--------- Doing Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. that newly elected members have taken their oath of office. I, Ben Kaufman, town clerk for the town
of Brooklyn, duly qualified and acting as such and having custody of the records, hereby certify that at the May 5th, 2026 annual town election held in accordance with MGLC 41 section
1, Suzanne Federsfield, Laura Katherine Baines Walsh, and Fisa Khan were elected members of the school committee for the town of Brookline for a term of three years. I further certify this has been in
accordance with MGLC41 section 15 that Suzanne Federiel, Laura Katherine Baines Walsh and Fisa Khan were sworn to the faithful performance of their duties as member as member of the school committee for the town of
Brooklyn and attested by Ben Kaufman, town clerk. So, I congratulate the both of you and welcome you to the school committee. I'm sorry. And welcome Suzanne back. Yay.
Thank you. >> Um so at this point I want to talk about the office of the chair and as everyone knows is um after every election there is a reorganization of the school committee. The school committee chair
and vice chair are to be elected for a one-year term by a majority of those members present. Unless a vote is taken to the contrary, no member may serve as chair for more than two consecutive one-year terms.
At this time, I am requesting a motion to nominate someone for the office of chair. I recognize Jesse Hef. >> It's my honor and privilege to nominate
Dr. Bob Winrout for school committee chair for the school committee of the public schools of Brooklyn. Thank you. >> Thank you. Is there a second? >> Thank you. Laura Baines Walsh seconds.
Um are there further nominations for the chair of school committee? I recognize Sarah McTadder. >> I'd like to um nominate Valrius for chair. >> Okay. Thank you. Is there a second? >> I will second that.
>> Okay. Thank you. Suzanne Federfield seconds. Are there further nominations for the chair of school committee? Okay. Hearing no further nominations, I will ask Miss Fitzpatrick to pull the members
for a roll call vote to close the nominations for the position of chair. again. So, this is just a vote to close the nominations. We all agree that there are no more. Um, so it's a yes or no vote to close the nominations for chair. Laura, >> yes. >> Suzanne, >> yes. >> Val,
>> yes. >> Jesse, >> yes. >> Isa, >> yes. >> Yes. >> Oh, you have to have >> Sarah? >> Yes. >> Donna, >> yes. >> Carolyn, >> yes. >> Bob, >> yes. >> Okay, so the nominations for chair have closed.
>> Thank you. I will now ask Miss Fitzpatrick to pull the members for a roll call vote on the nominations for the position of chair for the school committee uh for Bob Winintop and Val Frius. And
so please respond with the name of the nominee for whom you cast your vote. Thank you. >> Okay. So you let me know who you're voting for. Laura >> Val Winrab, >> Suzanne >> Val Frius. >> Val >> Valfrius.
>> Jesse >> Bob Winrub. >> Visa Vrius. >> Sarah >> Valfreus. Donna >> Bob Winrub. >> Carolyn Bob Winr and Bob
>> Bob Winrub. Uh, so that's a 5-4 vote for Bob Winrob for chair of the school committee. >> So congratulations to Bob. >> I think um at this time we're moving seats. >> Yes. All right. >> Wow.
>> Thank you. >> Take your time. Oh, so you're going to switch with Bob there. >> Okay. >> Oh, I saw now I see what those papers. >> Yeah, it's very confusing.
This is Dr. >> Are your instructions for the office of vice >> chair shut that off for a second. So Thank you. Um, we now open the nomination for vice chair of the Brookline School Committee. Are there nominations for vice chair?
>> Laura, I nominate Donna Perry. >> Is there a second for Donna Perry? Jesse seconds. Um, is there another nomination for vice chair? >> If there are no further nominations, Betsy, roll call.
>> Okay. I'm going to uh call the vote for closing the nominations for the position of vice chair. So, it's a yes or no. Laura, >> yes. >> Suzanne, >> yes. >> Val, >> yes. >> Jesse, >> yes. >> Um, Bob, >> yes. >> Sarah, >> yes. >> Donna,
>> yes. Carolyn, >> yes. >> FISA, >> yes. >> Okay, so nominations for vice chair are closed. Now there'll be a vote on the vice chair. So we have um Donna Perry. Um please let me know. Yes or no? Laura, >> yes.
>> Suzanne, >> yes. >> Val, >> yes. >> Jesse, >> yes. >> Sarah, >> yes. >> Donna, >> yes. >> Carolyn, >> yes. >> Fisa, >> yes. >> And Bob, >> yes. >> Okay, so it's nine to zero. Vice Chair Donna Perry.
>> Congratulations. Is it warm in here? Okay. So, I was driving over here listening to WS on the radio and I was listening to the new Rolling Stones album song head lead song on the new
album. I said, "If the Rolling Stones can cut a new album, I can do this." I probably shouldn't have said that. Anyway, I I wrote some words um before we continue with the meeting. I hope um
you'll indulge me. Um, first some thank yous. I want to thank Val for her service on the school committee and leadership as chair for the past year and to Sarah for her service and her leadership as co-chair for the past
year. And I also want to thank Mariah Mariah and Andy Louu for their service to the school committee over the past few years. They've done good and hard work. And I congratulate all of those four folks for contributing to the important override that was passed last
week. Last week. Yes. So I feel honored to be the new chair and I welcome Suzanne, Carolyn, Donna, and Jesse, returning members as well as Lauren Fisa, new members of the committee. I want to step back for a moment and consider why we all volunteer to do this
work. I personally have had a long life in public schools and I've collected many many stories over time. I would like to share one of those stories because it represents the power of teachers in our lives.
I was a lackluster student in high school. My 11th grade English teacher, Mrs. Cole, summoned me to her desk after class one day in the late fall of my 11th grade. Hm. She held out my paper
filled with red marks. It was a C. She said, quote, "Bob, you are not a C student." She said that I was a good writer, that I wrote in clear sentences, and I even
I know. And I even used metaphor, acknowledging that probably I didn't know what metaphor was. She continued, "You don't work hard." and I believe that you don't even read the books. Bob, you can do better," she concluded.
In a school of 5,500 students in Queens, New York City, she took the time to call me aside that day. That conversation continues to live with me and inspires me to do better because
Mrs. Cole, who I deeply admired and feared, believed in me, and that helped me a lot. There are many other stories. Today, I thank thousands of educators who arrived in Brooklyn,
remained here for decades, and through their amazing work, helped establish our school system as a national treasure. We gather here together eight days after Brooklyn embraced the words of Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., quote, "Taxes are
the price we pay for civilization." The override is a tremendous victory for the town of Brooklyn, for the town that we love. Thank you, Brooklyn. We gather as a team of nine with a very simple mission to work well together to
support our teachers and school leaders as they teach our children well. They also create those moments of inspiration and connection that will stay with them throughout their lives.
And last but not least, thank you Bella Wong, Brooklyn High School class of 1978, who quickly gained the respect and confidence of our community and without whom the success of this critical
override would not have happened. We got you, Bella. And now, as a former famous Brooklyn resident name of Tom Brady would always
say, "Let's go." >> Thank you. >> Oh, thank you. There's um part two. >> We have to vote. >> Oh, so now we have to open nominations for secretary of the school committee. Is there a nomination for secretary of
school committee? >> We all want someone else to nominate >> all at once. >> Who do you nominate? >> Betsy. >> Betsy. >> Betsy Fitzpatrick. >> Yeah. >> You have to call. >> Call a roll call. >> Let's have a roll call. Betsy. Thank
you. >> No, you you call it. Oh, I do it. Okay. Laura, >> yes. >> Suzanne, >> yes. >> Thank you. Val, >> yes. >> Jesse, >> with pleasure. Yes. >> Donna, >> yes. Sarah, >> yes. >> Carolyn, >> oh, yes. >> FISA, >> yes.
>> Bob Wra, yes. >> Yes. Yay. >> Okay. How we doing? >> Yes. >> Here we go. Consent agenda. Do we have to go over what it is? The whole consent agenda. We assume that everybody has read it.
>> Approval of records. Okay. Approval of records, April 30th. Accounts payable reports May 1st, May 8th. Approval of the Barry Mark Schuman scholarship. Approving of Approval of the Steve Lantos Scholarship for Excellence in Chemistry and Squash.
Do I have a motion to accept the consent agenda? Jesse, >> I have a comment I wanted to make about the accounts paper reports. >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, I just wanted to report some good news. Again, this is
as of this past Friday that um in in keeping track of our total non salary expenses, and we want to be careful, it's non-sary expenses that have been invoiced through the bi-weekly accounts payable report since July 1st of 2025.
Our expenses to date are just under $22 million. Um, when we when we look at the FY26 uh budgeted non salary expenses plus the special revenue funds that were updated as well by Dr. Given two two meetings ago, our available budget is
$33 million. Um, and uh projecting outwards to the end of our fiscal year. We're now in the 45th week of the fiscal year. Um, so we've got seven weeks or so to go in the fiscal year. So projecting out dividing by the average of the 45
weeks we've had so far in that in those data uh we're projecting out again based on the budget available um about $25 million will be spent leaving us about $8 million unspent in the non-s salary expense. So at this time
assuming we don't see suddenly a very large hit in out of district tuition or transportation which do come in as big bulges sometimes of you know 200 400 $600,000 but we've had those ups and downs all year as well. So um in a discussion with Dr. forgiven. You know,
we watch to see when we close the FY26 invoices. Um, and at least at this moment, looking in the middle of May, we're in pretty good shape in terms of actually being under budget in our non salary expenses. And I would just say kudos to Dr. forgiven superintendent and
all the teams that are um working to be careful and mindful about the non-salary supplies and food services and other things we've done negotiating salaries for trans you know costs for transportation which have um potentially left us at least at a point this point in the year where we're not in the red.
So just wanted to report a green situation as of May 8th. >> Great news. Thank you >> Carolyn. Sure. Um, thanks for looking at that, Jesse. And Jesse, thank you for all the work that you've done on this
this year. And I know you've um really been on top of it and devised um some systems that have allowed you to be able to to make this um statement and projection.
Are you saying that Dr. Given agrees conceptually that I don't know I don't want you to put words in Dr. Okay. >> So >> what's the question?
>> My question is do we really think we're going to end up with 8 millionish? Okay. >> No. No. I don't think >> Jesse >> Okay. Then I then I misheard. >> Yeah. I'm saying >> you're just saying we're on track.
>> Yeah. >> At this point. >> Exactly. Exactly. There will be, you know, many bills to many invoices coming in. This is the first year that I'm looking at it. Um from year, you know, from July 1st to June 30th, 2026. So, we'll see what the next Okay. 6, seven, eight, nine weeks provides as the
invoices keep coming in. >> I thought you were saying that um >> you were anticipating. >> It's a moment in time, Carolyn. So, um, if, as I said, if we get a very large set of invoices that are accumulating outside of, you know, outside of the
district and then the bills come in and we look at those and we add them in, it's very possible that we hit right on budget, a little over, a, little under, but right now we're tracking a little under. That that's where it sits at the moment. >> Any more comments on the consent agenda?
>> Suzanne, >> I'll I'll move it. We haven't moved it yet. Oh, you did. Okay, I'll second. >> He didn't move. >> I didn't really. I just wanted to make a comment about item two. But I will move that we move this I and I will I will
move that the consent agenda be uh moved. >> Okay. >> Make a motion that we approve the consent agenda. >> Is there a second? >> I will second. >> Suzanne seconds. Any more comments? Want to take a roll call on that one? >> You you Mr. Chair. Oh my god, I have a
lot to learn. >> Yes, you'll you'll get it. >> Liza, >> yes. >> Carolyn, >> yes. >> Sarah, >> yes. >> Donna, >> yes. >> Val, >> did you skip Jesse? >> Oh, >> only because Jesse, >> yes. >> Val, >> yes. >> Suzanne,
>> yes. >> Dora, >> yes. >> And Oh, Bob. >> Okay, Bob, come on. Get it together. Bob says, "I approve." Yes. Okay, now. Okay, so it is now
6:21. We're one minute late on the agenda and now it's the superintendent report one. >> Thank you. Uh again, I'd like to congratulate Laura, Suzanne, and Fisa on their successful elections to school committee. Congratulations to Bob and to
Donna as our new chair and vice chair. Many thanks as well to Mariah and Andy who are not with us and and um so much help that they gave um me in the first year and also um thank you to Belle and
Sarah and their roles as chair and vice chair uh especially important in my first year. It is now my pleasure to introduce Kim Barnham, executive director for BEF. Um, in the recognition of the 2026 Brooklyn Education
Foundation Clye Award recipients, we have Jen Matthysse from Ruffen Ridley School and Carolyn Castiano from the Brooklyn High School. But thank you, Kim. >> Thank you. Um, I also want to congratulate the new school committee
members for joining. Congratulations. And for those returning, Suzanne, congratulations. And to the new chair and vice chair of school committee, congratulations. Um, I have known you both, so this is great to continue our
collaboration. And as a resident, congratulations. Um, so now, why am I here? Um, it is my honor each year the Brookline Education Foundation opens up nominations to the district for outstanding teachers and is
the Earnest Raverly Award and it is for outstanding teaching and innovation and it is open to any educator in the public schools of Brooklyn. And this year's nominees and winners, I will start with the elementary. There are always two,
one elementary and one high school. So, the letters of support emphasize this person's tireless work ethic. And this is for Jen Matthysse. Her role as the sunshine chair, who supports
colleagues during personal hardships and her leadership in making district-wide athletics more inclusive for non-binary student athletes. The consensus across the all letters is that Jen embodies the Ridley motto, work
hard, be kind, help others. Specifically about innovation, colleagues praise her for her constantly seeking professional growth, attending national conferences on her own time to be bring back best practices for the K
to8 physical education. her inclusivity. She is noted for her collaborative work in redesigning the inter mural cross-country meet to be genderinclusive. Her community support.
She is frequently described as the glue that keeps staff together, organizing everything from retirement party celebrations to support systems for families in crisis. Here are some quotes that highlight the different facets of
Jen's impact from her colleagues. Jen is our department sunshine chair and for decades has organized help for teachers and their families who may be experiencing hard times. During the difficult pandemic years, Jen was the
glue that kept us together. her you are not alone way of supporting everyone has a ripple effect of wellness through our entire staff. Another comment as a veteran teacher with almost three decades behind her she
could rest on her accomplishments. Instead she paves her own way to national conferences because she wants to stay current. She is just teaching Jim. She's modeling what it means to be a lifelong learner for every student who
walks into that fieldhouse. And here's from her students. Um, they call her Miss Nixon because she was Nixon first, but then she's so you'll hear me saying Miss Nixon. Same person. Miss Nixon's make sure everyone has a
place on the team. When we talk about being inclusive at Ridley, it's not just a word to her. It's the way she sets up every game and every race so that no one feels left out because who they are or how fast they can run.
She knows every student by name. At the largest school in Brooklyn, when you're in her class, you feel seen. She doesn't just care about if you can do push-ups. She cares about your day, how your day is going, and if you're being kind to
the people around you. And from her administrator, Jen Nixon is the ultimate work hard, be kind, help others educator. Whether she's at Lars Anderson at 6:30 a.m. setting up the cross-country
course, or collaborating on district-wide decisions, recognizing the needs of non-binary student athletes, Jen's focus is always on equity, safety, and joy for our kids.
Jen, you have shown us that being an educator isn't just about the curriculum we deliver. It's about the culture of kindness and inclusion we create. You are the sunshine of our district. A
leader who never stops learning and a teacher who makes sure no student or colleague ever feels they have to walk their path alone. It is with immense gratitude for your 30 years of service, your unwavering spirit
and your massive heart that we presented you the cavernly award for 2026. And now I'd like to present Jen Nixon. And she's going to give an excerpt of her um speech that she gave last
Tuesday. Jen Nixon. Can I use the microphone? >> So, I don't know if this is an excerpt of my speech. Um, I think I could have done better, Dr. Winrob, on cutting down my speech. I think I could have done better on this. You're referring to
doing better. So, thank you, Kim, again for everything. um and the BEF committee. It's truly this has been a remarkable experience. Um thank you to everyone here at the school committee for having us here tonight and for all you do. Thank you. I
am honored to now be a Cly associate with a long list of recipients. Most recently, my colleagues and so welld deserved because they are amazing people and teachers Nicole Chasse and Kathy Fischer Mueller. My husband Eric and I share the love of teaching. He teaches
at Ridley in the extended day program. I am one of five kids and of course I am number five. Both of my parents are deceased but it wouldn't but would have been very proud of me. I am very much like my father in so many ways from the love of sports, cooking, eating, task
driven. I love a good to-do list or several of them. He was incredibly stubborn. Good thing I didn't get that from him. But I think one of the biggest things I learned from him was he put everybody else first, especially his five kids.
My mom was the one who I got the love of animals from. She also loved to cook and was a heck of a tennis player. She would be the first to tell you she was the captain of the tennis team at Northwestern. With a family of seven, there was never a dull moment in the house, especially summers on Lake
Michigan. My family is extremely competitive. Growing up, everything was a battle, but in a good way with lots of laughs. Whether it being playing hearts, beach volleyball, or on the tennis courts, we would play to win. We grew up in Michigan when I was very
young, and then we moved to Connecticut for elementary, middle, and high school. Lake Michigan is a very special place to me. It's where I spent my summers and where Eric and I got married. If you've never been to the Great Lakes, put that on your list. Just start with Chicago to make it easy.
Moving on to my work colleagues. Thank you to my team at Ridley, Mark Sennet, Scott Newman, and Kevin Connelly. We work very well together as a team every day. I would also like to thank my our extended Ridley family, Joel Klein, and Steph Baron, because they are both
impactful teachers and coaches, and I'm fortunate to work with them. A huge thank you to the entire wellness team. They are truly an amazing group of people and educators. When you meet twice a month, you kind of get to know each other. This group has supported me
through many ups and downs in my teaching career, and I'm extremely grateful to be a part of an incredible team. And finally, to my curriculum coordinator, Carlin, who unfortunately couldn't be here because she's working at track meet that fits. Um, she's our K12 wellness coordinator, who somehow
has to manage 40 teachers in nine different schools with two different curriculums. That is not an easy job. I have known Carllin since 1992. We went to BEu together and now somehow she's my boss. I thank her for everything she does for
this for me and for this department. How did I get here? I attribute a lot of who I am because I'm extremely fortunate to have grown up in a beautiful small town in Connecticut. This is where I fell in love with sports. I played field hockey and tennis all four years and was
recently inducted into my high school's hall of fame. I continue my education at BEu as a scholarship student athlete for the field hockey team. Go BEu. I know there's a couple BEu people here. You know it. What an incredible experience going to
BEu and playing D1 field hockey. My BEu family means so much to me. I thought I wanted to be a college coach until I started working with kids through the school of education. My professor at the time placed me at the devotion school working with Dave O'Hara and Carrie Shear as well as BHS working with
Allison Tony. I did my student teaching with them and then Carrie went on maternity leave and 30 years later here I am. I have known Dave O'Hara for 33 years and some of you here know Dave O'Hara.
When I started teaching Dave was very much an old school gym teacher. He may have been old school in his teaching, but I learned everything about how to be a teacher and a better person from him. Dave walks into a room and will say, "Hey, how are you?" He shakes
your hand. He'll give you a hug. And he'll always say, "Hey, how you doing? How your how your parents doing?" Or, you know, to say to the to the kids, "How are your parents doing?" Or is saying to the parents like, "Hey, how you know, how are the kids?" And he always has something social.
I learned that from him. He's the one who taught me that school is not from 7:30 to 2:30. You come early or you leave late. You do whatever you have to do to be there for the students. While writing this speech, I thought about the phrase, "You are only as good as the people around you." On Tuesday, I was
full of room full of amazing people and educators. I would like to publicly thank John Dempsey who was our former principal at Devotion. John is incredibly thoughtful person, administrator, and he came up with our school motto of work hard, be kind, help
others. I talk about this all the time with our students as well as treat people how you want to be treated. John embodied this. He was the first person in the door every morning and he was the last person to leave. He did everything for that school and the students. John
knew every kid by name. I learned how important that was from him. Having him there on the day Kim and the BEF staff came into the gym to announce I was receiving the award meant so much to me. Also there that day making it extra special was our longtime secretary Linda
Keaven. Linda is such a kind and thoughtful person. Never says a mean thing to say about anyone any anyone and did so much for our school. She also happens to be the OG of our weather warriors team. Yes, we have our own weather team. Joel
Klein, Michelle Gordon, Amy Burch, and myself. We come alive during the winter months. So, Bella, if you ever need to know if we should cancel school due to weather, you can just call us. I am very fortunate to teach in this town, and I'm slightly biased, but I
believe at the best elementary school. The countless staff at Ridley make our school so incredibly special. From the custodians to the grade level teachers to the paras, I cannot thank the pairs enough. I couldn't do my job without them. my fellow specialists Eddie Tubberty, our AP teacher. A special
shout out to our guidance counselors, Jordana, Mary, and Jen. Our clinical team, Amy, Bob, and Caitlyn. Our secretaries, Moren, and Kyra, who's been there forever. Our nurses, Anna, and Jana. Our incredible PTO. And our
admin team, Sata Euan, Michelle Crow, Mary Galant, Steve Similaris. It truly takes a village to care for our students every day. Everything we do is all about the kids. I come in through the calf every morning and no matter if I didn't sleep or if I'm in a bad mood, everything gets better when I see the
students. I come in and I'm usually bombarded with, "Hi, Miss Nixon" from students or good morning from staff. I get my daily hugs from these second grade twinsies and a fist pump from Mike 40, our senior custodian. And that's how I kick off my day. I put a smile on my
face, treat kids with kindness and respect because that's what they deserve. You never know what's happening in some of their lives or how their mornings are going. So, we have to be the best version of ourselves to bring out the best in them. Back in my early years of teaching, I
was learning developing as a teacher. From 2003 to 2010, I was balancing teaching while playing on the US indoor national field hockey team. It was a challenge, but when you are young, you can do things like that. Over the years, I developed my style of teaching, but I
was also getting set in my ways and routines. Then Scott Newman came along. Fresh out of Springfield, young and full of new ideas, Scott brought cardio drumming to our program, which quickly became our students favorite as well as my favorite. Next week, we're drumming.
You are all invited. You might have to come over. Um, for the renovation, Mark, let me go back. Then our school broke up. For the renovation, Mark went to Upper DVO. Scott and I went to the nursing home for two years. We
thoroughly enjoyed being in an office next to the music room listening to Colin Stack teach hot cross buns on the recorder every day. The nursing home was quite a challenge to say the least. We were on the eighth floor teaching in a
space the shape of a kidney with giant pole beams in the middle of the room. And at the end of the room was a space we called the dojo because that's where they taught karate after school. Oh, and there was a chapel attached to it. Yes,
two long years. But with the help of Tina Boseman and the town, we turned it into a safe teaching space. Scott and I had to get really creative, but I also think this helped me become a better teacher. We even presented at Mapird on how to teach in unique spaces. When we moved back in a new building, we had
fresh ideas, a full curriculum, and it was great to all be back together. On a side note, the nursing home is now the Iris Hotel. It's quite lovely. They gave our staff a tour last spring. I highly recommend it. In 2023, a team of
wellness teachers went to the Shake National Convention on a BEF grant and Carling convinced me to go. It was an incredible experience to be surrounded by wellness educators from all over the country. I soaked up as much as I could over three days. It was quite an experience and made me a better teacher.
I learned so much at the conference and was able to bring back a wealth of information to the wellness team. I also learned how fortunate we are here in Brooklyn. after conversations with other teachers across the country. We have great teaching spaces, a budget that has
allowed us to have age appropriate equipment, and programs like the BEF that supports teachers. Lastly, I am so thankful for all the students and sometimes generations of families I have had the pleasure to teach. To watch them grow up is truly special, especially
those that are there from K through 8. I love when alumni come back to say hello, usually during our flag football league or when I come up to the high school and see them passing and to get to watch them compete in various sports. Thank you to the countless parents of the families I have taught. There are
many that I will always keep in contact with. From teaching PE to coaching, whether it be cross country, DFL, track and field, the building quarter to co co-coordinator for middle school sports, I am always busy, but I do it for the
students. Chad Hunt was in my very first class at Brooklyn High School. I'm sorry, was my very first class as a teacher, and now he's the head football coach at Brooklyn High School. I am old.
I cannot begin to say how much this means to me. The surprise announcement at Ridley surrounded by students, faculty, parents, and the VEF staff. The celebration on Tuesday, and now speaking here tonight, winning the Clye Award, being nominated by peers for excellence
in teaching means everything to me. Thank you everyone. Thank you, Jen. Um, so I would again invite you to attend our celebrating teachers next year. It happens in May. Suzanne, we're glad that
you were able to attend, but we would love for all the school committee members to come and join us in celebrating. These speeches are amazing, and you get to see and hear about all the amazing grants educators have applied to. So applied for and awarded.
Next we have Carolyn Castellano. Um this again is a profound honor to stand here today to recognize an educator who hasn't just taught music at Brookline High School for nearly 30 years. She has redefined what a music
program is and can be in the 21st century. When Carolyn Castellano arrived at BHS in 1996, the instructional program was small. Today, it is a nationally recognized,
awardwinning powerhouse. But Carolyn's legacy isn't just found in trophies or rankings. It's found in the hundreds of individual voices she has helped discover. Here's from her
colleagues what her colleagues said in their nomination of Carolyn. They describe Carolyn re-imagined what a high school instructional program could be. She built it into a digital and instructional program that reflects students interest and the evolving
musical landscape around them. She was a pioneer in digital music long before it was a standard, ensuring that every student, regardless of their primary instrument, had a place to create. Another colleague highlighted
her legacy of work ethic, noting that Carolyn spends countless hours listening to students recording and providing individualized recorded feedback, letting each student know clearly where
they are strong and where they can grow. In a school, the size, the level of personal attention is nothing short of heroic. from the students. But if you want to know the heart of a
teacher, you look at their students. One student shared, "Carolyn just doesn't just teach us how to play notes. She teaches us how to find our own voice in music. The music collective isn't a top-down ensemble. It's a place where we
lead, arrange, and take ownership of our own art." Her dedication often goes beyond the classroom in ways that stay with students forever. One alumni recalled, and this one I get always get
teary, I have to say, the 2020 graduation. Yeah. Here's what Carolyn did during that during the height of the pandemic. When we, this is from a student, when we couldn't be together, she played pomp
and circumstance literally hundreds of times on her trumpet for every single graduating senior. That is the kind of teacher she is. She shows up for us no matter what. And from our administrator, her
administrator Our administration recognizes that Carolyn is a pillar of the BHS community. As one administrator poignantly wrote, "Carolyn's commitment extends far beyond the classroom. She has likely taught more BHS students than
anyone in the school's history, always with an unwavering focus on the student as an individual and a creator." And here's the clo. Carolyn, you have taught us that music is not just a
subject to be learned, but a community to be built and a language to be spoken. For your innovation, your tireless dedication to your students and your decades of service to Brookline, it is my absolute pleasure to present you,
Carolyn Castellano, as the BHS 2026 Cavalry Award winner. Does it fit in here? Yeah, it's got Yeah, it does. I I got it. I Yeah, I got it. You guys need like a boom stand. This is I'm going to give you one as a
gift. This is Okay. I'm not that tall. >> Yes. Thank you so much. Um, so this is definitely a shorter version of my speech. So I I took some stuff out. If you want to watch the full thing, it's on YouTube. There's some fun stuff in
there, too. And there's a wrap at the end, which I'm not going to recreate tonight. So >> definitely. >> So I could sing you a song at the end if you want, but it's up to you. >> What? >> Rap would be good. The rap I don't I the rap was all my thank yous. So it had all
these like hidden jokes for everyone in my department. It was pretty funny. Anyway, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you again to the Brooklyn Education Foundation for this incredibly humbling honor and all you do for teachers and staff to um continue
nurturing their curiosity and even replenish themselves through restoration. Um it's important work that you do and it's greatly appreciated by everyone. I was hired um for a point4 position by Ian Ryrie
um the pouring arts coordinator at the time. He was brilliant, sarcastic, witty, and he was really supportive. And those were all the traits native New York New Yorker like myself really appreciated in my boss. That was 1996.
And you know what? This guy was in charge. He was really nice. I I really liked him. He was super nice. Made everyone feel welcome. Um, I started with two classes, a concert band and a creative music class and an after-school jazz club. I grew up on Staten Island
and my mom loved music and musicals and we had, of course, um, the obligatory Sinatra albums that were playing all the time in our house because we're Italian-American. Um, but I really love jazz and I found this um, station in New Jersey, 88.9, Newark. And I used to
listen to it in the basement with my pencils like drumming along. Um, you know, it it was it was awesome. Jazz is improvisation. And the thing about improvisation is that it's a conversation, a collaboration. You have to have trust,
sometimes a reaction. And the best thing is you never have to play the song the same way twice. So when I arrived to teach my first class, my creative music class, there wasn't any curriculum. So I asked the students like, "Well, what do you want to do?" and they wanted to
write bach corrals and I wanted to bring my love of digital music to them and that was how I started my improvisational approach to teaching. I kind of communicated with the students and worked with them to create a program. I didn't plan on going into
education and I had many jobs before I started um teaching including being a lifeguard on Lake Champlain, working as a raider and a coder in an insurance company on Wall Street. That job, I think I lasted four days. I hated that job. Um, I also worked as an urban park
ranger in New York City in Central Park in the parks in Staten Island. Then I graduated from Berkeley College of Music and I somehow went back to school after that, got my teaching license, taught a prince, one of King Hussein's sons, and
I taught one of George Foreman's five George Foreman's sons. His name was Monk. After that, I was lucky enough to end back up at BHS and I was already top Bob. So now you can figure out how old I am. I was already in my 30s, early 30s
at that point. By 2001, see I'm old. A a renovation happened um from the combination of Ian championing my cause, the support of parents, the school committee, headmaster wine trobe. Because of all that, I was able to start
adding the classes that we now have today. um my jazz rock class, my digital music production class. We were also able to advocate for the ZBlock, which allows large ensembles to meet and concert band at the time was around 60 members. Right now it's between it runs
between 75 to 80 depending on the year. Um I also had a brand new um band room back then. And if you go into the band room, there's a giant red shark there. And that was a gift from the class of
2005. Kind of like a nod to the old um land shark from SNL. I don't know if you remember that. So we call it the band shark. And it's become our our mascot throughout the years. You'll see it on t-shirts, on posters. You also see um a lot of other um odd things in the band
room like there's a big poster that says with the red shark on it, be a subdivider. Or there's also a post a picture that David Whipple from the Whipple Fellowship made of the music collective. He made us all pose as the last supper at for a photo. And then the next year when we went back, everyone
was they had it as an example of what you should do to get your photo taken at the bure at um the Berkeley um high school jazz festival that we used to participate in. Years ago, two students, Eli Husseek, Eli Paper Boy Reed and Eli Kesler, both professional musicians
today, class of 2001, convinced me that we needed couches to be more comfortable. So, we have couches, too. We We went to someone's basement, a parents basement, not someone's basement in a pickup truck, and we got these oldraton barrel like flowery couches
that we brought back to the band room, and they were there for a long time until one day Jimmy Melik called me and was like, "You need to get rid of those couches." So, so he did. Um, there's a lot of things that happen in the band room that people don't always see. For example, every once a month I
have ice cream Sundays for a concert band. And we have ice cream breakfasts every and we also have open mics once a month that I do including Mike's giving where I um do a whole turkey and bring it in and we have all the Thanksgiving. I make two turkeys for Thanksgiving. Um
and I also have elf day. Um, you can hear I'll tell you a little bit of elf day, but basically with the help of the students, we now play elf from um 800 a.m. until around 2:00 in the afternoon eating candy. Candy corn candy well I
forgot what it is now. Candy candy corn something and maple syrup. I can't remember where it is now, but um it's it's it's a great day. Kids ask for it all the time. What was it? >> Candy. Candy cane. Yeah, candy cane. Candy corn and maple syrup. These little things we do to create spaces where
students feel comfortable and feel seen and feel like they belong are the most important things we can do. Sometimes we do it without even realizing it. But these are the moments that matter the most. But sometimes we forget about those moments when we're in the day-to-day of instruction. You know, when you're teaching the arts, you're
not just teaching technical skills and concepts. You're guiding students to understand how to translate their imagination into some into something tangible. And this process forces them to embrace uncertainty. For digital music production, that is creating a musical
composition from the notes theory and digital music tool concepts. And for ensemble classes such as concert band, that is committing to practicing. Playing a musical instrument enables a student to imagine what they want to sound like. set their own goals to
working towards that sound, but in the meantime as they're going through the process, make it work with the skills they have and not be afraid of sounding bad. I tell them often that you got to be bad before you can be good, but you got to know you're bad and not to be
afraid to fail. So, with failure in mind, I've been thinking a lot about teacher heaven. You're wondering what teacher heaven is. You know, when you're teaching and everyone's engaged, trying their best,
willing to mess up, and asking questions. It's so great that you don't have to give tester grades. The students don't even want test or grades. Well, I described this to a few of my classes last month and they all looked at me and smirked. They actually thought I found it on social media and I was
like, "No, no, no, no. This is what I dream about at night." And I was even thinking of having t-shirts made called I am a teacher and I live in a classroom called Teacher Heaven. Music Collective is definitely my
teacher heaven. It's an advanced group of students that are deeply invested in music and it's even been featured in the music um education journal for highlighting the success and importance of the collaborative classroom. This ensemble teaches um teamwork and getting everyone to buy in and working together
towards a common goal. This is accomplished by students arranging their own songs and learn learning how to articulate their ideas. The jazz philosophy combined with some rock and roll in their playbook as well. This ensemble has also given me the chance to grow as a musician. I've taken on more
of a coaching role, stepping in when needed, but ultimately I'm part of the group, too. I think they really appreciate my nononsense real approach and we've built a real solid sense of trust and respect. As you know, I also work as a tour organizer. Every other
year, you guys approve a trip for me and I've gone on nine trips since 2001 from Memphis um to last year, we went to Amsterdam. We've been to Iceland as well. On these trips, we play community concerts and participate in workshops from local um professional musicians.
Wherever we go, there's also former students that are just a call away. Last year, we were in um Amsterdam. Nikki Schwarz, class of 2005, is the basis for the Royal Concert Bell Orchestra. He organized a personal tour um for the group to go and um tour the Concert Bell
Hall. and Ian Mitchell, class of 2018, came by as well and talked to the students because he's in school studying in the Netherlands. So, he came by and was talking to the students. Um, it's great to it's so rewarding to feel that we know the relationships that we buil
build go beyond the classroom. As you know, teenagers never fail to provide some um, you know, fun memories on the trip. Last year, um, some students came down the next morning and they had all these red welts all over their arms. And I was like, "What? What happened?" Well, as you know, if you've been to Europe,
they don't really have screens. So, all these mosquitoes got in their room and they had eaten them alive. So, that night, you know, usually kids try to sneak out to do bad stuff. They were sneaking out to get bug spray. >> Um, another student also lost his
passport on the way home. Thank god we were in Logan, but we did have to stay detained behind some really thick plexiglass for a while. Um, we had a good laugh about it. Moments like these may be a bit chaotic, but they're the funny memories that will always stay with us. I like to circle back to
improvisation. In improvisation, you have to be present. You have to listen. You have to have trust. And you have to have a conversation in the moment. I hope my classes and my honest feedback help students become aware of where they are right now, learning in the moment,
accept where they are, and improvise through life even when it's at its most challenging to keep moving forward and truly enjoy it. Thank you. >> Thank you. Thank you. Congratulations to Jen and to Carolyn and also thank you to
Kim. It was so clear um and joining joining you when you were first notified that you had received the awards. Oh, were you going to say something? >> No, I just to shake your hand. Go ahead. >> Okay. Um it's so clear that Kim puts a lot of
effort into the vetting and the selection. and she was as excited I think to be able to organize the surprise for both of you and it was really precious to be in that moment especially to see how happy the students were you they were so excited for you
and also all your colleagues that were there in the moment so congratulations and Sarah you want to go >> can I say can I say one thing >> sure sure >> I I just want to take an opportunity to provide some history to The Brookline
Education Foundation, I'm not sure everybody knows, but the Brooklyn Education Foundation, by the way, the first education foundation in the state of Massachusetts, was created um right after Proposition 2 and a half was adopted in Massachusetts. And people in
the community like John Hodgejman, Bob Spurber was the superintendent at that time. Um so that was 1981, 82, something like that. 81 >> 82. Um, so it's been around 18, 28, 38, 40,
45 years. Um, and also Kim was one of the most amazing teachers in the history of the Brooklyn public schools. It's great to have her still here in that role. And, um, it's always an inspiration. So, I just want to thank BEF. You know, I'm, you know, every year
the the award winners are just amazing and they just define the greatness of Brookline public schools. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Um I still I have a few other accolades to share tonight. Um I wanted to also
congratulate Finch Ferrer. He was select I think Finch was selected as a recipient of the 2026 Jeff Parade LGBTQ plus leadership award from the Massachusetts Commission on the LGBTQ plus youth. And so actually I was a
former member of that commission as a superintendent. Every year there's three superintendents that serve on the commission. This award honors high school seniors across the Commonwealth who have demonstrated exceptional leadership in creating educational
environments while LGBTQ plus youth are not only accepted but fully embraced. He is one of 10 individual students selected for this honor and will receive a $4,000 scholarship to support their continued education at an accredited um
accredited institution. This award will be publicly announced during the commission's FY2027 annual recommendations um release ceremony on Thursday, May 28th at the at the Massachusetts State House. But
congratulations to French for this award being selected across the state. I also want to express um gratitude to the to the innovation fund for their support of um of of initiatives at the
high school and also um supporting FTEES. So a point 2 FTE for a one-year extension um for leadership the queer student program and then 6 FTEE to support the heritage heritage Spanish
speaker pathway. So we have multiple teachers that work to support that. Um another.5 FTE to support revolutionizing post-secary education. um creating a year-long post-secary guidance curriculum accessible to all students
during the during their junior and senior years. A point2 FTE for astrophysics semester student electives to develop astrophysics honors. A one semester 10 to 12 elective to engage students in hands-on investigation,
collaborative research and real world citizen science. I love that. Um also a point for FTE for the program leazison um Erica Omaha who so she organizes um this for on
behalf of the innovation fund for the students. In addition, the fund um also allows um monies for faculty-led out of school activities which include the innovation fellow justice and action reimagining post-secondary planning
astrophysics more program leazison and summer workshops with BHS educators to the tune of that last one $10,000. So, thank you to the generosity of the innovation fund. And this one I thought was um just a nice note from John
Andrews celebrating I didn't know you were going to be here tonight. So, it's just coincidence. Um he titled it a good end of the week for the English department. And I thought it was really a charming message about just what happens in the spring. So, a lot happens
in the spring, right? all the awards singing things things coming to a culmination but I love the 31 annual poetry fest happened at the library and that um over two dozen students and a teacher shared their poetry so it is
true that's really wonderful it's wonderful that that continues and celebrated in that way so a fantastic celebration of poetry also um the cypress wins big very very cool
um So they won at they attended the New England Scholastic Press Association conference at BEu and they won first place all New England print newspaper also first place all New England publication
website. Yay. Um and so we also had the writers of colors. They hosted Professor Grace Tusen. >> Okay. um the writers of colors class welcome back professor tusen who led the class in some writing exercises and a
discussion of her memoir the body papers so thank you for sharing that and I so I'm so glad that you were here um and just I wanted to thank primary source we partner with primary source many of our teachers take advantage of um the
curriculum supports and the classes that they offer they um invited me to be a panelist last evening in Milton at in Milton. And so I was honored to be sandwiched between um two educators on Asian-American studies.
Um there was Vivian Wu Wong who moderated. She's a former teacher from Milton Academy who's developed this course called um Beyond Gold Mountain, Asian-American History for Eastern US Classrooms. It's very popular um through the summer. It's been offered several
years now. and also the other educator, Emma Tang, who is um Asian-American studies professor at MIT. Oh my gosh. Um she just um just she has such depth of knowledge of the history. Again, both of
them focus on East Coast and I am not an expert in Asian-American studies, but I was invited to share my personal story um of my parents. And so um both my parents were born in China. My mother ended up in Canada and my father ended
up in the US. They met in Boston and so just the stories about what in history brought them to the US and ultimately to stay. But also thank you Primary Source for all that they offer to our teachers and I'm so glad that our teachers participate in the things that they
offer. And that is my report for the moment. >> Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Um Betsy, do we have public comment tonight? Oh my god. No controversy.
>> That's fabulous. Okay, then >> let's go. Yeah. So, now we do school committee actions. Um possible vote to not participate in the school choice program for 2627
school year. Now, we had a conversation about that in February, I believe, as part of the budget. You already had the hearing. So tonight you can entertain a motion. >> I can entertain a motion to not to not participate in school choice. >> Oh, so sorry. >> I got it up.
>> I have it up here. >> Okay. >> Thank you, Val. New glasses. >> Okay. The May 13, 2026 school committee agenda includes a vote on school choice nonparticipation. The school choice law
contained in the Education Reform Act of 1993 assumes that each school committee will admit non-resident students under the school choice program unless there is a vote to the contrary taken by June 1st of each year following a hearing on
the issue. school committee combined the hearing for school choice with the public hearing on the fiscal 2027 budget held on February 12th, 2026. So now any qu Well, let's have a motion to um vote
to nonparticipate in the school choice program. Jesse, >> so moved. >> Is there a second? Donna, um do we have any conversation about this? Are people clear about school choice? Do you know what it is? >> Any questions? new people. FISA, are you aware of this?
>> I actually do have a question. Thank you. So, um, >> use your >> someone can give me a quick over. Sorry. Thank you, uh, Dr. Bob. So, if someone can give me a quick overview of what
this is about, that would be super helpful. Thank you. I appreciate it. >> So, school choice goes way back. Um and actually one of the one of my constant concerns is even if we actually have
seats probably available if we choose to do this but the compensation from the state or from the other communities remains what it was many many years ago. I think it's 5,000 bucks per student as compensation for taking a non-resident student which is ridiculous um obviously
with the inflation that we've had over the many many years. So, um I personally last year I think on on this conversation I said it wouldn't be dumb to accept some students if we had seats um if if there was a reasonable amount of compensation more like 20 25,000
bucks but that's not the way it is and I urge the state legislature to make changes in the school choice program so that actually communities would feel more comfortable taking non-resident students. Jesse. >> Yeah. I would just add that the DESIE number from two years ago was about 26
27,000 per student and it does not include a student who might come in through school choice who requires um OSS support. Correct. >> In which the district would bear the full cost. >> FISA you. >> Okay. Any other questions? Laura,
>> the way that this >> microphone the way that this has worked um it almost sounded like a double negative. So, can you help me understand like if you want to participate, is that a yes? If we don't want to participate, it's a no. Just the the double negative of the wording was confusing to me.
>> Yeah. >> The the the legislation is if you don't vote to not be part of um school choice, it happens by default. So, that might be why it's it's worded that way in the double negative. And you have to take
the vote by a certain date. >> June 1st. By June 1st. And if so if a school committee doesn't you automatically become part of it. >> So if we do not if I if we are voting to not take part we vote yes or we vote no. >> We're going to vote to unparticipate and
that's a yes vote. >> Okay. Yeah. >> Thank you. That double negative was just getting at me. >> Any other questions? >> Then we will have a vote to nonpart to not participate in school choice. How do we vote?
>> You have to call people. Yes, >> Suzanne. >> Yes, >> Val. >> Yes, >> Jesse. >> Yes, >> Donna. >> Yes, >> Sarah. >> Yes, >> Carolyn. >> Yes, >> yes, >> Bob. Yes. >> We will not participate in school choice
2627. Thank you. Okay. >> Yeah, we We missed the student report. >> Oh, there's no report. I'm sorry. Didn't mean Oh, okay. All right. Sorry.
>> No public comment. No report. >> We're glad that you're here. >> Your schedule allowed you to be here. So, we're >> Okay. So, now we have some presentations. Uh, first 6A is an update on the fiscal 27 budget, please.
>> And and so, um, Susan Given, Dr. Given will present some update, but while she's coming up to the podium, I thought this was the right time to also express my gratitude for the support of the schools and all town services manifested by the residents of Brooklyn's robust
turnout at the May 5th election. And so, it's just an opportunity to say thank you. Thank you to all the support and how meaningful that support is to us and um and a relief to have um that that that passage and some thank yous. I do
thank the select board for putting the question on the ballot. I of course thank all the members of the school committee um current and also former for their support and all the hard work. Um also thank you to all the board um in
committee volunteers advisory um revenue and expenditures um that did just all capital like all all the committees that reviewed our budgets asked us questions helped us um make the case for the override and
validated um our proposals. I also thank our town department counterparts um for their contributions to the work at hand and the development of financial forecasts in particular Jazz Kerry and his assistant Melissa
Goff and of course to my appreciation to the senior leadership team to Susan to Karen to Robin all the principles and our administrators who worked with us to resolve efficiencies reorganization and
our proposals for growth as we look forward and um and I I have to say a special gratitude to um Deputy Superintendent Susan Given and to Mariah um for the fiscal acumen they provided through long days um many evenings um
and a lot of detailed analysis to be able to answer all the questions and um m and honestly bolster our credibility on the numbers that we presented. So, just a big thank you to everyone. And so, Susan, you have a little bit of a
update. >> Yes, I do. And and I'm grateful to be able to give a positive update on on our ability to move forward with both programming um and the hiring of staff over the course of the next several
weeks so that we are uh properly staffed for the summer programs that have now been approved. a lot of things went on hold as we were uh holding our breath to see if the override would pass. So, thank you to everyone who uh was able to
support um PSB and the town uh governing um uh bodies in uh passing the override. So, um, at this point, you know, we've we've completed all of the work around, um, sending RIFF notices out, uh, giving
voluntary and involuntary transfers consideration. Um, letters of went out to those that were on leaves of absence this year, letting them know where their assignments would be. significant amount of work um goes into um really uh
getting down into the nitty-gritty of how we're going to staff in the upcoming year. Remember that we did have a retirement incentive program. We had over 20 people retire, so we've had to process all of that work. Um and again, we withheld on filling many of those
positions. um in the uh event that the override failed uh then our uh staffing model would have looked very very differently for the upcoming year. So uh I'd like to thank um the OAF staff as well as uh my
fellow senior leaders and the principles for all the work they did in order to be able to um resolve um a lot of the staffing needs, come up with multiple plans um uh in the event of either scenario happening. So, uh, I did want
to, uh, express my gratitude for that. Um, so we have about over 30 open positions, professional positions right now. Um, we're actively putting those up and, um, trying to fill them as quickly as we can. It's very late in the hiring season to be doing that, but I am
optimistic that we'll be able to fill those. It's my goal to be able to fill as many of those, if not all of them, before I leave. Um, in addition, um, we have over 400 hires for summer programs and we're actively um, processing those
uh, and we feel really good about being able to staff those properly for the upcoming year. Transportation plans are in place for the summer program. I'm also working with the transportation staff to set up our um schedules for uh
the return of school in uh September so that those things will be in place before I leave. Um again um this next upcoming week we'll be looking at sections whether to collapse them whether to add some here or there.
That's what we do this time of year. We're making those decisions uh on Monday with the principles. Um and we'll be able to make those adjustments and fill the positions, make any transfers uh that are necessary in order to be in a good place uh as we close this year um
with a full complement of staff um and sections in place. And last but not least, in very significant work around reconciling FY27 budget with all those retirements um with transfers with uh um
you know looking at uh the tuition cuts we've made, the transportation reductions we made back in the end of February. Uh now where the rubber meets the road is in the detail. And so we're actively working on reconciling those. and I'll I'll provide you with a
reconciled FY27 budget and have that uploaded into Munis for the start of the school year before I leave. So, those are the updates. Um, thought you would uh want to hear some good news about the progress we're making as we run as fast as we can to get programming in place
for our students. Thank you. >> Thank you, Susan. Uh, so the next thing you ready? Were there any questions for Suzanne. >> Yeah. I just want to take a moment, Dr. Given to say thank you. You did all this
without a director of human resources, I believe. And so I I know you didn't do it alone, but your leadership made it happen. I really want to give you an extra shout out for that. Thank you so very much. >> Any other questions for Susan?
Okay, moving on. Um, we have an update in discussion on the vision of a learner. I think Robin is going to do that. Thank you. All right. >> And Brett. >> And Brett. Um, so just to start this
off, we did present to >> We also have John. >> We also have John Andrews in the back. >> Yes. And Hal Mason >> here for support and Hal Mason from the high school as well. So we did present to curriculum subcommittee um a couple months ago, I believe. Um,
but recognizing that not everyone is at curriculum subcommittee, we have new members here and we've made progress on um, the work we're doing since then, we felt like it was appropriate to come back for an update about where we are. Um, so Betsy, I don't know if you're
sharing slides or Brit or Anthony would like to share the slides. What's the best way? >> Brit, can you share the slides? Are you >> I can share them or Betsy now. >> Okay. Thank you. >> All right, >> good luck.
>> So, this is our update. Um, as I often like to do, I just want to kind of ground us in in what we're talking about and um a little bit of um you know, why we're doing this work. So the New England um Association of Schools and
Colleges um as part of their accreditation process um requires a vision of a learner. So it's gone through some different um renditions of the name. I think we've come to you as a portrait of a graduate because at one point that was
how it was um noted in their by their organization. and they have since shifted to vision of a learner which which is kind of a broader um term for it and I think as we talk about it it will make sense why it's not just about the graduate but really about the
experiences that our students have throughout our schools is how we're we're starting to think about it. Um and so the other piece that I'd just like to to talk about in terms of that NEAS process before we begin is thinking about the you know Bob you've mentioned before you know your experience with the
NIASK accreditation process certainly as the at the head of school at BHS um and that process has undergone a revision in 2018 and I think one of the the hallmarks of that revision is really um thinking about the self-reflection piece
for the school and that it's really a process of self-reflection, visit and feedback from visiting teams and I had the great fortune of being on a visiting team recently and I've as I have a number of times but I always find it um really rejuvenating and then also
that idea of continued growth and reflection on the part of the school and the school community. So that's a really important part of that accreditation process. Um the other piece that's a shift in that process is really not just having a singular you know visit but actually there's a couple of visits now.
So it's not just that dennial visit it's really a collaborative conference after some self-reflection from the school where the a visiting team comes in and is checking in and then the dennial happens uh a couple years later. So you've had some you've gotten some feedback, you've gotten an opportunity
to think about what that growth means in the next couple of years and then they come back and they look and see progress and how you're doing and again give give feedback as you continue to move forward. So the vision of a learner is a is a place that where where we are doing
work. Um and it so it really stems out of that accreditation process at at the high school. And what it really is is thinking about the the dispositions, the transferable skills, those transferable habits of
mind that um transcend just content knowledge or singular like the singular focus on academic learning. So it really is pervasive throughout a child's experience um or students experience. And so what it can be, it
can be an anchoring point as we start to think about um the experience of our students from the time they enter, sometimes in pre-k all the way through high school graduation, right? And it helps us give a reflection point of thinking about curriculum, instruction,
um professional learning, how we assess students and that alignment. So, not only are we looking to the content um knowledge that our students bring build, but also the opportunities that help us develop those transferable skills that support students as they enter, you
know, they live in a complex, rapidly changing and increasingly diverse world, right? Um so, think about it in terms of lifelong learning. I, you know, along with some of my colleagues here get to present today. But I also want to acknowledge the our our team that has been kind of leading
this work and Brit and John have been at really the helm of that team and and bringing us together. Um, so we've been working with Brian Denitzio, who is our principal at the Lincoln School, Anthony Meyer, of course, head of school at BHS, Brian Pune, who's the dean of student
support at Brookline High School, John Andrews, who is our curriculum coordinator for 912 English, Matt Rosenthal, who's our curriculum coordinator for math K8, um, and Britt Stevens, our curriculum coordinator for career and edtech at the high school,
and Alexia Thomas, who is our coordinator of school counseling 9 through2. 12. So that we've kind of been the the core group um and as we've brought other people into this work kind of guiding it forward. Okay, the next slide.
Um so really this is a process that across the state schools engage in as part of their accreditation process and what you see here on the slide um is an example of one of another district's where they landed on for their vision of a learner um one of our neighboring
districts and on the other side you see the Massachusetts vision of a graduate um so that has recently come out as well. So the state of Massachusetts has kind of started to think about this in terms of their you know what they would see as a vision for what graduates have. Okay, next slide.
And then as we start to think about that common foundation of of how we help how we build these skills for students, we also have to think about that reflection piece for them and can they see themselves in it. So, you know, really as we've been considering what that
looks like or as, you know, as we work towards it, it's thinking about the I can statements. So, as we're thinking about those, you know, those dispositions that live underneath the heading, it's like, can students then think about it as an action, something that they can actually do and reflect
upon. Um, so those are a couple of examples that are up on the screen there. and I'm going to turn it over to Britt who's going to talk about our timeline and like where we've been and where where we're heading next.
>> Thank you, Robin. Uh thanks folks. Apologies to the members of curriculum subcommittee. Some parts of this may be redundant and congratulations to new members of school committee. Uh this is just an opportunity to uh remind you that this has been a year-long project
that has been underway. So I'll start by just talking through some steps that have already been completed. So in October is really when we launched this work at the high school and that happened during one of our full faculty meetings. We began doing some activities
that uh a group of the people from the team Robin just named had done previously with other districts who are undergoing the same process as ours. So again, prior to the school year, some members of our staff were with other
districts who were working on their vision of a learner project. We took some of the activities that we learned in that space and brought them to the faculty at Brookline High. We quickly followed the following month in November with a continuation of that work on the
professional development day and we invited our K8 and K12 curriculum coordinator colleagues to attend that staff meeting on PD day at Brookline High and that was really an opportunity for us to dig into what we think uh the definition of learning is. So before we
can think about competencies and skills as Robin just named we have to understand in Brookline what does it mean when we think about the definition of learning. So we went through a series of activities again activities that many districts do when they uh take on this
work. We spent December, John and I, um, as well as the team that Robin named, looking through feedback that we got in that November meeting, trying to synthesize that feedback and then writing a draft of our beliefs about
learning. In January, uh, we came to the curriculum subcommittee so that some members of school committee did hear about this project. In January, we also met with the BHS school council to begin explaining the work and to preview some
steps that were to come in February that would engage the community. All the while, November through January at the high school, several of us were running focus groups with different groups of students, engaging them in conversation about their experience at the high
school, the future of the high school, what they wanted the high school to be for them. So that was a opportunity to gather qualitative data with student voice um and to do that while we prepared to gather quantitative data. In
February, we met with K8 principles to preview a survey that would go out to all community members, families. And in February, after that opportunity to speak with principles and get feedback, we sent a survey to all students grades
six and above. uh to all staff members and to all families. And then we spent the time after gathering those survey responses doing some synthesis of that data. So that was November, excuse me, through
January was qualitative data. In February was when we received our quantitative data. In March, we attended uh several members of our working group attended a workshop again with other districts who were also undergoing this
process. And um in that workshop, we were able to take some of that survey data and synthesize it so that we could draft competencies. And those competencies following that workshop were then shared with the superintendent for feedback.
In April, we began taking that draft of competencies and getting feedback from other school-based constituencies. So, members of our team brought that set of competencies and how we arrived at them from the data to K12 curriculum
coordinators, K8 curriculum coordinators, uh our coordinator academic team at the high school. So, that would be all of our 912 coordinators and principles. Following that opportunity to get feedback from all of these inschool constituencies, we've continued to
revise our competencies based on that feedback. And we're now at the stage where we're uh looking at the plan for how we will take uh the draft of competencies we have now and move towards gathering community feedback. So
feedback from stakeholders outside of our school leaders and school staff. That brings us to what is ahead. So, this work will continue um into next year and well beyond that. As Robin said, this really is an opportunity for
us to develop a vision of what we want for all of our learners. So, in the short term, in in the next month or so before the end of the school year, we hope to share a draft of our competencies with community constituencies, get feedback, and do uh
another round of revisions. And we hope to then take those competencies and at least with some BHS students begin drafting I can statements as you saw an example of from Robin's slide. I put an asterisk next to that meet with BHS
students. Of course we can't get to I can statements with BHS students until we have a draft of competencies and it's gone through the right process with the community. So we hope to do that by the end of the year and it might be that we
need to push that into the fall. Uh in the summer or end of school year in the summer there will be a draft year 2 implementation plan that will be developed. Um and we imagine getting feedback on that plan from district leaders from principles. Um and we'll
also be preparing for how we'll launch this work in the fall. and what will happen in the fall will be different for the high school than for um from our K8 schools. Uh so we certainly have done um several meetings already on this topic
at the beginning of this year. We imagine some opening day activities for all staff at Brookline High will be uh related to this topic or we'll be doing activities that connect to our vision of a learner and um in parallel there will be continued work and support for our K8
principles so that they can plan to reach I can statements. It will be really important for us to think about alignment of those statements. So, we want to make sure that a middle school level statement um under the same competency tracks very nicely to what
we're expecting from our high school students. Um and we recognize that the work will need to happen at each K8 school to get us to a place where we can be beginning to work on that alignment. I'm going to pause there and see if
anyone has any questions. Um and I'm happy to flip back to an earlier slide if anyone wants to make that request. He's getting okay. Any questions? Carolyn. >> Thank you, Robin and Brit, for this
update. And I don't what when was the I don't remember when was it sort of in the winter that we talked about this at curriculum. >> It was it would have been around February because it was as we were >> launching the survey out to the community. That was when we were kind of
presenting to various groups to let them know, hey, this is coming. >> This is what it is. We we really want community feedback when that survey goes out. So you know >> So I have a few questions and I'll just put them all out at once. one is I'm just curious
um about the level of response to the surveys, the various surveys. Um and then my other question is about the competencies and also about school committee involvement. I might Part: 2
Castellano our cavalry award winner talk about this that it's so important uh when you're learning something authentically to understand how you're doing and what you need to work on. So assessment will be a huge theme I think of uh building this vision and bringing
it to students and in the life of our schools as we go on. And you may have been giving me too much credit that I was already there. I was thinking we were trying to be reflective as a team to make sure we're following the right steps to do justice to this work. So the vision of the learner stops short of the
assessment. It's it's the I can statements and then the that will be a separate piece. Correct. So if we use the example that Robin used um which was about uh one of the competencies related to the the mass portrait of a graduate
or the Massachusetts Department of Education vision of a learner. Um it was about being self-reflective. So an I can statement would be something like I can identify an area of growth or I can listen to feedback with curiosity and
identify ways to improve. So um we know that in schools assessment can look like all kinds of things. But the question we'll have to ask ourselves as educators once we are at that stage of the work is what does it mean to help using
assessments a student to identify where are they currently in building that competency and so there will be a lot of work in thinking about what is our curriculum oh I hope I mean I'm I'm not the sole member driving this project but I imagine thinking with the teachers I
support in my role about the kinds of assessments we do and how they're aligned to these competencies that we want to build and thinking about using shared language so that when John is talking with his teachers in the English department and I'm talking with my teachers, we're having one conversation
with students to help them be able to identify where they are in establishing those skills. Does that answer your question? >> That's great. Thank you. That answered other questions I had too. So that's great. Thank you. And I I would also argue that, you know, as you look at competencies that are commonly used in a
vision of a or identified within a vision of a learner, they're they're not ones that have a done, right? There's not like check I've refle you know I've reflected you're constantly there are transferable skills that kids carry with them beyond their experience in the
Brooklyn public schools and thinking about that they are always growing in those areas but where do they sit right now what is their strength what are they hoping to get better at as they're as they're developing them and how are we helping them do that along the way >> Suzanne
>> thank you uh and thank you for this I have a a couple of thoughts I remember years ago when we did things around habits of the mind. Is it connected to that? We competencies related to habits of >> they like again when you think about
some of those transferable skills. Some of them are habits of the mind. Some of them are thinking not just habits of the mind but how you engage with others, how you you know how you bring yourself as a person in the world. And it really um
again I think it's really important that all kids across their journey are having these opportunities. So it doesn't just live in one space and it doesn't just live in our classrooms. And so one of the takeaways that I've had around thinking about you know the work working
with other schools and also through some of the NEAS physics that I've done is really thinking about like it's not just our classrooms. These skills are developed on our athletic fields. They're developed in our auditoriums, in our performance ensembles. They're, you
know, developed through throughout a child's experiences. >> Thank you. And so it seems pretty ambitious. I wonder, you know, in June, well, I feel like we're almost in June >> and um that's when you're going to have
a a draft for the community. And then so could you just talk a little bit more about draft for year two implementation? is that that says over the summer starting in the fall. That that feels ambitious to me. So, I'm just curious where you might be in that.
>> Yeah, I could jump in and and explain a bit. So, in uh what we'll do what we did this year really was start this process. So, this year was about uh beginning the process and designing an arc and an experience where we could get to the
competencies by the end of the year. Next year will be about bringing that work into the life of schools and I I believe that it will start at BHS. I think uh though teachers have engaged in several experiences early in the year
and have heard a bit from us since then, they are not yet connecting the dots about assessment and these competencies the way that I just described. for instance and our um K8 principles. Uh Brian has been very engaged in our
working group. They have heard from us a few times. Primarily when we were last with them as a group, we asked for their support in getting a survey to their communities and then they engaged with providing feedback on the competencies. But I don't I don't believe that our
principles have yet had the opportunity to think about how does this work uh live within their schools? what activities might they do at their faculty meetings with staff? How will we engage younger students in developing IAN statements? So, I think the year 2 implementation is really about project
management. It's about how might we identify some key objectives over the next the 26 27 school year so that the work can continue. And I think it will be a many-year project. Anthony loves when we remind him that this will be a
seven or eight or several year project. Um so I I believe that the principles I've never been a principal have the most capacity over the summer to be forward thinking in um what are the objectives of their school over the year when might they have time. So I the goal
of the year 2 implementation plan is just to make sure we are supporting um our superintendent, our district leaders and principles in when they might be able to take a beat to think about next year um what how we might scaffold for them some core objectives
related to the vision of learner. And and Brit, I would just add dead on in all of what you just said that also I heard you hedging a little bit like we imagine having a session with a a stakeholder or set of stakeholders by
the end of this year and it's possible that that's something that would need to move into the fall um depending on a number of factors. We'll want to do that really well. >> Um so I think Suzanne you're you're right. Um, we have an aggressive timeline and we understand, you know,
we're meeting as a steering committee bi-weekly. Um, and we'll make some determinations about how to use the time between now, midmay, and the end of school. >> My understanding is that you you're looking to have competencies ready to
share. And so the the assumption is there's going to be continued um reflection and input on those competencies. You're so they're just not ready to put those out. So it's not a it's not a timeline for finish and implementation.
>> Um to Carolyn's remark before, I know that the group is has actively been thinking about when to involve school committee and how to involve school committee. So that's been part of the active um conversations and so the
presentation now is that it's coming into late spring because the committee won't meet again right till June. So it was really so to bring an an update to the committee at this time. Um I also
want to what you're hearing and it's really important to understand like Brit said um skills that will carry forward and Robin is saying this is you for what um what they carry forward to after they
leave PSB. So the vision of the learner is very much about what students will be able to do upon graduation that forward thinking part um and the reflection on those competencies. Um you asked about habits of mind. So I
think a lot of times when we when we get down to what implementation will look like some of it will be content some of it it's a lot of it we've been talking about skills and then part of it is habits of mind. So habits of mind and skills are not exactly the same thing.
And so when they settle on or they settle on the competencies, I think that's what Brit is talking about. Well, what does that look like in implementation? How will we assess that? How will that live in our curriculum? And so there'll probably be components
of skill and habits of the mind and how those things will integrate. Other questions? >> Carolyn, do you have a question? >> No, I just I can wait. >> No, no, no. Go ahead. Oh, no. I mine was more of a conclusion kind of thing, so I
can wait. >> I mean, you haven't asked a question. Go ahead. >> No, I just actually I I might as well go for it. So, thank you everybody for putting in the effort. I know it takes so much time and energy to to put it together and then constantly be on a
revision cycle. So thank you so much everybody who was involved. Um my one piece um my thought process is going in the direction of um us thinking in terms of um students skill set and students
mindset and I think that's what Bella was talking about the integration of the two um because it's very important to have both pieces going at the same time. So thank you for thinking in those terms and and really thank you so much for all
this work. This is this is great work. Thank you. >> Thank you Fisa Donna. >> Um yeah thank you so much for the work. I have two questions. Um one is I'm wondering where beep fits into this um visional learner although I understand
the impetus like for the initial work but I'm wondering if we're thinking about the experience in prek as well. And then the other question was about how um the vision of a learner work connects to ongoing efforts around um horizontal and
vertical alignment across schools and grade levels. So is this that like the connection between those two those two big bodies of work. So let me I can answer the beep question in that you know Margaret has been part of our our
feedback loop with principles and I think really you know having competencies in place kind of like what are the what are what are those skill sets and mindsets as um as you're putting it that we're trying to help students develop and then comes the work of how does it live in the life of a
student and the experience of a student and so when we think about that we are thinking about that holistically I mean this is really a process that's driven out of the accreditation for our high school, but I think rightfully so, we're thinking about it in terms of the full
experience of a of a student and over time and not just something that lives with the high school. So that's that piece. Um so >> we are we are anticipating um renewing our work on building a strategic plan
for the district and so we know that um for NEAS that the vision of a learner was something that needed to be done and we have expanded it at least to the other grade levels and and Margaret has participated when it's been brought to the principles. So we were we this will
fold into our our district plan. Um and then the other question you asked is kind of connected to that too. So when we think about our vertical work and our horizontal work around um with curriculum that next space of thinking about and I'm going to I'm going to give
an example for instance if we really want our students to be collaborators we need to get you know whatever form that takes in terms of the language we need to give them experiences to collaborate and so we need to ensure that all students are having that horizontally.
how does that grow vertically over their experience again and that you know the same is true of any of those competencies. So it really all ties in um to the full experience and therefore the curriculum that we have and the experiences we have that commonality across all of our schools.
>> Thank you. >> Sorry Bob might just add to Donna's question about written curriculum. So that was an area also within our accreditation process that we identified uh as an area that we needed to work on. So we're in year two working within our
coordinator academic team and more importantly the chairs working with their departments on um documenting written curriculum um vertically and horizontally. So that is both a separate strand of work and as Robin said
interrelated as well. By the way the hearts are the credit of the 22 tapen conference rooms just not my own concoction behind me. you should adopt them. >> Caroline, you have another question. >> Thanks. Just another quick nuts and
bolts question. As I'm looking back through this, I just want to make sure I understand. So like April share draft with school constituencies. I'm get I think you said that was sort of going back to the principles
>> principles coordinators and it was really a very drafty first draft is how I don't well. So that's why it isn't quite ready to go. >> That's fine. That's I just want to get it ready. >> Make sure I'm understanding. And then June it says shared draft with community constituencies.
Is that a different group? And if so, what are the community constituencies? I think that's where we're trying to figure out what does that look like. So when we think beyond like school leaders, let's say, >> think about our parent community, we think about our school community. We
think about how we bring those groups together to gather that feedback and we met recently like what are all the ways we could do that? What seems to be the right thing at this time to get the feedback we need? Right. So is it another survey? Is it a survey? Focus groups. Got it. Got it. So that's where
we're coming at. >> Thank you. >> Anyone else? >> So I have one question. Um anybody can answer this question. So, first of all, I recognize that this is an NEASC requirement to do this. Um, it also
appears that this is a classic Brookline High School task force uh work that is very thoughtful and comprehensive. And so my question is at the end of the day and I might have asked this question back in February at the end of the day what's what's the main benefit may like
one benefit to the students as a result of this rather um significant project. Um well hopefully they students can see it reflected in their experiences their
own personal growth um what they can take with them and I can um I can share something that I don't think I'm speaking outside the the NES visit process like um in the visit I was on recently there was kind of the uh in
speaking with student groups and teacher groups at this particular school a revelation of thinking about like, oh, this is I see this connection. I'm trying to build the skill. Here's this piece of work. I'm reflecting on it. I'm able to show
this as an example and choose the examples of my work that that demonstrate it. And I now have an example that I take with me as I'm and this was a high school student. So, as I'm speaking in my college interview, I
have this when I'm going for a job interview. I can talk about the skills that I've developed. It's not just about my GPA. It's not just about the courses I've taken, but who I am as a learner and what I can contribute. So, >> can I add one thing, Robin? >> Yep. >> Um, shout out to the BHS students who
are in AP season. It's AP season. Um, I, as a high school student, didn't do very well on my AP Chem exam. And nowhere on my AP Chem exam or anywhere in high school was I assessed on my ability to do really well in the class though. Like
I didn't know much about chemistry, but I was able to do well in the class because I had the skill interpersonally to identify the smartest person, convince them to be my lab partner, do other things. And those skills are essential to who I am as an adult in the
world and how well I can work with other people. And I don't think any high school I I'm with you, Bob. We are an exceptional school district and an incredible high school, but I don't think any high school does a good good enough job at assessing students
competencies that they carry into life when they're not easy to assess and they don't map cleanly on what school has traditionally been. And to me, what excites me about this work is the opportunity to build a shared language and culture as educators of thinking
about all of the important stuff that we traditionally assess, of course, and also about what it means to assess something like being a reflective and curious person. Like that is an important essential thing to be a successful adult in the world. And how
do we help students who are really really strong at that skill who may not be strong in other areas to feel like we recognize that in them that we're building experiences where they can practice and show off that skill. Um to me that's a really great thing. Um and
that will be positive for students. Um, not, you know, like vertical and horizontal alignment is not a thing that a student will be excited to hear you say, but there is benefit to helping students see their strengths, whatever they are, and to reinforce that we um
believe that they matter and that we can demonstrate how they matter in all of our programs, on the sports field, in performing arts, in the classroom, in the hallways, in student government. >> So, I I love everything that Britt said.
Um but the essential work is to to develop that north star. >> So we do have horizontal alignment and vertical alignment like we're all working toward the same thing. So this is this is the work to create the north star for us all to follow all together.
And um in this work of building a vision of learning and strategic planning, I often sometimes think that the product is very wordy and I have said to the group and I think this is the direction that they're taking is that it should be accessible
to all students. Students should be able to look at it and say okay that makes sense. This is the vision for me. this is the expectation and these are all the things that we're working toward to see that I can attain those competencies.
Um, but what I everything that Britney said is I agree with and and and um and I love how she says it, how she how she describes it. But it really is you have to have the you have to have the north star so that we can all be working
together um across the grade levels and and at the high school to to achieving that. So that so yes, this will be good for for students um to have that clarity so that we're all doing it together to make sure everyone everyone is getting
what they need um across the district. >> Okay. Thank you, Robin. Thank you, Brit. Thank you, Anthony. I love the background, Anthony. It's beautiful. >> Thank you. We up for schedule. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. So um because um so Anthony and
Hal is here. Hell Mason. Um they are going to provide an update on the high school schedule. >> I'll I'll start as Hal makes his slow way up to the podium. Um uh so Hal is going to present in a
moment. Just a reminder for uh school committee um members new and veteran uh and everyone listening that last year um we had a PRS a problem resolution system complaint um lodged against the high
school for not meeting the structured learning time of 990 hours that are required of high schools. Um the PRS finding um mandated that the high school build a schedule for this year 2526 that
met 990. And as many of you will remember we worked hard and fast um with our coordinators, with our union partners, with district leaders and landed a one-year schedule knowing that we needed to go into this year building
a new schedule for longer term. Um, and I just want to say that the process, which I have not been as directly involved with as Hal, has been really incredible. Um, so Hal always plays a role. He loves building schedules more
than most human beings I know. Um and Dan Breman, our SWS program coordinator, and Josh Paris, our math chair, facilitated the process, which included um representatives from each of our departments, from many of our programs,
um sort of specialty positions, like the person who supports advisory. Um and so what you're going to hear were the constraints that we had um going into this. We knew we needed to meet 990 with
enough um uh time um built in and enough buffer. Um we knew um this is less a constraint um but we knew that X and T uh and Z are really important components
of our students experiences. So, how do we continue to have um those blocks which Hal can speak to? And then we understood that the five minutes for passing time that we offered this year was insufficient especially as students
transitioned from or between 22 tapen and and 115. So, we really wanted to build a schedule and felt like we needed to build a schedule with um seven minutes of passing time. So really grateful for Dan um and Josh working
closely with Hal and for the entire committee that on a val voluntary basis met pretty much bi-weekly from I want to say October through uh today because they care deeply about how we spend time with kids and how our values show up in
our school schedule. So, huge appreciation for Hal and for that uh Dan and Josh and that team and and Hal, I'd say take it away. >> Okay. Well, Betsy, we can now skip to slide 13 since Anthony just took up the first 12 slides. >> Hey, that's
>> uh hard. >> I will uh I I I've done a lot of schedules and I know a lot about these and I know the ins and outs and the things that are important to teachers. Uh but so I'll go fast. There's a bunch of slides, but when you have questions,
whatever level, just raise your hand and I'm happy to stop at any point and go through questions. Here's the team. Uh, as Anthony was saying, it's a diverse group that was it was super important for us to make sure that we had representation from all different parts of the school representing especially
because they would understand what the students within their disciplines, programs would need out of a schedule. And the way this committee was constituted, it was really important to have that constant feedback because we went through so many different iterations of what a possible schedule
could be. The first phase that we were working on was the structure and then after we built the structure that we knew could work and that we knew we could get to agreement with the BEu on, then we began looking at how do we fill in that structure. So I'm going to talk about both of those phases today. So, as
Anthony mentioned, the uh schedule that we had to build for this year, we sort of built it in a hurry at the end of last year was a schedule that satisfied the state in terms of our 990 requirements. Uh it lengthened the school day a little bit. Uh we got the
the BEu agreed with us thankfully for a one-year uh accepted this schedule for a one as a one year. It's a confusing schedule and the thing that we liked least about this was the confusing aspect. many years a several years ago
we instituted the 4-day week schedule which was really helpful but even within that it gets a little complicated as to which is a day three and day four which only affects a few classes but the in this year it also involved a shift of when we have t and when we have x and it
becomes confusing sometimes for kids to know what day is it especially on those four day weeks and there are a lot of those four day weeks. Uh, next slide. As Anthony was alluding to, these are some of the values that we had. We want to make sure that we could meet time on learning. There's a contract and we had
to make sure that any any variant that we came up with complied with the contract. There were a lot of great ideas that we had which would say, oh, it'd be great if we could go a half hour longer on a given day or if we could change some parameter and that was
really not going to be on the table. We knew that we couldn't put the school committee in the position of having to bargain uh for any large uh change to uh the structure of what's in the contract. Now, as Anthony mentioned, super important for us to preserve some
semblance of Xlock, some concept of advisory, and especially to preserve Zblock. Uh we also have a really big campus and the model of how that campus works requires us to have a minimum of seven minutes of passing. The schedule
that we just showed you for this year worked because we went to five minutes of passing. And I made several changes that sort of helped and minimized the number of times that a kid would what we would say pingpong between the 115 building and the 22 building. But we uh
5 minutes really isn't enough to to accomplish what this campus is designed to do. We we had 7 minutes prior to that. Sometimes that's not enough either, but it's certainly uh for most kids most of the time. It's a it it
works. We also had a strong urge to make this consistent and predictable. This was from teacher surveys and it was also reflected in in what we heard from kids that they wanted to see a schedule that they understood that they wanted to be able to follow a schedule much more
easily and uh we think that we were really happy with this the structure of the schedule that we built. We also wanted to get some time for supports. Next slide please. Uh we tried a fiveday schedule. We tried can we do this within a week? Can we have a oneweek schedule
like we've had before? Uh can we do the uh if we did three sessions out of five? So we have seven blocks current schedule all those seven blocks meet four times over five days. What if we went to three times over five
days? What would that look like? And we tried many different uh variations of that. It just doesn't work. It's the classes are too long. Everybody agreed that you'd have 80 plus minute classes. You'd have varied lengths. You wouldn't be able to get the consistency. It's a very messy schedule. It's the schedule
that Newton uses and uh we've heard very mixed reports of how that uh works in Newton. Then we looked at what if we kept it this way? What if we did the four out of five? And again, the problem there is to really build in the adequate passing time and achieve 990. We're just
not going to be able to get it within the structure of the school day that we have. So with that with the idea that we have a minimum of seven minutes of passing with the time on learning constraints of needing 990 really the answer comes in building fewer transitions because those
little those seven minutes add up and anytime I can minimize that seven minutes or have fewer of those transitions. It makes an enormous difference over the course of a year in the in terms of the hours. one minute, one additional minute of of instruction over the course of the year essentially
equals 16 hours. So it just every little place where we could carve out minutes made huge differences over the course of the year. Fewer transitions, fewer blocks every day. Currently now for most days we have six blocks a day to
accomplish the 28 blocks that we need as well as the advisory block and the X block. Uh now we're going to extend that same number of blocks, that same 30 blocks, uh 28 plus the two, those same 30 blocks instead of squeezing into five days, those are going to go into six
days. Longer blocks and uh to do that, we needed to go more than five. We looked at a six- day schedule, 7-day schedule, 8day schedule that the committee settled on a six-day schedule. Um that was um uh the one that you'll see in just a second. Just a note about this big
change. And that's a big change for people. People are used to a standard 5day week. Everybody's used to a five-day week and make schedules on a 5-day week. And I'm going to show you some of the ways that we're talking about that within the school because it's a big change for everybody, change for the staff, change for kids, change for families. Obviously, what we wanted
to point out and one of the key data points that we came up with that this year we had 19 standard 5-day weeks. 21 times this year we had a non-standard schedule. that is it was either a 4-day week or there was an MCCAST or there was a half day or there was snow days we
counted in there but there were a large number of times we don't have a five-day week and so we're on those alternate schedules already and kids are already asking on the 4-day week or those non-stated weeks what is the schedule today and coming up with a way that
minimize that question really I think was key to uh getting to a successful schedule so what that means overall for the course of the year is that students will if for most classes will have approximately 15 fewer meetings with their class, any individual class, but they will have the same number of
minutes. In fact, they'll have slightly more minutes within each individual class. It's a change and it's certainly a change that uh teachers are talking about and and are going to be um adjusting to over the course of the year. Bel, >> thanks. So, when you have those non-standard four day weeks, are you
just going to rotate day one you missed the first time, day two? So there yeah there will be no the the days will just continue to march in order. So if it's day six is on a Friday and or let's say day four is on a Friday and it's a
Monday holiday then day five happens on Tuesday. So the days just continue to flow. I'll show you that uh in just a moment. So uh it's a six- day rotating schedule with five blocks. Uh each each day will be assigned a specific day in a row each day of the year. So, we're going to
print out and we've already been started talking about uh assembling that year-long calendar. You'll see a version of it uh in a moment. And there will be no modifications to that. So, we're going to build that schedule for before September uh for if for no other reason than to make sure the bus companies know
when that pick up when we have alternate days and what that schedule's going to be. But for also because we want everybody to know they could plan out when they have certain things to do based on uh a year-long schedule. So that will not be modified. The the the only thing that could happen during that
year would be something like a snow day and that day would just get skipped. So if it snowed on day three, then you'd come back and it would be day four. Next slide. Oh, I'm sorry. Go back up on it. There seems to be one
Oh. Oh, okay. That was an earlier version, right? >> Okay. Uh, yeah, I made some edits on it afterwards, I guess. Uh, so yes, the um the the key one of the key aspects of the schedule is that the blocks, every
one of the periods, so we now have it'll be a five period day every single day. And period one will start and end at the same time every single day. Period four will begin and end at the same time every single day. The lunch blocks, the two different lunch blocks that we have will start and end at the same time
every single day. The school day will start at the same time. The school day will end at the same time. So many teachers and so many different disciplines within the school said this was so important for students in terms of executive function, in terms of just being able to organize themselves and
and find their way around through a schedule. And so that was really one of the prime goals that we had in building this schedule. Uh, we're not going to be talking about start and end times. We're close. We've been talking with Justin. We've been talking with Eric Schiff at the school and they've been working with their
reps. Uh, somewhere between 8:10 and 8:20 school day will start. Somewhere between 3 and 3:10 the school day will end. We don't know yet. We're still working on that. I'm I'm I'm confident that we'll get to agreement uh on that shortly and then we'll be able to print
the the full look at what the schedule is for everybody. Uh Justin, any objection to anything I just said? Thank you. Uh and so we'll meet a slight change that the length of the day might be might wind up being exactly the same length as it is this uh this year with a
slight shift maybe a five minute shift that's going to allow us to have a more uh substantive zblock programming which again is some a value that we have and supports a lot of important programming at the school. So something like this we we should know uh I I would hope
certainly by the end of this month we will have that nailed down uh and that you know we'll have an agreement as to what the times will be for this year. So uh the structure of the schedule is going to look different. So here's just a graphic representation of what the
week looks like of what the cycle looks like. We're no longer going to be calling it weeks but it's a six day cycle. So within that cycle, one of the really important things to educators is that they stay in sequence with their classes. So there are going to be four sevenb block cycles within the schedule
and each class will meet one time before the second meeting of that class and that second meeting of each of each block of each uh subject class will all those second meetings will happen before the third meeting. This is super important for my teachers who are
teaching three sections of the same class and need to be able to track exactly where they are. And by eliminating the occasional missed block on Monday, the bane of many teachers existence was teaching that eblock class on the old schedule that Dr. Bob would
remember that eblock class that didn't meet on Monday and you had five extra meetings of eblock because all the Monday holidays. So all of that gets thrown by with this schedule that just skips over and the courses are always going to stay in essentially the same sequence so that you know that you're on
the essentially the same lesson uh with different with each one of your sections. Val >> again mean that Zblock would start at like 7:15. >> Zlock will start at 7:30 by contract. The latest the earliest Zblock can start at 7:30. >> So Zlock I'm sorry Zlock I should have clarified is not 70 is not a 70m minute
block. Z block is shorter >> 45 minutes. How does that work with what with an 810? >> Uh it probably won't be 810, but uh that's the range of what we're working on. So it'll be somewhere in that range. >> Got it. Thanks.
>> Uh yep. Next slide, please. Oh, I'm sorry. Uh go you can go back one slide. Sorry. Uh you'll also notice those two little blocks that are in aqua and orange extra. And this is where and this is an experiment that we're trying for this year. This is where we're going to
be seating our advisory and Xlock in on the day three at the end of the day will be a combination advisory and Xlock. On day f on day six we'll have a combination of advisory and teacher collaboration time and those will happen at the end of the day. We've had a lot
of discussion about this and people think that it's an interesting thing to try especially with X. Uh but we think that there's some value there. We think that that there's a lot of kids that get really involved in their Xlock activities and those get cut short that
they have just you know 35 minutes for that X block and given their brothers they would stay for 45 minutes or 65 minutes or whatever it might be and so we're going to try to see if this is a successful model for us to have that day three have advisory block followed by
Xlock and again day six we have the uh an advisory followed by our contra actually obligated collaboration time. So there will be for students and families every day six will be an early dismissal. That day will instead of ending at say 3:00 will end at two it
will end 50 minutes earlier than whatever the end time is that we settle on. >> And so um so does that mean Hal if day three is X oh X and advisory are going to rotate?
>> No, they'll be together. There'll be a 30 minute >> uh advisory followed by a 40minut. >> Perfect. >> Thank you. Awesome. >> Bety, you can go to the next line. >> Sorry. Do you currently have sports teams that are scheduled to start um to to like always have competition on
Wednesday because it it's an earlier day and they won't be able to uh they'll have to then sort of like leave earlier now and the end of the day. Uh so in your question is really will the slightly later possibly end of
daytime cause that problem? >> Yeah, >> it might. Uh we're not going to be the latest in the league because Newton has taken that crown with their 400 PM dismissal. So it's it's always been a problem. We've already been later than most of the league and it's certainly a problem when we have teams going to
Brainree or something like that. You know that that will continue to be a problem. There is some benefit of of of you know and Kyle will work to try to align trying to get those days to agree with the day six. Make that long travel day a day six where we have the
50-minute early dismissal. We're going to try to use that as much as possible to our advantage. The league sets certain days that are the preferred league days, >> but there is some flexibility and and ads are constantly talking with each other and moving things around for many
reasons. And this would be a certainly a really potent reason for us to say to try to make sure that we have as much activity happening on that day six and to some degree on the day three. And Hal, just to to add to uh your
response to Sarah's good question, the idea that we'll be able to lay out the entire 180day um year with which day each will be, I think will be hugely beneficial for Kyle and his team in terms of scheduling and knowing when the
various days fall. So, we're we're really um glad to be able to achieve that end and share that with students and families before the end of the year. and it will fuel the scheduling work that Kyle, Amanda, and Jasmine need to do.
>> Here's a slide that just builds that out a little bit. Shows you what what's going to happen. The day three is T plus advisory uh the T/advisory plus the X block and the day six the T advisory plus the collab time. Uh and we were already considering that some of these advisory blocks and andor some of these
X blocks may be converted to some type of help blockin block something along that line that will have these extra times that we're thinking once a quarter before midterms before uh end of quarter dates when when work starts to pile up for kids that we would convert some of
these days into a more structured learning time especially the Xlock component once a quarter. uh that will uh be beneficial for everyone and build in some of that extra time. Next slide. >> Donna, so what does it look like? Oh,
sorry. >> Thanks, H. Um can you just spend a minute or two talking about um how this might impact um IEP minutes and and students who have learning center blocks?
Yes, I certainly the the uh special educ and we've been talking about that there will need to be some change in the service delivery grids that will be written in. Uh it'll just change the number of minutes essentially will be the same. >> So that the frequency will change. So the right currently they're written as a
frequency of four typically frequency of four times a week since our block meets four times a week. So those will just get rewritten. And I did talk with um with Robin about this and she said there's a relatively simple mechanism they could use to globally change what is in those service delivery grids to
talk about the the number of minutes that will occur during a week for services. >> So I would just make a suggestion that at some point someone reaches out to CPAC maybe and talks to the co-chairs so they can get information out to families. >> Sure. >> And they're not alarmed and feel more
more prepared and informed. Yes, >> I think that makes a great deal of sense, Donna, to to even um whether it's Robin and her team and Hal and me meeting with CPAC before the end of the year to share some of these details. One
other feature of this schedule that doesn't um it supports some students in special education and more broadly um many students who carry time and a half um uh that accommodation for tests. We
believe the 70 minute periods will be really supportive of a teacher or teachers having 45 minute exams and building time and a half into that block rather than ending the block and needing to go to a tutorial or a learning center
a teacher's office. So not a direct answer to your question Donna but something related that we like about this schedule. >> Yeah certainly a value sorry >> thank you. No I think that's really helpful. I, you know, I think I brought this up in in new business the other day, but I I'd be interested in like
over time seeing the impact over with um the impact on um attendance for students who struggle with um school aversion or executive function deficits because I think this is a much cleaner >> we think. So, yeah. >> So, here's a model of what the week of
what a month might look like. So, this would be September of 26. The first two days would be a different schedule. We'll have assembly programs on those days. Usually we have we have all seven blocks meet each day uh going uh quickly so you can get to meet your teachers. And then uh Monday the 7th of course
will be Labor Day. The 8th is day one, 9th day 2, 10th day three, 11th day four straight through through the next week. Day three on the Friday the 18th the 21st the Jewish holiday. So instead of then we would go from the 18th to the 22nd then would become would just follow as day four. And this is the type of
schedule if you can go to the next slide please. We're going to build out this schedule for the entire year. So, this is not the finalized version. This is just a sample of what this will look like. We built this early on just as sort of a con just to help that my team our team conceptualize of what this
would look like. And so, the faculty can conceptualize what this will look like over the year. In this case, it's broken out and colorcoded uh by quarter. So, we have, you know, all the colors here represent different quarters. And one of the efforts that would that happened
here uh from one of my really talented math teachers was to build this so that you had equivalent numbers of cycles uh that is say equivalent numbers of six day cycles in each quarter. So the quarter ends right when a full six day cycle ends. And that's the green for the
first quarter. Uh purple obviously goes through and with with days blocked off for midterms and holidays of course. Uh this again, don't don't take this as a final version, but it's a pretty good draft version of what this will look like for everybody for next year. >> Next slide, please. Oh, Jesse.
>> Yes. >> Yeah, I might have missed it. In November, the earies or in general the earies, how much earlier than regular is that? Is that like till noon? >> Early like >> the November dismissal for Thanksgiving is is is noon. >> And the other the other
>> other early dismissals for the high school are 12:45. Right. The second question has to do with the three weeks of outs in the same month which looks to be the only month of the year in which that occurs. So, you know, some people call it's like no school November. You
don't really have a full week of school in November. And then of course people take off earlier than the early dismissal because families make their arrangements now for you know longer week Thanksgivings which we can't control but there's only one week of actual education of five days. Is there
a way to modify that? move the outs. Is that union controlled? >> No. >> So, one is veterans, the other is Thanksgiving. >> Yeah. There's the professional development onction day. >> Oh, it's not. It's PD or it's >> teacher PD.
But they always on election day. >> On the day. Okay. >> Okay. >> The prefers that we >> don't have everybody moving around. I get it. Okay. So, so one is election, one is >> one is Veterans Day and then the half day >> Thanksgiving. >> Happy November of the election. Got it.
Thank you. >> So, my compliments to the chefs. >> This is incredibly complex. >> Not only finding time, but it's also taking into account the particular needs of kind of different kinds of kids. >> Um, >> thanks.
>> You love it, right Hal? >> Well, I'm sorry. >> You love doing this >> sometimes. Yeah. >> It's really brilliant. I love it. Thank you. >> Um, so what I'm going to show you next is a just a sample of what this is going to look like. This is less important for kids. This is less important for
families. This is really important for teachers. Exactly which block falls where and what these patterns are. The first half of what my committee of what the committee did, it wasn't really my committee. It was really Dan Breman and Josh Paris. I was just sort of there as an interested participant. The uh the
first half of the meetings that we had over the course of the year was was building that structure. And once we came to a structure that we liked, we brought that to the faculty. We got feedback on the structure that we built. Then we turned to the idea of okay, how will this look in day-to-day operation? And this is vital for teachers. There's so many constraints that get built into
this. So you're looking at here is a waterfall version. That is every block falls in order. This is not going to be the schedule. This would be a disaster. This would violate so many of the constraints of what would help us make the school work the way that we want it to work. I'm going to show you another
version that's also a broken version, but is more like what the schedule is going to be. This is a broken version simply because it would make certain teachers schedules illegal schedules. I wouldn't be able to run ZBlock because I would not then be able to give ZBlock
teachers a schedule that fits within their contractual day. And that's because I have four three different blocks running in the fifth period of the day. And that would not work contractually. But it gives you some idea of what a schedule might look like. It complies with the with the concept
that each block meets one time before any block meets the second time. And then it also complies with most of what we need to make our AP science labs works. It complies with most of what we need to to allow some flexibility for part-time teachers to have a schedule
that is compact enough that makes it attractive for part times. It spreads out where the lunches fall. It gives good diversity of the blocks. It's a pretty good schedule, but it's not the final schedule. We we did today in the our last committee meeting approve what
that schedule is. I'm not sharing that with you now. It's less important for you, frankly. It's much more important for my staff and I didn't want we didn't want to share it with you before the staff has seen it. So, we're uh Dan and Josh and I are writing up that uh exp the explanation of how we landed on that
block schedule for the staff. They'll get that tomorrow, possibly on Friday, and then we'll be happy to share that with you. And of course, we'll be sharing it with all the parent community and students uh shortly thereafter. >> Comments, questions? Carolyn, >> thanks Hal. This is super cool
>> and um and clear. This is sort of like a tech question and you might not be able to answer the question but I guess it's I'm going to ask it in an aspirational way given that
so if I'm looking at this so so I think you're saying that for kids they're not going to have the same class like now like my kid has I don't know a
English is always A >> right >> this is going to be not that is that correct? >> No that will remain the same. So we're talking about blocks and periods and then they fall into different >> phases within the cycle say. So your
class could be a block English and b block science and c block music and >> but a but a might fall at a different or like d falls at a different period depending on >> right there. There'll be variety when
you when you see that teacher. Do you think there's any way that the is there any technology that exists putting aside that perhaps phones go away but let's pretend that everybody
still has a phone next year is there a way ever and I don't think the answer is yes either through Aspen or not Aspen or some technology where kids can put their schedule in
>> so that they can >> Yes, for sure. >> Other than just like I always like >> there are independent programs that kids use now. >> Okay. >> Track which which the there there are there are apps kids can use uh that learn the school schedule.
>> Okay. lay that out in for a kid so a kid can look on their phone and see what what the schedule >> so all this time that I've been like doing a PDF and sticking it in the front of my 17-year-old's binder I didn't need to do that there was an app for that >> there was an app there is an app for
that yes and kids do use those apps >> and then I do have a related question right now the way it works which is fine we have the fiveday the 4day when there's a change, we get a reminder
in the guidance and sometimes also from Anthony and then especially if there's like a snow day then there's a change to the change. Is there any way that this could become like a live because I think what this if I'm understanding it if there's
a snow day then everything's going to shift. Is that >> no shift? >> No shift. So the we're going to print that year-long schedule and that's going to be the schedule >> no matter what happens because we need to do that a for buses, B for teachers
so they know they you know this is going to introduce all sorts of different child care issues for teachers and for parents and for pickup and drop off and you know kids that have free blocks be different days. you were saying at the beginning there's not now the like when
it's a four a day it's day one is a w you'll be you'll know you'll know that you know your son has uh let's say he has freeb and you'll know oh okay so I know if I'm going to schedule an orthodontist appointment for him I can do it on B block because I know that
it's going to be day two on November 15th and I'll schedule the or >> that does get me literally with the orthodontist I always seem to pick it on the day that ends up being a weird day, >> right? >> Cool. >> This is great. Thank you, >> Dr. Laura Baines Walsh.
>> I'm actually going to piggyback off what Caroline was saying, but first of all, as a teacher, I really love what you're doing here because I have been hit with the infamous Monday with my AP Gov class, and it's made me want to pull out my hair. So, thank you for that. Caroline, to your point, my school actually, and this is something I was going to suggest you look into, uh, the
school has a program that integrates with Google Calendar. So, it automatically populates the students schedule into their Google calendar. And this has been really useful for us because it allows students like I can pull up a student's schedule and see if we have mutual freeze. We can make appointments with each other. And from
an executive function point of view, the kids, they all have their laptops. They can look on their Google calendars and and see where their classes are. >> I definitely want to know more. >> Yeah. So, that's something. >> Is there a weekly schedule or is it >> our schedule is really dumb. So, no, it's a 10day rotating. So if if Google
can handle our schedule looks which looks way dumber than yours, I think um >> yours doesn't look dumb. >> No, mine looks dumb. Yours looks beautiful. >> Oh, don't worry. I've had schedules of mine be called very dumb. >> No, I love this. I'm in love. Um but I
think having a program like that that would integrate with the Google Suite would make a world of difference. As a faculty member, it makes my life possible. It also then as a faculty member, it populates onto my watch so I know where to go. So happy to once you guys know what you're doing kind of put you in contact with our tech people but
it's been a game changer. >> I'd love to hear about that. Thank you. >> Okay. We're 20 minutes behind schedule tonight. Anyone any absolutely necessary questions or comments? >> Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Great job. >> Thanks Hal. Thanks everybody.
>> Thank you Anthony. >> Yeah, of course. Let's go team. >> Okay. So now we have Aaron Osborne, a finalist for the deputy superintendent for business and finance. Now we have a decision to make. I believe maybe now maybe.
>> No, we have to interview first. >> No, no. First we interview and then we decide whether to have a conversation publicly, which we will. >> No, we have to have it first. >> Say that again. >> One more. >> We interview. We discuss the candidate.
We take the first vote if we are so inclined and then we go to executive session about a contract if we are so inclined. >> Okay. So in public we make a decision. >> Yes. >> Okay. So we we have Bella Wong's candidate have a
>> join us at the podium make a presentation. We'll ask you lots of questions. Aaron Osborne. >> Hi. >> Thank you. >> I'm gonna just out my >> Tell us about yourself. >> Tell us about yourself. Sure. So, uh I am currently the director of finance and
operations at Berlin Boilston Regional Schools. Uh prior to that, I was at Hampton uh Wilberham Regional Schools. So, I have uh background in both municipal and regional school districts. Uh I've also worked in the private
sector uh as well as um for a housing authority. I have nonprofit experience, private sector experience, uh as well as municipal and regional school district. Uh born and raised in Western Massachusetts, product of the state university system, University of
Massachusetts, University of Massachusetts Boston, where I received my MBA. Uh worked in Boston, moved to California for 11 years. uh started a family, uh got married, had two kids, uh
dragged them back here, um uh to be closer to family. Uh my family, um her family still is in California, so we've got some back and forth. Um uh my wife is is at heart more of a city person
than me. I grew up, you know, in the the country of Western Mass. Um and uh we are now about to become empty nesters. Uh so uh the time is right to think about um moving somewhere that is more
amendable to uh my wife's liking. Um so uh we've begun kind of poking around and and this is uh the juncture of that or sort of the nexus of that coming together. So uh I put in for the
position. Uh, I love the area. I I I love Boston. I I spent a lot of time in the city, uh, working and, uh, during school. So, um, yeah, that's pretty much it. That's me in a nutshell. >> I apologize. I wasn't here to welcome
Erin to the podium. Anyway, so it just is a delayed delayed one. Um I thank Suzanne Kenny and S Suzanne Kenny our um consultant for HR who put together a rigorous search process. There were um
many candidates. We had a strong pool um and thank you all the members of the interview team that went through that process and um and so so Aaron is being presented and on the recommendation of of the committee and myself for your
consideration for the position. Anyway, so welcome Erin. Thank you. Yeah, >> thank you Bella. Belle, >> thank you. Um, so my question is you come from rural and um small districts. >> Sure. >> What prepares you for a a complex place
like Brooklyn? >> Sure. Um, so uh if you look at my resume, I also worked for the uh housing authorities of the city and county of Fresno. um that was at the time uh around 110 give or take million dollar organization
with uh 500 employees uh scattered throughout uh the city and county of Fresno. Uh if you're familiar with how big and diverse uh Fresno County is, uh it is um about the size of Rhode Island.
Um so we had um uh migrant uh housing uh developments um in outlying areas. We had lowincome housing units uh all throughout the county. Uh and so we managed the finances, my department managed the
finances and administration for um that entire organization. >> Jesse. >> Yeah. Um there's been a lot of work done in the Welcome by the way. >> Thank you. >> Thank you for being here. >> Transportation. So um could you speak
about where your background in transportation and pri in other either regional where there is a lot of busing probably for transportation? >> Sure. Yeah. >> And even in this urban area where I know Dr. Given has spent an enormous amount of time very successfully, sometimes over a longer period of time than we wanted, but still got to the finish line
in terms of handling a complex transportation busing uh structure that we have in Brooklyn. >> Sure. Um I'm not I'm not entirely familiar with Brooklyn's busing system, but uh out in Western Mass, um we have a lot of regional schools uh that are very
large and diverse. um using that term again. Um but uh we have you know bus routes that extend um more than an hour through five or six separate towns uh ranging hundreds of miles a day.
>> Um managing those routes and managing drop offs and pickups where we've we've just dealt with this past year uh adjusting our transportation routes at Berlin Boilston. Uh we had situations where um our buses were running the the
the reverse route um going home each day. And so we had some students who were the first picked up and they spent a full hour on the bus coming to school and then they were the last dropped off. So they spent a full hour. We spent >> recording stopped
>> working with our bus company uh to adjust those routes and alter them so that um they could make the uh the the first picked up the first dropped off on
each route. So they revised those routes to accommodate this past year and I worked with the bus company. I am also right now, given we're not that big a district, I am the first point of contact for all of our bus issues. So when parents have issues with drop offs,
pickups, uh I am driving to uh the bus stop location. I'm reviewing bus stops. I'm working with our bus company to review safety at every stop um and look at traffic considerations. I've worked with police departments to look at stops
uh out where I am. We also have many many uh dead end and culde-sac streets. They're very difficult to get big buses up. Um so we have a lot of considerations around that and conversations around how we accommodate those those families who live in those situations.
>> Thank you. Question two of three. Um what about G given your your focus on fiscal matters? What brings you the most satisfaction in getting to the sort of finish line on you know in money related budgeting and capital planning and things like that? What brings you the
most satisfaction? >> Sorry, one second. >> No problem. >> Um I I I think providing re resources to students. Um I I really enjoy um and I've always uh tried to include myself
on things like learning walks. Um I I go to reading days. um whenever I have an opportunity to do that. Um and I really like to see where the money ends up in terms of providing outcomes for students. Um I grew up in a family my
mother was a a teacher, a special education teacher and then a special education director. So I have a special affinity for students who struggle in school um and have various learning disabilities. Uh my wife is an occupational therapist and an assisted
technology coordinator. So I I learn from her every day um about how the the money we provide to the schools really really reaches those students and how it changes their lives in meaningful ways. So that that is really what brings me
passion. Um you know it's nice to have a clean audit report and no findings and we can all celebrate that as a department. Uh but nothing brings me more joy uh than uh seeing classrooms and children learning. >> Okay. Then just one really quick third
question which wasn't in the resume. What can you tell us one thing you like to do in your spare time? >> A hobby, a personal first swim. I I I grew up a swimmer. Um I swam competitively in high school and college. I I was a division three national level swimmer. Um, I I still
most people watch like the the the the basketball tournaments, you know, March Madness. I watch the leadup to the NCAA swim championship, division two and division one levels. >> Um, it's kind of wonky, but it's what I
love and it's my passion. I >> thanks for sharing that. I appreciate it. Thank you. Thanks for sharing that. >> Thank you. >> Um, so recording in progress. Um, so th this position oversees human resources and I'd like to hear about your experience with HR.
>> Uh, sure. Um, I in in the districts I've been in, uh, we are largely again districts that that have been a little smaller. Um, wear many hats. Um, at Hampton Wilberham, I was the assistant superintendent for finance operations and human resources. I was effectively
the human resources director for the district. Um, I am an active member of MASSPA, which is the Mass Association of School Personnel Administrators. Um I I I am not a classically educated
um human resources administrator. Um more of a trial by fire um learning as I I went um human resources person, but um I take in all the knowledge I can. Um I also uh take special appreciation um for
legal matters. So, uh, my big day every year with MASPA is they they hold a law day and you go through all of the latest cases, the case law, uh, in human resources law and personnel law. I find it fascinating um, and interesting and
and some of the stories are kind of fun, but uh, it is what it is. Yeah. So, so again not classically trained but uh I probably have 10 years of experience in some way shape or form managing um human resources and personnel.
>> FISA. >> Yes, thank you for being here. Um two questions. Uh one is that uh in my professional experience I have seen uh the assistant superintendent of teaching and learning and assistant
superintendent of uh student services uh working well together. It's usually this position that kind of stands out because of such a specialized piece. So So first of all, how do you build the team? How
do you build that camaraderie with the other two assistant superintendents? And the the next question is that um usually uh one of the criticisms for your position is that um what do you know about the classroom because so both
those questions if you don't mind I will appreciate. >> Uh sure. So um when when I moved from from California um I I did so with the intent of becoming a teacher. Um I I was a teacher for um seven years um until a
a principal I worked with um asked me to take on a a different role um as an administrator. Um uh she recruited me to uh another district as a supervisor of instruction. Uh so I went with her um
and sort of jumped into administration knowing my background in finance. um she needed help sorting through grants. So in that district, the supervisor instruction was in charge of all grants. Um so I worked to help sort out the title one, the idea grants. At
that point there was um I'm trying to remember there was the 2008 recover uh ARA grants. I I think it was the ARA grants. I can't remember the exact title of it, but it was similar to some of the COVID grants during the um you know financial crisis around 2008 2010.
um there were those funds. So, so I I work diligently to sort those grants out uh as well as lead um uh math and science instruction um in in that capacity. Uh we worked on uh curricul
developing curriculum maps um and our ELLL curriculum. Somehow ended up being also the director of ELLL in that district. Um which was strange because I had no experience in it. But uh I dove in um I followed the desi model and
strove to sort of rebuild a program that um was in disarray. Uh so definitely a background in I have a tremendous appreciation for it. As I said I I try to attend things like learning walks. I try to be involved um in my capacity. I
meet with um my curriculum director and u my student services director right now on a very regular basis. In fact, will be meeting next week to discuss spendown of those grants. >> Um I usually have done either the
writing of the title grants and and even the idea grants sometimes in the past um as well as amendments to those grants. >> Perfect. Thank you. >> Did I hit both pieces? I apologize. >> Yes. Yes. Yes, you did. Yes. Thank you so much. Yeah. >> Suzanne,
>> thank you and welcome. Erin, I wonder uh where you might want to be in five years from now and uh maybe you could address uh some of the frequent uh jobs that you've had. You It's looking like you're
two years, three years, you know. So, I'm thinking >> y >> we're thinking maybe somebody who can commit longer than that. I So, I'm just curious about that. >> Love to be here for five years. Um uh some of the moves I've made and in fact
a number of the moves I made um have been active recruitments. So as I shared um I was recruited from being a teacher uh into an administrative role with South Bridge Schools. Um in that role um while I was there um their finance
director left um left her keys on the the desk and left a note and didn't show you know just that was it. She left one night and didn't come back. So, they asked me to step in as interim. I stepped in as interim. They they moved me up. Um if you follow the history of
Southbridge Public Schools, um they were then taken over by the state. Um I I moved on to another district and was then recruited again by that same person who brought me to Southbridge. Um so, she had become uh the superintendent of
schools in Palmer public schools. um she supported me and mentored me in attaining my superintendence license. I moved on to um Hampshire Regional Schools for a while. Um really realized that being a superintendent was not what
I wanted to do. Um I I really enjoy what I do in this role. Um and maybe that wasn't the right move for me. I moved on to Hampton Wilberham Regional Schools. Um and the my current position is the
result of another recruitment. So the superintendent at Hampton Wilberham Regional Schools retired um became the interim superintendent at Burland Boilston Regional Schools. They were in a financial crisis as well as um
a uh a business office that uh had been entirely gutted. So they had zero staff in that office. Um so he recruited me to come in um clean things up. They had been through um sort of the dismissal of a director of finance. Um a third party
consultant came in uh then they brought into in a short-term interim. Um so he asked me to consider coming there and based on my relationship with him in our background together uh I agreed to do so. Um, and so now I I sort of
stand at this crossroads where, um, you know, as I said, uh, where my wife and I are kind of empty nesters now, and it's a bit my turn to, uh, step to to make a move that that maybe is more in my wife's interest.
So, we're looking to do so. Um, I I I again love love the Brooklyn area. I love Boston. There's no um, you know, question about my commitment to be in this area. Um, I I welcome you to put a five-year contract in front of me. I mean, know
that that's, you know, um, that's fine with me. Um, you know, my intent would be to be here for five years. >> So, excuse me, Suzanne asked the question, one of the questions I was going to ask. Thank you. I have two more questions. In terms of uh, financial
systems, technology, what are you familiar with and do they align with what we have here in Brooklyn? Sure. So, uh I have my most of my experience um comes with infinite visions which is
sort of the twin sibling um of uh Munis which I I know uh Brookline uses. Um so they're very similar systems um but not ex Oh gosh, thank you so much. Um, I love salts or water and I'm
sorry I just I just finished a a minor cold and um I have asthma and the followup to any cold means that I end up really I'm okay. I just water is great. Yes, thank you. Um >> I have a loss you want. >> Thank you. Thank you. I really
appreciate it. But I I I think just a little water is one >> lemon. >> I finished mine watching all of the presentations. >> Um so where were we? >> Financial systems. Sure. Um I have worked with um Blackbod which is another
system and at the end of the day they're all graphical user interfaces guies in front of a database of some sort. Um you know and and at the end of the day you're viewing and sorting and sifting through data in some way shape or form. um
whether it's through reporting or uh my favorite way to play with data is to just pull it all raw into an Excel spreadsheet and then play with it myself. Um that's my personal way of dealing with things but um the zone I know a number of other um people in my
field who use uh systematic reports to do everything you know system generated reports rather than dumping all of the data in Excel and sort of working with it from there. So there's there's different ways, but most systems have that functionality and I believe immunis
has all of the above. So I don't really have a problem. There will be a learning a bit of a learning curve as I I ramp up to that. Um and I'll look to you know ideally sit with people be part of my sort of entry planning process. >> Bella is pretty good at that stuff too.
So she Bella is Bella is very good at that stuff as well. So she can help you. >> Final question for me. uh the gentleman on in the photo above your shoulder over there, James Walsh, former superintendent, um in his inaugural speech to the entire faculty and staff
in Brooklyn, he said, "I have three goals for you." And the first goal was work well with people and the second goal was work well with people >> and the third goal was work well with people. So in your role, my own experience in schools working with folks
in your role, you have to say no a lot. Uh yeah, of course everybody wants wants wants and you have to say no a lot. >> Have you done a lot of nos? And how do how do you do that >> so that people walk out of your office and say, "Yeah, >> all right, he said no, but maybe it made some sense." How do you do that?
>> Um I I I'm frequently accused of of spending way too much time explaining things to people. So, you know, usually when I have a no, it comes at the end of a very long explanation about why. Um,
so, uh, you know, I I I I I try to bring people around to why I also why why that no has to be the no. Um, I also like to look for alternative solutions. So, I have to say to no to this in the moment.
Can we look at alternative solutions? Can we look at doing something like this down the road if we budget for it properly next year? Can we move money around? So, um, you know, can we make a budget transfer between another line
item? So, I will delve through all of that individual's budget lines and say, "Looks like you haven't spent any money on this yet. Maybe we could talk about doing a budget transfer." Um, district has different systems for how they do
budget transfers. Um, in my district, I'm sort of the authority on whether a budget transfer happens. In some school districts, it goes all the way up to the school committee. I don't know if that's necessary here. Um, but a basic budget transfer of a couple hundred dollars,
depending on how much it is, could be a solution of how to look at that. >> I also look at the budget in a holistic sense. >> Sorry, did I answer enough or >> I said more? No. Okay. More than a couple. >> Okay. Okay. >> I was kidding. >> I can go on and on. Sorry.
>> Final I have another final question. >> Okay. >> Do you like working with people? >> I love working with people. Um I I don't know. Uh I I I of all things I I I enjoy union
negotiations. Um I I I I get pulled into it. Um, and uh, I I I grew up in a union household, a union family. I'm I'm, you know, kind of pro- union, but I also understand being on the side I am, I
have to understand um, the business side of things. So, I I I hate the sort of standoff situation that occurs from union negotiations. Um, I grew up in a household and I strive to to work with
and for people who are willing to hash out their differences um, and have those conversations. Particularly, I I think Bel and I talked about this in the interview process. What I really appreciate about some of the superintendents I've worked for in the past is they are people where we can
close the door and we can debate and we can even argue and we can bang our shoe on the table. Um, with each other and come out of that meeting um smiling um knowing that um they've listened to my
point of view um and if I'm right ideally they will listen to me and and and we can go with my uh direction um if they're right of course they're right and they're the superintendent they take ties right so um all things being equal
a final decision is usually theirs um and I don't know if any everyone got the euran drop of uh the UN taking issue off and pounding it on the table reference. It's a dated reference I guess now but it's
um so I I I really like to to have those discussions hard discussions um frequently but I also understand that that even if we're sitting on opposite sides of the table it doesn't mean we can't be friends. Um, I am, you know,
professional, uh, friends with multiple union presidents and union members that I've negotiated with in the past. Um, and and we have positive, solid relationships. We disagree and we agree
to disagree sometimes and that's okay. That's what life's about. >> So, I have two more final questions. >> Okay. You said you love to swim as one of the things you do outside of thing work. What else do you like to do? >> I can't be swimming all the time.
>> Uh I like to hike. Um so I have uh two very good friends who I um trail run with on Sunday mornings. So we go out every every Sunday morning um and um
explore. Um so uh I I got here uh before six before six o'clock and I parked downstairs and I just walked around Brookline for a while. Um it's sort of a habit of mine. Um you know I I just explore the neighborhood. I get to know
it. Uh, I I like different restaurants, uh, different experiences, museums, you name it. >> Okay. Do you like to work hard? >> I love to work hard. Um, yeah. I I I mean, I I I believe in in sort of the,
you know, the work hard, play hard, um, environment. You need to enjoy life, but but you also need to make sure the work gets done. Um, I I strive for my staff and myself to have a work life balance, but I know that, you know, they're going
to be long nights and there are going to be difficult times when we have to put in the hours. That's just the reality. >> Thank you. Thank you, Donna. >> Hi, thanks so much for being here. I'm Donna. um wondering if you can talk a little bit about how you approach town
school partnerships either um in prior roles and I know that you've had a lot of regional you've worked with a lot of regional districts so I think that's also applicable because there's a lot of complex relationship >> right >> right so um very regular relationships
uh meetings with the key personnel in those towns so I I typically when I start a knew somewhere like this. Um I overbook myself with people. So I I set up more meetings than is necessary. So I
would certainly um set up uh meetings with my counterpart at the town on a regular basis. I do that um with my two current towns, the superintendent and I meet regularly with both town administrators. Uh we go to FINCOM
meetings fairly regularly um to speak about uh things that are going on in the district. Um particularly budget season. Our budget season I like you starts um in November. So we're meeting with um capital uh
committees uh in October even um presenting our capital requests to them. Uh so it's it's pretty regular and pretty often. Um you know, especially with a municipal where your finances are meshed, we really need to be on the same
page with openings, clothing, closings. Uh when we need to stop taking new purchase orders, for example, which is what I'm going through right now, is making sure that, you know, all of my my people know that we're done taking new purchase orders as of the start of June because there's no way you're going to
use that before before the school year ends, right? >> Um, so, you know, we're having those conversations and making sure that we're aligned on that so that they're not saying one thing and I'm saying another and they don't close us down without our
staff knowing. >> Jesse, um, Dr. Dr. Given has spent an extraordinary amount of time both um putting new systems into place in terms of process uh helping us our former uh
subcommittee of finance Maria um produce a completely rewritten fiscal policy >> and handling a very complex transportation situation and inherited a lot of um fiscal challenges from prior
administration. To what extent would you have time, if this is a reasonable question, to do any kind of knowledge transfer with her before her departure to really come up to speed and be able to hit the ground from her perspective um rather than just say interviewing the
people that report to her in order to so we don't lose any momentum. We just came out of a CLA audit and you know there are a lot of things that she's handled that came her way sort of out of nowhere, but she did them all with a tremendous amount of energy, passion, and excellence. And so what plan would you have to for some kind of transfer of
that knowledge? >> Sure. Um I would look to start that almost immediately. Um I I work with with Bella to make contact. I if you noticed I ran out and talked to Dr. Given before she left. I
want to thank her for all of her hard work. Um and make sure that she knew as soon as this wrapped up. Um, I'm to whatever degree possible, I I I'm at her disposal. I I do have a full-time job, but um you know, I will say when I when
I started in Berlin, Boilston, um uh Superintendent Ganam uh began talking to me in September, and we began that process in September. I didn't start until November. So I was actively engaged um actively pulling data um
actively working with him on personnel issues things like that. Thank you >> Liza. >> Thank you. Um communications usually what happens with numbers and you know all this math that we have to do is that
the communication gets lost. um you know usually for example um after a couple of years I realize that yes you know the purchase orders need to be closed by a certain time um but usually I have seen that happen uh that you know the the
director of finance or the assistant superintendent of finance they're so busy in their work that this piece gets lost um at times >> um how do you feel about that piece and how do you overcome that challenge
Um, so it I I do tend to put my head down sometimes um and and sort of throw myself into the work at hand. Um, I rely and and I work with the people around me
to make sure that we hold ourselves accountable to uh communicating and making sure that we are all on the same page. Uh, I have learned to keep a pretty strict calendar for myself. Um I also make that calendar public so that
you know anyone can see what my open times or my busy times people can reach out to me. Um I don't think I've ever been anywhere where people jumped up and down and said, "Wow, you communicate exactly enough. We love it." Um you know,
usually you don't communicate enough or you're not transparent enough. Um but I'm always willing to take feedback. Um I I also uh I struggle with hierarchy. So um I I I I think you know positional
authority and things like that. I really encourage anyone to come up with me come up to me and just knock me upside the head and say Osborne you need to do this right. Um and that's totally okay in my world. Um, so I I I I guess I rely on on
somewhat the people around me to remind me when it's time to do those things. Um, and I also rely on my calendar to tell me when to do those things. Um, and I also have tried to put together um detailed lists of things that need to
happen. So, um, where I am right now, there are no processes and procedures sort of defined. Um, and we have been building those from scratch. I've been sharing Google documents with my staff saying, "How does this look to you? How does this look to you?" Back and forth.
They'll offer me feedback. We revise it. We change it. They'll try following my process and then say, "Hey, Erin, I can't follow this process." Um, and so we revise it and and work that way together. So, um, it's as collaborative as possible and I would very much
appreciate feedback from school committee if they feel that there is some way that I could communicate um in a better way as well as from the union. Um I I work with union a lot and I have a pretty free and open relationship with our current union president with all of
our past union presidents. So if they feel like something needs to be communicated um they will reach out to me and say hey I think that the The union needs to know this. >> Thank you. >> Okay. So, the awkward part of this is
now we have to make a decision whether to vote um in favor of Aaron for the deputy superintendent administration and finance. Before we take a motion for that, are there any final comments that we want to make while Aaron is standing here in terms of do we like him?
>> I think that's what the motion will address. >> I just have a question. Why? Number eight on our agenda and number 10 our agenda both say possible vote. Are we voting? >> So this is subject to contract negotiations and then we discuss the contract >> contract and then we go back and vote again.
>> So they I think um what Betsy did is she gave you options. >> Yeah. >> So you could you could vote to approve now. You could say subject to negotiate to a successful negotiations of a contract. You can also say you want to
go into executive session to discuss to come back and to to come back out. Um you can also you can vote to approve and you can delegate the negotiation to the chair if you'd like to do that too.
>> So if we vote to >> but so yes >> we vote to approve Aaron's pos then have to go into executive session or not >> to discuss the If you dele If you delegate, not necessarily. >> No, if we delegate you to negotiate the contract, then we don't have to
>> then we have to vote the contract at some point in open session. >> Correct. >> Yeah. Okay. What's your preference? >> I would like to move that we offer the position to Aaron as described and to delegate negotiation of the contract to the chair.
>> Is there a second to that motion? >> Thank you. There's been there's a motion and it's been seconded. >> Um then I'm just then I have a question about the motion. >> Go ahead, >> Bella. >> Is this the your preference in terms of
process >> in I'm not fully follow is is negotiation of the contract typically the responsibility of the chair? there has been a practice of delegating to the chair um for for successful
negotiation so that it doesn't have to be done as a committee. >> Okay. >> Um obviously this is the candidate that the the team has recommended and has my recommendation. >> Okay. >> Um the executive session is there in case the committee wanted to okay
>> discuss further in executive session. I think what Betsy did is she gave you all the options. >> So, okay, it's all it's just all here for you. >> I guess what I'm saying, frankly, is I want to make sure we're doing your preference in terms of process,
>> right? >> Assuming >> I um >> that we agree with your >> I'm okay with any of those options. >> Okay, fine. >> Yeah. So, yes. >> Okay. >> How does your second stand now, Caroline? >> Second stance. >> Yay. Thank you. >> So, motion on the floor to appoint
as the deputy superintendent of finance and administration >> and keep going >> and that I will be designated as the individual to negotiate a contract and I probably will um ask for some support from perhaps
>> to do that >> yeah I've worked at it so >> experience >> sounds like >> well I just just clarifying again if we vote now to do all that >> then we don't need to discuss anything. Okay. I just want to be clear. >> That's exactly right. >> If you're comfortable to do if you're
comfortable with that. So again, I think I think Betsy posted all the options for you. >> Sure. >> So, could I just ask one question of Bella? I I'm assuming, but I I just want to confirm that all references have been checked and vetted and
>> Yes. Right. So, I will share um they're very they're they're very strong and they spoke a lot to the relationship piece which I many of you um raised and um
Aaron has um he's clearly shown a lot of capacity to adapt and um has a that can do attitude. He will figure it out um as long as it takes to figure it out. Um
just uh but you touched on a a lot of and there's not the references only affirmed the positive responses that you received. >> Okay, Jesse. >> Yeah, I just want to make a um just want to a shout out to Bella um who with
everything going on before the override, knowing that Dr. Given was going to retire, everything going on with the week of the override election and then since then with all the other work that has to be done has assiduously directed herself to get this position in good hand together with the committee and has
brought it to us um you know in great timing. So thank you on behalf of all of us I think for bringing another you know corner of the administration together. It's not easy and um it takes a lot of time out of other things you have to do but you you made it in I don't know
where you found the time but a priority to do and we appreciate it. >> Thank you. Um we had a great great consultant support um and Suzanne Kenny and also just a great team people making themselves available. Everyone just makes available.
>> It's appreciated >> to do it >> by the community. Okay, we have a motion on the floor to vote on which is we appoint Erin Osborne to the deputy superintendent of finance and administration and designate the chair who might have some support to negotiate the contract with Mr. Osborne.
>> Laura, how do you vote? >> Yes. >> Suzanne, >> yes. >> Bel, >> yes. >> Jesse, >> yes. >> Donna, >> yes. >> Sarah, >> yes. >> Carolyn, >> yes. >> Yes. >> I vote yes. >> Congratulations. We're excited.
>> Okay. >> Figuring it all out. >> All right. So, we will >> Thank you so much. Thank Thank you. Why don't they just make >> Thanks so much. >> Thank you. Sorry for the tough questions.
>> Erin, we'll reach out. >> Okay, we're not done. >> We're almost done. >> Okay, >> please come to order. >> 11. >> Um, thank you. Thank that was great. Thank you. Wow, fella. Way to go. So,
now we have subcommittee liaison liaison report 9:25. We're a little early. Is there a report from curriculum Suzanne? Do we have subcommittes? >> We don't have subcommittes. >> Well, these were be the ones before. >> Oh. Oh. Before. No. >> The ones that happened. No. No history.
>> Oh my god. I don't think >> it's one of your first task. >> Did we have any negotiations? >> Okay. Then >> did we have a negotiation? >> No, we haven't had negotiations for a while >> since the 30th. Yeah. Nothing. Yeah. So, there's
no >> Okay. What what I would like to do is reach out to each one of you and listen to your preferences in terms of subcommittees. I will be doing that over the next what's today? Wednesday. Over the next bunch of days. Um we'll make appointments. We'll get together and
I'll listen and then we'll make appointments to subcommittees. Okay. >> And is there anything else anybody wants to talk about? >> Is there you want to talk about something? >> No, I was just I was just noticing. Sorry. Not at all
because there's not a new business thing. >> Is there a motion for adjournment? >> Yes. >> Wait a minute. Who Who's motioning here? >> I moved for adjournment. >> Jesse second. >> Me. >> Donna. Laura? >> Vote? >> Yes. Absolutely. >> Suzanne, >> yes. >> Desi,
>> yes. >> Uh, Donna, >> yes. >> Sarah, >> yes. >> Carolyn, >> yes. >> Yes. >> Bob, yes. >> We are adjourned. >> Did you want to say something? >> No. Oh, okay.