund those staff. Then we're using per pupil funding very
similar to ways student funding to fund discretion. So there is differentiation in that flexible funding at a per pupil level and there is differentiation in the positions based on the needs of students. It's just that those positions are fully funded even if the class is
not 100% full or 87.5% full I should say. So to sort of zoom ahead to a little bit of what you'll see in February, uh you should expect to see a reduction in FTE both in schools and central office. But you should also expect to
see a continued prioritization of inclusive education, bilingual program expansion, alternative education, and high school pathways. Um, there will also need to be budget revisions uh to account for the the vote
tonight on the long-term facilities plan. We are going to work individually with each school community on what the impact of that vote is for their budget for next year to ensure that all the students in those schools have what they need. They will probably not be getting a formula funding and they will probably
not have a full one pager. instead they'll have a a custom budget. Um I just wanted to give a little bit of data on FTE um just to understand the context when I talk about FTE reduction which is not something that has been a common theme
in the last few years at BPS. Um, just before the pandemic, we had just under $10,000 full-time or 10,000 full-time equivalent staff for 53,000 students. This fall, we have 10 thou just over
10,700 full-time equivalent staff for 46,000 students. This reflects a significant increase in staffing to meet the needs of our students post pandemic. Even as enrollment has declined, as need has expanded,
even with an a required FTE reduction based on the reduction in number of students, we still anticipate being significantly over these preandemic levels. I want to leave you tonight with a reminder of timeline um for you and for
the community. Um right now we're getting a lot of feedback from school budgets from communities through their school leaders and school site council process every day getting getting emails every day with feedback. We're reviewing that feedback, giving schools updated
information. In early January they send us a budget proposal. We review it with them collaboratively with the central office and we bring you back a full proposal on the first Wednesday of February. We'll begin our public engagement process on that day through
March for a vote on the 25th of March on the budget. Along the way, we'll start our city council engagement process probably in March this year and that will continue through the city's budget process in April, May, and June.
Uh, thank you for this opportunity to present this information tonight and we'll welcome any questions from the committee. >> Great. Thank you. I'll now open it up to questions and thoughts from our members. >> Go ahead. >> Do you want to go? >> You sure? Okay.
>> Thank you. I did um give him a hard time in our call this week and I said like just to the point um latitudes and we really you delivered. So, thank you. >> Um, and I do I appreciate the budget
conversation clarity about the fiscal pressures we're facing. Um, and I have said this in the past, so I'll just say it now. I to support a budget, and I'm really holding this for this year. >> Um, it has to be tied to goals,
outcomes, and measurable progress for students. >> Um, and so I'm excited to see that come alive in our conversations. Um, I am taking away what we're hearing tonight as a story of real constraints. Declining enrollment, uh, rising health insurance costs, transportation
pressures, special education costs, collective bargaining agreements. Um, and I appreciate that we're naming these drivers directly rather than attributing them to inflation. Uh, but naming the pressure is not the same as articulating our priorities. So, what I'm am really
curious to hear um is just like what we're looking for as we move towards February is is like the clarity on targets. Who are we trying to serve better? How will we measure progress? And how this budget moves us closer to those goals. >> Um I'm particularly concerned just from
the presentation and then I have some questions about how cost management strategies intersect with our commitments to inclusive education, equity, and service quality. um particularly for students with disabilities and multilingual learners. So >> my questions won't be about how we're
balancing the spreadsheet. They'll be more about our value strategy. >> Um but I appreciate this. Uh I first question is about transportation. Uh >> what is the projected change? Uh I'm actually going to skip that one. We're seeing transportation overruns of 15
million and 25 8 million in 26 uh with 27 pressure driven by what we're told is door-to-d dooror service and IP mandated monitors. What's our total transportation spend? Uh what share of that is actually special education and then how are you thinking about uh
bending this cost curve while maintaining IEP compliance? >> Yeah. So, um we'll pull up some of that. I'll pull up some of that data for you. Um, what I would say is, uh, door-to-door transportation,
uh, particularly for special education as well as out of district transportation, um, is, I believe, a now a majority of our spend. Um, uh, even though it is a significantly minority of students
enrolled. Um, so that is sort of the single biggest driver. I will double check the exact number or I might ask Blair to look it up for me of where we're at with um the transportation number for next year. I believe it's around $150 million alto together. Um
and then in terms of the mitigation strategies, what I would say is they fall into a few ma main categories. The first are category something I would call sort of zoom related >> um efficiencies, right? So, uh, how do
we provide the most efficient service to the kids who are actually riding the bus to get them to school on time, right? And the think the thing we're seeing for that Zoom data is the ability to do better at that and find some savings there. I will also just say, right, um,
improving on-time performance was not free, >> right? and we have done work to maintain routes and shorten them to some extent in order to be able to improve on-time performance and meet the targets we've seen this year. So there has been some
intentional management of those costs. Right? I think we are now in a place where step one was to get on-time performance up and to be servicing the students who are actually riding the bus. Step two now is to really look at the
strategies to maintain that while driving efficiency. So things like pairing nearby schools um so that buses can serve two schools at the same time. This would be things like the Roosevelt lower and upper school managing their
times and buses so that um instead of a family needing to put students on two different buses to go to the lower and the upper, they can be serviced by one bus going to both schools. So that's sort of the Zoom Zoom related category. The second thing we're doing
is just a really comprehensive review of those special education related costs. not to reduce services to students who need them, but to identify places in our s large system where um students may be
getting services that they no longer require, nor necessarily have they even asked for, right? But they may have door-todoor remaining on their IEP or in our IEP data when in fact they no longer require that service. And so we're
checking back in on that data to ensure it's what the student actually needs. right? And moving them to a less restrictive environment if that's possible. And then the third group of strategies we're looking at, I would call student
assignment related. So when families move, are we making sure they understand their options close to home, right? So that instead of having to take a bus a long way across the city, right, they're being serviced in a in a school that's close to home. We think all of these
things will actually bring our costs uh down in the long term. We're hopeful that uh FY27 costs will actually be level if not slightly down from the FY26 final expense. That's what we're
currently projecting. Um, and we are then, you know, trying to be conservative so we're not in an overrun next year, but then hopeful that going forward we'll be able to see some real reductions in future years. >> Tough. It would be interesting. It's
such an enormous part of our budget that it would be interesting for us to spend more time with it. Like >> it's I don't know like almost $3,000 a kid a year we spend on busing. like >> I'll take the cash but the the it would
be interesting to understand like how much of that is because of mandates how much of like what makes that >> yeah where >> number feels so bizarre and >> yeah I mean I think it's it's deeply embedded in the long-term work that
we're doing whether it's opening up inclusion in every building which drove a lot of the transportation you had to bus students an hour to get them to a program. Um, it has to do with the improvement in the quality and the high
quality student seats being more accessible and available to families in their own neighborhood and closer to where they live. So, to cut down transportation, it is deeply embedded in the student assignment process. And so, um, that is that is something that I
think as a committee we will be looking at in the near future. Um, but it really we we have to sort of look at the the nucleus of it and we just didn't have enough parts in place um to really get
kids to go to to offer them seats closer to home that were of quality. We're starting to get to that. I think as David said and you'll remember the ridership policy um you know that that's another thing that we're looking at just in terms of the usage of students doortodoor like are they actually using
the bus and if they're not there's like a wonderful opportunity to have a conversation with the family about it uh because there may be students on there that just don't want to use the bus and don't need to um we also it's a theme of least restrictive transportation is a goal on the IP I think unfortunately in
our system we haven't revisited annually as we should be >> and always encouraging students to become more independent with their transportation. >> So, it's all along the theme of uh paying better attention, working with
families and moving toward independence and least restrictive environment for students. And superintendent, on that note, I will say when I was at Thanksgiving at the next program, one of the things the students were most proud of that they had done in their first two months at the school was learn how to ride the
>> MBTA. >> Right. They were the students were so excited. Yeah. >> That they had learned how to do it and they had really made it a part of their goal at the school was to get the students ready to ride the tea. >> Yeah. It's like such an incredible >> They were so excited. Yeah.
One more question here too. Moving from transportation, staffing's increased. We've seen as enrollment has declined, particularly among support staff. I'm curious which roles are considered mustold to protect the sort of inclusion quality. What areas are uh under review
for reduction? And then particularly around staffing reductions, do we have are we able to anticipate as the new funding system responds to enrollment decline uh where we'll see how how where we'll see cuts and how much?
>> Yeah. So I would say um there sort of two main types of positions we're really focused on preserving as we manage this enrollment decline and FTE decrease with inclusive education. The first are those
um direct service providers who aren't the home room teacher or core classroom teacher um at the secondary level, but who are providing either co-eing support or push in or pull out for students. Um we're trying to preserve those positions as much as possible, if not expand them
in some schools. Um the second is there are a number of those support staff positions that support creating an environment that is conducive to inclusive education whether it's social workers or strand uh specialist staff
folks who are working on get helping students get ready for that inclusive environment. what the the main place we're expecting to see um FTE reductions are going to be in teachers and pair
professionals who are in those like home room or direct roles um as enrollment's down and we just need fewer of those rooms and then there will be some proportional reduction in some of the other roles related to school closures
>> and have we do we have a projection on how much that Um, the thing I struggle with with that is is just that schools are often trying to preserve those roles as much as possible. I think across our schools, if
we were to include the closures um that are happening for this upcoming year, I would anticipate it's going to be at least 3 to 400 um positions >> um primarily teachers and pair professionals in schools um but also some support staff especially those in
schools that are the schools that are closing um just to meet the declining enrollment. >> And then I do one more question. you you've talked about the sort of phased approach with the formula in
>> communities who we've held harmless >> for longer. >> Uh >> yes. >> What guard rails are you putting in during that transition to like I don't know prevent a destabilizing swing for a school? Like what's the threshold for
change? >> Uh it's a great question and it's gonna unfortunately it's going to really vary by school. So, I don't have a perfect answer today. What I would say is um we're looking at the pos the types of
positions that are closing, right? And and why. So, at a high school that maybe has been held harmless, I was talking to a leader who was sort of like, we've known we've had some extra teaching capacity for a number of years that we've preserving because of the
uncertainty around immigration and our need to serve youth. like we know those staff are going to go, right? We're not going to be asking for temporary support for those staff, right? But there are other schools where um
the reduction is a little bit less clear-cut. And what we're asking them to really think about is it's the goal is not to just give you something so you can have it for one more year. >> Yeah. It should be related to either work year transitioning or a very
particular um goal, right? And so what our schools are thinking about is, you know, maybe there's something changing about our school community. Maybe our school community will be impacted by students who are coming into our school from schools that are closing. Maybe, right, like is there something that
could be different a year from now that means having this resource for one more year actually makes a difference? And so as I've been having individual conversations, especially over the last week since we released budgets with school leaders, um we've been really focusing on how to identify those
positions um and provide like a clear rationale. Okay, my last question. Um, you share that you've identified um 16.5 million in efficiencies in
transportation and food services and something else. I can't remember. >> Um, and like 12 million, did I make this up? 12 million in >> You're exactly right. >> efficiencies from central office. >> Yeah. >> I'm curious, we hear about these. I'm just curious like what are the top five
things that got you there? like what is creating that savings and is it a one-time savings or one that anticipate to be reoccurring? >> Yeah. So, um I'll try and give you an example for each one. >> So, for transportation, the example I gave earlier is the best one of this
sort of scheduling two schools to get serviced by the same bus. Allows us to reduce routes and saves us money. Um in um facilities, we're really aggressively looking at contracted work. >> Yeah. and how much of that can we move to capital and how much of that can we
just like slow down to be honest. >> Um and then for food services, we actually think the implementation of the new central kitchen which has just opened uh it's actually going to be a win-win. We're going to get better food at a cheaper price. Um, and so, um, we
are, you know, I think one month away from having our first full month of projections of how that's going, but everything we've seen so far is better. So, this time last year, I was saying it was a $3 million deficit in food services, right? Earlier, we're now at
1.7 projected for the current year. and the director there would be very uncomfortable with me saying this to you today, but he actually thinks we if the things go well, it'll actually come in better than that by the time we get to the end of the year. >> And that's really what's setting us up for success in in food services.
>> Um, in central office, um, I'm just going to I'm going to talk only about my department because I don't want to out other people before they've had conversations. um we did an expansion to um one of our teams to meet a real issue
we were having in performance in the district, right? Um and we didn't fill one of the positions. Um, and as we got into this budget season, we basically froze that position and we're now going to instead of hiring for it,
we're going to cut it because we think with the restructuring we did, we did add another position, a different position instead. We think we can make it work with the position we have. That position was going to do some cool stuff, I think, but we can manage it, right? And so, in that case, it's a
vacant role. Um, I think there will be cases where the roles aren't vacant. Um, we will in when we come back to you in late February, early March, we'll be able to give you some more specifics because we will have had conversations with individual employees who are impacted and so it won't be a surprise
to them. But, um, I will say these are like real reductions that we'll be able to give you specific backup on of where they're coming from. >> Thank you. very naive question around um thinking of
how we are doing um or changing IEP reviews and how um students are hopefully moving from substantially um separate settings into more full inclusion settings. Is that also going to um have associated savings like with
that in any capacity or >> um I I think long term there is some potential for savings with a decrease in substantially separate. Um but I think short term we are not banking on savings for the implementation of inclusive ed.
We're actually banking on spending a bit more money to make sure we get it right. I think we are cautiously optimistic long term that if as fewer kids require substantially separate placements, it'll be able to bring costs down, but I think we're a little bit too early in adoption to know that for sure.
>> I was thinking about the addition of that to the investment that we're >> Yeah. Okay. Um and I had a second question. Um last year we were able to also see um what the net savings
were potential for reinvestment from school mergers and closures. >> Do we anticipate that this year also? >> Um yes. What I will say is um the our financial situation is putting
us in a place where we have less ability to reinvest, >> right? But there are we will when we come back to the committee uh in February, we'll give a full briefing on the savings related to the long-term facilities plan. Um for sure.
>> Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you for the presentation. My question is regarding the formula formula that we're going to be using. So what would be the difference between the financing formula we will be using compared to the one we're using now? That would be my first question.
So, um, for the last four years or so, we actually have not been using a full funding formula because we've been doing a lot of holding school harmless and giving schools soft landings for transition. And we've been doing sort of
a modified formula, but the the underpinning of our budget has been weighted student funding. Um, and that was primarily a per pupil funding formula that required schools to be a certain percent full in order to be able
to fund their instruction and then more than that percent full to be able to fund discretionary programming. And what we saw was uh as our enrollment declined, schools were getting structurally
underenrolled and unable to meet that required percent full to be able to fund their classrooms. And so schools, a growing number of schools were stuck in a
situation of a baseline budget. and those schools disproportionately serviced our most marginalized communities. And so as a result, sort of as we were going into the pandemic, we were grappling with the fact that
weighted student funding was broken and we needed to change. The pandemic obviously threw us all for a loop. Um we used a lot of our ESRE money at schools to provide temporary support and funded that in a very equitable way. But I
think as we are emerging from the pandemic, we needed to regground ourselves in this new formula that funds it funds positions first. I I don't want to call it this, but I almost think of it like weighted classroom funding
>> where you start by funding classrooms and instructional resources and required positions at their full cost for schools and then you add in supplemental discretionary funding at a differentiated per pupil uh amount
similar to what we the way we did it in weighted student funding. Um, you were talking about a plan uh for school leaders, family liaison uh regarding the training in this new formula. Could you um elaborate a little
bit more about that? >> Yes. So um the the biggest resource we have in explaining what we're doing with our school funding is always our school-based teams. And that usually comes down to the school leader and
family liaison. As you know, uh I can tell from my daughter's school that's certainly true. Those are the two people I get the most communication from besides her teacher. Um, and uh the what we're trying to do is give them
some of the key basic talking points explaining why things are different, how the funding is um classroom based at the elementary school level, section based at the high school level, right? How supplemental staff are allocated. And then there's differentiated per pupil
funding. so they can explain it to their communities. Um the other thing that we are working very hard to do um both for the school communities and also for yourselves is to be able to provide a sort of transition narrative.
What is specifically different about your school's budget as we head into this upcoming year? And is it related to the formula or is it just related to enrollment? um or is there something else going on?
Um because we actually had I had an interesting job of trying to explain to school some school years why their budgets were going up in a way they didn't expect, right? Um which was that was a nice that was a nice part of my job last week of explaining why their budget was projected to go up and how
we'd be phasing that in over time. Um, and so really we want to use the school site council and governing board process primarily, but also any other structures that the school has set up to get the word out about how things are different
and get feedback. >> Thank you. >> Let it go. >> Sure. >> Um, thanks so much for the presentation. Um just a couple of questions about the continued academic priorities for investment at the same time that we're
facing these sobering realities. Um the reference to new bilingual programs. I just encourage us as we go into future presentations and and more detail to frame what that program expansion in relation to what we've been hearing from
the community related to incre um requests for increased access making other programs citywide. I think just being really clear about what this is in reference to um especially during that ongoing conversation would be really important. So I look forward to hearing
more detail about that. Um, and then is there anything you It wasn't a question, but was there anything important? >> No, I was just I I I I hear your voice ringing in my ears from your feedback the other day of sort of that that in particular is related to the continued
growth of programs at the Blackstone, um, Sarah Roberts, uh, and the Quincy. Um and actually the last year of growth at the Mather um and then a new program at the Lola Frederick the new Lil Frederick elementary and K cab Cabo and uh Creole.
>> Yeah, there's also Tech Boston and one other so so is it this is a great question. We can find a way to easily give the information in conjunction with it. But there's the rollup of the programs that were already approved and then we have to approve through DESIE a year in advance. And so there's three
programs that are slated and received approval from Desi Desi for the following year. So that's what you'll see in the budget as some of the startup funds for that. We then survey the data to sort of look to say how many more do we put in, where do we put them in,
which school leaders and school communities are wanting to add them. We know like for instance at the secondary level, we don't have very we only have the one true dual language bilingual in MMA. the rest are either heritage or modified. Um, and so that's going to be
like an area we want to work on on the secondary level. Uh, but with our enrollment and particularly our multilingual learner enrollment coming down so much, we we're going to have to take serious stock about how much more we would expand to make sure we can fill
those programs. >> Um, thank you. And just um it may be too early to think about this as well, but just thinking about the rulesbased um uh budget and what is preserved and funding
specific roles first. I'm curious where like the role of arts education plays in the overall vision of of preservation and highquality student experience. And I might add world language to that as well because as we are a district um
with so many multilingual students, I think it could be a real aspiration for the district to have every graduate leave multilingual and build on that strength and have that be something that we um that we name as a goal. But that'll require programming as well as
teachers. Um and I think the arts are just so compelling as a draw for folks to choose um BPS was interested in those in relation to some of the standard allocations that'll be given to schools. >> So um through Ed Vasters we received and
have received um over multiple years just a deep investment in arts expansion and um we've been able to pretty much continue that even with some of the more difficult budgets. Uh so we see that as core and core work. Um at the high
school level it deeply is intertwined with mass core and uh now part of the graduation requirements. Uh so uh world language fizzed th those are all things that the high schools have to have in order to be able to complete mass core.
So, uh, we don't see those as areas like when the schools will come to Probable or we'll be giving them, uh, their rule sheets about what they can and can't kind of touch, um, well ahead of time. And, uh, those will be areas that they really can't. I mean, in some cases, they may have more than what they need
to ensure that students get it, but uh for the most part, they we're going to they're going to need to ensure uh that we maintain and actually increase from where we are, which is I think 75% of high school students are getting one year of arts. We need that to be 100
because it is mass core and then potentially more than that through the connection to the CT programming. So, I think these are areas that in the past PPS would have cut um as you sat at the table and I sat at the table as a principal, but now they're just too much
in the center of what we're doing. >> Okay, that's it. So, I can't let a budget presentation go by without asking a couple of questions. Mr. >> No, I wouldn't dream of it, >> especially since we're not going to have the pleasure of having our chats in January, February. >> Oh, you can always come by for coffee.
>> Thank you. Two quick questions to you. I and and you and I have discussed this a little bit, but I remain concerned about two different ways to look at buckets of our schools. So, one is though you know a lot of our schools received ESSER funds. And some schools bulked up on
personnel. That was their choice. They decided it was the right thing to do for student achievement, catch up all the goals laid out at us. Others were very careful. Didn't bulk up on ESR funds. Didn't bulk up on personnel, but instead did a lot of improvements, for example,
to their building, to the supplies that they had, >> put in equipment, you know, I think of the the virtual driving machines in East Boston High School as an example, right? and the and the pilot uh simulation machine that the school leader there bought with ESR funds instead of
investing in personnel. As we move into this environment, how are we careful in in effect not punishing schools that were careful in their spending? You see what I'm getting at? >> Yeah.
>> Versus those that maybe had put it more on FTEEs. And I know you've put a lot of this towards FTEES. So, how how do you think of how do you think of that? >> It's a great it's a great question and to be honest, I think ultimately the
formula is going to be the great equalizer in that. And so, I think the key thing in this cycle is being really clear and transparent with what any supplemental funding is specifically for and for one year. And I think, you know,
I am sure there will be a small number of examples of schools that are are benefiting from a poor decision that was made maybe even by a different leader three or four years ago with that ESR funding. But I think ultimately this
transition funding over two to three years is what we what we need to do to get the schools to where they need to be um long term. And I think the the big thing the superintendent has said to me,
uh, she said, "We need to do a two to threeyear transition, and this can't be the sort of thing where you just get soft landings forever." >> Right. >> Right. Uh, and so the real um we had a a significant debate on do you do a do you give them the number up front? Do you
give them a formulaic you're getting 25% of your money back? Um, and ultimately I think I mean superintendent not to speak for you, but I think um our decision was you you can't do that without
um it removes your ability to judge whether or not this is a real transition support you need to get you to where you're going or whether it's just a desire to have as much as you can for one more year. And I think our real goal is to
work with impacted communities to say, you know, what is the impact of this change? What are the specific things you're looking for for transition and why? And then we're I we are planning to bring that list to this body. Here are
all the transition supports. We're going to document them. Here's why the schools are getting them, right? Um they're they're still going to show the reductions they're taking as well. and then we can, you know, we certainly then have a review opportunity with the
committee. I think our proposal is going to be pretty great. Uh, but I'm sure we will get feedback along the way on adjustments we need to make. >> It's interesting when you put in place when we the district put in place weighted student funding formula. >> It exposed a lot of inequity that had
happened Yeah. before, right? had schools with had political clout that type of thing end up getting more and it exposed a lot of inequities and the district rightfully so put in place as you called it the soft landings. I think the soft landings really changed the past couple of years during co and then
after to much more concerned about the small schools and what they needed >> to be able to sustain themsel. Um, I've been out visiting a lot of schools recently as as I wrap up and I've been talking to school leaders about the budgets that, you know, they have received and had an interesting comment
yesterday from a school leader who said, "What I liked about weighted student funding is I could sit down and figure out exactly what I was supposed to get." >> Yeah. And I relayed to him your commitment that they're going to feel the exact same way about the rules base now. That they're going to be able to
look and see and try and the public will be able to look and see >> exactly what their funding should be. >> Right. >> There's obviously a lot of uncertainty particularly those that are facing some fairly big changes understanding the differences now in the in their student
population. >> Right. >> Right. And so appreciate your willingness to work through with those schools that are facing some of those particular challenges. >> Yeah. And and you know, I was on the phone with a school leader the other night who had opened up their budget and
was facing an 800 eight or $900,000 shortfall, right? And they said to me, you know, I was expecting 300,000, right? I sort of knew that was coming. And so what we did was we sat down and we went through it together. um he
actually did a lot of the prep work uh and said, "Okay, how much of this can we explain with changes that you may or may not agree with, but are represented in the formula?" And so we actually went through every single line of the formula together. And we found another
$400,000 of differences between what he has now and what the formula says his school should have. And some of those things he understood and some of those things he's like, I'm going to write you with feedback about why I think the way your formula is calculating things are wrong and that will go into our feedback and will be one of the things we will
either adjust or we won't. Um, but what we're really trying to do is get to a place where every school year can really clearly understand the difference between what they have now and what the formula says they should have, right? And then give us feedback if they think
the formula is wrong, right? and we can make corrections if they're right. Um and then make a plan for how to get from here to there. And so I think um there's you know still a lot of work for us to do on making sure the way we've do
because we way student funding had the benefit of all these years of improving our documentation to make those numbers clear. Right? So, a lot of the feedback we're actually getting now is um I got feedback, just an example, where's my social worker for my Slife
program? I don't see it. And we had built it into their social worker line, but there wasn't a clear marker that said, here's how the calculation was differentiated from your traditional social worker to your Slife. And so, they didn't realize it was in that line.
So, we're just that we're redoing the documentation. and we're going to reissue it on Friday and that is going to be made more clear, right? So, some of it is actual formula changes that we need to make and some of it is about updating the documentation so that I can fulfill my promise,
>> right? That everyone's going to be able to calculate it and then they can give me the very specific feedback, right? we think the way you're allocating social workers is incorrect because here's the condition of my school that you're not taking into account because then I can take that and say, "Okay,
superintendent, here's the feedback we got. Here's the seven schools that are in a similar situation. Do we want to make this adjustment?" Right? And that then we'll have, you know, maybe 12 different of those things that we'll have to look at across the system and
say, "Okay, here are the ones we we believe in and that we can afford to do, right?" And so our hope is by the time we get to you in February, we will have done two or three passes of that work so that we're resolving all the lowhanging fruit there. And what we're really then
focused on is how we're getting from where we are now to where we need to be. >> Thank you. And um my last question and and comment and I appreciate how you're working through individual things like your conversation with member Card Hernandez about transportation and doing
I I think it's called in one of the regions click you know where you line up two schools and it seems small it may be you know a couple million savings but this all adds up and it makes it easier and more better for our parents. It's a win so it's talk about a win-win. I I'm
intrigued about healthcare >> because it is increasingly becoming a a very heavy burden to everybody. Yes. >> Right. Look what's happening on a national level, but >> in our jobs, everything. Health care is becoming what used to be a fairly small
line item to a substantial part of a benefits package. >> Yeah. >> How do we get better at communication around that? So you don't think of an FTE of, you know, what the salary is, >> but it's really, you know, salary plus benefits and how do we get people to
understand the value that they're getting? >> Yeah. >> Are the benefits and how do we take a fresh approach to it? And I know I assume it's, you know, it's tied in with the city. So >> yes, >> it's not like we can go off and do our own thing on it, but >> no, I I >> how do we get smarter and and more transparent around healthcare?
>> I I wish I had a great answer. I will tell you it's something the superintendent has also pushed me on uh this fall which is great and something we're working on is >> that's a compliment telling me I brought >> it's a compliment it's very much meant as a compliment right so we always talk about sort of average teacher salary or
average pair professional salary we very rarely talk about the cost of those things with benefits our health insurance costs are getting close to $16,000 per FTE in the system just health insurance not the rest of our benefits >> and that's the portion that we pay that's a portion that we pay. The
employees also pay a portion and that their portion is also my portion is also rising alongside the we get this the same rate increase gets passed through on the proportion >> dollar amount is increasing but not your percentage that you pay >> not my percentage thank you
>> so um I think there are two ways I think we need to improve communication there that we're thinking about one is to sort of employees and the public about the value of your benefits and the value of the benefits we provide Right. We are likely to be spending $175
million on health insurance next year. >> The district is >> the district for our employees, right? Um it makes it uh puts it just about in line with transportation as the biggest single cost we have in the district. It >> and yet we talk so often about
transportation but >> right and so so there is that like both employee and community conversation. And then the second is for our schools and departments when they're thinking about their budgets and the co and what they're planning. How do we make sure
they're understanding if we add an FTE, it's not just the salary, it's also that health insurance. So, superintendent, I've heard your feedback. I'm working on it. We'll have a better plan in place very soon. >> Thank you. that that's kind of eye opening that we're spending effectively
the same on health care as we are on transportation and yet we focus so often on the dollar spend on transportation >> and it's this is a nationwide problem. >> It is >> obviously. >> Yeah. I mean we we over the course of basically three years we will have gone
from spending 125 to $175 million on health insurance. >> Thank you Mr. Bloom. Thank you for you and your entire team for the work that you do and I know this has been a lot of work to put in place this new method. Um so I look forward to seeing it in in in implementation.
>> Of course. >> Thank you. Thank you. >> Uh I don't have any question. I just have a request. Uh what I I I think I I I hope that I did not mishe her I did not mishar from you
but um during your presentation if I'm not mistaken the uh expected rift the expected um reduction in force would amount to about 300 positions. Is that is that right? >> 300 400 teaches. >> Yeah I I said that's what I was talking
about for school potentially school based reductions. I see. Is there any way that I know that we you know we we're doing everything in accordance with the requirement of civil rights but I still like to have
a breakdown on um the uh the the staff or the employees that are rift >> uh in relation to the DEI diversity equity and inclusion in
another in relation to all categories protected under civil rights. I'd like to have that. >> We'll we'll be able to provide that sort of information after we've gone through our planning process. >> Yeah, we'll be we'll be going through um
an extensive plan with human capital uh to look at um any of the employees who are impacted, who they are, what we know about them. Um we have a certain amount of churn every year in the BPS. Um and so we're we're looking to to think that
um between vacancies and churn, you know, some many of those folks will be able to find something else within the system. >> I understand. >> Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. >> Still, >> but we still want to look at it. I think the other thing driving that number that
um I know um Chief Bloom um uh and Deputy Dawkins um would say is we are eliminating based on enrollment a great deal of classrooms this year because there are just no children. And so that is actually what's driving that
number. uh because when you eliminate a classroom, you're eliminating an educator, potentially a paraprofessional, potentially other services connected to that classroom. So, it is um some of uh that projection
of the 300 or whatever it would it would be are going to be directly related to just there's no kids. And then there's others that would come from the school as the school is thinking about how to manage having less money. Um what they
would prioritize according to that school's goals, what they're trying to accomplish. >> But compliance we will always will drive and in fact drives reimagining >> um compliance which is was your underlying question as well, right? Like we're always going to be looking at
that. I will say, you know, we hadund in our approved budget for this year, we had 160 positions at the Denver, Excel, and the Lion, right? Three schools that will be closed for next year. So, that's obviously a significant portion of the
reduction. >> I was going to say my my one question that I want to ask tonight piggybacks on that. Yeah. because I'm also looking at with those coming in then what happens with the bumping or other kinds of things that can happen if my position is
related but I'm still here and what what kind of destabilization can that cause has a ripple effect across the district as we're trying to look at quality educator sitting before kids and our how do we preserve
>> that piece with all of this. So um it is a little early for us to know until we get school budgets back like what categories of teachers and so forth. But the way it would work is we have an enormous amount of provisional teachers that we carry in the system or
teachers on waiverss or working toward their but not yet certified. All of that happens before we ever get to teachers with seniority. And so, you know, we'll look at high impact subject areas and then really work thoughtfully when, like, for instance, the school's
closing, we go we uh Francis Kanty and her staff are already looking at teach how to help teachers with certifications, get into other kinds of certification programs. Um, and then we make available the list of what what
what positions are available. We will likely work very heavily using the regional model this coming year because that's why it's there. It's to disseminate information. So we'll probably heavily use that so that leaders can make recommendations. I'm losing because I cut a classroom. I'm
losing this particular educator. Excellent educator. Want to get that educator into a classroom. They'll make those kinds of levels of referral. Um we will systemize it as much as possible. So we'll have more of that once we start to get those schoolbased budgets back.
But your questions are all on point. There's a information we need to be protective of. You know, we've made uh a tremendous effort to ensure that our workforce in in race and in language and
in experience reflects and represents our kids. And we don't we want to be able to preserve those that we've recruited, right? So, um it's everyone's interest for that. So, we'll just we'll be working through that as part of the human capital project.
>> Okay. Thank you. Um uh we'll now return to public comment and we'll thank you and I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of you in the new year. >> Sure. >> Thank you. Okay. Okay. Well, we will now move on to business. And at this time, I
would now like to invite my fellow members along with the superintendent to join me in celebrating a dedicated member of our BPS community. Today, we recognize Michael O'Neal for his many years of outstanding service and leadership on the Boston School
Committee. Throughout his tenure, Michael consistently emphasized the importance of monitoring our own progress and holding ourselves accountable. He often drew on his deep institutional knowledge to remind us of where we've been, what has worked, and what we must
continue to uphold as a committee. His guidance helped ensure that our decisions were responsible, transparent, and made with an eye toward long-term sustainability, particularly when overseeing the budget. The committee has benefited greatly from
Michael's business experience, his forwardinking approach, and his integrity. As a graduate of this district and a proud Bostononian, he consistently demonstrated a deep love for Boston and the Boston public schools. In addition, his work with the Council
of the Great City Schools strengthened this committee and helped bring a valuable national perspective back to Boston, always grounded in what was best for our students. What has always driven Michael is his belief in the quality of education and his commitment to ensuring students are
college and life ready, prepared to move forward with confidence. He has spoken often about his pride in our students and his hope that they will one day return to Boston and give back in the same way he has. Michael, your voice will be missed. Thank you, Mr.
O'Neal for your leadership, your dedication, and your lasting impact on our students and on the Boston student school committee. I will now read the proclamation. Thank you. Which says, "The Boston School Committee
extends its deepest appreciation to Michael D. O'Neal. Whereas Michael O'Neal has served the students and families of the Boston public schools with exceptional dedication since his appointment to the Boston school committee on July 15,
2008. And whereas Mr. O'Neal has provided steadfast leadership throughout his tenure, including his service as chair and most recently as vice chair, guiding the committee through pivotal decisions and periods of transition. And
whereas his integrity, institutional knowledge, and thoughtful guidance have had a lasting and positive impact on the district and will great will be greatly missed. Therefore, let it be resolved that the chair and the members of the school committee of the city of Boston
join with the superintendent of schools in expressing their heartfelt appreciation to Michael O'Neal for his many years of distinguished service and extend their warmest wishes for continued health, happiness, and success in all future endeavors. December 17,
2025. signed Jerry Robinson, chair, Boston School Committee, and Mary Skipper, superintendent, Boston Public Schools. >> Um, congratulations, Michael. Superintendent, would you like to say a few words? >> Sure. Um
17 years is a good run. Um but you know you represent so many different facets being a student yourself of the BPS and a graduate. Um your work with the business community and always bringing that voice into every discussion uh to
just your leadership as chair of school committee and then your ongoing membership but also at the national level the work you've done with the council of great city schools representing Boston always so well. um and serving uh for them as as chair as well of the executive committee. You
know, you really exemplify in so many different ways what leadership is about. Um you have had your share of difficult votes in your time, tonight being one of them. And uh you always do it with dignity and empathy and respect for the people that you're impacting, always
with keeping kids at the center. And so, um, I am, this is bittersweet in many ways for me because you are leaving one body, but I know I will get to work with you and the students of Boston will benefit from your work at PIC um, as the new executive director. Um, and I know
that that Boston students will be centered in that work and cared for in that work. Um, so while I'll lose you here, I will we will gain you over there. Um but you you truthfully have um even for me personally as a school leader, you always somebody that showed
up to my school, asked questions, came to graduation, was invested uh and I always felt you were somebody that was approachable and I could go to as a as a school leader. Um and certainly in school committee uh and in my journey as superintendent, you've been pivotal uh
along that way as well, just always being a mentor and a friend. So, I just want to thank you so much and I uh I wish you all the best and uh I know this energy will come to this next step. Um we do have um a couple of things for you. Um these are going away presents.
Um so the first is in case you ever lose your way in Charles Town. Hold on. Open it. >> Yeah, you can open it. >> Oh boy. There it is.
>> The Michael O'Neal way. >> Or if you're in an argument, you can say it's the Michael O'Neal way. Um, but either way, >> how much my wife and children will go for that. But, >> um, but this one is, I think, extra special uh, and probably a very big
surprise. Um, but it is known that your father received uh a Revier bowl. And um this is a for those that don't know it, it's a very prestigious uh bowl that was said to be carved by Paul Rivere. Um and
this is obviously uh in that memory and replica. Um but the idea of it is to it's only given to the people who over a long period of time have consistently showed civic leadership and impacted in an incredible way. And um so this was
you will actually see that the inscription that was on your dad's bowl is the same inscription that's on yours. >> Um and so I I don't think there's any higher honor that we can give you but very very welld deserved. Well, it's all wrapped. >> Yeah, you have. >> It's wrapped.
>> I want you to open it to take a picture. >> Okay. >> I thought about opening it. This is if it's so my father received one from Mayor Collins after his years of service with the with the city and it sits on my wife's and I dining table.
It filled with flowers every Thanksgiving. And you can read the inscription. >> Boy, you're testing me now. >> Yeah, exactly. The eyes. >> Uh, presented Michael O'Neal, school committee member 2008 to 2025.
in grateful appreciation of his 17 years of dedication and service in the city of Boston December 2025 and Mayor Woo's insignature is on the other side. >> Thank you.
>> Are you wearing contact? >> That was tough. The light. >> Yeah. If I could just make a a quick couple of comments >> back to the rest of the members. >> Absolutely. >> Like to give members an opportunity first to make comments. Go
>> ahead. Thank you for your services. I do remember uh the conversations we had before, Mr. O'Neil, because you have voted before to elect some of the uh or
many superintendent in the past. I do remember very well those conversations we had. I would like to say that your vast experience and the way you communicated with me, it was a great learning experience to me.
>> I did learn from you, Mr. that there are difficult decisions we have to make but we have to make decisions. I did learn as well that there are some gentlemen left in this world still. >> You're kind, you're respectful, you're a
gentleman. And those are qualities that I do appreciate very much. Wherever you go, you will be I know you will be very well and there is nothing they can take away from you, which is your kindness, which is being a gentleman, which is everything you
represent. They cannot take that away from you. Wherever you go, Mr. Boston School. >> My best wishes for you, Mr. Lyn, for all your services, for all the years of services, for the many hours allocated thinking about how to better the lives
of the students. And that is something truly I do appreciate for all your dedication throughout the years. >> Thank you so much. >> Thank you. >> Thank you very much. uh you were the first person I think that reached out to me um when I started on
the committee and um I remember just how welcoming you were eager to to work with whoever was willing to step up and to volunteer. Um, and I always appreciate that you were
also someone who made me actually think there were 30 hours in one day, particularly because not only were you someone that I identified with that was working a full-time like job, it was you were also
at every school event ribbon cutting. Uh, you were leading at the time the superintendent's evaluation. you were doing all of these other aspects that really was a full-time job. And so I was just like, you just either don't sleep
or you're a vampire, which whichever. Um, and so I think that was inspiration for me to really look at my own structure of time and to say, all right, if you truly want to be a dedicated
member on this, these are the things that you should probably be involved with. Um, students need to see you. Um, community needs to see you. Um, partners need to see you. Um, and so I've I've taken that on as like something that
I've learned from you. Um, and I'm deeply appreciative of being able to work alongside you and even the times when, you know, you've you've pulled me to the side to say, you know, think about every decision, but I think also because of 17 years, you've had the
perspective. And so for you to tell you the stories of the people where you made a decision years ago and to hear from them 10, 12, whatever years later, how they've reflected on that and you get the perspective to think whether or not you should have gone a different way or
or you feel like you made the right decision. So um I think in that sense it's you know that that's sort of helped me um try to keep things in perspective for the long term. So, uh, I'm deeply grateful for just these moments that
I've been able to share alongside you. So, thank you. Thank you. >> Um, the thing I remember about you was the first impression when I almost eight years ago when I was first
appointed by Mayor Walsh and in my swearing in you know who show up you the only member of the school media back then that show up and I remember I I I say to myself maybe this is the guy that I should go out and have a drink with a
real drink but I we didn't have a chance um I came on with a lot of uh how would I say it? I was pretty uh let let's put it this
way. I I I was pretty pissed >> at the way the the the school committee is working back then and the kind of school issues that that we're facing. And I brought that to the may to Mayor Walsh and he he put me on and I came
with that kind of anger. You mellow me. You teach me how to be mellow. You impart your your knowledge, your skills, your experience,
and you taught me how to approach issues looking at all angles, not only from a liberal way that I was brought up to to view things. So, I do appreciate that.
And um I hope that our our friendship going to >> last until uh uh I step I step down from friends >> but again
>> let's have a real drink trick sometime. Thank you. >> No longer a quorum. Um one I'm sure you're going to be super happy to get your Wednesday evenings
back. So, use them wisely. Um I was we were at a holiday party at the same holiday party recently and um I was moved there was a school leader um who just shared she was like, "You were on the school committee when I was in high school." And I squeezed her afterwards.
I was like, "Girl, you can't say that." But what I did love was Yeah. But what I did love was just the recognition of like the story of her BPS experience from student to teacher to assistant principal to principal. You have been a
thread in that. Um and so your service has been seen and experienced and and >> we lost her to Canton. >> Yes, she's now in Canton. >> But you and I both tried to record her back. >> Yeah, we'll get her back. She's good. But really, thank you for everything and um and like congratulations on this next
chapter. You deserve you deserve your Wednesdays and your Monday mornings and all those things back. Um, member O'Neal, I'm also reflecting on feeling really old today hearing that 2008 because our first intersection and
really my first exposure to um school committee membership and the relationship and the partnership between school committee and and the school district was when I was working as chief of staff for Superintendent Johnson and you were still a young fledgling member.
you you were um you were on the newer side and you know navigating all of the different personalities and requests from school committee members. you were always extremely collaborative um and forthright and very steadfast. Um and
then and now you're also very um thoughtful in your listening and careful and intentional with the words that you speak and I that's something that um I really um appreciate from you and hope to hope to model that too. Um, you also
me mentioned in one of the presentations earlier today that you had a a one-on-one conversation with the school leader about the budget. Um, and I think there's a lot of work and conversations that you do behind the scenes um to further understand situations and context often through individual
conversations with school leaders. Um, and I think that's very appreciated from the school leader community. Um, and then you just referenced, you know, trying to uh talk to a a a school leader who left and trying to get her back. Um, and you're smiling because you know that
um a conversation that I had with you when you reached out when I was still living in DC was very very integral um to my returning to to BPS to to lead Latin School at that time. Um, and something I'm very grateful for and I'm glad that we got this opportunity to
overlap briefly as colleagues on this body. um and wish you the best going forward. >> Thank you. Um I was reflecting as well. I've probably known you the longest right from when I first joined the school committee and I'm very glad you came back an important time for our city
and for our shared alma mater. If I may make just a couple of quick remarks and then we can all get out of here. >> Is that okay, Madam Chair? >> Do I get to say >> Oh, I'm sorry. Okay. Well, you said such beautiful things about me before. Those are the scripted reports. >> I'm an Irish. I get real uncomfortable
as an Irishman. I'm really uncomfortable with this. >> I know you are. But um I just want to thank you because um we've been joined at the hip for a while here and um you know I can remember my first me meeting 12 years ago when we sat down in your
office down at the um >> old building court street and looking at the map of the district and you're pointing out all of the different schools that you've been visiting through and that that certainly was a red flag for me about aha got to get
around you've got to get out. um and that um you really um led the way in terms of helping us to remember that it's not just what we do here, but it is getting out being about listening um
seeing students celebrating um holding many many um school superintendent >> accountable um working through the churn of this last decade. um including a pandemic and any number
of things, but you always were a positive thinker um pushing us forward, never letting us sort of get down or negative about it. Um but you know, seeing where we where we both come from and where we needed to go. Um thank you
for your leadership around the work with the council, the great city schools. Um and that certainly helped me to grow and school committee leadership from a very different different perspective. Um sharing Glen Cooter
>> on speed dial >> on speed dial. >> But um I just I I I thank you for being a son of the city um and a champion to this district and knowing that what you're about to do next is only going to do that much
greater for for more of the city. but really for most of our students as well. So, thanks a lot. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. It's an honor to serve by your side. And as as you know, you are sick and tired of me saying it. You know what I'm going to say right now? I am the happiest person in the city of Austin that you were chair of
the school committee. So, um I want to first acknowledge uh two of my colleagues, Dr. Elkins and member Cadet Hernandez, because as Mr. Cadet Hernandez said earlier tonight, your term is up and you are waiting. you know you have applied and you are waiting to
find out the next step and there have been several times in the past I have walked out and not known if it's my last meeting so I want to acknowledge and thank you for your work in particular I both of you I have learned every time you have spoken I have listened you're both so thoughtful in the way you have
pushed the district and um may have had different viewpoints at certain points but I that's the beauty of us working together as a committee and I have learned and so I am appreciative of the work that both of you have done and I want to make sure acknowledge that tonight. Um I thank Chair Robinson, my
friend, my colleague in this work, Superintendent Skipper, who we are delighted to have um leading our district now and the fellow members of the committee. I thank the past superintendents and past members that I have worked with. I thank Mayor Manino
for originally appointing me as well as Mayor Walsh and Mayor Woo for their trust and support and reappointing me over the years. We're so blessed in this city to have mayors who so strongly support um the Boston public schools. I also thank the senior teams of the
district and of the mayor's teams um and their education advisors including Dr. Rebecca Granger who is with us this evening and the past and present that I've been honored to work with and also the executive secretaries of the school committee Miss Lena Parvox now Miss Liz Sullivan before her Jennifer as well who
works with the school committee and and particularly the incredible school leaders has been referenced. I I love being out schools and meeting the school leaders and the teachers and have formed such strong relationships with them and all those in our schools who so devoted to improving the educational
opportunities for the youth in our care. I've had the honor of serving this committee, as we said, for 17 and a half years. But I truly admit my favorite time has been in the schools. Many of which I've visited multiple times. And we can honestly say we have great learning going on in this city day
in and day out, often not acknowledged. Just these past few weeks, I've been visiting schools. I've seen example after example of exemplary teaching and learning going on which you never see or hear about publicly including just this morning in the Manning school in Jamaica
plane where I went to K to 6 many many years ago but this happens in every neighborhood of the city. I'm proud of how we've worked together for inclusive opportunities for our students to improve the education for our multilingual learners. how we worked to
focus on not just achievement but also increasing opportunity for all of our students. I'm proud of the improvement of our facilities particularly touched by the new buildings that we built and everyone knows the Carter School is so special to me and by the way I thank
Brian Mclofflin from the city and the district for his work in making that happen. the improvements in our food service, what the Shaw Family FA foundation originally did and now with the with the My Way Cafes and which now the food service department has continued. Had a delicious meal at the
Manning today. The Lakis were excellent. Our family and community outreach, our increase in nurses, counselors, social workers, librarians, our bus monitors, our custodians, all of whom play an important role in helping our students be in the best position to learn.
Jerry just mentioned, Cher Robson just mentioned I'm thankful for the involvement Boston has had in the Mass Association of School Committees in our time as chair. We both have Glenn Cooer on speed dial that keeps this district out of this committee out of any trouble. Um, and especially our work
with the council of great city schools, particularly Dr. Cassley and Dr. Hart and their teams. BPS is a better district because of our support from the council of great city schools and from the fellow members in the district. I could have not have done this work all this time without the support of my
family and friends. I thank my sister Siobhan, a retired special ed teacher who was very helpful in my early years in this committee and joined me at the Carter School the other day. Sorry. My brothers John H and Rob and my sister Megan who has been in this chamber a
number of times in support. My wife Ron and I, our immediate family is Tyler, Zach and Sara Murphy, along with his part, their partners, and all have been incredible cheerleaders in this work and provided me a real grounding for me in their educational journey.
And my loving wife Anna has been the most understanding and supportive spouse I could ever imagine. If she had a dollar for every time I said I can't do that, I got a school committee thing would be retired in the south of France right now. Even if my French teacher at Latin school said I was not speaking
French BLS quality >> because you probably weren't. >> I wasn't right. Thank you. >> You know, I'll finish by saying as much as I've loved being a part of the Boston business community and I thank the partners at Zosmus where I work now um as well as the past leaders of SBI, Bank
of America, Citizens and US Trust who encouraged me in my desire to help our community. I must say being on this committee has been the honor of my career. I always say we don't do it for the pay or the praise because we get very little
of either. But Boston public school set me up to succeed when I went on to college and and beyond and in my career. And I've always been driven to ensure most student more students in Boston get the same opportunity I have. I have praised,
pushed, prodded, explored, brainstormed, all to help our district approve, always solely focused on our youth. So, no doubt I've made mistakes. But I paraphrase President George Washington himself in his final address when he said, "I am unconscious of
intentional error. However, I am nevertheless too sensible of my defects not to think it probable I may have committed many errors. So, I shall also carry with me the hope the city will view them with indulgence. I'm excited to continue my work for
Boston residents with the Boston Private Industry Council in January, where we work to further the mayor's education and workforce development goals at the intersection of the business community, city hall, the BPS, and our young adults and adults alike. So, I'm not going far, but I will always respect and appreciate
the work that you do in this chamber. So my fellow members, I close with these comments I've often found so applicable to our work on this committee and from President Teddy Roosevelt. Many of you know the speech, right? The man in the arena
>> and I'll just paraphrase a quick part of it. The credit belongs to the person who is actually in the arena whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood. Who strives valiantly who is who comes short again and again because there is no effort without error or shortcoming but
who does actually strive to do the deeds. Who knows great enthusiasms the great devotions. Who spends themselves on a worthy cause. Who at the best knows in the end the triumph or high achievement and who at the worst if they feel at least feels wellbeing greatly. That's what this committee does.
>> Thank you. >> I need to take a picture. So, >> you want to down there? >> Do you want me to journ? >> All right. Let me let me adjourn and then we'll take a p picture. He says that concludes our business. >> I have one. Sorry. Sorry. I didn't say
it in my comments earlier, but I wanted to acknowledge everybody in this room who attended those community meetings and spoke to families. >> That is not an easy thing to do. It will never be an easy thing to do. Um but uh
it's it's it's more than a job at that point. um and it is an emotional investment that um you all are making in talking to communities that um particularly with that level of news. So I just wanted to extend thank you for showing up day in and day out uh for
doing that. >> Yeah. And especially Chief Stannis Loss. Um thank you business, new business dealing with Mandarin. Um, I want to talk regarding students. Uh, this is like kind of new business
that they were talking about bilingual programs especially in school. Josiah Quincy And there was a memo in which we agreed it was invisible to continue that conversation. and I want to bring it as a new business uh because of the amount of families and
kids that we're expressing. I would love to have a bilingual program maybe in Mandarin. Um, so we can uh we did say that in January we'd have some additional conversation about this so we can pick it up in January. Um, I think it was just we gave the memo to get the
information to you but with the idea that we would continue that conversation. >> Thank you. Appreciate that. >> Thank you so much. >> I'm just going to close the meeting out. Um, do that. That concludes our business for this
evening. The school committee will hold virtual meetings on Zoom from January through March starting at 5:30 p.m. The committee's annual organization meeting will take place on Monday, January 5th at 5:30 p.m. Our next regular meeting
will take place on Wednesday, January 21st at 5:30 p.m. Again, those meetings will be held virtually. The complete 2026 meeting schedule will be posted on the committee's website after it is formally approved at our organizational meeting. There's nothing further, I'll
entertain a motion to adjourn the meeting. Is there a motion? >> Second. Thank you. Is there any objection to approving the motion by unanimous consent? Hearing none, this meeting is adjourned. Thank you all. Have a good night. Great vacation and let's take a picture.
>> Nice holidays. Part: 2
Good evening. Good evening and welcome to this meeting of the Boston School Committee. >> Good evening, KE. Good evening. Good evening. Could we just ask if everyone can take their seat, please? You hear it?
>> No. >> Hello. Testing. >> Hello. Our mics aren't on. Is it not? >> We have no mics. Not on. >> No. Testing. Testing. Testing. Testing.
>> No. No. >> I know. But the problem is they can't. Okay, now we can. Can you hear that better? Can those in the last row, can you hear us? >> Test test. Test. >> Leia. Leia. Suena. Leia. Can you hear us?
No, >> you cannot. >> Becca's going out. >> Audio. >> I feel the same way sometimes in my class >> when the tech when the tech doesn't work. >> No, more like >> Hello. Hello. Without Yeah.
>> Is that what we do? >> Hello. Hello. Hello. Yeah, now they're working. Can you hear us clearly? >> Yes. >> Okay, great. Thank you. >> All right. Good evening and welcome to this meeting of the Boston School Committee. I'm Chair Jerry Robinson. We'll begin with the Pledge of
Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
for all. >> Good evening everyone and welcome to this meeting of the Boston School Committee. I'm chairperson Jerry Robinson. I want to welcome everyone who is joining us tonight in person on Boston City TV and on Zoom. I'm going to
ask everyone here in the chamber to please turn off the volume on your laptops or other devices so that it does not interfere with the audio for tonight's meeting. Thank you for your cooperation. Tonight's meeting documents are posted
on the committee's web page, bostonschools.org/school committee under the December 17th meeting link. For those joining us in person, you can access the meeting documents by scanning the QR code that's
posted by the doors. The meeting documents have been translated into all of the major BPS languages. Any translations that are not ready prior to the start of the meeting will be posted as soon as they are finalized.
The meeting will be rebroadcast on Boston City TV and posted on the school committee's web page and on YouTube. The committee is pleased to offer live simultaneous interpretation virtually in
Spanish, Haitian Creole, Pepper Bian, Cantonese, Mandarin, Vietnamese, and American Sign Language. The Zoom interpretation feature has been activated. Zoom participants should
click the globe icon at the bottom of your screen to select your language preference. I'd like to remind everyone to speak at a slower pace to assist our interpreters. Before we continue, I want to
congratulate Superintendent Mary Skipper. The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce's Women's Network has announced its 2026 Pinnacle Awards, one of the region's most prestigious honors recognizing exceptional women leaders.
I'm proud to share that Superintendent Skipper has been selected for the achievement in management and governor award. Please join me in congratulating her on this well-deserved recognition. I want to remind members that you received a school year 2526
school enrollment trims update memo last week. This memo is available in your meeting folder and is has also been posted on the website under today's meeting materials. Members also received a memo providing
update on cycle 3 recommendations for closures, mergers, and grade reconfigures. This memo is also available in your meeting folder and posted on the website under today's meeting materials. Superintendent will offer remarks before
the vote later in the meeting. We will begin this meeting with the approval of minutes. I will now entertain a motion to approve the minutes of the December 3rd meeting. Is there a motion? So move. >> Thank you. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Thank you. Is there any objection to
approving the the motion by unanimous consent? >> Hearing none, the minutes are approved. The report and vote on the Elliot Innovation School Plan will be deferred to a future meeting. We'll now move on to general public
comment. Miss Parex. >> Thank you, Chairman. >> The public comment period is an opportunity for individuals to address the school committee on school related issues. Questions on school on specific school matters are referred to the
superintendent. Questions on policy matters may be discussed by the committee later. The meeting will feature two public comment periods with the first comment period limited to one hour. After one hour, anyone who hasn't testified will have the opportunity to do so at the end of the meeting. We have
30 speakers this evening. Each person will have two minutes to speak and I will remind you when you have 30 seconds remaining. Please feel free to email your comments for distribution to the committee. Speakers may not reassign their time to others. The time that an interpreter uses for English
interpretation will not be deducted from a speaker's allotted time. Please direct your comments to the chair and refrain from addressing individual school committee members or district staff. Please note the comments of any public speaker do not represent the Boston public schools or the Boston school
committee. Please state your name, affiliation, and where you live before you begin. If you're on Zoom, please sign in using the name you register with for public comment and be ready to unmute and turn on your camera when it's your turn to speak. Please raise your virtual hand when I call your name. To
support the interpretation, please speak slowly and clearly. Our first speakers are Solomon Macdonald, Saraphina Lambert, Jason Lambert, Leia Serena, Eileen Carver, and Travis Marshall. Solomon Macdonald.
>> My name is Solomon. I go to Leia Padam. What is school? >> School committee. Please don't close the academy. We really like
you, so please don't close it. Thank you. Rashina Lambert. Hello, my name is Saraphina Lampright. I am a former student at the Lee Academy. These four schools that you are proposing to shut down include so much
diversity. At the Lee Academy, I was able to go to a school where the majority of people looked like me, which has not been common in my experience at other Boston public schools. Going to a schools with that sense of belonging can be life-changing for kids. It helps
students see themselves positively and remind them that they have that they matter and have power. Decisions about school closures should not be based only on whether a school fits a certain vision, especially if that vision does
not fully consider students lived experiences. These four schools serve student populations that are over 40% black, African-American, and over 40% Hispanic and Latinx. That tells me these
schools are important spaces for communities of color. These schools are places where students needs are met and where students feel supported. Closing these risk closing them risk removing environments where students are succeeding emotionally and socially
which direct directly impacts learning. You are setting students up for failure by taking away these schools where their needs are met and are cared for. That is not doing the best for us. Thank you. Thank you very much. >> Jason Lambrite.
>> Hello. My name is Jason Lambrite. I have had three kids go to Lee Academy Pilot School. That's where they started. Then they would go to Murphy School. And then my eldest, who you just heard, she is at Boston Latin School right now. Without the start of Lee Academy Pilot School, I
do question their ability to be able to grow and learn in a way that they felt free and able to just be willing to learn those different things. At Lee Academy, they not only learned ABCs and reading, but they learned emotional intelligence, they learned how to play
with friends, they learned how to be able to talk and be willing to be empowered, such as my oldest daughter. When you close these schools, don't just look at it as a facility because again, they were not asked to be in many of these facilities. They were told they would be put in these facilities. I want
you to think more about the community that was built around them. People that were laughing, smiling, kids having a great job, people that are being uh empowered to make decisions. One thing, for example, is my youngest son. Without a smaller school, I fear he wouldn't
have been able to get noticed for some of the discrepancies and disabilities that he does have. Without a Lee Academy Pilot School noticing some of the delays or things going on, I question if he would have just been kept moving along until later we realized there was a
problem. Schools like Lee Academy exist for a reason. It's not just because it's a specific boutique school. It's a school that is helpful for many kids and families. >> So, I ask you again to really think
before you vote and close the school that didn't just help just a small group of kids, but bigger kids that turned into adults. Thank you, >> Leia Serena. >> Good evening. My name is Leia Serena and I am the vice president of the Boston
Teachers Union, a former Boston Public Schools student and a former Boston Public Schools educator. I began my teaching career at Lee Academy, one of the schools being voted on closure today. Lee Academy is a small Doorchester school with over a decade of experience in inclusive education. Its
size is not a weakness, it's a strength. Small schools like Lee Academy create more opportunities for students to form deep relationships with their teachers, which is particularly crucial for the development the development of students with complex needs. I am the proud godmother of two young women, now 15 and
17, who were once my first and second grade students at the Lee. They walked down the street to school every day, and our bond began with home visits, a unique characteristic to Lee Academy. When they showed me their women or toys, I learned that their father had passed away in a car accident and that mom had
lots of fears about who their children bonded with. That fall, the mother told me she was too afraid to allow the girls to take the long bus ride to a school field trip. So, I went back to the house to speak to them and told them that she could FaceTime me throughout the ride. They have not stopped FaceTiming me since. This relationship established an
emotional safety which led to academic growth because mom not only trusted my professional opinion but trusted me as a person and the school and the trust was particularly possible because of the small school setting that allowed me to dedicate the time and attention to kids who needed it the most. Earning their
trust and doing my part to make sure those kids developed into successful young adults is one of my greatest successes as a teacher. Closing schools like Lee Academy, Cash, CAC, and the grades of the Henderson upper without a clear full resource plan does not improve outcomes. It creates harms. The
communities do not feel like there's a clear plan for where students will go and how inclusion services will be pursu perceived. Disruption without direction is not a strategy. Our students deserve stability. Our families deserve trust and our communities deserve better.
Een Carver. Eileen Carver. Eileen Carver, retired BPS teacher, mother of two BPS grads. I speak tonight in solidarity with the students, families, and educators from Lee Academy, Cash, ACC, and Henderson. The
last school I taught at was the PA Shaw. Our young students and their families, 98% of color, pleaded with you not to close or merge our school without a clear plan for how your actions would positively benefit our children. At that
time, the Shaw was a beloved school um with strong student and family voice. You made the decision to merge us without a plan to benefit the students. And today the Shaw is underenrolled and struggling. During the same time, you
decided to merge two Roslandale schools with significant populations of white middle-class students. In this case, you postponed the merger until these two schools could move into a wonderful renovated building. We are happy for these students and families, but the
lack of racial equity remains stunning. Now today, the students and families at the above mentioned schools, all with large majorities of students of color and all striving to be inclusive communities for students across abilities, are facing closure without a
clear transition plan nor clarity on how students will benefit. While it may make sense to reduce the number of buildings, it never was and never will be acceptable or just to do this on the backs of the black and brown students of Boston.
In 2023, school committee member Cardett Hernandez stated, "How we move forward on these mergers will set the stage for the future." The future is now. I join with parents, students, and educators in calling for data on the impact of school
closings, strong transition supports for affected students, a transparent and thoughtful process with real community input, and a facilities master plan showing long-term investment in school buildings in every neighborhood. Until these conditions are in place, please
postpone the vote to close these schools. Thank you. Next speakers are Travis Marshall, Ross Kaufman, Stephanie Warf, Douglas Peters, and Roger Woods. Travis Marshall. >> Good evening. My name is Travis
Marshall. I live in Roslandale. I'm the proud parent of students at the English High School and the Bates Elementary School. I'm also a member of Quality Schools for Every Student Quest, a grassroots BPS parent group. I'm sure we all agree that students and
staff deserve better than the dilapidated school buildings they've inherited after decades of disinvestment, but facilities neglect has not impacted all schools equally. We must be honest about which school communities enjoy the stability of
regular maintenance for their buildings and which school communities bounced from building to building across the city. We must be mindful of which school communities were first in line for renovations and which were first in line for closure.
I'd like this committee to consider why BPS spent six months soliciting public feedback on exam school admissions compared to the six weeks these school communities received from closure announcement to vote. Why communities which does BPS try to
engage and which communities does BPS expect to quietly fold? I'd like this committee to consider what it means to vote to set aside exam school seats for exam vantage students in the name of predictability
and 42 days later vote to and destabilize some of the most vulnerable students in the name of cost savings. In the BPS cast system, the price of rights sizing the district footprint is historically borne by students who are
intensely segregated by race and disability. We cannot close our way out of a system designed to concentrate privilege in some schools and concentrate need in others. Thank you. >> Pman,
>> good evening. My name is Ross Cotchman. I live in Jamaica Plane and I'm a fifth grade teacher at the Henderson School where I've proudly taught for 15 years. I'm also a BPS parent. Uh my daughter is a third grader at the Mendle. So, this district is deeply personal to me. I
care about it and I believe in its potential. I want to speak tonight from a place of collaboration and shared responsibility when it comes to meaningfully inclusive secondary education in Boston. A meaningfully inclusive high school is
not just a program preference. It is both a moral and legal imperative. We must put the needs of our young people before the needs of adults and their desire to save money and ensure that this option continues to exist for the
families of Boston. Our students need a meaningfully inclusive high school option. Inclusion is not being together only during lunch or gym. Meaningful inclusion means students with disabilities spend the majority of their school day learning alongside their
peers, supported by co-eing, shared expectations, and a school culture built for everyone. The Henderson High School and transition program is that school. Regardless of the outcome of tonight's vote, we must keep this model. We must because we have
not been shown another high school in the city offering this level of meaningful inclusion. A similar model to the Henderson doesn't exist here in Boston. I want to be clear. Families and educators are committed to creating, restarting, or continuing a meaningfully
inclusive high school program in Boston. This is not about holding on to a building. It's about holding on to a promise we made to students and families. We believe this can be done together. The expertise exists. The staff exists. The families are ready. We
need a shared commitment. So I invite you to sit down with us, sit down with parents, educators, and students and join us in ensuring this meaningfully inclusive high school experience. Like doc like Dr. Henderson himself recently said, it is a moral and legal
imperative. Thank you, >> Stephanie. Stephanie War. So, please do not move the mic. No, no, you can come. This is for the public. We're having an issue with the mic. So, just you can speak and leave the mic there. >> Okay. >> Yeah. >> Hi, I'm Stephanie. Um, I have a student
at ACC. I live in JP. I have attended all the meetings about closing ACC. I've been talked at and I've heard the same talking points over and over again. But not once did I feel genuine empathy.
I certainly did not feel the concern I saw for those who want to make Latin white again. Instead, I saw an equity analysis that didn't address the fact that the school is 50% black and has over 50% bipok educators and 40%
students with IEPs. This uneven treatment feels very racialized and makes me question how you are conducting your equity analysis. When I pointed out that the high school closest to me disproportionately suspends black students, I was told that
BPS has gotten better. While growth is good, to expect my black student to feel good about the inequity because it's not as bad as it was isn't reassuring. I have heard some acknowledge that BPS
uprooted ACC and moved it into a elementary school in Hyde Park that they did not want to move to without their input. Yet, nobody has taken responsibility or spoken on how to mitigate the fact that you set up a
community for destruction because you favored an advantaged Green Academy. >> That's not justice. >> 30 seconds. >> It's not equity. It's not even equality. It's injustice. Supporting these proposals is being
complicit in a system that has systematically advantaged a few at the expense of the majority. If you don't want to be complicit, you need to actively work against the system that is set up to advantage so few.
The proposed closing seem to embody anti by any equity metric and that makes complicit an understatement. >> Douglas Douglas Peters Uh, good evening. My name is Douglas Peters. I'm a sixth grade science and
special education teacher at the Henderson Eping School. And tonight, I want to speak for the near total lack of transparency throughout this entire process. So far, can only speak for the Henderson, although I would imagine that the members of the other school committees here tonight feel likewise.
From the moment we began this process a month ago, a little more until now, we have found more and more questions and no answers to any of them have been given and there is no accountability for that either. At the start of our plan meeting with BPS employees last Monday,
reporters in the audience were forced to identify themselves and then forced to leave the meeting despite the protest of parents and teachers alike. Public employees of a public government at a public school were expelled so that there was no accountability for the lack
of information that was given at that meeting. They did not make any effort to check if any of the rest of us were there as members of the community. This was a move meant for concealment and not a move to protect privacy. Although we had many questions for
parents, students and teachers and concerned community members that night, the big question was essentially the same. Which schools in BPS are p prepared to receive our 9th through 12th inclusion students from the Henderson? And will they receive the same inclusive
services and accommodations at that we gave at the Henderson? After five rounds of vague questions, >> 30 seconds, >> one BPS employee would dismissively tell us uh dismissively just not give us an answer and told one of our students, "It'll prepare you for the real world when you leave here."
>> They have no answers. They have no plan. They just told us one of the 20 high schools will do fine and then refuse to answer any of our questions for the second half of that meeting. If you give a vote of yes tonight, you are giving them a blank check to
bulldoze these buildings and then whatever happens next, your name is on it. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Roger Wood. Roger Wood. Roger Wood.
No. Our next speakers are Joseph Burch, Christa Magnus, Ricky Preston, Susan Asai, and Megan Mosc. >> Joseph Burch. >> Hello. How are you guys doing? I'm
Joseph Burch. I'm a onetoone parah for the zool program at Cash. Um, I also live in Brighton. Um, sorry, what was this? Um, I'm currently finishing up my degree in psychology at UMass Boston right now.
And my career plans is to become a speech pathologist. And I wouldn't be able to become a speech pathologist or understand that career without the Zul program and the cash community supporting me. And I truly don't know where I would be at without the cash
community as a BPS alum. And that's really all I have to say. And I feel like you guys are doing a disservice of closing these amazing schools. What's the Magnus? Good evening. My name is Christa
Magneson. I live in Jamaica Plane and I'm a parent to two BPS students. I am also the statewide organizer for Mia, the Massachusetts Education Justice Alliance. I'm here tonight to speak about these proposed school closures and mergers up for a vote this evening. I feel as if I could have repurposed a
large portion of the testimony that I delivered just a few weeks ago when this body was voting on exam school admissions changes. Uh I spoke then about the lack of community engagement and the speed at which that decision was made. This decision is no different. It's speedier. There has been little to no engagement with the school
communities affected and the timeline is you know lightning fast. It's been barely a month uh more than a month since these closures and mergers were announced. As we all well know, the time of year is suspect at best. It is much more difficult for families to find time to engage in the holiday season. It's
also more difficult for you as a body to engage uh given this time and this timing. The only way this timing isn't also an imposition for you as a school committee is if there was never any chance of you as the school committee truly debating the proposal in the first place. I and many BPS families grow weary of
the lack of consideration given to our communities and the consistent non-agnowledgement of our stake and our expertise with regards to those communities. The ongoing lack of a context or framework within which to understand these closure decisions contributes both to that feeling of being devalued and to a lack of trust in
BPS as a system. Both Mayor Woo and Superintendent Skipper have spoken about the need to build trust, but these decisions have the exact opposite effect. Mesia calls on BPS to create and release a long-term facilities plan that can provide a framework for understanding these BPS decisions. And
we stand in solidarity with the students and the families from the affected schools. We urge you to listen to them and to their work in organizing and testifying before you. Thank you. >> Wiki Preston. Okay. Good evening. I want to start the same
way I end with saying God is good all the time. My name is Ricky Preston and I work at Cash High School as a community field coordinator serving as one of the dean of students. I'm a proud Boston public schools alum. Born and raised in Boston. I attended the Alberger Middle School in West Roxberry, the John D.
O'Brien High School in Roxberry and earned my undergraduate degree in Springfield College and I am currently pursuing my master's program in clinical mental health counseling at William James College. But enough about me because today we're here to talk about cash. I started working at Cash this
past September. In just three and a half months, I can say without hesitation that Cash is not just a building. It's not just a school. It's a community. It's a place where students and staff feel protected, seen, uplifted, and appreciated. It feels like home. There's
a quote from the film Remember the Titans that I feel will help paint a better picture of Cash and it says, "Attitude reflects leadership. A leader's mindset sets the tone for their entire community. At Cash, that leadership starts with Principal Simpson
and extends throughout every adult in the building. The culture here is intentional. The relationships are real. And for many of our students, this is the first time school has felt like home. From meaningful professional development meetings that we've had that strengthen us as a team to greeting
students each morning, sending them off at the end of the day, the message is clear. Our students matter. And for students, seeing a principal who looks like them, who believes in them, matters deeply. There is enough there isn't enough time for me to fully help you guys capture
what cash means in 2 minutes, but I hope to leave you tonight with this on your heart. Cash is a family and families are worth fighting for. God is good all the time. >> Good evening. My name is Susan Asai and I'm a member of the NAACP Boston. I'm a
retired educator and I live in Malden. NAACP Boston opposes the four school closures in the superintendent's proposal to the Boston public school committee for the school year 2027 2028.
The school closings impact Boston's most vulnerable students, special education students, and English language learners, and it disproportionately disadvantages lowincome black and Latino students. Black students currently enrolled in the
four schools range from 43 to 50% of the total student population. Latin Latino students enrolled in the same schools comprise 40 to 47% of the student population. It is apparent that the city
administration and BPS is deploying the same top-down playbook that isn't working. Since BPS students today are mostly black or Latino, we need a more nuanced way to identify and emphasize
harmful racial impacts. We understand that fewer students attend BPS than in the past. Some creative resizing of the school building inventory seems inevitable. How this should be done seems to be
where there is room for improvement within the proposal. Is there a distinction to be made between saving a school's culture slash secret sauce versus saving the building? For more acceptable capital planning and greater
transparency, we ask that a comprehensive long-term master facilities plan needed to systematically improve schools as promised by the commissioner Jeff Riley and Mayor Woo in 2022 be crafted with parents. Your time
is up. >> Thank you. >> Community input before finalizing and announcing future school closures and mergers. Thank you. >> Thank you, >> Megan Mos. Megan Moscow. Hi.
My daughter with autism is a student at CASH in the Azul special needs program. I just want to take a moment to shine a bit of light on this amazing program. I can't say enough about how wonderful it's been for her. Of all four of the schools she's attended at BPS, this is the first school where she actually
wakes up excited to go to school and comes home saying she had a great day. When I drop her off there, everyone knows her name and says hello. She's always felt very inconcluded in included there and has really thrived. One of my favorite things about the Azul program
at Cash is that students get to run something called the Cash Cafe. Running their own cafe gives students the opportunity to interact with the general ed population and also exposes them to real life vocational environment requiring use of real life skills. These
include consistency, problem solving, serve safe protocols, excellent job place behavior, following instructions, communication, joint attention, food preparation and cooking, cleanup, including doing dishes, laundry and
mopping, cash register skills, inventory and grocery shopping. For this reason, the location of this program is pivotal because it gives the students the unique ability to walk to nearby grocery stores and Target to do the shopping for the
cafe while also gaining the independence and applying money skills in a real life setting. It is my understanding that another school is being moved into our building and I wish you would consider keeping the program in place there. >> Second. Sorry.
Thank >> Thank you for your time. Next speakers are Joanna Tovar, Witch She Prosper, Foster Allison and Genesis Moretta. Jovanna Tovar. Hello, my name is Joanna Tovar, but they call me Miss Joy. Over at the Lee
Academy, I'm the family liaison and the proud par I'm proud parent of two Lee Academy alumnies. First, I'd like to acknowledge that I understand you did not make the plan to close our schools. I have been hearing a lot of public comments and at times it seems like a lot of it is being directed and personal
to the members. Please do not take it personally. Our school communities are just passionate about their work. I had mentioned last meeting that the problem was systematic. All of these communities are unique and special in their own way and I stand here in solidarity with all schools. ACC
is one of the only schools of its kind with strong supports for students with emotional impairments. CAS shares students with complex IEP needs. The Henderson is the only high school where most classrooms use a co-eing model. What is unique about my school is that we are a pilot school. We are fully
autonomous school. Autonomy given to us by BPS. Pilot schools are a unique educational model distinguished by their greater autonomy compared to traditional public schools originating from a response to the growing popularity of popularities of charter schools in the 1990s. Pilot schools operate under an
independent governing board and are exempt from many district regulations allowing them more freedom in curriculum budget and staffing decisions. Typically smaller in size students population ranging from 200 to 300. These schools aim to foster a close-knit community where educators can provide personalized
instruction and support. It seems that specific social, legal, and political pressures caused the birth of the pilot schools. We were created to save our public school system. Now, it's time for us to for you to save ours, for you to save us, sorry. And studies suggest that
pilot schools have demonstrated a higher academic achievement and engagement levels compared to traditional schools. The capital planning team should have convened a meeting with our governing board prior to this decision. As we are the governing body that makes decisions for our school community, not convening a meeting and giving our governing board
the opportunity to discuss, ask question and bring up solution and vote is like taking away our rights and our autonomy. Which she prosper? No. Um, Pastor Allison.
>> Good evening. My name is Allison Foster, parent of my son, Sage Foster, who attends the Lee Academy. I am here with the simple but urgent ask to please keep our school community together. I want to be clear as a parent and on behalf of many I'm sure agree that our current
building is subpar and in need of improvement. No one knows that better than the families, students and educators who spend the days inside inside it. But a building, however imperfect, is not the heart of a school. People are. And the strength of this school lies in its community. Our school
has built something rare and a powerful a deep connected inclusive community where students of all abilities learn together and thrive. Our inclusion model is a abstract concept. It is lived every day through strong relationships, trust, collaboration among students, families,
and staff. Disrupting or dismantling the community would risk losing what makes this school successful. We believe that this is a better path forward than closure. We are asking the district to work with us and not around us to find solutions that address the building's challenges without breaking apart a
proven successful community. We are ready to collaborate creatively and constructively on options that preserve our school's identity, culture, and inclusion model while meeting facility needs. Closing the school would not simply move students. It would fracture
relationships, undo years of intentional inclusion work, and scatter a community that has taken time and care to build. Once lost, that cannot be easily rebuilt. >> 30 seconds. >> Urge you to slow down. Listen to the families and educators who know this
school the best and commit to the solution that honors both safety and community. Fix the building if needed. Do not dismantle the school. Please keep our community together. Thank you for your time and consideration. Genesis Moretta. Genesis Moretta.
Good evening. My name is Genesis and I have two children in the Lee Academy. A third grader with autism and a K0 with speech delays. I will start by saying there's a saying that says you don't fix what's not broken. And I feel like this applies for our community at the Lee
Academy. When my daughter started last year in second grade, she was a student that had gone through many schools, big beautiful buildings with great structure, but my daughter was not learning. She was not happy and it became traumatic for her and for me so
much. I was worried about her futures in future in schools. so much that when she began in the Lee Academy last year, I signed up for parent mentor program to be close to my child. I was able to do this for a few months. But in the in this time, I can say Lee Academy was the
best choice I could have made. And I should have come across a school community like this long ago. But better late than never, they say. Sorry. Better late than never, they say. Um, now my child
is in third grade. She can interact in a classroom setting. She can tell me about her day. She can go on field trips without me. She has friends and great teachers with amazing communications communication that help her thrive. And
that's why I started my toddler in the league this year in hopes that this will be her school and her 30 seconds. >> Thank you. Our next speakers are Kio Mcclelay, Tristan Granom, and Neil Beers. Kio Mcclelay.
Good evening. I am Kandra Mcclelay, the executive director of Beija, um, former student rep on the Boston School Committee as well as a BPS alum. Here we are once again because students, families, and educators are being asked to absorb the harm of another round of destabilizing school closures and
mergers. We know that this decision is made for you all, but I'm also sure that the decisions were made with limited community engagement, unclear data, and no meaningful transparent planned transition plan directly which directly contradicts the values and of equity,
transparency, and shared leadership that Boston Public School has promised and yet to deliver. For over a decade, Beija has worked to center the most impacted by education policies. Black and Latino students, students with disabilities, English learners, immigrant families, and
frontline educators. Today, we are sounding the alarm that closures and merger processes threaten to deepen inequities, displace vulnerable students, and further erode the trust um further erode the trust at a moment when BPS cannot afford to lose it.
Boston facility challenges are real, but closures are not the solution. Community research, district audits, and state funding all point to chronic under investment as the root cause of failing buildings and instability. Yet, instead of committing to long-term
infrastructure investments and strong school programming, BPS is choosing to close schools serving some of the district's highest need students. The call for immediate halt to all closures and until transparent community-led process publicly released
data and impact analysis and co-created facility plan and guarantee transition supports including transportation staffing stability and mental health services. We uplift the leadership of students and families from schools like cash, the Henderson, ACC and the Lee and
we and we salute them to organizing and um fighting for the demands with dignity. BEA stands with them and we know the saying that you don't know what you have until it's gone. But we know that our schools and our communities are being dismantled in the name of efficiency only to realize later what is
lost. But our community knows exactly what we have and we know the potential that comes from investment in our schools rather than erasing them. This is about more than buildings. It is about stability, trust and the future of our kids. Tristan Grrenham. Tristan Grrenham.
Tristan Granham. Good evening. I'll start with a little story. In September of 2001, I walked in the doors of another course of college. It was a change that I wanted
and sought from English high school. And in my two years a at ACC, because it was still a two-year school at the time, I was exposed to what equity really was. I sat in so many classrooms where the
teachers looked at us, some from district schools, some from exam schools, and some from schools around the country, and said, "You all can rise standard." I've never forgotten that.
And I've been honored to see ACC grow to accommodate so many more students in the years since. And about six weeks ago, I found out that ACC was slated for closure along
with Cash Henderson, the Henderson 912 and the Lee. And the difference between myself and those students was the fact that I chose to change. And it was still enormously disruptive and enormously
painful, but at least I chose it. And those students now do not have that choice. >> 30 seconds. >> And I will say this, you've heard a lot of testimony from students, families,
and the community on the impact that these schools have had on them, on their families, themselves, and the community. And I understand the decision that the school committee needs to make. What I will ask is that you listen to
the voices in this room and at the very least take in consideration the impact that these decisions will have. >> Thank you. >> And honor the time and honor the time that they're asking for. Thank you. >> Thank you.
>> Our our last in inerson speaker is Neil Beers. Good evening. My name is Neil Beers. I live in Newton and I teach at the Henderson K to2 school. And uh all these schools are great. I think students are really going to lose
valuable services if they're closed. But uh tonight I just want to speak about the unique Henderson experience. When I began teaching there, I was uh I taught sixth grade. Those sixth graders are now eighth graders. I currently teach in the high school. I looked forward to seeing them next year. If we eliminate the high
school in 18 months and cut 9th grade next year, I'm not going to have that experience. And what's unique about the Henderson is I may not have been their favorite when I taught them the first time, but when they come up for specials now, they're like, "Oh, Mr. Neil, I got high fives and side hugs and everything." They really look forward to
seeing me again. And that is only possible at a K to2 school. And that's very common. We teach siblings throughout the grades. I am familiar with a bunch of my student siblings because we have bus duty where we interact with the youngans. And our high
school students, we see them with their siblings when they don't have to go across town to pick them up and take them home. They can walk downstairs, get their uh their sibling, and walk them home. This is only possible in a K to2 school. Some of these students have been
at the Henderson from grade 2 to 12. So these students have a decade of uh trusted adults in the building that a lot of them still look for. We have a lot of kids with various needs, disabilities, crises, etc. And sometimes
>> the middle school teacher they had um is the best person they want to talk to. or they bring kids up for specials and their middle school teacher or high schoolers see them in the hallway and these middle school teachers are able to
connect with them again. Um, we are the model for the district of inclusive co-eing and it makes no sense to tear down our model when our contract suggests that it is important and in fact our contract suggests >> you know with a certain number of
students with IEPs there must be a co-teer in the group. So it makes much more sense to combine rather than collapse. Thank you. We will now transition into public testimony on Zoom. Um our next the next
speakers are Brian Warell, Cheryl Buckman, Han Lee, Robert Jenkins. Um we will start with Councelor Warell who's not in the meeting. We will um continue with Cheryl Buckman.
Sharon Buckman, please accept the prompt. >> Good. >> Good evening. My name is Cheryl Buckman. I'm a parent of a seventh grader at the Ruth Batson Academy, the parent lead at the DER and longtime resident of Boston.
Every child deserves a high quality education and a school where they feel safe, known, and loved. I understand that school closures and mergers are very difficult. But what has happened here is something real and painful.
Children have been moved from schools that were working for them and entire communities will be torn apart. I stood here before this committee nine months ago pleading with you not to close my child's school, a school that
had also educated me when I was young. Families and educators before me warned you what would happen. The harm was crystal clear. Yet the decision move forward anyway. Now here we are again asking you to stop.
Tonight you've heard directly from students, educators, parents who had organized, rallied, and found the courage to speak about their schools. Their voices matter. For many students, that separation has already happened. Trust trusted adults are gone.
Friendships are broken. Stability is lost. And the emotional toll is very real. But it doesn't have to be the future for these schools you are considering to close. Now, when you vote to close a school, you just don't close a building. You take away the community.
You take away that family. Schools are cultural homes and lifelines for our children. The damage from past closures is already visible. If we know this cause harm, why repeat it? I ask you to listen to students, educators, and
families, and please vote no on these closures. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. Our next speaker is Hanley. Hanley. You can start.
>> Hi, my name is Han Lee. I am the mother of two BPS students from at the Henderson. My older son is 19 years old. He is in his second year in the transition program at the Henderson. He has been at the Henderson since the fourth grade and he has continued his
middle school and high school career and right into his transition program. We I cannot tell you how important the Henderson has been in our life where from the support, the staff, the people and today I don't
speak just for my son. I speak for his friends who don't have voices. I speak for the teachers. I speak for the staff and every single person ever supported us throughout this whole career. My son was told that he was not going to be able to move. he wasn't going to be
able to do all these things. But today, my son stand tall and he speaks loudly. He rides a bike. He cookie clean. He navig award back in 2022. Um, I
urge that you guys please reconsider closing this program. to school because it'd be such a disservice to our community as a whole and as a community. We want to come together and not break apart. The people who came from up instead of
from my son did not is beyond the school walls. They >> came here and supported my son through many different places. And I believe that this model works and my son is the success story of that. And I feel like every single person and every single
student can deserve that same rich life that he got from this program. >> Thank you. >> Our next speaker is Robert Jenkins. We can't hear you. No, >> no, we can't hear you. >> Hear me now?
>> Yes, we can hear you now. real quick. Uh, my name is Robert Jenkins, class of 1978, Madison Park, president of the Madison Park Alumni Association. Welcome everyone. Listen, um, Madison Park, we got the MSBA funding for a
school that's over 50 years old. Schools, um, when you look at the schools that are being closed, they are in, you got high school students in middle schools and elementary schools. Ro enrollment is down. All right. And there is a need. Sorry for the
background. I just stopped in because it's cold out. But um these closures were going to happen. Everybody knew change is different. And it's a shame. But one of the things that has to happen is that you have high again high school
students at the Henderson 9 to 12. They're on the fourth floor. They're not getting a high school experience as I got being class of 1978 at Madison Park. and I'm on the uh school parent school site council work with the district.
This not a surprise that schools are going to close. One of the other things I want to put to the school committee and the superintendent is program 617. It's a program that deals with kids at Madison Park with uh the office of um
student supports and uh athletics. You have close to over over 100 families every Sunday at Madison Park getting uh you know uh athletic training and programs. Sorry for the background noise, but
>> these school closes I you know you have to look at them change is different. Work with the district. They're not going to leave the kids and the students out in the cold. Thank you very much. >> Thank you Mr. San. Our next speaker, our next speakers are
Edid Pazil, Mike Hishman, Tleas Sto and Dedra Manning. Edith Pazil. Thank you. BPS must interrogate school closures that reinforce systemic racial inequities. Highly resourced schools like the Elliot, 63% white, four times
the district average, are structurally protected from closure through school assignment algorithms and unmititigated resources. The same assignment rout algorithms cluster black and brown students into underresourced schools, then target these schools for closures
based on the very conditions the district creates. Take the Henderson, the only nationally recognized inclusive high school. Yet, school assignment algorithms reflect sharp declines in white enrollment at the high school
level, leaving a predominantly black and brown student body, and predictably vulnerable to racialized closure. ACC and CAS should be merged to preserve stability, reduce displacement, and the district should audit racial disparities
and special education identification and placement, not use it as an excuse to close the schools. Lee Academyy's highly qual high quality developmentally responsive inclusive programming with arts, wellness, and strong family
partnerships should be expanded for young, black, and brown learners, not closed. This is not about resisting change. It's about rejecting decisions made without evidence-based educational data and innovative solutions. It is
about racial equity over political expediency, stability over churn, 30 seconds, >> inclusion over convenience, and also district accountability using the racial equity planning tool and authentic community voice to correct racialized
assignment disparities that protect some students while leaving black and brown students out. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. Next, our next speaker is Mike Fishman. Mike Hushmanchester,
Mr. O'Neal, thank you for your many years of service. Good luck with your new position. On a personal note, I want to thank you for your kindness. This is the time of year the BPS has to deal with the painful decisions on which
school communities it wants to destroy. Tonight, the committee will approve the superintendent's recommendations to close some schools. A weird way to wish school communities a merry Christmas and a happy new year. In years past, the community was given sufficient time to
make its case to stay open and organized resistance by pressuring the mayor and this committee. Sometimes the resistance was successful and school communities were saved. However, the BPS is a learning organ organism. In the past, there were more
authentic family and community engagement. Under the current misleadership, little time is deliberately given for school communities to make its case and organize resistance. This is what family and community disengagement looks like.
We need an elected school committee which would be accountable to the citizens of Boston. Boss Woo stands in the way. Thank you. Laketo. Next is Laketo. Like a photo. Please accept the prompt.
No. Okay. Hi. Can you hear and see me? Okay. >> Yeah, we can hear you. Thank you. >> All right. One second. Sorry. Um, good evening. My name is Leica Stone
and I am a Boston public schools parent. I want to speak on what I've first witnessed over years of coming for this committee. I have watched family, students, educators and committee members from schools were being closed come to microphone school after school
year after year raise concerns and learning about harm. And I watch the same thing happen every single time. The testimony changes, the changes, outcome. From time fence
on repeat, it comes very clear that is accidental. The P is produced a governance model. This uses called student outcomes cuz governance. Under this model comes first engagement happen after the section is already
decided for example 90 schools by a certain year it only have to happen every 3 years engagement community meetings happen people show up in good fit but participant is not designed to change outcome that's why school left
school come and leaves with the result closures are described as data driven family students educates and community members name what left out the disruption students stability for family lost trust and cumulative harm those
realities are outside the scope of the decision the is not neutral school boss consistently fall on black brown immigrant lingual and lowincome communities when the same outcome repeats across your
neighborhoods that is not a coincidence that is equity failure induced by the system them students educate community members and asking special treatment and I'm calling this committee to public document how family student educator
community thank you >> your time is up thank you >> is not in the meetings that concludes public comment share >> thank you miss paraveex and thank you to those of you who spoke this evening and shared your perspectives. Your testimony
is very important to us. Our first action item this evening is the grants for propo approval totaling $592,990. Now, I'd like to turn it over to superintendent for any final comments. >> Great. Thank you, chair. Uh so tonight
before the committee, there are six grants totaling nearly $593,000 for your approval. The largest of these is the $390,000 fair share earmarks grant from the state executive office of education serving 3,000 students at the Adams and Gild
Guild elementary schools and Madison Park Vocational Tech High School and O'Brien School of Math and Science. The purpose of this grant is to reserve various earmarks for education projects to support students at every level of education from affordable child care,
learning to read, and building innovative high-quality classrooms for the workforce. The remaining approximately $22,990 includes a $69,990 continuing competitive MYAP planning and implementation grant serving 24,000
students districtwide that provides supplementary support to school districts currently engaged in the implementation of MYAP or interested in entering the planning phase of MYAP. MyAP is a student-driven process designed to ensure all students graduate
from high school college career and civic ready. The $67,500 Qoutar Foundation International Arabic language expansion grant will fund the expansion of the Arabic language program
at Brighton High School serving 114 students. It will allow the program to expand from one to two FTE, allowing a greater number of students to enroll in Arabic language classes. There's a 30 $37,500 fair share earmarks state budgeted
funded grant from the Department of Early Education and Care serving 330 students at the Harvard Kent Elementary School. Similar to the grant I mentioned earlier, this funding will pay for playground enhancements at the Harvard Kent Elementary School. There's also a
new competitive mass cultural council creative experiences grant totaling $25,000 in the s in the school year 2526. Uh in addition to the 22 previously approved schools and the student advisory council, there are five
schools. Leo O'Donald, the Sarah Roberts, Josiah Quinsey, Kilmore, and Tech Boston Academy that would benefit from this. This funding will support creative experiences for students districtwide, such as woodworking courses, music classes with local choir
performances, dance programs, and workshops. Lastly, there is a $3,000 influence 100 grant that will provide stipens for three district staff members who want to participate in a two-year fellowship to prepare for the role of superintendent. inkind donations. Um, we're also asking
the school committee to accept as inkind donations from aw law of various items to the Ellis and the MLK elementary schools and the Blackstone Innovation Schools. These are things like Legos, art supplies, printers, and other materials. Uh, we have chief financial
officer here uh to be able to answer any questions where you have them. We're asking for an affirmative vote. >> Any questions? the um FC FC0598 um
the form lists an end date that precedes the start date. So maybe we can just confirm that the correct grant period and I don't know correct the grant after acceptance. >> Which one is it? mic.
>> Apologies. That should be 6:30 2026. >> Thank you. Any anybody else? Anything else? Okay. Thank you. If there's no further discussion, I will now entertain a motion to approve the grants as
presented. Is there a motion? So move. >> Thank you. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Is there any objection to approving the motion by unanimous consent? Madam Chair, could we just make sure the minutes reflect that it's um that the change that Mr. Kad Hernandez called out that it's as as amended for the correct
grant >> as amended? Got that information? All right. Thank you. >> Hearing none, the the grants are approved. Our second action item for tonight is the inind donations that the superintendent just described with a
total estimated value of $13,110. Now open that up for questions or comments from the committee. >> I have one. Are the decodable like the stuff that's being offered including the decodable readers are they we check to
see if they're aligned to the district-wide uh literacy curriculum and the scope and sequence. >> Yeah. I mean generally u when we take in a donation if it's technology or materials we check with the department that would be overseeing that area. So
yeah, it's a good question, but yes. >> Okay. Right. If there's nothing further, I'll now entertain a motion to approve the inind donations as presented. Is there a motion? So move. >> Thank you. Is there a second? >> There any objection to approving the
motion by unanimous com consent? Hearing none, the inkind donations are approved. Our next action items are two collective bargaining agreements between the Boston School Committee and the Boston Association of School Administrators and Supervisors or bases.
You'll recall that Jeremiah Hassan, director of office of labor relations, presented these agreements to the committee at our December 3rd meeting along with a request for an FY26 supplemental appropriation in the amount of $1,37,900
$91. Now, I'd like to turn superintendent for any final comments. >> Uh, wonderful. Thank you, chair. Uh so as the chair said at the last school committee meeting on December 3rd, director of labor relations Jeremiah Hassan provided an update on the tenative agreement with the Boston
Association of School Administrators and Supervisors or basis for their 2024 2027 collective bargaining agreement or what we call a CBA. Director Hassan's presentation followed an executive session with members of this committee. On Thursday, November 6th, we reached a
tentative agreement with the basis for their 2024 2027 CBA, which became effective September 1st, 2024, and extends through August 31st, 2027. On Tuesday, December 2nd, BAS's members ratified the agreement with an
overwhelming majority. Tonight, we are presenting the 2024 2027 contract for school committee approval. Uh, as with other contracts, this agreement includes a general wage increase for employees of 2% in fiscal years 25, 26, and 27. The
CBA also adds a step 9 to the salary scale to align it with other salary scales. The basis salary scale ends at step eight. A wage increase of 2.5% has also been added in between steps eight and nine. It also adds a $3,000
differential for members with a JD degree. guarantees. It also guarantees salary placement at the step closest to but above their base salary when transferring from a BTU or managerial position. The contract solidifies this
practice. Uh it also automatically applies the career awards. Members no longer have to apply and again the contract solidifies this practice. Uh other changes requiring members to work with school leaders on a PDP learning plan. 18 weeks of paid parental leave to
align with the current management policy and when possible notification by April 15th if there are any changes to a member's assignment or lack thereof for the following school or contractual year. Uh we're also asking for approval of an FY26 supplemental appropriation
request for $1,37,91 to support the CBA. Senior adviser Megan Costello is here as well as Chief Bloom is already seated at the table. if the committee has any further questions. >> Thank you. I'll now open it up to questions and comments from the committee.
Anyone? >> All right. All right. Thank you. We have two agreements. So, we'll take two votes. There are no further questions. I'll entertain a motion to approve the to approve the collective bargaining agreement between the Boston school committee and basis effective September
1, 2024 and August 31, 2027 as presented. Is there a motion? So move. Thank you. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Is there any discussion or objection to the motion? >> Miss Pravic, will you please call the role? >> Thank you, Chair. Dr. Alkins, >> yes. >> Mr. G Hernandez,
>> yes. Miss Polano Garcia, >> yes. >> Miss Rachel Scarret, >> yes. >> Mr. Tran, >> yes. >> Mr. O'Neal, >> yes. >> Mr. Miss Robinson, >> yes. >> The motion is approved. >> Thank you. Our second action item this evening is a fiscal year 2026
supplemental appropriation request to support the collective bargaining agreements between the Boston School Committee and Basis in the amount of 1,37,91. I'll now entertain a motion to approve the fiscal year 26 supplemental appropriation requested as presented. Is
there a motion? >> So move. >> Thank you. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Thank you. Is there any discussion or objection to the motion? Miss Provic, will you please call the role? >> Thank you, Chair. Dr. Alkins, >> yes. >> Mr. Ket Hernandez, >> yes. >> Miss Palano Garcia, >> yes. >> Miss Garrett,
>> yes. >> Mr. Tran, >> yes. >> Mr. O'Neal, >> yes. >> Miss Robinson, >> yes. The motion's approved. >> Thank you. >> Okay. Our last action item tonight is the approval of the closure proposals
for school year 2027 as recommended by the superintendent. Before that we take the vote, I want to share some reflections. As I reflect on my time on the Boston School Committee and as a former BPS parent and student, I have seen so much
change over these last seven decades. I've also seen how some things haven't changed or at least haven't progressed enough. We have closed and merged schools as our enrollment has declined. Tonight, we'll
vote on another round of schools. I've had a chance to hear from many impacted by closures, those we've moved forward in previous cycles, as well as the schools impacted in this current cycle. I've been to community meetings and have walked the halls of the schools
recommended to close. In each school, I witnessed talented students, special attributes, and dedicated educators. It's clear each school has built a community despite the buildings and physical spaces we have provided. It's
also true that our students deserve the best. They deserve the best physical spaces which we are on a strong path towards but also we know it will take time. Why I'm truly focused on that it is our students also deserve the best
education a challenging and inspiring academic education that provides them with the opportunities and experiences that high performing schools can uniquely impart. I'm also focused on an education that results in strong student
outcomes. That is why we're pushing for change. And as the governing body on the Boston public schools, that is our most important charge, strong student outcomes. Closing schools is an important piece of a larger strategy to ensure we provide
school district schools districtwide equipped to provide a challenging and inspiring educational, academic, and holistic experience for both the students and our care right now as well as for future generations. Closing schools is about improving our
facilities, but more importantly, it's about ensuring we have stronger academic student outcomes. To accomplish this, it will require us to make bold decisions and demand more of the school system and demand more of ourselves. For those
directly impacted by school closures, many of whom are in this room, this is particularly hard. I emphasize with losing something that feels is so very special. I have heard so often how much we all care for our students. My
challenge for each of us is to care enough, to love enough, to provide academic excellence so our students graduate from Boston public schools prepared with the knowledge and skills to not only succeed beyond our care, but
to be the next generation of change makers. Now, I'd like to turn it over to the superintendent for any final comments. >> Uh, great. Thank you, Chair Robinson. Uh so tonight we are asking the committee to approve our latest recommendations as part of the
district's long-term facilities plan. As we presented on November 19th, our recommendations for this cycle include the closure of three schools, the merger and reconfiguration of another school, and the grade reconfiguration of two schools. If approved, all of the
recommendations will take effect June 30th, 2027 with one exception, the Russell Elementary School, which gets is an additional sixth grade, which will begin at the start of the next school year. As I said in previous meetings and in the past years, closing emerging
schools is some of the most difficult work we do. No superintendent, no school committee member wants to lead through closures. We fully understand that closing a school is an emotional and often painful experience, even when the
recommendations are grounded in what is best for students and long-term health of the system. We're in the situation we face today because for far too many decades, the district avoided or postponed making these difficult but necessary decisions.
As a result, we now have as a reality far more seats than students, leaving many classrooms and buildings underutilized. We have too many students enrolled in schools that want to offer a full highquality experience, but they simply
don't have the enrollment, the building, and the resources to do it. And we have too few resources spread across too many schools, making it harder to deliver on the strong student outcomes the chair just referenced that this committee and our entire district want for our
students and they deserve. In 2023, the district established the long-term facilities plan and built a clear five-year roadmap for how we would approach future school closures, merges, and reconfigurations. This framework was shaped through
extensive community engagement with families, educators, and stakeholders, helping define the criteria and metrics that guide our recommendations. At the same time, closure decisions must reflect broader district realities.
Alongside community informed criteria, we arrive we rely on enrollment data, long-term projections that show enrollment declines and significant mismatches between buildings capacities and the number of students we serve.
Factors that directly affect educational quality, resource allocation, and long-term stability. The long-term facilities plan was a critical step for VPS, one which we had never previous been able to do for the
community or for the school committee. This plan is grounded in our projection of how many schools with high quality seats Boston will need by 2030. It guides our decision-making today and it will continue to guide us each year at this time,
ensuring we can sustainably support students and reasonably deliver the capital project improvements required over the next 5year cycle. I know how difficult school closures and merges are. I was a principal through
multiple ones leading Tech Boston Academy. These are not recommendations we make lightly knowing it impacts students, families, staff, communities who are deeply connected to their schools. We also know that closes and merges are
an important and necessary part of the work that we must do to ensure that every current and future BPS student has access to schools that can fully support that highquality experience now and for generations to come.
Since our presentation on November 19th, we've met with school communities to share the data we use to make these decisions and to share important information about how we will support students and staff through different transitions. While we're not making any changes about the recommendations to close and
reconfigure the schools, we do have a much better understanding in the case of these communities of how we can support students, families, and staff through successful transitions. For example, how are we going to support our specialized populations? How can
students transition as a cohort? And if students can transfer sooner than the 18-month timeline, what would that look like? These were really important things for us to hear. I'll share more details in a few minutes about how we're going to address what we heard from these
recommendations. There's approximately 800 students who will be impacted by a closure and about 300 students who will be impacted by a reconfiguration. Just as a comparison, last year's recommendations, there were approximately 900 students who were
impacted by a closure and about 400 students who were impacted by a merger. Our staff has been hard at work to ensure a successful transition for our students and families and job opportunities within the district for our staff.
The majority of students impacted by a closure or merger from last year are either settled in their new school already or have a plan for when their school closes. Of the students who have transferred, 93% of students got one of
their top three choices. Our commitment to making these transitions as smooth as possible for every individual student is real and grounded in action. The work we've done during recent closures highlights our deep commitment to
students, to families, to staff, and we stand ready to bring that same level of care, coordination, learnings, and support to the impacted schools. Tonight, as a reminder of what we proposed, we're proposing to close Lee Academy Pilot
School K0 to3, another course to college, and community academy of science and health cache. We also recommended that we shift the Henderson K12 inclusion school into a preK to 8 by reconfiguring the Henderson
upper which currently houses grades 2 to 12, eliminating grades 9 to 12 and the transition program. We would merge the Henderson lower and upper into one prek to 8 school community and shift grade 1
into the upper building to expand prek capacity in the lower building. This change would meet the growing need for K0, K1, and K2 in the Dorchester neighborhoods. In addition to the recommendations on which we're seeking a vote by school committee tonight and in alignment with
the school committee's 2019 configuration policy, we'll be reconfiguring two schools over the next two years. The Tobin K8 school will be reconfigured as a preK to 6, closing seventh and eighth grades effective the end of 2627 school year. and the Russell
school prek to 5 will be reconfigured as a prek to six adding grade six effective the start of the upcoming school year 2627. Boston International Newcomers Academy or Binka would move into the Cleveland building which is where cash currently
occupies half of the space allowing it to expand as a multilingual hub in the Dorchester community. The committee does not need to vote on reconfigurations or relocations, but with each of these steps, we want to make sure that members are clear and the publics are clear of what we're
proposing. One question we heard at the community meetings and from members alike is the question about why we're not considering merging rather than closing in this round of proposals. We considered that if any merges were possible and and ultimately we
determined this really couldn't work for a couple of reasons. First, merges are not always feasible because receiving schools need to be in good physical condition. They need to have space to receive new students. They programmatically need to be able to
support those students. And this is very difficult for a system like ours because as we know there's so many of our buildings that are in poor condition. 40% are over a 100 years old and require major capital improvement. And secondly, we have to be thoughtful
when we merge schools that already have high percentages of students in specialized settings such as special education and multilingual learners. When we merge two schools that have high concentrations of specialized programs, then what can happen is we can overwhelm
a school community not able to be successful and we can we can actually almost ensure that we can't do inclusion because the percent of students in the specialized programs are so high and the number of gened students is so low.
Ultimately, our recommendations have to prioritize student access to stronger options, schools in better physical condition, the appropriate academic, social, emotional, and special education supports, and they have to be sustainable given long-term enrollment
trends. When a merger cannot meet these criteria, as was the case in this round of proposals, then a closure paired with a thoughtful transition plan and placement becomes the more responsible student centered path forward.
We also shifted the recommended proposal timeline based on community feedback from the last two cycles. We wanted the school committee vote to take place before the 2627 school registration period which begins in early January.
And this was something that was raised um in the community meetings. It was raised here again tonight. Uh but it really was raised from families going through these transitions. This schedule allows families to be fully informed knowing which schools are closing or
merging as they make decisions during the school choice season that's now underway. Another strong theme we heard in public comment and at community meetings is the need for the development of appropriate programming needed for students especially students with disabilities
from our closing or merge schools. We have the programming necessary at many of our schools and once the school committee votes and if it is affirmative um then we will further develop and refine programs at welcoming schools to ensure every impacted student has
access. This is what we did in the last set of last two times. This work has to be student centered. It will be and it has to be coordinated directly with the receiving school leaders of those schools. Just a few examples of work that's in progress. The mission was
going to is going to work closely with the district to welcome some of the ACC students. for students with emo emotional impairment. We're also working right now with multiple schools to ensure continuity of academic and social emotional support so that students uh
who have emotional impairment have lots of opportunities and choice. CASH which currently serves 39% multilingual learners will provide students we will provide students the option to attend banka where we'll actively expand programming to meet student needs.
Lee Academy. Um, students will have access to uh all the schools on their choice list, but that and that includes the Henderson, and we'll be working with the Henderson on this uh which is really on the majority of the family's preference lists anyways. Uh the Henderson 9 to12 and the transition
program, students will have access to high schools such as Tech Boston, Quinsey Upper, and the next program. And there's more to come with this, but we have to do this carefully if the committee votes affirmatively tonight. These examples represent just a portion
of the high-quality options that are available and that we will create. Families maintain full choice. That's really important. And our priority is to work directly with them to ensure every student is placed in the school that best fits their academic, social, emotional, and specialized program
needs. The reason that all we leave this 18 months is that all impacted communities, it takes that time to create the transition planning before the closure actually goes into effect. And it's during that time that we'll work to
support every student in transitioning to a welcome welcoming school community that can offer them the experience that we we talk about as high quality. For me, um I'm a lifelong educator. I've spent most of my time here in the BPS.
Um, and that's true of the majority of our team uh, who are involved with these plans. You know, many of us, we've seen closures and merges throughout years. We've seen where it's been done well. We've seen where it's not been done well. And we're we're really working to
improve every time the process, but more importantly, the result of where students can can actually finish their education. These are hard decisions. They never ever get easier. Um, but I'm here making
these recommendations tonight because I know that these closures that they are the right decision not just for the students today as they would go into their new settings, but for future generations of kids that are going to come behind. And I I know that not
everyone will see it that way. And I know that the impacted school communities, they will grieve and they have every right to do that. Um because it is a loss in many ways of special communities. But we are committed as a team and as a district to walk with each of the
communities um much like we've done in the process with Excel and with Lions High with our merge school communities and we will keep doing that until we are able to say that all of our students in the BPS are able to attend a school where
they have that highquality experience the community laid out back in 2023. So tonight, I ask the committee to vote in support of the recommendations with full acknowledgement that we will and we will complete a lot of work on behalf of
the communities to have this be the right decision for kids. So thank you, Madam Chair. The team is here if there are questions on it. Um and I I uh Dell Sus as well as several other um central staff are here if there's questions and
uh certainly happy to take questions from the committee. >> Thank you. I'll now open it up to questions and comments from the committee and go straight down. Thank you, Superintendent. I want to begin by acknowledging the district's intention in bringing bring
forward disclosure proposals. We understand that BPS is facing real challenges, declining enrollment, underutilized buildings, and the responsibility to manage resources sustainably in order to ensure a strong public education system in the long
term. I recognize the weight of these decisions and the district's effort to plan for the future of the system. is fundamental. At the same time, it is essential to give equal weight to what has been
shared by the communities directly impacted, school staff, families, and most importantly, students. For them, these schools are not just buildings. They are places of belonging, stability, and care where deep relationships and
effective learning environments have been built. Foreign speech. Foreign speech. One concern that has been voiced very clearly is that this proposal focuses only on closing buildings without
presenting any alternative options that could be considered to avoid closures. This concern is even more serious for students who have already experienced one more transitions due to previous closures and who are now facing the
possibility of another significant change. What has happened to these students who have moved from one school to another due to closures? What kind of followup have they received? What kind of information do we have about these
students? Did they continue their studies? Did they graduate? I also want to highlight the particular impact that these decisions may have on students with special needs. For many of these families, stability, trusted
relationships with staff, and continuity of the services are essential. Any poorly planned disruption can have serious consequences for students, academic and emotional development, and this reality must be considered with
great care and sensitivity. Personific For these reasons, I respectfully believe that any path forward must include a clear, humane, and sustained commitment to ongoing followup with impacted families, students, and staff,
not only during during the transition, but beyond did. True support means listening, adjusting, and responding, especially when challengings when challenges arise that cannot always be
anticipated in an initial plan. I want deeply thank you to all the families and students. We've been listening to all your concerns and questions. Inotech defilencia. My vote will be a thoughtful and
deliberate one guided by institutional responsibility by also but the deep respect and love I hold for our families and students. I firmly believe that the way they we make these difficult decisions must reflect not only
efficiency but also compassion, fairness and care and a lot of love. Thank you. Dr. >> Thank you. Um the announcement of the proposed school closures and the
subsequent processes since that announcement have been challenging, frustrating, and disappointing for the students, families, and staff members at the four school communities, as well as for the many individuals outside of those campuses who have deep connections
to the affected schools, including alumni, community partners, and former staff members. As someone who counts myself as an extended member of one of the school communities, as I served as headmaster at another course to college, ACC almost 20 years ago, I know
firsthand the tight-knit family environment that has been forged there by longtime staff members, some of whom I'm looking at in front of me right now. And over the past few weeks, I've also heard that same feeling of being seen, supported, and affirmed described so
compellingly by community members at the Henderson, Cash, and Lee Academy. I'm not sure that there is an engagement and communication strategy that will ever make a school culture announcement easy or wellreceived. But that said, we've heard some clear themes from
constituents at the virtual and inerson meetings, at public comment here, and through individual conversations and visits that we've had with members of these communities. First, we're framing what is necessary district restructuring and right sizing
as a facilities plan. Facilities do play a huge role in the ultimate vision for the BPS school portfolio and in the definition of a highquality student experience. But to emphasize facilities as the primary driver as much as the district has can be confusing
particularly for communities such as cash where the building is in condition for continued use. And it's also confusing for families who will likely be enrolling at another school that is not yet modernized. We also heard that the why for closure
is not fully understood by school communities, especially when our systemwide reasons do not necessarily resonate for them specifically. We do have dramatically declining enrollment as a district, though that decline isn't as sharply felt at Lee Academy. We
emphasize highquality school options close to home as a goal for our restructuring, but ACC represents the only open access high school in four adjacent neighborhoods. We named the ongoing work to ensure inclusion models at every high school when the Henderson
Upper was founded on this promise. We also heard from students and families served by specialized programs for students with disabilities who feel like the programs at these schools are working. And we were also reminded that some of the factors that place these specific schools on the recommendation
list for closure were due to decision-making by BPS leaders many years ago. Whether it was abandoned plans for a merger for Lee Academy or promises to upgrade a facility that ACC was asked to move to after being relocated there at the district's
request. Those are all very difficult truths to hold even as we must face the truth about what the district is today. A reality that is being experienced by school districts across the country. Just in the last month, Atlanta public
schools and Cleveland public schools voted to close or merge dozens and dozens of schools as just two examples. Enrollment in Boston and in many cities nationally is not what it has been. And as I'm sure we'll hear in tonight's finance update, it is doubtful that
enrollment will significantly rebound in the near future. Strong inclusion models are more successful with healthy and stable enrollment and enrichment offerings are more easily provided with a critical mass of students in order to bring more funding. It doesn't necessarily have to be a large school
per se um because the district has very few large schools but a critical mass. BPS has provided an 18-month runway for school closure, one where there is sufficient time to answer many of the questions that have not yet been clarified. The trust does not exist for
families to feel satisfied with this runway. I am hopeful and more hopeful hearing your update tonight, superintendent, where you provided some more information that I think would have been helpful to share at the in-person meetings around these communities that through this process of ongoing
communication, individual support, and a commitment to deeply seek and understand preserve the values and strengths of these communities that we can in time repair some of the fractures that are being felt today. As a school committee, I feel we should feel an obligation to
progress monitor the implementation and impact of our vote. And I would suggest that we receive regular updates through super superintendence reports as well as through a formal presentation this spring on the status of preparing for clo for closures of the schools that
will close this June. Updates on student and staff support for the four schools being recommended for closure in 2027. and regular op updates from the office of specialized services, including more detail on the district's vision for special education at the high school
level in particular, including school byschool views on the programming and staffing models and structures at those schools. And in addition, as we prepare for budget updates and an eventual vote on the FY27 budget, we should ensure that the impacted schools have the
resources to remain at the level of programming that current families expect. for those students who choose to remain at their schools through next school year. Going forward, as we sadly have to face the prospect of future closures and mergers in years to come, it would also be helpful for BPS to be
more transparent and situate the role of school performance outcomes in the district's decision-making and to share the exact scenarios and capacity projections that lead the district to determine when relocating or merging a building whole cannot take place. I'd like to conclude by expressing deep
appreciation for the staff of the school communities who have centered students and families throughout their advocacy even as these proposed closures directly impact your lives as well. Thank you for your ongoing role in the culture of care and commitment that has been forged in
all of the affected schools. >> I go to you next bounce back. >> Okay, come on. >> I like to go after you after all guns. I had the opportunity to attend some of the virtual meetings
as well as the inerson meetings over the past week. And I left each meeting saying the same thing to myself communities, right?
everything that they pointed out in regard to one that the historic blunders per se that the district has made which if you trace it all the way back does in fact
address or lead to some of those systemic inequities that are rooted in racism. It is true that as a what I was hearing by the community was that the responses
from the district were inadequate in the sense that families, anybody would want to know if you're taking me away from my current situation, you got to give me something on the other side of it to to hold on to.
And I know that families did not feel that. I saw students cry. I saw teachers, staff talk about the history of those communities, which is
it's palpable. I saw a lot of folks who really also clung to what they know that they did best in serving their students.
And it's hard to imagine when you're in such a tight-knit community that anyone else can do that better than you because you know your students. And I don't want to understate the impact that we know that small school
environments have on the experience for any student. The personalized sorry >> the personalized attention that a student receives. The fact that I think at every school I heard directly from students who said a
principal knew my name and that was the first time I had ever experienced that. the fact that particularly for I think ACC and cash serving a number of students who have bounced around not just schools um you
know um who have experienced transition but also schools in our own district that either didn't serve them well or um or were ended up there because of district assignment, you know. So all of
the things that I was hearing, I left like this is completely accurate. And at the same time, I also heard the the the district's response of or lack of
transparency as we cannot overpromise things and underdel. I think some of that particularly when we talked about inclusion is that we are in the midst of trying to revamp much of what inclusion is across the entire
district. It doesn't mean that co-eing is not a valuable model. It absolutely is. But it's not the only way that inclusion can be done. And we must not underestimate that we have a plethora of schools in our district that are wanting to welcome
each student community with open arms and wanting to serve those students with the same level of fervor as every teacher does sitting here tonight and those who are not in this room. I think also what our district is trying to do is why
you can't think about who gets served where in terms of inclusion plans is because we owe it a responsibility which is a commitment to equity to go back through IEPs particularly thinking about our black and brown boys who are overly
designated on IEPs. And so in some cases, that's why you can't give a clear answer as to what's going to happen with this student when it goes there because you really need that 18-month runway to re reassess and re-evaluate.
And I think it's in the messaging there was something that was that was lost there at at at many of the meetings. Um, and I'm and I hear from from both sides
like on this and I see both sides um on this which makes it extremely tough to think about it. Um, I agree with my fellow colleagues that we have a responsibility as a commit as a committee to think about the overall
academic outcomes that we see from as a district. And the way that I interpret it is that our district is not necessarily looking at, dare I say, a bright financial future.
There are not a lot of resources. We're stretched thin. And anybody knows who's had to just do a monthly budget how that works where you take something away from someone else. And and I also hear the questions of why
is it always these students that we have to take from and I feel that and I think the I think the reasoning like I said goes back to systemic inequity and that means that also this our our
most vulnerable students are going to be the ones that experience that disruption. because on the other side what we're hoping for and what we're building toward is something that is better to some of the comments that I heard earlier um this evening. I actually want
to recognize a little bit that the district is doing when we talk about taking resources particular away from our black and brown uh students and our multilingual learners. Our next upcoming renovation projects are at the Shaw
Taylor, the Ruth Batson Academy, and Madison Park, which we heard earlier about receiving a bid. Those are all school environments that serve majority black and brown students.
And so it's not a comforting like statement, but it is true that the district is doing and making that hard work. And we as a committee are trying to do our best to funnel those resources to ensure that those most vulnerable populations are
seeing those investment dollars and are seeing the programming expansion and closing the opportunity and achievement gaps that are associated with that. And that's also going to start with literacy.
And that's where the funding is mostly invested. And like I said, none of this makes me feel any more comfortable. I don't think it should make you all feel any more comfortable. In fact, I understand anyone who walks up and says, "I still don't trust the
district." I respect that. But at the end of the day, there is still the issue of we cannot spread our most vulnerable students across the district and continue to sustain that
long term. Yes, this community deserves community schools that serve a spectrum. Goes without saying. It also needs the funding to do so to do
it the right way and it does not have that. And I think that's just an unfortunate reality of where it is. And I think that weighs just heavily like on me. And so
um I don't look forward to taking a vote on any school closure. Um, but I do appreciate the time that each school took to welcome me in and just to let me listen and to let me just be a part and just commiserate with
this. And I will end with this. regardless of anything of any of the outcomes that's here. What I did learn was that there is an opportunity that we have as a district to go into these school
communities a lot earlier and to work with the staff and to work with them to say, "This is what we're thinking. Where are you all at? Let's brainstorm. Think of what we can do." Not just
alternatives, but everything. transition plan so that I know that because we don't have that trust with everybody in this room, but I do know who does have that trust, your school leaders and your teachers. So, they should be the ones that are
mostly delivering this news, this message, this transition updates, whatever it is. And I think that there is a an opportunity that we have and an obligation that we have. Um, that is also part of equity. And I understand we
got to get the timeline right. But equity is not meant to be convenient. It is meant to inconvenience us but in the face of doing something that we feel is right. So if we are to move forward on continued closures which we have
planned then we got to get this we got to get this engagement pro process right. Um and so I'll end there. Thank you. Thank you. Um, I guess I I just want to begin by
acknowledging how difficult this decision is. Um, and how much pain and fear it generates for students, for families, for staff. Um, school closures, they're not abstract policies, they're personal. Um, and the public comment over the last few weeks has made
that very clear. Um, and I also just want to thank the school leaders and educators and community members who have engaged with me during this process and shared with me uh the things that made their community so special. I also agree with member Garrett. Uh, I'm not sure there's an engagement process that would
satisfy in this moment. And at the same time, I know that less than a month is definitely not it. Um, I also think BPS and this body uh has a history of being incredibly reckless. um from continuing
to expand the budget despite all evidence that we are hitting a fiscal cliff, avoiding the development of an actual master facilities plan and refusing to give families a clear vision for the future of the system, one that many people, I believe, at our central
offices have for their own family and just years of general gaslighting around the state of our enrollment. It is good that we are being a bit more honest today and I appreciate that. Uh, superintendent. Um, but like many community members, maybe even Dr.
Elkins, I am suspect given the history. Um, we don't have a long-term facilities plan. I hate that we call it that. Uh, and part of me wants to continue to protest vote, uh, which I have in the past till we get one. But I also know
that this body has waited too long to do anything to create accountability here. And so doing nothing in this moment also feels like a decision. Uh one that I also think perpetuates inequalities. Uh allows for underutilized buildings to
continue to exist and really at its core um continues to operate a system that spreads resources far too thin to deliver consistently highquality education. Um, but also a yes vote comes with responsibility to ensure that
closers actually lead to better outcomes, not just operational savings. My greatest concern in this vote is students with disabilities. In our private conversations, that has been all uh of the questions that I have generated. I'm not confident based on
the information that we've received that we really have capacity in seats and staffing and specialized programs, inclusive settings, or even a transportation plan to fully serve every student impacted by the closures, particularly at ACC um and the Henderson. And I've asked for data. I
felt much better in the conversation that you led tonight, Superintendent, um and the statements that you made around where we are building new system capacity. Um, but intent is not enough when we're talking about students legal rights and their daily access to
services. So, I'm holding a lot of concern and worry here. Um, and then I think like everyone else, I have also held some deep concerns around their process. Um, we're moving forward with closures um, after a very short engagement period for decisions of a
large magnitude. And it hit me tonight during public comment uh, that we spent more time talking about exam schools than we did about this. And um here we are talking about closing schools and reassigning students um including some of our highest need students after only
a few weeks. Uh and the imbalance matters and it affects me. Uh but but I'm going to end here. I understand the financial pressure the district is under. I have um never minimized it. Uh and the urgency does not absolve us of
our responsibility to plan carefully. Um and speed can't substitute our own readiness. Cost savings alone can't justify the decisions. Um I I have this could be my last meeting. So
I have I'm up. So like I have sat here long enough to hear at votes complicated votes where it's like we're going to follow up and we're going to stay engaged in the implementation and the roll out and I think it's been four
years. I haven't ever seen that and that makes me nervous. I I will also say I really do trust you to do this differently than we've seen before. Um and I just hope whoever makes it onto this body, there are three of
us, one of us who's definitely leaving, two of us who could be leaving, whoever comes on this body, I hope we continue to try to hold that accountability. Uh we don't set our own agendas. We don't know what's happening until we're told. I think we could really create a system
here that if we we are moving forward with this, I would not I would be shocked if we weren't. Um as I think the whole room would be. But I think we can do something really different um and actually following through on
understanding what is happening to the most vulnerable kids, where their place, where we've built system capacity. And I think in the next trunch of school closures, we can do have the conversation that you led this evening, which is actually start with if this
happens because people know it's happening. Like we can use all the semantics, but they know it's happening. As this is happening, this is what we are doing to build system capacity elsewhere so that you can start to lower the anxiety. We're in this weird
tension where we're doing the political theater of like we're going to vote on this and all of the things will happen and there's a high probability we'll go through. Anything's possible. But what we're missing is that like I'm telling you systemwide where we are building new
seats. I'm telling you for our EI students like we're going to try to get 20. We've talked to this principal and there's going to be 20 seats here. I know that's what you're doing behind the scenes. I just and I we heard that tonight. I just think it would make this entire experience different for kids,
for families, for educators if we led with that at the announcement of a closure and that the engagement process was actually around that and not around am I saving my school or not, but like what is actually going to happen to our kids in the transition.
That's all I have. Thank you. You don't have to. You don't have to. I'll make it short. I hear you. I hear you loud and clear. Uh, I've reviewed and
read all the materials pertinent to the proposing uh closures of the the schools. And pretty much like uh my colleague sitting right next to me here, the
concern I have boils down to equity. The way I look at equity is not equality. No. And of course, we've been hearing racism. We've been hearing uh
different categories of people being affected by these proposed closures. But the bottom line is still equity. My way of looking at equity is this. the closures given the totality of
everything. Your concerns that actual uh situations happening around these three schools taken all together the totality of
everything. The equity question is this. Are these students the likelihood of these students be successful educationally uh to be better or to be worst
to be worsened? Those are the that is the bottom line of the questions for me. Thank you. So, thank you to everyone who has presented over the past several weeks, um, who
have talked to us in public comment, who attended the virtual and in-person meetings, who have sent us letters and emails, certainly have read everyone. I think we've all been receiving them. And I'm also very struck by the comments
of my fellow members tonight. Um the issues you brought up. I always think in in terms of school closings, which is, as we've all said, the hardest vote you take as a school committee member because of the direct impact it
has on our students, on our staff, on our families, on our community. I think in terms of the why and the how and uh member scar I really appreciate how you pointed out we as committee
members think systemwide right we are charged with what's thinking in the best interest of the students all of them in our care we think of the fiscal responsibilities we think of the equity issues etc and members it was very thoughtful how you said that we may
think of the systemwide why, but it's very different the why at an individual school level. And that was that was very thoughtful. I understand why the superintendent has made the recommendation, why she has
made that recommendation. And I also think in terms of the how, if we approve it, how will a recommendation be carried out? And I very much appreciate and share the concerns my
fellow members have raised today and the direct calling out of the lack of trust. The chair and I speak often about votes we have taken in the past that we felt the district made promises and for a variety of
reasons. You know, my wife always teaches me assume good intent and for a variety of reasons were unable to carry them out. And we think of one school closing in particular where it was talked about a program was moving to another school and that it was said both the students
and the teachers would move and then some teachers chose on their own as they have the right to do not move and parents were very surprised when they moved to the new school and the teachers that they were expecting were not there. So I understand
how the superintendent has said um that this takes time. It's a longer process than we have. I appreciate last year and this year it's a longer process. It's a year and a half process. And I I appreciate deeply the
superintendent's deep commitment to figuring out how we have highquality student experiences for our students to move into and that your refusal to do it without. I second my fellow members
comments about the value of your comments tonight, superintendent. U makes a difference to me too, particularly when you talked about the how how you would do this. I understand and and I I I I wrote it down because it was so
important to me. I think it was Dr. Alkins who said we can and I forgive me if it was another member who said we cannot overpromise and underdel because we have done that in the past. I appreciate the work that is being done now about schools that we voted on last
year to close at the end of this year, Excel, etc. and hearing the superintendent, knowing of the one-on-one work, the meetings that have happened, and hearing from the superintendent about the amount of students that got their first, second, or third choice, um, particularly those
who wanted to transfer early, intentional work has been done that is very different from what has been done in the past. And so the trust I believe is starting to build but trust takes a long time to build and can be
immediately taken away. And so um I have to believe that you are doing this superintendent because you believe this is going to lead to stronger outcomes for our students. As the chair has said which you you have laid out chair you believe it is job one for us
to do that. We have to continue to have sensitivity to the communities that we impact in every parts of the conversation. Um both initially how it's laid out and the work that is done with them.
I want to really call out superintendent tonight. not only what you said, but how you said it. >> And anyone who knows this superintendent and has worked with her in the past as a teacher or as a school leader or as an
administrator or as a superintendent another district and now we're lucky enough to have you back here knows that you were speaking directly from the heart tonight and how hard this recommendation is for you and how hard this is as a vote for us as members.
I do believe in the why and the how as you have laid out and I will support your recommendation. Um but we must continue to work with the communities impacted and continue to think about in the future
um how this work is done. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. >> Um I want to thank everyone that has spoken tonight. Thank you all to the members of the committee. I know this is hard, but I'm going to move forward because I think we've heard from
everyone. So, before we take the vote, I'll read the motion. It says, "Ordered that the Boston School Committee hereby approves the following actions as recommended by the Superintendent of Schools.
Close another course to college on June 30th, 2027. Close Community Academy of Science and Health on June 30, 2027. Merge the Henderson K to2 inclusion school lower and the K Henderson K to2
inclusion school upper into one prek to 8 school community on June 30th, 2027. Closely academy pilot school on June 30, 2027. Another course to college, community academy of science and health
in the Herson inclusion K to2 upper school will not enroll grade nine students in the school year 2627. Lee Academy Pilot School will not enroll new preK students in the school year 2627.
The school will not be assigned new students except in the case of siblings in grades K 2 to three. All students at another course to college, Lee Academy pilot school and community academy of science and health will receive
transition support and a no pathway priority enrollment preference in the school choice process for placement in school year 2027. If there's no further discussion, I will now entertain a motion to approve the proposal as presented. Is there a
motion? >> So moved. >> Thank you. Is there a second? Second. >> Thank you. Is there any discussion or objection to the motion? Miss Pavix, will you please call the role? >> Thank you, Chair. Dr. Alkins, >> yes. >> Mr. Kadet Hernandez,
>> yes. >> Miss Pelano Garcia, >> no. >> Miss Scarit, >> yes. >> Mr. Tran, >> yes. >> Mr. O'Neal, >> yes. >> Miss Robinson, >> yes. The the motion is approved with six
yays and one no. >> Thank you. >> Now we'll move on to our report which is a finance update. I'd like to remind our presenters to please speak at a slower pace to assist our interpreters. Let's aim to keep the presentation to 20
minutes. I'd like to remind our >> I'd like to remind our presenter to please speak at a slower pace to assist our interpreters. Superintendent, I invite to give you introductory remarks.
Uh thank you chair. Um so tonight we are going to give our annual financial update and uh shortly you will hear from chief financial officer David Bloom and deputy chief financial officer Blair Dawkins who will review our 2025 2026
spending and frame the district's projections for the upcoming FY27 budget. In November, we began working with schools on their budgets, starting with the release of enrollment projections. The schools have now received their FY27
budgets, and the planning work will continue through individualized crossf functional meetings with school leaders and their central office liaison. Chief Bloom, budget director Serena Laroko, and their teams are working hard to make sure every school in the
district has the funding it needs to serve students, its students. We'll we'll return to the committee in early February to present the FY27 spending plan, the official start of the budget season. As I've indicated at the last few school committee meetings, I'm as
always going to be honest and transparent. We're preparing for a difficult budget season. Our budget challenges are due to several factors, including significant cost increases related to historically high health care premium increases, collective bargaining agreements, rising transportation and
special education costs, and of course, this year's enrollment decline of approximately 700,700 students in next year's anticipated decrease of an additional 1,300 students. Tonight, the team will share fundamental information about the shift to the new
funding formula, reimagining funding that is replacing the weighted student formula or what we used to call WSF. They will explain how we are using our new rules-based funding formula that was developed during the reimagining student funding project, which started in 2022
with an 18-month community engagement process. While it will take a few years to fully implement, we are paying close attention to ensure that no one school community is impacted more than others. As part of this process, central office departments were asked to use zerobased
budgeting and identified significant efficiencies totaling around $30 million. Just as a reminder, these savings will allow us to support schools through the enrollment reduction. And as a reminder, we took a $17 million deduction in central office in FY25 and
5 million in FY26. As needed, the team will continue to identify additional reductions from the central office that can be transferred to schools. As we move toward FY27, I want to assure you that my priorities and our commitment to our key investments have
not changed. We will continue to implement the inclusion education plan in our schools. We will support the use of equitable literacy with a focus on academic rigor. We will provide dual language, bilingual, heritage, language pathways, and language access
opportunities in every cluster and region across the district. We will move forward with the implementation of our long-term facilities planning. As you heard earlier tonight, we will continue the implementation of Mass Core and growing our early college and career connected pathways for our
secondary students. and we will continue to make our operations as efficient as possible. These are all long-term district priorities that are needed to get the positive student outcomes we collectively are looking to achieve. As I cheered with as I shared with
school leaders, the budget process is iterative and it requires many conversations from the time enrollment projections happen to when that final budget is presented to you. There will be continuous adjustments, clarifications, and updates. This update is just one milestone of many in the
process. This time, I will turn the meeting over to Chief Bloom and to Deputy Dawkins. >> Thank you, uh, Superintendent, and thank you members of the committee for this opportunity to provide a financial update. Um, this presentation gives a
comprehensive look at where we've been in FY25, where we're we are in FY26, and where we're going for FY27. Our financial strategy remains anchored in the BPS opportunity achievement gap policy and a mandate for more inclusive
education. Our budget must reflect the lived experiences and diverse needs of our students and prepare them for college, career, and life, ensuring every child has the same opportunity for greatness. Uh overall, we're presenting sort of
three main themes tonight. In school year 25, we closed the year on budget, but required temporary funding to offset some overruns. For FY26, we are seeing uh continued cost overruns that are requiring more
active management to ensure that we're finishing the year on budget. And then finally, we're going to discuss our FY27 budget proposal in its initial form, including some of the corrections we're making for those overruns. Um
so as I just mentioned in school year 2425 um we strive to match our we strive to match our budget to the approved budget as much as possible. As we discussed in the FY25 approval process, we had some
carryover funds left over from the end of ESSER that we were using to help us um sort of what we call it land the plane, right, of the cost uh reductions we needed to take with the end of Esser. Um unfortunately costs were actually
exceeded what we had originally expected for um FY25 for the use of those um carry forward funds. In particular, we saw higher than expected health insurance and transportation costs. Um special education costs were high,
but that was more in line with expectation and planned use of temporary funding as as were food service costs. Um temporary funding came from uh the end of Esser. We had about $20 million
of available carry forward that was used to offset FY25 costs as part of our plan. We also had available additional circuit breaker revenue that we had carried forward. This is revenue to support um special education and we we'd
spent that. We also had about $9 million of areas of cost under spending that we could use to offset these increases. I'll now turn it over to Deputy Chief Financial Officer Blair Dawkins to walk through our FY26 budget.
>> Thank you, David. Over the past few years, we've had to use various uh mitigation strategies to manage our budget. In that regard, this year is no different. But what is different is that we no longer have a
safety net um by way of federal COVID relief dollars. Another difference is the significant and unexpected increase to health insurance costs. This increase to health insurance is being experienced by not only our city
but by districts and municipalities across the country. Other costs contributing to our projected deficit for FY26 include yellow bus transportation, out of district special education costs,
food services for students, and an increased fill rate for our positions. We are actively exploring strategies to manage costs both in the immediate and long term while still focusing on our student facing academic investments.
These strategies are being crafted in close collaboration with district and city leadership. Current efforts underway include a pause for central office spending, active cost management for the division of operations,
IEP review for appropriate support systems for students, and the management of positions in underenrolled schools. Our ultimate goal is to manage costs with as little disruption to the student experience as
possible. Thank you, Blair. Um, so as we look forward into FY27, as the superintendent mentioned, we're facing a difficult budget season. Um, our period of more stable enrollment has ended. We have a
memo in your materials tonight that goes through the drivers of enrollment decline in more detail, but those reductions are primarily due to smaller cohort sizes moving through the system and impacts from federal immigration policies. Beyond declining enrollment, we face
continuation of the cost increases that Blair mentioned in health insurance rates, rising transportation costs, including bus monitors, and growing special education service costs. As we think about how these major factors impact our schools and our
school budgets, we are really at the intersection of three challenging topics we need to engage in our communities. First, enrollment decline is not evenly spread across the district versus supporting schools in understanding both what this means for the district and more broadly how it impacts their school
community. Second, as we shift to our new funding formula, schools with a legacy of hold harmless or temporary funding have to make decisions for the future year that are tougher but more equitable. Third, this funding model is a uh is new
and marks a significant shift in practice after years of not using a full funding model. To address this, we had to explain the rules of our new formula to our broader community. Last Thursday, we completed the school leader training reviewing
these topics and they're now beginning their engagement process for school uh for their school communities. I will say as a quick aside, I do want to shout out the school leader at the Bates, Megan Harrington. Um I got texts last night uh from a former colleague who's a parent
at the Bates who's like, "Oh my god, are you guys actually doing RSF this year? I see I'm at the school site council meeting and the school year is doing such a great job of explaining the new formula." Um it was so exciting um to just hear that uh directly from the
field. Um um so um back on topic, sorry. Um so every year when we give out school budgets, before we give out school budgets, excuse me, we do a review of central uh budgets with a focus on
efficiency and effectiveness. This year we pushed especially hard knowing the challenges ahead and asked our teams to complete a detailed budget analysis for review by senior leadership. We the superintendent gave us a clear vision of focus on student and family
facing positions versus um and preserving uh those with a focus on changing or reduction to more internal facing positions. So far, we've reduced about 16.5 million in operational efficiencies in
transportation, facilities, and food services, and an additional $12.5 million in uh uh true reductions uh after a more detailed review of central budgets for alignment to our strategic objectives.
Uh that represents about a 4% reduction overall. So, that brings us to school budgets. Um, as we've mentioned earlier, we're rolling out our new re-imagined school funding system, name pending, uh, this
year. This work has been three years in the making. As the superintendent mentioned in her remark, as we headed into the pandemic, we knew that weighted student funding or WSF was no longer working for BPS. And after some pandemic related delays
in getting our project started, um we engaged in a multi-year community involved planning process to create a new system to more equitably fund our schools. We know that rolling out a new formula can be challenging and we are committed to providing transition
supports to schools as needed over the next two years as we implement. Um we'll be following up with a lot more details with the committee uh about the rules and um the impacts on schools, but
there are a couple of key details I wanted to present tonight. Number one, the formula is rules-based, right? This is the same as weighted student funding. You will still, every member of the public will still be able to look at every single school's budget and go from zero to every dollar in the budget and
understand exactly how those dollars get there or be able to ask very specific questions based on the information we've provided. Um, some things are slightly different. Required staffing and non-personnel are funded first, unlike weighted student
funding that was based on a per pupil model. So instead of funding something like instructional staff per pupil, what we say is based on the number of students you're serving and their needs, how many staff are required either by
contractual obligation, um special education regulation, ESL service minutes, and so on. And then we fully fund those staff. Then we're using per pupil funding very similar to wed student funding to fund
discretion. So there is differentiation in that flexible funding at a per pupil level and there is differentiation in the positions based on the needs of students. It's just that those positions are fully funded even if the class is not 100% full or 87.5% full I should
say. So to sort of zoom ahead to a little bit of what you'll see in February, uh you should expect to see a reduction in FTE both in schools and central office, but you should also expect to see a continued prioritization of
inclusive education, bilingual program expansion, alternative education, and high school pathways. Um, there will also need to be budget revisions uh to account for the the vote tonight on the long-term facilities
plan. We are going to work individually with each school community on what the impact of that vote is for their budget for next year to ensure that all the students in those schools have what they need. They will probably not be getting a formula funding and they will probably not have a full one pager. instead
they'll have a a custom budget. Um I just wanted to give a little bit of data on FTE um just to understand the context when I talk about FTE reduction which is not something that has been a common theme in the last few years of BPS.
Um, just before the pandemic, we had just under $10,000 full-time or 10,000 full-time equivalent staff for 53,000 students. This fall, we have 10 thou just over 10,700 full-time equivalent staff for
46,000 students. This reflects a significant increase in staffing to meet the needs of our students post pandemic. Even as enrollment has declined, as need has expanded, even with an a required FTE reduction
based on the reduction in number of students, we still anticipate being significantly over these preandemic levels. I want to leave you tonight with a reminder of timeline um for you and for the community. Um right now we're getting a lot of
feedback on from school budgets from communities through their school leaders and school site council process every day getting getting emails every day with feedback. We're reviewing that feedback, giving schools updated information. In early January they send
us a budget proposal. We review it with them collaboratively with the central office and we bring you back a full proposal on the first Wednesday of February. We'll begin our public engagement process on that day through March for a vote on the 25th of March on
the budget. Along the way, we'll start our city council engagement process probably in March this year and that will continue through the city's budget process in April, May, and June. Uh, thank you for this opportunity to present this information tonight and
we'll welcome any questions from the committee. >> Great. Thank you. I'll now open it up to questions and thoughts from our members. >> Go ahead. >> Do you want to go? >> You sure? Okay. >> Thank you. I did um give him a hard time
in our call this week and I said like just to the point um platitudes and we really >> you delivered. So, thank you. >> Um, and I do I appreciate the budget conversation clarity about the fiscal
pressures we're facing. Um, >> and I have said this in the past, so I'll just say it now. I to support a budget, and I'm really holding this for this year. >> Um, it has to be tied to goals, outcomes, and measurable progress for
students. Um, and so I'm excited to see that come alive in the conversations. Um, I am taking away what we're hearing tonight as a story of real constraints. Declining enrollment, uh, rising health insurance costs, transportation pressures, special education costs,
collective bargaining agreements. Um, and I appreciate that we're naming these drivers directly rather than attributing them to inflation. Uh, but naming the pressure is not the same as articulating our priorities. So, what I'm am really curious to hear um is just like what
we're looking for as we move towards February is is like the clarity on targets. Who are we trying to serve better? How will we make progress? And how this budget moves us closer to those goals. Um, I'm particularly concerned just from the presentation and then I
have some questions about how cost management strategies intersect with our commitments to inclusive education, equity, and service quality. Um, particularly for students with disabilities and multilingual learners. So, my questions won't be about how we're balancing the spreadsheet. They'll
be more about our value strategy. >> Um, but I appreciate this. Uh, I first question is about transportation. Uh what is the projected change? Uh I'm actually going to skip that one. We're seeing transportation overruns of 15
million in 25 8 million in 26 uh with 27 pressured driven by what we're told is doortodoor service and IEP mandated monitors. What's our total transportation spend? uh what share of that is actually special education and then how are you thinking about uh
bending this cost curve while maintaining IEP compliance? >> Yeah, so um we'll pull up some of that I'll pull up some of that data for you. Um what I would say is uh door-to-door transportation
uh particularly for special education as well as out of district transportation um is I believe now a majority of our spend um uh even though it is significantly minority of students
enrolled. Um so that is sort of the single biggest driver. I will double check the exact number or I might ask Blair to look it up for me of where we're at with um the transportation number for next year. I believe it's around $150 million alto together. Um
and then in terms of the mitigation strategies, what I would say is they fall into a few ma main categories. The first are category something I would call sort of zoom related >> um efficiencies, right? So, uh, how do
we provide the most efficient service to the kids who are actually riding the bus to get them to school on time, right? And I think the thing we're seeing from that Zoom data is the ability to do better at that and find some savings there. I will also just say, right, um,
improving on-time performance was not free. >> Mhm. >> Right. and we have done work to maintain routes and shorten them to some extent in order to be able to improve on-time performance and meet the targets we've seen this year. So there has been some
intentional management of those costs, right? I think we are now in a place where step one was to get on time performance up and to be servicing the students who are actually riding the bus. Step two now is to really look at the
strategies to maintain that while driving efficiency. So things like pairing nearby schools um so that buses can serve two schools at the same time. This would be things like the Roosevelt lower and upper
school managing their times and buses so that um instead of a family needing to put students on two different buses to go to the lower and the upper, they can be serviced by one bus going to both schools. So that's sort of the Zoom Zoom related
category. The second thing we're doing is just a really comprehensive review of those special education related costs. not to reduce services to students who need them, but to identify places in our
large system where um students may be getting services that they no longer require, nor necessarily have they even asked for, right? But they may have doortodoor remaining on their IEP or in our IEP data when in
fact they no longer require that service. And so we're checking back in on that data to ensure it's what the student actually needs, right? And moving them to a less restrictive environment if that's possible. And then the third group of strategies
we're looking at, I would call student assignment related. So when families move, are we making sure they understand their options close to home? Right? so that instead of having to take a bus a long way across the city, right, they're being serviced in a in a school as close
to home. We think all of these things will actually bring our costs uh down in the long term. We're hopeful that uh FY27 costs will actually be level, if
not slightly down, from the FY26 final expense. That's what we're currently projecting. Um, and we are then, you know, trying to be conservative so we're not in an overrun next year, but then hopeful that going forward we'll be able to see some real reductions in future
years. >> Toughful. It would be interesting. It's such an enormous part of our budget that it would be interesting for us to spend more time with it. Like >> it's I don't know like almost $3,000 a
kid a year we spend on busing. like >> I'll take the cash the the it would be interesting to understand like how much of that is because of mandates how much of like what makes that >> yeah where number feels so bizarre and
>> yeah I mean I think it's it's deeply embedded in the long-term work that we're doing whether it's opening up inclusion in every building which drove a lot of the transportation you had to bus students an hour to get them to a
program. Um, it has to do with the improvement in the quality and high quality student seats being more accessible and available to families in their own neighborhood and closer to where they live. So, to cut down transportation, it is deeply embedded in
the student assignment process. And so, um, that is that is something that I think as a committee we will be looking at in the near future. Um but it really we we have to sort of look at the the nucleus of it and we just didn't have
enough parts in place um to really get kids to go to to offer them seats closer to home that were of quality. We're starting to get to that. I think as David said and you'll remember the ridership policy um you know that that's another thing that we're looking at just
in terms of the usage of students doortodoor like are they actually using the bus and if they're not there's like a wonderful opportunity to have a conversation with the family about it uh because there may be students on there that just don't want to use the bus and don't need to um we also it's a theme of
least restrictive transportation is a goal on the IP I think unfortunately in our system we haven't revisited did it annually as we should be and always encouraging students to become more independent with their transportation. So, it's all along the theme of uh
paying better attention, working with families, and moving toward independence and least restrictive environment for students. And superintendent, on that note, I will say when I was at Thanksgiving at the next program, one of the things the students were most proud of that they had done in their first two
months at the school was learn how to ride the >> TBTA. Yeah. >> Right. They were the students were so excited. Yeah. >> That they had learned how to do do it and they had really made it a part of their goal at the school was to get the students ready to ride the tea. >> Yeah. It's like such an incredible
>> They were so excited. Yeah. >> One more question here too. Moving from transportation staffing's increased we've seen as enrollment has declined uh particularly among support staff. I'm curious which roles are considered musthold to protect the sort of
inclusion quality what areas are uh under review for reduction and then particularly around staffing reductions. Do we have are we able to anticipate as the new funding system responds to enrollment decline uh where we'll see
how how where we'll see cuts and how much? >> Yeah. So, I would say um there sort of two main types of positions we're really focused on preserving as we manage this enrollment decline and FTE decrease with inclusive education. The first are those
um direct service providers who aren't the home room teacher or core classroom teacher um at the secondary level but who are providing either co-eing support or push in or pull out for students. Um we're trying to preserve those positions as much as possible if not expand them
in some schools. Um the second is there are a number of those support staff positions that support creating an environment that is conducive to inclusive education whether it's social workers or strand uh specialist staff
folks who are working on get helping students get ready for that inclusive environment. what the the main place we're expecting to see um FTE reductions are going to be in teachers and pair
professionals who are in those like home room or direct roles um as enrollments down and we just need fewer of those rooms and then there will be some proportional reduction in some of the other roles related to school closures
>> and have we do we have a projection on how much that is >> um the thing I struggle with with that is is just that schools are often trying to preserve those roles as much as possible. I think across our schools, if
we were to include the closures um that are happening for this upcoming year, I would anticipate it's going to be at least three to 400 um positions. >> Um primarily teachers and pair professionals in schools um but also some support staff, especially those in
schools that are the schools that are closing um just to meet the declining enrollment. >> And then I do one more question. you you've talked about the sort of phased approach with the formula in
>> communities who we've held harmless >> for longer. >> Uh >> yes. >> What guard rails are you putting in during that transition to like I don't know prevent a destabilizing swing for a school? Like what's the threshold for
change? >> Uh it's a great question and it's going to unfortunately it's going to really vary by school. So, I don't have a perfect answer today. What I would say is um we're looking at the pos the types of
positions that are closing, right? And and why. So at a high school that maybe has been held harmless, I was talking to a leader who was sort of like we've known we've had some extra teaching capacity for a number of years that we've preserving because of the
uncertainty around immigration and our need to serve youth. Like we know those staff are going to go, right? We're not going to be asking for temporary support for those staff, right? But there are other schools where um
the reduction is a little bit less clear-cut. And what we're asking them to really think about is it's the goal is not to just give you something so you can have it for one more year. >> Yeah. >> It should be related to either work year transitioning or a very particular um
goal, right? And so what our schools are thinking about is, you know, maybe there's something changing about our school community. Maybe our school community will be impacted by students who are coming into our school from schools that are closing. Maybe, right, like is there something that could be
different a year from now? That means having this resource for one more year actually makes a difference. And so as I've been having individual conversations, especially over the last week since we released budgets with school leaders, um we've been really focusing on how to identify those
positions um and provide like a clear rationale. >> Okay, my last question. Um you share that you've identified um 16.5 million inefficiencies in transportation
and food services and something else I can't remember. >> Um and like 12 million did I make this up 12 million in you're exactly right >> efficiencies from central office. >> Yeah. >> I'm curious we hear about these. I'm just curious like what are the top five things that got you there. like what is
creating that savings and is it a one-time savings or one that we anticipate to be reoccurring? >> Yeah. So, um I'll try and give you an example for each one. >> So, for transportation, the example I gave earlier is the best one of this sort of scheduling two schools to get
service by the same bus. Allows us to reduce routes and saves us money. Um in um facilities, we're really aggressively looking at contracted work. Y >> and how much of that can we move to capital and how much of that can we just
like slow down to be honest. >> Um and then for food services, we actually think the implementation of the new central kitchen which has just opened uh it's actually going to be a win-win. We're going to get better food at a cheaper price. Um, and so, um, we
are, you know, I think one month away from having our first full month of projections of how that's going, but everything we've seen so far is better. So, this time last year, I was saying it was a $3 million deficit in food services, right? Earlier, we're now at
1.7 projected for the current year. And the director there would be very uncomfortable with me saying this to you today, but he actually thinks we if the things go well, it'll actually come in better than that by the time we get to the end of the year. And that's really what's setting us up for success in in food services.
>> Um, in central office, um, I'm just going to I'm going to talk only about my department because I don't want to out other people before they've had conversations. um we did an expansion to um one of our teams to meet a real issue
we were having in performance in the district, right? Um and we didn't fill one of the positions. Um, and as we got into this budget season, we basically froze that position and we're now going to instead of hiring for it,
we're going to cut it because we think with the restructuring we did, we did add another position, a different position instead. We think we can make it work with the position we have. That position was going to do some cool stuff. I think, but we can manage it, right? And so, in that case, it's a
vacant role. Um, I think there will be cases where the roles aren't vacant. Um, we will in when we come back to you in late February, early March, we'll be able to give you some more specifics because we will have had conversations with individual employees who are impacted and so it won't be a surprise
to them. But, um, I will say these are like real reductions that we'll be able to give you specific backup on of where they're coming from. >> So, thank you. very naive question around um thinking of
how we are doing um or changing IEP reviews and how um students are hopefully moving from substantially um separate settings into more full inclusion settings. Is that also going to um have associated savings like with
that in any capacity or >> um I I think long term there is some potential for savings with a decrease in substantially separate. Um but I think short term we are not banking on savings for the implementation of inclusive ed.
We're actually banking on spending a bit more money to make sure we get it right. I think we are cautiously optimistic long term that if as fewer kids require substantially separate placements, it'll be able to bring costs down. But I think we're a little bit too early in adoption to know that for sure.
>> I was thinking about the addition of that to the investment that we're >> Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Um and I had a second question. Um last year we were able to also see um what the net savings
were potential for reinvestment from school mergers and closures. >> Do we anticipate that this year also? >> Um yes. What I will say is um the our financial situation is putting
us in a place where we have less ability to reinvest, >> right? But there are we will when we come back to the committee uh in February, we'll give a full briefing on the savings related to the long-term facilities plan. Um for sure.
>> Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you for the presentation. My question is regarding the formula formula that we're going to be using. So what would be the difference between the financing formula we will be using compared to the one we're using now? That would be my first question.
So, um, for the last four years or so, we actually have not been using a full funding formula because we've been doing a lot of holding school harmless and giving schools soft landings for transition. And we've been doing sort of
a modified formula, but the the underpinning of our budget has been weighted student funding. Um, and that was primarily a per pupil funding formula that required schools to be a certain percent full in order to be able
to fund their instruction and then more than that percent full to be able to fund discretionary programming. And what we saw was uh as our enrollment declined, schools were getting structurally
underenrolled and unable to meet that required percent full to be able to fund their classrooms. And so schools, a growing number of schools were stuck in a
situation of a baseline budget. and those schools disproportionately serviced our most marginalized communities. And so as a result, sort of as we were going into the pandemic, we were grappling with the fact that
weighted student funding was broken and we needed to change. The pandemic obviously threw us all for a loop. Um we used a lot of our ESRE money at schools to provide temporary support and funded that in a very equitable way. But I
think as we are emerging from the pandemic, we needed to regground ourselves in this new formula that funds it funds positions first. I I'm don't want to call it this, but I almost think of it like weighted classroom funding
>> where you start by funding classrooms and instructional resources and required positions at their full cost for schools and then you add in supplemental discretionary funding at a differentiated per pupil uh amount
similar to what we the way we did it in weighted student funding. Um, you were talking about a plan uh for school leaders, family liaison uh regarding the training in this new formula. could you um elaborate a little
bit more about that? >> Yes. So um the the biggest resource we have in explaining what we're doing with our school funding is always our school-based teams. And that usually comes down to the school leader and
family liaison. As you know, uh I can tell from my daughter's school that's certainly true. Those are the two people I get the most communication from besides her teacher. Um, and uh the what we're trying to do is give them
some of the key basic talking points explaining why things are different, how the funding is um classroom based at the elementary school level, section based at the high school level, right? How supplemental staff are allocated. And
then there's differentiated per pupil funding so they can explain it to their communities. Um the other thing that we are working very hard to do um both for the school communities and also for yourselves is to be able to provide a
sort of transition narrative. What is specifically different about your school's budget as we head into this upcoming year? And is it related to the formula or is it just related to enrollment?
Um or is there something else going on? Um because we actually had I had an interesting job of trying to explain to school some school years why their budgets were going up in a way they didn't expect, right? Um which was that was a nice that was a nice part of my
job last week of explaining why their budget was projected to go up and how we'd be phasing that in over time. Um, and so really we want to use the school site council and governing board process primarily, but also any other structures
that the school has set up to get the word out about how things are different and get feedback. >> Thank you. >> Go. Sure. >> Um, thanks so much for the presentation. Um just a couple of questions about the
continued academic priorities for investment at the same time that we're facing these sobering realities. um the reference to new bilingual programs. I just encourage us as we go into future presentations and and more
detail to frame what that program expansion in relation to what we've been hearing from the community related to incre um requests for increased access making other programs citywide. I think just being really clear about what this
is in reference to um especially during that ongoing conversation would be really important. So I look forward to hearing more detail about that. Um and then is there anything you It wasn't a question but was there anything?
>> No, I just I I I hear your voice ringing in my ears from your feedback the other day of sort of that that in particular is related to the continued growth of programs at the Blackstone. um Sarah Roberts uh and the Quincy um and actually the last year of growth at the
Mather um and then a new program at the Lola Frederick the new Lola Frederick Elementary and K Cabo uh Creole. >> Yeah, there's also TP Austin and one other so so is it this is a great question. we can find a way to easily give the information in conjunction with
it. But there's the roll up of the programs that were already approved and then we have to approve through DESIE a year in advance. And so there's three programs that are slated and received approval from Desi DESIE for the following year. So that's what you'll see in the budget as some of the startup
funds for that. We then survey the data to sort of look to say how many more do we put in? Where do we put them in? Which school leaders and school communities are wanting to add them. We know like for instance at the secondary level we don't have very we only have the one true dual language
bilingual and MMA. The rest are either heritage or modified. Um and so that's going to be like an area we want to work on on the secondary level. Uh but with our enrollment and particularly our multilingual learner enrollment coming
down so much, we got we're going to have to take serious stock about how much more we would expand to make sure we can fill those programs. Um you and just um it may be too early to
think about this as well but just thinking about the rulesbased um uh budget and what is preserved and funding specific roles first. I'm curious where like the role of arts education plays in the overall vision of of preservation
and highquality student experience. And I might add world language to that as well because as we are a district um with so many multilingual students, I think it could be a real aspiration for the district to have every graduate leave multilingual and build on that
strength and have that be something that we um that we name as a goal. But that'll require programming as well as teachers. Um and I think the arts are just so compelling as a draw for folks to choose um BPS was interested in those
in relation to some of the standard allocations that'll be given to school. >> So um through Eders we received and have received um over multiple years just a deep investment in arts expansion and um we've been able to pretty much continue
that even with some of the more difficult budgets. Uh so we see that as core and core work. Um at the high school level it deeply is intertwined with mass core and uh now part of the graduation requirements. Uh so uh world
language fizzed those those are all things that the high schools have to have in order to be able to complete mass core. So uh we don't see those as areas like when the schools will come to provorg we'll be giving them uh their rule sheets about what they can and can't kind of touch um well ahead of
time and uh those will be areas that they really can't I mean in some cases they may have more than what they need to ensure that students get it but uh for the most part they we're going to they're going to need to ensure uh that we maintain and actually increase from where we are which is I think 75% of
high school students are getting one year of arts we need that to be 100 because it is mass core and then potentially more than that through the connection to the CT programming. So I think these are areas that in the past PPS would have cut um
as you sat at the table and I sat at the table as a principal but now they're just too much in the center of what we're doing. I'm okay. That's it. >> Yes. >> So, I can't let a budget presentation go by without asking a couple of questions,
Mr. >> No, I wouldn't dream about it. >> Especially since we're not going to have the pleasure of having our chats in January, February. >> Oh, you can always come by for coffee. >> Thank you. Two quick questions to you. I and and you and I have discussed this a little bit, but I remain concerned about
two different ways to look at buckets of our schools. So one is though you know a lot of our schools received ESSER funds >> and some schools bulked up on personnel that was their choice. They decided it was the right thing to do for student
achievement catch up all the goals laid out at us. Others were very careful didn't bulk up on ESR funds didn't bulk up on personnel but instead did a lot of improvements for example to their building to the supplies that they had. put in equipment. You know, I think of
the the virtual driving machines in East Boston High School as an example, right? And the and the pilot uh simulation machine that >> the school leader there bought with ESR funds instead of investing in personnel. As we move into this environment,
how are we careful in in effect not punishing schools that were careful in their spending? You see what I'm getting at? >> Yeah. versus those that maybe had put it more on FTEES and I know you put a lot
of this towards FTEES. So, how do you think of how do you think of that? >> It's a great it's a great question and and to be honest I think ultimately the formula is going to be the great equalizer in that. And so I think the
key thing in this cycle is being really clear and transparent with what any supplemental funding is specifically for and for one year. And I think you know I am sure there will be a small number of examples of schools that are are
benefiting from a poor decision that was made maybe even by a different leader three or four years ago with that SR funding. But I think ultimately this transition funding over two to three years is what we what we need to do to
get the schools to where they need to be um long term. And I think the the big thing the superintendent has said to me uh she said we need to do a 2 to threeyear transition and this can't be the sort of thing where you just get soft landings forever.
>> Right. >> Right. Uh and so the real um we had a a significant debate on do you do a do you give them the number upfront? Do you give them a formulaic you're getting 25% of your money back? Um, and ultimately I
think I mean super pretend not to speak for you, but I think um our decision was you you can't do that without um it removes your ability to judge whether or not this is a real transition
support you need to get you to where you're going or whether it's just a desire to have as much as you can for one more year. And I think our real goal is to work with impacted communities to say,
you know, what is the impact of this change? What are the specific things you're looking for for transition and why? And then we're I we are planning to bring that list to this body. Here are all the transition supports. We're going to document them. Here's why the schools
are getting them, right? Um they're they're still going to show the reductions they're taking as well. and then we can, you know, we certainly then have a review opportunity with the committee. I think our proposal is going to be pretty great. Uh but I'm sure we
will get feedback along the way on adjustments we need to make. >> Yeah, it's interesting when you put in place when we the district put in place weighted student funding formula. >> It exposed a lot of inequity that had happened before, right? had schools with had political clout that type of thing
end up getting more and it exposed a lot of inequities and the district rightfully so put in place as you called it the soft landings. I think the soft landings really changed the past couple of years during co and then after to much more concerned about the small schools and what they needed
>> to be able to sustain themselves. Um, I've been out visiting a lot of schools recently as as I wrap up and I've been talking to school leaders about the budgets that, you know, they have received and had an interesting comment yesterday from a school leader who said, "What I liked about weighted student
funding is I could sit down and figure out exactly what I was supposed to get." >> Yeah. And I relay to him your commitment that they're going to feel the exact same way about the rules base now. That they're going to be able to look and see and try and the public will be able to look and see exactly what their funding
should be. >> Right. >> There's obviously a lot of uncertainty particularly those that are facing some fairly big changes understanding the differences now in the in their student population. >> Right. >> Right. And so appreciate your willingness to work through with those
schools that are facing some of those particular challenges. >> Yeah. And and you know, I was on the phone with a school leader the other night who had opened up their budget and was facing an 800 800 or $900,000 shortfall, right? And they said to me,
you know, I was expecting $300,000, right? I sort of knew that was coming. And so what we did was we sat down and we went through it together. um he actually did a lot of the prep work uh and said, "Okay, how much of this can we explain with changes that you may or may
not agree with, but are represented in the formula?" And so we actually went through every single line of the formula together, and we found another $400,000 of differences between what he has now and what the formula says his school should have. And some of those
things he understood and some of those things he's like I'm going to write you with feedback about why I think the way your formula is calculating things are wrong and that will go into our feedback and will be one of the things we will either adjust or we won't. Um but what we're really trying to do is get to a place where every school year can really
clearly understand the difference between what they have now and what the formula says they should have. Right? And then give us feedback if they think the formula is wrong. Right? and we can make corrections if they're right. Um and then make a plan for how to get from
here to there. And so I think um there's, you know, still a lot of work for us to do on making sure the way we've do because we didn't funding have the benefit of all these years of improving our documentation to make those numbers clear. Right? So, a lot of
the feedback we're actually getting now is um I got feedback, just an example, where's my social worker for my Slife program? I don't see it. And we had built it into their social worker line, but there wasn't a clear marker that
said, here's how the calculation was differentiated from your traditional social worker to your slife. And so, they didn't realize it was in that line. So, we're just we're redoing the documentation. We're going to reissue it on Friday. and that is going to be made more clear. Right? So, some of it is
actual formula changes that we need to make and some of it is about updating the documentation so that I can fulfill my promise, right? That everyone's going to be able to calculate it and then they can give me the very specific feedback, right? we think the way you're
allocating social workers is incorrect because here's the condition of my school that you're not taking into account because then I can take that and say okay superintendent here's the feedback we got here's the seven schools that are in a similar situation do we want to make this adjustment right and
that then we'll have you know maybe 12 different of those things that we'll have to look at across the system and say okay here are the ones we we believe in and that we can afford to do right and so Our hope is by the time we get to you in February, we will have done two
or three passes of that work so that we're resolving all the lowhanging fruit there. And what we're really then focused on is how we're getting from where we are now to where we need to be. >> Thank you. And um my last question and and comment and I appreciate how you're
working through individual things like your conversation with member Card Hernandez about transportation and doing I I think it's called in one of the regions click you know where you line up two schools and it seems small. It may be you know a couple million savings but this all adds up and it makes it easier
and more better for our parents. It's a win though it's talk about a win-win. I I'm intrigued about healthcare >> because it is increasingly becoming a a very heavy burden to everybody. Yeah. >> Right. Look what's happening on a
national level but >> in our jobs, everything. Health care is becoming what used to be a fairly small line item to a substantial part of a benefits package. >> Yeah. >> How do we get better at communication around that? So you don't think of an
FTE of, you know, what the salary is, >> but it's really, you know, salary plus benefits and how do we get people to understand the value that they're getting? >> Yeah. >> Are the benefits and how do we take a fresh approach to it? And I know I assume it's, you know, it's tied in with the city. So >> yes,
>> it's not like we can go off and do our own thing on it. But >> no, I I think >> how do we get smarter and and more transparent around healthare? >> I I wish I had a great answer. I will tell you it's something the superintendent has also pushed me on uh this fall which is great and something
we're working on is >> that's a compliment telling me I brought >> a compliment it's very much meant as a compliment right so we always talk about sort of average teacher salary or average pair professional salary we very rarely talk about the cost of those things with benefits our health
insurance costs are getting close to $16,000 per FTE in the system just health insurance not the rest of our benefits >> and that's the portion that we pay >> that's the portion that we pay the employees also pay a portion and that their portion is also my portion is also
rising alongside the we get this the same rate increase gets passed through on the proportion >> the dollar amount is increasing but not your percentage that you pay >> not my percentage >> okay thank you >> so um I think there are two ways I think we need to improve communication there
that we're thinking about one is to sort of employees and the public about the value of your benefits and the value of the benefits we provide, right? We are likely to be spending $175 million on health insurance next year. >> The district is
>> the district for our employees, right? Um it makes it uh puts it just about in line with transportation as the biggest single cost we have in the district. And yet we talk so often about transportation but >> right and so so there is that like both
employee and community conversation and then the second is for our schools and departments when they're thinking about their budgets and the c and what they're planning how do we make sure they're understanding if we add an FTE it's not just the salary it's also that health
insurance. So, Superintendent, I've heard your feedback. I'm working on it. We'll have a better plan in place very soon. >> Thank you. That that's kind of eye opening that we're spending effectively the same on healthcare as we are on transportation and yet we focus so often
on the dollar spend on transportation. >> Mhm. >> And it's this is a nationwide problem. >> It is obviously. >> Yeah. I mean, we we over the course of basically three years, we will have gone from spending $125 to $175 million on
health insurance. >> Thank you, Mr. Bloom. Thank you for you and your entire team for the work that you do, and I know this has been a lot of work to put in place this new method. Um, so I look forward to seeing it in in in implementation. >> Of course. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Uh, John,
>> I don't have any question. I just have a request. uh what I I I think I I I hope that I did not mishe her I did not mishar from you but um during your presentation
if I'm not mistaken the uh expected rift the expected um reduction in force would amount to about 300 positions is that is that right >> 300 400 each >> yeah I said that's what I was talking about for school potentially schoolbased
reductions I see. Is there any way that I know that we you know we we're doing everything in accordance with the requirement of civil rights but I still like to have a breakdown on um
the uh the the staff or the employees that are rift >> uh in relation to the DEI diversity equity and inclusion in another
in relation to all categories protected under civil rights. I'd like to have that. >> We'll we'll be able to provide that sort of information after we've gone through our planning process. >> Yeah, we'll be we'll be going through um an extensive plan with human capital uh
to look at um any of the employees who are impacted, who they are, what we know about them. Um we have a certain amount of churn every year in the BPS. Um and so we're we're looking to to think that um between vacancies and churn,
you know, some many of those folks will be able to find something else within the system. >> I understand. >> Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. >> Still, >> but we still want to look at it. I think the other thing driving that number that um I know um Chief Bloom um
uh and Deputy Dawkins um would say is we are eliminating based on enrollment >> a great deal of classrooms this year because there are just no children. And so that is actually what's driving that number. uh because when you eliminate a classroom, you're eliminating an
educator, potentially a paraprofessional, potentially other services connected to that classroom. So, it is um some of uh that projection of the 300 or whatever it would it would be are going to be directly related to
just there's no kids. And then there's others that would come from the school as the school is thinking about how to manage having less money. Um what they would prioritize according to that school's goals, what they're trying to accomplish.
>> But compliance we will always will drive and in fact drives reimagining um compliance which is was your underlying question as well, right? Like we're always going to be looking at that. I will say, you know, we hadund in our approved budget for this year, we
had 160 positions at the Denver, Excel, and the Lion, right? Three schools that will be closed for next year. So, that's obviously a significant portion of the reduction. >> Yeah, I say my my one question that I want to ask tonight piggybacks on that.
Yeah. because I'm also looking at with those coming in then what happens with the bumping or other kinds of things that can happen if my position is related but I'm still here and what what kind of destabilization can that cause
has a ripple effect across the district as we're trying to look at quality educator sitting before kids and our how do we preserve >> that piece with all of this. So um it is a little early for us to know
until we get school budgets back like what categories of teachers and so forth. But the way it would work is we have an enormous amount of provisional teachers that we carry in the system or teachers on waiverss or working toward their but not yet certified. All of that
happens before we ever get to teachers with seniority. And so, you know, we'll look at high impact subject areas and then really work thoughtfully when like for instance the school's closing we go we uh Francis Ky and her staff are
already looking at teach how to help teachers with certifications get into other kinds of certification programs. Um and then we make available the list of what what positions are available. We will likely work very heavily using the
regional model this coming year because that's why it's there. It's to disseminate information. So we'll probably heavily use that so that leaders can make recommendations. I'm losing because I cut a classroom. I'm losing this particular educator. Excellent educator. Want to get that
educator into a classroom. They'll make those kinds of levels of referral. Um we will systemize it as much as possible. So we'll have more of that once we start to get those schoolbased budgets back. But your questions are all on point. They're the information we need to be
protective of. You know, we've made uh a tremendous effort to ensure that our workforce in in race and in language and in experience reflects and represents our kids. And we don't we want to be
able to preserve those that we've recruited, right? So, um it's everyone's interest for that. So, we'll just we'll be working through that as part of the human capital project. >> Okay. Thank you. Um uh we'll now return to public comment and we'll thank you
and I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of you in the new year. >> Sure. >> Thank you. Okay. Well, we will now move on to business. And at this time, I would now like to invite my fellow members along with the superintendent to
join me in celebrating a dedicated member of our VPS community. Today, we recognize Michael O'Neal for his many years of outstanding service and leadership on the Boston School Committee. Throughout his tenure, Michael consistently emphasized the
importance of monitoring our own progress and holding ourselves accountable. He often drew on his deep institutional knowledge to remind us of where we've been, what has worked, and what we must continue to uphold as a
committee. His guidance helped ensure that our decisions were responsible, transparent, and made with an eye toward long-term sustainability, particularly when overseeing the budget. The committee has benefited greatly from Michael's business experience, his
forward-thinking approach, and his integrity. As a graduate of this district and a proud Bostononian, he consistently demonstrated a deep love for Boston and the Boston public schools. In addition, his work with the Council of the Great City Schools strengthened
this committee and helped bring a valuable national perspective back to Boston, always grounded in what was best for our students. What has always driven Michael is his belief in the quality of education and his commitment to ensuring students are
college and life ready, prepared to move forward with confidence. He has spoken often about his pride in our students and his hope that they will one day return to Boston and give back in the same way he has. Michael, your voice will be missed. Thank you, Mr.
O'Neal for your leadership, your dedication, and your lasting impact on our students and on the Boston student school committee. I will now read the proclamation which says, "The Boston School Committee extends its deepest appreciation to
Michael D. O'Neal. Whereas Michael O'Neal has served the students and families of the Boston public schools with exceptional dedication since his appointment to the Boston school committee on July 15th, 2008. And whereas Mr. O'Neal has
provided steadfast leadership throughout his tenure, including his service as chair and most recently as vice chair, guiding the committee through pivotal decisions and periods of transition. And whereas his integrity, institutional knowledge, and thoughtful guidance have
had a lasting and positive impact on the district and will great will be greatly missed. Therefore, let it be resolved that the chair and the members of the school committee of the city of Boston join with the superintendent of schools in expressing their heartfelt
appreciation to Michael O'Neal for his many years of distinguished service and extend their warmest wishes for continued health, happiness, and success in all future endeavors. December 17, 2025. Signed, Jerry Robinson, chair Boston
School Committee, and Mary Skipper, superintendent, Boston Public Schools. >> Um, congratulations, Michael. Superintendent, would you like to say a few words? >> Sure. um 17 years is a good run. Um but
you know, you represent so many different facets being a student yourself of the BPS and a graduate. Um your work with the business community and always bringing that voice into every discussion uh to just your leadership as chair of school committee
and then your ongoing membership, but also at the national level, the work you've done with the council of great city schools representing Boston always so well. um and serving uh for them as as chair as well of the executive committee. You know, you really exemplify in so many different ways what
leadership is about. Um you have had your share of difficult votes in your time, tonight being one of them. And uh you always do it with dignity and empathy and respect for the people that you're impacting, always with keeping kids at the center. And so, um, I am,
this is bittersweet in many ways for me because you are leaving one body, but I know I will get to work with you and the students of Boston will benefit from your work at PIC um, as the new executive director. Um, and I know that that Boston students will be centered in
that work and cared for in that work. Um, so while I'll lose you here, I will we will gain you over there. Um, but you you truthfully have um even for me personally as a school leader, you always somebody that showed up to my school, asked questions, came to
graduation, was invested uh and I always felt you were somebody that was approachable and I could go to as a as a school leader. Um, and certainly in school committee uh and in my journey as superintendent, you've been pivotal uh along that way as well, just always
being a mentor and a friend. So, I just want to thank you so much and I uh I wish you all the best and uh I know this energy will come to this next step. Um we do have um a couple of things for you. Um these are going away presents.
Um so the first is in case you ever lose your way in Charles Town. >> Hold on. Yeah, you can open it. Oh boy. There it is.
>> The Michael O'Neal way. >> Or if you're in an argument, you can say it's the Michael O'Neal way. Um, but either way, >> how much my wife and children will go for that, but >> um, but this one is, I think, extra special uh, and probably a very big
surprise. Um, but it is known that your father received uh a Revier bowl. And um this is a for those that don't know it, it's a very prestigious uh bowl that was said to be carved by Paul Rivere. Um and
this is obviously uh in that memory and replica. Um but the idea of it is to it's only given to the people who over a long period of time have consistently showed civic leadership and impacted in an incredible way. And um so this was
you will actually see that the inscription that was on your dad's bowl is the same inscription that's on yours. >> Um and so I I don't think there's any higher honor that we can give you, but very very welld deserved. Well, it's all wrapped. >> Yeah, you have. >> It's wrapped.
I want you to open it. Take a picture. >> Okay. >> I thought about opening it myself. >> This is if it's So, my father received one from Mayor Collins after his years of service with the with the city and it sits on my wife's and I d
They fill with flowers every Thanksgiving. >> You can read the inscriptions. >> No. >> Boy, you're testing me now. >> Yeah, exactly. The eyes. >> Yeah. uh presented Michael O'Neal, school
committee member 2008 to 2025 in grateful appreciation of his 17 years of dedication and service in the city of Boston December 2025. And Mayor Woos in signature is on
the other side. Yeah, >> we're in contact. >> Hey, that was tough. The light. >> If I could just make a a quick couple of comments >> back to the rest of the members. >> I'm sorry. Can >> Absolutely.
>> like to give members an opportunity first to make comments. Go >> ahead. >> Um, thank you, Michael, for your services. in Boston. >> I do remember uh the conversations we
had before, Mr. O'Neil, because you have voted before to elect some of the or many superintendent in the past. I do remember very well those conversations we had. I would like to say that your vast experience and the way you communicated
with me, it was a great learning experience to me. I did learn from you Mr. O'Neil that there are difficult decisions we have to make but we have to make decisions. >> I did learn as well that there are some
gentlemen left in this world still. You're kind. You're respectful. You're a gentleman. And those are qualities that I do appreciate very much. Wherever you go, you will be I know you will be there is nothing they can take
away from you which is your kindness which is being a gentleman which is everything you represent. They cannot take that away from you. Wherever you go Mr. Now, Boston, my best wishes for you, Mr. for all your services for all the years of services
for the many hours allocated thinking about how to better the lives of the students and that is something truly I do appreciate for all your dedication throughout the years. >> Thank you so much. >> Thank you. Thank you. uh
you were the first person I think that reached out to me um when I started on the committee and um I remember just how welcoming you were eager to to work with whoever was
willing to step up and to volunteer. Um, and I always appreciate that you were also someone who made me actually think there were 30 hours in one day because not only were you someone that I identified with that was working a
full-time like job, it was you were also at every school event ribbon cutting. Uh, you were leading at the time the superintendent's evaluation. you were doing all of these other aspects that really was a full-time job. And so I was
just like, you just either don't sleep or you're a vampire, which whichever. Um, and so I think that was inspiration for me to really look at my own structure of time and to say, "All
right, if you truly want to be a dedicated member on this, these are the things that you should probably be involved with. Um, students need to see you. Um, community needs to see you. Um, partners need to see you. Um, and so I've I've taken that on as like
something that I've learned from you. Um, and I'm deeply appreciative of being able to work alongside you and even the times when, you know, you've you've pulled me to the side to say, you know, think about every decision, but I think
also because of 17 years, you've had the perspective. And so for you to tell you the stories of the people where you made a decision years ago and to hear from them 10, 12, whatever years later how they've reflected on that and you get to the perspective to think whether or not
you should have gone a different way or or you feel like you made the right decision. So um I think in that sense it's you know that that's sort of helped me um try to keep things in perspective for the long term. So, uh, I'm deeply
grateful for just these moments that I've been able to share alongside you. So, thank you. Thank you. >> Same. >> Yeah. >> Well, where where is >> microphone? Oh, okay. Uh
the thing I remember about you was the first impression when I almost eight years ago when I was first appointed by Mayor Walsh and in my swearing in you know who show up you. The only member of the school committee
back then that show up and I remember I I I say to myself maybe this is the guy that I should go out and have a drink with. A real drink drink. Uh but I we didn't have a chance. Um
I came on with a lot of uh how would I say it? I was pretty uh let let's put it this way. I I I was pretty pissed >> Mhm. >> at the way the the the school committee
is working back then and the kind of school issues that that we're facing. And I brought that to the may to Mayor Walsh and he he put me on and I came with that kind of anger. You mellow me.
You teach me how to be mellow. You impart your your knowledge, your skills, your experience. and you taught me how to approach issues
looking at all angles not only from a liberal way that I was brought up um to to view things. So I do appreciate that and um I hope that our our friendship going to
>> last until uh uh I step I step down from But >> again, let's have a real drink drink sometimes. Thank you, Quark.
>> No longer a quorum. Um, one, I'm sure you're going to be super happy to get your Wednesday evenings back, so use them wisely. Um, I was we were at a holiday party at the same holiday party recently, and um, I was
moved. There was a school leader um who just shared she was like, "You were on the school committee when I was in high school." And I squeezed her afterwards. I was like, "Girl, you can't say that." >> What I did love school. >> Yeah. >> But what I did love was just the
recognition of like the story of her BPS experience from student to teacher to assistant principal to principal. You have been a thread in that. Um, and so your service has been seen and experienced and and thank you. >> And we lost her to Canton.
>> Yeah, she's now in Canton, >> but you and I both tried to recruit her back. >> Yeah, we'll get her back. She's good. But really, thank you for everything and um and like congratulations on this next chapter. You deserve >> Thank you. >> You deserve your Wednesdays and your Monday mornings and all those things
back. Thanks. Um, member O'Neal, I'm also reflecting on feeling really old today hearing that 2008 because our first intersection and really my first exposure to um school committee membership and the
relationship and the partnership between school committee and and the school district was when I was working as chief of staff for Superintendent Johnson and you were still a young fledgling member. you you were um you were on the newer
side and you know navigating all of the different personalities and requests from school committee members. You were always extremely collaborative um and forthright and very steadfast um and then and now you're also very um
thoughtful in your listening and careful and intentional with the words that you speak. And I that's something that um I really um appreciate from you and hope to hope to model that too. Um you also
me mentioned in one of the presentations earlier today that you had a a one-on-one conversation with the school leader about the budget. Um, and I think there's a lot of work and conversations that you do behind the scenes um, to further understand situations and context often through individual
conversations with school leaders. Um, and I think that's very appreciated from the school leader community. Um, and then you just referenced, you know, trying to uh talk to a a a school leader who left and trying to get her back. um and you're smiling because you know that
um a conversation that I had with you when you reached out when I was still living in DC was very very integral um to my returning to to BPS to to lead Latin school at that time. Um and something I'm very grateful for and I'm glad that we got this opportunity to
overlap briefly as colleagues on this body. Um and wish you the best going forward. >> Thank you. it. Um I was reflecting as well I've probably known you the longest right from when I first joined the school committee and I'm very glad you came back an important time for our city
and for our shared elma mada if I may make just a couple quick remarks and then we can all get out of here is that okay madam chair >> do I get to say >> oh I'm sorry you said such beautiful things about me >> those are the scripted >> I'm Irish
as an Irishman I'm really uncomfortable with this >> you know you are But um I just want to thank you because um we've been joined at the hip for a while here and um you know I can remember my first me meeting 12 years ago when we sat down in your
office down at the um >> old building court street and looking at the map of the district and you're pointing out all of the different schools that you've been visiting through and that that certainly was a red flag for me about aha got to get
around you've got to get out. um and that um you really um led the way in terms of helping us to remember that it's not just what we do here, but it is getting out being about listening um
seeing students celebrating um holding many many um school superintendent >> accountable. um working through the churn of this last decade um including a pandemic in
any number of things, but you always were a positive thinker um pushing us forward, never letting us sort of get down or negative about it. Um but you know, seeing where we where we both come
from and where we needed to go. Um, thank you for your leadership around the work with the council of the great city schools. Um, and that certainly helped me to grow and and to see school committee leadership from a very
different different perspective. Um, sharing Glen Cooter on speed dial >> on speed dial. But um I just I I I thank you for being a son of this city um and a champion for this district and
knowing that what you're about to do next is only going to do that much greater for for more of the city but really for most of our students as well. So thanks a lot. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. It's an honor to serve by your side. And as as you know,
you are sick and tired of me saying it. You know what I'm going to say right now? I am the happiest person in the city of Austin that you are chair of the school committee. So, um I want to first acknowledge two of my colleagues, Dr. Alkins and member Cadet Hernandez because as Mr. Cadet Hernandez said
earlier tonight, your term is up and you are waiting, you know, you have applied and you are waiting to find out the next step and there have been several times in the past I have walked out and not known if it's my last meeting. So I want to acknowledge and thank you for your
work in particular. I both of you I have learned every time you have spoken. I have listened. You're both so thoughtful in the way you have pushed the district and um may have had different viewpoints at certain points but I that's the beauty of us working together as a committee and I have learned and so I am
appreciative of the work that both of you have done and I want to make sure acknowledge that tonight. Um, I thank Chair Robinson, my friend, my colleague in this work, Superintendent Skipper, who we are delighted to have um, leading
our district now and the fellow members of the committee. I thank the past superintendent and past members that I have worked with. I thank Mayor Manino for originally appointing me, as well as Mayor Walsh and Mayor Woo for their trust and support and reappointing me over the years. We're so blessed in this
city to have mayors who so strongly support um the Boston public schools. I also thank the senior teams of the district and of the mayor's teams um and their education advisors including Dr. Rebecca Granger who is with us this evening and the past and present that
I've been honored to work with and also the executive secretaries of the school committee, Miss Lena Parvix now, Miss Liz Sullivan before her, Jennifer as well who works with the school committee and and particularly the incredible school leaders has been referenced. I I
love being out schools and meeting the school leaders and the teachers and have formed such strong relationships with them and all those in our schools who so devoted to improving the educational opportunities for the youth in our care. I've had the honor of serving this committee, as we said, for 17 and a half years. But I truly admit my favorite
time has been in the schools, many of which I've visited multiple times. And we can honestly say we have great learning going on in this city day in and day out, often not acknowledged. Just these past few weeks, I've been visiting schools. I've seen example
after example of exemplary teaching and learning going on which you never see or hear about publicly including just this morning in the Manning School in Jamaica Plane where I went to K to6 many many years ago but this happens in every neighborhood of the city. I'm proud of
how we've worked together for inclusive opportunities for our students to improve the education for our multilingual learners. how we worked to focus on not just achievement but also increasing opportunity for all of our students. I'm proud of the improvement
of our facilities particularly touched by the new buildings that we've built and everyone knows the Carter School is so special to me and by the way I thank Brian Mclofflin from the city and the district for his work in making that happen. the improvements in our food service, what the Shaw Family FA
foundation originally did and now with the with the My Way Cafes and which now the food service department has continued. Had a delicious meal at the manning today. The Lakis were excellent. >> Our family and community outreach, our increase in nurses, counselors, social workers, librarians, our bus monitors,
our custodians, all of whom play an important role in helping our students be in the best position to learn. Jerry just mentioned uh Cher Robinson just mentioned I'm thankful for the involvement Boston has had in the Mass Association of School Committees in our time as chair we both have Glenn Cooer
on speed dial that keeps this district out of this committee out of any trouble um and especially our work with the council of great city schools particularly Dr. Cassley and Dr. heart and their teams. BPS is a better district because of our support from the
council of great city schools and from the fellow members in the district. I could have not have done this work all this time without the support of my family and friends. I thank my sister Siobhan, a retired special ed teacher who was very helpful in my early years
in this committee and joined me at the Carter School the other day. Sorry, my brothers John H and Rob and my sister Megan who has been in this chamber a number of times in support. My wife Ron and I are our immediate family is Tyler, Zach and Sarra Murphy along with his
part their partners and all have been incredible cheerleaders in this work and provided me a real grounding for me in their educational journey. My loving wife Anna has been the most understanding and supportive spouse I could ever imagine. if she had a dollar
for every time I said I can't do that. I got a school committee thing would be retired in the south of France right now. >> Even if my French teacher at Latin school said I was not speaking French BLS quality >> cuz he probably weren't advice. Thank
you. You know, I'll finish by saying as much as I've loved being a part of the Boston business community and I thank the partners at Zosmus, where I work now, um, as well as the past leaders of SBI, Bank of America, Citizens, and US Trust who encouraged me in my desire to help
our community. I must say, being on this committee has been the honor of my career. I always say we don't do it for the pay or the praise because we get very little of either. But Boston public schools set me up to
succeed um when I went on to college and and beyond and in my career. And I've always been driven to ensure more stu more students in Boston get the same opportunity I have. I have praised, pushed, prodded, explored, brainstormed all to help our district approve always
solely focused on our youth. So no doubt I've made mistakes, but I paraphrase President George Washington himself in his final address when he said, "I am unconscious of intentional error. However, I am nevertheless too sensible
of my defects not to think it probable I may committed many errors. So I shall also carry with me the hope the city will view them with indulgence." I'm excited to continue my work for Boston residents with the Boston Private Industry Council in January where we work to further the mayor's education
and workforce development goals at the intersection of the business community, city hall, the BPS, and our young adults and adults alike. So, I'm not going far, but I will always respect and appreciate the work that you do in this chamber. So my fellow members,
I close with these comments I've often found so applicable to our work on this committee and from Petty President Teddy Roosevelt. Many of you know this speech, right? The man in the arena >> and I'll just paraphrase a quick part of it. The credit belongs to the person who is actually in the arena, whose face is
marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who is who come short again and again because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who does actually strive to do the deeds. Who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends themselves
on a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if they feel at least fails while bearing greatly. That's what this committee does. >> Thank you. >> I'm gonna have to
take a picture. So, >> you want down the >> Do you want me to journ? >> All right. Let me let me adjourn and then we'll take a p picture. Says that concludes our business. >> I have one. Sorry. Sorry. I didn't say it in my comments earlier, but I wanted
to acknowledge everybody in this room who attended those community meetings and spoke to families. That is not an easy thing to do. It will never be an easy thing to do. Um but uh
it's it's more than a job at that point. um and it is an emotional investment that um you all are making in talking to communities that um particularly with that level of news. So I just wanted to extend thank you for showing up day in
and day out uh for doing that. >> Yeah. And especially Chief Stannis Los. >> Um thank you business, new business dealing within Quincy. Um, I want to talk regarding students.
Uh, this is like kind of new business that they were talking about bilingual programs especially in school. Josiah Quincy And there was a memo in which we agreed it was invisible to continue that conversation. and I want to bring it as a new business
uh because of the amount of families and kids that we're expressing. I would love to have a bilingual program maybe in Mandarin. Um, so we can, uh, we did say that in January we'd have some additional conversation about this, so we can pick it up in January. Um, I think it was
just we gave the memo to get the information to you, but with the idea that we would continue that conversation. >> Thank you. >> Appreciate that. >> Thank you so much. >> I'm just going to close the meeting out. Um, do
that concludes our business for this evening. The school committee will hold virtual meetings on Zoom from January through March starting at 5:30 p.m. The committee's annual organization meeting will take place on Monday, January 5th at 5:30 p.m. Our next regular meeting
will take place on Wednesday, January 21st at 5:30 p.m. Again, those meetings will be held virtually. The complete 2026 meeting schedule will be posted on the committee's website after it is formally approved at our organizational meeting. There's nothing further. I'll
entertain a motion to adjourn the meeting. Is there a motion? >> Second. Thank you. Is there any objection to approving the motion by unanimous consent? Hearing none, this meeting is adjourned. Thank you all. Have a good night. Great vacation.