Good evening. Good evening and welcome to the February 26, 2026 meeting of the Brooklyn School Committee. Um, first on our agenda, the consent agenda, past records. Um, somebody want to move.
>> Can we move these all at once, Betsy? >> So move. >> So moved. No. >> Seconded. >> Okay. Mariah moves. Jesse seconds. Bob, how do you vote? >> I vote yes. >> Carolyn, >> yes. >> Jesse, >> yes. >> Mariah, >> yes. Sarah, >> yes. >> Suzanne, >> yes. >> Andy,
>> yes. >> And I vote yes as well. Um, moving on to administrative business. Pure school project. Uh, change order number 22. Somebody like to move for approval. >> I'll move it.
>> Suzanne moves it. Jess Andy seconds it. Andy, how do you vote? >> Vote. Yes. >> Suzanne, >> yes. >> Sarah, >> yes. >> Mariah, >> yes. >> Jesse, >> yes. Carolyn, yes. Bob, >> yes. >> And I vote yes as well. >> Um, do we have student report tonight, Betsy?
>> I read through the whole thing. >> Hi everyone. I'm going to share my screen for the student report. Okay. So, this is the report for February. And I realized that last time when I presented in January, it was right before the lockdown. So, I'm also
going to touch on that here. Um, we had a lockdown at the high school on January 29th and this was during the midyear exams. I believe it was the Thursday after we had two snow days and we were
just finishing up the uh first morning exam which is world language when there was an announcement over the loudspeaker that all students should stay in their classrooms and that we should um go into lockdown. And at the time there wasn't a ton of information out about what was
happening and um students just sheltered in their classrooms and there uh there wasn't like immediate instruction about what would happen with other exams. But I think we sheltered for about half an hour before we were told that we were
now safe to um leave. And during that time we got different reports that there were um there there had been a threat made that um someone was going to attack the building or come into the building with a weapon which is why we went into lockdown. And then ultimately the second
exam for that day was postponed to the next day. And students who ended up getting that that optional second exam postponed um took the exam on Friday during school. So we were just excused from our morning classes to take that
exam. And then after that, right after midyear when we came back, um second semester started. So first semester ended and seniors had their grades reported. And these are the last grades that are going to be reported to colleges for seniors who are applying um
until final grades come out. So that's a little nice for me and the other seniors. Um, there was also a walk out that happened on February 4th, which is the image you see at the top of the screen. So, students walked out of school for the last 15 minutes of the
day. So, this happened on a Wednesday where we end at 2 21 2:16 and I believe students left at around 2:00 and marched to town hall where they were protesting the actions of ICE and the Trump administration.
Uh, we also just had February break, so coming back from a 9-day vacation. And then we also followed it up with two snow days on Monday and Tuesday. And I think now because of that, the school year has been extended and it's going to go into
um until June 25th. I personally won't be experiencing that because our graduation date has not moved. So, I'm personally a big proponent of all the snow days and we have moved to June 25th. I will be done on June 7th. That's
all I have for today. >> Thank you very much. Any questions for Jesse? >> Yeah, about the lockout about the about the lock sorry I'm sorry about the walk out about ICE. um the 15 minutes earlier
that students left, is that counted as a partial absence or some how is it noted that they that in in aggregate if there were 100 students or 120 students that was hours and hours of missed instruction time that day? I have a second question too. >> So I I think that one's better for uh
administration, not for our student. And I >> Okay, >> my understanding is that um I just don't want our student to have be put on the spot about absences, but my understanding is that anybody that left a class, so just so everybody's aware, most people here have high school age students or had high school age
students. The high school ends at 2:15 on Wednesdays. This was a Wednesday, so they would have missed 15 minutes or 20 minutes of class. And I believe that everybody would face the consequence. My understanding from the high school is that everybody would face the consequence of that uh that civil
disobedience. So fully support it. Um but I think the high school when they come up you could ask that of uh Anthony or Hal. You had another question though. >> I looked like he was ready. >> Oh, how you want to answer? All right. How will answer?
>> Hi. Uh so yes, it is there is a consequence for doing that. There is a code that teachers can use when a student has an extended absence from class. If they go out, if they leave class and are gone for 10, 15, 20 minutes, there's a code that teachers can enter. Whether the teacher did it in this case with a larger scale walk out,
I couldn't tell you. I didn't look at it, but uh that is the consequence for that 15 minutes at the very end of the day. I don't know that. >> Thank you. Another one. >> Yeah. Question. While you're there, help I guess. So question question number two
um were the students accompanied by any staff and if so who watched the other students while the staff left and if the staff left was that appropriate I mean I know it's a civil disobedience issue but um nonetheless there are policies too so could you comment about the staff involvement
>> teachers who had classes behind your classes >> okay at that time >> okay >> I was I happen to be teaching that I stayed students who stayed in my class very interesting conversation about civil disobedience and Perfect. Thank you. Thanks for the clarify. >> I think the superintendent would also
like to comment on that. >> So, um the I I understand the student that that might have organized it um informed the the high school administration that they were doing this. So, it was, you know, they they
made sure that the adults knew um high school administration let me know that the students were coming. So I I went down to meet them but more just to make sure everyone was okay. Um so just I I
mean I have 100 students coming to the to downstairs so I came down just and so there were some other staff but I think the staff were also there for the same purpose. They were not um they were just making sure all the students were okay. >> Betsy I'm getting some comments that
people can't hear the meeting online. Um, I did >> Oh, sorry to interrupt. >> I think someone's saying that there's no audio from the podium. >> Howal. >> Sounds like >> Didn't sound like it to me. >> Oh, really? >> Yeah, it didn't to me.
>> We'll try it on >> when when Hal talks. >> Let's see. Try >> that. should be better now. That is definitely better. >> All right, so my question number >> Let's see what the moles on our phones tell us about whether or not the audio is really better in the next minute or two.
>> You had another question, Jesse? >> No, no, I was just going to use the mic. >> Do you want to just repeat what you said about >> Sure. Uh so, uh there is a consequence for students walking out. The consequence would be that that there's a
a certain mark for a type of tardy that's more than just coming in a couple minutes late to class when a student leaves for an extended period. You know, if they say they're going quickly out to the waterfront and they disappear for 20 minutes, we have a code so we can track that and deans can follow up uh with kids for that and it's become can become a reportable attendance type thing. So
that would have been appropriate. Again, 15 minutes at the end of the day, I don't know that most teachers would have done that. The second question was about uh whether staff accompanied students. Certainly staff that was teaching would have stayed behind in the room because not every kid left for the walk out and would have stayed with the other kids in
the room. I'm sure there were some staff other staff that would not have had a teaching that would have been eblock. Uh there would have been some staff I'm sure that did come along. >> Thank you, Hal. >> Any other questions for our student? >> Okay. Thank you so much for your report.
>> Thank you. >> Um I believe the superintendent's report is going to be >> very brief. Okay. Yeah, just very brief for for this moment and then um I'll be seeking later when comes to the budget time. I just I just wanted to thank the
DBW. Um you know, we we've had so many winners with hardly any snow, so we've hit the jackpot this season. Um the the first snowstorm um when we opened school on Wednesday after two days out, admittedly it was a
little rough. Um, and there were a lot of panic calls from teachers like had struggling to find spaces and um, and just so people understand that while they're struggling to find spaces, they knew students were inside the building. So, there was that and I I appreciate
that feeling. But, so this storm was bigger and heavier snow. I must say though, Wednesday it was impressive, right? So, um, and we were checking around with all the schools. So, thank you to the DPW. I know they work through
the night. Um, Brookline is tricky, you know, where do you put the snow? And um, so they really focused on making sure roadways were clear for emergency vehicles and then they were very upfront with us that they were doing that first and then then they would do their
efforts around school. But I just thank you for for all that work that they did. And Wednesday opening was really pretty terrific. Okay, I'm going to just repeat this out loud, Betsy, so people can they can hear us, right? So, if you are trying to get on our meeting and you're having trouble
on big on the YouTube stream. >> No, they can't. >> They won't hear it anyway. Um, I would I would just um direct people to the agenda for tonight's meeting which has a direct zoom link. We did not put big on there because this was an added meeting and big did have a conflict. >> I was going to say don't go to the
YouTube, right? Go to the Zoom link. >> Right. So if they if they do open the agenda, the zoom link is directly on there as it was uh posted. Um Val, I have a quick question for Bella. >> Okay. on DPW
>> on just related. Um, sorry. Um, would you be comfortable just confirming for folks that at this what at this point the last day of school is June 26th?
>> I thought it was June 26th and our students said June 25th, but I I don't know. I I don't know. Absolutely. I just don't know it. I don't want to say the wrong date. >> Okay. I also heard the 26th earlier today. >> Yeah. So, yeah. So, she said a different
date. >> Okay. >> I think it's the 26th. >> What does Hal think? >> Yeah. Okay. Thank you. All right. I just want to Yeah. >> Thank you. >> Any other report? >> Sorry. Hal confirmed 26. Jesse said I
should say into the mic, which is right. Hi, you need to come to form a meeting. >> Okay. Um, so we have a a very packed agenda, folks. We're going to move on to public comment. Just so that everyone's aware. Um, public comment is limited to 3 minutes. We listen to all the public
comment. We read all the emails that we get. We don't respond to public comment. So, don't think that we're not taking in what you're saying. Um, it's just our policy that we don't respond. And as always, if I um make a mistake with your name, my apologies in advance. Um first
up, we have Carrie Goldberg, who I saw here in person. Thank you, Val. Is the mic good? >> Great. Great. So, uh I'd like to speak about WISP. I thought it might be appropriate to zoom way out to the big historical picture because what we're
witnessing right now in the public reaction to deleveling is a phenomenon that only occurs about once in a generation in Brooklyn when a large group of parents and students rise up and they say just no. No. The last time
it happened is described in this 1994 book, which I could get a copy for for anyone who wants it, in a chapter titled The Battle of Brooklyn. It describes a huge ugly fight that stemmed from a 1989 decision by the BHS social studies
department to cancel a legendary course, a really rigorous AP course taught by the only conservative member of the 18 member department. And it was because it focused on European history. So parents formed a group called the committee for
quality education. It was Brooklyn. So they got support from celebrated Harvard history professors and a Nobel laureate in physics. And it was a whole hullaloo. But what it was basically about was Brooklyn families saying we don't want politics or ideology to get in the way
of our high standards for the education of our children. And it was Brooklyn. So they were basically all liberal or progressive. but they wanted challenge for their children who would benefit from it. Fast forward to 2024 and very and very similar concerns prompted the
creation of Learning First Brooklyn in response to the plan to DLE 9th grade and especially English. When most of the parents I know heard that plan, the response tended to be something like, "Are you kidding me? Eliminating honors courses in Brooklyn?" Opposition to
deleveling seemed to be the deciding factor in the last two school committee elections and likely will be this year as well. In other words, as I see it, DHS has fallen out of sync with the community. And it seems to have dug in
on its position to the point that I'm speaking to you instead of current parents because some tell me they're afraid of repercussions if they cross the school leadership on this. I know that's not an atmosphere the school wants, but the message from BHS, including in its recent FAQ about WISP,
has seemed to be, "We don't want to assess WISP, we want to defend it." I'm not speaking here to be clear on behalf of Learning First Brooklyn. But here's what they're saying. One, you already have enough information to conclude that a separate honors course for 9th grade
social studies should be offered this fall. and two, WISP may work well for many students, fine, but not for all students. So, please just give students a choice just like they have in required courses. To quote the concerned parent of an eighth grader, it is simply not
true that to enable some, you must hold back others. This is a fundamental misconception of equity. It is also not proven that kids who struggle academically benefit from deleing. Judging by what Newton teachers say, it tends to work poorly for students of all
levels. And my final point, I just have one more thing to say. There seems to be some concern that the school committee is overstepping here. I could not disagree more. We in the community elect the school committee to do exactly this, to defend our excellent school system and our values. When for whatever reason
a school falls out of sync with those values, it is the committee's right and its obligation to intervene. And by the way, at the end of the chapter in this book, the course gets reinstated. Thank you. >> Next, we have Sarah Schuster, followed
by Justin Brown. >> Sure. Good evening. My name is Sarah Schustster and I teach 9th and 10th grade social studies at the high school. I wanted to share my perspective as a classroom teacher who has taught nth grade social studies at BHS for the past 10 years in order to provide more
insight into WHISP and help clarify how the program serves our students. When I first began teaching at BHS, 9th grade social studies was divided into two courses, world history honors and world history standard. I have taught both. At that time, approximately 70% of 9th
graders were enrolled in honors. In order to accommodate such a wide range of learners within a single honors course, the curriculum became significantly diluted. It was no longer truly an honors level experience and did not adequately challenge our highest achieving students. The remaining 30% of
students were enrolled in standard. These students were disproportionately students of color and students with disabilities. This structure created its own set of challenges and resulted in an experience that was also academically limiting and socially isolating. WISP was intentionally designed to address
these problems. Rather than separating students into two tracks, WISP uses a single shared curriculum with multiple points of access. Readings are more challenging and more carefully scaffolded, and projects are designed with a low floor and high ceiling so all students can engage meaningfully with
the same core content while still being challenged. This structure allows teachers to maintain high academic standards without watering down the curriculum and or isolating students into separate courses. Fast forward to today. I have taught WHISP for the past seven years and I can
confidently say that it is a far more meaningful and effective learning experience than our previous model. WISP allows us to hold all students to high expectations while providing the support needed to meet a wide range of learning needs. I now see students of all abilities and backgrounds engaging in
work that is rigorous and appropriately challenging for them. Moving forward, I encourage the school committee to continue using the established process that allows for thoughtful, datadriven, and collaborative decision-making regarding WISP and other course offerings. Maintaining these structures will ensure that any future proposals
are informed by classroom experience, teacher expertise, student outcomes, and the needs of our diverse student body. WISP has created classrooms where high expectations and inclusivity coexist, and I hope any future discussions continue to preserve and build upon the
progress we have made. Thank you. Thank you, Justin Brown, followed by Stephanie P. >> Good evening, members of the school committee. I'm Justin Brown, uh president of the BEu, former um fourth grade teacher from Lawrence. Uh I'm here
to deliver some comments on behalf of the BEu's executive board. The BEu executive board issues the following statement regarding recent school committee actions. We are alarmed at a recent proposal supported by Brookline school committee members that if adopted
would remar would mark a dramatic and significant departure in practice topdown directives regarding BHS course offerings. First, there is a robust process in place for the development of new courses. Importantly, this process is educator-driven from the bottom up,
which ensures that those educators closest to the classroom have a strong voice in the process. This process is also expansive in time and effort. It includes research, site visits, professional development, piloting new ideas, and finding time to provide and
process feedback. Our schools, including the high school, have enjoyed robust protection and advocacy for teacher innovation and creativity from school leadership, which has contributed in no small part to BSB's reputation for excellence.
This model is the opposite of what was recently proposed, an 11th hour top-down directive, which ensures no buyin and no ability to invest time and effort. Second, top-down directives regarding course development will lead to consternation and escalated costs. As
pointed out in a recent meeting, there is an important distinction between the commi committee's role in approving course selections and directing staff to introduce particular offerings. This is costly not only because of the legwork needed to introduce new courses, research, professional learning,
piloting, etc., but because the union will assert our right to bargain the impact of these changes in working conditions associated with such directives. Lastly, at a time when we three major stakeholders, union educators, PSP
administration, and the school committee have a shared goal in winning the strongest possible override in just a couple of months. This move seems less like all rowing in the same direction and more like a distracting turf battle with hardworking educators. There is a
process in place that has worked well in the past and will serve you well in whatever comes next. Please use it. No more internal meddling when bold outward-facing leadership to secure a robust and fully funded school system is needed. Thank you,
>> Stephanie. Followed by Brit Stevens. Good evening. Uh my name is Stephanie Mallister Pune. I'm a social studies teacher at the high school. Uh I'm here to speak about WISP, why I believe that it's an incredibly in effective course, the process by which it came into existence, and why that process makes
sense. I've been teaching at BHS for 30 years, and each of those years, I have taught nth grade world history. I have a pretty good sense of nth graders at this point. What motivates them, how they learn, and what works in terms of class activities and curriculum. And the
bottom line is WISP works. It is a course about big questions uh the big questions of social studies like who has power, what are the consequences of challenging authority and what makes some groups wealthy. It is a course that asks students to read, think, write and
speak and pushes them to explore their own learning. The course is designed to introduce all students to the skills and habits of historians, close reading of primary sources, analysis, historical writing, as well as the practice of public speaking, working in teams, and
doing research. The majority of my students year after year have shared that the work in the course has felt challenging, but they were prepared for the challenge. It is also a course that was solved that was created to solve a problem. The problem was that our old tracked world
history offerings created sometimes arbitrary divisions between students that remained fixed over their high school careers. It created standard classrooms that were easily easy to identify because the of the preponderance of kids of color and students on IEPs. It told some of our
students from their very first day of high school that they were standard. And that label conferred upon them a sense of infer inferiority that was challenging to overcome. We created WISP to give all students arriving at BHS a chance to see what
they were capable of before we told them their limits. We created WHISK because our goal is to prepare every student to contribute to the large diverse society we live in to participate in democracy thoughtfully by asking big questions and to engage with
others who are not like them in meaningful ways. The process of creating WISP was long, thorough, and thoughtful. I have participated in the creation of several new courses at the high school, and there are certain similarities in the ways that those courses, from the good citizen and the good society to our
senior capstone, Epic to WISP, were created. In each of those instances, educators identified a need based on their extensive work with students. Educators articulated the goal for the new courses. Central administration provided time and money for individuals
and groups to work together to develop the curriculum. Folks did research, got training, and then presented those courses for approval to the school committee. That system has worked well because the basic starting point is with teachers who are deeply invested in the
meaningful education of all students. Good courses take time and resources to create. Intentional curriculum design yields successful courses and passionate, knowledgeable and experienced educators are the powerful
engines behind those courses and WISP is one of them. >> Thank you. >> Brit followed by Briana Brown. My name is Brett Stevens. I'm a parent in the district, a BHS educator, and a curriculum coordinator. I'm speaking tonight because I was asked to attend
the February 5th meeting to answer questions about new course proposals in my department. What happened that night, however, was not about our new course proposals at all. Instead, I sat muted while the committee discussed adding an honors section of a social studies course that was passed 7 years ago. Uh,
and more puzzling, there was no proposal from any district educator to propose an honors level of this course. And the department's coordinator at the time was out on a medical leave. I don't care personally about whether we have a social studies course that's honors at 9th grade. What's another honors course
at Brooklyn High? We have many. Uh I care a lot about my time not being wasted. Uh the whole thing was inefficient at a time when we can't afford inefficiency. How we spend our time matters. As a coordinator, I spend my time in three big areas. Budget,
hiring, and supervision and evaluation. If you want to help students and they are the constituency which we most represent, uh here are some practical things that we could use help with. One, budget. We've lived in budget uncertainty for all the years I've been a coordinator. Uh first we cut 10 FTE
from the high school. Then we act surprised when class size go up, so we restore eight. Then the next year we cut and 10 FTE again. Uh there's a lot that goes on when that level of resource changes, including our work to try and shield students from that cost as much
as possible. Uh please use your capacity and your time to support the superintendent in securing the funding that we need to run our school district. That is work that you can do as a body to hiring. I'm really grateful for all the time you spend on the school committee and that you brought us a
superintendent with experience and commitment to this district. We're fortunate that that happened. Uh some of the questions that were raised about WISP are a direct result of the fact that we have a large amount of turnover in this district. Your responsibility is to create the
conditions where people stay. Bob, I think you taught me the most important thing we do is put the right people on the bus. We have to keep the right people on the bus. So let's remember you publicly, me publicly. How we behave and respect each other is a representation of if we can keep the right people here,
families and educators and supervision. Uh coordinators are accountable for curriculum. We're in the classrooms. We coach the teachers. We stand behind the courses that we propose. That's our lane. I don't need your help coming up with ideas for courses. Our district and school leaders know I have a lot of
ideas for courses. Uh we just want to make sure that we can have the courses that are right for our students. Our committed social studies teachers don't deserve to be disrespected. Uh what we need is to make sure that if there are credible concerns about the level of
rigor at Brookline High and families need more from us that you work in your lane, which is with the superintendent, to share that feedback with us and do the work to make sure that Brookline High is serving students the way that they deserve. Thank you. Rihanna, followed by Josh Paris.
Um, good evening. I'm the curriculum coordinator of science at the high school. The proposed vote to mandate a change in 9th grade social studies course offerings at the high school implies that there is a lack of trust in the professional expertise and judgment of the teachers and the curriculum
coordinator involved. Uh, I'm so glad that Steph talked before me because you can see that the faculty members who developed the curriculum for WISP have decades of experience. To override their judgment would be to dismiss their collective body of knowledge of
adolescent development and the pedagogy best suited to teach their subject. A little bit more broadly, whether it's reality or not, the perception that the school committee is moving towards mandating curricular offerings is troubling. To me personally, that would mean that you see us as employees, not
professionals. That we are here just to do the job that you tell us to do. And that is demoralizing. Teaching is so much more than a job. It is both fulfilling and exhausting on intellectual and emotional levels. We care deeply about the well-being of our
students. We are responsible for helping students to learn academic and content and skills. Of course, we're also responsible for helping them to manage their mental health and develop social skills that will help them navigate life after high school. Every decision that
we make is based on what we believe will result in the best academic and emotional outcomes for students. I thank you all for your service to our schools and I urge you to send a message to the educators of this district that you trust us to do our work. Thank you,
Josh. Followed by Lizzie Bule. Hi, good evening everyone. Good evening, school committee. My name is Josh Paris. I'm the math department coordinator for Brooklyn High School and I have been so for the past 17 years. I'm going to read a slightly a bridged letter that we sent to the school committee earlier this week. Dear members of the school
committee, we write as curriculum coordinators regarding Thursday's proposed vote on WISP. While the immediate issue involves a single course, the implications extend well beyond it. This moment raises a fundamental question about governance, professional trust, and how curriculum decisions are made in our district. What
we are calling into question is the idea of mandating a structural change without a full evidentiary picture, without the benefit of comprehensive data, fiscal analysis, and the established curriculum review process. What you hear in public comment, in informal conversations, and
in emails is one perspective. Our responsibility is to gather the broader instructional, longitudinal, longitudinal, and systematic perspective that completes that picture. Our district has long relied on a clear and effective structure structure. Curriculum coordinators and teachers
research, design, pilot, analyze data, and bring forward recommendations. The school committee sets policy, ensures accountability, and grants approval. That partnership works because each group honors the expertise of the other. When elected officials begin prescribing
um specific instructional structures outside of that established process, the lines that protect both sound government governance and sound instruction begin to blur. In this specific case, the course in question was developed through significant research, collaboration, and professional investment. Have you he as
you've heard from other teachers earlier this evening, it has already gone through formal approval and there is a clear and robust plan underway for comprehensive analysis including longitudinal data that will be available this spring. The work is not being avoided. It is actively in progress
through the very structures designed to ensure quality and accountability. It would be irresponsible to vote on a structural mandate that would require educators to design and deliver a new version of a course without clearly defined goals and articulated model allocated developmental time or
identified resources to create the new course. That is not how high quality curriculum is built in this district. Our students deserve courses grounded in purpose, structure, and evidence, not ones assembled quickly without the needed support and vision to create a
robust educational experience for our students. We are not asking for blind trust. We are asking for professional trust. The trust that when educators engage in careful study, gather data, and commit to continuous improvement, that work will be respected and allowed
to conclude before votes are made. If courses developed through years of research and approved through formal processes can be hastily altered by directive, it is it signals to every educator in the district that the process itself is fragile. That message
will shape how boldly teachers innovate and whether they believe their professional judgment is truly valued. topdown curricular mandates particularly in the absence of completed data fiscal planning or developmental t development time risk under undermining both quality
and morale. I'm almost done. We want a school committee that partners with educators, trusts professional expertise, and uses the established curriculum process to evaluate and refine courses. We are eager to collaborate. We are not resistant to change, but meaningful improvement
requires evidence, deliberation, and mutual respect. We respectfully ask that any future curricular changes proceed through the established process. Moving thoughtfully is not avoiding action. It is ensuring that action is worthy of our students, educators, and our community.
Our educators love their work and their students. Josh, >> yep, they last sentence. They deserve a governance structure that honors that commitment and a process that protects the quality of our community that our community expects. Thank you.
>> Lizzie, followed by Christian. >> Um Lizzie, you should be able to turn on your mic and camera now. >> Okay, great. Thank you. >> Hi everyone. My name is Lizzie Buell and I am in my 12th year teaching social studies at BHS. Um, I would like to
speak to my experience with the WIST course, which I am in my second year of teaching. I would like to point out that WHIS is rigorous. On average, we collect at least 25 assignments per quarter, many of which are differentiated to meet
students where they're at. The midyear exam consists of 50 multiplechoice questions and five primary source analysis open response questions on monotheistic religions. Students write essays on Japan as a feudal military state, Hinduism as a
culturally embedded in religion, African trade empires of the 13th and 14th centuries, and a research paper on a topic of their choosing. Even our more advanced students arrive in the high school in need of social studies specific skills. How to properly site
information and abide by academic integrity policies. how to organize information into two column notes, how to write nuance thesis statements and best support their claims, and even how to maintain and organize Google folders.
WISP is the supportive ling place that allows all students to gather these skills, take risks, and launch forward. And since I also teach 11th grade US history, I see the effects of this excellent course downstream. Beyond WISP, our students are leveled.
And this stratification affects their perception of their own intelligence and of course who they form relationships with. I think it is incredibly important that they have the opportunity to learn in an unlevelled environment for one core academic class in their four years
at BHS. It is a really good thing for students, especially ninth graders, to learn in a heterogeneous environment. Along with learning about our ancient world, they are also learning to be tolerant, kind,
and funny without being offensive. They are learning how to meet and work alongside someone new. Simply put, they are learning how to act in community, which is especially important in our current digital age. They may be surprised by a new friendship or the
dismantling of a preconceived notion. leave a lot of lip service to those concepts in Brooklyn. WIS classrooms are where they are actually realized. I would be disheartened with this district if this one opportunity at the high
school goes away. We all share the same goal providing the strongest possible educational experience for every student in Brooklyn. If changes are made to WISP, I hope they are made within structures that ensure thoughtful, datadriven, and collaborative
decision-making. Thank you all so much. Christian followed by Megan. A little bit taller. Okay. Good evening. Uh my name is Christian Weiss and I am one of the nth grade teachers at Brooklyn High School. I would like to build on what my colleagues have shared this evening and address the school committee directly
regarding its role and responsibilities in this process. The Commonwealth's advisory of school governance states under educational goals and policies management and leadership that quote an effective school committee solicits its information and recommendations from the
superintendent before establishing policy. After reviewing and discussing this information, it is the school committee's duty to make the best decision possible based on the information available. That governing structure exists for a reason in the Commonwealth in our district. Uh
curriculum development is led by educators and curriculum coordinators who dedicate sustained time to researching, designing, piloting, and refining courses. That work is then presented to the school committee for approval. This process ensures that curricular
decisions are thoughtful, collaborative, researchbased, and centered on student learning. When the structure is bypassed, it sets a concerning precedent about the curricular decisions made in our district. As someone who had never taught a D-Level course prior to coming
to PSB, I approached WISP with curiosity. I wanted to understand how WISP would truly serve students and its access points through both classroom experiences and student feedback. I can confidently say that WISP is working. I
see students collaborating meaningfully, engaging with complex historical content, and developing skills alongside peers across their grade level. Barriers to access that often exist in traditionally leveled systems are reduced. WISP aligns directly with the
district's strategic plan and its commitment to fostering a supportive and inclusive learning environment. The course is not created casually. It was developed thoughtfully by practitioners who know our students and who are committed to high expectations for all learners. So I asked the school
committee to do the following. One, honor the established process for curriculum development in this district. Two, trust educators and curriculum leaders to design and refine courses using professional expertise. Three, make decisions grounded in data and
stakeholder collaboration. And lastly, four, preserve the distinction between approving curriculum and requiring specific curricular changes. We all share the same goal, providing the strongest possible educational
experience for every student in Brooklyn. The best way to do this work is to work within the structures to ensure that thoughtful data-driven and collaborative decision-making are enhanced. Thank you.
>> Thank you. We have u Megan followed by Jen Baral who I think is by Zoom. Is that right, Betsy? >> Hi, I'm Megan Jong. I'm a nth grade WISP teacher and Yale social studies teacher at Brookline High School. I'm here to share a story about my WISP classroom
and what it teaches us about why in staff's words, WISP is a course that works. On the last Friday of last school year, students in my three WISP classes stood in circles facing each other. Speaking in turn, they tossed a ball of yarn around the circle as they each responded to questions like, "What is
something that you're proud of accomplishing this year? What is one important thing that you've learned in class? Who is someone in this room who you are grateful for?" As the yarn passed between hands, students held on to their pieces of the thread until the entire room was an interlaced spiderweb of connections, learnings, and
celebrations of growth. The answers that the soon-to-be sophomores offered reflected growth across all the academic metrics that we measure. But what stood out to me the most was that time and time again, students spoke about how much they cherished the class community and their bonds with their peers. WISP
classrooms are places where students connect with each other across lines of residency, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic class, gender, and so much more. As other social studies educators have already spoken and wrote written about, WISP is the only core content
classroom in our 9th grade curriculum where students have the opportunity to connect with their peers without being separated by a perceived academic bias. This heterogeneity is uniquely beneficial for students regardless of their identities and academic profiles. The examples are endless. Students of
all levels benefit from deeper attention to academic scaffolds. They collaborate with each other in incredible ways, and they share their lived experiences that invite curiosity and engagement from peers of all backgrounds. When I think of my WHISP classes now and last year, the most pertinent word that comes to
mind is community. I know that community does not only happen in heterogeneous classes, but I would argue that these classes are places where the environment directly fosters that sort of connection and curiosity. They do that by communicating the message that every student can and should succeed, that
you're on a level playing field, being prepared with skills to take throughout the rest of your high school career. Each day when I teach at BHS, threads of each of those balls of yarn that my students passed around the room in June hang from my staff lanyard and on the doororknob of my WISP classroom as
reminders of what I believe to be truly worthwhile and important about a history education. The connections, lessons, and growth that we achieve from not just reading words on a page and writing from our own points of view, but from the people around us when we open our eyes to the world in community with others.
In discussions of the nth grade social studies course and allcurricular matters at the high school, I urge the school committee to consult with and trust in the teachers and administrators who are deeply invested in the education of our students and their whole selves both as learners who are developing academic
skills and also as young people who are learning to be in community with others. I hope that moving forward, the school committee ensures transparency by working within the established processes of our town's governing bodies in order to open dialogue about and enact change within our schools. Thank you for your
time and consideration. Next, we have Jen followed by Gia Hagerdornne. >> Hi, good evening. My name is Jen Baragal and I am in my ninth year as a social studies teacher at the high school. currently teaching American studies,
which is a mixed honors standard level course, and AP United States history. I was also a member of the team of teachers that helped design and implement world history, identity, status, and power. I'd like to offer my perspective, having taught nearly 400
9th grade WISP students over the past six years. WISP offers a shared common experience for our 9th grade students. Rooted in researchbased studies on heterogeneous learning. Students grapple with appropriately challenging cognitively rigorous assignments. They
analyze, synthesize, and evaluate complex primary and secondary sources, including excerpts from such demanding texts as Murasaki Shikibu's The Pillow Book, Iben Batuda's Journals, and John Lock's Second Treatise of Government. Most notable are the sophisticated
research topics and questions students explore. Students have studied the politics of racoo art, misrepresentations of Empress Woo, the flaws of Emperor Nero's reign, and a historiographic consideration of when the Middle Ages
ended. The final two topics I just listed were written in 9th grade WISP by two current AP United States History 11th grade students who are, in the words of our kids, crushing it. Other WISP students reflected on their 9th grade experience as follows. I got so
much better at writing research papers and papers in general, and I was surprised at how comfortable I had become with asking for help and reaching out because I used to be so against it. And I feel like I really am now able to analyze the past and find deeper
meaning. Clearly, students emerge from WISP as more confident, independent, and highly motivated learners well equipped to be successful in all of their social studies courses and beyond. And I see this every day as I teach 11th grade students at every single level,
standard, honors, and AP. As my colleagues have already stated, the social studies WISP team underwent an intentional multi-year process, taking time to research best practices, conduct site visits, and thoughtfully craft curriculum. Wherever the process goes
from here, I urge the school committee not to establish a precedent that it can unilaterally determine what courses should or should not be taught in the public schools of Brooklyn. Such a precedent would deviate from the prescribed role of the school committee,
devalue the judgment and professional expertise of Brooklyn educators, and do a disservice to our students. Thank you very much. We have um Gia followed by Elliot Wayne.
>> I think Gia's online. Yeah. Okay. >> Hello. Um, my name is Gia Higgodornne and I teach 9th grade WISP and mixed level 12th grade psychology at Brookline High School. I'm in my ninth year teaching in my second year at Brooklyn. I wanted to
speak a bit regarding the issue of 9th grade course options from the perspective of someone who has taught in multiple educational contexts over the course of my career so far. Many of my colleagues have already spoken to the social benefits of WISP as a D-Leveled course. I echo those thoughts as well.
But I also wanted to point out the academic benefits at least anecdotally um of WISP as a D-Leveled course. As I mentioned, I've taught both leveled and D-Leveled courses in multiple districts. In my experience, the students in classes that are heterogeneously grouped
and or D-leveled uh participate freely and often in class discussions. They have effective collaboration skills. uh and they're often driven by curiosity, interest, or other motivations than simply their grade or the honors label.
Um, one of the narratives that's been brought up is that WISP is not enriching enough for students, particularly high achieving students. Participation, collaboration, and curiosity contribute to an enriched classroom experience for all students. Not only are students in D-Leveled courses like WISP afforded
social opportunities they otherwise might not have as my colleagues have pointed out um but lower achieving students are bringing their equally as valuable and enriching backgrounds, perspectives and voices to the table as well. This means that students of all academic abilities are hearing,
incorporating and evaluating other voices and perspectives uh to which they may not have otherwise had access. This is the definition of enriched learning in my view. Not only that, it is a reflection of the world that all of our students will step into after
graduation. In some, I echo the goal that my colleagues lay out and I believe we all share providing the strongest, most enriching possible educational experience for every student in Brookline. The best way to do this is to work within the structures that ensure thoughtful datadriven and collaborative
decision-making. Thank you. Thank you. Um, next we have Elliot Wayne. Is Elliot here? >> Online. Online. No. >> Okay. If not, um, that concludes public
comment and we'll move on to our ninth grade social studies um, presentation. Anthony and Jen, is that who who All right. >> Hal Howal gets gets a pass on this. Okay.
>> So, as um as our presenters are getting ready, welcoming Anthony Meyer, Anthony Meyer, um our our principal of the high school, and Jen Martin, our coordinator of the history department.
>> Yes. And so, um I I also wanted to just sort of frame our the conversation that we're about to have. Um it should be no surprise to anyone that between meetings we do a lot of talking with one another and so actually prior to the last
meeting and prior to this meeting there have been a lot of discussions um among us um but between um district leadership with Robin Benoya also um with Jim Martin and Anthony about wisp and it's
because a lot of questions have come from the community have come from the members of the school committee. And so in terms of being responsive, we have um we have talked about, you know, the the concerns that have been raised. And so I just wanted to say that there have been
a lot of we've talked a lot about about WIS and with members of the school committee. Um and I feel it's important to preface the presentation that we've we've thought a lot about um again what
the community has brought forth and also we've heard tonight a lot from the interest and from the faculty that in the department and at the high school and and so we really we really do want to be responsive to what we've heard.
And so, um, we've we've talked about the department working on, um, responding to to things that have come up for the community. And so, there are some plans this summer, um, to do some work and to
bring to bring course options possibly to the school committee for their consideration in the fall. So, I just thought it was important to just so that we can really appreciate the presentation that's going to that's coming um and also the FAQs that have
been drafted that we are intending to be responsive. Right. So, thank you to both of you. >> Thank you, Superintendent Wong. Completely agree that this is an important opportunity to have a conversation about WISP. I'm going to start with a couple short pieces that
one is definitely not related, one will seem unrelated. We had the pleasure of uh hosting Congressman Okenclaus today at Brooklyn High School. He came to speak to five social studies classes. We had an a very full maybe beyond fire
codes MLK room um with kids uh engaging with our congressmen. Uh a really neat experience. So just deep thanks to the social studies department. The opportunity came up over break. I worked with Jen and we very quickly Jen very quickly and her department jumped on
that and that is so much what our social studies department is about. Um I'd also just like to speak to public comment. Carrie, I'm sorry I missed yours. Um I heard the others. I think one thing I would say I always respect anyone who is
bringing public comment. Uh neither Jen nor I went and sought public comment and we respect our faculty members, our staff, our community members, our parents for offering their voices. What I sometimes say and never mean it in a
patronizing way when I have a frustrated parent um with me, with the school, I want to seize on the energy of that frustration that that is in fact a good thing. If people care deeply about WISP, our parents, our students, our
colleagues, our staff members, that is good energy to mobilize. Um, I also think it's important for me to share that I was deeply supportive of WISP and of educators engaging in that work to
consider our 9th grade offering. And so, I supported it philosophically. I supported it financially. And I think what you will hear from Jen and from me and what Bella stated so eloquently earlier, we are open to
feedback. We are open to making changes to our 9th grade courses and we want to trust our educators to lead that work obviously with the support of the excellent Jen Martin and of me. And so
you will hear about the genesis of WISP. We understand you all have reviewed the FAQ that Jen and her team put together, but given the amount of misinformation that has been out over the last several months, I I think it's important um for
us to just share publicly more about WISP. And then I think we also want to be attentive to a request to learn about some of the different um leveling structures we have and some of the ways that we could be considering um thinking
about WISP. Uh so I think that's I'm going to shift it over to Jen not running out of the room um and we'll answer questions. I think we have a relatively short presentation with the idea that it's really important to have some back and forth. So thank you
All right, >> hi everybody. Um, I'm Jen Martin. I'm so happy to see you all. I know all of you individually. I have taught some of your children. I speak to you often. Bella is absolutely accurate. I'm in contact with many of you about many things. Wisp being one of them. Um, and I am really,
really excited to be here tonight. I am a social studies teacher. I think you just saw give social studies teachers a thing to talk about and they will. They love civic engagement and um so do I. And I love that they came. I just want to thank all of the teachers who came. As
Anthony said, I heard all of these for the first time tonight myself. Um and it's good for me to hear from the teachers. I obviously talked to them a lot more. It's rare, I think, um, to hear from so many in a row for you all to like get access to educators in that way, but I'm happy for that because I think usually these kinds of
presentations appropriately are done by someone like me. Um, and you don't necessarily get all of the stories, for example, and the real on the ground effort. I've taught nth graders for 10 years of my 20 years at BHS, not WIS, but I do know how they are. So, um, the
other thing I think that I want to say, first of all, for everybody who's watching too, there's been mention of this FAQ. I purposefully didn't want to like, um, reiterate this nine-page document that I made. I feel like I have done a little bit of presenting last year. I've kind of pulled together a bunch of stuff, the most commonly asked
questions. I sent it to you. That's kind of the perspective of the department, myself. Um, and for community members, it's accessible to you. So, I just want to say there's a lot more information than what I'm going to give tonight, but it was build as a discussion. So, what I don't want is to spend 30 minutes just
repeating things that you could read. Um, so that's what we tell our kids. That's what I'm going to do. So, I'm going to try to be efficient. And then lastly, I I just would be remiss not to say that I know what's next on your agenda tonight. And I think social studies is like the most important subject
>> beyond English. >> Um, I think we are No. Yes. Well, beyond English. and we're the best department with the best teacher. So like for me to have the limelight to celebrate that, trust me, I could take the whole night, but um I'm I don't envy your position.
You're about to talk about the budget. We're facing real like really troubling numbers. And so I'm also like very hyper aware of the fact that we're talking about what might feel like a niche subject in the context of that larger um thing. It's still an important one. So
I'm going to try to be efficient. Let's have a good discussion. And I'm wishing you guys luck tonight as you hear um whatever you end up hearing. Can >> I just say one thing before you start? >> Yes, of course. >> Anybody who's listening to us, the FAQs are posted online. So, if you are just um tuning in, you can look at that
document online. >> The way I learned that is by people saying, "I loved your FAQ." And I was like, "How did you see it?" Um so that's how I know it's actually out there. Um okay, so here we go. Uh I think it's probably >> um
I don't know. Let's try it and then if I give up, I'll hand it over. Okay, great. Um, some of you probably don't even know what this CL like why do we call it WISP? Um, it stands for world history, identity, status, and power. I'm just going to say it launched in 2019 um 2020. Not nothing big happened that year
except for the launch of WISP and a global pandemic. Um, and you know, it was the first time we had a class that was what we refer to as the universal entry point into for all incoming nth graders in social studies. Um, and it offers this differentiated levels. Honestly, I'm sort of happy you got to
hear a bunch of different perspectives. I don't need to belabor the point. You heard from teachers who are talking about the course. Um, we one of the reasons we created the course, this I can say from experience having taught the old course in both levels. Um, you'll be surprised to learn that
freshmen are not often um, some are, not all of them are that excited about preodern world history. Um, they do not see the relevance to their lives and we try our best. But the pillow book for example not speaking a lot to kids unless you give it good context. So one of the unique aspects of this course is
that it's all around enduring questions that are about things that kids can relate to which wasn't the way the old course was designed. So that's our second bullet here. And then I would be remiss not to say um something that I think a few of you have mentioned um but you know the class itself is about
identity, status, power, kind of thinking about putting together a classroom full of kids who are all different so they can have a robust discussion about those tricky topics that actually relate to things like leveling sometimes. So you know that was also part of it like how can we get kids talking to each other and get a really
good social studies kind of convo going. Um so you know it's it was designed to do many things. I'm going to remind everybody I have a very robust list of all this research that I did on behalf of the socialist department on your behalf so you could learn exactly why was the course created. I have a really
long list. It's in the FAQ. I'm just going to highlight a couple of them actually really just the big one. Um we've got a lot of uh eighth grades, a lot of schools. And um the old way and how it's done in many departments is that middle school teachers speak with
students and they make a determination about whether you're going to be an honors kids or a standard kid. That's the way it worked forever. Um and sometimes it worked out great and sometimes it didn't. What I can tell you is that in 2017 2018 social studies teachers came together with middle school teachers. So this is actually a
joint effort. I know we're spending a lot of time talking about all the high school teachers who did this. We actually have um representation tonight of a teacher who was involved in this um in the eighth grade level. But those teachers were kind of um saying why would I choose for a kid for the next
four years what their level is going to be. You might say it's not for four years, but the data told us we did a pretty deep data analysis. I remember these department meetings in which we saw that actually once a kid was on a certain track, they stay on the track. That's also nationally known. It's not
unique to Brooklyn, I should say. So, we wanted to try something new. 70% of our students were already in the honors course. The big misnomer that I keep hearing over and over again, and I think this is going to uh be challenging maybe uh to hear. I think people think what we
did was we took this course, we made a whole new course and we took a bunch of things, we kind of watered it down so everyone could access it. That's simply not true. What we did was we did change it to a thematic course. We took what we were using in honors
and we're giving it to the kids in WISP, but as we say in the biz, um, we lower the floor, high ceiling, low floor. We give them a lot of ways to Ooh, excuse me. I just knocked it. This is going to be like a rock and roll concert, actually. Um, essentially what we're saying is, okay, this is a really tough
primary source. Okay, really hard. We would give this to any of our nineh kids in the past. How can we help a kid who maybe is overwhelmed by that? Oh, let's break it up into a few pieces. It's the same source. It's the exact same words. It's literally just using different
strategies to make sure all different kids can kind of inter it. And also asking questions that allow kids who want to go really far with it to go really far with it. And some kids to sort of say like this is the best. I understand the main point of it. It just depends on the day and on the source. But when people are like we need to give
them more, I would just say mostly what we're doing is giving them our 9H curriculum. That's what the materials are put in a different order obviously. Um and then finally I would just say that for us we do believe that the sheriff foundation opens the pathway genuinely that it actually means that by
the you know by this time actually you all our teachers are sitting down with our freshmen right now to say so what do you want to take next year this is happening right now it's in the next two weeks um it's just a different conversation because it's with a teacher who teaches those levels you heard JenBG
say I teach a push and when I talk to a freshman I know what they need in order to do that. So rather than take a guess at it in 8th grade, we're saying like we've given you all the skills and we're going to give you some advice. And of course families have the right to choose what they want for their kids. So we support that as well. But we do think that it's working in that way. We hope
it is. I should say we're waiting to find out is it really working. Um so this I'm not going to belabor it. I'm just going to say you heard th this was not something we just um woke up one spring day and said like let's try it. We'll see what happens. It took two years. Took a lot of money actually.
visit site visits to all kinds of schools, some that you will recognize up there. Um, we had to align it with state standards. It was very, very robust. I would argue in my 20 years here, I've actually never seen a course go through such a robust process because it was a
core course for all 500 freshmen. So, it couldn't just be like a this will be fun and if you elect to take it, it's like everybody has to take it. So, we really put a lot of time into it, a lot of research. Um, I think this has already been clarified, but I want to make sure we're all on the same page because I
watched the meeting. Um, it was approved unanimously by people like you. Some of you are even the people um at the school committee meeting. In fact, um, if you watch the video, you would see Steph Mallister subbed in for, uh, Gary
Shiffman that night. I got to see her. She heard herself, me listening to her do this in 2018, just a few days ago as I was rewatching. Um, and it was never a pilot. It was never referred to as a pilot. It was understood to be the new class. So, I just want to clarify that. Um, and then it's been launched and we
continue to change it as we do all of our courses. Um, so here's the deal. Data. You heard every teacher being like, data driven. And I know you all are like, where's the data? So, listen. Uh, I love data. I want data. I'm going to talk about data. Here's the thing that I'm going to say to you right now.
Um, I don't have any data that proves definitively that WISP is a terrible experience or that it is the best experience and has solved educational inequity as we know it. By the way, if that's what I find, I think Bob and I were joking about this the other day, I will retire because I will have the
solution to one of the greatest problems facing education today. So, you might say, "Well, so then what are we doing right now?" Here's what I do know. Um, I really, really want to actually analyze the class. We have this really unique opportunity because it was created.
We've now run it long enough. We couldn't right away doing it right after CO was going to give us some weird data. Okay. Then we had a few stumbling blocks. I won't belabor it. Read the FAQ. We're now to the point finally um where we're about to do a major major
analysis. And I would even pause it. I don't know of another course that is going to undergo this kind of analysis. So um the data we have however because I was asked to come to um a curricular subcommittee meeting last year. I pulled some data that you know it's not it's not what I would have loved to
have like cross-section data. I'll tell you a little of what we're going to be collecting. Um what I do know is that it's neutral to positive is the way I'm describing it. Meaning um our AP enrollment is up by hundreds of students. I don't know if it's because we offered WISP. I'm not making that claim. I want to be 100% clear. Um, our
AP scores seem to be up, although we just did a quick little, we're pulling for this bigger data analysis. We looked at a push just because it's one of our hardest um, APs. Um, we see those scores are a little bit higher. More kids are taking it. Um, and we I should say the
one thing we do have data on is this is the most surveyed course of any course in the socialized department. Every year it has been offered. We survey the kids at the midyear and at the final. I know some of you are like, "Great, show us everything." Um, just so you're clear, we're not always surveying kids so that we can present to school committee.
We're like trying to find out how is this class for you in this moment. Some of it relates to what you want to know and a lot of it relates to like things the teacher needs to know just to have a class that is functioning. So, um, I shared some of the more relevant ones like homework load. Um, how many kids are saying this is a poor experience?
Um, honestly, it's better than the data for my own class that I teach. So, I'm I'm I feel badly about that for my own students, but for WHIS students, it's that's pretty good. It's pretty kids are reporting pretty positive experiences. Um, my final point, I'm actually just going to skip it because I'm going to talk more about it in the next one. So,
here's the deal. We already wanted the data. So, the other thing I think I want to say here now is I absolutely am aware that there are people in the community that there are students who are like, "What's going on with that WISP course?" Um, that's
not why I'm seeking data. To be clear, I don't want to make that sound like I'm not responsive. I just mean we've asked for the data for the past seven year. We, the social studies teachers, also want this information. And I've said this many times. There's lots of reasons why it's taken a while. That being said,
I'm excited that the two are coming together and there's a convergence now where there are community members, school committee members, and teachers who are all seeking the same information. And so, I'm excited for that. We finally have a partnership with a company called Open Architects. Um, I
don't want to get too technical, but what I want to tell you is I don't think you can understand the difference between having this comprehensive dashboard versus Excel spreadsheets that you're making charts with. Um, we are collecting nearly a decade's worth of
data. We want to be able to trace a specific student by using their student ID number and find out what happened freshman year, then what happened sophomore year, all the way to their senior year. We want to know what is all of their demographic data. We don't want to just find out like so are more 10th
graders doing XY andZ. We really want to know who is it helping, how is it doing the things, is it doing our goals, how much do we care about that? And we want to tell you what we find out. So one of the things on this slide is very clear. I just want to say I absolutely will present the full findings in the fall.
Um I got confirmation about two weeks ago from Matt Dwis that Open Architects is ready for the dashboard to be prepared. It takes months to prepare it. I don't know why. I'm not a person who does that work. Um they finally will have it ready for me mid May uh mid-March. So just in a few weeks here.
Um then the last thing I want you to know is Thank you so much. How could you tell that I needed it? Okay. Um the last and we're nearly done everybody. We're Oh, but you're going to love the next slide. Don't worry. Um, what are we working on right now? Here's what we're doing. We meet every two weeks. This
team of teachers who you saw online that you see sitting in front of you meet every two weeks and they're constantly talking about what's the midyear going to be? How can we make sure it's challenging? Listen, should we really be using notes like that or should we push kids to do it this way? They're collecting that data from the kids and saying, "Did you like the way we did this thing?" No, let's try it a
different way. So, we're always doing that. That's true for all of our courses. Yes. So, thank you, Bella. This summer, what we want to do is not only analyze the data, but begin discussions that we've already started about, are there things that we want to change about this course. And I'm going to show you in the next slide what those things might be. Um, and then here's the other
big piece. There is an accurate complaint that I have seen. Um, it was a parent actually who wrote to you all and I was, "Thank you so much for forwarding." When you get an email from a parent, from a concerned community member, it is so helpful if you forward it to me so I can
do something about it. Thank you. Um, one parent wrote, I thought, a really thoughtful comment. Um, and something I think is pretty common. My kid taking WISP and um, they don't want to choose the harder assignments because there's no like honors label or like they're not
going to get a better grade for it. I'm going to admit something to you right now. It's hard for teachers to hear that. It just is like because we're like, we love our subject. You should want to do it for the and they're so earnest about it. And I'm a parent of teenagers so I understand. Um, that's a legitimate concern.
I get it. I mean, I think teachers would say like, well, if you like it, you should do it for the love of the learning. Um, no, I don't know. 14-year-olds don't always choose it for that reason. So, one of the things we are talking a lot about and we're planning on actually really focusing on this summer is so how do we get them to
do that? Um, and I I think we have some great ideas for that, but I just want to say we really want to see how can we consistently encourage kids to like stretch. Maybe not every time. Maybe you do have a crazy soccer season, but we'd like to see them doing that more. And we do need to figure out how to just push them a little bit more rather than
always leaving it up to a 14 or 15 year old. Like, I get that. That's a legitimate parent concern. Um, and I think we also want to make much more explicit maybe to kids to understand that well, if you don't ever choose the spicy than probably when we have our conversation and you say, I can't wait to go to honors, whatever. And we say,
well, like you never once chose a challenging thing to do, so like should you go on to honors? So we're trying to make more explicit the connections and I think as a team we need to have conversations more about that. So that's one of the big things that we're talking about for next year. Um listen
I don't want you to think that we have never discuss the idea of honors and wisp that would be totally untrue. We are as you heard in general teachers are hesitant to make quick changes and I think there's a good reason for that because we have the responsibility of
young minds and of maybe making a system that replicates tracking for example. So the thing that drove us to change it were a little hesitant to just jump in based on vibes and not hard data. That being said, um it is totally accurate to
be able to be like, well, this is my experience. That is a point of data. We just want to have time to see if we were to offer honors. I just want to put it out there. Here are all the different ways that we might do that. And we need time to figure out what might be the
best way to do that. Our intention is to do this deep dive than to ask ourselves, okay, so is our course working? Maybe it is. By the way, I just want to say we might come back to you and say, we think it's working. Pros and cons. Here's what we think. And I think we're I know we're also going to say there could be a different model though. Here's another
honors model we might use, pros and cons, and let you look at it and see what you think. That's our plan to come to you in the fall and do that. But as you can see, it's I think there's been an oversimplification by many people and that's okay. But I'm here to say you
can't just say make it honors. Um the course isn't designed to be honors right now. And we don't want to just offer something willy-nilly. We want to give highquality instruction. That's what social studies teachers want. That's what all teachers at BHS want and across our district. That's why we work here.
So, I'm just saying I wanted to put this out here just so community members could see it, too. There are so many different models. We don't know which one is the right one yet. We need time and honestly resources, which I'm hearing we're going to get, which I'm really excited about, to be able to offer you our best um professional expertise, as you heard.
Um, okay. So, this is this is it. We're going to this is the plan. Okay. two weeks. I'm gonna get the dashboard. I'm gonna learn how to use the dashboard with Matt Dubois. I'm very excited. And Hal Mason, I'm sure, will be showing me as well. He is a data genius. Um, that's a high bar. Hal, I hope you're coming in
with some great data. Um, then we're going to do this comprehensive review. Okay, that's going to help us to look and say, so is what we think true? Is it not? By the way, I am perfectly fine as the head of social studies to say, you might love this class, but look, it's
not working. I I'm going to do what we know is right based on what the numbers are telling us, based on what the community is telling us, based on what teachers tell us. I want to hear multiple perspectives before I make a change for 500 kids. Okay? Um and then I'm going to come to you in the fall and
I'm going to say here are some choices and then we're going to go through the approval process, which is the committee voting. That's it. So, um, sorry, I don't know if it was as short as I really wanted it to be, but now I am so open to any and all of your questions, and I'll take a drink of water. >> Thank you, Jen. First, I'm going to ask
committee members, please silence all devices. We have lots of noises going off, so please um it's it's going to be an important conversation, so if you could silence your phones, that would be great. Uh, questions. >> This is what we call wait time in the biz. Caroline.
>> Oh, Caroline's ready. >> Thanks, Jen. >> No worries. Hi, Jen. >> Hi. Um, so I just want to sort of roll back to a super basic level and I apologize if this is in the FAQ, which I did look
through. I guess to start this off because you were just finishing by saying, you know, we're going to be looking at is this working? The question of is it working?
Can you just restate what was the problem? >> Yes, definitely. >> And and I I'm going to make a tiny comment with that. And I have heard a few different sort of points being made about, for example, you know, the same
number of kids are going into AP or maybe a few more. And I think that's not surprising, right? like those kids were probably going to go into AP anyway. So for those kids, what was the
problem? >> What was the problem statement that's going to define whether it's working? >> So I want to make sure I understand your question. Tell me if this is right. You're asking me not like what was the problem for everybody, but specifically
for kids who would have ended up in AP regardless. What was the problem? No, I'm I'm using that only as sort of a sub example of like that's in the FAQ as a sort of I
think example of like look everything's good. So I don't know what so for example what was the problem for those kids but overall if this endeavor was undertaken
what was the the problem statement for everyone >> great okay um I'm going to say the problem we were trying to solve was multifaceted okay and um I think that's actually I'm
also just reflecting as we you asked me the question. So this is good for me. Um I also need to think a lot about we got to think about that problem and as we look for the data we want to be saying like you know how and some of the things are hard to measure. So, I'm just going to say that out loud. The easiest one to
measure truly, which has been the focus I think of a lot of our conversations is um across the nation, Brooklyn, not excluded, uh when kids predominantly, and I'm the reason why we're saying um
kids of color and kids in IPS is because we we do have a data analysis that we started with and that's what was presented to us actually. So, we found out in 2017 after Gary Shiffman, who was the MI at that time, uh he presented to the social department and said, "Guess what? If you're a kid in 9th grade
standard, you will pretty much remain on the standard track for the next four years." And then um the other problem, so that certainly was very alarming to teachers. That's one of the problems. There was another
interesting problem which is that was 30% of our student body approximately. Okay, 70% were in our honors class. I mentioned this in curriculum subcommittee. This was Jesse's question actually last year. 70% of kids were in our honors class. In some ways you might
look at that and go that is so great. Look at all of these kids in honors. I would actually even say that is great. Okay, cool. Um, the problem was that for teachers, including me, who taught that class, you weren't actually teaching a class where all the kids came in with
what we would consider social studies skills that would allow you to do really complex, you know, tasks, that sort of thing. I could go on, but let's not belabor it. Um, so you were actually teaching a heterogeneous class. you would end up in many nth grade honors classes needing to do a lot of work that
we associate at least in 10th grade and above as being like way more scaffolding than you would usually have. So then those two problems were kind of an interesting um confluence because as we started to talk about it we were like well what if you put them together? So that was one of the that's some of the
things that were happening. In addition, and this can't be understated, but to be honest, our ninth grade class just at content-wise was not engaging. I I just I mean, and I taught it, so I I say this with love, but um even my own class was not that engaging. Kids just didn't find
any relevance to their lives. So, we also were trying to use the op, you know, so we were also like, we need to redesign this nth grade class. So, we had multiple problems going on at once. Um I think the way I did in my FAQ was also uh helpful in that there are the problems that we had in 2017. There's
also like the now we're looking at like oh and also it's the only common experience academic experience in the high school period. Um that's kind of interesting. It's not that wasn't a problem. I was just like oh that's kind of interesting. Kids do talk about that. Um so uh I'm sure there are others. I'm
doing them off the top of my head. Like I said I'm not going to read down the list but I think that's a decent summary of it. >> Okay. Thanks. >> Thank you. >> Yeah. >> And can I ask a follow? >> Of course. >> Um, this is a follow-up question and I'm
glad I get to this is hard, but I I'm glad I get the opportunity to ask this question. So, you said one of the problems was if you're a kid in nth grade standard, you're going to remained on in standard classes for four years.
If BHS offers classes that provide scaffolding for students who need it, what's wrong with those students taking those classes? >> I don't think I understand the question and I want desperately to understand it
because I could tell you were so careful in wording it. Well, >> um, uh, ask it again and I'm going to pay attention even harder. The most appropriate class for a student is one that offers scaffolding. >> Got it. >> And I'm gonna assume that's what we're
calling standard. Right. There's lots of words. >> Yes. Understood. >> And in all of this for me like the words I wish the words were just right. I want to talk about just what's happening in the class. Right. Is there rigor? Are there high standards? Are there high expectations? Is there's lots of
scaffolding? Yes. So if we provide those courses, those classes with that scaffolding with a small class size because that's what those students need. >> What's wrong with that? >> Oh my gosh, what a good question. And I'd even push your question further and
say we offer standard classes in our other ones. So there is nothing wrong with that obviously. Um so so then your next question is so right. So like let's just do it. Um I think you heard a little bit about it from the teachers but here is the kind of I guess uh
teaching pedagogical underpinning of what was happening. Um it's yes in a vacuum a kid sitting in a room and getting their appropriate like um scaffolds and those sorts of things that makes perfect sense when a teacher is just in a vacuum. The kids
are in a vacuum nothing else in the world matters. But in reality, um, a kid starting their high school career coming from their K through eight experience as never having been told, "Are you honors? Are you standard? Are
you huh?" Okay. There is a reality whether we like it or not. By the way, um, that the label itself begins a narrative right away. The first moment you step in, you might go to your nth grade standard class and find it completely appropriate and
really accessible and love the kids in that class. That is totally great. We have lots of classes like that. I love that. I teach those classes. Um, what we were trying to do was see if we could interrupt that negative label. I would
liken it a little bit to the work that's been done over many years for our special education students. what was referred to for a long time as being a sped student and oh I'm sped. I'm in a sped class. The label it was there's nothing wrong with being a special ed student. That's
not but the label means something and it doesn't matter whether you or I wish we could call it something else and put another label on it. Kids are too smart to not know what it means. So yes, I see what you're saying completely. There is nothing wrong with being in a standard
class. However, what we thought might be the case, and this is what we're trying to discover, is an eighth grade teacher who does not work at the high school, but who is awesome and competent in their work at Baker, at whatever school,
with that culture, with those kids, making a decision working with families, even if they're working with families, to sort of put the label on before they've even arrived to this next big chapter in their life, to the largest school they're ever going to experience. parents. I mean, our school is almost the size of a college. That is one of
the things we were trying to solve. And so, yeah, you know, you're completely right. That was a really smart question. Um, I hope the answer at least is sort of >> No, no, no, no, no. I I know I I guess what I'm saying is I appreciate the question. Um, there's just like it's like a weird nuanced answer, which is
like, of course, there's nothing wrong with it. And frankly, I taught that nth grade standard co-taught class for many years, and I loved those students. We had a great time and I was a good teacher to them. and they got what they needed. They also left the hallways knowing that they were in a standard class and that's what they would be. And
we I think our hypothesis is that then that determined what they thought they were capable of in the next round. And so we have to find out if that's true or not, frankly. Right. Um and we I don't have the comprehensive. Let's do let's Yeah, sorry. I can see you're doing a great
job non-verbal cues. Okay. >> Um well, I have I have a question. I think it was in the FAQ. Could you speak to and Hal has written about the the um numbers on this the increase in um students of color and students with disabilities who take either honors
classes or AP later in their career. >> Thank you for asking this question. You're not going to like the answer. Um why I say that is because I don't know the answer to your question. Um I think that people are um rightfully some of you are on the hunt for data and I love
that for you and for me. Um, and so we're using some state available data. So I think what you're referring to perhaps is like what is that data that people are talking about? How many kids took the AP exam, etc. Um, so first of all, I'm happy that we put this kind of I wanted to give you guys an example of
the type of thing we're trying to this dashboard, but now interestingly, it's turned into a whole other thing that I'm like, I wish I hadn't done that. Um, which is to say, uh, I just was like, I looked at a push scores over this thing and they're a lot better. They're not even a lot better. They're a tiny bit
better and a lot more kids are getting fours and fives. Okay, fine. I think what happened was people then looked up state scores to see, okay, so how many kids of color this is easy to find. It turns out it's not that easy. By the way, if it was easy, I genuinely hope you believe that if it was easy, I would
have done it. I need you guys to really understand that. I want nothing more than to have the information. It's not like I've been like, "Let me try to figure out a sneaky way to never tell you." When you give me spreadsheets of 10 years worth of information of over
500 students disagregated by it's not something that I can do my regular job and then also do that. So I just want to say um I don't have the answer to your question. Howal might want to speak to the specifics of the AP thing that people are talking about. >> Sure. So, uh, as you saw, I think I
wrote I sent a lot of emails in the last couple of weeks, so I don't remember who got this one, but I think this went to everyone. Um, there's so many troubles in looking at state data and using the state data to draw conclusions because the categories are simplified and don't
give an accurate picture of the students taking exams. So the data that we use uh that we have in the high school it gives us much more detail as to uh what ethnicity race a student is whereas the state just has very simplified
categories. So when you look at the state data and you just see one line it's not an accurate picture. I have 22 years worth of data that just looks at kids who took uh advanced placement US history. And I'll share this chart with you. It's I'm just going to hold it up
for you here, but I'll share this chart with you. It does trend up and certainly there are other factors involved as some of you have pointed out. Certainly more kids are taking AP AP exams across the board. That certainly is a factor. But this is the type of data that we're going to be using in open architects
that open architects will be much better at taking and looking and being able to pull out the individual categories that the state data does not pick up. So the state data, you know, if you looked, I know I think it was Bob sent one that said only one kid, only one African-American kid took a push last
year, and that's just not correct. And but it is what the state data says if you just look at that one line. But DESI's data is a mess. Even our data is a mess to some degree because our data is also self-reported and definitely has inaccuracies in it. And when the state
introduced, I think it was in 2011, the multi-race category, that made all of the data super confusing. And so many kids that might have previously been listed in one category now become list lumped into multi-race. And multi-race is a complicated category. Our data has
that broken out into, you know, 10, 12, right, 15 different uh combinations. And that's the data that I used here to pull together this chart. So, I'll share that with everyone. That just shows the uh the the trend that's definitely up. But
again, there's there's it's a it's more complicated than just saying, "Oh, therefore, um this course is working." >> Thank you, Mariah. >> Thank you. And Jen and Hal and Anthony, since you're get to stand up there too, I just want to say thank you for the conversation. Yeah, he's a supporter in
the background. Um, I think the conversation's overdue and I'm glad we're having it tonight, you know, and I think I want to say I wrote down a little note earlier. I think it was Josh. I'm going to quote Josh from the letter. The process itself is fragile
and I feel like part of that was this process hasn't it's both not g. been >> lumpy around I don't know what to you know and and as you said like you know nothing else happened the school year of 2019 2020 right and no other data there's no other things that might have
made the data clear you know stretched your time made the data challenging to interpret um but people have been wanting to have the conversation and I think it's been overdue and I'm glad we're having it now so thank you for that and thanks for some of the work that you're >> that are is imminently
>> it's so close you guys isn't Is that so frustrating when you're like just give it? >> Well, I'm going to be honest. I was frustrated two years ago because um you know all kinds of people are like she had data. I'm like yeah of course it was one of the first things I did when I took this job. The first thing I did literally the first big thing I did was like okay great. Can I get some help
with this data analysis? Then I took all the sheets and I'm going to be honest. I do have a PhD. I do know how to do data analysis but I don't have like the wherewithal to figure out disagregated by those with socioeconomic incomes lower than that's what this is going to let us do. and that um I just don't want
to oversimplify it. I really want us to like honestly this is going to be a pretty comprehensive study um that is going to probably inform other school district like it's it's a really big question about the heterogeneous model. So I'm I'm looking forward to it and I appreciate robust back and forth. Um I
am also sorry I got hit by a car you guys. That was the reason why I wasn't here a little bit earlier. It was very dramatic. I'm doing much better. >> I'm glad you are. >> Thank you. Um, I want to I want to say just I deeply agree with what Carolyn said about there's nothing wrong and I appreciate that standard's not called
standard anymore. It's called college prep, right, for the most part. >> You know, it's funny. It depends on the school and I think oftentimes we just label it as unlevelled, I think, in our course catalog. It's just called >> it is just it is a course. >> But that's that's so words matter. I'm glad that you all are thinking about
that. I mean, I remember when I was at the high school and there was something called basic to >> stop it. >> Yeah. Yeah. Do you am I the only one who remembers basic so it existed and it was underneath standard and I don't know what it is now and I'm sure there's some sort of need for again there's nothing wrong with these things but words do matter and so I think it's really great
that we're thinking about how people take that on and also the fact that as students >> you can you can say well I'm going to take two APs over here and so I'm going to I'm going to you know give myself grace which is something that >> you know in college I know that like I would make those kind you know you
balance things out right like I'm I can't do all the time. So, how you it teaches people that like it's okay to to have different experiences and to get what you need and like that's really great. So, I'm glad that we're all on the same page. The last comment question I want to make is your analysis um or
are you exploring also you talked about things like um assessments and assignments? Are you going to also be exploring classroom experience for students? Because one of the things I've heard is yeah just in sort of the anecdata is that like you know students >> I didn't even know that was a word.
>> It's a word fun with it. Yes. >> Okay. Go ahead. Sorry. >> You know it's just that like sometimes there students who really want to you know go hardcore into it are feeling like the classroom environment itself doesn't lend itself to that. And so how you can also not just push the kids to
for example choose a spicy homework assignment but to be a a spicy student in the classroom. I don't know how to how to, you know, how to be >> library us calling it spicy, medium, and mild. I don't know yet, but I have heard the word spicy more than I ever wanted to in the past couple months. >> But just thinking about what that feels
like in the classroom, too. Not just after hours in there. Yeah, >> for sure. I do want to just respond and say I'm currently the teacher of African-American studies AP honors. So, you can take it for AP or honors. We're all in the same room together. Um, I also uh asked the kids for their feedback on my course. Um, it's an AP
course for seniors. I had a couple kids be like, "This was way too easy for me." Um, so I also just want to say this is not unique to WISP. Um, our teenagers, you'll be surprised to learn, um, are not always, uh, satisfied with their
experiences. I make the joke to just say, um, we totally are going to do that. And I want to be realistic and real with everybody here. Every classroom at Brooklyn High has kids who are like, "Oh, this is my favorite thing that's ever happened." Kids who are like, "I don't want to do this. This is
too easy." If you made it better or if it was about things that I was So, I think what's hard for us in that specific thing that you're asking is uh trying to sus out how much is like, "Okay, we understand that you wish it was this." And how much of it is the whole course or this whole lesson or the
experience is really not doing what it should? So, yes. And that's a really I'm I don't I'm gonna have to figure out how to measure it. Anecdata it my new word. >> Sarah wants to say something. >> One quick just answer to Mariah just to
confirm. Yes, absolutely. We still have standard level classes. Um the nomenclature shifted within math to college prep. We're not great at consistent nomenclature, nor are we great at simplicity. So there are in nth
grade and all grades, excuse me. um standard or college prep offerings, honors offerings in some subject areas, advanced offerings in most of our electives. Those are unlevelled courses, but at the end of those sequences,
there's AP art and design and so on. So, and then we have some heterogeneously grouped classes with earned honors models um that have been around in some cases in the English department since 2013. uh real world lit and future world lit
in the 10th grade. So just wanting to be super clear that there are many different offerings and I think you capture the importance of what we try to preach which is balance is really important and balance is not the same for any kid. We have kids who amaze me
who want to take four AP classes and we give them a little bit of a warning and a check and then they crush it because they are ready to crush it. And there are other kids who need to be more careful about balancing taking some really hard science and math classes and
maybe in social studies uh or English it's a different so just to say that's important it's complex I think it can be hard to navigate for students and families and in some ways as eth graders are entering and we're transitioning them we try not to overemphasize the
levels and I think that's a something for us to consider in terms of making sure that our students and families know just how many offerings there are at Brookline High School and different ways to enter um rigor and knowing that that can mean different things to different
people. So, thanks for the question, >> Sarah. >> Hello. So, I just wanted to say first of all that the reason why my family lives in Brooklyn is for the diversity of Brooklyn. So, of course, I just want to thank you for any attempt that you do to bring people together. That's super
important to my family. I also wanted to say that this conversation has surprised me because people talk about their constituents. My constituents tend to be um you know people that um my kids share sports with you know um the kids that they go off to summer camp with you know
my friends as well. And my constituents have kids that um because our eldests are in their first year of college um took the WISP class and >> mine too >> and went on to do great things and got into amazing colleges and you know um so
I'm not really hearing at home or like when I'm out there that this class is you know is difficult in any way. So it was just interesting for me to come to school committee and hear that. And I also want to say that the letters that we get from school committee do send
tend to be the same group of people again and again. So I just didn't know how widespread this concern is. I wanted you to hear that as well. >> Um I currently have two kids in WISP. I've got >> That's right. Twins. >> Um so I want you to know that when you
say choose spicy so that you can get on to do honors in 10th grade, that message has been received loud and clear. You both explained that to me. So, >> good job >> to know that. So, >> great. Thank you, Sarah. Um I Let me Here's um thank you for saying all of
those things. That was very kind. Uh I'm also a parent, a WISP parent. My child was one of same age. Sounds like we had two graduates from last year. He's a history major at BEu. Took all the AP classes. Did really well. Loved Wisp. Okay, that being said, like was he really going to be able to say, "I don't
like this class at my table." Probably not. Okay, I do understand. Not a great data point. Not going to bring it into the actual analysis. I promise that's definite anecdata and questionable at best. Um I would say something I'd have an ask for school committee actually relating to what you're talking about
Sarah which is um I this might shock some of you. I talked to Gary Schiffman because I wanted to see what his experience was. Neither Gary nor I have ever received
a message from a WISP parent directed to us that was like my kid doesn't like this class for whatever reason heterogeneous. So that what I will say is I have received um representations of that. So like groups that have represented that um which is
great and I've you know written back and said okay thank you. Um I've gotten emails forwarded to me. I don't know if it's all of them. So my ask is actually to say I understand why there are some parents who just write to you know Val instead of me um because you have a lot of power. Val, here you are the chair of
school committee. Um but I do want to say this right now because I think there might be some families who are saying well what about next year? What is h you know what about my kid? What about my experience? Which by the way you should ask that. You're the parent of that kid. They should have an exceptional experience when they come to BHS. First I would tell you is maybe they will. I
think they might actually based on the teachers that I have working in my department. That being said, if if there's a problem with your kid being challenged, please please you don't have to write to the teacher. Write to me and I will figure out, you know, that's how we do it for all classes. Funny enough, I
could list another class where I get many uh, you know, not I'm not going to call them complaints, many, you know, little notes about them, but not WISP, which is interesting to me. And I think it might be because it's more of an organized effort to really try to do a systemic change. So perhaps I'm not the most appropriate person. So my ask is
when you get something that could be something I could act on immediately to make an experience immediately better for somebody, please forward it to me. Some of you have done that. I appreciate it. Continue to do that. >> Thanks, Bob. And then >> I'm I just want I have to respond to
that. We're told not >> to do that. >> Don't do it if you're not allowed. >> I mean, my understanding is lock it back. I'm not supposed to communicate with >> generally not. >> I'm so sorry, Bella. I just >> So, I mean, I appreciate that. I just want to
>> Please knock it off the record right now. No. Okay. Well, listen. Let me alter what I just said. Okay, Bella. I'm so sorry. Okay, listen. Ready? Exactly. So, there's no reason why you couldn't forward it to Bella. Bella can give it to me. Also, can any person who is sitting here listening to us or might be
watching it later, if you've got a kid in whisp right now, I'm thinking actually of the parent who I did get to see the email, which was great. Um if if you're like, "Um, can you make my 15-year-old do the hard stuff?" Yeah. Yeah. We actually there are a lot of things we can do to do that. Just let us know that's your experience. These
teachers have a lot of sway over these 15-year-olds. You'd be shocked. They're very good at it. So tell us so that immediately you can have some action taken. So I would just say to parents, if you're going to write school committee, do it. Either CC me or write me a separate one. I understand that
might be annoying, but like I I really just want to make sure kids are having a good experience right now, and I don't want there to be a feeling that my kid isn't because now I have to wait or something like that. Okay, >> Bob. >> Bob. >> Oh my god. >> Oh, I'm ready. I'm holding out with two hands.
>> It's a little awkward for me. >> Why? >> Loving all you guys. You're so charming. Even how. >> Oh, as are you, Bob. >> Even how. >> Even how. How's the most charming? >> And I appreciate all the uh teachers who
spoke um so eloquently and passionately. Um I'm not surprised. And I think Barack Obama taught me that you have to know what you believe. I like Barack Obama's advice. I do, you
know, so I do know what I believe. Um I'm not always right. So, I want to I'm very happy to to have this conversation. Um, part of my frustration was that I just got here last May, but before that, there was always, you know, attempts to
have the conversation about WISP, which has been around for seven years, and it was hard to do that. >> So, I'm very happy that we're finally finally doing this. And I So, as you can imagine, I I have stuff to say. I am surprised.
>> But I have a couple questions first. >> Great. >> Um, so WHISP happened 2019, right? >> Uh, yeah, that sounds right. >> And then my So I wasn't around here. >> You were you were around here, but not
in here. >> Not in here. And I was so I watched from afar the reimagining of ninth grade. And so I want to me I want to ask Anthony
probably Jen how whoever um what was the motivation for reimagining nth grade um and I believe that the recommendations that came out of the reimagining of nth grade was to delevel the entire academic program in the nth grade.
>> I'm going to take the first part of the question then I'll let Do you have more? I feel like I interrupted you. >> Yeah. Uh no that's okay. Um so the so what I believe in is
um educational equity. My version of educational equity which is all about every every every child. So everybody walks in the door. They're different different abilities, different um ambitions, different capacity, different
interest, blah blah blah. You know, you got five kids walk in the front door Brooklyn High. They're they're different. and our job in terms of educational equity. Um, I'm looking at Jennifer Fisher Mueller here sitting there. We were on a plane. I mean, I shouldn't go on these tangents, but I'm
going to We were on a plane. Where were we going? Were we going to >> Oh, New York to go to that um >> Jennifer, do you want to high school podium? It sounds like you're going to be the Jennifer. Sounds like you're the Jennifer who's going to be answering this one. >> So, Jennifer came over to me on the plane, right? You remember this? You
said, "Bob, can we what what does equity mean?" You said that equity mean >> you said that whatever. So we had a little conversation. >> It's not whatever Jennifer what equity is. >> So I'm very clear about what educational equity is. And so my one of my deepest
educational beliefs is that we have to take good care of Jen. Got to take good care of Anthony. We got to take good care of Hal. Even Hal. And when so when I see the reimagination of ninth grade
>> um and for 20 years I went to the K to8 schools in the spring >> and at every one of those 160 times that I was there as you know I said this to you >> parents would come over and say thank god Brooklyn High's got powerful courses they got honors classes they got AP classes because we've been in nine years
of heterogeneity and so when I saw the transformation or the re the recommended transformation of ninth grade. Um I was concerned. Yeah. >> So I want to I want I want you guys to talk a little bit about the relationship
between the heterogeneity of wisp and also the move toward um heterogeneity in every academic class in nth grade because that was a big concern. So, you're going to take this, but I'm going to take I'm going to say the piece of social studies which is in the FAQ and I
think is critical to this moment we're in. We there were no conversations about any of that in 2017. We got together with our middle school colleagues. We looked at data and we were like, "This is really troubling." And then we spent two years trying to plan a potential
systemic solution in addition to the other great things that we do at the high school to try to help all the kids who walk in through the door. I will say that the interest in our class and the way it was running and stuff became much more prominent when
the conversation about other courses happened. So all I can tell you from social studies perspective which I think is really important for me to really represent social studies teachers that was teachers seeing a problem and trying to institute a solution for our discipline which again we're all about a
democratic society civic engagement lots of different ideas etc. So it really fits the themes of our course in addition to all the things that we talked about. So I can just say it was not part of a larger effort that just timeline wise, but I'll let Anthony answer the rest of it.
>> Um, thanks Bob for the question. So reimagining 9th grade certainly was uh an initiative that we were looking at access to high level courses and concerned by the myth of mobility that the social studies department saw in
kids who started in standard or college prep level. Um, and so, uh, I under then superintendent bot and Nicole Gittens, uh, as our deputy superintendent of teaching and learning, we began having conversations about what it would look
like to relevel or DLE, re-imagine. I I think what I wanted to stay away from was that it would all be deleled, but rather how do we reimagine nth grade? And so social studies we felt like had success with WISP. There were common
experiences, a team of excellent teachers working closely together, offering common experiences for our 9th graders. It was very powerful. Um, we had financial support to do that work. Um, then we looked at English. I think
we very much were hesitant about science, about world language and about math given the complexity of those subject areas. And um we had just um re I don't want to use the word reimagined
again, but we did rethink our physics curriculum with the support of an organization you might know a little something about, the Brookline High School Innovation Fund. And so the physics team felt like they had just redone the curriculum, overhauled it,
and weren't ready to move in that direction. And so we move forward with English. We're very proud of the work that that 9th grade humanities, which is heterogeneously grouped, but not deleled. It has an earned honors model that we think is really powerful for nth
graders where they're opting for challenge in some cases and sometimes opting not. I think when school committee in in their role in your role, it wasn't all these same people voted down the full roll out of that pilot.
One, we heard voices in the community raising concern. That's important. Um, we heard voices on the school committee sharing some of those concerns. We continue to offer honors English,
college prep English, and that heterogeneously grouped um with an earned honors model English. There aren't currently plans to go further with math. I think that Josh has done inc an incredible job in his tenure of
making sure that while um there are differences in pace and in some of the content certainly between advanced and honors and college prep. All students in nth grade are getting the same eight
units. They differ in pace. They differ some in content. That's really important to me and I don't know that that was always the case at Brooklyn High School. And so I'm proud of that work. I'm proud of world language and the work that they're doing around the seal of
biiteracy. And I think we always wonder given the sheer number of levels we have within world language. Uh I think we're always wondering about how we can offer access um to kids to to reach their greatest potential. And I'm delighted
that Briana Brown is leading our science department and working with the physics team. There's lots to be proud of of that curriculum and we constantly think about how we can best support kids to engage in challenge. >> So I I again I have a lot more to say
but I want to say one more thing. Okay. Is that all right? So, um, we I really feel strongly that I would bet my the mortgage on my condominium that everybody in this room believes
basically in the same things that we want the best for every child. I don't think raise your hand if you don't believe that. Okay, nobody raised their hands. So, we all agree in that. Then there's the methodology and the practice of making that happen, right? And so
heterogeneity as you guys have described it and implemented is is one way that you're hoping that every kid will be well served. And what I'm saying is there are other ways to think about it. And I'm just going to mention >> other ways we practice just to be clear.
It's fine for you to posit that, but know that that's not it that all classes aren't designed heterogeneously, right? So, just I I wanted, you know, I mean, the high school's powerful. No question about it. It's
ranked like the best high school in Massachusetts recently, I think, which was good. Um, but what So, here's here's my this is my final statement. I talked to James Cradle yesterday. I talk to him all the time. J, if anybody knows James
Cradle, legendary history teacher and administrator at Brooklyn High School. And I said, "We're having this big conversation about delelling." Um, and then Jimmy said, "So Jimmy said, deleveling? What do you mean?" I said, you know,
having everybody together in the same class. And Jimmy Cradle, who everybody knows and loves, said, this is what he said. quote, "No, no, that's not the way. That's not the way to help the kind of kids that you're talking about helping, the kids who
struggle. You have to launch them into powerful academic programs with support." That's what Jimmy Cradle said. I love Jimmy. I respect him. Okay? And I just want to We talk data, data, data. And this is my final statement. I'll be quiet for a little bit. We had a program
at Brookline High School. I'm sorry to bring this up. It was in math. We started it back in 2008,7 whatever. And that program identified kids who historically were not doing well in high level math. Yes, you guys were there.
>> Um, >> sure. We're aware of that. >> And we developed a comprehensive program um pre-teing in the summer, tutoring during the school year, celebrating um achievements, etc., etc. If you look at
the data from that program starting in around 2010 when the program got rolling, I see Hal going look at the data. The the on MCCAST, for example, MCCAST math and ELA
starting when the calculus project, I'll I'll just say it. um and the African-American Latino scholars program and the tutorial program. Those three were three of our major equity programs. And if you look at the data starting in around 210, 11,
12, 13, 14, 15, the the achievement gap on MCCAST was absolutely dramatically narrowed dramatic. And that's it's an alternative methodology and practice to
launch historically struggling kids into powerful powerful AP well AP courses and honors courses high level and the gap went from 60 points where African-American and Latino students
were getting like in those days it was called um meats how what are the what's the terminology meats and exceeds now it's meats and exceeds It was proficient and advanced. So advanced and proficient back then, African-American and Latino
students were like 30 35% were scoring at those two top levels. When you looked at the impact of the programming that we did, 88% 90% in both math and ELA, that was
the data. and then something happened and the data today is not that not that. >> So I just want to say there's there's a there's a heterogeneity is a strategy. I think it has very very mixed results in terms of doing what you want to do and
there's other ways to do it. Um and I can talk a long time about some of the other ways to do it. >> Sure. Thank you. And I think I would also say we continue to have a robust tutorial program to have a fostering excellence in mathematics that we're no
longer working with the calculus project. Um we continue to have if not a more robust African and and Latin uh ex scholars program. So I don't think that the strategy of the high school is a single approach. It's varied approaches
to meet all kids needs. And um so thank you. I think Jen wants to jump in. >> Yeah. I just and we've talked about this before, Bob, but I think I' I'd go on to record the record to say that there is not one solution to one of the biggest
problems in education. And we teachers are looking at our kids and we're looking at the parents of those kids and we want to give them the best chance that they can have, right? And so we are looking for big solutions, small solutions, ones that are good,
cost-effective, you know, all the things that go into education. The one thing I'm going to say to the way you characterized it, even to Jimmy talking to you about it, Jimmy Cradle, um, it supposes the point that you believe the course we're offering is not what you
described is the only thing that is robust AP. Is that um, I don't know. I don't think you think that, by the way. Um, maybe you do. I don't know. Um, but I would just I'm here to to also defend the work of my teachers and what I told you earlier, which is um, to be clear, the biggest mistake we might have made
was not calling it honors for all. Um, because what we were doing was taking these honors things and and giving them to kids. So, um, the only thing I would push back on is say that when you describe it the way you just did, it puts WISP as a whole course into some
sort of substandard category that's like look at this, you know, not great thing that we're getting them to do and then that's so um I push back on that. I think you would know that and also to say like maybe that's what we should have called it. Um and maybe it is that was one of the choices you guys. But I
don't want to I also know that you have a long night ahead of you. I'm looking at Bella and I know what you have to do next. So I just want to say um I would love to continue the conversation and it's hard to get onto the agenda, but I'm anytime you ask me to come, I'm going to be here. You ask me to do it, I
will do it. No problem. Um, anything else that you need from us? Yeah, great. Let's do it. >> Jan and then Donna, you're going to have some more people. >> I can't wait you guys. This is great. >> Thank you so much. I really appreciate all the speakers and certainly all the presentation that you did. I just a
couple of things. Um, I think we need to keep in mind, some won't like this, but this notion of what is a ninth grader? And I know you you talked a little bit about that, but we are talking ninth grade. We're talking one course in this case. And I believe the understanding is
I hate to say this that ninth grade grades do not count even towards your college uh admissions. I'm I'm not >> how Mason >> is that a common >> yes and no. We don't um use that as part of the GPA that we can that we uh figure
for kids but colleges do their own GPA calculations. So when we send a full transcript obviously we are sending nth grade. So those grades do count in the sense that any college is going to get that transcript and see it and they're they're going to do their own calculation for what that >> okay for how they use our >> clarification. Thank you. That was kind of the myth that goes around with some
of the parents sometimes. And so the the other thing that we're not going to have a chance to do today and I know you think about this all the time is the whole child, the whole student. And so this is one opportunity, this is one experience. Uh, and there's more besides
academics as we know at the high school. Uh, much more. And Kenny's here, he could go on and on about some of that, right? And but I just think it's important that as we ask our eighth graders go up to ninth grade that,
you know, they have an opportunity to kind of learn about other things other than just high high academics. For some students, that's maybe what they need, but I think for most students, it's enough to get to the high school. It's enough to find new friends and find
their classes. It's enough to get acclimated to a high school experience. And um I think Whisp allows them to do that in a way that's safe and um experiential and joyful. And so, you
know, I look forward to what you're going to come forward with in terms of data, but I'm not upset with WISP as it is now. And in fact, I think it's meeting a lot of of the goals that you set. And I again think that we want to
think about the whole student, not just not just WISP and not just honors or how soon can they get into AP. It's okay. It's just okay. >> Thanks. Appreciate that, Donna. Thanks so much for being here. >> Of course.
>> I want to say I'm very happy to see you. Well, >> oh, thank you. Yeah. >> Um, first, actually, before I get to my comment and question, I'll say that I was um contacted by an eighth grader who wanted to be here tonight, but you had
the ninth grade transition meeting. Um, so he wasn't able to make it. He asked me just to um announce that he has a petition that he had circulated um essentially asking um folks who were interested in leveled courses um to
sign. He was very pleased. He has um his name is Oz Pal. Want to call him out because it's I think it's quite amazing. Um he has 75 signatures. Um and I will get >> hopefully this is a civic project. That's that's got you got to get credit
for it. >> I will get the information to Bella as well as the rest of the school committee. Um I have a question, but I think first what I want to say is um I'm a big believer in um
it being okay to make mistakes and to say you made a mistake. Um I think in this um entire conversation and I don't mean just tonight. Um we have all made some
mistakes. Um I think as a school committee we should have had this conversation and I don't mean a presentation. I mean these conversations um like Mariah said we should have we we should have had it earlier. I think that
um when and and by not having the conversations earlier and this is where I want to apologize to Jen and to the educators in the room. By not having that conversation earlier, by not having real opportunities for dialogue earlier, we have done a disservice to the course
and to your work. >> So I want to say that I'm sorry for that. Um to that end, I will also say thank you for the presentation you did tonight. Um, one piece that I didn't hear about,
but I'm sure that you're going to incorporate or I'm curious what your feedback will be, is that >> in the um, slide that says what the department is planning, will there be more opportunities for students and families to actually have dialogue,
whether it's in the form of a survey >> or in the form of conversations with >> BHS administration, with you, like you said, email me. >> Yes. Um, I want to say as um a parent um it's very hard sometimes to reach out
to your educators. It is >> it is really hard. It's also um you don't sometimes even realize unless you're asked >> um that you can do that. It sounds so stupid but like you don't realize that. So when you say why didn't people reach
out to me or I've never heard I'm not saying no no I get it. I'm glad I said it. That way people know. >> Yes. I'm so glad you said that, but I I want you to recognize that it truly >> like doesn't occur. So, um >> that's all I was hoping that as you're
thinking about >> data, data, data, data. >> We're also thinking about actual opportunities, space for conversation with students, >> with families where there can be back and forth. Yeah, I I'm going to answer
your question. Um, as we prepare to do the data, a lot of what we're talking about when we're data data, we're not talking about anecdote data. We're talking about the data data numbery kind of stuff and we do a lot of surveying. Um, that's really consistent. So, it unfortunately we didn't do those surveys in ninth honor and our other model. A
lot of you were like, well, what was the pre-data? We didn't we weren't that I'm sorry to say we're very we did a whole thing and no, we didn't think here's the exact survey we're going to use for the next seven years so we could do a cross comparison. So that unfortunately we don't have but we do have um really consistent questions we've been asking
kids. So yes I know we will ask kids. I think it's interesting that you're bringing up the question of I'm going to be completely frank with you. I've never known a course to um in as part of course uh development to ask parents what do you think about these courses? Um oftentimes that viewpoint comes from you all. So it's interesting. By the way
I'm not opposed at all. I'm telling you honestly that I'm like, "Oh, okay. We're going to talk about it as a team and see what Yeah. what kinds of things my what's the unique insight a parent has." By the way, um it's not an insignificant number of social studies teachers whose own kids have taken the course. So, we know what it's like to be a parent. Um
we just have way more knowledge than a parent who's sitting at home thinking, I can't even tell anybody how I'm feeling. So, I really appreciate the question and I don't have a great answer about like how how will we do that? Is it surveying? I don't know. Is it a small group? side. We need to talk about that. >> Yeah. Good.
>> Anybody else? Jesse and then Carolyn. >> Yeah. Hi, good evening. Um I just wanted to start by saying that um before open architects, there was Excel. >> Oh, I'm aware. Yes. >> And the reason the reason the reason I say that is because 25 years ago when
Verizon rolled out FiOS, I spent a year building the complete model for all FiOS care centers in the United States. and I did it took a year of work all in Excel. Open architects didn't exist. So there's a lot you can do with Excel. There's a lot you can deidentify and there's a lot
that can be shared in the absence of waiting for um support to put it on a dashboard. And just as a comment, okay, the second comment I was going to make is that um is there a is there a process by which the data can be made more
transparent to the community? And the reason I say that is is that once it's in um a dashboard, it means it's a database behind it. There are super number of people in Brooklyn who are eminently qualified, equal or better than any data analyst we could hire in
the in in the school district perhaps or who do this as a living or who run data analysis companies or data visualization entrepreneurs or data visualization candidates for school committee coming up who can take a look at this data and uh de deidentified and learn a ton.
Great. So if there was a way to be able to plan to present the data to the community in a way that those that are interested can access it, I think it will go a long long way >> in reducing some of the opacity which is driving some of the frustration.
>> Yeah. >> That is causing these kinds of very long conversations a year or two after we bring them up. >> And so just a just a suggestion and if you want to I have one or two more comments, but if you want >> do want to respond. Um, I think the first comment >> I I'll just say how it felt when you
said it. It feels like a dig. Um, I do know Excel exists. Um, I think what I would say is that uh I have a very complex job as you might imagine um as somebody who's just trying to do it part-time for a long period of time and it involves significant amounts of time.
So, I suspect that in the year that you had to do all of that that that was perhaps your full-time job. like that was the job that you were doing. And um uh part of the problem it's not that I said I can't I can't do Excel. That's
not what happened. So I'm going to clarify right here now and just say um I'm not known as somebody who sherks responsibility or doesn't do what's right for kids because I don't know what Excel is. That's not what happened. But if I want to do a decade's worth of cross data analysis and answer the
questions that were asked by this very committee, by my teachers, etc., the district also has to know that like you have to have data analysts that you hire to do some of that work. Because if I which by the way I did set the reason why we know any of the numbers is
because I sat down to do that which by the way it's a significant amount of time which means I'm not doing other parts of my job. So part of my problem for the past 2 years was to say actually OTL you would like that I would like that too. Part of your job is to support
me in getting those things done so that I can do the job I need to be doing which is watching teachers making sure that they're teaching classes the way they should and doing the things that you know supporting them in their most important work which is being with kids. So yes I know Excel exists and no I did
not set forth to just do a sort of like wo is me. So, I I don't know if that's how you meant it. That's how I took it, but I I appreciate you saying that you understand that. Um, on the second part of it, I would defer to uh the superintendent. Here is the truth. I
have had multiple offers from community members. Give me the data. I'll do it. And I'm just going to say that um I am a school employee and I'm also a parent of kids in the school. And I don't give out your children's data. I don't care if they're a parent in this district and I
don't care if they are the best data analysts. They need to be cy there are all kinds of legal reasons. So all this to say and by the way our data specifically does identify students by their student identifier because we want to trace that. So I don't know if you will be given that access. That will not
be my decision. That'll be a decision made by the superintendent of schools. >> Right. It was just a proposal. It's not wasn't meant to be direct. >> I'd be down. I'd be with it. Like if we if we can do it, I guess. I don't know. Uh oh. It's the second time I've said something. Bella was like, "Please stop talking."
>> I think it's important to own that when somebody says to you that sounded a little bit like a dig. Just say, "Oh, it was just a proposal." You know, kind of shrugs it off. I think it's important to respond. >> I'm not following you. >> When somebody says to you, "That felt a little bit like a dig." And at the end you say, "Oh, that was just a proposal."
Kind of dismisses. >> That's not what I said. Sarah, >> that's not what you said. >> Okay. You had another question. >> That's not how I meant it. >> Correct. >> He was referring to proposal department earlier. >> Correct. Correct. >> Okay. You had another question, Jesse?
Uh I guess the second question the second question had to do with um I don't know maybe it's like a lesson learned for us as a school committee with our subcommittees in that it's taken a long time to get to this conversation and there's a lot of
frustration and pent up emotion not only around this course but just around the difficulty in getting your voices heard. it. I saw it in the year before I was elected when deleing in English came up. I saw it um I'm seeing
it now and it besp speaks a a a a culture in which parents, caregivers and guardians as well as the public don't feel that they can always get an answer to a question. >> Yeah. And it and the opacity breeds in
my mind distrust. And I I'm not I'm not pointing this at any one person. God forbid. No, of course not. This is like a cultural issue I'm seeing within the district. And it's developed over
time like behaviors do. And it will take time to address as behavioral change takes time. But I think that if we recognize that this situation
is the reality, then we can begin to find ways as a school committee and in working in partnership with the superintendent and then in working in partnership with the district to find ways of improving
uh transparency, building more trust, feeling that lines of communication are more open without pressuring, you know, people and going, you know, around around the outsides of things to get things done. Um, it's just an observation I'm making based on, you know, a year and a half or two now of
watching how these things germinate, listening to citizens and um, other elected officials about the situation as they see it and to realize that we do have some positive work we need to do.
I'm not this is not being you know this is positive criticism to all of us. This is not a a dig at anybody. We have work to do to open up the lines of communication to make our processes within our subcommittees more transparent to move things through maybe
a little quicker so months and years don't go by before we actually can see change. And I'm just challenging myself colleagues and superintendent and all of us to recognize these problems do exist. this kind of a level of a conversation
about like this mini tiny one course and 141 pages in the new catalog. You sent me the link for it that I scrolled through till the end. You didn't have a thank you for scrolling to the end. Message at the end by the way. >> Thank you. Thank you very much. I and I invisible ink and when I find and when I
find the link to it, I will read the whole thing top to bottom as well. I think we just need to recognize that as a group of people that are all invested in moving the needle, you know, to the right moving the needle forward, moving the the vehicle forward in the right direction as as as a as as a
collaborative team. I'll just leave it as that. Thank you, >> Jesse. I think that's really important to state that and I in the spirit that Donna had in terms of that we all have pieces to own I think I would own some of my stubbornness on English and on
that uh humanities course and um and I think some I'm just going to uh quote myself which is always good to do um so uh after um October 7th uh In January of
that year, I worked with Donna and many others um to organize a meeting of Jewish and Israeli families. And one of the things that I said that is so heartfelt then and and remains now is that there
were families who were deeply impacted uh and harmed by district decisions, by school-based decisions, by some of my decisions. And what that at least one thing that it caused was that there was less communication with us sharing
problems. And I think a really wonderful community formed and one of those I think that is some of the context some of the context in which learning first Brooklyn formed around well okay well >> only do that.
>> Okay. Well, my sense was there were a lot of conversations that were happening on a Slack channel or and and really important conversations about schools, including about how we responded. Um, and so I think um I what I've
appreciated about learning first over time is that it has shifted from what was originally sort of anonymous communication to a much more fuller engagement in wanting to um talk with us about our course offerings, talk with
rigor, and obviously conversations like this hopefully build trust um among all of us who work in schools and you as school committee leaders and I think I just as the principal of the high school have an ownership piece in terms of um
slowing down this conversation in some ways and some of that is a little bit of my own defensiveness. So I just think in the spirit of this conversation that makes sense to share. >> Thank you >> Carolyn and then Bob.
>> Thanks Val. Um, so I'm gonna, this might be a good segue. So, um, over the break we took Nile to Washington DC, inspired by a push, which has inspired my I have a a
junior um, who is is taking this class. Um, it's been really awesome for me as a parent to, uh, and I don't like usually talking about my kids in school committee, but it's really relevant here. It's been really uh incredibly
gratifying to see my child um be really engaged, really excited. Um Miss Murphy. Um >> Oh, shout out. >> Shout out a big shout out. >> Great teacher, >> you know, I said, "Should we go to Washington DC right away like with me?"
>> Um went, loved every minute. And we went into the US capital. You go in, there's like a movie. um and part and it was about democracy so about how challenging everything is and in the the little movie they said what are our points of agreement and I was like I'm I want to
bring that to this conversation knowing that this this conversation was going to be happening what are our points of agreement um and I'm going to say this too about and this leap leads back to just this whole notion and question and and concern
about whether At the same what you described, Jen, as the problem >> resonates, it's important. I hear you. >> Yeah. Um, at the same time, I guess I worry about
the students who might also be coming in to the high school ready to see themselves as um, learners, students in this crown jewel amazing high school that we have that they've heard about.
And my concern observing and hearing um kids as a parent different experiences is is is not providing that um sort of high
standard high expectation. Um and whether you know in in the in the effort to make sure um that some kids are taken care of in a certain way in terms of how they see themselves that
we're not providing the opportunity for these young people who might be ready to see themselves um as excited about learning, super engaged and high achieving um that we're not giving them that
opportunity. And I think it's it's really important and I as a parent I feel it's important developmentally um at that moment of entering the high school >> to um to to to live up to that promise
of this is hard. >> You can do it. We can help. And to make it hard >> just a BHS mantra right off the top of your head. >> Well, it's not right it because this is really meaning you know. Well done. >> So that's that's my concern and I think
the you know what we all what we all share is wanting to make sure that we're taking care of all the kids, right? So just to explain that that's sort of where where I come from it and and personally observing a change
um when a child is now seeing themselves as part of an intellectual culture in a particular class >> and thriving in it and articulating that that's exactly what it is. It's hard and
it and everybody's into it. Um, so I just wanted to to put that out there um as part of my my thinking in this. >> Caroline, you're a good thinker. So I would just say very briefly, not now. Think about what you're saying and ask yourself what how might I measure it
because I know how to measure whether or not the kids who were going on that standard track then deviated and maybe tried something new. I'm actually not totally sure how I would measure whether or not like what is the impact on for example, right? And it maybe the answer
is maybe we have to ask parents what do you see at home. I those look a great could be a combination of the two but I if you have ideas about how to measure the thing you're trying the nuance you're trying to capture here which is like making sure that those kids are also feeling how does it come out. It's that'll be hard with the data data I
think because like your your kids's going to show is like having chosen the highest level classes. It's going to the data is going to tell me everything was great but you're telling me no it wasn't. So, I probably am going to need a little help with the nuance on that, but I appreciate it,
>> Bob. And then Mariah. >> Um, it was a long good conversation. Um, back in the day, um, I worked with John Sills as he worked with the community to develop world history 1, world history 2, which lasted until WISP, I believe,
pretty much. >> I taught it. I've looked over the WISP curriculum. I think the WISP curriculum is far superior to world history one that we had for 112 years. >> Good job, Steph. So I just want to be
very clear that I think that under Steph's leadership who I completely trust um the development of that course um was well done and is and is um an outstanding course an engaging really inspiring course. So I I want to make
that very clear. Um, at the same time, um, what I perceived in the fact that you did and the conversations that we've had is that the the WISP program, maybe the
reimagining program um, is driven by the 30% of the kids. >> I don't agree with that, but I'm going to finish your comment. That's my I said that was my perception that it's driven by the 30% of kids of color um kids low-income kids kids with special needs
right and what educational equity says to me is that the 70% matter a lot as well and I and I think um again this is me analyzing the big picture over the last bunch of years um I think it's
hugely important by the way especially in an override idea that we make it very clear that the 70% of the kids who are ambitious, who are capable um and who thrive in an honors and AP intellectual
culture, which is what a school is all about um that they be honored >> and and that's and then finally, what are we going to do? What's what's the final decision here? >> Carolyn. >> Oh, sorry. >> Caroline's going to determine the final
decision. Here we go. Mariah, that was Mariah. >> Dramatic ending. >> Um, am I commenting on that or what I was originally going to say? >> Um, do both. So, I just wanted to say
that I appreciate what Suzanne, this is going back a little bit, Suzanne, what you said about the students who are who are ninth graders and, you know, we'll say coming to this young and still learning things and the world is is the high school can be very big and overwhelming. And then there are students like Carolyn's son too who are
excited by US history and are um having a great time and it's hard but we'll help you. And there's also some kids who are maybe ninth graders who deeply deeply love history and and that's and they're a maybe they're a spiky prof your son right who is a now a history
major in his first year and maybe they're a spiky profile and history is their special interest or what right like those maybe they're like Andy who deeply loves history and like >> oh >> tells us all sorry to get personal is the truth Andy >> he does all these analogies he's like
Mariah you were so and so in the Civil War And I have no idea because I did legal studies at the high school. So I missed like all of >> you actually. >> Mr. Scverki, you were wonderful. Oh my gosh. >> Yes. So >> just a blast from the past. So anyway, I
mean I guess the point is it can't just be for the kids who are hard but want to try. It can't just be for the kids who aren't ready for that. It has to be that we're giving the kids who are deeply loving this topic and like could could run let them run as fast and as far as they can go. So I hope what you heard
from that's equity, right? And so it's not just the 70 or the 30. It's like the 1% of kids too who are really into it. Let's make sure we're this is an amazing place. You said it yourself. It's like a college campus. Like let's treat them like the intellectuals they can be in their areas of interest. That's all I
wanted to add to this. Thank you. I hope that you heard, everybody heard. That's actually one of the very critical questions we're trying to answer right now regardless of what we tell you. We we're talking about that right now. Some kids do it naturally, others don't. And so we do have to figure out that
conundrum. We talk about it all the time. So yes, agreed. >> Okay. Anybody else? Just add one thing. >> I think the five people here four times a day every day are looking at their classes and asking themselves that same
question. Who is the kid in this class that I need to challenge today? Who are the kids? What am I doing? What how am I serving this kid well and that kid well and every kid in that classroom? And it's not a one-sizefits-all thing. What they're doing every single day, the four the five here, the four that are listening online every day are thinking
of their classes in that same way. But but Hal, I think probably every teacher at Brooklyn High School is thinking about how to do that. And it's how about how the systems allow them to be more effective in their in that goal. That's all. And this course is a system, right? Curriculum is a system that supports
them in their goals to meet each student where they're at. So that's, you know, >> you're wonderful, I'm sure, in doing that. And it's and you're not alone in your peers. We're lucky to have this amazing group of teachers who deeply care and want to make that happen. That's all. Superintendent Wong has been patiently waiting to speak.
>> Am I a am I finishing us? >> I I don't know. Are we done? >> Okay. >> I think my only question is was Bob's a real question or a rhetorical question which is what are we doing? Like what are what's next? >> There's no vote. >> There's no vote. The controversy was are
you going to vote to tell the high school what to do? No, we're having that's why these conversations have been happening. And so my question is a real question. Where are we going? Well, I believe they're I believe they're gonna work this summer and
>> Yeah. And so, Jen, yes. So, >> look at look at data. Work in the summer and come back in the fall. >> Well, they're going to point share the data as much as we Right. I don't know that we're going to let everybody be in the data, but we're going to share what we found out as well. >> Right. And you're going to come back
with options. >> Yeah. We're going to tell you this is what we propose. >> Yes. So, um so I I think it's fantastic. everyone has so many strong opinions and so I think um >> social science teachers love that >> and uh and actually superintendents have opinions too.
>> So I just wanted to um maybe take us out a bit. Um as one that was trained as a scientist, you know, science is is figuring how things work. This is a little oversimplistic. Um, English is learning how to
communicate our ideas, be persuasive. Math is a way of thinking. I don't know, Josh is gone. Um, well, language is I is a pathway to peace. Um, learning another culture, another, you know,
another one's language. Um, I hope I'm not forgetting anything. Did I get to >> I did. So no, I get into history. I think I forgot to everyone. >> So but history so I was trained as oh
arts that's right >> I knew I was like oh don't forget arts Bella. So arts I don't know arts arts is a is um >> everything. >> No I was going to say it's about um expressing one's soul.
>> Yes. and um and and becoming open to that. Um but social studies so trained as a scientist and and all and speaking about all these disciplines. Social studies that's a study about who
we are. It's about who we are, who we choose to be, why we, you know, how we decide to self-govern. um I don't know how we convene so
trained as a scientist um I have come to really appreciate the importance of history so um everything's important I think students should have all of those disciplines
but history is I'm going to say it yeah >> say it make sure you're closer to your mic History is special. History is special. And um I will also say that maybe
it is the appropriate place to think about a hogenius experience. I will say it. Um, one of the things that we try to teach our students or hope they will learn um
about inclusivity and one of the things that really supports inclusivity is shared experience. So, um, BHS has so many opportunities, pathways, definitely lots of opportunities for leveling, which is all
appropriate. Um it's so I would like I would not like to lose the opportunity for building this shared experience but I will say at the same
time we have a commitment to the community >> course >> and to be responsive to the community. Um, but I it doesn't mean what I think is the way it should go necessarily,
but it is my feelings about this. And so I think it's okay to have our own beliefs about how things should be. And then we should be responsive to the community and in the end listen to all
of that and determine what we think is best for the students. And so on that note, I would like to see more um built into the this the course feedback loops >> great
>> from from the students. Um they will have great insight on on their learning and what's working for them. So, so I'm I'm saying it's okay to have our different opinions, but we have to figure out how to how to respond in a
way that makes most sense and that feels right to us. And and fundamental to that is the process. So, I appreciate everyone's patience and allowing for that process. And I I thank you and I thank everyone for I
guess what we're about to engage in. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. Thank you everybody. Happy to come anytime I'm invited. >> Sorry I had just have to ask a clarifying question. Sorry. So at the end of all this and this has been a great discussion and opportunity
next fall nothing changes. >> They're going to come back with options for >> for the students who walk into BHS. >> No, they're also No, no, we are also so sorry. next fall the department's work
uh sorry we are not uh prepared to offer an honors wisp next fall that is I hope that was clear but I'm going to say that very clearly for so many reasons and I would say the least of them philosophical
just for logistical and practical reasons the answer is no um that being said um we are right now thinking about okay well what about these kids that we were just talking about how do we capture that feeling the we are doing
work actively to think about making clearer connections for kids about when we offer different levels why are you choosing some of those and not the others and the teachers we need to have a conversation together about how are we encouraging kids to do more stretching because it is much easier to say I'll do
the miles because it'll take me quicker and then I can do my math homework or something like that we know that we're not we we work with kids we know this so um practically speaking we are also addressing the question of helping kids make clearer connections between the choices that they're making on more challenging assignments. What's the
connection with their recommendation the next year into honors so that they have that leverage? But also, how do we convince them they should do it? Um, so I will say that's like the sort of I think that's what you're asking. I'm not sure, Caroline. Is that what you're asking?
>> Um, I think so. I'm just I'm just trying to get clarity on whether students walking into the class next year will be experiencing the exact same class and experience
that has been or whether there is any kind of um yeah potential >> so we're not yeah we don't have >> adjustment within the existing >> um we don't plan to change our curriculum for next year so I will be
frank with you we're not changing our assessment models etc by the That's what we would do in an honor situation. We would change assessments. We do a lot of those things. So, that's not on the docket. Um, what is is thinking about the right now the strategies that we use
to offer kids choice, which you've been hearing a lot about. Kids can choose. Kids can choose. We want and we will do work this spring and this summer to figure out how to make more, not make, encourage, get kids to make more of
those choices. and potentially to retool some of those because that might be the solution by the way. So you might see some new curricular changes for next year simply because our answer over the summer might be like we're not offering it the right way. We need to change the way we offer it. So I I can't answer that for you yet. >> I I think um it'll be an opportunity to
pilot. >> Great. >> Yeah. So like just Oh, sorry. Is that a >> Don't use words like that. I'm just I'm making a joke. >> It'll be an opportunity to try out >> new things. Pilot is fine. It was a It was a failed joke. Bella, it's fine. Um,
thank you all. I'm wishing you all the best of luck in your next discussion. Like I said, thank you for allowing us to talk so much about the best course. I heard you say the best subject of all the subjects. We appreciate I heard best. Okay. Thank you. >> Okay. Um, we're moving on to update on
the FY27 proposed budget. I think Susan is >> Are we going to take 6B and 6 C together, Bella? >> Yes, we're going to do 6B and 6E together. Okay, >> thank you. >> All right, everyone. So, we're shifting
to to the budget. Um, can I go ahead and start? >> Do we have slides? >> Everyone, >> um, did we did we did you email those slides to everybody?
I just got >> Oh, okay. >> These are the FAQ. She's just distributing. >> No. Did you email them to Betsy? >> This is new, not edited from
>> brand new. Okay. Thank you. >> And just so you have them, I know you haven't read. We're not going to take a deep dive into that. What else we got going on? I don't know what this is. >> That would be great.
>> Can you hear me? Okay. >> Um, >> no. Do you have the slide? Okay. Um, if I could introduce >> All right. Thank you. Um, what I'd like to preface this this part of the meeting as we're looking at the updates on the
proposed FY27 budget and also the multi-year analysis. Um, I I would the first budget I ever started to work on is 1998. So, I had six budgets as a assistant
superintendent. This is my 17th budget as a superintendent. And I realized I realized um I think this is the the most challenging budget process I've ever been been a part of.
And so I wanted to um bring that perspective to to why I say that. Um one because I am new to the district. It's a very it's a large district. It's a complex district.
um working with a new team and um and so much is at stake. So I feel um in coming to this budget process myself but also the team and the
principles have approached this with it with a deep degree of seriousness but also to to make it clear that so much is at stake. Um and again we began with initial pro projection of um of an increase of 12.8
million and we are now going to be providing an update with um a smaller number. The last number we presented I am so sorry. Again, there is so much at stake in in this
budget process that we are embarking on. Um, and I and I put in the context of why I say it's the most challenging that I've ever done. Um, I have never faced
um a gap this large or the question of an override, a multi-year override for a sum this large. And what I bring to this process is is is a couple of decades of of experience
and working with a hardworking team and this is where we're at. Um I I'm very sensitive to public comment um what and all the feelings about um
the schools and the budget that it proposes. But I want to underscore I how how much we have done to meet the expectations of the community in terms
of meeting our fiduciary responsibility around this budget process and also doing what we think is necessary to make sure or ensure that the programs are being supported as needed. And um as as
expected um so so as we approach this right and and so you'll hear some of my comments about where we're at in in this process. So we do so we at on February 5th we
were at 8.1 million6,235. were on the first slide as our budgetary increase and through the hard week of hard work of the team. I'm going to have Susan lead us through
where we are right now. See if you can. So, yes, we're going to do an update on the um FY 27 budget. We have some additional reductions to share with you tonight. Um then we're going to move on to um the non-override
reductions. Uh then we have some updates that I handed out to you on um additional FAQ responses. So um we're we've really narrowed the uh number of uh questions that are still outstanding significantly. I think
there's maybe a half dozen left. Um and then we'll we'll talk a little bit about next steps. So, I'll have Susan do the first part. I'll take the non-override reductions and then we'll go back to Susan for the FAQs. >> Okay. >> Okay.
>> All right. Before you get started, would you be able to say um what we're looking at? Is it currently posted for people to see at home? So, this the slides >> No. And the slides >> they're posted on um the budget central,
but they're not posted in your school committee. >> So, just for people to know to go to budget central Okay. So, uh we're going to begin with um an update on the budget. And so, as uh uh
Superintendent Wong um mentioned, we started off this process uh a couple of weeks ago um with a gap of uh 8,16,235. Um we continue to work
um diligently to find ways that we can reduce our um budget. And so tonight, we are here to share with you some of the additional work that's taken place over the last several weeks uh in in in the area of transportation.
We've been looking at ways that we can continue to consolidate routes um uh as well as look at opportunities where we can use a bus as opposed to multiple vans in order to uh continue
um with our in district uh student services um transportation. Uh many of the students that are um currently being transported in vans within the town um were on buses when we
had more buses last year. And so um we're looking at uh opportunities to save money by going back to adding some of the the the buses um um as opposed to the vans. So based on the work that
we've done so far, um we feel very comfortable that we'd be able to reduce transportation costs in the area of OSS by a little over $100,000. It would not have any impact on um services. It's just how we're how we're
uh providing those services. The next item uh two items actually are right sizing. So as I've been analyzing accounts um and looking at spending in comparison to what we have been budgeting uh the next two items are
areas in which we our spending history has been less uh than what we've been budgeting. So these next two items are are not going to have any impact on program but rather um are right sizing the spending history
uh and the budget uh that we've been um including and is included in the proposal. The fourth item is >> can I just ask what does advisers mean just to know like who are they advising? >> Club advising. Okay. >> Advisors. Yeah. Okay. Thank you. Thank
you for asking. Um the next item are uh further reductions um at in uh VHS and so we are moving forward with uh reducing one administrator and making some shifts to the 4 plus one
assignments. Uh so we'll be shifting some staff that are currently doing 4 plus one to to teaching uh five next year. Um the next item is uh reducing PD and
curriculum development. So in your FAQ and at our last meeting we had conversation about like what memberships and what is in this line and and all of that. So you have the detail of that. Uh there's a link to it and I think Betsy might have handed out although I'm not
sure uh a document on that. If not there's a link in your FAQ. You can open that up. But one of the other things I want to point out is that in this we're we're showing you, okay, this is what was put in the proposed budget. We, as we all know, heard that we would get
some grants we weren't anticipating. And so we've made some adjustments to move things off of the operating budget and into the grant. Um, we've also made a couple of um, uh, reductions um, from what the original request was. So you'll
see that it's spelled out pretty clearly I think in the document when you look at it. Uh and it gives you a full accounting of everything that's included in in the education uh training and um conference line.
Uh so we'll be reducing that line um by $11,651. Uh the next item are tuitions. So, uh Karen has been working with our our district coordinator um and looking closely at um uh you know placements and
she felt very confident that we could reduce the tuition uh lines in the FY27 by 228,000. We would still maintain a reserve as we had talked about last year. So, this uh isn't going to put us in jeopardy um of of not being able to
accommodate uh shifts in placements and or students coming um to us. Uh we always have changes um and need to to hold a certain amount of um money aside uh for those pending placements and so this does not compromise us in that way.
And then the last item is for additional retirements. So, at a certain point in time, I have to say, "We cannot make any more adjustments or I'm not going to be able to like prepare the documents, reconcile everything, and get you a a budget." Um, and so between the time
that I had to stop doing work in order to prepare the document and now, we've had additional retirements that have come in. And so, we're taking the breakage from that, and that amounts to $254,000. So again, um none of these have any
impact on programs. Um um you know, uh it's just a matter of uh kind of making some adjustments to some of the line items in the >> um I might say more about impact. Um but go ahead. Um there there is some impact to the newer the newer additions, but
I'll I'm going to address that when you get to the bottom. the title ranks that >> title two and four >> two and four and they're not in danger of being cut down or cut back >> from everything that I've heard and
we've read and has been communicated. It's supposed to be level funded. So we're going um forward with with making that assumption. >> So that's title two and four. Title three can't be used for this purpose. It's for ELLL. >> Okay.
>> Okay. So, it's it it's not um and and also I will say in title three uh we predominantly use that for uh star academy in the summertime. Um and so uh it it's not related in any way that title grant is not related in any way to
to to this line item. >> Okay. So when we total up these additional reductions, um it comes to $1,95,926. Uh and in a couple slides, we'll look at how that plays out in terms of uh the forecast for the outy years. Um so this
is great news. You know, we're we're reducing it by another million. So the so the budgetary increase has now been decreased to 7,10,39. So that's that's really um is as uh it's good it's good news. Um the town of
course we know gave us an allocation um to date of 1,740,76 uh which means our funding gap is down to 5,269603. >> If we could pause there I think. >> Yeah. So thank you. So again, we are
we're doing our due diligence to meet our fiduciary obligations to the town and to the school district being financially responsible but also supporting our programs. Um the reason um the slides came so late is because
we were I was in discussion with Anthony about the high school. So one addition here is an administrator at the high school and a shift of some of the four plus one assignments to teach five. This is in response to I I have been
making outreach in in the advocacy for for the budget and in that um I appreciate that there was um there's interest around um administration levels of administration
at the high school and also some strong interests about the plus one model at the high school. So what is the plus one model? Um teachers teach four classes and then there's a plus one. And
the plus one um can be an assignment to tutorial, math center, writing centers. Um they can also be a second teacher in a world language course in the grade nine. So they are all um support
positions um for students. And I just wanted to say something about um the perception of the high school and its staffing and plus one. We have eight pre we have eight K8
schools and we have a number of preschool classrooms uh across the district. In the K8 students pretty much um are accounted for. They there there's no free off-campus.
They have a schedule. They go as a group to one class and then another. And that is K8 High School. We have 2,000 plus students. When um the bell doesn't ring, but when the bell rings, they get up and
they move independently autonomously to their next class, hopefully to where they're supposed to be. Or they may leave the building and they may go elsewhere and they come back. um we're talking about 14y olds through
18. Um you know, they they're they're pretty young coming in and they're still pretty young coming out. Adolescence is a vulnerable period of growth where students are testing out their
independence. Um but they're incredibly needy still. Um and they need to be monitored. They need to be supervised, but they don't always do what you ask them. They don't always they're they're
not going to necessarily um always follow the rules or be where where they might be. And it's up to we have we're responsible for them from the beginning of the day to the end. And so there's
we're responsible for watching out for them. And um so the high school, as with any high school, layers out layers of scaffolding. um scaffolding, you know, students sometimes avail themselves to one like
they're comfortable seeking help in one arena and some kids will reject that and they what will appeal to them is a different sort of support. So the scaffolding is is like this web to catch
the students. And those of you that know the high school can visualize there are these special programs um that have high or faculty to student ratio and they are they extend themselves more in monitoring those
students. But the greatest body of the students in the high school kind of are moving on their own. And so when um to so to understand when people say well
what is that for and what is this for and why do you have this all these different administrators? Well, some of those administrators aren't tied to classrooms and it's their job to jump in when there's something that's gone arry.
So maybe it's discipline, but you know, with discipline, you want to address that immediately and you might have a consequence, but you'll also want to help that student make better decisions. It's not like this little quick quick like, okay, this is what happens to you.
um the four plus one. There are comparable high schools where it's just a a four assignment. There are also comparable high schools that don't have the four assignment. It might be
something like a 4 plus one. It might be five classes. There is a mix. So, Brookline is somewhere in between a straight four model, a five or a four plus one. And the reason the four plus one is important is because when you
have four classes, your case load of students is going to be a different number than if you have five classes. So whether you have 60 or 80, 70 or 90,
80 or 100 students we are used to teachers picking up on the needs of students. They don't always tell you >> they the students >> the students don't always tell you
something is off. And so we are actually used to and we are used to teachers at Brooklyn High School picking up on these things with our students. That is the 4
+ 1. That is the 4 plus one. The benefit of it. If I have 80 students, I have a different capacity to see those students in my classroom. If I have a hundred
students, my capacity is different. So that so this is so when we so we are being this we are at high stakes right now. And so I hear
what stakeholders are saying and I talked to Anthony today and this is why in the proposed budget you see the reduction of an administrator and
you see a shift of some of the 4 plus one assignments to teach five do I think there is no impact to that I can't say that right in the layers of scaffolding It's really tricky to decide which piece
you're going to pull out and that you undermine the integrity of all the scaffolding that's in place. All right. So, I just want to take care to be able to explain that.
Um, so so we are committing to it. Um, but this is why the slides came late because it it was um just hearing hearing where the conversations are. We want to be responsive.
We want the community to support this override. >> Great. >> So, would you be able to tell us how many FTEEs that represents? I understand that administrator >> 1. Oh,
>> but the shift >> 2.4 with the administrator. >> Yes. >> With the administrator. >> Yes. Eight plus one. >> So it's 1.4. That sounds like that's six to me. >> Is the administrator a point or a 1.0?
>> 1.0. >> 1.0. >> Okay. >> So it's because it's a 1.0. >> Okay. And then it So it's seven plus one assignments. You said 1.4. >> 1.4. Okay. for the plus. Yeah. So, seven plus ones, right? Okay.
>> But I um but the plus ones, they're they're tutorial, they're math center, they are again the second teacher in a world language class, they are the writing labs. Um so they they're those are the supports, but it isn't just what
are they doing with the plus ones. The other part is you have a teacher with four classes instead of five. you have a teacher with how many students that represents versus five and there is a difference in that capacity about just
being able to know your students um and and what that means. So um the next slide >> are we supposed to ask questions as we go or wait >> um >> what's your preference >> is it is it okay if I get further? Okay.
So, in the three-year funding gap, so this is an update. So, Susan updated our numbers. Um, the the the budget across FY27 projected for FY28 and FY29. So, this is our three-year
multi-year um projection based on what the town has shared with us and 211. So part of the tightness of this too is that we received this information
um less than two weeks ago and we're working with that and so the net allocations are in that third line. So again for FY27 it's um1,740,76
for FY28 $5,270 and then for FY29 a minus $55,514 and then um the relative increase in percentage from the prior year allocation. So to be clear, the entire
allocations are are in the second line and then the focus on the what the town uh has projected to offer. Now to be clear, these are allocations if there's no override.
And so the funding gap as we're projecting are the numbers below. and they total at this time $18,538,687. I do also want to note that it has not been my experience
where the entire projected increase is is considered as being part of an override ask. Usually there is an allocation for the increase and then
um but in this case in the projection there isn't but I also understand that those allocations are in a nonoverride scenario. So, I don't know if an override decision is voted on favorably
and what that number ends up being if those allocation numbers change. Um but at this moment all of our increase essentially except for the initial allocation at FY27
is being considered as part of our ask for a multi-year override. So the next slide, these are our expenses and revenue over time. If you look at FY24,
FY25, FY26, and you look at the allocations on the bottom, that will total more than 19 million. the gray line at the bottom.
>> I I the the blue. Yeah. >> The last one. It's gray. >> The bottom one. >> Okay. So, I'm I'm just pointing out for FY24, FY25, FY26, if you add up the increases which are covered by the town
allocation, 19 million. And I am saying that we are at a point of a multi-year projection for three years forward at a number less than that. I just want people to
appreciate the work that has been done to control our expenses. But >> but isn't this override? This is all override down here. >> I I don't know understand your question, Jesse. >> No, my question is the 7.3, the 5.8, 8
the 5.9 are the results of the 2023 override being bet. >> So that's 19 million. Okay. And I'm saying we we're >> slightly below the 19 million for the next >> but it's not just that. We're looking at the next few years. Everyone knows
that's that takes into account inflation and expenses going up. What I'm trying to say is to appreciate how much work we have done to control the expenses >> for us to be at a multi-year projection
>> lower than what the past three years are. >> I hear you >> is very it's just I just want to say it's remarkable. >> Yeah. But at this time the whole our whole projected increase is is being put forth
as our our override ask. >> Mhm. >> I just want people to appreciate that it's >> it's an improvement on our ask in prior years. And I know it's a lot to ask,
>> but there's no town allocation >> that's being um >> balanced against it, >> right? Offered. >> Yes. >> At this point, right? >> Right. >> There wouldn't be any because the town sides the 5.31 million for only the town and >> Can we let Can we let Bella go through?
>> She has to go through. >> Okay. So, so at this point I'm going to look at the reductions in the proposed budget. So, as Susan outlined, our gap at this time has been reduced
um to 5,269,63. So the way we approached this was looking first um sorry this is actually the summary of already what's in the proposed budget
>> right so I just want everyone to remember that we are we are now at 22.1 net FTE reductions because we added the ones from the high school >> this is on top of the net 20 since the
last override What we are presenting for FY27 is a net reduction of of over 40 FTEES since the last override. And now in the next slide, um how we
approach creating the non-override reduction list. >> Can you repeat? Sorry, >> can you repeat how you got to the 40? 20 are from um since the last override. >> 22.1
are embedded in the projected budget for FY27. >> All right, I'll I'll hold the question. Sorry. >> It's okay. Yes. So, the way we approach the non-override reduction list, so we have the number. So, we went again to um
looking at the district. So, this slide is just already what's in the proposed budget. And then the next slide, I'm sorry, I think we're missing one. >> Yeah, the slide that's up um on deck right now are should the nonoverride
um >> this is the failed sorry additional reductions that would take place. >> Right. So the FFN was transferred over to the schools and so in a non-override situation we would not we we would not
do the FFN. Can we call it failed override because I keep getting confused when you talk about non-override as proposed budget versus like non-override means both proposed budget to me and failed override. >> Okay. >> Does that make you know what I mean? It's confusing. It's easier if it says
if it's failed. Yes. Just to clarify, right? Because >> um I just it's like it's both scenarios are not override that's all. Yeah. >> So no override failed you want to say okay failed versus failed >> override failed override. All right. So
what we started first was looking at the district again and in this one we would restructure OAF still keeping the data um and information systems director because we really think that's a
critical function but we would but but we would eliminate something else within OAF to make to have that happen. >> That's sorry that's the restored position. >> Correct. >> You're staying committed to that. >> Yes. cuz we as you heard Jen it's not
just Jen but it's it's yeah it's al yeah >> and then um we would also restructure >> in this >> can I just ask one clarification so two in proposed budget 2.6 additional non-overrides so are you implying that
there's 2.6 six FTE within this bucket here, but it's not outlined >> like you're not breaking it out. >> Restructuring on the OTL administration would be um >> we would change our curriculum coordinators and we would restructure we
would um elimin eliminate the curriculum coordinators K8 and then consolidate under fewer directors. >> So the so is the 2.6 six that are here. That's the the sum of the thing you just
described plus whatever you would do in OAF. >> Is it also the OAF? >> OAF is a a reduction of 1.6 restructuring OTL would be a reduction of one. >> So it's minus 1.6 for OAF and minus or other way around minus one for OAF and
>> 1.6 >> and minus one for OTL. >> Sorry, I just want to clarify. Bella, do you want us to hold >> Yeah, that's okay. But you know, so again, the slides uh the slides are we were just we were late today because we were working right down to the wire.
Maybe when we that probably helps to put the FTE next to it since we total it on the bottom anyway. >> Yep. >> So I wasn't able to give feedback on the slides, but so I'm sorry. >> Um do you do you have questions before I go to the K8 and then
>> I I think you should go through. Okay. because otherwise we're all going to have >> okay >> what we call clarifying questions which are really >> our questions >> I just want to say my question was a clarifying question >> okay keep going >> all right on the next slide sorry Betsy
um so then we have the K8 reductions and so what so first we did the district level and then we reduced it so from the 5.6 6 million. We reduced the district
reductions and then we took the remainder and we did it as a 6040 ratio between the K prek8 and the high school and that's based on loosely on the student relative student population.
It's really 6535 um but we chose 6040 because as I said the high school is is is more complex in that and um so it's 6040 so the K8 reductions reflect 60% of what remained
of the gap after we took the district reductions and and so working with the principles and so I appreciate the work of the principles um we got our allocation number the weekend of the break, right before the break. And so the principles
were working on it through the break and then everyone met remotely obviously Monday, Tuesday. And so the heart of the work happened on those two days with the principles and the senior leadership team. So these are not recommended. Again,
these are reductions if the override were to fail. So reduce our grade 1 aids by 50%. This is not great. Reduce our non-mandatory summer programming which is called project >> project discovery.
>> Yes. Eliminate conservatory. Eliminate world language. Eliminate one be parah. And so in that below what we see is a total reduction in the
proposed budget is 49.7 FTE. 13.7 are already embedded in the proposed budget. But if the override were to fail, this is 36 additional non u add 36 additional
FTEES. So if you said, "Let's don't do any one of these," what it translates into our reductions in the classroom. All right? So I'm not saying you don't
say do one of these, but that there is really there really isn't anywhere to go. If you eliminate one, if you don't do one of these, right? >> You mean if you don't do one of these five, >> it it turns into >> the classroom. >> Yes.
Right. And so eliminating conservatory, what is the impact of that? You would still have music twice a week, Kevin's. So you're here, Kenny, in case I get this wrong. Um, so you have music twice a week. Um, up to grade three.
In grades four and five, you would still have music. You would lose the conservatory that they have. And so grades six through 78 you would lose all music because they have conservatory
twice a week. You could say okay should we restructure this and they have music once a week in grade 678. If you were to do that general music in
678 once a week then you lose half of that and it would come out of so I think it was like seven FTE so 3.5 would come out of the classrooms. So this is all to say there really are no good options.
They're all really pretty bad options and if you remove any one of them you're just going into the classroom. We've already right sized the classrooms to guidance. So if you So then what's happening is
you're taking you're you're going to go above guidance. Now when you look at section sizes, people would say, "Well, they're at 17." But that's probably because there's three sections at 17. So if you take a section away, it's going to be two um at one at 25, one at 26.
Right? we've already corrected for guidance. The high school, again, you heard me talk about the high school. The high school is not as a it's not as easy to figure out where you take
the pieces. The high school is all about scaffolding for and um for our students. And I will say when I'm at the high school, I'm really impressed by the feeling in the high school. It's clear
that students um choose to stay in the building. There is always students everywhere in different nooks and crannies. I really feel it's an environment that supports learning for all kinds of students. And I and I don't think that is um
something that just happens. It h it's because of the scaffolding that you have in place. So the reductions would be to reduce 7.5 FTE across these departments. You're missing a PNS. So I just saw
that. Yeah. Okay. So it doesn't mean it could be any combination. It could be a 1.0 could be parts um across these departments. There are some retirements. There are some leaves of absence. So
some of this would be through natural attrition, but they wouldn't be refilled. They would just become vacancies that you wouldn't have again. So then you're you're raising class size. Reduce the assistant athletic director who that position was just
added. It is a second one was added not that long ago. Your program is robust. Your program is robust. And so you can realize the impact of that, just less supervision. And I'm going to say with
all those students after school, um it it's a safety risk, too. It's not just about um making sure things run regularly. It's just mishaps happen and it's about who's on call and who can attend to that. Reduce doubling up
courses by students. Students, it's great. students want to double up on a class on a in within a discipline. They want to take two sciences, two languages, two histories. Well, in a non-override, we would have to say you we'd have to reduce that opport that
opportunity. Um, and I do think that's something that is appreciated um as part of our culture here in Brooklyn at the high school. This would be the next one is a more dramatic reduction of the four plus one
assignments. So 6.6 FTEES. So you can do the math about how many plus one assignments that um that is it saves tutorial but it cuts into all the other ones about the math lab centers, the other supports. All the plus ones are
generally supports for for academic supports for students and um is the heart of the MTSS general intervention supports. Students who are on IEPs have their own dedicated supports. This is about all the other students that are
not on IEPs that need additionals that just need additional help. Reduce other low enrollment areas. So there's some classes that do run at low numbers. So for a class that might max at 24, um a low enrollment might be 16.
For there are some classes that max at 16. Those are usually the high machinery um classes. They max at 16. A low enrollment might be nine. These um disproportionate this reduction
disproportionately impacts classes being run in performing arts. drama. They are they are typically more low enrollment. Um but if we if we adhered to strict low
enrollment then you wouldn't offer them. So it would cut off the opportunity. Um but in a non in a failed override situation then we would eliminate those um reduce one special education pair
professionals. So we do have power professionals that are not assigned specifically to students that are there generally to support specialized programs. Could be Winthrop House, could be XL. Um reduce security paraprofessional. This
would go five to four campus aid. Um we have a open campus. We have a open campus that extends to other buildings. We have a open campus that extends to 22 tapen. Now, it's um it's not insignificant that our ninth
graders are on the other side of what is essentially a cup a football field and more. So, um going from five to four is not insignificant um for having that security pair professional reduce an additional administrative
position. So, we already did in the proposed budget. This is another one. So this is compre comp consolidating um administrative positions supporting more staff more more departments
and what you have below are the total FTE 6.4 are already did you adjust this for the new okay 6.4 in the proposed budget and then 19.6 six additional in a failed override. >> Can we pause there for a second?
>> Yes, you can. >> The next part are the FAQs. >> I think that this is um these are dramatic cuts. These are not >> this is 80 80 FTE I think by my count total. Um this becomes a Brookline
education system that I think none of us are familiar with and and none of us want to see. So, um, questions or comments on this piece? Caroline's raising her hand. >> Thanks. >> And Sarah, >> um, Bella,
can you help me understand on the BHS list reduce doubling up courses by students one FTE? So, does that just mean that in order to provide that opportunity
>> there's extra staffing? Okay. Yeah. Thank you. And sorry, bear with me one sec. >> Um, grade one aids. Can you just briefly describe what is the aid scenario? >> So, um, all kindergarten sections have
an aid. All grade one sections have an aid. And so it's it's every class has one. So by reducing by 50% it means that two grade one classes would share an aid. So the aid would spend half the time in the other. Um the principles
have found and they will say you know our students K basically K well prek but K through three kids are just developmentally some some are ear you know fast starters
some are later bloomers and so in that there's tremendous heterogeneity in the K and the ones and so having that aid sort of helps provide that extra support for students that are and it it's typical typical diversity and
development at those grades. Y >> um and so they do worry that one one um collateral impact of this is that students are struggling and their IEPs we could end up with more per being um
>> incorporated into that before we can allow for developmental growth. >> Mhm. >> Um but again this isn't a failed override so no great options. Okay. And just to clarify, you said um the K8 list was 60% of the
gap after the district level. So I'm assuming the BHS is the other 40% of the gap. >> Yes. >> Okay. >> Yes. >> And sorry, I have one more. >> So again, it's 60% spread over the eight schools. >> Okay. Yep. Okay. Thank you. I did want
to ask, sorry, the furniture. Um, I don't know where that went in the >> So, every year there's there's a need. Yeah. >> Yeah. No, no, I know. And it's $75,000. It was moved over.
>> Yeah. Actually, no, it was the line was moved over. The money was not. >> Okay. So, I guess my question is um not to sort of be pesky and I'll just throw it out there like given all of
this and that the furniture at 75,000 is that right >> that that's the budget >> is on the nonoverride reductions list like is that not something that you don't have to answer I guess I'm saying rhetorically
in the scope of all of what we're looking at is that not something that might be considered >> should go in the proposed. >> Yeah, just throwing it out there like if I can speak to that. Um it's not for new
it's for replacement furniture and equipment. So, we have uh custodial equipment about $40,000 if it's for custodial equipment that's failing and um and so not having custodial equipment then uh means we can't keep our
buildings clean. The remainder of that is um at the elementary school in particular across uh multiple schools there is a need to replace some of the furniture that is um you know not not in very good shape. So, it's if if it was
new and it's it's it's none of that. It's it's real important needs, which is why it's in this side of the equation and not in the proposed budget because uh we really um do need to replace some of the aging furniture and equipment
that we have. >> Sarah, >> yeah, >> can you help me understand um the savings that you are intending to get on the K to8 reductions? So um when we look at eliminating world language 68 and eliminating conservatory
um how have you gone about um reducing staff and still having coverage for students? So like you know conservatory classes are really large and how can you
reduce that program and still have the students have something to do during that time? And is it at the point where for like world language, if you eliminate the whole program middle school-wise, do you have to redo the schedule so that everybody has more
math, science, social studies, um, and English minutes in order to be able to eliminate all those positions? So it would be um it would be introduction of more wind blocks and um so contractually everyone
needs at least one one block for prep and so it would be it's doable but usually they have at least one a day and sometimes they have two a day which is not a lot um for prep. So it would
really compromise the teacher's time to be free to prep and also just to meet at grade level or meet with other teachers to collaborate. So that would be the collateral impact. It would we would be able to meet the base contractual
requirement and that's it. One prep a day. So, so a teacher is going to try to prep and try to meet with other teachers and actually it's just >> it'll be severely compromised. >> So, our contract doesn't have how many minutes the teachers um work, it just
has preps. And so, you're able to add in time to the teacher schedule um because you can still give them that prep. They'll just have like longer times that they teach other classes, >> right? And so the thought too is um
librarians can also teach a class but they won't be able to teach all day but they could teach a class. Um so they they would and they don't they don't do that now but um >> the other part of that
>> so they they think it's doable. It it's not it's and again what are you going to do? um you save one of these things and it and you're it's you're doing reductions in the classroom >> Mariah
>> and then Donna >> um I have two big picture questions. So, um, as you sort of alluded to, Bella, just now, um, it's not written anyone here when you were here that I saw, but the one of your goals was to preserve class sizes
in K through8. And so, the decisions were all made with that sort of as a as a guiding principle. Can >> especially if we're, you know, we're going to have the grade one aids in first grade, then it's all the more critical to do that. Can are there any
other sort of overarching goals of that kind? Sort of big picture um ideals you kept in mind or you and the entire leadership team kept in mind as they made their decisions that you could articulate sort of guiding principles. >> You might be able to help me because you
were present in person with them you and Robin. Um but I think it must they were protecting class sizes. >> Absolutely. >> Yeah. >> Okay. So it was essentially class size experience like in that where you Okay. And that's in in the high school as well or strictly in the K8s.
>> No, we we tried to keep our eye on the classes which we could. Yeah. >> Right. >> Maintain to the extent that we can under these circumstances, >> right? >> As reasonable class size as we could knowing that by cutting back on some of these uh support systems that all the
more important to make sure you have reasonable class sizes in. >> But it looks like we blow our class sizes, right? in either scenario, we're going to blow our guidelines >> and at the high school certainly at the high school, but they're not so the K they protected them. Um but cuz if you
if you decide, okay, we want to restore one of these things and then you end up going into the classrooms, it's just going to create this inequitable experience because it won't be across the board. >> It'll be like here and there >> and it probably will predominantly
impact the higher grades. because you won't they'll they'll protect the primary grades. >> My second question is does this total to the $5.2 2 million funding gap in FY27
and then what happens in the outy years because FY28 there's an additional 5.5 million gap that I presume essentially melts away because we've reduced in one in one year or are those additional funding gaps like what's happening in
the outy years? What what subsequent reductions need to be made in the outy years that aren't presented here? >> An outyear assumes that was fully funded the year before. >> Yes. >> Right. But since it's not fully funded in the year before and and we should be assuming we are actually operating off of the town allocation which is flat
over the next three years. What is the impact of like I'm presuming because you've cut out that 5.2 essentially you're flat the like you're going to 149 the year the next year. So aren't you
still sort of having some at minimum in year three it was a $7.7 million. So there must be another couple of million dollars you need to cut out beyond what we're already seeing here. >> If the first if the first year isn't fully funded and only funded at the allocation level, the outy years will be
smaller because you did all those reductions. Yeah. But but since FY28 is flat and you know you're going to have natural growth, you're still having I'm I'm going to say it like a similar level of cuts in the following year that are another 60 staff and then again the year
after that you actually your allocation actually drops and so you're talking about another 60 again just assuming sort of a natural growth of 5ish million a year. you're we're talking about this like I feel like these the numbers that have been pres or the the situation
that's been presented to us is understating how serious this is because it's only presenting the first year of what would be three years of backto back devastating cuts and so we should be looking at this and then saying well it's great that we're protecting the class sizes for year one
but we're going to have cut every single other place other than class size in year one so like we're just it's It's It's one year out, >> right? And and again, where we're at, we're already 42 FTEEs down since the
last override, and we've reduced our tuition costs, we've reduced our transportation costs, and actually, I hope it's okay. So, Susan figured out our expenses are actually at 12%. There's no more to cut in expenses.
We we've refined us. We we're at 12%. >> Nothing. >> No. >> Non- salary expenses. >> Non salary. >> You're right. Non-s salary expenses. >> So, can I just ask a follow-up? So, when do we get the what happens in 28 and 29 failed override scenarios because like
this is bad and and I think the community needs to understand the actual impact of a failed override over the next three years. >> Your point is well taken. >> Thank you. Um I don't it's not going to
to Bella's point also u by cutting $6 million out of this year it's a $6 million base that will then you know feed into the following year at a lesser level right but it it's your point is well taken if you take the body of
expenses even at the lower level you're still going to have growth in your expense so that's I yeah so we did not take that into consideration eration yet and it's some additional work we should be >> so it's like 240 FTE over 3 years
>> no it wouldn't be another 60 6060 once you cut this the 60 then your base is less so it's not going to go up >> but your allocation's flat so even if next year you're at let's say that it's you cut this year to 144 you fit into the allocation box but then next year
your base is still going to go from 144 to 149 through natural salary increase right >> but not to and not to downplay the concern But I would guess also we don't know if there may be some revenue from
intuitioning. We don't know if there may be >> that's already counted in here. You already counted in >> that's already included. >> Okay. But and it's minuscule money. meeting to your point for the next meeting what I well I'm not going to be here at your next meeting but >> what I can do is run the model with the
reduction to see what the outy years how it would play out in the out years >> and the salary I just want to clarify on the salary that's generally about 5 million a year increase right year over year >> so the existing body of employees >> okay but
>> yeah so I still don't see why just on on the back of the envelope it's not 60 60 because we're still $5 million short in year 1, again in year two, and again in year three, like because allocation is flat and our our expenses at level service starting from a very low
baseline if this happens is not going to be flat, right? We're we're 5 million short every year and we have to make that up with 50 to 60. >> It's 5 million short every year with the existing body of employees. If you >> No, it's 5 million short every year even if we even if we do the cut, right?
I don't like >> I'm not seeing why we're not facing why we're not facing the 5 million gap again the following year. >> Is it possible Susan like I we are I think that we are running out of time for like having some clear >> for you next week. I just won't be able
to be here for that. I I >> like is it something that we you could share out of the meeting with members so that we like not at the in advance of any public meeting because I think that this is something that the community and for example expenditures and revenues
like we're having meetings. >> Yes. >> Right. Okay. Thank you >> Donna and then Carolyn. Sorry Donna you were >> honestly don't >> Carolyn and then Suzanne. um peripheral to this.
Um you might not want to answer, might not be able to answer. Um might we anticipate when capacity allows? um potential conversations about
structural changes that might realize substantial savings in 2 3 4 years were they able to be executed or are you just like not getting your head around that yet like model changes
>> there there might be model changes but that it's so preliminary I don't know what I don't know if they would just change things and not necessarily realize guys. >> Yep. >> Savings. >> Y >> um they might I just >> I'm not comfortable predicting. >> Sure.
>> Yeah. >> Are you comfortable? >> But I do feel like they need some time. Like we can't do it for for this. >> Oh, of course not. Not for I guess maybe and I'm not trying to put you on the spot. might you anticipate
capacity next school year to potentially dig into that more in terms of staff time? >> I think we were >> so right now we're we're >> we're focused on the override and we're
focused on negotiations. Yeah. >> Um I think we were hoping late spring summer >> to start looking at that. >> Okay, that's helpful. Thank you, >> Donna. And then Suzanne, >> thank you. I just had a question about
the um I have to get my glasses on. The BHS reductions, specifically the special education, teacher, and aid. I thought I thought Karen was on, but um I assume that's outside of H. Can you
explain how we could reduce that and not >> Is this the paraprofessional? Um it says reduce special education teacher and aid >> that's in the um >> that's in the BHS >> that's in the propo that's already embedded
>> in the proposed budget >> based yeah so now I'm remembering okay so we we looked at we've corrected for enrollment in general education and special education in the in the nonoverride yes
there's not so it's a parah at the high school and the parah is associated with one of the specialized programs. So just to be clear if I mean we can do all the you know all we
obviously do planning to the best of our abilities but then there's needs in terms of IEPs. >> Mhm. Then >> so this was >> how what what would h so what would happen in that scenario if there's another if there's another need for an
out of district tuition >> for example that somebody moves into the district and it's not something we're anticipating >> that happens >> yes so what would happen for FY 27 if that happens
>> so um there is some actually there's reserve for it ah >> so every year There's going to be some students who are not sure if they're going out or not. So that so maybe your two students you think might so you might budget a tuition for in between
and so there might be some monies available if someone were to move in worst case scenario is you go into the circuit breaker fund because that's what it's for. >> Okay. >> Yes. >> And I I couldn't remember we we are restoring the reserve fund for
>> Okay. Thank you. um >> in the assuming we're fully funded. >> Got it. >> Yeah. If we're not fully funded then then no that that structural deficit carries forward. >> Got it. Thank you >> Suzanne.
>> Thank you. So I >> I appreciate all the work. Thank you very much. Uh so as this goes public I think people might be in a little state of panic. So, um, you know, when you say things like eliminate world language 68, eliminate
conservatory, that's the heart of what we feel about our middle school programs. >> Um, there's going to be strong backlash on some of that. >> Um, and so I just don't know if there's anything. I mean, we know this is worst
case the override fails. Um, but I'm just wondering what we might say to the public that they could take a breath and, you know, not get out and vote and get a dozen of your neighbors to vote. >> Yeah. I mean, I guess
>> all right. I I um sorry this is I as I said we're at a point even with the proposed budget 42 FTEES down from the last override. Included in that was the loss of the
world language program K through five. So the the district hasn't been adding. It's only been constricting and so we are where we're at. I um I appreciate
it's a lot of money to put on an override. Um and I've heard from citizens who are on fixed incomes. I get it. It's a lot of money to put on the override. Um but we have done
we have done all we have is possible to to bring it down as tight as possible. And so when you see what the impact is, there is no other program left in the K8.
>> So because the because you've lost one set of world language and it and we're trying we try to present it in a way that makes it >> if you if you restore one, you go to the classrooms. So if you're looking at, you know, 36
reductions in K to8 with a non override failed override, that's about four per school. I'm throwing beef in there as well. And so I I don't know how you make it consistent across, but I'm wondering if
if the school and school site council would have an opportunity to weigh in in some way on how they >> Isn't it 50? It's not I mean that's additional but it's >> well no but this is for this we've already included that >> right but I'm saying that the experience
is going to be 50 fewer so right for next year >> well but you've already done that that's not in this >> nobody's seen it yet nobody's experienced it yet so it's 50 >> educators >> that's what the reduction is equivalent to
>> um I I think the principles the principles really felt that they wanted to have something that would felt more fair across the eight schools. They really didn't want to get into peacemealing at it. So that would
exacerbate >> it would the experience that students >> might be able to hold on to some of these programs if everybody could do it. >> I don't know. It's this is really dreadful. I hope it doesn't happen. Um,
but I'm just trying to think outside the box a little bit how to we might even save some of these programs if we were to have to uh reduce >> Andy. Yeah, just I have a question for maybe those who have been following the
um the overall financial picture more closely. So this the the town's projection that our allocation would be basically flat over the next three years. I mean that's highly unusual. So on on what is that extremely pessimistic forecast base? >> It's on it's on the above the line below
the line issue right. So, and Mariah will speak more to this, but it's it's or Susan, it's benefits that have gone up by double digits year-over-year for the last years and are projected right out to go and and you know, GIC is not
getting is not going to go down or is not going to improve our financial picture um because those plan changes are not going to be implemented that were proposed. Um, >> could I just say a little bit more so
people So the GIC there were a lot of elements for plan redesign to bring the premium down. There was a list of 12 things and they've all been eliminated. There's only the the elimination of GLP one >> GLP ones. >> Yeah. That that's basically all that's
left. So if they approve that and that's eliminated, it's not going to yield a huge savings in the premium. No. So just so you understand what that meant, >> but it's mostly above the line, right? I mean, Mariah,
>> yeah, it's above the line costs. And so like the town's overall um revenue base is increasing by a moderate amount, but it's more than getting taken up. That increase is getting taken up by what Val described.
So are other Massachusetts towns with similar tax bases facing exactly the same situation like level funding for the next three years? So there's districts I read the article in the Globe recently about health insurance premiums for some of the dis for some of the districts some of them have had like
a 40% there was a 40% health insurance increase and so this is something that is well documented as not a Brooklyn problem but all across the state districts are dealing with um the challenges of especially benefits costs increasing substantially
>> and I would just uh I would just add uh to your point earlier, Andy, that this will not solve any problem for us long term. Three years from now, the town and the schools will be exactly where we are now, short, and it will either have to
contract or we're going to have to find some other revenue source because there's not there's not a lot of places when 85% of your budget is salary and it's negotiated through the union contracts. There's really like, you know, as Susan pointed out, if if the
expense side now is only non- salary expense is 12%. There's like no there's no flexibility. There's no wiggle. There's no stretch that you can make. And so the 5.31 million that the town is sticking with and that our town
subcommittee is voting to propose um will only with staff reductions, service cuts like no more farmers market, all kinds of things that are going to go away. Um that's even if it we get the 5.31 million will not solve the year the
annual gap due to the lower revenues than expected the fact that we're not keeping pace with even inflation and that we are in a situation where we're going to be continue to be cutting and um not not improving our bottom line. It will just be exactly where we are
schools in town in three years. That's the scary part. So it's >> there there are other elements that um there is a light at the end of the tunnel with respect to other things in FY starting in FY30
>> and so um we are talking about that anticipating that and what we can do in preparation. >> Mhm. >> Um so >> like paying off our liability our pension liability >> there there are other things that we could do with it to improve our situation.
Um, so I just I just wanted to and it it does look it could be better in in the in the out years. Not necessarily, >> right? Yeah. >> Yeah. Sure. Could be. >> Carolyn, Donna, >> I'm sorry, but our but our students
can't wait for that resolution, right? Yeah. Um, I'm not asking this I'm not saying this as a suggestion. Um, but I'm asking for just sort of a little bit of discussion
on where we got to certain things respecting the fact that these were all developed um in collaboration with the principles. And again, I'm not suggesting suggesting, but I guess I'm interested in just a little bit of context about
decision making both for the um override and no override in terms of staffing in some of the specialized programs and even ones that aren't for students with disabilities,
SWS, ACE, where the class sizes are really small. Um just like how do we continue to justify those ratios in the context of of other kinds of cuts like if there was any
discussion or and you can say I'm not going to get into that these are the these are the cuts but >> well I think >> we did talk about that a little bit last year. >> Okay. Um, for the specialized programs, it's they're designed for students that
need more wraparound support or or a higher adult to student ratio. >> HS >> or >> SWS is a gened program. >> An ACE is a gened program. ACE needs more support. >> Maybe ACE needs more. >> I don't understand. I thought ACE
>> ACE needs more support than >> SWS. Is Excel only for students with IEPs? >> Yes. >> Okay. >> And so are those ratios um
mandated? I mean, I understand. And again, I'm not suggesting. I'm just trying to >> I know that >> Karen looked at all the programs >> to um adjust for a moment. So that's why you see some reductions in OSS that are
embedded in the proposed budget. Um but th those were those were kind of enrollment driven and profile of student driven which is why you don't see them as much in the override not in the failed override one because
students do have IEPs that have to be met. So there's one thing to say okay maybe we can we have adjustments for enrollment but then after that you really >> you're hardressed. So the paras that are on there are
unassigned paras meaning they're there in a specialized program. So we did look at that and you can you see there are two reductions there one in beep and one at um the high school and then then a whole the whole grade
one aids are h haveved. So that's a whole another group of paras. >> Yeah. No, I see that. And so that's I mean that sacrifice is what makes me just you know they'll people will want to understand sort of where the choices
are made and and not made where there could you know where there are really low staff student ratios in other places. Um but I hear you that these are the choices >> and then Mariah and then um
Did Karen want to say something or she unmuted? >> Oh, Karen's there. >> Yeah. >> I can ask my question. >> She unmuted. >> Did you want to say something Karen before I ask my question? >> I was just going to answer Carolyn had
asked about instructional grouping. So, so all the specialized programs do have instructional grouping maximums that you can't exceed. Um, so those are all the all the special ed specialized programs in terms of how many students can be in any particular group, what that group
size is at any time. >> I I had a clarifying question about the 12% um that um that Susan mentioned. Is is it 12%
a uh 12 I'm not wording it correctly because I'm extremely tired but is 12% not including it's after salary and expenses and after you take out OOD and transportation or even before?
>> No. So it's 12%. So that means your total wage costs are 87 and a half. So, um, all other expenses except for wages is 12 and a half%. That includes all of
those things >> out of district tuition. >> Seems like >> Hello. There you go. >> Sorry about that. >> So, that 12 a.5% includes mandated services. It includes your tuitions. It includes all of your supplies and
materials for your classrooms. It includes all your contracted services. It includes your transportation. It includes all of that, which is why we're saying there is nothing left there. There there's nothing there. So, we're
left with programs and and staffing. And we've cut back pretty significantly in staffing over the course of time. And uh we found ourselves here with a list that looks quite ugly. Um that impacts the lives of students and actually families
um and uh and our kiddos. So >> Ryan, >> I want to follow up on what Carolyn was talking about trade-offs because the there's so many things here that are really I mean obviously like terrible terrible trade-offs, but the the grade
one paras were were one for two classrooms I think until FY23 or so. And that was an intentional choice to take it to a onetoone because of the emphasis on early literacy and being able to provide that extra
support. And so I know no one wanted to make these choices and these are all horrible choices. I'm just wondering about that one particularly given the other district priorities on literacy and how we make sure we're accomplishing our goals as you're going through the new
literacy curriculum and how we're just sort of uh prioritizing early education as a as a principle how how that fits in with this one. I mean I think we're talking about 10 paras is that about right 13. Okay.
So I think um I just like as we contextualize that like there I just wonder in terms of impact. I'm not saying that right now you're going to do like you're going to make the changes but that one to me seems like it really undercuts some of the I mean everything
here undercuts and that one really is a tough one given the emphasis on literacy and the investment in literacy. >> Um you are correct. Um actually so I think when we talked with the principal I mean that was one that the principles put on the table with a lot of
conversation and it does it it's just that right like that loss in grade one means less adults for small group instruction for moving in some of those interventions that we're looking to do as we're doing TSS work I mean it has
great impact >> yes so you what you described is exactly what impact act will be. >> Okay. Do you want to keep going or >> I'm done? >> You're done. >> Sad. Yeah. >> Um Bella, do you want to keep going or what's
>> I think we're at the FQs. Thank you. >> So, >> oh, sorry. Yeah, FAQs. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> So, we gave I think it's six pages worth of responses. Maybe it's five. I'm I'm not sure at this point. We're not going to walk through those uh tonight. I'll
let you have the opportunity to take those and and and read through them. Um uh and then we can give additional comment. Um certainly reach out to Z if there's anything in particular you feel that's unclear or uh we want to look a
little deeper and we can get that to you. The the hour is late and there's more in the agenda. So I think in fairness to you um to give you an opportunity to read through the responses and then we can take it from there at the next meeting if that's uh
agreeable. >> That that's agreeable. Thanks. We also have probably a long executive session ahead of us as well. Um so on that note, moving on to item 7A. Motion and vote to appoint a
subcommittee or designate reps to engage in collective part. >> We have one more. Are we done with FAQs? >> Yes. >> Yes. Sorry. There was just one last slide on next steps. Sorry. >> That's okay. >> Okay. Um, so we already talked about G
there. There might be some shift. Um, it just won't be as much as we all hoped. And then I just I want to I don't know continue to advocate to refine the multi-year revenue and
understand what the allocation is in a override scenario. Um I just I feel the public perception that the override is so big when I feel like well that's our entire increase and it's smaller the next three years than the last three
years. um and so much has been constricted already over the last three. And then we'll continue to work with the town administration expenditure and revenue study committee and select board to
develop a cohesive plan for taxpayers to consider. Um we have really endeavored to try to keep it explainable, understandable for everyone and then um refine the implementation plan for nonoverride or failed override
reductions. >> Sorry. So that that was the end on that. >> Thank you. >> Jesse, do you have something to say on that or are you were you coming off mute for that? I sorry. >> Oh, teeing up. Yeah, I was just going to say that one other possibility um is uh
that has not been fully articulated yet within ERSC is a menudriven override. So there are some things you know obviously as you say we're sad that there's so many cuts looking out here but one one opportunity we might have would be to inform educate the public about you know
with this much of an override we'll be able to say these programs but if we don't get anything all of it's going away and there could be some opportunity for choice there. I don't have a good sense of where ERSC as a whole committee though is on that at this time. However,
in case we don't get to the liaison or whatever reports later due to the hour, I will say that we're trying to um taxi right now to the like to the h you know to the hanger with this project because we there's no time left. Um, you know, uh, I wrote an email that some of you
may have seen that was for some reason published into the public record and it, uh, without my me thinking it was going to be and it has quite a number of my sort of views untarn, you know, unvarnished and, um, I probably would have written I'll say publicly that I
probably would have written a little differently had I known it was going to show up in the public record so quickly. However, um it's out there and it discusses some of my um um feelings about the ERSC process, not on the school side. I mean, that we've been working, as you've said, you know,
tirelessly to get us to some the best where we can be. And a lot of credit to you and your team for that. Yet we're still facing sort of you know as I mentioned yesterday at the full ERSC meeting a dire consequence here for town and schools especially because at the end of the three years for this money of
24 million which are going to be where we started you know short so it's um so so there's going to you know there there's they're going to be separate separate group once the select board decides what it wants to be for this to um communicate to the public a message
about how this has to be and whether it's you know one fell swoop number or you segmented in which case we can sort of protect parts of the school. >> Um, okay. So, I'm going to move to appoint Superintendent Wong and Deputy
Superintendent Benoy to bargain on uh our behalf uh for the contracts with ASME uh building employees, food service employees, and the educational secretaries association employees. Is there a second? >> Second.
>> Jesse seconds. Donna, how do you vote? Yes, >> Andy. >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Suzanne, >> yes. >> Sarah, >> yes. >> Mariah, >> yes. >> Jesse, >> yes. >> Carolyn, >> yes. Bob, >> yes. >> And I vote yes as well.
>> Um, >> so we have I think two of these policies are ready to move. Is that right, Robin? >> No, they're just first. >> Sorry. 7D career and tech ed. Do you want to speak to that one? It's a first
reading at the school committee. >> Oh, we're not doing ERC. >> Nope. >> Oh, that's right. >> So, sorry. We're not doing we're only doing D and E. >> The others are um need more time with
staff and or subcommittee. >> Oh, F is out, too. Yeah, that's going back to subcommittee. >> Yes, I said only D and E. We're only just doing DN. >> Yeah, >> is so long. >> Do we will >> Oh, we're going to fly through. >> Okay.
>> Sorry. >> All right. >> It's just the first reading. So, yeah. >> So, do you all have a copy of the CTE pathways policy? So, this is a new policy um required by DESIE and um it was actually due this fall um if we're
being honest about it, but we didn't think we actually had to have this policy because we don't have a formal membership with a vocational institution. We're not like our students have the opportunity to go to Norfolk Aggie, but we we're not part of a membership to that. We don't sit on
their board. We don't, you know, we're not part of those decisions. So, Superintendent Wong did reach out um trying to get clarity around whether we need to have this policy. Um we do. Um and really what it boils down to is thinking about how do we ensure that we
make sure our students at our middle school level know what opportunities they have um as they go to high school both at BHS like within Brookline and also the opportunity for vocational education should they choose that pathway. So it allows um information to
be presented to them and for the opportunity to visit um Norfolk Aggie um and participate in that um that enrollment process. So, this is really just the, you know, the form policy that we're that with our
information in it and we're um and it's something that we need to um then put forth our policy to Jesse for approval to. So, >> thank you. So, this is just the first reading. Any questions on that before?
>> Okay. Thank you very much. >> Y comment. Are you gonna Andy, do you present the subcommittee like that we recommended it to go to first reading? Do you do that? >> You just said it. >> There you go. Thank you. >> Yeah. >> And we did make the one word change, the
clarification um that the subcommittee asked um about the relationship with Norfolk Aagi. Um so there. >> Thank you. >> What are we? >> We're just we have a relationship with them. We're not we don't have a membership in in our like that's complicated. That's complicated
complicated that but that that is the the vocational institution that our students would have opportunity to be going to. So >> we want to make sure that they're aware of that. >> Thank you very much. 7E I believe was also recommended by the policy subcommittee to move to a first reading here at school committee. Mariah you
want to >> I am so excited to present to you all a revised section D for its first reading. This is the third time we have done this and the first time it has made it this far and I am so happy that we have made
it this far. This also was a um item in theou with the town. I'm trying to get I'm trying to pep up the energy a little bit because I was feeling a little tired after everything that we've done tonight and heard tonight. >> A low bar. >> I know. I know. Um, and so financial
policy will get us there. So, um, there's obviously a lot here and I'm not going to review it. I will just say that you can watch all the tapes of our discussion if you would like to. This is based on the MS MASC policy with some weaving in of PSB policies that we
thought were worth that I thought and the subcommittee agreed were worth carrying forwards. And Susan has also provided her input as has Bella. And that is my summary. No, there's been no major changes. We made a couple of minor ones. We adjusted some of the dollar amounts. Um, we
removed some wording that was um, actually not in the MASC policy, but in our policy and then in discussing it as a small group, we agreed it didn't need to be carried forward. But nothing that I would say like um, is worth particularly calling out.
My other question is just the MOA does say that I forget the exact wording but >> moving forward advancing. >> Yeah. So we we're in the bounds. >> So are we have we done that already? Do we need to make some kind of official communication that uh like reporting on the progress that we've made? Well, so I
will say that um ERSC uh Saddaf has been who's the chair of the school subcommittee Saddaf Kazmi has been writing a summary of the CLA sort of response and update since then and I did provide Saddaf and I did provide
Saddaf no not with just that this was going to first reading for today and um and one presumes it will be up for a vote at our next meeting given the time >> the text has been posted So that's publicly available for anyone. >> Yes, exactly. So we're we're so we are
well in the like the well we are already in the documented section of everything we were required to do. Yes. >> Thank you. >> Any other questions on that? Can we dispense with Lea's own reports or is there Oh, sorry. Go ahead, Donna.
>> Mariah, did you say that did you say at the next meeting we'll be voting on this or the second reading? I usually I think it's second reading and first impossible vote, right? So we could be voting on it at our next meeting. >> That's because I want to do my homework and read through your very Yeah,
>> it's Wednesday. >> Okay. >> Because that's on Oh, we have two weeks between it. That's just not >> so the 19th. >> Yeah. Okay. >> Unless I just think >> that's fine. >> And then Betsy, we're you always keep us
Yeah. our noses clean. Yeah. Actually, my other question was about the um the the the middle school pathway exploration policy. Very quickly, it says that they're going to cover transportation. Does that also include somebody riding
with the kids to that school? >> No. >> Or the kids >> for a tour? >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> Okay. >> Yeah. And and typically I mean honestly like as a middle school educator and as an administrator I've gone with my
students that are going to visit as part of the process of looking at a vocational school. It's usually it's often a counselor that might go >> meaning this the the vocational school will pay for the >> the bus the bus usually >> and and someone to ride with the kids. Well, usually we would send one of our
people for it's typically during the school day, right? Like they might go during the school day. They have a tour. >> Okay. Thank you. >> So, yeah. >> Are there any critical subcommittee reports before we meet in five and a half days?
>> Okay. Okay. >> Um, new business 9A section B4 of the policy manual school committee meetings agenda preparation dissemination. Is there sufficient interest to move this to policy subcommittee? Donna, you had raised it, I think, or Carolyn, I forget who.
>> What? >> Section B. So, section B4 of the policy manual. This was asked either by you or by Carolyn to be put on the agenda. It's on the agenda. Um, agenda preparation, dissemination, school committee meetings, section B4 of the PSB policy
manual. >> Donna, I think >> this is agenda setting that you >> I think that you were looking I'm guessing from your emails that you were looking for a conversation.
>> Oh, yes. Sounds like perhaps Val heard it as policy. >> I I I know. Thank you. >> The PSB policy section. So I we we hosted the PSB policy section. >> So is there sufficient interest to have a
further discussion? Yes. Section. >> Okay. So then I'm going to put it on the policy committee and you can um have it on your docket. >> Wait, but I don't think I didn't My understanding wasn't that Donna wanted to discuss the policy. It was the practice. >> Hold on. >> Okay. >> It will be reviewed. It hasn't been
reviewed in decades. >> It can be reviewed at policy. If there's sufficient interest, Betsy can post it, double post it as a school committee meeting and discussion can be had. It's a it's a >> I don't think that's what Donna was looking for. >> All I'm asking for you had said at a few meetings ago.
>> Yeah. >> You were on Zoom, I believe, and you had said that you were going to explain the DACA process. So, are you saying that's going to happen in the >> that's going to happen at the subcommittee? >> Okay. That's yeah, >> she's saying it's a policy and that in order for it to be discussed, it has
>> not saying in order for it to be discussed. I'm saying that >> she's saying that's where the discuss >> that's where the discussion will take place. >> Okay, it's appropriate policy. >> Exactly. >> That's fine. Exactly. So, >> okay. My understanding was similar to Mariah's that it was a question of
practice. This is my concern with that is that I think um we have we had a a discussion at policy two days ago >> about how many policies we had that were already stacked up and we were talking
about adding additional policy meetings. And so if this goes to policy as opposed to being covered at full school committee as just a conversation >> like I just think we it's going to put aside other things that we are trying to get done this legislative cycle to put
it very formally. And my understanding, and I have this question too, was that there was some interest in having a colleial conversation among school committee members about because we've never really been told.
>> So, as I said, >> sorry, can I finish? >> You can finish, but it's on new business. So, it's being moved to a place we aren't supposed to have a discussion in new business, right? So, >> where it is. So, well, I guess I feel I need to clarify it because if you're
saying it's new business and it's going to get punted to policy on the long long list of things at policy that never get talked about, I'm not sure that's going to end up satisfying the desire for the clarification just about how do school
committees how do school committee members work with the chair, the vice chair and the superintendent to get things on our agenda and who is in the meetings
because it's I think there's been some deviation from policy on that and I my understanding is that was where the interest was. So >> okay >> moving it to policy doesn't seem >> to >> sorry can I just ask
>> respectful of what the question was >> can I ask a clarifying question if we have it a policy does that mean um that the people involved in the docketing conversations will be there to answer
questions about practice >> post it theoretically Betsy can post it as a double post it >> double meeting >> all Okay. Um, moving on to 10A. I move to meet in executive session pursuant to MGL chapter 30A section 21A for the following purposes. Purpose three to
discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining with the B, EU units A, B, and C. if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining position of the committee. And the chair so declares purpose three to discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining with ASME school building employees, food service
employees, and Brookline Educational Secretaries Association employees if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining position of the committee and the chair so declares and purpose 7 to approve minutes from the January 8th, 2026 executive session. Is there a second? >> Second.
>> Jesse second. Uh Donna, how do you vote? >> Yes. >> Andy? Yes, >> Suzanne. >> Yes, >> Sarah. >> Yes, >> Mariah. >> Yes, >> Jesse. >> Yes, >> Carolyn. >> Yes, >> Bob. >> Yes, >> and I vote yes as well. Uh, we will not be returning to open session. Thanks
everybody and have a a good evening.