recording in progress. I hereby call to order the meeting, the school committee meeting, June 18, 2026. Um, it's an exciting night. Lots of folks here. Welcome, welcome, welcome. And we're honoring people tonight. And
so I want to do something before we honor the folks who are on schedule. And I want to honor Betsy Fitzpatrick. Yes. And it's I've I've only been doing this well actually for a year or so, but I'm
always astonished at how everything gets done and I got the name tag and you got name tags. It's just brilliant. So Betsy, I just want to say to you, we would not be where we are. We would not be able to do the things that we do so smoothly, so easily if it wasn't for
Betsy Fitzpatrick. Thank you. Okay. Thank you for joining us for this annual celebration of staff who have devoted over three decades of their lives to the public schools of Brooklyn and to our
students. We know how wonderful our educators are, but this evening we get to show off to the wider community just some of our staff. Each of our honores will be speaking for a few minutes to give you a small taste of the caliber of talent, commitment, dedication,
professionalism that our staff bring to the Brooklyn public schools and to their jobs every day. Brooklyn, as we I always find out when I go to conferences all over the place that Brookline is a beacon. Brooklyn is the lighthouse for educational excellence in Massachusetts
and really throughout the nation. And that hard-earned reputation is built over time on the work of our staff. They are truly the heart of what we do from early education through 12th grade. And we are so grateful to each and every one
of them who make the Brooklyn public schools what they are. So we asked our honores to think about one story, one connection, one element, one memory to share that best encapsula encapsulates the work uh that they've done. And we look forward to hearing from 15
educators tonight. Right, Betsy? 15. Um, all of our staff have made an indelible mark on our school system. Uh, we do have two staff members in attendance this evening who won't be speaking, so please allow me to say a few words about them.
First, Fran McGrael. Fran is the longtime >> Hello. >> How we doing? Fran is the longtime custodian at RUNL. He actually worked at other schools, including the high school while I was there. He is truly the heart and soul of RUNL. He's integral to the
school's operation. He treats students, staff, and parents with incredible respect and kindness. Absolutely. And his patience and empathy are especially evident in his care and attention to the RNL students who are enrolled in the RISE program. His steady presence in the
school is remarkable. Principal Finnegan describes Franny as a treasure, which he is. I understand that there is a retirement celebration for Rungal staff this evening, so I don't think Franny can stick around, but I want to acknowledge him at this time. Franny
McGrael, please stand up for our appreciation. >> Thank you. >> Thank you, Fran. Now, Elizabeth Hendrickson. Oh my god, Elizabeth. We go back. Elizabeth is described by her colleagues, including me, as one of the hardest workers in the
in the public schools of Brooklyn. She started as a metco liaison and she earned her bachelor of science in nursing while doing that. Excuse me. And now she's a valued member of the school nursing team. Along the way, she worked for our extended school year,
helped with homework centers. She's a district-wide nurse and with her strong clinical school skills and calmness. Yeah. Under pressure, that's nursing. She is the perfect She is just perfect for the job. I want us to recognize
Elizabeth Hendrickson. Thank you. Of course, it's a busy time of the year and unfortunately eight, sorry, eight honores could not join us tonight. Betty Differ, Pam Carlson, Rob Hutcherson, Jen Nixon, Matthysse, I can
water, Joanne Silva, Njoku. Did I say Joanne Shaughnessy? Yeah. Akiki Kawawaii Marbett and Shashana Castant. They can't be with us, but they're great people and great teachers and they contribute as
well. Thank you. And now comes the sty the time for standup emotion, inspiration, and comedy. Uh we're g we're going to call one at a time the honores tonight. 303 31 years. One at a time alphabetically. Susan Belogue
first. You want to speak right into it. So, >> okay. Speak right into this. And I have to tell a Betsy story. So, at Baker School, when people wonder, wait, who do we send this to? Who's gonna who understands where this is? The answer is always just I don't know. Email Betsy if
it's Patrick. She will know. And she does. So, um, good evening everyone and thank you to the school committee for inviting me. Um, my dear friend Diane Or Mundle who's a Lawrence teacher and is here to support me. My beloved son Noah,
my firstborn, who taught me humility and patience because parenting is really just teaching without a paycheck. Um, it is great to be here and it's an honor to be here. I'm going to talk about love tonight. I started doing something
different in my teaching this year. You know, people always say, "How can you teach so long?" And I say because every kid is different and every year is different and that's what keeps it lively and wonderful. Um, but this year I started signing off on my Canvas
messages to the kids with, you know, plea you missed this assignment. I know you were out sick with strep throat, but that was last week. Let me help you get this done. Um, it was great to have you back in class. Love, Miss Boowo. And I thought really long and hard about the
love part, but I do love my students very much. And um I remember my 10th grade teacher, my English teacher, Paty Root. She was from East Texas. And I am I'm going to try to channel Mrs. Root.
She would say, "The Greeks have it all on us. I'm an English teacher, but the Greeks have it better. They have six words for love. We love McDonald's French fries. We love our grandmother. It's all the same. It doesn't make sense. So, she would teach us about the
different forms of love. And the kind of love that we extend as humans to our fellow humans is agape. And that is the kind of love that is selfless giving. Maybe in Buddhism you might know it as
loving kindness. That is a a good translation. I think of course we love our students. I love my students and I want the best for them and more Greek. We're all in loco parents. We're in the place of parents. I would want every
child to be cherished in my care um just like they're cherished at home with their parents. So, um I I was thinking about love and the love I have for my kids. And as a teacher, I've had this incredible privilege of sharing my life
and cultivating that loving kindness in so many hundreds, I don't know, maybe thousands of very openhearted Brooklyn youngsters and their families. And in return, they helped me to
self-actualize. They provide me every day, every year with this rush of joy and challenge that is really unparalleled. Um it it's just a privilege and an honor even though it can be exhausting and
draining and sometimes I um I wake up in the middle of the night worrying about them and I try to pivot and think what could I be do doing differently. I think that's my phone ringing. We're we're going to we're going to just ignore it.
That is me, Nicole. We're just going to think that's that's spam. Um that's so sweet. Who Who was Miss She loved Miss Brandle's class. Um so my students have taught me love, too. They have taught me patience and humility and
definitely love. I care for each kid. Um, I don't always hit the mark every day, but I'm so grateful I have 180 days with them because you you do in teaching get a doover. Once in a while, the kids have these homing pigeon instincts and
they look you up or they come stalk you in the hallways after school and they get in touch. Um, and it it's magical. So, I got this Instagram message from um a kid called Nicole, and this was back
in COVID. And she said to me, "Miss Blo, you have no idea how much it means to me that you stay in touch. I feel as though I started to learn how to use my voice to advocate for justice from you. I remember in seventh grade when you sat
us all down in class and you talked about the killing of black men. I've been I hadn't been talking about that because I didn't know it was even a problem, but you brought me and all my classmates attention to it and I started to understand that having hard, truthful
conversations were important and that they lead to change. So, I'm not ready to retire. I still have a lot of gas in the tank. But I want to thank Nicole and every student and every family I've ever had because
um they believe like I believe in them that they can change the world. >> Thank you very much, Susan. >> By by the way, there there are five seats in the front row. They're not expensive.
>> Anybody wants to join us in the front row, that would be great. And also, I neglected to say that Valrius is remote tonight because she couldn't be here. And Jesse Heftter is on his way up here from New York City. He'll be here about 7 o'clock. So, they express their um
sadness not being here right now. Okay. Nicole >> Brandle when you're second graders. >> Um yes. Good evening. Thank you to the school committee um for having this for all of us who have put 30 years in. And like Susan, I feel like we still have
some more to go. Um but I am Nicole Brandle and I have taught at Baker School for um 30 years in second grade. And I know, right? And I did have Gigi, her daughter. So um and I'll let you in on a secret that second graders are
absolutely the best. Um they're positive about school. They love coming to school. They love their teacher. Um, and they love to learn. So, they make my job really easy. Um, it's hard to believe that 30 years has already gone by. Baker School is literally my home away from
home. Um, even though that sounds like a cliche, it really is. However, my husband and my children, thank you so much for being here, will argue that I spend more time at Baker than I do at home. So, um, the life of an elementary school teacher. So, um, thank you so
much to my wonderful family for putting up with me because having a teacher in the house is not always the easiest thing. Um, so I appreciate it. Um, you could say that Brooklyn is in our family. Um, my husband is the night senior at the high school and our three
children, Madison, Morgan, and Tyler are proud graduates of Baker School and BHS. Um, thanks to the materials fee program, the best program ever. just woohoo. Um, Brookline is a part of all of us and
we are so fortunate for that. My whole family. When Betsy reached out about this event, I started thinking about how many students I have taught over the years. So, being a second grade teacher, I actually counted all of my class pictures because they are displayed in my classroom because I love being
reminded of all of them. And it came out to 613. But let's be honest, there were people who weren't there on picture day. and we always get an influx of so many new students over the course of the year. So, we know that it's north of that number. Um, but I consider myself lucky that I have been able to support
and teach and help so many students grow. There have been many wonderful families over the year and I love hearing about where students are now, what their adventures are, what they're doing, and I feel proud that I was part of their journey. Um, well, believe it or not, my luck
doesn't stop there. Um, I work with some of my best friends and that is not something that many people can say. Um, and some of my best friends are also here. Um, I am so fortunate to have many amazing colleagues at Baker and that some of those relationships have
blossomed into so much more. Friends that are there for you for all the good that life has to offer and also the hard times. I have Brooklyn, especially Baker to thank for bringing all these wonderful people into my life. My current second grade team, we like to
call ourselves the grade two gals, GTG. Anytime you see us, we sign it that way because that's who we are. We've been together for 12 years, the four of us, and I feel very fortunate that we've had that and we can help our second graders grow. After 30 years, I am still able to
say that I love my job, even though at times it feels impossible. Um, after school on Tuesday, I sat down at my desk, which by the way is a prop in an elementary school classroom. We actually never sit at our desks except for maybe after school. And there was
this little note on my desk and it had a big heart. And I opened up the the letter and it said, "Dear Miss Brandle, I like how you always make me feel good." And I said, "That's why I've been doing this for 30 years. If I can just
help kids feel good and grow and grow into wonderful people, then I've done my job." So, thank you so much. >> Thank you, Nicole. I'm a little disappointed that I do not see a drum set for the next speaker, but I guess she forgot to bring it. Carolyn
Castellano. >> Hey, thank you so much. Thank you, Brooklyn. Um, Bob, I remember sitting in your office when I got hired and we talked about Rage Against the Machine. Wow. I don't know if you remember that. The microphone explode, chatter in the mold.
I think you've been wrapping it, not me. Anyway, it's been awesome. Um, I'm not going to talk too long because I did talk um recently here about my journey at Brookline, which has been an amazing time here. I think I just want to reflect on the connections that we make
with students and especially being here for so long. I remember my very first student, Sam Dorf, who I'm still in touch with today. um or as recently as another student um I was given the opportunity to go to one of the um Celtics playoff games. A friend of mine
was playing trumpet at it and um I I couldn't go last minute and he said, "Well, do you know someone else who wants to go to the game and I thought of a couple of students. I thought of this one student and I contacted him. I said, "Hey, you want to go to the Celtics game tonight?" And he's like, "Yeah." So, we got to go and um was on watched all the
warm-ups and stuff and got to meet Reggie Lewis and some other folks too. not Reggie Lewis was I think it was. So anyway, um and those kind of connections, those are the things that I'm always going to remember and the connections that I make with the students and knowing that you made a difference and that they want to you're
like a mirror. They see you, I see them, and we're able to keep that connection as as they leave and as I'm still there. And um you know, it's just it's just awesome. Um and they're you know, that's the best part of of the job I think for me is the connections that I make with
the students. So, I just that's all I really have to say. Um, thank you so much. Um, yeah, I don't I'm sorry I don't have some drums. I'll bring them next time. >> Thank you, Carolyn. Next up, Deborah Caruso. >> Props is good.
>> Hello. Thank you everyone. Thank you school committee for honoring us tonight. I'm one of the 31s started here in 1995 with a lot of familiar faces in this room. I am not a teacher. I am an occupational therapist. I consider myself an advocate for those
quiet voices that don't always get heard and I promise myself not to cry. But I do have a parent on the school committee who whose son graduated this year along with my child. And I feel like my two boys graduated because all of the kids that I work with are my kids. And so I
was asked to bring in um talk about a special moment. And I will I brought in my very first Brooklyn CPAC Hero Award which I earned in 2019 and this was the highlight of my career. Um I've since I
started here I got my master's in autism care. I got my doctor's degree in autism and trauma-informed practice, but nothing can top this award because this came from the parents. And at the end of the day, my job is to advocate for those
who don't aren't always able to advocate for themselves, those kids that are sometimes called not always our kids, but your kids. And at the end of the day, um, this is why I'm here. And so everyone asks me after the masters, are
you gonna keep working? Yes, I'm gonna keep working. After the doctorate, are you gonna keep working? Yes, I'm going to keep working. You don't want to be an admin? No, I don't want to be an admin. The kids are the reason I'm here. And the reason why I might, it might be 31 years, but I feel like I have 15 more to give. And at the end of the day, when I
walk through the playground and I hear 40, 50 children calling out Dr. Caruso and coming to give me hugs, that is why I'm here. So, thank you for giving me the opportunity to help raise so many of your children, to help them feel like they belong, to help them feel like they
are a part of our community, despite what the world out there says. Um, all of my kids on IEPs and all of my kids with special needs are my kids. They're all our kids. And so, thank you so much for this opportunity to share with you. And I will say my son just graduated
along with Donna's >> my child's name. I won't. No, I won't. I'm not saying any names. I promise I won't say any names. But but I also wanted my son to be in school in the public schools of Brooklyn. So, we are a Brookline family. I have dedicated my entire adult career
to this community and my son is now a product of this community. So, thank you so much for giving me the privilege to be a part of all of you. >> Thank you, Deborah Elizabeth Gorman. Liz. >> All right, the microphone. Um, so thank
you to all of my people, my home family, my world language wellness family. You are everything. Um, thank you to the town of Brooklyn for creating such an uh, enriching professional home for me for all these years. Thanks to Bob Winrop and Manuela Barto Romo for taking
a chance on me and hiring me 30 years ago. Um, so what does one say about 30 years of teaching in several minutes? Uh, one surprise I've thought about like what what surprised me. Um, one surprise
is that it has not gotten easier. I have more skills, but I still work long hours. I never feel caught up. Um, my husband can can confirm. Uh, sadly, I still get filled with dread on Sunday nights and after vacations. Um, we are
on every day, all day. Uh, I do long for a job that I don't bring home every night and every weekend. Uh, but the stress dissipates every Monday morning as soon as I'm in my classroom with students. It's a very happy place for me
and it sounds like for a lot of you. Um, another surprise is that it is just as fun and ex as exciting as it was 30 years ago. So, that's a good surprise. Um, I'm not a teacher who will be remembered for like some single great achievement. Though, I am proud of a few
things that I helped build. uh helped build a China exchange, a climbing wall, a network of mindfulness work with teachers, loads of Spanish curriculum units. Uh but mostly my teaching, like most teachers, which to clarify is not
over. Um has been defined by a lot of effort and made of a million small moments of joy and kindness. Um it's not a thankless job. In addition to the never boring daily delights, every year around this time the thank you cards
come in. I keep a physical file folder labeled nice. For the particularly heartfelt ones, it is getting nice and fat. Um, this note though I too brought I'm going to share us some student words. Uh, this note
that I will read to you arrived unexpect unexpectedly in October of this year and um embodies what I'm most proud of. Uh, and I'm going to change the name for privacy. So, it said this email came in. I opened my box and said, "Hi, Miss Gorman. I'm Emma and I had you for my
junior year Spanish class about four years ago. I just wanted to reach out and say thank you. During my junior year of high school, I struggled with my mental health and you honestly saved my life. You asked me to stay after class one day and asked me why I was missing
so many classes. It didn't feel confrontational at all. Instead, it felt like you genuinely cared and we began to talk regularly. Having one person care about me during that time was what I needed to stay alive. Now I'm a junior
in college in Philadelphia and I'm studying to become an elementary school teacher. If I become half the teacher and person you are, I will feel successful. Thank you so much for having a positive impact on my life, especially when I needed it
the most. I hope this email reaches you and I hope you have a great school year. Best, Emma. Um, every teacher makes a difference and we often don't know when. Please keep trust to the school committee. Please keep trusting and supporting teachers to be great, to
follow their passions, to create the conditions for them to be able to show up healthy for others, and please keep our class sizes small so we can know every human in our rooms. I am so excited that Emma will soon join
the ranks of future teachers. Thank you and congratulations to you all. Thank you, Liz. Michelle Gley, >> thank you so much, school committee. This is such an honor. It's also an honor, but yet a daunting realization that my gray hairs are coming in at a
much faster pace right now. As a BEAP teacher, I've taught at FRR, the Lynch Center, Driscoll, Lincoln, and I'm currently teaching preK at Beep at Putterham. My classroom, no matter where it stands, is my home away from home.
I'd like to take you all on a field trip there right now. Now, for this trip, I'd like to you to all humor me and close your eyes once I count to three. With your eyes shut, you'll be able to envision all the sites as you listen to
four and fiveyear-olds describe the map that leads to PKG. 1 2 3. Now close your eyes and imagine for this is beep at Putterham. First you ring the buzzer. Then you push
one of the two doors. On the other side is the door to the playground. There are a lot of windows there. The stairs are in the middle. Follow the arrows up the stairs. We are going straight to near where the elevator is. Don't use that
elevator if there's a fire. This is the glass door to go inside. Now, I have to thank my dad for that fire safety tip because he came in so many years during his time as a firefighter in Newton and shared with all of my students his great
fire safety tips. Now, here you are. This is the pictures of all the friends at school. There are all the teachers. All up on the side is a long hallway. Now the letters right here means it's the classroom. Abracadabra. Everyone
open your eyes. We're here. You have just landed in a corner of a beep classroom where true magic happens. The magic happens as the students here learn from one another. The joy happens as they celebrate and praise one another.
Now, I would like you to listen to their joy. These are their words. I love your book so much and it's funny and thank you so much for making it. It's so cute and I love it so much. I
love your story. It is like a wow maze. I love your pictures that you made. I love that you can read. I love the letters that you can do. I very like your drawing. I love how well you're
reading. You are just doing so great. In beep, we never underestimate the power of a word or a gesture. The words that we choose help others to feel loved, special, appreciated, valued, and respected.
Just as significant as our words are also the gestures of those who cannot produce language. Positive gestures, handshakes, movements, mumbles, and eyeglances carry the same weight as our words. Some of my
best times in Beep were dancing with a nonverbal learner. Her smiles and laughter were like word lollipops, and that's the truth. I came to Brooklyn because of the school system's commitment to acknowledging and celebrating diversity.
Although I've been all over the map of Brooklyn, I know firsthand that Brooklyn is the place to be for inclusion and a place where we can all together feel valued. Thank you to everyone in Brooklyn, and a special thank you to Margaret, our principal, Rachel and
Aaron, and all of the pair of professionals and colleagues that I've worked with. I also want to thank my dad because he instilled in me his love for maps. Dad, you've always been my compass and I thank you for always being there.
My dad was a Newton firefighter for 40 years, so I'm going to be here for a lot longer. To my mom, who taught me how to enlighten children with creative and inspirational projects and curriculum. As a preschool teacher herself, she taught me patience, compassion, and what
it means to be a dedicated teacher. Thank you also to my daughters Joella and Julia who they share their they share their mom me day and night with all of my students and their families. They have supported me in more ways than I can ever begin to describe. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you. Michelle Lisa Lamont Harris All right. Um, so how do you distill 30 years into three minutes? Um, bullets. So I'm going to speak it with a few bullets here. And I'm a teacher at heart. So there must be a lesson here
somewhere. So here goes. lessons I've learned from 30 years in the public schools of Brooklyn. So, lesson number one is this. Follow your heart. Don't be afraid to take a chance on love.
Give up your tenur teaching position in Connecticut. Move away from the familiar. Move away from your family and friends. And follow that special someone to an exciting new city. It might just work out. Thank you,
Jason. I love you. Um, number two, when your job interview, Bob, you'll know this immediately, kicks off with a surprise juggling act by the principal.
Okay, do not fear. Just consider the metaphor. There is much to juggle as an educator. We hold many balls in the air and some days really do feel like a circus.
Um, and when he offers you that job, you say yes. Thank you, Tom Kavanaaugh. I started at Baker, spent some time here at town hall and I'm happily at beep right now. Thank you, Margaret.
Um, number three, learn from others. Words of wisdom from Alisa Henry. Half of teaching is acting. Have some fun and put on a performance for your students every single day. All
right. Lesson number four. This is a very specific one. If you happen to be pregnant and go into labor at school, okay, just call Trisha Laam. Right.
>> Right. Luckily, the baby came late. And I'm just going to say Cole, who was supposed to be here to support me tonight, uh, late again. All right. Oh, and the same goes for if
there's a pandemic, just call Trisha. Um, number five, do what is right, not what is easy. Thank you to Vicky Milstein for my daily reminder of that. Equity and inclusion take continuous
hard work. It is better for everyone and it is necessary work. Please support programs like scholars and seed metco and materials fee and
steps to success. All right. And lastly, while caring for children, care for each other. And I'll try not to get emotional now.
Teaching is profoundly relational work. Colleagues become friends. I look around this room and I see so many friends. We've shared in weddings and births. We've supported each other through
difficulty and loss. And perhaps most importantly, we have found laughter and joy in this beautiful work of teaching. For this, I am grateful. Thank you. Thank you, Lisa Paul Laro Priestley.
Hello everybody. I'm Paul Lo Priestley. I run the Graphic Arts Copy Center at Brookline High School. I have been there for 31 years. That's a long time, but I still have
life left in me. So, as I reflected on what I should say this evening, I thought long and hard about how to use this time. Should I speak to our fighting the systemic racism within our schools
system and the greater community around us? or should I speak to the challenge of how we have addressed the need for racial diversity in our classrooms, in
our staff, in our administration. And then I thought, well, what about the financial equity? Financial equity is also important. But then guess what I said? No. I said love.
Love is transformative. Love is restorative. Love is empowering. We pour love into each and every student
with the power of knowledge. You know, we also encourage and challenge each other in so many ways that gives us all the support that we need. And that is a beautiful, beautiful thing. I can count all of you as my
friends. And you know, in this day and time, humanity needs nothing greater than the power of love. My final words to you all might make
some of you feel uncomfortable, but I want each and every single one of you to know that I truly love each and every one of you. In a
world where we live where people can spread hate and negativity to complete strangers. Hey, I can spread and give love. Remember this. Lead with love because
indeed love will conquer all. Thank you, Paul. Susan Leeman. Um, so thank you so much for having all of us here tonight. I'm really proud to be here among this group of colleagues that include my kids' teachers, my kids
classmates, parents, and even some people I went to Brooklyn High with. Not many people can say that they've been in the same job for 31 years and 33 years if you count my year as a building sub and a learning center para before that.
Even fewer people can say that they absolutely love going to work every day. Pier school has been an integral part of my life since I was six years old. I entered the shiny new Pierce School as a first grader in 1975.
I spent my entire elementary career there and made some of my closest friends during those years. My mother later taught chapter one or title one. They kept kind of changing the name of it. Um at Pierce after she could no
longer teach for the public schools at St. Mary's where she had been for years. Even later, my own kids and my stepkids attended Pierce. So, my journey in Brooklyn began in 1993 when the amazing Barbara Sha hired me as
a building sub at Lincoln School. Barbara was incredible. Um, I was getting my master's degree at the time and um, my first year was at the old Lincoln school and now I've come full circle because I'm back there as a peer
school teacher. Um, then while the next year we moved to the brand new Lincoln school, which wasn't called the new Lincoln, it was the old school, the new school, but um, and I moved with them. I was a um I
worked in the learning center while I was getting my masters and um the following year I was hired as a second grade teacher at Pierce School by Chris Field who had also been my third grade teacher. So that was kind of another full circle moment at the time. So
during the past 31 years I've been mentored by and now I get to mentor some of the most amazing educators in the world. When I started at Pierce, I worked alongside colleagues who had been my teachers when I went there. They all
had such a huge impact on the person and the teacher that I am today. Marie Lavell, who I miss so greatly every day, was my work mom. She took me under her wing from day one. And now as someone who's been at Pierce for a long time, I
really try and emulate her guidance, her patience, and her love to all the teachers and the children. Pierce is more than a job for me. It's my community, the place that holds my childhood memories and the place where my own children thrived.
This year I have a child in my second grade class whose mother was in my first cl I'm sorry whose aunt was in my first class at Pierce and whose mother was in class with my stepson and also uh Suzan's too. Um
um being a being a teacher, a mom, an alumni and a resident of Brooklyn has really made it to it's had to juggle a lot of hats throughout the years. However, I wouldn't change a thing and I love every single minute of it. I love
walking down the street and getting hugs from kids who are 30 and kids who are seven. I love seeing a Brooklyn police officer and then realizing that that police officer was in my second grade class.
And I still love being an integral part of the school that I entered as a first grader many, many years ago. I want to congratulate everyone who has made it for these 30 or 31 years. Not every day is easy, especially this time of the
year. We're all kind of crawling to the finish, but um but for those of us who have been here as long as all of us, we know what a special community Brookline is. So, thanks so much for having all of us. >> Thank you, Susan. Stephanie Pune.
>> Thank you so much for this incredibly lovely event. It is a delight to listen to you all. So, I've been thinking about two things uh leading up to tonight. What has sustained me for 30 years because that's a long time. And what
have I noticed uh about what has changed and stayed the same since I started at BHS in the 90s? Here's what I came up with. The things that have made this job possible and even dare I say occasionally joyful are
the people I'm surrounded by um at BHS. These are my students first and foremost um who though they might ask me a question about something I have literally just said are truly the reason I keep going. They are endlessly curious, maddening, silly, smart,
hardworking, and constantly make me think about how I can do my job better. This is the time of year when I really lean into the thought that next year I will in fact figure out how to do this job and solve all the problems of education. The other people around me at Brooklyn
High that make this possible are my colleagues. I love them. If I didn't have such smart, thoughtful, caring people around me, I would go bonkers and quit. The other thing that's made has made this whole 30-year thing possible is all the stuff I've been able to do. I've
mentored new teachers at Brooklyn for years through the teachers mentoring teachers program. when a group of my veteran colleagues had the same conversation for the 15th time about how dysfunctional standard nth grade history was and how unsatisfied we were with the
arbitrary social tracking that led to 70% of our students taking honors. We along with the office of teaching and learning, the superintendent and the school committee created WISP. when a different group of colleagues lamented the senioritis that afflicts our second
semester seniors and the ways in which their only interest in education seem to be their grades rather than their learning. We created an experiential senior class called Epic. Giving teachers opportunities to use our vast experience and training to invent new
things and solve problems nourishes us. I was also sustained because I got to watch my own children move through Brookline schools. And there is nothing so anchoring as seeing your child reap the benefits of your colleagues efforts to feel the love and care showered upon
them and know that you can never really pay it back only forward. The materials fee program that allowed my husband and I to send our children one of whom is right back there through the PSB gave me a deeper sense of commitment to this place. As my
husband Brian Brian recently said, it literally meant that I had skin in the game. Do I want to make my school the best it can be to dedicate myself to my students the way that my colleagues did for my two children? You betcha. So, the second thing that I've been thinking about is what has changed and
what has stayed the same. And really, the first two points from earlier about the students and the colleagues, those haven't changed. I mean, they literally have changed. They're different people um for the most part. Uh but the spirit, the energy, the inspiration, and the fun, that's pretty
similar. Lots of things have changed, of course. When I started, I had binders filled with lesson plans, and I wrote on a chalkboard. I spent a huge amount of time just trying to learn all the things I needed to teach, acting, and teaching.
The students were themselves, but less anxious. It felt like teachers were generally more respected. The things that have sustained me aren't complicated or esoteric. They are the
things that sustain us all. Meaningful work with good people, new challenges that are engaging, fun, laughter, and sometimes joy, and summer vacation. Thank you, Steph. Now, is this Malia or
Malia? >> Malia Scott. Thank you. So, um, at our most recent math specialist meeting, we spent time translating our careers in Brooklyn into years, days, hours, and minutes because
that's exactly what we do for fun at in the math department. So, please indulge me. So 32 years ago when I began my master's program and fullear internship at the Lincoln School, I didn't even know what
the materials fee program was, nor what a profound impact it would have on my family's life. A week and and a half ago, I got up on stage and graduated my youngest from Brooklyn High. I feel such gratitude for the amazing education my
children received here in Brooklyn. Though my three children, one of whom is over there, um are completely different learners, they all thrived, were challenged, and were blessed with amazing teachers that helped them rise
to their potential. I am so thankful that the materials fee program made this all possible as it not only supported my family, but also allowed me to dedicate my professional life to the Brookline community.
5,856 school days ago, I could never have imagined I would serve most of my professional career as a math specialist, given that books and reading had always been my lifelong passion. However, during my early time in
Brooklyn, I had the privilege of partnering with such skilled and gifted math educators as Rose Christensen, Nancy Buell, and Hillary Pastor. They helped me reshape my own identity as a mathematician and inspired me to take
advantage of professional development to continually hone my own instruction. Most importantly, they revealed the true joy of teaching mathematics and instilled in me the belief that every student is a capable is a capable math
learner. My math specialist role has always centered on collaboration and I'm incredibly fortunate to work alongside colleagues who are lifelong learners. They support, challenge, and inspire me to continuously grow. It has been a true privilege to collaborate with such
brilliant educators and to work with them to find creative ways to bring mathematics to life. They push me to try hard things and to stretch my limits and I am enormously proud of everything we've accomplished together over the years. 38,064
school hours ago, I did not yet recognize the impact of a visionary, supportive school leader. Today, I'm profoundly grateful to have worked under such exceptional principles like Barbara Sheay, Andrew Bot, and now Brian Denitzio. They have shown incredible
faith in me and by backing my math initiatives at Lincoln, they have given me the trust, space, and time to truly to be truly innovative, to try new things, and to grow as a math educator. And finally, 2,283,840
school minutes ago, I could not have imagined that the profound joy I felt when I first began working with students would still be at the heart of my practice today. I love being a teacher. I thrive on dismantling the I'm bad at
math mindset and get genuine fulfillment from knowing each learner as an individual with unique strengths and challenges. In education, there is never a one-sizefits-all approach. To meet the needs of our most vulnerable students, I must constantly grow, reflect, and
learn. I live for those hard-fought aha moments when a complex concept finally clicks. and the sudden surge of confidence when students begin to recognize themselves as capable problem solvers. How lucky am I to still be a teacher in
Brooklyn 137,30,400 seconds later? Thank you. >> Thank you, Malia. Um, I want to remind people who are still standing that there are seats, three seats here, a bunch of seats over there on the on my left. So, why don't you relax, sit down? I'm gonna
be here for a little longer. Okay. Next up, Yasamin Sharif. >> Lisa has to take her glasses, put them on. I have to take mine off because that's what's happening. Um uh before I start, I just want to thank the school committee for this. This is lovely. And
um thank all of you for being here. Um I want to thank my husband who says to me often, I don't know how this still takes you so long. You've been teaching for all these years. But as all the teachers in the room know, no matter how long you've been teaching, it never the time sort of doesn't get less. It just keeps
on going. Um, and I also just want to thank I have a bunch of people here whose kids I taught because um of the materials fee program which we've been hearing about tonight. Um, that made me part of this community. My friends are Brooklyn parents. My kid has Brooklyn
friends. I my my child went through Baker School and BHS and um and I taught a lot of your kids. I taught Nicole's kids. I taught Lisa's kids. I taught Trisha's kids. I taught Who else in here is in here? I taught Susan's kids. I mean, I taught I taught a I taught I
taught on the school committee as a child. Um, so I I've taught a lot of of of families here and it really ties us into the community. So, um, just a little plug for that because it really is a special program that that keeps us here and that makes us really devoted to
this community. Um, so I just want to tell a story that sort of starts at the beginning and ends I guess today. Um, I'm sort of one of those 30 31. I'm kind of a combo because I started teaching student teaching in 1995 and I got my
full-time job in January. So, I'm like 30 and a half years in, I guess. Um, but I wanted to tell a story that happened the the very first moments of my teaching career. So, I started student teaching in the fifth grade at Baker School in the fall of 1995. I loved
Baker School, the community, and everything about teaching. So, when a teacher in the sixth grade was let go at Thanksgiving, I applied for the sixth grade job and hoped for the best. I knew the sixth grade class was a challenging one and that my principal, the legendary Tom Kavanaaugh, um was really hoping for
an experienced teacher to take the role. The interview committee included my principal, the vice principal, a teacher, and five parents from the home room class. It was my very first interview, and it was really intimidating. Um, but I figured if nothing else, it
was good practice for a future job. So, I did the interview and I headed home for winter break and about a week later I got a call from Mr. Kavanaaugh. He told me that the parents in the interview committee were adamant about hiring me and then said as only Tom
could, "It's against my better judgment, but I'm offering you the sixth grade position." I was so excited and I promised him I would not let him down and I would work really hard to do a good job. So Tom's instinct for wanting an experienced
teacher was a good one because when I started that January, it was really hard. There was a wide variety of behavior issues and learning needs in the sixth grade and in my home room in particular. The students were also really down on themselves. The first thing the students in my home room class
said to me when I walked in the room and introduced myself was that I was going to hate their class. I know it was terrible. They said all the teachers hated their class and I was going to hate them, too. I remember looking around the room and saying to them,
"You're my very first class. I'm going to love you and we're going to have a great rest of the year." But in my mind, I was worried. I was 23. I looked about 15 and I was untested in a classroom by myself. I
remember calling home distraught many nights that year, worried about all the classroom behaviors I was struggling with and wondering if I was getting through to these kids at all. My mom, a former teacher, just kept saying to me, "If you can get through this year, you can get through anything." So, I kept
plugging away, letting my students know how much I cared about them, how capable they were, and hoping to create some positivity in the room from the negativity that had greeted me at the start. As we began to close in on the end of the year, I heard a commotion in the hallway, which is never good. I
started out of the room to make sure everything was okay, but what I heard made me pause. Some of the kids in one of the other classes were putting down some of the kids in my class, and the kids in my class responded by saying, "Oh, yeah. Well, we're the smart class. I got a little tearary and felt so much
joy inside that we had come from a place where these students had had such a negative perception of themselves and felt like everyone hated them to feeling like a group of kids who were smart and worthwhile, which of course they were. It's always stuck with me the importance of kids feeling worthy and capable and
loved in a classroom. Today, 31 years later, I'm still happily a Baker in the same position that I took that December day in 1995. While all of us in the field of education are hired to teach academics and help students learn and grow, one of the most important lessons of my whole
31-year career happened in that first six months of teaching. If students don't feel seen or cared about or valued, no matter what I teach them, it isn't going to stick. As I move closer to retirement, not that close, but closer,
and I think back over the close to 2500 Brookline students I've taught up to this point, I know they may not remember what every organel in a cell does, but I hope they remember that I cared about them as a person, I believed in them as a learner, and that their curiosity,
resilience, and voice matter. Thank you, Osmine. Um, Tom Kavanaaugh, he was a very smart guy, made very good decisions on teachers. Okay, Francesca Stark. Hi everybody. Um, so I'm Francesca Stark
and I, um, wanted to say I everything everybody already said, so that's it. No, pretty much though. Um, I was thinking about why I came to Brooklyn, why I stayed in Brooklyn, and what I
hoped for Brookline. Um, I came to Brooklyn because, um, my mom was a struggling Bohemian painter, and she couldn't afford my braces. And so um she decided to become a teacher and she heard about the Brooklyn schools which we have heard that story many time about
hearing about the Brooklyn schools. So we moved to Westborne Terrace to a rent control department and I went to Driscoll School. Um there was a group uh they had uh guidance counselors for everything then including uh uh children of single moms and uh there was a
guidance counselor and she had these little rubber dolls uh where you would act out probably some kind of trauma that they I don't know what they were for but we would act them out and later when I got hired in Brooklyn I was like oh I'm one of the little rubber dolls now like there was the the firefighter
rubber doll and the nurse rubber doll and I went to school so I Um, so what happened is I um I had a very good experience at Driscoll. I had a very bad fourth grade teacher uh who um would
mock kids in the class and um and I always wanted to be a teacher, not really because of her, but I wanted to be a teacher that wasn't like her. So um what happened is uh my mom told me don't ever become a teacher because after she was a bohemian artist uh she became a
teacher and she said they will not trust your intellect. They will not allow you to do art. You will never be free to be who you are. You will have to follow a a structured curriculum. Don't do it. And I immediately decided to do it. And um
so I became a teacher and uh no wait stop. I was wasn't sure what to do and I was walking down the Fenway and I was walking by Wheelock College and I saw a sign that said come join the learning teaching collaborative where teachers can be leaders and I was like my mom
would like that. So that's how I ended up. So I um I walked in and this woman named Joan Gateau said um um did you hear about the job opening, the intern opening? And I said no. So anyway, it was to be an intern for somebody named
Vivian Trowan. um at the uh formerly known uh devotion school and I was fortunate to be her intern. So I became a fullyear intern in Vivian's class and I was the luckiest person alive because everybody was intellectual and they were
interested in teaching and collaboration and and studying kids and and learning about kids and spending time at morning meetings so that you could learn about kids. And so I thought this is it. And then after that, Carol Shaft hired me because she found out I had been a
student in the teacher's class. She knew about that teacher and knew that that teacher wasn't a very good teacher and she was like, "Well, if you want to now teach after being in that teacher's class, you're hired." So, I got hired. Um, anyway, all of that is to say that I
um really loved being an intern for the full year and then I ended up getting hired because I really knew Brooklyn. I mean, I really knew Brookline, but I um was part of the learning teaching collaborative, which Betsy Fitzpatrick uh used to give us vouchers to. Um well,
you didn't pay for them, but you handed them out and uh and um and we could take courses and we could do a lot of very interesting things. And um so anyway, what kept me at Brookline was all the things you all said. my my husband who's
over there. He didn't go to the Brooklyn schools, but our kids went to the Brooklyn schools and um and we love it here. And I live on Westborne Terrace now. I know it's a little sad, but I do. I mean, it's not that sad, but I'm definitely a local. So, um but why I bring this up is now about what I want
for Brooklyn. Um so, here's the thing. I totally agree what Liz said. Teaching never gets easier. And everybody kept saying, "Does it get easier?" And I kept saying, "No, it really doesn't get any easier." The thing that's getting harder now is that some of the things my mom said are true are coming a little bit
true and that's what I want to talk to the school committee about and and is that more and more of the curriculum feels very um like a conveyor belt of curriculum. This is my personal opinion. I'm a fifth grade teacher. It's not true for everybody I know. But there's not
enough time to get to know the kids. There's there's not enough time for morning meeting. I do it every single day and the kids love it, but we have to push so many things else aside. We need to have more ver so I'm telling you now what I think. Sorry, but we need to have
more vertical alignment so all the teachers know and there's time to see what everybody's done. We need to have synthesized all our curriculum because there's just not enough time to teach everything. And um we need to have more teacher input and time for teacher
collaboration. And I really think we need to bring the mentor the internship program back because having a second teacher in your classroom all year gives you time to do things like go pee which um I have a a urologist parent in my classroom and she's like teachers are
the worst. I'm like I know we really are. So we need to have people who are working together all year. Bring those teachers into our school system. I brought the 1996 version of how to do it. I had to dig it up. I really did.
So, um, that's really want to say I I I love the I love teaching. I I I love my colleagues. And I I think now it's it's time to get back to saying what we value and doing what we value. Thank you so much.
Thank you, Francesca. >> Allison Whitebone. >> Hi, I'm Allison and I teach 9th grade at Brooklyn High School. Thank you so much for honoring us tonight. 31 years goes by like the snap of a fingers. It's so
crazy. Thanks to my mom for being here. and my husband and son and daughter. Hi. Say hi. Okay. Um, I love teaching. I love Brooklyn High School. And I really wasn't sure what to talk about today,
but one of my students in his journal um was writing about Holden Caulfield and how he hates change. And my student said he hated change. But through writing in his journal all year and accomplishing 236 handwritten pages, he decided he
accepts change and he loves it. So I thought I'm going to start with that about change. And it reminded me of where I started, opportunity for change. And that's what Brookline means to me. And Bob, you were a part of starting
that before I got there. But Brooklyn created a wonderful program for who students who needed it. They created a family of teachers with Bill Grady and Bill Hibert and Jack Liss and um Ela Lombardi and all these other great
people and Bob Gray worked with us from the town and it created this wonderful feeling of family um consistency, clarity and relationship that has really I've just continued that for all of
these 31 years and it just has it's a calling. the poetry festival with Lynn Cohen and all of the librarians for 31 years now thanks to the PTO. It's all collaboration. And it's all family and everyone telling their stories and
Gerald Dean Mandi and her family of all the siblings telling their stories and my English department friends and Ediser who I went to graduate school with remember our project on technology and now I started off by talking about
handwriting in the journal and so um it's the best technology there is but um long story short I Just want to say Brooklyn public schools, it's a wonderful family. We take care of our
children. We take care of our staff and I love the collaboration and I'm forever grateful for these years. And I'm not done yet. I'm not done. I'm still young. My mom's 86. Sorry, mom. And she still works. So, okay. I love you. Okay. Thank
you so much to my whole team and to everyone here today. Thank you. Thank you, Ally. Edeiser, you're it. Thank you. Thank you. Um yeah, good evening. Thanks for um celebrating with all of us. Thank you
for staying for the the last person to go. Um and um so this is going to be gratitude to the Brookline community, but also to the BEF in particular. Um, if I could go back three decades and tell myself that my teaching career would involve skydiving, flying
helicopters, and eventually becoming an EMT, yes, uh, driving an ambulance on on the weekends, um, to teach students about the medical profession. I never would have believed it. Um, I I've had the opportunity to have so many adventures. Those I mentioned were all supported by the BEF.
Um, but for one wild opportunity, and Bob, I don't remember where the money came from this. So you might have pulled some strings, but I went to a conference at the Fairmy Lab, a super collider in Illinois for um the first summer and I met Noble laurate Leon Letterman and eventually launched our physics first program for 9th graders. BHS became the
leader in this simple way to gain much needed equity in who took physics and all of the science courses beyond. So much so that Jim Walsh right there um even shocked uh Desi because um they started to create this MCCAST exam for
science and he said you better include physics and people's jaws dropped. So um and also when professor Letterman would get a press inquiry he would he was too lazy so he would just send it on to me. So that was quite a stunning privilege. I was interviewed by the New York Times, the journal, all that kind of stuff.
Then after um 11 years, Bob trusted me to lead the science department and we grew uh opportunities for students and we grew the physical campus of BHS to meet the future. And um but a true point of pride is uh being the leader of the team that was con consistently ranked in
the top STEM schools in the nation. And um and our classrooms right now are thriving with creativity, inclusion, and rigor. I really am proud of that. Um, but you should know that during the building project, I advocated for a generous equipment budget which included a medical simulation lab. You can see
the three mannequins on the the third floor of the STEM wing. Um, they might creep you out a little bit, but they're good. Sorry, I know it creeps you out, Liz, all the time. Um, but one thing led to another and, um, the the BEF came back and stepped in and helped me become
an EMT. So now you can find me um teaching students how to make a differential diagnosis for Hal, not Mason. Hal the mannequin, that's his name, when uh when he presents to our ED for shortness of breath and altered mental status. Um so that's at the point
where I stepped away from the leadership role to expand the medical careers offerings uh to continue to pretend to be a doctor. Um slipping in robotics, woodworking, and the new construction class as well. Something I never could have imagined. When Bob flicked on the lights, do you remember that? During my
interview, that was your classic. You'd go over and flick the lights on and off and ask all the physics candidates if they knew what was going on just to see if they could explain the physics of AC circuit. >> Almost almost nobody knew. It was bizarre. >> It was I knew.
Um, so, uh, so in my last chapter here, um, so I've got a few more years to go, but hopefully it'll include include an afterchool dual enrollment program for EMT certification with Mass Bay Community College. Thank you. We have an initial agreement
and we just need a few more steps to make it come true. So, thank you to the BEF, to the school committee, everybody for staying, and to Betsy, thank you for putting this all together. So, anyway, thank you everybody. >> Congratulations. Okay, that was pretty special. The
sort of the measure to me of a great organization is stability in staff and leadership. And so you all define that stability in teaching and caring and loving and each of your remarks was
impressive and inspiring. So, I just want to say, you know, I I was part of you guys for a long time, and I love you guys as well, and I just want to say thank you. Thank you for your work. And um you can go home. >> Yeah.
>> Okay, we're gonna take a five minute break. >> You want pull up my these are the notes I had on the screen. >> Yeah, I saw you send them to >> Yeah, I just I condensed them. >> So, you want to read it? >> Okay.
>> You want to read it? >> I can read it. She's she's on Zoom. Hey. Amazing. >> Stay and finish all that good food. Betsy, thank you for that food. I know
you even paid for it. Okay, we're going to deviate from the uh agenda a little bit because uh Susan Given has to go home. Um and we want to now have a farewell and thank you to our departing deputy superintendent for
administration and finance, Dr. Susan Given. >> I think Bella's gonna do this one. >> Am I? >> Am I? >> I don't think so. I think you are. >> Oh my god. Where's Susan? >> She's right there. >> Hi, Susan. You want to come over and like at least so we can talk to you?
>> No, I I want to I want you to talk about your golf game >> after Saturday. >> Okay, fine. >> So, >> so all I I mean I I've been following your career for a year. um when there's been incredible
challenges and I know Bella and you have had to work really really really really hard along with the team um but I I I am going to give you tremendous credit for establishing trust in the town on
finance and as a result of that the town of Brooklyn passed an override for 23 million bucks and that is no small thing and it sort of saved our tushies. Um, so I want to thank you for the incredible amount of work that you did presenting
it to all the committees that were preparing um for the override and that's one major major accomplishment um that I give you credit for, we give you credit for, Bella gives you credit for. So thank you for that. And you know I just you know I just sit here and listen to
your presentations on budgeting and buses running on time, etc., etc. and you're always incredibly prepared. You know this stuff and we're going to miss you. Um and I just I wish I wish you the
best over the next years of your life and um again a lot of good golf and I hope your scores I would like you to tell me how you're doing out out there on the greens and fairways. Um, so that's all I have that I want to say thank you and open it up to anybody else
who wants to say thank you. Um, we will miss you very I will miss you. We've been in negotiations together obviously and um, you're a rock star, Susan. Thank you very much. >> Others Jesse? >> Yeah. Um, Susan, from the first time we
met, like over two years ago, um, you and I not only became like finance questioning colleagues, but we also became friends. And I want to thank you first for the friendship before I thank you for what you've accomplished here in the district. Um, we call each other
about other things. We discuss other things. And um it's become a special part of my school committee life is the friendship that I've developed, you know, personally with you over the last two years. Um each of the times that I sort of maybe bumped against the guard
rails in terms of questions I asked, you helped me. And when you were uh in a situation where you couldn't, you told me, which was good, too. And um we've accomplished a lot together. And um your presentation
about the third quarter that you gave a couple weeks back cemented if it needed further cementing my confidence in what how you have left the district structured financially in that everything's just running smoother and
there aren't crises and you know on the finance side either Mariah last year with me or um myself this year even in this short month and a half two months haven't gotten any uh questions or uh concerns about how the financial health
of the school district is going and that's uh amazing and I'm and I'm carrying that message from you to the advisory committee already and to individuals you know in town other elected officials in the town both on the select board side um town school
partnership etc because you have really um not only corrected but you know um organized the financial in a way that can be hopefully easily transferred to Aaron and and have left us on just a super improved foundation over what you
founded. So, thank you. Thank you for your friendship. I plan to stay in touch with you. I have your number and uh and congratulations again on a retirement. It's just an amazing next step for you. So, >> Sarah, >> I too want to say thank you. I feel that
you've taught me everything I know about school finance and budgets. And what I've been most impressed about is that each line item to you isn't just a number. It really is how the piece fits into the whole of a district and of learning. So I've appreciated all the experience that it's taken um for you to
come to where you are now where you understand the whole picture and are were and have been able to advise us so well on the decisions that we've had to make. So thank you. Oh, this is terrible. Although I'm very happy for you and I'm also
looking forward to hearing about your adventures and I hope we'll be able to stay in touch. Um, and I'm thinking back to the first uh the first budget that budget book that I saw that you presented where you sort of
recategorized and re-calibrated everything to be in the right place. And I was like, oh, this person wants to do things the right way and it's really, really hard. but she is like, "This is going to be hard and it's
going to take a while, but we have to do this the right way." Um, and that's just been you're so steady and you're just your commitment to excellence is um is
clear and has benefited us so much. And um I really I'm going to miss having you be our person here. Um, but I'm really happy for you and I wish you um adventure and health and fun
>> Suzanne. >> So, Susan, I've been through a few deputy superintendent for finance and um and they were a little murky along the way and so I really want to thank you for getting us on the right road to
steady the ship that we were t teeter tottering around. Um, and I think it really helped that you had a background as a superintendent so that you weren't you clearly weren't just numbers on a line but understood the educational um
uh decisions that we had to make the importance of that and I think that really helped the communication because you know we knew what we could talk about and how it would be a better place for our students and our families here in Brooklyn. So, thank you so much for bringing all of that experience and all
that passion. I know you have a lot of passion because there have been occasions where we go off topic and don't talk just about numbers and we talk about learning, teaching and learning and and what that looks like and what that costs and how important it
is to keep our students at the center of our conversation around budgeting. And I didn't have that with the others. And you have that background and you have that passion. We made you work the numbers a lot, but I know that that is a passion that you have and you brought
that to us in your budgeting conversations and so thank you for that. I want you to take a break from all numbers for a while except maybe your golf score is that you know and I wish you good health in the future so that
you can really enjoy your retirement. Thank you so much Susan. >> Thank you Suzanne. Anybody else? FISA, >> it working okay. Um, I just want to say thank you for your service and best of luck. Thank you.
Okay. I >> Donna does Donna Winn. Susan, I I don't want to repeat anything that anyone said besides thank you, but also I'll just add I know that um I really respect that you chose to
finish your career in Brooklyn and that you stayed in Brooklyn over the past two years or year and a half, which I know is really really tough. And um I don't um want to end on a positive note, but I'll say I don't think that that we like
the community was always as appreciative of your efforts as we should have been. And so I want to make sure to say um we are so grateful um for everything that you've done. Um I think the work that you put in here is going to like really
outlive your tenure here and um we are incredibly grateful. Thank you. Oh, it's so sad to say goodbye to the most senior member of the senior leadership team in finishing her third year. Um, we would not have been able to
manage this without you anchoring us and how much you were able to master in the time that you've been here. Um, you know what? There's not a single system that is easy here in Brooklyn. Every every single system has a nuance. it's more
complicated and um so no matter how many years of experience one might have in other places, it's just it's all done a little differently here. And so I really appreciate um how much you offered us, but we would not have gotten through to where we are
today without you. And also um Susan in the last couple months and as she's on her last days here, she's been working super hard, as hard as ever to make sure we are best prepared in this transition
looking forward. And it's a very special quality and commitment, dedication that you're offering to us from the from the first day I met you all the way to to the end here. And so she's not done yet,
but um she is she's close to it and just working a thousand% all the way to the end. And so I um I really appreciate everything that you've done for us as a colleague, as a friend, um and the heart that you've
given to it. Thank you. Is it working? Yeah, there we go. Well, um it's I guess uh surreal for me to be at the end of this uh journey in my life. Um and to be here at this
moment to share it with you. These last three years have without a doubt been challenging and I've had to bring to bear every single learning experience of my life um to kind of navigate through um each and every uh challenge that has
uh arisen. But I have to say that is what um I guess I was raised for, right? I mean, you come to moments in your life um and you don't really appreciate um what you've learned from every experience that you've had until you
face yet another experience where it requires um every ounce of fortitude that you have in order to get through. And I think one of the blessings of uh being um along in your career is that
you get a pretty uh centeredness about yourself. You know, certain things to be true and it helps you to navigate through difficult times. You know, you don't you don't concern yourself with public opinion. Um and
you're able to move forward rounded in your values, understandings, and beliefs. I know that uh what motivates me each and every day is doing something that helps improve education for
students. That is what I am about. It's my hope that the work that I've done here will allow you in the future to be able to focus on the instructional minute and not on administration all the time. So, if I've done one small thing to get
you closer to that, I'll feel like my time here has been worth it. Thank you for allowing me this opportunity to serve you in this community. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Um, maybe I want to get in trouble here. I just want everybody to note Visa's
matching shoes and earrings. They're just take a check. Check it out. Just nice. >> Am I Am I in trouble? >> Just like my eyes were Whoa.
Okay. Thank you, Fiser. >> Okay, we have a consent agenda to vote on. It's past records, accounts payable, student trip, Brooklyn High School, Queer Student Program, Fall Retreat, YMCA Camp, High Rock, Mount Washington, Massachusetts. Any comments on any of
those three? >> I'll move it. If you need >> Yeah, I'll second it. >> Motion by Suzanne. >> Second. >> Second by Jesse. Jesse, how do you vote? >> Um, I just point out that the the trip still doesn't have a cost on it, so it hasn't come to finance and capital yet.
I think as I read through it, it's a proposal for and their dates but no pricing yet I think. >> Okay. >> So we're sort of apply I think at least according to this document we're consenting that it be planned. >> Right. Okay. >> Okay. >> Okay. Thank you. >> There are numbers on it.
>> I thought there were numbers. Yeah, >> there are numbers on it >> and and I think actually we should mention that the date is also um cemented by Yeah. >> Yeah. It's on that last page. Jesse $4,17.
>> Is that Val? >> No, that was me. >> Yeah, that was Caroline. >> Oh, >> is Val? >> I chimed I chimed in earlier. Yes. Yes. Bob. >> Okay. Thanks. Okay. You want to vote? >> Yes. >> Carolyn, >> yes. >> Sarah, >> yes. >> Val, >> yes.
>> Um, Carolyn, I'm Suzanne. >> Carolyn, >> yes. >> Donna, >> yes. Bob Wra votes yes. Okay. >> FISA. >> Yes. >> I missed FISA. >> I I did not miss our shoes though. Okay. >> Okay. Now we have public comment. Uh
Betsy, I think we have a bunch, right? >> Five. So that should work now, right? >> So you each get about three not not more than three minutes. Uh we will not comment on your comments. And who's up first?
Hey, sorry. Did you call on me? I wasn't sure. I was just turned into a panelist. >> Go early. >> Thanks. Hi. Um, my name is Arley Butler. Um, I'm a Brooklyn resident, an FR parent to three children, a room parent, a PTO volunteer, and next year my youngest son, Ben, will transition from
beep to kindergarten at FR. I'm here tonight or at least virtually um to respectfully urge the district to reconsider the decision to reduce FR's kindergarten from five sections down to four or at the very least to pause this decision until fall enrollment numbers are f fully finalized
excuse me kindergarten is a profound development transition for 5-year-olds coming from small preschools entering FRR the largest elementary school in Brooklyn is an enormous adjustments class size matters intensely at this age larger classes mean less individual attention during a critical stage of growth fewer eyes on the children who
may quietly struggling and less support as they learn how to navigate a large public school. The district's current rationale is that over overall numbers are low, placing FR at an average of 19.5 students per class. But looking at this data from an equity lens tells a different story. If you cross analyze ELLL and IEP data across a district, FR
carries the highest numbers by far. We have more students with complex additional needs, but now fewer teachers who support them. Furthermore, framing the removal of the K section as a budgetary balance to fund necessary fifth grade section doesn't make sense. The needs of a fifth grader and the kindergartener are entirely separate.
Our youngest learner learners should not have to compromise their fund foundational year. If the district must cut a section for budgetary balance, it makes no sense under an equity lens to target FR within Brooklyn. FR does not have the smallest K classes. It's unjust to pull a section from a school that
already has a higher baseline enrollment and a crowd of our and crowd our students while leaving schools with sign and lower enrollment intent. Finally, relying strictly on June 1st numbers is premature. We know enrollment fluctu fluctuates over the summer. In fact, from simp simply talking to my
community, I know of five families with rising kindergarters who are currently moving to the neighborhood. They fully plan to attend FR this fall, but due to summer moving logistics, they have not yet been able to officially register. Once a section is cut, is it incredibly difficult to reverse? Many of us in the community stepped up to support the override because we believed it would protect protect the foundational quality
of Brooklyn education. Crowding our incoming kindergarten classes is not the quality of experience we voted to preserve. I urge you to keep the fifth FR kindergarten section open until fall enrollment is clear and to communicate transparently with our incoming families. Thank you for your time, for your hard work, and all your consideration.
>> Thank you. Willie, >> is Mad Madori here? Madori Nagano uh to you here. Yeah. Um uh great evening. Uh my name is Masah Nano and I'm a parent of the two children in F community. My older son Sora is
currently in grade one and my younger son Haru is in prek. Um our home is in the buffer zone between the Pierce and Lawrence but F is a closest school to our home. So when we moved to the blue line two years ago uh we requested to f
and were u accepted without any difficulty. Uh since then our school have been uh part of our community for two years and during that time like we have never moved and last year we received no school reassignment at all. Uh we naturally expected that like the
other as a part of the community uh we would spend the coming year at FO. However uh for the next year uh the most of our children uh including my older son were suddenly assigned to the PR school. Uh we understand that like school assignment is a complicated
matter. Uh but I want to ask one simple question like do you really believe this is a good thing for children uh to post college enrolled student to leave a school community uh where they have already spent years growing adjusting and building a sense of belonging. Uh
when Sora first enter he struggle and to adjust a new environment and even need a support from a school counselor. uh only recently has he uh built a stable and confident uh deeply connected to the school. Uh both
of our son love f and they know the teachers and buildings and the childrens and every day after school they happily play with their friends at playgrounds. So uh when they heard uh they might be forced to transfer the post or uh both
of my sons uh cried and asked why they had to be separated from their friends. Um so until last year I knew multiple families in which the younger siblings are just follow uh to the older siblings at the same school regardless of the
district. So um the many if our parents uh have told us that they are deeply confused with the decision that happened to us. Um we saw the same reaction as a coffee conversation where many other PDOS's and
the school principal attended. Uh so this is not just about our family. Uh I'm also here to express a concern about the plan uh to eliminate one kindergarten class at FO. So if one kindergarten class is count like average school uh class size will rise
significantly uh which is not fair in terms of the educational equity. Uh so we feel that like uh our unfair the school assignment was uh caused by uh in a sense in order to reduce uh simply the number of the students as much as
possible. So all together uh I respectfully uh ask the district and school committee to reconsider uh both the kindergarten class reduction at FO and also like the decision that happened to us uh for posting already enrolled the students uh like our son to
transfer. So these are not just a number uh on the spread uh these are the real children real families and a real school community. Uh thank you so much. Thank you, Madori. Next up is Jordana Spitz. Jordana
>> by Zoom. >> Hello. Hello. Hi, everyone. My name is Drew, guidance counselor at Ridley School for the K to2 kiddos. I've written like 20 speeches in the past couple weeks because I feel really passionately about the cut at Ridley School. And so I just
want to give you some numbers about enrollment because I'm the one who meets with all the families when they come in over the summer and during the school year as well. So um our numbers are the highest they have ever been because of the cut of sections. And so I want to
just share some data about um the enrollment and the enrollment specifically around Hebrew speaking families that we cannot buffer out. So this past school year, during July 1st to the end of the school year, Ridley enrolled 109 students, including 82 who
registered over the summer. Of those, 14 were kindergarteners, 11 whom were Hebrew speakers. The year before that, 2425, Ridley enrolled 118 students, 78 over the summer. of those
students, again, 14 were kindergarteners, 10 of whom were Hebrew speakers, an additional 40 students enrolled over the school year, including nine more kindergarteners. Um, of those, those children who are here in Brookline
reside all over Brookline, but come to Ridley because of the Hebrew speaking program, and they cannot be buffered out. Um, Ridley is also, as you probably have heard so many times, a uniquely complex community, a title one school. We have the highest population of EL
learners. We have the highest population of lowincome learners. Sorry, it's my dog me crying. TLC program. We serve a um a homeless shelter in our neighborhood. And we have the largest population of families arriving from Israel every year, many directly
impacted by war and trauma. According to Desessie, 46% of our population qualifies as high needs. 46. And that's in a school of almost 900 kids. I could speak about equity. I could speak all of that, but I want to speak about what it feels like on the ground
at Ridley School. Turnover is high. This year alone, we had three new first grade teachers and a whole new K to2 learning center team. Staff often transfer to other Brooklyn schools. I've seen it all the time. and they report back like,
"Wow, it's so different. So different." Right now, our kindergarten teachers, and I myself, after working here for 20 years, feel deeply discouraged. The inequity is taking a serious toll. Based on consistent numbers, we know we will
enroll over 100 students over the summer. Many who are kindergarteners that cannot be buffered out into other schools. I respectfully ask that you reinstate the eliminated kindergarten section as soon as possible. Doing so now would allow us to retain an
outstanding teacher, create a really balanced classrooms that we work so hard to do, and a thoughtful schoolwide schedule. We can't do any of these without knowing our sections. If decision is delayed until August, we'll be forced to scramble, have an inexperienced teacher reorganize class
placements, and notify more than 80 families of class placement change. Um, lastly, kindergarten is not the place to save a little bit of money. These kids are so young. Some of them are learning to use the bathroom. They're crying. They're running out of the classroom.
They need a lot of teacher support. No curriculum is going to make a difference in that. Um, and I lastly want to thank Bella for being so open about conversing with me and having dialogue around this. I really appreciate that and I appreciate your attention to the numbers
over the next few weeks because they change significantly at the Ridley School. Thank you. Thank you very much, Jordana. Next up, Benny Weingarten Gab. Uh, Jessica Jessica Schneider. Hi everyone, my name is Jessica
Schneider and I am a parent at Florida Ruff and Ridley. As we meet on the eve of Junth, I hope we can reflect on how Junth's values of equality, remembrance, and historical truth are expressed in the decisions we
make for students here in Brooklyn. Because many families are struggling with the simple question, why is FRR set to lose a kindergarten? Other Brookline K classrooms including Lawrence, Lincoln, and Wrl are projected
to have about 12 to 13 students per class next year, while FRR is projected to have somewhere between 18 to 20 after losing a class. Now, I'm not arguing school every school must have identical class sizes. I'm asking why the
administration's preferred outcome is for FRR to have K classes roughly 50% larger than some other Brookline schools. I've received many communications and the administration has said factors other factors were considered including staffing, facilities, and enrollment
trends. And I certainly appreciate that these decisions are complex, but families are already experiencing the consequences like you just heard. Some are facing the challenge of siblings attending other schools. And for many families, especially immigrant families, changing schools can mean losing support
networks that took years to build. What's confusing is that based on the district's projections, FRR was not the only school capable of absorbing a reduction. So, which leaves me with the question of which specific factors led the
administration to choose FRR rather than any of the alternatives? My next question concerns equity. FRR, as you know, is a title one school. Research consistently shows that smaller class sizes in the early grades improve outcomes, particularly for historically
underserved students. Brookline's equity policy commits the district to identifying and addressing disparities in educational experiences and opportunities. Can this group explain how creating the largest projected kindergarten classes in a district at a title one school is
consistent with that commitment? My final question concerns risk. We've been told enrollment remains fluid and that it's too early to know what final enrollment will look like. But if enrollment projections are uncertain, why are they sufficiently certain to justify eliminating a K class at FRR
today? And if those projections prove wrong, FRR begins from a position of having the largest projected K classes in the district and may be forced to hire late in the summer from a smaller teacher candidate pool. Since teacher quality matters alongside class size, a
late summer hiring compounds the educational risks for students. What analysis supports concentrating both the largest projected class sizes, the greatest enrollment risk, and teacher quality at Florida Ruff and Ridley. I believe everyone involved has the best
of intentions while navigating difficult trade-offs. I'm asking for transparency about a decision that appears to place a disproportionate burden on one school community. Thank you. >> Thank you, Jessica. So, Benny wasn't here. How about Rosen
>> Valt Valv? >> Oh, they'll do later. >> They were told. >> Oh, they were told. Okay, cool. Okay, great. >> Um, item number four on the agenda, welcome Anukica Bonnery from Brookline High School, our new student representative. And welcome, welcome,
welcome, Anukica. And I've asked Anukica to say a few words about who she is, what she's doing at the high school, how she got chosen for this position, and yeah, that's it. >> Thank you. My name is Anukica Banerjee and I'm a sophomore at Brooklyn High
School. I'm really grateful to be here in front of all of you and I'm really looking forward to being the school committee representative for the upcoming 2026 and 2027 school year. Just a couple things about myself. I grew up in Singapore and New York City. um both very large cities with a lot of people.
And when I was in middle school, I moved here to Brooklyn. And when I moved here is when I realized that it's a lot more than small town charm. I mean, firstly, we're not a very small town. And secondly, it's really the unique dynamics and relationships in this town.
And since I've joined the high school, I've become a part of our studentr run school newspaper, The Cypress. and there I've had a chance to tell stories and listen to stories of many other members of our community. And when running for this role, I really wanted to share the
sense of Brooklyn that I have with everyone around me. And I wanted to make sure that Brooklyn is not just the town that we live in, but it's our town that we live in. And I hope that as a voice for our student body at Brooklyn High School, I'm able to bring some of that.
Thank you. Thank you. How did how did you get selected for the position because it's pays a lot. >> Um so the requirement was you submitted a written application and then you came
in for an interview in front of our student government and Brooklyn's very unique. We have a very complex student government with multiple branches and you were required to give a speech to the student council and then your own student government would vote on whether
um you would be an acceptable candidate for the job. >> So you were elected like us. >> I suppose so. >> So we're a peer group. Okay. >> All right. Thank you, Anukica. And we look forward to having you here. Um okay. Next up, presentations,
discussions of current issues. First up, Brookline's METCO program presentation by Malcolm Cawthorne. Welcome, Malcolm. Hello, and thank you for having me today. It's a a privilege and an honor to be here. Um, it's a privilege and
honor to talk about Mechco this evening. Hopefully I'll present well enough and provide time for some questions. Um, but also say, you know, at my core, I'm a classroom teacher. Been interrupted by the best of them. Um, but if I say
something that's kind of like, wait, what? Just Yeah, just stop me. Um, and you'll probably do it in a more polite way than 16-year-olds used to. Um, I do want to make a a really important comment as we get ready to start. And um, you know,
last week they put a marker in downtown Boston to represent Ruth Batson and the NAACP's 14 demands of Boston public schools. And I think as we dive into this, it's really important to recognize Ruth Batson, the woman who became what
is often referred to her as the mother of Meccco, but also that many people look at those demands today and see the same fight in front of us, in this case 63 years later. But um as we talk about Mechco, we'll talk more
about the 60th anniversary and what that means. And so I think it's really important to acknowledge that, you know, speaking tonight, um, I'm speaking from a position of carrying history with me. Um,
I'm not speaking for myself. I'm speaking for a program, uh, and for a town and for things that mean a lot to a lot of people. And so, thank you for the time. um
you know telling Betsy what to do but um so this is aside with some history and demographics I think it's really important um that we start in remembering that much of the crucial things that led to
mechco happened in what is this space not exactly in um construction because this building's been uh you know uh renovated multiple times, but you know, in 1964, it was Brooklyn residents from a civil rights group that came before
this committee and said, "We need to help what's going on in Boston," which most people don't realize like that. You know, most people take that to like 1974 and Judge Gity and all those other things. No, that's in 1964. And so, it's really important to
acknowledge that. It's also really important in ' 65 that then the president now what we call the chair took action on that created ad hoc community work with Boston and Brooklyn civil rights activists to help create what would be the transfer program urban to suburban for Brook for students to
come to districts like Brooklyn. Um ultimately you know in ' 66 uh Meco is uh incorporated files papers with the state and by September 8th 1966 it is running under a grant and
ultimately taken over under state funding. Um, and the last point I want to make is in 1974, that's when Brooklyn gets his first Mechco director. And I point that out not because it's the same year as the Judge Gity decision, but
some of the first writers that I've been talking to, when I say rider, rer, people who rode the bus, they talk about what that experience was like with nobody there for them specifically, that they were told just go to school,
get on that bus, get there, and go to school. Nobody was there for them. and Pam King, who is a civil rights activist to this day, who's the daughter of Mel King, she often talks about how hard it would have been for her to send her kids to Mechco. And then, not to pat myself on the back because she's speaking about
me metaphorically, she's saying, "But it would have been different if we had a Malcolm if there was a director." The same year, we also hire a BHS coordinator. So, uh, that's, you know, one of the long-standing names in this town through school. Gretchen Underwood is that MECO
coordinator in 74. And so what I hope you'll see is over time um we've really progressed with MECO as well as the town. Okay, I think next slide.
Currently we have 299 students. We have a student capacity that is set at 303 by Desi. They're in all eight K8 schools. Some districts do that different. um where they like locate them in in certain schools and they're at BHS. We
currently have 18 staff members and that's so important to think of in that last point. That includes an executive assistant, a BHS coordinator and an adviser, eight Kaid adviserss, three social workers, and three bus monitors.
Maintaining student capacity is what maintains the program's funding from DESIE. So, for us to continue to have the staff that we need, and I'll talk more about that, it is really important that we keep our numbers up or else that
funding will be cut and we won't be able to serve MECO students the way we need to. I'm not going to really read over the vision because that's kind of boring. But I think one of the things that is most important, the goal of MECO is to bring integration and diversity in
a multitude of ways in the 21st century. That is not limited to race, which is what it was originally set to do. Originally, it's described as a desegregation program. But Mechco brings a host of diverse things, and I'll point
out one. You know, the shifts in the town of Brooklyn have shifted populations in a lot of ways. A lot of our Meco families represent workingclass, middle class, and even upper middle class folks of race that
don't necessarily live in the town of Brooklyn. Two years ago, Boston magazine did Boston's Black 100. Four Brooklyn Meco parents were in there. Not Meco parents, Brooklyn Meco parents. And so it is really important to kind of
grasp that piece. Um, but it's religious, it's cultural, it's ethnic diversity, it's all those things that Mechco helps bring to our district. Um, next slide, Betsy. This is our org chart. Um, this took a lot of work, not the
design itself, but to get where we're at. Um, I saw two of the prior um, directors, Dr. Susie Taluktar and Dr. Keith Lzama, and they were like, "We can't believe you did it." I I want to give both of them credit for starting the the build
in particular Keith Lazama starting to move to getting an adviser at every school. That is something principles asked for that people were splitting schools and what it meant is they had to do really hard decisions. There's an intense issue at this one
school and then there's an IEP where they need a lot of support at another school. Which one am I supposed to be at if they're both at two? and they couldn't. It has helped enormously having an adviser at every school. And I want to
point out the picture there. Um Joanne Silven Jooku could not be here tonight. She's dealing with um some personal and family issues. She's often known as the origami lady. She does that for a lot of things. Helps to get kids to open up. Also helps with small motor skills and
cultural learning. But Joanne was one of the people to be honored tonight for 30 years of service. And I wanted that picture in there because she's retiring this year as well that she will retire working for the town of Brooklyn and for half of Mechco's life in Brooklyn.
And so I really wanted to make sure knowing she couldn't be here that we at least had a chance to honor and see a little bit of her and her magic with children and doing origami. Thank you. So, I can't tell you how many times
people, how do you end up in Mechco? Or I get a phone call like, "Hey, can you pull my kid in mechco?" That answer is almost always no. But to give you, you know, it's important to know Mechco Incorporated takes every application. I never receive an application.
And then they run their lottery. That is in the midst of changing. This year they ran four separate lotteryies. The first one was in early December. Then there's dates and non like that. Mechco meets with PSB enrollment. We got a sense of space. Brooklyn MCO starts to
ask for referrals from MEC in late January, early February based upon that meeting with enrollment. And what that really is about is our senior class. So we wait until after midyear exams where we can see pretty clearly are we going to get people to graduate or not? And
that becomes the basis of our starting point, but it's not the basis of our full intake as hopefully you will see. We meet with enrollment, we talk with it, we start to look and then we start to do that. And then once we start to get referrals,
we are only looking at that point for two referrals. Referrals for kindergarten and Mechco has what they call sibling preference. And so if there's a sibling in the district, that person can in essence jump the lottery.
And so that's where we start. Once we get referrals, we start to hold in-person um and Zoom orientations. We try to do them in person. We always offer a Zoom for those that can't make it. Then we do what we call family intake meetings where we meet one-on-one, myself and one of those
social workers to work with the family. we start to gain lots of information. Then we host kindergarten day that was in conjunction with the beat program. They came in, they sat in on beat classes. We wanted to see them interacting in particular without mom and dad next to them.
And then we start to place families and that is a bit of a puzzle because again with siblings we want to make sure they're in the same school but we only have spaces. So make so we have to like work the puzzle so that we can fit the spaces that we're provided
at those places. And so you know that's a it takes a long time and it's um I would say well worth it. It helps us really get to know families, introduce them to ourselves and what MECO is, and then place them as
best as we can within our schools to be successful, which is hard with a four or 5year-old projecting until they're 18, but we feel like we have enough information to try. So, that's where we go. All right, next slide, please. Our
budgeting process. Um, Desi holds the information for our distribution of funds. It's a budget line in the state budget. Um they carve it up and tell us. Um Desi tells uh Brookline the state grant money that will be received from that line item. I found that out last Friday.
Now, you know, they give us clues a little bit ahead of time, but the official that I got was last Friday and it's probably wrong. And I only say that because the governor hasn't signed it. And so while they're still negotiating and doing everything else, I could find
out in July that it's a little less than what I was supposed to get or I could find July it's a little more. But that's how it works. We wait for them and they tell us and then we set a budget. The budget is then submitted and approved by PSB Finance. It is signed by the superintendent and then sent to DESIE for approval.
Desi limits the way MECO money can be spent. any money spent has to explicitly impact Brookline Mechco, the Brooklyn Meco program and its children. Doesn't mean it can't impact Brookline kids. But if it's only impacting Brooklyn kids, we
will be cited. We have been cited before. Um, and so I think it's really important to know that if I can't make the argument that it's impacting me kids, Desi can then say you have to shift that money. This is in particular.
This happens a lot particularly around teachers. Um, as far as I know, I asked Susie Tutar, as early as 2011, the Brooklyn MECO program has always play paid for PSB teachers. This year is five adding up to almost
$600,000 that we just pay for. So, I think and we have to make the argument which ones fit and directly impact MECO. So, I think that's really important for us to know. Uh, next slide, please.
So, you guys got an annual report. We had three big goals this year. Um, you see a lot of pictures of our babies and doing a lot of things. I'll say a few things. We talk about uh caregiver engagement. You can see a picture from the parents we honored. Um, you also see
some different pictures of them as well. Um, and some of the pictures of our babies. Um, that's the top middle one is me reading to fourth graders. I can't believe I got up off the floor after that. But it was a it was a beautiful day last Friday actually is reading
poetry. Two of our graduates, one of our graduates from Brown. Uh, the Ka the rising ninth grader day at BHS. A group picture of our seniors with Superintendent Wong as well as Anthony Meyer, BHS coordinator.
um as well as one of our big projects with MIT in the Sloan School. The other thing we're looking at are successful academic transitions. I'll talk more about that. Grade 8 to nine is the obvious in this town, but we also have a lot. We're really focusing next year on a pilot grade five to six. I'll talk
more about that. And then we really wanted to set up Mechco turning 60 next year, which is a big deal. It is a big deal. I'll explain more as we get to that slide. And so, next slide. you know, did we meet him?
That's always the hardest thing. Um, I think we did well. I think we have more work to do. And you'll see some of these are going to be on repeat. Um, and I'll go through these quickly. You know, one of the things we want to do is return to pre-COVID inerson and Zoom parent meetings. We have coffee talks every
other month on Friday with parents to just zoom and see what's going on. Uh, we have a community family engagement adviser who does events for echo and community adults. Uh, we established a monthly newsletter for caregivers, alumni, and community members. I know that goes to the school committee. If there's folks in this room that aren't
getting it, please let me know. We will put you on there. And then we uh started exit interviews or an exit questionnaire this spring. Um, it's for graduating eighth graders, 12th graders, and their caregivers to give us feedback as
they're leaving each school. Um, we also let look for academic transitions led by our learning outcomes adviser who also tracks grade data. You saw the picture of the BHS eighth grade v uh visit with eth well stop. They visit the eighth graders at their school and they bring
them to the high school for a day. Um, we have a move on up ceremony that some of you were at with the rising nth graders as well as the graduating 12th graders. And again, starting a pilot for sixth grade at Driscoll to help see successes in our fifth graders going into from a single classroom to meeting
with five teachers daily. And then finally, Mechco 60. We're launching a summer writing project. I'll make sure that gets to all of you. Um there will be a reading in November. We want to establish Mechco uh Mechco Day, Brooklyn Meco Day September 8th. That's the first day those buses rolled in 1966. We'll
have panel conversations with the first writers as well as, you know, part of my privilege and honor in being here. Um, MECO is going into its 60th year. Brookline has had five MECO directors.
I'm the fifth. In four years, I have seen districts have five MECO directors. And so, that's why it's so serious for me and such an honor. But it says a lot about this town, this district, and what
this means that we've only had five in 60 years. Okay. Um, we're also going to do a little celebrating, a mecho homecoming. We're playing a Mechco career day as well as um one of those panels um as well as some celebration and then um in
February Mechco celebration. Um, yeah. So, when I think about my leadership and where we're going, you know, it's it's been a it's been a a good fruitful ride and there's been things that have been really hard that I don't want to dwell on, but because
those things have been hard. Establishing consistency has been hard. And so, you'll hear me saying that throughout these leadership and directions. And one of the things is to establish consistency in the Brook Lion MECO staff and organizational structure so that the MECO program grows with new
central admin in schools. Um you know uh it's it's been it's been complicated yet fruitful as all the changes have happened here as well as in the schools. Um, and so we want to make sure we're firm on the ground so that we
can work with all the changes. And part of that is that advisor in every school, making sure we have seal to help cover and really building the program. I think we're we're done growing in that way. Now it's to solidify what that means and how we interact with schools and central
essential admin. We want to establish comm consistent communication and connection between MECO staff, schools, caregivers, and both Boston and Brookline communities. This is complicated and it's one of the things we'll get to a little bit more, but in establishing that, what what it means is, you know, how do people know to look
for our information? Is it email? Is it the newsletter? When we work with parents, um particularly around the bus, which I tell Keith Lazam every time, he told me about the bus. I I think I don't know. But what we found is texting works
better with parents around the bus. So we've we've beenounding for numbers like, "Hey, the bus is 5 minutes late." We text them and that's worked so much better. But finding that consistent method is really hard. It's taken a lot of trial and error. And so how do we do that as well as thinking about what that
means with communicating with schools, what that means with communicating with teachers, all those things. Um, and you know, I would say the great and terrible is Brooklyn has eight wonderfully different K8s. And I always thought they should be different. They reach very different
populations. They have very different setups, everything else. But that means we have to figure that out every time. And so, you know, I think it's a good challenge, but it is a challenge. Um, we want to establish consistent support and partnerships for students and families and create paths and opportunities for
students to and families to grow upon graduation. So, one of the easiest ones is building bridges in the college proven program, which we've contracted with for a while. They do college coaching as well as promote historically black colleges and universities. But this is also something we share with
other programs at the high school in particular, steps to success in um, AALSP. Um, we want to establish a calendar that can be shared and merged with PSB, MECO, Inc. and Mechco Directors Association. I've said we've been on a like full
sprint since April break. And it's not bad. It's not. Um, an example of this collaboration is uh Friday when we had May 29th when we had the end of the year celebration. That was also the same day
as the seventh and eighth grade track meet. It was also the same day the Mechco directors decided to do their middle school retreat. Yeah, we have to collaborate that better. We have to figure that out. And um and so yeah, I mean it's it's just it's just to continue the work and and
collaborating so that our kids can have every opportunity because all three of those are fantastic opportunities and we don't want our kids to miss any of them but some had to because of all that, you know, crossing and they just couldn't get to all of them. And then the last thing is establishing consistent metrics
that explore the Brooklyn MECO program's effectiveness. So that's program effectiveness, that's student performance, that's all kinds of things. Um, and I think we're now at a point where we can really do that. We've hit the strength, we've hit the ME, and we're trying to figure out what are those consistent meth metrics that we
use every year. Okay, next slide. So data collection. I think one of the things that's really important in this is a chance to see MECO in its distinct light. I think what happens a lot with mechco is um we get lumped into combination with other racial groups or
other programs. And so we've worked really hard to try and separate I would say Mechco Incorporated has as well. Um in that presentation there's a link to the executive summ summary of the set report that was commissioned by uh
Mechco Inc. that went from really 2002 to 2020. Um it was a really long study. It looked at a lot of different things. I I won't go into it, but that was done through Mechco Inc. to help show the effectiveness of Mechco. We also have a learning outcomes advisor, Mr. Lauren
Green. He was hired by that um under the past uh director and I have kept him. he is his value to us is hard to actually measure um because he looks specifically at Brookline Mechco DA data and so he
helps in so many ways to help paint a picture of what MECO is doing and what we're doing well and where we need work and where we need to work with the schools. So the next bullet mecho students on average have a higher GPA than resident black and latin students. That's from Green's research and his
data collection and along with what was then called the BHS data team, which I don't know if that is still called that, but they had a data team that was looking and they started to find, wow, like MECO kids score really well in comparison to things that they often lumped into. Um,
99.97% of Brooklyn Meco students graduate from BHS. We have had one student not graduate since the turn of the century and so that says a lot. 80% attend
four-year college that mostly comes from the set report as well as some of other things. And then we want to use Brookline Mechco data to identify gaps and problematic data points with NPSB and Brooklyn mechco. And so part of the reason we talked a lot about transitions, we were noticing
some really disturbing dips, kids doing very well in certain subjects in eighth grade, then all of a sudden in nth grade not performing well. And so our goal is not to point fingers at that. It's to be in a collaborative mode to
work with whatever's happening in eighth grade and helping nth grade and fix that transition so we can see something that's similar in performance. Okay, next slide. Family and community engagement. We have a family and community engagement
advisor. Her name is Vina Harvey. A lot of people know her because she seems to be the face. She's the one who's always running around getting table closet like, you know, because she's running all the community stuff. But I think what is missed in that is how hard she works for not just Mechco
to look good, but also to build bonds beyond just within Mechco. And so some of the family and community events for students and families, we have roller skating. We have bowling. We have family funday. That was just last Saturday. For adults, we do the it takes a village. We have our gala. And then we try to give
back. We do the Mechco appreciation breakfast at BHS. And we do Janet Morris Awards to recognize caregivers who've helped so often. We also try to link Mechco to BH Brooklyn communities. So we invite all PSB students to the roller skating party in Dorchester. And some come, some
don't, but it's an invitation. come on out. Um, it takes a village as an opportunity, some of you were there, to meet with school committee, central office, school leadership. It's a chance to build those bonds outside of town and school buildings. And then we also do the Gene Magcguire Awards where we
recognize PSB staff for all that they do for our students and PSB. And then how do we measure the Mechco family experience? So we talked about the ASA questionnaires that's new this spring. Um, I do want to say one thing. I purposely don't have information on
that yet. Mostly because the eighth graders haven't graduated. But also, I wanted parents and kids to say what they wanted to say and it doesn't come to me. It goes to Lauren Green. And part of the reason for that is that I and I told parents I was like, I want you to feel
free to say if you have to critique me, let's do it. You have to let's do it. So that way they're not worried about saying things about me and it coming to me directly. Um, we did the revival of parent meetings and we reestablished the Brooklyn Mechco parent group.
Bless you. Next slide, please. So, what the goal to have that uh annual report is by July 31st. Part of that is because we need final grades um and we need some time to assess some of those
things. But one of the things we really want to do, and this is what I'm anticipating, um we'll put it into firm language in the um annual report, we do a closer examin of attendance and it correlation to academic performance and working with their schools for earlier intervention
on poor attendance. Um you know, and again the idea is working with them because I think sometimes that gets lost in the shuffle particularly when MECO provides a bus, right? Whose responsibility is it for attendance? Well, it's all of our responsibility. So, how do we coordinate that? We're going to develop district-wide plan for
me grade five through six transition, which I talked a little bit about um you know that move from single classroom into multiple classrooms and what that means as well as beginning to explore data informed transition for grade two through two through three. One of the really interesting things um I talked
about a little bit dip in ninth grade. What we see though for me kids is they get progressively better over high school. So when you look at a a group's grades in ninth grade, that group looked better in 10th and they looked better again in 11th and in 12th.
One of my theories, and I'm going to make it a theory, is that there's actually less transitions in high school. The schedule stays the same. We have the same guidance counselor. We have the same dean. You have the same mech staff.
That's not true in the case. it shifts a lot. So I'm not saying that I know that's what we have to do, right? And so what my our goal is to look at how can we help our kids anticipate that and our families anticipate that move from Google Classroom to Canvas.
And as a teacher who taught at the high school knowing Canvas can be easily manipulated by smart young people when they want to. Had a lot of talks with parents about well he said he turned it in and I look Yeah. Anyway, how to help that? We have
to look at 56 as well as 23. And then the last thing which I always meant that balanced calendar with the schools so our kids and families can have the riches of everything. Uh next slide. So meo mecho 60 we're going the theme
six years of excellence solidarity and tradition has created thousands of diamonds. I would ask that you please consider writing. We're doing a summer writing project. We're looking for community members. Um, also when it comes in September, purchasing some Mechco 60
merch, it will go to the Mechco 60 stuff, but you know, a lot of people see the stuff around time, they're like, "Oh, how do I get a Mechco sweatshirt?" That's one way. Um, or attending at least one event. Um, full finalized calendars will be distributed August 1st. Um, please help us get September
8th to be recognized as Mechco Day. I've been meeting with town officials. We're going to try and go through town meeting in the fall. We feel like it's important after 60 years for the town. Every September 8th is Mechco Day. And I don't know what that means beyond saying that.
But sometimes you just need a stamp for posterity because there'll be a kid long after all of us are here be like, "What's Mechco 60? What's that? Meco Day?" Yeah, that's the first day the writers came in 1966. Here's that story. And then please support us in getting
we're looking at um a filmmaker and historian to document Brookline Mechco's history and our narrative. I think that's really important. I think when I hear a lot of um information that kind of comes jumbled or is confusing for me, it's because um
uh MECO has been very good at like uh supporting and pushing out and and and protecting and advocating for our students and families. Uh, as an old history teacher, I don't think we've been great at establishing what Mechco is and then saying what it is and then
having a document to say what it is, then having a document in every library to say what it is. And so, this is stuff we're really thinking of doing. You know, we talked about the writing. That's going to be one thing, but we really want something that's documentary that can be online somewhere and every
teacher can pull it up as well as uh having a historian write something. All right. And so final thoughts. Um, you know, I think Mechco provides Brooklyn a chance to stand tall and
unison about our commitment to Mechco. Um, and it is an opportunity that, you know, I think, you know, we have to take. I think it's a chance for Brooklyn to separate itself from other districts for inclusion and excellence in our commitment to Mechco. There's 33
Meco districts tied to Boston. There's another six tied to Springfield. When you ask, most are envious of Brookline. There's a reason for that. There's a lot that goes into that. And I think we have a chance to separate ourselves in our greatness.
There's a chance to be leaders amongst Boston Mechco and suburban Brookline partnerships. Some people are in here today because we've had great relationships. So with Baffin and Brooklyn, Meco Cares has been a really good one. About 10% of our students are
identify as Asian. A a h pi. Um and so working with baffin has been a great relationship. We've had a great relationship with tempo shalom. Um in particular, uh they did after school care for us. We still have kids who go there for after school care. We couldn't actually supply it fiscally. It wasn't
making sense anymore. Um but kids particularly from Ridley and Lawrence still go. As well as they hosted our first um queer kids of color unity conference. And so that all comes from a lot of work with us. And you know, I was
fortunate enough to to speak at at Temple of Shalom for their 180th anniversary in my first year as Mechco director to talk about black and Jewish relations. So I think that's a beautiful relationship that we have. Um Brooklyn Mechco and for the culture um
particularly tied to Junth and other things is something that's really powerful for us. um and Brooklyn line mecho and Brooklyn Muslim friends is something that we build on um and and have worked to really establish. But again, the chance to be leaders and to
be a shining beacon and be the example for other districts. And last, um we want the chance to build an alumni network for Brooklyn Mechco. Somebody I went to school with, Lori Nelson, is an incredible political
strategist. I say incredible like led the campaigns for Elizabeth Warren, Ed Marky, Ayanna Presley. She's a Brooklyn Mechco grad. The current um I'm going to forget the name uh is for community engagement for
Mayor Woo is a Brooklyn Mechco grad. And we have I mean there's so many more. I can go into the cool stuff like a guy graduate with Chay Pop who makes music for Dr. Dre and everybody like like I mean that for real like we have a huge network and so I I would need your help
because I know a lot of people and I've been around for a long time but I don't know everybody and I don't have all the resources. So, you know, we have a chance to build a real alumni network. That's huge. And again, it'll make us all look good. All right. I think that's my final real slide. Busy.
>> Thank >> you. Thank you. Thank you. Tito Jackson. How's that? He ran for mayor. >> Jackson's great. ran for mayor, city council. Um >> yeah, >> I would say entrepreneur now. >> Absolutely. >> Yeah. >> Um hard to bring him to school for what
he's doing in entrepreneurship, but yes. >> Right. >> Um and and what he's doing is fine. Like I don't have an issue with it, but probably not to bring to middle school. >> Okay. Bella, you want to say something? >> Sure. Thank you. Thank you, Malcolm. Um I've had the privilege to either live or work for seven different medical school
districts out of the 33. And I would say that Brooklyn has always been the star. Um, some years ago I met Malcolm for the first time and you might have been just new. We were in Foxboro and I remember meeting you and um, I've worked with a
lot of um, different MECO directors and I remember thinking then, oh, Brooklyn has a good one. Um the one thing that that Malcolm mentioned when the when the office of when the OEE was eliminated
um many may not remember that MECO was part of OEE. So when OEE was eliminated that was a big transition and adjustment and I think Malcolm speaks to that somewhat in the transition and regaining
your footing. Um it's not just 60 years. It's um it's there's a legacy there's legacy of um MECO program in Brooklyn that
I think it is different than in other districts. And what I hear Malcolm saying I would support is to lean into that difference and um in in leadership and guidance. The other MECO programs
have not had the stability that Brooklyn has had either in its staffing or in its le leadership. While Malcolm is in his fourth year, he has a history with um Brooklyn Public Schools or public schools of Brooklyn. And so it all It's
it's a there is a lot of potential here and we could take it to the next level in terms of just being the standard. Um I had the privilege of being part of attending these end of year celebrations
um not just for the students but these community gala funds the little g there was like the big gala the little gallas um and that Vina Harvey >> Vina Harvey has has created I've been in
so many districts where they try to create events and and and people don't show up people don't feel like they're part of a community. And so here it's it's it's a big deal. People come out and they enjoy each other and there's
this amazing culture. So I have never seen anything like that in other districts. It's really powerful here. And as I've said, one of the things about Brooklyn is geographically where we're located, we're we're bordered by
Boston. And so it we tap into that urban energy and diversity, but we are definitely a suburb and and we are resourced and so we end up with a really enriched environment and I think the MEO
meco program reflects that as well. Um but we there's a lot I feel like you've restabilized where you know with without having the OEE and um Also, you're in your you've completed your fourth year
and while you've been part of Brookline, it's just a different part of of of being able to expand. You spread your wings and be that leader. So, I I think there's a lot to be proud of, proud of our MECA director, part of our program.
And um just, you know, we stand on the shoulders of those that were before us. And I feel that what we see in Brooklyn is very much that. So, thank you. >> Thank you, >> Carolyn. >> Thanks.
Thank you. That was awesome. So, I've paid attention to stuff for a long time and this is my the end of my second year on the school committee and I think this is the first opportunity that I've had to hear all of
this and I was just really riveted and um there's so much that you just told us that I didn't know. >> Yeah. >> That I didn't know. And I also just feel
like my understanding just went like >> and I really appreciate that and and so thank you. Um I still might have a couple technical questions which don't have to be tonight. They could be another time. >> But right off the bat I was really
struck when you talked about someone there for them and I wrote that down. And then you talked about writers. and I felt um more understanding
>> of what it might be like to be a METCO student and obviously there hopefully we are providing benefits. >> Um but I think I felt the vulnerability >> that I I imagine must be there for
children, little babies. >> Yeah. >> Getting on a bus. Yeah. >> So, I'm also really interested in your aspiration to um do a history and film. Has there been
a film or or larger history about Metco generally? >> Yes, there's there's actually a few documentaries done. Um the current CEO was actually shadowed by a um Emerson student for her master's thesis. So there's a and we have copies of that
called um uh Far From Home about Candace Sumner who's now the CEO from Echko. It's like 40 something minutes long. We used to show it in race reels. So it's been a while since I've been connected to race reel so I just don't remember exactly but there's other ones too. There was one that came out kind of during co I just remember the Boston
Globe did a movie >> did the big piece. >> Yeah. But they also did a movie thing cuz because people could stream it and like it was a series and there was a movie about Mechco there. There's also some books and there's um >> there's some books that are also kind of um adjacent for lack of a better term.
So, so part of the books that talk about Boston busing will often have at least some references to Mechco, >> right? >> But I don't know of anything that is specific to Brooklyn Mechco. >> Yeah. >> And so, um when I became the high school coordinator, one of the first, you know, my history self, one of the first
questions I asked was, "Do we have a list like who was the first graduate?" >> Like, no. I said, "Eh, do you have something? I'll I'll go research. I'll find it." Not really. I knew 75 kids went and there's some stuff in the Brooklyn room that is enlightening but
not specific. And just as a history, one of the things Meco Incorporated did is they really worked to record how they established Meco Inc. >> So like all the state papers and all those other things, that's what they really saved and that's in Northeastern's archives. but it's not a
people oriented history. And so I would love to have that. Um and that's why we tried to build that alumni network. We we've identified unfortunately this this past month we found out one of the original writers passed away. most of them um
you know they're in well they're more mature um but yeah they and so they're here but but to show you how powerful that is one of the women who graduated in 1969 which is the first large class we did find out Teresa Bowling of the famous bowling
family she graduated in 1968 two months after MLK died she's the only um junior we took in in that first group in ' 66 Um, but one of the women who graduated 69 was like, "You know, Malcolm, I want to help some Brookline seniors, gave
$1,000 to be split for two scholarships for our kids and just did it." Like, didn't didn't ask for much except for our, you know, our tax exempt status so she could fer work, but other than that, you know, next thing you knew, we got a check. And so, it's been great making
those relationships and we have a long way to go. We have a lot of people to stay in touch with. Can I ask one quick >> just because it's on topic. Can I just say that the um the American Experience documentary called The Busing
Battleground that was done on Meccco was done by a local documentary documentary filmmaker Sharon Greenberg. So I just want to add that. >> I appreciate that. >> Thanks sir. Um, do do all of our MECO students start in
kindergarten or are there times when a student comes in in a different grade? >> The overwhelming majority of our students start in kindergarten. Um, and that comes from graduation. Like this year we had a smaller class because it's all by space. We have 20 kids and so you
know we have close to 20 kindergarters coming in. Uh what makes it a little tricky and I always say like you know intake for me is is more of a puzzle than like a lottery. So, um, we had a couple families who then
had older siblings, right? And so, we don't promise them that, but we'll say, "Listen, we think we can, you know," and I, and I go and work with enrollment and say, "Hey, you know, do we have a space if we took this kindergartener for second grade?" We try to keep them very young so that they can metriculate all
the way through. And we also get funky stuff like uh you know kids where you know a kid's in private school their kid gets into mechco and then later on they're like yeah we like Brooklyn better than the private school do you have space and they have sibling preference so they jump the lottery but it's still based
upon space so I can't just place that kid right like they have to have space and then it gets tricky because we want to keep them together and so if that school doesn't have that space you know it can be tricky but yeah I mean we don't yeah I mean
>> mostly kids It's overwhelming majority kindergarten. >> Thanks. >> Yeah. >> Hi, Donna. >> All right. Am I supposed to acknowledge people or >> Okay. No, I know. Oh, Bob should acknowledge. >> I'm sorry. >> Go ahead. I was trying to know if I should acknowledge people who raised
their hand or if you were supposed to. >> Oh, it's my job. You kidding me? >> Go ahead. You got it. I I don't need any more work. >> Thank you so much, Malcolm. I wanted to ask relatedly. I've uh met a lot of students not in Brooklyn um who are in the METCO program and other school
districts and they've um like moved between districts. >> Um and I wonder if we're tracking data on whether we have students who leave Brookline in favor of other >> other Mechco districts. >> Yeah. >> So that's actually really hard to do.
>> Mechco, Inc. prohibits that because otherwise they're shopping, right? Like and unfortunately we get most of the shopping. We're all sold out, but we get most of the shopping. So like I had a I had a parent who was at Newton and came to me was like, "Yeah, we live in Easty.
Brooklyn's closer. Can we get into Brooklyn?" And I had to say no cuz like you're already in a Mechco district. So they can't really shop. Um I'm trying to say this. Uh, so I will say in the history of Mechco, there have
been times kids have been moved from a district to another. The last administration really put a squash on that. Um, I I I worry that that um pigeon holes when there's some really
glaring issues with a kid in a district. Um, and I understand why because everybody would jockey and try to swap and do everything else. So, it's really tricky for Mechco, Inc. to handle that. But I would never handle that. I guess I'm saying like even though I get phone calls, I I want to be, "Hey, my kids in
Weston, the trip is killing them. Can I come to Brooklyn?" And I say, >> I'm more concerned that like the kids are leaving Brooklyn because this isn't >> Well, they don't leave. They can't go to another Mechco district. We do have so you know, we do the graduation rate and there's a rate of attrition. I would say
the greater pull has been um as kids get older, athletics in certain schools, in certain sports. >> I think that's been the thing I've seen the most in my four years. Um but uh you
know again we probably lose four to seven kids a year and a lot of that is is is moving for different things. So, you know, family moves out of Boston into a suburban district. Um, sometimes totally another state like we
had a family we loved and they're moving to Rhode Island next year. >> And so, you have to be a Boston resident to be in it. But I I would say we're not we don't lose very many. I'll just say that most of our kids and you hear them talk, they're generational. know some of
you guys met some of those parents like >> you know um I guess I should be proud but you know as I get older it's harder to swallow. I mean I've taught Meccco kids. I've taught their parents and their kids and I was like oh I think I went to school with your mom like so like they
keep coming back like like we don't lose many kids that way. >> Okay that's great. Yeah. >> Um and I had two more questions. Can you talk a little bit about >> you mentioned um I think it was on the first slide reducing racial isolation. This was also in your annual report. So
when you're talking about reducing racial isolation, what does that mean? Okay. The context >> Yeah. >> of your really say it's it's twofold and that's also Meco Inc.'s vision as well. It's not just mine or Brookines's. Um, you know, we try to make sure like when
we place in kindergarten that we're not placing just one child that there's at least, you know, there and every school is different. Some school has uh more racial diversity than others, but no matter what, we try to make sure there's at least another mecho kid who understands like the journey to get there, whether their parents drive them in the morning or they take the bus or
what have you. Um, and so I think about that in terms of how we look at the placement and that puzzle, but I think it's really important to point out like that racial isolation is also to bring diversity so that kids in towns that are
not even as diverse as ours don't live in racial isolation of whiteness. And so bringing kids here gives some kids an experience that they might not have ever got if they didn't have mechco. Um, in particular, uh, state
rep, uh, Chris Roell talks Rowels talks a lot, um, Warell, sorry, talks a lot about his experience at Lincoln Sudbury and now that he's in politics, but his wrestling co- captain is now the mayor of Lynn and they boost each other up and that's a result of that Mechco racial
like if they didn't wrestle together and they weren't in the same grade and all, they never would have had that relationship. And so it it really works twofold. I will also say um Desessie made a visit to us this fall. Um they met with my staff, then they met with um
Superintendent Wong and myself and Dr. Benoy and um and we almost got an argument. They were like, "I don't really believe your kids feel that comfortable here." >> I was like, "I don't know what to tell you." Like, you know, like we're not getting that report back. And then they
met with the kids and they met um we brought kids from um middle school and high school and I went back in to kind of follow up after the day and they're like they really do feel comfortable here and I was like yeah like I mean you know it's not perfect it's not all of
them they had a sample size but in general they do and I would say you know we have a lot of Meco kids who work like you know the extreme is they pretty much live in Brooklyn spend all their time here their parent I see I'm at Penos at 10:00 like what are you doing? Like oh I
was over so and so's house and we're doing homework and we play video games and we had homework and now I'm catching the tea but I'm grabbing a slice from Penos on my way home. And then we have others where it's really functional like they come they go to school they go back they go to community work there's a whole lot in between whether it's music
drama sports debate uh the cypress like you know all those things and we try to push all our makeo kids into all of them and so yeah most have a real connection through something here um and usually that is more than just a friend it's with their family it's it's connections
and other things so >> thank you my last question was about special education and um >> what challenges and opportunities you see. >> Yeah. Well, I think um well, I think a few things. I think it's
really important as we um talk about special education and we talk about like some of those data points as making sure we're looking at MECO in a distinct light as opposed to like well this many black kids are getting in and think that's mechco empirically. Um, I think
two it's really important to note that um, you know, we've lived in a really tough time these last few years. And I mean that in a lot of ways. I'm not talking politically. I'm talking about social emotionally coming out of a pandemic. And I think what happens a lot
with the best natured and well-meaning as well as highly educated, thoughtful people, we look for answers to help kids be successful. And so I think when we look at, you know, MECO kids and special education, we're trying to help them be successful. Schools are worried about
them, teachers are worried about them, their parents are worried about them, the MECO advisors are worried about them. And so we look for answers. And one of those answers is special education. Um I, you know, I don't want to go down the path of like what happens where and all these other things. I I
think most of it is good naturatured and really trying to help and provide answers. And I think in that sometimes that zeal you know shows up in things like desi and other you know it shows up in those things and that's kind of um
well it's not out of our control but I think it's it's it's without um sort of boundary in the attempt to try and help. And I think what um we found particularly in these last few years is that you know kids have been presenting in really weird ways. I was telling
somebody at the high school, I was like, "You weren't going to get a ninth grader that looks the same for a long time because this one had COVID in third grade and this one had it in sixth grade and this one had it." And so what they like our seniors who just graduated, some of them missed half of seventh grade and all of eighth grade in person.
And so that presents really differently than a kid who walks into ninth grade now. And so I think as we try to find resolutions, we just have to continue to continue to work and improve. So, there was a huge meeting in here talking about multi-tered, you know, systems of support, those interventions, those types of things that are systemic.
They're great and they're going to help. They're going to help our Meco kids. And I think everybody's working fantastically to help our Mechco kids. Bella. >> So I think Malcolm is that our findings of disproportionality and understand for a student to be
eligible for IEP services, they need to be they need to have a learning disability. So statistically um not our students that are black and and Latino are being disproportionately
identified for IEPs. That's not the fault of the students. That is what Malcolm is saying. People may be assigning them to get the extra support and that's where MTSS is the answer. Yes, >> MTSS is a to make sure that we're
offering robust general intervention services for students. The students likely statistically do not have learning disabilities at the rate that they're being identified for IEP services. But that is a retraining
retraining of the way we're approaching to make sure students get the supports they need. But we feel very good about that direction that we're adopting. Um so so that's yes >> there is um I did want to say more about
that visit. So what happened was it was then the new associate commissioner of Desi Darth Fernandez and she had a goal of visiting every go program. >> Yeah. >> Every single one. So, by the time she got to us, I think she was more than halfway through.
>> Yeah. >> And she was a bit jaded in in her perspective, but then she met everybody >> and she actually apologized. She said, "You know what? >> It really is different. The students do speak differently about how they are
included." So, that that actually was is a really important metric. >> Yeah. Sarah So, I'd really like to applaud you for the annual report and then for tonight for shedding light on me that we know so
much more and um I I'm turned right now to page 11 to the goals for this year and I just think that they're so smart. Um we know a lot about how attendance really factors into success just to point at one of them. And so my question
is actually more for Bella or a request is more for Bella is that I don't know that I always know when MECO doesn't go it alone and when they're they're included in conversations and it sounds like they are that they're there for MTSS conversations and other conversations. So, I would just love
that, you know, as you update us as as we look at the strategic strategic plan and equity, when you update us on um efforts for attendance that you help us understand how we're supporting how you're supporting MECO because I think that that would help kind of build on the information that we got tonight and
the information that we got in the strategic plan, sorry, in the annual report. Thank you, >> Suzanne. >> Thank you, Malcolm. Thank you for this and for all your hard work. It's so important. Uh I worry a little bit that since we don't have the Office of
Educational Equity right now that some of that work may fall on you. Um and so uh I worry that you have a full-time job already just as director of Medco. Uh and that I'm just wondering if you might
speak a minute on you know how you see that going forward. Is is is that happening? Are people calling you because we don't have our office of equity or how how do you see that going forward? >> Yeah. Um
I worry about that as well when um I've only been in this position with an office of equity before this year. Um I would say particularly in the past um that has fallen to some of the past MECO directors. I don't, you know, I don't
think all of them took that on as a charge and um in different districts you hear that a lot. Um that they essentially become the office of equity. Um I think it is work I love doing, but it would be work that would be really hard
to do. I think um I don't know. I I think we, you know, as a system have to figure out what that looks like and what that means um now that that office is gone and who's really responsible for it. Um and what are the responsibilities
of it? Um is it professional development? Is it you know keeping track of incidents? Is it like you know what is it? And so I think that was also part of the issue in it that um you know
it became uh what was hard to establish under the current situations that it was presented with and so um it was just hard to establish what that office actually meant to the town. >> Bella, thank you. I just want to say I didn't mean to put you on the spot. I just
>> No, it's fine. I've been here for a long time and like you know I've seen >> like Dr. Dutch guard was very very involved in providing professional development other things to the town but I wouldn't say that's true for >> I'm presenting my goals tonight and um one of the goals is to establish an
equity equity leadership team >> and develop a strategic equity plan as required by the state. So, I I anticipate that Malcolm will be a strong partner, but it's unfair to
agree to to look toward um the person that holds the position of MECO director to be the one that does that. >> So, I anticipate a strong partnership, but it is one of the goals that I'll be talking about later. I appreciate that because certainly collaboration I would
love to do and I don't I've never believed in being a oneperson show. So >> yeah. So I'd love to collaborate farther. >> It's you're going to be essential part. >> Okay. >> Yes. >> Hi Malcolm. >> Hi Bob. >> I think anybody else want to say anything? So
you provide some data tonight. You said that one kid over the last 125 years >> No, no, no. >> 25 years. fail to graduate from China. >> That's a good that's a good piece of data. >> Yeah. >> Um you also said 80% are going on to
college. >> Yes. >> Okay. What do you do about the other 20%. >> So it doesn't mean they don't have a plan like it just you know it and so much depends on that kid and what we can get. So, um, one of our toughest cases, uh, a kid who graduated last year, you
know, um, uh, Ali Whitebone mentioned OFC, you know, you know, most people know the program is now ACE. It's a different program. >> Yeah. >> And I don't I don't mean that with any slight. It's a different program. We had a kid who, you know, we literally kept
his schedule on the wall in the Mechco space and he would come down and like, "Oh, this is where I'm supposed to and I'd be like, "Yeah, go get to class." He was into uh all kinds of things with agriculture and other stuff. He's now doing urban farming in Boston and doing great. And we hooked him up with that,
not just with Mechco, but that was in collaboration with ACE. So, uh you know, to use your terminology, Bob, we try to make sure kids have a dignified step. Um and and that can be a lot of things for different kids. Uh a student you probably remember who I I think of
dearly, I'm uh you know, Oh, Dallas Jeter, who was struggled through high school, went to the military, came back, used the GI Bill, and now is working on a masters at Suffach University. Like, he had a dignified step when he left Brooklyn High. And that's that's what we can do. We also have a saying, you
graduate from Brooklyn High, but you're Mechco for life. Kids come back. Oh, Mr. Carto, yeah, I got into the party life at college. I need some help. I got to transfer. and we try to hook them up and get them settled so they can come back, you know, make their parents a little
happier like, you know, but um you know, sometimes that's when they're 18 and sometimes it's when they're 22. They're like, "Yeah, I'm still trying to figure it out." >> No, I think we have to think about the 80% and the 20%. >> Absolutely. >> And I guess final question, you have a fairly robust staff,
>> staff, which when I was working in Brooklyn, we didn't have that many. No, >> at all. So when you analyze achievement data for example um and you look at the at the work that the staff is doing at the elementary schools the high school
>> um have you thought about different ways to allocate staffing different uh responsibilities for the folks who are in the schools to to focus on academics I guess that's what I'm saying >> uh when you say different folks in the schools could you clarify that like >> co-advisors
>> sure so one of the things I say this is the first year we've been able to have an adviser at every school. Um and um again that was something asked by the principles. So what we're really going to have to look at data and see what we can do. I think what it has mitigated
that I can say with a lot of confidence is having an adviser in every school has so many that attendance issue where where there were kids floating around. In particular, we had kids at some schools who only wanted to see the mechco adviser. Well, if the Mechco adviser wasn't there because they were
at their other school, it was hard to get that kid regulated and get back in. Um, and so it has I I wish I could show you my text chain from last year to this year. The amount of principles who are texting
me on a regular basis like in emergency mode and I have to drive to that school has shrunk immensely. >> But I don't think it's my work. I think it's >> the folks who are there. And so I think that that's the easy data that I can come up with. We're going to have to look at the data in terms around in
terms of what we get and see what that means. I think it has made um something for me to evaluate because you know you know having a person is money like that's money that could go to something else. I think one of the complicated
things in our system and is please remember I love the way our system is. I believe in K through8s. It is why I moved back to put my children through K through8s. I think middle school, whoever created that should I don't know who thought putting the most hormonally imbalanced children in
one building needs some rethinking. But um what um we have discovered in that is that now we have real points of contact that have real meaning. So our adviserss
at those schools know those 20 to 30 parents depending on the school and can really be like hey you know Malcolm hasn't been doing his history homework and can sit them down during wind block and be like yeah you know Dr. is going to come and work with you this day because you haven't been doing your
history homework, you know. Um, and it's our first year, so I need to evaluate and how to build and how to reinforce and make sure I'm evaluating and pushing. Um, yeah. And I think, you know, I think that's a real thing for us to keep going
as well as I think um, academically we're still doing pretty well. I mean, you know, like I showed a picture of a girl graduate from Brown, you know, with two kids in the Posi program right now. Now we have like you know you know yeah and this was a tough group like this was tough group this year and still we're
sending 80% to college so um yeah I think I think we're doing all right so but we could always do better and that's that's clear. Okay. So, Malcolm, thank you. >> Thank you. >> Appreciate your work. >> Thank you. >> Okay.
Solar panel installation and school buildings presentation. Alexandra Vekio and a possible vote to approve those solar panels. Alexandria, >> she's on Zoom. >> She's on Zoom. Okay, great. >> Hi, good evening everyone. Alexandra
Beckio, director of sustainability and natural resources for the town of Brookline. Thanks so much for your time this evening. Um, I'm just going to pull up my slide deck here. Give me one second. >> Uh, okay, great. Uh, are folks able to see my uh slide that says strategic
solar initiative? >> Yes. >> Yes, we can. >> Okay, wonderful. Thank you. Um, so as I said, I'm Alexandra. I'm director of sustainability and natural resources for the town. Um, our deputy director, Shelley Dean, couldn't be with me this evening, but she's been working extensively on this and I think has
spoken to a couple of you prior to this meeting. Um, so appreciate everybody's time uh leading up to the the meeting on this topic. So this evening um I want to focus specifically on the school projects because obviously that's what's of most interest to you. But I am just going to provide a little bit of
background and context first because I think that's important to understand um what this is uh kind of nestled within and a bit of the context around what we're doing here. So in Brooklyn uh we have numerous municipal solar projects um currently
existing and under construction. So right now we have two townowned systems that are quite small and and a bit older on Putterham Library as well as the health building and then we have one town owned system that's under construction very near completion at
Driscoll school um and very excited about that. I was before all of you um last year or maybe it was 2024 um but on the Driscoll uh solar project um and then we have five different arrays that are developed as power
purchase agreements which essentially means that we've leased out our rooftop um to a solar developer so we're getting a reduction on our energy bills but we don't um receive all of the savings from that system. So, uh, right now we have, um, some proposed projects that are
coming up, uh, one at Pier School and then four other sites in town, uh, for near-term construction that are town-owned. And then we're looking at some medium and longer term projects and anticipate town ownership for those, but we'll have to look at the finances as we
move forward. And really this is uh all coming from over the past year a solar financial working group was formed and included members of the select board of the zero mission advisory board the expenditures and revenue study committee commissioner of public works uh
commissioner chute and myself u and we were looking at where are the opportunities for us to expand solar in town and hopefully help increase energy independence and reduce uh energy and electricity bills at across across across town and school properties. And
so because of a federal tax credit that exists but is going away soon, uh we were looking at how can we take advantage of those savings in the short term and also build out a longer tterm uh revenue model as well. Keeping in
mind that we have to do all of that in partnership uh in coordination with any of our capital construction projects. you know, we're not going to add solar panels on top of a roof that's scheduled to get repaired or undergo significant um renovation in the next five years.
That doesn't make sense. Um you know, your average uh solar panel lifespan is well over 20 years. Uh typically they say 25. Um and so we want to make sure that we aren't installing something that then is going to have to be picked back up again. So being conscious of that in
the context of our larger building improvements. So, the Solar Financial Working Group came up with um a recommendation that was uh step one, take advantage of the federal investment tax credit. You'll hear me refer to it as the ITC um this evening. And that is
the tax credit that's in uh expiring. That's one that we were working towards capturing for the Driscoll project. Um and now um we are trying to capture um here in the next few weeks actually. So,
for a project to qualify and receive up to 40%, but typically around 30% um of a return on the project, you have to commence construction before July 4th of this year, so a few weeks from now. And then you have four years to place it
into service. Um or you can place it into service anytime in 26 or 27 um and start construction within there and then complete it by the December 31st, 2027. That's a short time frame especially when placed into service means we have
to have an interconnection that occurs with the utility Eversource and everyone is racing towards this deadline because everybody wants to you know see receive 30 to 40% back on their projects and so um we are trying to give ourselves a
little bit more bandwidth um and make sure that we have commenced construction by July 4th. uh commence construction doesn't actually mean that we need to have you know uh solar panels on the roofs. It just means that we need to have established a down payment of uh at
least 5% for the project cost and then we need to uh ensure that we have a signed agreement for the purchase of said solar panels by that time. So we referring to this as a two-track
approach. Track one is really to capture that uh ITC credit. Um and uh by July 4th and then track two is to look at these longer term sites. Um and we're currently advertising a request for qualifications and RFQ um with responses
due at the end of August um for us to find a solar vendor who would be assessing all of our remaining properties um and looking at site feasibility and financial um analysis for those. So, for the purposes of this evening, I'm just focusing really on track one and actually really just
focusing on the the school properties um because I know those are of most interest, but just wanted folks to understand that this is a piece of a much larger puzzle that we're working on. So, the uh solar opportunities that we're looking at right now, one at
Pierce School, um which you'll see in the top row there, and then we're looking at fire station one, the main library, um Hay School, and Brooklyn High School. refer to it as phase 2. Brookline High School actually already does have solar panels on part of the building, so we would be adding on to
that. Um, the ones that are there currently are not owned by the town. Those are part of a leasing structure. Um, and so for the purposes of the Pierce school project, uh, the preliminary construction costs we're looking at is $1.13 million. Um, that
will be coming from the Pierce project budget. Um and that has been reviewed and voted on by the building commission. Um the other projects uh particularly um well all of the other four but in for
your interest the Hay School and Brookline High School those dollars would be coming from um a CIP item that has been voted on through town meeting um just this past month. Um and so that's a $3.2 2 million allocation that
is to go towards these projects and then future solar projects as well. So, um none of the dollars for this capital project would be coming out of um the school's budget. Uh with the I'll walk through each of
these, but um the uh anticipated cost for the high school is uh 688,000 and uh Brooklyn High School for the second phase of solar is 878,000. Um, but looking for both of those, just to keep in context, Pierce School,
that's a 325 uh KW system and Hay School's a 200 and Brookline High School is a 261. Those are pretty large systems. Uh, Driscoll School, for example, is right around a 200KW system. And that's the the most recent one that we've installed.
So, in the case of Pierce, um there are some contingencies that we're holding with this. Um, again just trying to uh comply with what is necessary for that July 4th deadline to be able to capture the ITC. And so we are looking at um a
preliminary cost of 1.13 million that includes an allocation of um uh some contingency for both uh roofing over the mechanical systems um where we would like to install solar there as well to take advantage of the additional uh
space up there. and then um a contingency of 50,000 for the racking system that we use to connect the solar to the roof and then an overall construction contingency. So, at the end, this project may actually end up being less than 1.1 uh million, but we
are uh wanting to make sure that we've put down enough of a down payment um to satisfy that ITC requirement. Um and in this case, the payback timeline for Pierce um would actually be within less than a year. um after you take into
account the state incentives that we're able to get off this project as well as um the uh uh savings from the ITC. Um we're looking at um a positive and then the savings towards our electric bills.
We're actually looking at um a system that is uh net flow positive um in our first year which is pretty extraordinary. uh for Hay School um a 200 uh KW system with a preliminary cost of 688,000
and um we're looking at a payback timeline of just over six years. Um right now for each of these because we don't haven't done a final structural analysis um we are carrying a 5% contingency but again um should any of
these systems be sized down or um the cost uh end up being lower that would be um reflected in the actual uh contracts and invoices that we receive. Uh so the cash flow projections for high school um as you can see once we take
into account the state incentive revenue as well as um after the invest investment tax credit uh return of 481,000 um after about six years we're looking at um a system that is uh uh
net flow net cash flow positive uh which is fantastic um and again really good numbers. We uh look at the savings over a 20-year period, but most systems actually last last longer than that. Um and the cost we do carry in on& and M cost. That's what that um uh O andM
column is um that you can see on the screen. Um starting in year two, the first year O andM is covered through the installation contract. And then finally, Brookline High School. Um as you can see, we already have um solar panels on one part of the
building. So this would be adding um remaining panels in the remaining areas um which would be an additional 261 uh KW system at a preliminary cost of 878,000 and a payback timeline of just around six years. Um again that's a that's a
really promising timeline. We wouldn't be looking at those kind of numbers if it wasn't for us being able to get 30% back off of each of these projects. Um so again here you can see um some electricity bill savings as uh the system is up and running from day one.
Um but then when you take into account the state incentives um and the investment tax credit um um we're looking at um being uh net cash flow positive in year seven.
So, um I for today's purposes, um I wanted to one make sure you all were aware of this initiative. Um I think these are the first three schools that we're looking at, but I anticipate over the coming years as we look at those track two projects, we'll have others that are coming forward. Um, and as I
said, the uh intention is for us to use the um CIP funds uh the capital improvement funds um for funding these projects with the exception of Pierce since uh solar was included in that budget. Um but for today's purposes um I
am hoping to answer any questions and discuss the projects with you to the extent you're interested but um looking for a uh vote of approval for the solar um at Pierce Brookline and Hay School
and then um the designation of Superintendent Wong or whomever you seek most appropriate with the authority to sign any project contract documents on behalf of the school committee just because we're going to be moving really quickly over the next couple of weeks from um approving these final project
numbers to actually award and executing a contract so that we can comply with that July 4th deadline. And all of this would be reviewed and approved by town council's office um beforehand. Um so with that, I will uh stop sharing and am
happy to take um any questions. >> Thank you, Alexandra. This let's let's make a motion. Can I ask a question first, Paul, or you want the motion first? >> I'm sorry, Val. Yeah. >> Um, Alexandra, is it are is select doing
all the installation? Is that the >> vendor that I was asking, Alex, is it select for all of them? >> Uh, for these uh projects that I just presented on, yes, it's select um solar, who's the same vendor that's uh we're utilizing at Driscoll. Um for the track
two projects uh the future projects um we are have put out a RFQ and so um so far we've shared that RFQ with over 30 different firms so that could be anybody. >> Okay. And the on O andM is the same
select will be the O andM for those. Okay. Thanks so much. >> Yeah. Thank you. >> Okay. Let's The clock is moving. We have other things going on. Um, will anybody make a motion to to approve the >> I'd like to make a motion that we approve. Sorry. >> Yeah, I already um
>> Let's make a motion then we can talk. >> Let's make the motion first. >> I'll read the motion that I wrote uh when I met with Shelley who works for Alexandria on this project a week ago. >> Go. moved that the school committee approve the installation of solar energy infrastructure at Hayes School, Brooklyn High School, and Pier School, and
authorize the school committee chair to be a co-signatory along with the select board chair on the contracts as approved by town council with the solar developer for each school project. >> Do we have a second? >> Sure, I'll >> Suzanne seconds. Okay. Any comments?
I'll just make a comment that I met with Shelley Ryan who's um the deputy under Alexandra on this project. She reviewed all of the information with me. Makes a whole lot of sense. And um from the from a finance and capital side, although we didn't bring this up because it wasn't
brought up to us at a meeting we could schedule. And due to the fact that the July 4th deadline is two weeks from Saturday and all this work has to get done, right? >> And that it's not coming out of the school budget, um it's being funded other ways and it makes sense to go solar. So we uh you know I spoke um
independently um of the finance and capital subcommittee to um fully stand behind this project >> and that's where the motion came from. >> Okay. So we have a vote. We have a motion. We have a second um
>> will I be around? >> Yeah. >> Like when >> before Yeah. >> Yeah. Sure. Yeah. Okay. Let's take a vote. Val. >> Yes. Uh, Fisa, >> yes. >> Suzanne, >> yes. >> Donna, >> yes. >> Jesse,
>> yes. >> Carolyn, >> yes. >> Sarah, >> yes. >> Bob, yes. Unanimous. >> Thank you, Alexandra. >> Thank you, Alexandra. >> Thank you all for your time and support. I appreciate it. Have a good evening. >> Great. >> Before this, >> okay, question. Do we move to the next
agenda item or take public comment at this point? >> Let's go. Public comment. Who's next? I don't have Here we go. We have um Rosen Rosen Balv.
>> Oh, great. Thank you for hanging out. >> Hope you're eating a lot of the food. >> Thanks. All right. Um well, I'm here to um give a public comment about the section reductions as well. Um and the I think
they raised a number of issues. the ones I want to speak about our equity but also fiscal responsibility. So at first I want to start off by saying that I think the superintendent is being very prudent in observing that we have a low key enrollment overall in a district and probably makes sense to move resources
to other priorities maybe medical the uh materials in peace program but what I'm puzzled by is why given that we're going to reduce 1k section why we're reducing it at a high enrollment school and not at a low enrollment school. So I think we've all seen these numbers but
reducing it at the high enrollment school of FRR means the class sizes go to 1920 while some other class sizes are on the 12. >> Oh I see now now I see it. So anyways by um cutting at the high enrollment school we got class size 1920 while other
schools have class size of 12. There's a 50% difference. Now, um if that was the only option to cut, that makes perfect sense. But, um there's other options to cut other places with low enrollment schools. And in those options, we got balanced class sizes of 15 or 16s throughout uh throughout the board. So,
I'm puzzled why are we going with the unbalanced option? And going with the unbalanced option means two things at least. One is equity and a number of people already spoke about equity, so I don't want to repeat it, but I think it's an important point. Uh I do want to point out also that FRR is a title one school and it's losing not only the
kindergarten section but also the third grade section. So there's a number of questions here why the title one school is landing a lot of cuts. Again this this speaks about equity. A number of people have already pointed this out to the committee. So I want to move on to um speaking about the fiscal
responsibility which I haven't heard too much about. So it makes sense to reduce resources in low enrollment grades like K move it somewhere else. Um but at the same time I don't understand why don't we do it in a balanced way because summer enrollment is coming as we heard
from the guidance counselor there's a lot of kids enrolling in the summer especially at FRR so if we start FR in the beginning of summer at like 1920 the likelihood of moving above 22 which I've heard several times being mentioned as the guidelines as the guidance number is
is a you know a significant number so if FRR doesn't move I'm sorry if FR does move above 22 by the summer was going to happen most likely district is going to move a case se action back to FR and then what that what does that mean that means at the end of the day we didn't save the budgetary numbers we were
looking to save anyways right so the fiscally prudent thing to do is to start everybody at 1516 then there's no enrollment risk it's unlikely we're going to have to bring a case section back anywhere and we actually managed to save some resources to put towards other
priorities so um at the end of the day I think having an unbalanced plan must make sense according to some factors. I don't know what exactly those factors are, but I want to bring it to the committee's attention that there are also equity and fiscal responsibility issues at hand. Thank you.
>> Thank you, >> Mike Lions. Mike Lions. Thank you. Hi. Uh, my name is Mike Lions. Uh, I have one F FR student in the first grade. I have another starting in kindergarten this fall. Uh, there's two points I'm hoping to convince you of
tonight in addition to what other folks have said. first that I would like to um evaluate class sizes by what each student experiences, not just looking at, you know, a zero
sum school versus school um thing. Second, I'm hoping we can publish registration data before making cuts, both historical and each year going forward, the same way we already publish the attendance data of the students who actually start in September.
So, if you wouldn't mind looking at slide one. I'm going to roll through these pretty quick because I have three minutes. Um, there's a school by school registration data from the last meeting. I know it's changed a little bit. I looked over the I recomputed it on my computer. I'm happy to show you later.
Um, it the trends still hold. Um, it's lopsided and you know, if a cut is needed, as others have said, there are more balanced places to do it. Um, but if you go to slide two, and I I know I said I want don't want this to be school versus school. Uh, this chart shows what
each incoming K student experiences. So, there's 380 bars there. Each bar is one student coming in. And the height of that bar is the size of that class that student experiences. So, as you can see, cutting an F FR
section creates a wide range of class sizes across the district. And you can see it also affects an outsized number of students. You can see that bar at the very end representing FRR is very wide. Um, that's because FRR has the largest
set of K classes of any school. So, you'd also expect the average class size and the average size experienced by students to match. That's those two different lines you see there. But you'll notice those lines are actually there is a gap and that gap is because
there's so many FR students that will experience a larger class than the other students in the district. So closing that gap I think would make the experience across the district far more even, fair, and equitable
regardless of what school each child attends. Um but given the questions about late arrivals, I I also modeled two scenarios. Uh flat attendance and if the past three years trends continue. Uh so
if you look at slide eight, uh with flat attendance, which may or may not happen, um the year's actual numbers are pretty even this year's numbers, but cutting one section creates a bigger gap than before. So FR students become big
outliers and above the 22 student per class guidance. Um if you look at slide 11, instead of saying flat attendance, it says what if we follow the trends that have happened over the past few years. You'll notice FRR attendance grows
slightly and climbs to 23.5 students per class. But no matter how you slice it, no, if you cut any schools, one section at any school, you cannot get it under 22. So my point here is not we should cut
this school or this school. My point here is that without the data that says how the registrations lead to who actually attends, it's very very difficult if not impossible to accurately predict who
will be here in September. And so kind of my second point is that publishing that data, which I believe the district already has and hopefully is factoring in, I think would help everybody not just know when to push back, but when
not to push back. Um, so to close, I hope we can consider that student level impact. Uh, and two, that we can publish the registration data in addition to the attendance data going forward. Thanks. >> Thank you, Mike. Next up is IT.
>> She's on Zoom. Read more. >> Yes. Can you hear me? >> Yes. >> Yes, we can. >> Okay, perfect. >> Great. Um, so good evening everyone. Uh, my name is Irit Moore. Um, I'm an FR parent. Uh my oldest daughter is
currently at FRR and my youngest son is entering kindergarten next year. Um I know it's been a long meeting. Um I also know that our wonderful community has already sent many emails with questions and concerns about the plan reduction um
of one kindergarten section. Um earlier tonight you heard the numbers. Uh even now um you heard from Jordana about what this looks like on the ground. um who the children are, what happens over the summer, and what it means to make this cut now and then potentially need to
rebuild capacity later. I don't want to repeat all of that. Instead, I want to add the perspective of a parent. Three years ago, my older daughter entered kindergarten at FRR shortly after we moved here from Israel. She
arrived with literally no English. Um, for some children the transition to kindergarten is smooth. For others it's much harder. For children who are new to the language, new to the country, or simply quiet and unsure, it can be a
very, very big transition. I saw firsthand how important it is for a child to be seen, not just taught, seen. I saw how much it matters when a teacher has the time and space to notice the child who is quiet, to understand who
needs help, to build trust, to create a classroom where children feel safe enough to try, to speak, to make mistakes and to grow. That does that does not happen by accident. It happens because we have excellent teachers and
administrators. But even excellent teachers need the right conditions to do their work well. Smaller and balanced classrooms, real support, and enough capacity to meet the children where they where they are. And now, three years
later, I'm preparing to send my younger kid into kindergarten. Last week, we had the peak and practice where incoming kindergartens came to visit school. For some of them, it was their first experience and first time walking into this building.
I took a moment to look at the children. Some were excited, some and some were really ready for the next step, but some were nervous, some looked terrified even. And honestly, it makes sense. FR is a very very big
school, big building, especially compared to the small preschool experience and environment uh many of them are coming from. You know, at the end of the day, these are tiny five years old kids. It's our responsibility to make sure
their first experience entering public school system is as strong, supported, supportive, and positive as it can be. I understand that the district has difficult choices to make, but I trust the creativity and the leadership of the
administration to find other solutions if cuts are needed, not by taking capacity away from our youngest learners at the very beginning of their school experience. I want to be able to look at my son the night before his first day of kindergarten, hug him tight, and tell
him with full confidence that he's going to have a wonderful school experience because we chose the best place for him and because the adults responsible for that place made the right decision for him and for his classmates. So, I'm
asking you, please keep the fifth kindergarten section at FRR. Thank you. Um, Chichi Woo >> withdrawing. Uh, Deborah Brown. >> No.
Uh, Zarya. >> Thanks for hanging. >> Um, hi everyone. My name is Ariana Kadakashian Jones and Malcolm Cawthorne asked me to speak here tonight on behalf of METCO and in support of METCO. Over the past several months, I have heard a growing conversation about the cost of
the METCO program here in Brooklyn. While I understand that budgets matter, I believe we are asking the wrong question. The question should not be how much does METCO cost. The question should be what is the value of the community we are building here together. As someone who grew up in Brooklyn, I can tell you firsthand that racial
diversity is not an abstract concept. It is not a statistic in a report. It is a difference between children growing up in isolation and children growing up learning from one another. It is a difference between a school system that simply talks about inclusion and one that actively practices it. For decades,
Mechco has brought students and families into Brooklyn who have enriched our schools, challenged us to think more broadly, and helped create the diverse learning environment that so many people in this town claim to value. As a Brooklyn student of color, I know how important it was to learn alongside students from different backgrounds and
experiences. MECO did not just benefit the students who participated in the program, it benefited us all. This is why I find some of the recent public conversations surrounding MECO deeply concerning. At a time when diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives are facing attacks across the country,
including from the Trump administration, Brookline continues to publicly state that these values matter to us. Yet, many of our members of our community have watched as diversity focused initiatives have increasingly become targets for criticism, including the vote to eliminate the Office of Educational Equity and ongoing
conversations questioning programs like MECO. Whether intentional or not, these actions create the perception that diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts are being treated as optional rather than essential. For many black and brown families, that perception matters. Before I close, I also want to briefly
acknowledge an email that I and several others received from Sarah. She shared that tonight's presentation is intended to celebrate MECO, not to debate its budget. I agree wholeheartedly that Malcolm Cawthorne, the students, families, and staff who make this program possible deserve to have their
accomplishments recognized and celebrated. At the same time, I think it would be disingenuous to ignore why so many people have felt compelled to speak up recently. Celebrating Mechco and protecting its future are not contradictory goals. In fact, they go hand in hand. It is important that our community understands that programs like
MECO should not become convenient targets whenever difficult financial conversations arise. If we truly value MECO, what Mechco students contribute to Brookline, then we must be willing to support it, not only during celebrations, but also when decisions are made about priorities, investments, and resources. Because ultimately, Meco
is not just a line item in a budget. It is a statement about who we are as a community. It is a commitment to educational opportunity, racial understanding, and the belief that our children are stronger when they learn together. So tonight, I celebrate Mechco. I celebrate its students, its families, its staff, and its impact. And I urge this community to continue
protecting, supporting, and investing in the program that has helped make Brooklyn a stronger, more diverse, and more compassionate place for generations. Also, shameless plug, tomorrow's Junth. Please make sure you come out. It's going to be at Cypress Field at the high school. So, thank you very much. Have a great night. >> Thank you, Ziana.
>> Angela Peoples. Hello everyone. My name is Angela Peoples. I have children attending the Brooklyn schools and I'm here basically because um I'm an involved parent for one
and I care about all children. I think that your school district, especially Miss Bellawan, the superintendent, you need to really pay attention to what's going on in the community as well as your schools. Um, there are things happening to the children and um, my
children are of color, so I'm very concerned. My child has been threatened. My child has been called the n-word. And to no avail, everything went silent. No one was talking to me. I couldn't
even get an incident report. Okay, I am very I'm I'm beyond aggravated. I'm beyond upset at this point. And it's too bad I have to come here and under these conditions. I'm not here to celebrate
and be happy about all this stuff because my child right now and when my child is affected, I'm affected. I cannot sleep. Okay? He's not sleeping. I'm almost 60 years old and my menro came back because of the stress and I'm
not embarrassed to say it. I was enjoying menopause. And on that note, I must say you guys talk about it's a student code of conduct. The child that has harassed my ch um um harassed my child basically calling him the n-word,
letting him know he will bring a gun to school. Um and and I couldn't even get an incident report. Okay. It's so bad that um the other student wanted to pay another student to do his dirty work, which was
jump my child, have my child jumped. So, um while y'all sitting here and you know, hate to spoil a celebration, but my child education is being affected and so is my living here at this time and being involved.
I'm an advocate for parents on many levels. I like to help people but right now I need help. So I also want to talk about the fact that um I am concerned for the other child and the other there was several children
involved. Um so the mind of our children is being affected and if you think what's happening to me is not you you you're not bothered guess what you are bothered by this because at the same time or your home resting what affects someone's
social and emotional can it it's traveling into the schools and you may not see us on the news like things happening in Boston and things like that but you got to understand this is where it starts. So something's being giving
birth to the child that has harassed my child to feel the way that he feels. So I also have prayed for that child and his family and I feel bad about it. And that's why I'm here tonight to tell you guys that um that's very important the social and emotional aspect of dealing
with children. And um it cannot be ignored. If you don't deal with these things today, you will deal with them in the future. The Bible even says that words are life and death. And so the way that we talk to each other is very important. If I
encourage you today, I'm giving life to you. If I insult you, I'm making you feel bad. But a lot of people, you know, my children can be resilient. But this really affected my child. And I want to say I'm here to stand for my child and
speak for my child. and that we as a community and also a committee and all of that, we have to work at what our children are saying. Hear your child, listen to your child, believe your child, and take time to be with them
during the day and then you'll know what's going on. And I want to say I'm very upset that I emailed you, Superintendent Bella Wong, and I got no response. So now I see how it goes. I wasn't getting a response from the school and I didn't get a response from you. Somebody will be speaking to me.
Thank you. >> Thank you, Angela. Germaine. >> Hello. My name is >> Oh, hello. My name is >> Hello. My name is Jermaine Northcross. I'm not as polished as everyone else
that came in here. Um, I'm a mom of 10 children. And what opened me up to come here is because my daughter, Ivory White, she graduated from Brooklyn High.
So now her two baby brothers go to the Brooklyn High and I still didn't get any of my incident reports of my son being harassed. Um, one one guy followed my son in the hallway and said, "What are you
banging?" And he said, "Banging? You live in Brooklyn? What do you need to bang anything? You have a mother, a father, a house, and a car, and you you live in Brooklyn and you go to the one of the best schools with a swimming pool, pottery, jewelry making,
wrestling, and so on." I just want to say, "United we stand and divided we fall. What is America made of? My daughter is now um 33 years old. She graduated from Salem State. She went the
to the program Juniper thanks to Medco program thanks to Gene Maguire who gave her a chance. Um she's my second child that I gave birth to. The placenta broke five different places. I almost died,
but she became a journalist. Um, she's a mom. My first child, Ashley, she went to Stituit again. Brooklyn Medco first gave me a chance, gave my family a chance to come out here and see
the diversity. I've never lived next to anyone other than someone that looked my like me. I mean, I I now I I love diversity. I said, "Yeah, this is why I named all my kids colors." Um um I just enough of this
enough of this racism, sexism, or whatever isms. I just want to be able to move on. Um work together as a community, work together as human beings. I don't I haven't taught my kids racism. Not they haven't learned that in
the house, but they learned that in the schools. They learned that outside in the streets. Matter of fact, all my kids go with someone who's of all nationalities around the world. And I don't have a problem with that. Just what is the color of love? You know,
like I said, united we stand, divided we fall. What are we standing for? What are we standing for? Thank you. Thank you for your time. >> Thank you, Jermaine. >> So, that concludes public comment. We're
moving on to the next topic which is superintendent evaluation 2627 and Donna is going to introduce this one. >> Yes ma'am. >> Oh gosh. >> Thanks. So, I thought it would be
helpful just before we get before we jump in and get started to give an overview um of where we are um in the superintendent evaluation process. Tonight's discussion will represent step
two in a five-step um process. Um the discussion is intended to review the superintendent's proposed goals for the 2627 evaluation cycle. Um, we did not do an evaluation with Superintendent
Wong last year because she was an interim. Um, the goal is for us to provide feedback and determine whether the proposed goals appropriately reflect the committee's priorities, the district's needs or strategic objective objectives and expectations
for the coming year. Um, when I looked at I don't I don't know how many of you had a chance to look at the materials around the superintendent evaluation. But um as I looked at it, I um thought of a few guiding principles that were helpful for me and I would ask that
maybe you consider them as well. Um focusing on outcomes rather than the details of implementation. Um asking clarifying questions before proposing revisions. um avoiding focus on um like I said
implementation, focusing on um a limited number of priorities that will have the greatest impact and of course we want to respect differing perspectives. Um I think as we
embark on the process um sorry I just I'm so tired so I just got lost. I think as we as we as we get started um Bella will share her proposed goals and then um we'll have a chance um to discuss them, ask clarifying
questions, and then um I will I don't know where our chair just went, but he will um summarize areas of consensus and modifications and then we can um discuss next steps and possibly vote.
>> Great. So, um I think the Valerie when she was chair sent a memorandum to the school committee outlining the process that um can be used through DESIE. Um I've actually never used this format, but I'm game to
try. Um so the DESIE format starts with a self assessment and um so I created a document. I'm not going to review that document at this meeting, but it just um a reflection of the end of year report, but also where we are against the
strategic plan that's in place, the 2024 2027 strategic plan and just um areas that might need support. One thing um to note when you look at the goals proposed
that um whereas coming into this year a large focus was looking at our financial systems you'll see that I have shifted to other goals. Um the DESIE model says that there must be one student learning
goal one professional practice goal and two to four district improvement goals. And I've chosen four. Right. And then when pardon >> just so um and then for each goal
selected um just to indicate where the focus indicators are what um Valerie shared with you was a document with all the indicators and so they're just noted by Roman numeral and section here so you
can refer back to them. Um so for I'm proposing for the student learning goal and uh again you're supposed to pick things that are smart goals so sort of a distinct product or outcome. So the student learning goal is to to decrease
disproportionality for PSB students so as to no longer be identified by DESIE district has been identified twice in the last three years for disproportionality. So that would be the student learning goal. The professional
practice goal is to achieve 100% evaluation of all unit A and unit B and unaligned administrators to sustain high quality instruction. The other part is to implement an evaluation system for paraprofessionals.
So at this time there is no evaluation document for paraprofessionals. So the goal would be to do that and that has actually been a subject of negotiations at this time. Um the strategic plan that
was in pla or is in place 24 to 27 notes targets of getting um 75% evaluation 90% and 100%. I'm just going to name the 100% as the target. All right. So this is for unit A, unit B and unaligned
administrators. The district improvement goals. Some of this reflects the work that we have committed to do as part of ourus um but also makes sense for us to do as a district. So the first one you may
recognize evaluate the grade configurations to improve scheduling and staff equity across the K8 schools. Right? So that would be one. Um the second one is to establish an equity leadership team and develop a
strategic equity plan as required by the state. So when we get to the superintendent um report update, I will also share the updated um expectations that were communicated by the commissioner of education last
week and this is one of the priorities they identified. We don't have an equity leadership team and we don't have an equity plan. So that would be the specific outcome of that goal. Um you'll note for district improvement
goal three I've listed as a TBD we just underwent a district curriculum assessment by DESIE but we don't have the report yet. We're supposed to get the report I think at the end of this month. And so I just put it as a placeholder so that it will have a place
in in the goals um for for us to focus on in the coming year. So again, this report hasn't come yet. It's supposed to come it was supposed to come this month. And so this is a TBD and I hope you'll um allow that
flexibility that it's not identified in this moment but that we can look and see what the report is and then we can agree on what that priority would be. The fourth district improvement goal and again we've um done a lot with our financial systems.
Um a lot has been done on student services and I know Robin will have goals around OTL. I know that OAF will have goals around HR. These other areas um are areas noted in potential weaknesses when
I look at the strategic plan and what we've done so far. So it's actually a very comprehensive one with a lot of parts but it would be to complete evaluation for procedures related to use of facilities. So, one of the things in
theou is to look at use of facilities, maintenance and repairs. Uh, it's been very clear to me and Jesse's not in the room, but um, in our meetings with capital advisory, this has been something that they have raised. So, I'm identifying it as as something for this
category. Work order systems were initiated this year, but they still need followth through to make sure that they're well established. Um, we have started work, thank you to Joe Albuquerque, on our emergency response systems, but I they still also
need work. They've been initiated, but they need a lot of support. I would like to focus on security and safety um for for our schools and it's more a focus on physical safety. We've done a lot of work on mental, social, emotional
safety. So this would be um to to distinguish from that physical physical security and safety and we've done a lot of work on transportation practices but I just took this entire um I just took the entire rubric from DESIE. So this is
actually a Desi rubric and I just took it in in its entirety. So again, one student learning goal, one professional practice goal, two to four district improvement goals, and I've picked four with one including one that isn't
>> comments. Donna, >> can I start with a clarifying question? um professional practice goal um the evaluation system for pair of professionals is that
>> can we lean on that goal if it's it's an aspect of negotiations isn't it or no so in other words >> I I actually think we we can um we can have one it's just agreeing on the
document Oh, okay. >> And I would say at this stage both um both BEu and in district administration, school committee support that there be a an evaluation document.
And so we're just negotiating um what that document will look like. >> So in other words, there will be a document for the for the next school year regardless of the outcome of negotiations. I don't know because we would have to agree. So this would be
the goal and if we're not able to implement then we're not able to implement. Okay. But I um >> it just seemed because I want to focus on the evaluation of AB and the unaligned administrators. >> I wanted to include that part part of
that. >> Carolyn, thanks. Um this is great Bella. Thanks. I have a question on I I really like the student learning goal. I'm very interested um in
our disproportionality citation um and how that's going to be addressed and and I look forward to hearing more about that. I guess obviously you know what you're doing with these
do is your is your hope to be no longer in the identification um realm and I don't remember what the metric was or where we were what the number was in next school year like given that IEPs
go with students I would think that that's something that like how long will like we can't just remove IEPs from students, right? So, um I mean I'm super interested and supportive of work being done here,
but I'm just curious like how how much can we is it really realistic for us to no longer be in the identification? Um, >> I don't know what >> it may mean. Um,
honestly, I've I have picked goals that may not be achievable in the end of the year. I'm just going to have to say I didn't meet the goal. >> Okay. >> But I, um, but I'm saying, >> but that you're >> But I'm naming it. Awesome. >> As a priority, >> I That's great.
>> I um I didn't name goals that I knew were going to be slam dunks. >> Okay. Fantastic. That really answers my question. Thank you. That's great. >> Sarah >> Bella, I wonder if in um the third goal
for district improvement, you might want to be careful not to sign yourself up for something that you're not sure how it's going to turn out. I wonder if you already know in terms of curriculum
what you would like to see us address and should that report not com be aligned with what you're interested in, do you want to leave yourself a little bit more room there? because you could rewrite it to
be um to improve, you know, district curriculum without having it be um tied to the report or do you have a lot of confidence that the report's going to show
what you believe to be true by the system? >> I I I have no idea what that will because um Jesse is starting up these curriculum reviews and it's fairly they did them
before. This is sort of a new round. So, I don't know what that report will look like. I'm just open to what they might say, but I can't imagine there isn't something that will come out of the report that will make sense for us.
>> I feel that way, too. I feel that there definitely is work to do on curriculum in the community. Um I just didn't know if you wanted to name it yourself and be a little bit more proactive than to just wait for that to come in. >> So it could be um
so the DESIE model suggests two to four district improvement goals, it could be already picked one that will be identified. So even though it says curriculum that that assessment was more comprehensive than just curriculum, I
would not be surprised >> if they don't highlight the percent evaluations that are being done. >> Okay. >> Yes. Thank you. Um actually I was also I also had the similar question. I feel
that leaving it open-ended may may leave you open to like you are I mean basically if they come up with seven concerns
which >> oh okay so I don't I'm not committing to addressing everything >> okay so >> yeah so um >> do you want to quantify that two concerns one concern >> no because I um
some of the concerns because other than that I may read it as >> address all concerns you know someone can read it as that >> so I just can I I don't know do you propose all >> I Yeah. So, the other thing about creating
goals is um if I anticipate it's work that has to be done anyway, then I think it might as well be identified as a goal. So my my understanding is that there will be a report and it's going to highlight areas that we need to work on.
>> Yeah. So it will it will highlight areas that were strong areas of strength for us um relative to those um standards and it will highlight areas of growth for us as a district for us to think about. And it really will be up to us how we
prioritize and address those areas of growth. And as Superintendent Wong stated, I think some of the things that we already know, there are places that we know we already need to do some work, right? Like that we've identified in our strategic plan and in the things that we've discussed as a leadership team.
So, um, but we don't have the report yet, >> right? So, I mean, I could say address concerns that may be identified by the district curriculum assessment report. Does that sound >> Yeah, I'm just not I'm open to recommendations on how to word that. I I
am also thinking I was wondering if um as um Robin mentioned um you know some priority concerns or something of that sort that clarifies which concerns um you'll that may say you know you are
prioritizing them and then you are you'll be addressing those just a suggestion can what about address prioritize areas of concern
>> as determined by whom? By desk by us? >> By you. >> Yeah. Okay. So, address concerns identified by the district curriculum assessment report as prioritized by >> it could be prioritized by the senior
leadership team or by the superintendent. >> Yeah, >> I'm okay with that. >> I think Donna should prioritize So, I wrote Betsy as prioritized by the SLT. Okay, >> good,
>> Suzanne. >> Yeah. So, um I'm really excited that now that we've gotten some of the finance figured out a little better that many of your focus indicators are in instructional leadership. So, I think that's going to be very exciting for
you, I hope. And I I think it's a it's a good place to um put a lot of your energy. So, I'm excited about that. Uh under professional practice, uh you aren't actually doing 100% of the evaluations. You're having that happen.
So, just just kind of think about that a little bit. Um because if it's if it's not 100% that's done, it's not because you didn't do it. It's because the people who are supposed to be doing it didn't do it. So, I'm just trying to
protect you a little bit from that. Um, I don't know if you want to say that something about providing the evaluators with the tools they or the devel professional development they need or they will check in with you or I
don't know or you can just leave it the way it is. But, it's just something to think about. I um I would be surprised if we ever actually met that target, but I also feel we make more grounds on getting there if I name it. Um and so we should we should be
there. Um also the thing about the indicators, I have to choose one from one, two, three, and four. >> Right. >> All right. So So I had to make sure that I did that. And then uh
>> so four is basically cultural proficiency, >> right? >> Right. Yeah. >> Yeah. >> And the the the other thing uh but it may be under um OTL is uh taking a look
at the new require the new DESIE suggested requirements for high school graduation. Um that might be Robin's duty. I mean is we have to start taking a look this coming year. Uh not because
it because it's the following year it's going to start to be implemented I believe. >> So I was going to talk about that in my report. >> Okay. Great. >> Thank you. >> Yes. Um in um
um in professional practice school um it says and unaligned administrators to sustain highquality instruction. How is high quality instruction defined? >> Could be defined by it's in the rubrics. >> Okay.
>> Yeah. >> Okay. So maybe >> so that's why the indicators are listed. >> Yeah. Yes. Okay. >> Yeah. I mean just as far as it's defined somewhere because folks may find different ways of defining high quality
instruction if it's not there. So thank you. >> I think we can I mean we're getting close I think but we can also amend this in the fall if we want to make some changes in it. Can't we? You can vote yes and then >> No, you can't because we're going to start we would start using it as um a
plan for the summer. I mean, you can, but it that would >> Okay. >> But that would not be so helpful. >> Okay. >> Okay. >> Okay. Anything else, >> Sarah? just one more um sort of nudge
and I I can I can accept that you uh are willing to write um goals that might not be achievable within a year but just one more nudge for the second one for professional goal practice goal is there any chance that you want to say work towards 100%
instead of saying achieve >> okay work toward >> I I think that um the Definition of smart goal is that it needs to be um something that
can be measured and is possible. >> I'm sorry. >> I'm sorry. Um, sorry. >> District improvement goal two. Establish an equity leadership team and develop a
strategic equity plan as required by the state. So I think I have two questions there. Um, is this meant educational equity? And then you mentioned there are new
expectations from the state. >> So this actually >> and I'm curious what those are. >> It's not a new expectation. >> Oh, okay. >> It's not a new expectation. The district has been out of compliance with the
elimination of the OEE >> because there's not like a team, >> right? and or an equity officer and due to fiscal restraints we didn't create the position so it will have to be assumed by the current leadership team
>> also as I noted you have to pick something from one two three and four y >> so four is cultural efficiency so this fits so this fits >> and um well it's not a new requirement the commissioner highlighted it as a
priority for the coming year >> okay so I guess my the first part of that remains is this meant to say educational equity and sort of what are we what's what's in there what's within
this notion of an educational or you have equity leadership team but do we mean educational equity >> using the language from the um the thing that that's law and um it is educational equity
And what's >> as oo it's not social equity it's educational I don't know how else to it it is educational equity >> and what are the sort of expectations of
an equity leadership team can you say more about >> has so the equity leadership team has to lead to to develop the strategic equity plan and to have a how um it's going to be implemented.
Either equity officer was going to do that or it could be a leadership team. They said, >> "Okay, I think what Carolyn is excuse me, but I think what Carolyn is saying is that if we're using terms, we have to be more clear on what those terms actually mean." So, what is what do we
mean by an equity goal? What do we mean by an equity team? I think that's unclear. >> It's actually so as defined by the state >> as defined by the state Yeah, that's understood ter terminology. >> It is it is their requirement.
>> Do we have a a equity plan from previous prior years? >> We do not. >> We do not. Okay. >> OE did not leave one. >> Okay. Had they developed one? >> No. >> Not that I could find. >> Okay. Thanks.
>> Okay. So, this is in process. As the clock reaches 10:10, can we get some conclusion on the goals and vote on them? What do you think? >> Yes. Is there a motion? >> I would make a motion to move the goals.
>> Is there two um wording change? I think there were two wording changes, right? Yeah. Okay. Is there a second to that motion? Donna, >> I'll second. >> Suzanne, >> I'll second. >> Okay. Any conversation? Visa?
>> Yes. >> Suzanne? >> Yes. >> Donna? >> Yes. >> Valera? >> Val, you vote. Superintendent goals. >> Carolyn, >> yes. >> Sarah, >> yes. >> Bob, yes. >> Okay. Passes unanimously. Thank you very
much. And now we have superintendent's report. >> Yes. I'll try to go quickly or just speak um direct. Anyway, so the first is the commissioner held a webinar for all superintendents on the last Friday. I
will say after a year of having webinars where they were more informational and listening, there were a lot of things he said about expectations for the coming year. I know I was caught by surprise and I have not been with other
superintendents since that webinar to hear how other people um receive that news. So, one was the anticipated launching of the recommended graduation requirements. And so, they are recommended and the um they'll be
presented to the board of education and if the board of education approves them, then they will become the new graduation requirements. where where Brooklyn is, we're close, but we're close in some areas, but other
areas would require some investment in time. The first is that everyone would have to meet the Mass Core requirements. And so, you all just approved graduation um was it competencies?
Yeah. So, you voted them before the close of last year and they match the math core requirements except for math would need to go from two to three or three to four. >> Three to four. >> Three to four. >> Yeah, I'm sorry. Yes. Three to four.
>> Three to four. >> It would be three to four. Otherwise, they are are are similar. The surprise is that these would go into effect for the grade nine class
not this fall but next fall. And the commissioner said even if you don't have anything in place, you could get them in place by the time they have to graduate, which I'm sure most districts are going to have an issue with that that you
that. So, um, the slides for the webinar were supposed to be posted after and I was going to share them out with the SLT and the principles, but they have not been posted. So, I think maybe there's some push back on on that timeline. The
other aspects of the graduation requirements is a financial literacy course. Um it would also be evidence of career to work modeling through the my cap which I don't think we have. The
other is um >> dig it's the AI it's the AI and digital literacy also um demonstration that FAFSA or MASSA content has been offered and maybe
met. Um then there will be end of course exams for the mass core requirements and when those are in place the MCCAST will go away. So again he said it would be in effect for the grade nine class entering
not this fall but next fall. Obviously budgets are set. It can't be for this fall, but the the have all that developed for next fall is very aggressive. Also, I know that MASS is pushing back on development of things
that are not budgeted for. So, there quite a bit of this is not budgeted for, >> right? And uh so actually any one of the things that they are saying should also be part of it in addition to the mass core
requirements. They're all valid. Um but it's just they they kind of put everything in there. Um I will say some of this some of the things that they're asking for may or may be more or less
relevant to our community than others. So, um, there may be push back about that. The other thing he announced was the amended rags to the timeout spaces would go into effect this August and
that would be a surprise to most districts. I know that we've been working on them. We do have airmark fund requests for the timeout spaces, but we do not that is not otherwise in the plans to do. So, I'm just going to say
if Brooklyn isn't prepared necessarily for October 17th, other communities may likewise not be prepared. >> Mind if I interject a question or should I wait till the end? >> I'm okay. >> Okay. Wasn't that something that Senator
Cream gave us? >> We made a request and so we've been asking for where the status is. So, we don't have any affirmation. >> Oh, okay. >> So, But we got that money. >> So Caroline is is um
reminding us that we were offered for airmark funds and we made a request and um they were for timeout spaces, they're for ventilation with the kils and they were for gender neutral bathrooms. All right. So for those three items and we've been trying to get confirmation
and we don't have it yet. >> So I have a question. >> Yes. So, it sounds like um instead of a high stakes MCCAST test for graduating high school, we now have graduation requirements coursework and exams like
standardized exams at the end of courses. >> So, it wasn't clear, are they going to have standardized end of course exams since they're dictating that it's the mass core requirements or are we creating the end of course exams? Because in New York,
>> yeah, they said this, >> they said the state is going to >> Okay. I thought so. >> The state's going to write the the assessments tests. >> So that's like New York and they will score them and we will have results back in a couple of weeks is what they said.
That's what they're proposing. >> As I said, the slide somehow didn't get like distributed. So I don't know if there was um I thought there was a lot in the expectations. He also spent some time talking about the district diversity plan and the equity officer
team. So he also highlighted that as a priority for the coming year. He also said that DESIE would be developing seals of distinction for students to earn and that districts would be required to offer a minimum number to be determined of these
pathways to be able to attain these seals of distinction. One example is the seal of biiteracy which we are hoping to launch but it sounded like there were going to be multiple seals of distinction yet to be defined.
All right. So there was that. The he also announced that there would be a new family portal for families to access their students um MCCAST results. And in the call he said that
that would be in effect as early as this month which alarmed many districts because it was going to be ahead of the aggregate data that we would get which we typically don't get till till the fall or September and um it also
caused people to say okay so then people are going to get their data and they're going to want answers and no one no one's going to be around all like who's answering these questions over the summer. So just um I think it was just yesterday they are moving the opening of
the family portal to August 14th. So they but it's still problematic for us because a August 14th we won't have the data yet and um and we're opening up schools.
So they pushed it from June to mid August, but but that's still that's problematic for us. So So anyway, to say that the commissioner has um stated these priorities, but I'm not
sure I'm not sure what the response has been. and and if the slides do get posted, I will share them with you, but they haven't been posted, which is actually unusual because they usually post right away.
Okay. The other update I just wanted to provide just on Driscoll play structure. Um, we're working I've been communicating directly with parks. Um, the DPW director is away now different people are taking their vacations and
away. So, we will just continue to work, but that's just not going to be something that will change for this summer. All right? But we will try to see what we can do um in due course. All right? But that's but
we will continue to to work with it and obviously we have to work with other departments to be able to achieve that. Um my third update is on the FR classroom where we are we are monitoring that. Um the data I gave you was a June
1st snapshot and then for today I gave you a snapshot for 616 and so working with Megan Guini we will keep we will monitor this through the summer um but where the FR kindergarten
was at 1919 2020 on June 1st they are now at 18 1819 so the average is 18.3 at this time. Um, as Jordana reported,
there has been um, historically 10 to 14K enrollments um, over the last year and the year before. So even with 14K enrollments, it would still leave the kindergartens within guidance. And so there has been
much comment about our the um, average class size for K are being larger than um the K averages at other schools. So I have to remind everyone that when we built the budgets,
the budgets were based on guidance. And so that is our metric for for class sizes as we move forward. The K sections might be smaller at some schools than others. And um it actually this is
something where we're anticipating that we have to look and see if we're adjusting when we look at transition from K to one. Um having a K8 schools, some at two sections, some are five section schools. Within any K8 school,
you have a range of two to five sections across the grade levels. It's really um it's been it's nearly impossible for when you divide the number across the schools for any grade level that you
won't have some range. Um we are committed to look at grade configurations for schools um in the next year. Um we were largely looking at possibility of middle school models or not. It's not a commitment to go to that
model. that we have a commitment to explore and see what that would do and trying to even out the class sizes across the district. The other possibility looking at great configurations is redistricting.
So that has also very disruptive impact to the community. So what I want to emphasize with 8K8 schools that are so different in their number of sections per school when we divide we are going
to have to expect that we're going to have variability in the section sizes. The metric we are using is making sure we are we are that we're adhering to class size guidance. Right now across
all schools, there is um one grade level that looks like it's it's at this moment at and slightly above guidance, but all other sections across the district are well under guidance for those grade
levels. We will continue to monitor through the summer, but trying to even out the the sections is a challenge for us. And so we understand that there is variability. The class averages
for K's on June 16th. And you have to understand that a lot happens over the summer. But on June 16th they are um sorry 14.3 16 11.8 13.3
17.3 18.3 13.3. So there is variability. Um some of those district some of those schools with the smaller average size are buffer zones and so new families um will be will be enrolled in the in the
buffer zone schools. Um but again we are going to be watching this um throughout the summer. >> Bella, can you explain to the public what guidance means under guidance? So guidance is the school committee guidance and I actually don't have it on
this document. Um but class size guidance for K is 22. >> Yes. And I actually looked at Weston Welssley need um just to see where we fit and actually
22 is pretty much yeah is is is the size. Now 22 as guidance means that that is an That is an acceptable good number. All right. It is not a max. But in
Brooklyn, we have been experiencing small class size. And so this is something that we are committed to looking at to just just in our responsibility to even out and get closer to guidance.
>> So I remember when I was at the high school during the summer, the enrollments increased here. It was always a fund to support super class sizes. So you add a class, add a section here, add a section there. Do we still have that?
>> So we have um budgeted five sections. We have budgeted five sections worth um year to year and we used all of them this year. Okay. >> And we used all of them last year. So we have five moving forward. We um added a
grade five section to F FRR, right? Because that section was already th those averages were already slightly above guidance. So we added a grade five. We did reduce a K. So it's
neutral. We did add a grade one section to um run because that was already looking at slightly above guidance. So there are four sections left. We could add sections when we look at it, but a
lot of times those um are used for special education as our needs evolve through the year. Sarah, >> um, when you are reassigning due to buffer zones, do you intend to change
some families who have already started at a school or have siblings at a school or are you going to use buffer zones only for families that are new to kindergarten, >> new to the district for kindergarten? >> If we have families that are moving into
the buffer zones or to um, FRR If um they already have siblings in the school and they might have new K students, they would stay at FRR.
Families that requested to move to FRR that lived in other parts um in the letters that they got when those those were accepted were was language that said that it
wasn't guaranteed, right? and also language that if there were other siblings that came in and there wasn't size or capacity in the incoming grade level that that they would be moved right so that can happen
that can happen but that is for families that voluntarily accepted to go to to go to FR with that conditional language um in that agreement >> that's helpful to understand um what could you went a little bit quickly. Um,
at one point you were saying that um, the impact of who goes to kindergarten now at FRR will impact first grade later on. Can you explain that thought a little bit more? >> Actually, it's more across the district. So, as as um, many of our speakers
highlighted, some of our K sections are small. Um, and so why did we pick this? Why did we pick FR and not other schools? So some of the K's are small at some
schools that we actually historically receive higher enrollment even higher than what was described for FRR, right? And so we're creating capacity for those. The other is um if we have a
school with two sections that at this time we didn't we didn't eliminate a K because that would have them be a one section. There are um other situations where a school is entirely a three-section school and so we decided
not to take the K in that from that school at that time where we evaluate what the future projection is for that school. um FRR we did because we had five we could go to four and we wanted to add the grade five. So that was part of the
consideration. >> Thank you for all this information. Um I just I I just want to confirm what you just said because I was curious coming into this meeting um about some of the information
Spitz provided about um summer and in-ear enrollment. Did you just say that there and I was curious about it for FRR and for every school and the comparison? So, did you just say
that um that whatever the numbers Jordana reported for FRR from this past year and the year before that we have other schools that have higher numbers than that? Like you said something and I was like,
"Oh, she's answering a question I have, but I didn't quite catch it." >> So, Lawrence typically has a high high change um over the summer, high enrollment that comes in So, so that one, um, some of our schools
are not like Baker is not one that experiences big changes in the summer. >> Yep. >> Right. But I I have to say that, you know, we we're monitoring and we're trying to do the best we can to even it out and also just stay within guidance,
but guidance is the most important metric, okay, >> that we are using. And I have two other quick questions. >> Um, so thank you for the update from >> like for example, right now Pierce is at 17.7. >> Yep. >> Um, and F is 18.3, but PICE also
experiences a lot um, and change. >> So, um, I appreciate that you gave us these same numbers two weeks in a row, and I can see that
>> a lot can happen still. Yeah, of course. But I just wanted one quick question. So the actuals at one, two, three schools decreased from June 1st to here. Is that because
was the actual is the actual that you're showing like a rollover plus what we know and that some of the assumed rollover actually informed that they're not returning. So what will happen over the summer is that families will disenroll >> because they're moving, >> right?
>> Yeah. So >> So that's what at this point that's what those are. People have said, "Oh, we're not coming back." >> Right. >> Okay. >> So So our um >> our admin assistants at the different schools, they're pretty good. Like if
they know a family is moving, then they'll say, "Hey, you need to disenroll." Until they actually disenroll, >> they're still on the books. Yeah. Yeah. Some of the numbers went down. So, FRR some it went down. >> Yeah. And sorry, I have one more
clarifying question. Um, another thing that you just said about um that people can be moved if they requested a school from outside. Do you
mean as part of a language program or like because they moved within Brooklyn and they wanted to stay at a school or you're not talking about buffer zone people? >> They just made a request to be at that school and that happens from time to time
but the letter they get is very conditional. >> So it's it's non-buffer zone people. >> Um it may be buffer zone people. >> Oh >> yeah. Okay. >> It happens very It very It doesn't
happen that often. >> So, Bella, what >> I'm sorry. >> Sorry. Yeah. I don't want to put anyone on the spot. I was surprised by Mr. Nagano's comments
because I've never heard that. somebody being in a buffer zone, a child who has been in a school being told they have to move out of that school. >> So from a it's a long-standing practice
>> and the language and the letters that are sent out are very clear. >> Okay. I'll just say again, I've never heard that. And um that was
that was surprising. >> So Bella question. >> Yeah. >> What would have to happen for FRR to get the fifth kindergarten back? >> We'd have to see the trends shift. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Okay. Any up? Oh my god, look at all
these questions. >> When you look to your left, look what happens. >> It's almost midnight. Okay, >> FISA. >> Oh, you too. >> Suzanne. >> Suzanne. Suzanne. Suzanne.
>> Okay. Okay. I'm just want I'm so I'm still looking at the numbers and um I'm wondering in the case of Wrl and Lincoln is there an impact that comes from inclusion from some of our substantially separate classrooms
>> uh in kindergarten grade. >> So all of our schools all of our schools except for Baker all of the schools are housing some special program. What about Lawrence? Lawrence as well. I thought Lawrence did
not. >> Lawrence has um >> Yeah, they have >> Yeah, ELLL, but not that's not special ed. >> So, I mean EL and and others. So, sorry. Just understand that when um when
there's specialized supports happening at a school, whether it's special education or general education, >> there's increased staffing. >> So, just to understand that any school housing that comes with a lot of staffing to support
that. Um, so that the ratio of adult to student is is going to reflect that. So I guess I I guess I would hope perhaps now I hope the whole Lawrence community doesn't get upset with me, but
that Lawrence might also be considered when you when you come up with some final numbers of perhaps losing a section. I mean, I think >> I think at this point we would reduce any more sections. Um, it's
it's very disruptive to staffing because it causes a whole domino bumping effect. Um, the only thing we would be considering is adding sections if we needed to, but we at this point we're not reducing anymore. But what it means
is that for the next We might be reducing grade one sections. >> Right. >> Okay. >> Right. >> But we're not reducing any more sections at this point. >> Okay. Can we move on to the next topic? >> Is that okay, Bella? Thank you.
>> Yes, it's okay. >> Okay. This one should not take more than an hour. >> Where are we? >> This is 8A. possible vote to merge the finance subcommittee capital projects subcommittee. Um so I think in so in in
2005 I think this the school committee voted to establish subcommittees with the understanding they could be modified and uh eliminated or whatever in 25. So we had back then they they created a
finance subcommittee and a capital project subcommittee. All you all remember that? >> Yes. >> Okay. 2005. So this year 2526 we piloted the combo of finance and
capital projects and the result was satisfaction with that combination. And so the motion tonight, I need a motion tonight to solidify the subcommittee for finance and capital projects being one subcommittee. Is there a motion for that
and then we can talk? >> Donna, >> I'm happy to move that motion. >> Second. >> I'll second it. >> Sarah, you second it. Thank you. Any conversation about this, Carolyn? >> Um, when you say there was satisfaction,
is that >> That's what I read. Okay. >> The report. >> Oh, that we had a report. Sorry, I might have missed you saying that. >> Somewhere. Yeah, >> I think it was on this. >> Yeah, was it? >> Okay. Oh, I didn't read. >> Okay.
>> If Betsy wrote it. >> I mean, I don't have an enormous issue with it. Um, I was on I was on finance the prior year. I might have been on capital, but I'm not sure.
But I attended capital meetings all the time also as advisory. Um I felt a little last year like capital ended up getting a little like short shifted like or the meetings just would have to be super long. I don't
have a problem with a super long meeting. Um, and I don't particularly object to this, but it did seem like it I felt like there was just not a lot of um attention given to capital and capital is really
important like how we use our like we're sort of talking about that here in a way, right? Like how do we use our buildings when we have a and maintenance and solar and playgrounds and all of that. So um however it works I would
just um anecdotally it seemed like >> and again there's flexibility all the time. Yeah, >> the the policy is create a subcommittee, change the subcommittee, combine subcommittees, >> eliminate sub. You can do that and you can do it by a simple
>> and I and I don't object but um I just that was my sort of anecdotal observation capital gut and maybe because also it was like a tough finance year so there was a lot of finance stuff. >> Donna Perry
>> I I have a technical question. So if we if this motion is approved, does it have to go to policy to update the policy manual? Okay, that was my question. >> Yes.
>> Okay. And so will the policy manual be updated? So that's removed. >> Okay. >> Policy. >> Okay. >> Oh, that would go to Suzanne. Yes. >> Okay. All in favor? FISA. >> Oh, wait. Talking. Well, I had a
question. >> Oh, I'm sorry. I apologize. >> Okay. So, so there is a lot of work that goes into capital. So Helen was on it for years and did a lot of work. So I'm wondering if we do combine them if there should not be someone who is kind of the
capital person leader within the finance committee. I I just feel like it's it's going to get lost a little bit. I think that's a really good idea and and I'm not meaning to I'm glad you said that because I think that sort of trickled through my
mind at some point along the way too but you're articulating it very well. >> There's a lot of work. It's a lot of work and a lot of meetings. Not not our meetings, other >> and we had two people who historically were so
wellversed and immersed, you know, we had Mariah and we had Helen, >> right? >> And they're both >> no longer with us. >> So, I think you make a really good point, Suzanne.
So, I just want to say to that end, I think last last year on finance, we did have sort of like Mariah was obviously the finance subcommittee chair and Jesse took the lead on capital. So, they used that model last
year. >> So, in other words, I don't think it's a bad idea to be >> Is Jesse the chair of finance now? >> Yeah. >> Maybe you have to table this Do do you need Jesse here? >> No, >> I'd rather not. >> Okay.
>> I don't mind voting on it. And then in the committee they >> Right. It's not like we have to formally, but I think Suzanne makes a good point that we that we could ask Jesse to ponder. >> We have four members of We have four members on that committee and I think Val's on that committee. She might
>> do some finance. Okay. >> Or capital. >> Let's take a vote. FISA. Suzanne, >> this is prior to me, so thank you. Yes. >> Yes. Yes. No, >> I just um if if you can come back to me, I'll appreciate it. Thank you.
>> No, that's fine. Suzanne, you want to vote? >> Yes. So, I'll vote. Yes. Oh, good. >> And I I just want to say that we watch it. If it feels like >> we need more support on capital, we don't have to wait a whole year. We can or perhaps it's even temporary. Maybe it's for particular good
>> projects. Okay. Okay. >> Donna, >> yes. >> Uh, Carolyn, >> yes. >> Sarah, >> yes. >> Bob, yes. Val, >> not here. FISA. >> Um, yes. >> Yes. Okay. Unanimous. That's good. >> I just wanted
>> We now have a committee for of finance and capital projects. Okay. Do we have any reports out of curriculum? Carolyn, >> to do this. Um we had a curriculum
subcommittee meeting yesterday. >> Yesterday >> um we had two really good presentations um from our social studies experts. We had um an a sort of
overview and update from Greg Porter on some funding that can be available from the state um for genocide education and he talked about how that's been done in the past and might be done in the future if we are again um awarded that money.
But anyway, it was just it's always interesting to hear what's going on in the schools. Um and then Jen Martin led a conversation um an update on the on the um um >> WISP
>> WISP having a look at WISP um and just some more conversation about that. She presented some data. She's been working really hard. There's going to be some work done over the summer um that's responsive to some of the community
concerns that have been raised. Um, and I thought it was a good conversation. >> I thought it was a good conversation as well. I think there was some movement there. Yeah. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Anything else? No. Finance capital projects. >> Jesse. >> Jesse. Okay. Negotiations. Me. Okay.
We're moving along in negotiations. We have exchanged proposals back and forth. Um, we responded to the fiscal proposal that they presented, the BEu presented. We presented ours. Um, we've responded
to a lot of the language issues in unit A, unit B, and parah. And we're going to meet we're going to meet again on the 20 what's today? 22nd. >> Yes. Monday. >> Monday. So, we're going to meet again on Monday to see what kind of response the
union has to our latest proposals. I think we all would love to start the new year with a new contract. Um, that's my hope. >> Maybe Bob, we can just um remind folks that they can catch up on negotiations
by going to the um PSP website, right? And >> the school committee website and they can >> Yeah, they can go on the page for negotiations and actually watch the sessions. >> I think that I mean the the conversations have been very respectful
um and I don't think anything is super unreasonable right now. We'll see. Carolyn, >> sorry, I left something off of my report. >> Oh, no.
>> Dr. Benoy gave us a quick update on um some survey work and work that the World Language um curriculum coordinators are doing with her and the senior leadership team to continue sort of recalibrating.
since we eliminated K through five world language. Now the high school, you know, is starting to see kids in sixth grade is starting to see kids who have not had language yet. So they're doing some work to kind of recalibrate that. Sorry, didn't mean to leave that off. It was
actually really interesting and and good to hear about. >> Thank you, Carolyn. Appreciate it. Policy. Who's who's chair? You are >> Suzanne. >> Thank you. We did meet. We had our first meeting uh with a new uh committee subcommittee uh Sarah, Laura, and Val
and myself. Um I just want to give a shout out to last year's committee. They actually I don't want to say actually, they passed some significant policies. Uh and so thank you to them because it's not easy getting policy through. Uh I
think I saw a list um Bella that you had put out about four or five substantial. I don't remember where that is, but that's okay. But >> I mean, >> there was civil rights, financial policy, >> the restraint, >> but also the restraint. Yeah.
>> Um medical >> medical delegation, medicine delegation, >> um >> instructional materials. >> Yes. >> Yeah. So, there are quite a few. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> Okay. So, anyway, I just want to say shout out to the team and Andy, I think,
was the chair. So, we uh are going to start I we I'm going to meet with Bella to see whether we're going to do some work with MSC. I don't know. We'll see. Um we had started that work and then stopped uh because of budgets, but we'll talk about whether we want to do that
again. And we're going to start in the students section, the J section, and we're each going to look at it before our next meeting. And we're going to also compare it to um some of our other comparable districts like Lexington, Newton, Welsley.
>> What's in there, Suzanne Jay? >> Student >> students. >> That's section. Yeah. Okay. A lot of things. So I just will make one comment and that is uh we have a very thick policy manual. >> Yeah. It it turns out as I look at it
quickly that um our earlier policies are quite short, our recent policies are very long. So I don't know what that says about what we're doing these days, but um the older ones are actually like a a
par a paragraph or two. And and some of us are some of them go back to 78, they go back to 81. Um but our new ones are 10 pages, 12 pages. So we should need to think we we as a committee we have to
think you could give us some input about what's going on and whether we want to make him shorter or not longer. Just just an observation I had. >> Thank you. Um other so we have a whole bunch of liaison running around.
>> Yes. >> Anybody have a report? >> Donna's got a report. I have a report. I'm actually um reading on behalf of um Jesse Hefa who's the CPAC liaison alongside >> me of Winro. Yep. Um so I'm just going
to take a minute to read a little bit about the CPAC Hero Awards which were given out um I think it was earlier this week or last week. last week, Friday, >> last week. Um, each year the Brooklyn Special Education Parent Advisory
Council, also known as CPAC, Brookline CPAC, recognizes the incredible individuals who have made a meaningful difference in the lives of our children. These are our CPAC heroes. They are teachers who go the extra mile. The paraprofessionals who offer steady and
caring support. The bus drivers who greet our children with a smile every day. The administrators who listen and lead with compassion. And the PSB or out of district community members who step up to ensure that every child feels seen, supported, and included. Um I
think um the very special thing about CPAC Hero Awards and um Deb Caruso who was here earlier um being recognized for 31 years of service um mentioned that these this as well that the nominations
are um unique because they come directly from families who have taken the time to share the many ways these individuals have changed lives through kindness, dedication, advocacy, creativity, and heart. So, uh, we honor and celebrate these exceptional people. They may not
seek recognition, but their work deserves it. So, I want to take a moment to read their names and thank and recognize our 2026 CPAC heroes. And those are I'm going I'm probably not going to pronounce some of these correctly because I'm half asleep, but
Roberta Arai, Sarah Asencio, Lindseay Brody, Erin Brown, Tamika Brown, Anmarie Carlson, Georgia Carter, Liza Cassell, Sarah Saluchi, G. Clinging Smith, Joel David, Alex Delgado, Nancy
Dylan, Vicky Fler, Donna Finnegan, Joel Griffith, Erin H, Erin Hin, Holly Irvin, Kylie Jenkins, Ellth Leslie, Ben Mados, Gabby Nusbomb, Joanne Pascer, Diana Pguero,
Beth Richard Deli, Maya Robson, Mary Rosini, Bernardet Rousimano, Rosie Scott, Umei Shulie, Karen Shashua, Jesse Stevens, Brit Britt Stevens, Elizabeth Sullivan, Abby Thompson, Haley Tiner, Fatima uh Vallet,
and Sophie Weinstein. So we we thank them all. >> Thank you. Anything else from liaison? Suzanne, >> I'm not really a leazison, but I had the privilege and honor of attending the
vision of a learner workshop today >> and um there's lots to be said about it and I know it's late, but um I'm happy to share it with people uh as as we go along and I've got some couple of handouts and um it was a good
conversation I thought a good group of people, a wide range. We had students, we had staff, we had uh community people. Um, so Robin was there. She's leading the charge and um, we'll have more news to come.
>> And thank you for doing that, Suzanne. I know that was a big chunk of time. I appreciate it. >> Any other liaison reports? >> Okay. Do we want to go into executive session, Betsy, for >> Yes. >> want to do it? Okay.
We need a motion to meet in executive session pursuant to Massachusetts general laws chapter 3A section 21A for the following purposes. Purpose three to discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining with Brooklyn Educators Union unit A unit B
parrofessional unit because an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining position of the committee and the chair. So declares and so declares and purpose seven to review and approve executive session minutes from the June 4th, 2026 meeting. Do we have a
motion for executive session? >> I'll move that. >> Second. >> Yes. Uh Fisa. >> Suzanne. >> Yes. >> Donna. >> Yes. >> Bob. Yes. Val. >> Caroline. >> Yes. >> Okay. We will not be coming back to open
session. So this is the last school committee meeting of the 25 26 school year. >> Wow. >> It's been amazing. >> Really a lot of fun. >> Bella, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. >> And thank you to Betsy. >> Been a pleasure. Betsy. Betsy. Betsy.
Betsy. Thank you. Thank you. Robin for many, many contributions. >> And thank you to the parents who stayed until the bitter end. >> Okay. in my office instead of waiting.
Okay, that's