Okay, we ready. >> Good evening everyone and welcome. Um, if we could um all stand for the pledge of allegiance please. I aliance to the flag of the United
States of America and to the stand indivisible with liberty and justice for all. >> Veronica, could I get a roll call for attendance? >> Mr. Small, >> present.
>> Miss Kovayo, >> present. Miss Enriquez >> Mr. Organ >> present >> Miss Valdz >> present >> Dr. Neville >> present >> Miss Caral >> present >> Mr. Hernandez >> present >> and Mr. Gomez Pereira >> present
>> that's nine members present >> thank you um we will move on next to special recognitions and I will hand it over to Dr. beta. Good evening. Um, it is my pleasure to do our special recognitions for tonight.
and I'm going to do them together because the um the commenation actually came together as as one. And so this came from one of our principles, Miss Man Mansini at from
Chelsea Virtual Learning Academy. And um I received this and then I I always I I thought this will this is beautiful and So, we're um giving them the name, strength, and story award.
And so, I'm just going to go ahead and read the commendation. I wanted to offer a public and heartfelt thank you to the Chelsea Public School Health and Nursing Department, particularly nurse manager Anita
Barandio and vision and hearing technician Angela Deades. Both consistently go above and beyond for CVL CVLA students and families and their dedication deserves recognition.
Anita and Angela have worked tirelessly to ensure CVLA students health, vision, and hearing screenings are up to date, often finding creative ways to reach our virtual population during in-person events. Most recently, despite icy conditions
following last week's winter storm, they transported equipment to the Chelsea Public Library and screened students over two days during I Ready and STAR testing. As a result, 82% of our student population was screened with data
showing that over 80% of our students tested have some form of vision impairment, critical information for student access and learning. Anita also provides exceptional case management for students with complex medical needs. One
powerful example this year involved a high school student from one of our families facing many difficult social and emotional issues. Our student was hospitalized and Anita took care of this student.
Anita identified gaps and students followup care, educated both the student and mother about the importance of this consistent followup. provided the mom and student with resources about nutrition and quickly
secured donated insure shakes to so the student could receive much needed nutrition delivered within days just before the winter storm. The student's doctor had also prescribed and ordered the same shakes, but the family had been
waiting weeks to receive them. Angela works closely with Anita to ensure the students are able to access vision services, eyewear, and vouchers. And she takes the time to educate students, especially those who are
needing to wear glasses. She also shares with them about the importance of wearing prescribed glasses, especially in a virtual environment. Angela goes above and beyond to make sure CVLA students have access to eye
care and reserve spaces for them to visit the vi the vision bus last year to see eye doctors and to get glasses. This was life-changing for many of our students. And beyond their former roles, Anita and
Angela continued to find ways to give back to the Chelsea students. recently sharing plans to deliver donated winter coats to children in need at the ELC after the school day. And there's a photo that's included in
the email and it says, "This photo was taken of Anita and one of our students, both whom attend our outdoor education day in October at Hell Reservation. Anita attended because we had students whose medical conditions needed a nurse
in proximity." This allowed our students to fully access this wonderful opportunity. Through her warm personality, Anita made a quick and meaningful connection with one of our students who saw her this past week at the CPL
and reminisced about this student conquering her fears of heights by climbing a 70 foot wall successfully on her first try. Anita cheer enthusi enthusiastically cheered the student on from the ground
the entire way. So I would love to um recognize both Anita and Angela with the name strength and story award. Um thank you for all that you do for our students. So if you can come up and um here are your
awards. Thank you. [applause] >> [applause and cheering] >> Yeah, >> correct. Okay, moving on. We'll move on to our school committee me minutes. Um like to get a motion for approval of the minutes
of their regular meeting on January 8th, 2026 to amend them to the record. I make a motion to approve the minutes from January 8th from previous meeting. >> Second.
>> Thank you. Um we'll move on to public comment. Is there anyone in the public that would like to make any comments, speak on any behalf. Okay, seeing none, we'll move away to
presentations and hand it back over to Dr. Ala. >> Thank you. So, we do have two um short presentations for tonight. Um the first presentation are is about safety nets and updates and ex extended learning.
I'd like to call up Mr. Hian to share. And part of the reason why I have Mr. Hian sharing is because this was this extended learning piece is all part of our priorities.
And so five years ago we hired gosh we hired you Malik five years ago. >> And it was and because we when we listened to the community they wanted access to um extended learning
activities and after school programs and so thus this uh Mallet in particular Mr. Hin's position was created. And so he's built out extended learning and he's also built out our safety nets. And so
I'm going to go ahead and let him share a little bit of um what we're doing at the high school. These are programs that we are in existence, but they are taking on just some different different like a 2.0 designs.
>> Yeah. And it's I mean all of these programs we're designing too. I oversee uh for the district um you know our high school reimagination and redesign program uh alongside the bar foundation. We're in year three and so these are all strategic kind of CHS programs that also fit with the redesign that hit extended
learning. So there's a real throughine across this and what you'll see as we talk about these three new programs is there's a real throughine across thinking around how do we support um our students at the high school? How do we engage them? But how does we strategically design programming that supports our freshmen? We know we know
where we're where we're lacking, right? Look, we we got to support our freshmen and the failure rates. We got to support uh our graduation rates and we got to support our attendance. And these programs strategically are designed uh to do that. So, uh these three new programs, as I mentioned, REACH, which has been around forever, we've kind of
had a rethinking around reach and how can it strategically support um the high school in particularly our freshman and sophomore students. Um there are no longer accelerationmies. Uh there was a desi grant that ran acceleration academy for five years. as we were the model. Um but at this point uh with with the
grant, it was also provided an opportunity for us to rethink about what are we doing during our vacation schools. We'll talk about the level upmies. And then finally um we're designed a new twilight school. Um it is in its infancy. All these are in their in their infancy a bit. So I'll get into that um as well. And as I mentioned,
some strategic thoughtful response to failure rates, attendance, and graduation rates designed for max impact. Um, while we're always trying to ma maintain fiscal responsibility and sustainability at its core, I think what you'll see that's really integral is the
integration and the collaboration with Chelsea um CHS admin um and staff into the the program design and supporting these programs. Uh, as I mentioned, it's an integral part of the CHS reimagination. And and I got to take the opportunity to say there are good things that h that are happening at CHS. You
can feel the movement. You can feel the energy. Um, I our students attest to it on a daily basis. Um, and and it's just exciting. And I definitely want to take the opportunity to shout out our no longer interim principal uh but now principal bus. Um, he's he's he's earned
that position um and he's been an integral partner um as we as we co-design these programs to support CHS. So, Reach, for those of you been around for a while, you know what REACH was. um you know what reach has been and it's been a wonderful program for the community uh and for our students but
you know as we've thought about how do we evolve the program as CHS is evolving we've really thought about how do we make reach an integral part of the of the high school and kind of re reinvigorate it and you know there's some key goals to reach and some program
design it's it's still running Monday through Thursday after school but in particular it's going to be just supporting freshmen and sophomores with with upper classmen actually working as um as student mentors to the young to the underassmen. Uh we continue to have some of those seal focused enrichment uh
programming, but in particularly we've started to actually hire CHS staff to act as supervisors and and and teachers and educators for reach. That has never happened before. And so when we look at trying to say how do we support what the C what CHS needs and supporting our
students, getting CHS CHS staff on board has been an integral part of that. And so we have two supervisors, for example, one who's kind of reach familiar, I would say, you know, has that tradition of reach as an outside source, but also has a CHS uh staff member who's working alongside. And I highlighted, and I did
this for all of them, some of the goals of of what we're trying to do. So, we're trying to improve the academic achievement in in course completion for freshmen, support accept successful transition from middle school to high school, develop literacy skills, uh building trusting relationships, improve student behavior, and also students can
earn credits towards graduation if they come to reach too. And again, this is focused on freshman and sophomores. And these programs are strategically rolling out as we just finish semester 1 and into semester and into semester 2. So, we know where our students are. We want to this is what a safety net is, right? where do we how do we catch them
proactively to make sure that we we support them as they finish their freshman year successfully and that is really an indicator of how we support our graduation rates long term. Level up academy. So these are our new vacation schools. Um Level Up I know
it's a bit wordy, but I'm I am going to read this this briefly. Level Upm is a 4-day vacation school programming designed to provide targeted academic support, credit recovery opportunities, and improve student outcomes. February session will focus on 9th and 10th. Again, we just came out of the first
semester, so we know where our our uh underassmen are. We want to support them. April strategically will support our juniors and seniors. So, as we look ahead and say where are our students struggling who are upper classmen, getting them ready to be successful as they finish the year and graduate on time. These programs are strategically
designed timelinewise to be able to support that. Um, and there's some there's some really there's some key aspects to this. there the the students uh you'll see here the courses to be taught. So we have some ELA ELA teach ELA um courses math math courses science
history we have strategic ML courses we've hired actually those teachers who teach those courses in the school and I think that's an important part where they know their students they know the works that's been done um the work that will be done we look down the work that'll be done during that week is actually some of the work that's been
completed in Q2 and as we look to Q3 so students are actually kind of doing some makeup work or some some way of earning extra credit or supporting where they are um and getting them set up so that they can continue to be se successful as
they roll into Q3. Um again, students can earn uh an elective credit for attendance as well. And we talked about attendance. Students can actually work as if they participate, they can actually recover attendance. Uh Desi, I worked alongside uh some of our friends at Desi. Uh Jake, you might
know, you remember your your buddy Thomas, he and I worked worked on this. We there was a desi approved program around attendance recovery and students who attend this will actually be earn earned uh attendance days back. Um so that's a it's a really good opportunity for some of our freshman and sophomores
to get them get them back on um on the right track let's say academically. And then finally the twilight school. Again this is for our juniors and seniors. I ran a program like this for uh 12 years uh up in Methuan before I came down to Kelsey. It's an afterchool program. It runs three to three 3 to six
o'clock Monday through Thursday. Students get their core classes. They're able to get an egenuity block for example. Students are also able to work during the school day which allows them to get their elective credits. You know, you will have three teachers. Um they
would be doing like a math and an English uh dur on Mondays and Wednesdays. Uh they would do history and science on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Again, egeneuity for those don't know what egeneuity is, it's our computer based uh credit recovery program. So, juniors and seniors, you know, we have
COA and COA fits with exactly what we need over age under credit, but what are we doing with our juniors and seniors who are kind of falling through the cracks later on in high school? Where's that safety net? And so, this is designed to be able to support up to 45 kids. So, when you look at that two student toteer ratio, uh you're looking
at the 1:15 ratio. So some of these kids that are struggling uh in their juniors and senior years, they can actually move to after school, be able to get all the credits that they need, earn extra credits through egeneuity, do work and and earn up to two full year credits of work because that that's basically a a
time bond learning opportunity, the hours at work connect with their elective credit. So, this is a real real good safety net for some of our juniors and seniors who kind of fall away towards the end of the year and to be able to get them to a spot where they can finish the year strong and or hopefully graduate on time. Um,
and again, you know, this is really this is also really about supporting the social emotional needs of these kids, you know, relationship building with these teachers. Um, program that we just put up for a supervisor uh role. Um and and you know hopefully we'll be get that program hired soon and and we're excited
about what these opportunities will provide for our students to ensure that we're t we're really strategically targeting the needs of our kids meeting them where they're at and setting them up for success whether it's through the year into graduation um and beyond. So that was a lot. I'll take some
questions. Um you can tell I'm pretty excited about this because I'm I'm excited about supporting our kids. J. >> Yes. She glad you had had a raise. >> So, thank you um for all of it. Um I am
very excited about the presentation. I'm excited about the initiatives. A lot of it um seems manageable for the most part. And it kind of reminds me of something that there was when I was growing up kind of
as far as a mentorship is concerned. like the maxed program. Um, and as far as the students are concerned, it kind of gives them like the teacher to, you know, the studenttoteer pipeline almost like, you know, it just kind of gives them a hand-on experience about, you know, this might be something that you
might potentially want to do. And it's puts your, you know, it puts you in a position where you might want to learn from your peers or it puts you in a mentorship position as well because you're learning from someone that you might admire. Um and it puts you in a kind of like a partnership, right?
>> Yeah. >> Um especially for like the from the upper classmen, you know, mentoring the the the younger fellows, right? Um so I love that. Um as far as for the screening of
like the Twilight programs and and finding like the students are in those more vulnerable uh populations or or that uh group, how How would we be able to identify them or how would they know because 45 um is a a
lower number? Um how are and junior and senior how are we going to be identifying them? Y >> how are we going to be um you know screening them through and how are because it's going to be a two-year time frame for them to be able to capitalize
on that. um how we're going to be able to reach out to them and then screen >> that process through especially given um our mobility rates and everything so that it's um able to
so that we can make sure that the program is as >> effective as possible. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, we want it as effective as possible and the the student selection for these programs is vitally important and and I started off talking about the collaboration between CHS uh really CHS admin starting to take
ownership of these programs. Um so with our with our with the reach program and with the level up program uh the supervisors have been working handinhand with our freshman and and sophomore assistant principal. They've been doing student recruitment. Um I will say the staff are super interested. I think we
had well over 25 almost 30 staff members who applied just for this level up program. Um, and you know, that is a a really good number and I think that's that tells kind of that culture shift that we're seeing at the high school and really feeling of and and so that means we have teachers that are not necessarily doing this for the stipen, right? They're doing this because they
they care about the kids. Um, so the the assistant principal strategically will work alongside the school counselors and social workers and and and and really think holistically about how do we best support these kids? How do we encourage them? How do we get all of our adult staff at the high school to say, "We
believe in you. we think you need this program. And again, I'm going to go back to to Principal Bus and kind of that culture shift that we've been seeing and and you start you're starting to see that that care for the kids and that that that real feeling of positivity and support. Um and so the expectation is that one we'll have our assistant
principles working alongside their school counselors to talk with parents and I think that that part is also vitally important to figure out what is the best opportunity because in the end everybody involved wants their children to graduate high school. Um, and then you when you add in the the energy around the the the other adults in the
building caring about the kids, applying for these positions, I think it bodess well for us finding the right kids and making sure that they're successful in programs. >> And I love that it's not like a it's not a punitive um situation. It's something that you get to make up and you get to look at it from and I think something
that we've been able especially like through our student reps, our our students now um they look at the education and and they want to succeed. they're very much invested in everything um you know that we're that we're offering and I and I think that's beautiful. So, thank you for that as
well. And as far as the credit recovery and the attendance recovery too, that's um how how are we going to be able to do that? And I and I know that you mentioned the dusty um recovery group. So, if you can give us a little >> So, you get so with some of these programs you get um a couple things. So, for the reach for example and the
vacation school, the the level up that's actually credit acceleration. So, the kids are earning future credits, right? It's not technically credit recovery. Um the attendance recovery is really a simple concept. You show up for the four days. You show up for more than four hours. Again, these are the Desi regulations that we all kind of worked on. And for every day that you're
present, we can actually mark one of your unexcused absences as a day as present. So it actually makes up for for a day. So that will help students get out of like, you know, credit denial based on based on attendance. And so that that is an incentive. um credit recovery in the twilight school that is really done through the opportunity to
have an hour a day of egenuity with the teacher there in support. Right? A lot of times we're having kids doing egeneuity and they're kind of doing it on their own. I see some of the high school kids nodding their heads so they know exactly what I'm talking about. Right? They when you have a caring teacher and a caring adult that is there sitting down with you at the at the
Chromebook there to support you while you go through this. Um that's how we actually get credit recovery. Then you add on top of that the ability to work, right? Uh we have too many we have so many students that have to work third shift, first shift that they they can't make it to school on time. So the ability to come into school at three o'clock and go to six o'clock and then
you can work you can work your third job shift and then get rest and come into school kind of refresh and start your day again. That's how we really get into a spot where we're supporting these kids. A program like this is not necessarily remediation. It's it's supportive. It's it's it's thinking ahead about like how do we really take
care of these kids because we know where they are. [snorts] Mr. Small >> uh Mr. Hashen, thank you so much for the comprehensive overview of these programs and a huge message of of congratulations uh for using these programs to fill the
uh widening gap for students to engage in meaningful uh learning opportunities especially during vacation weeks um especially also with the sun setting of accelerationmies and and funding cuts from the state etc. uh what community support is needed for these programs, if
any, either from this body or from families, parents, caregivers, residents of of the city. >> Yeah, I think we're at a spot where community support is vital in kind of all aspects of our schools and particularly the high school. Um you know, we look at like a Twilight School and we have kids working. I mean, having
having business owners and and and and pillars of the community and or just recent graduates of of, you know, university just coming in and talking to the kids um you know, letting them know that they might have struggled in high school, but they are a successful, you know, business owner, right? They're a
successful electrician, right? These kids are out there working and how do we how do we how do we let the kids know that if you work hard, you can be successful, but you need to be successful by finishing school. And I think that's a message that we can utilize the community um and caring adults around here and and and recent
graduates um and alumnists to actually be able to support our students. Um you know the more the more adults that we have showing that they care about the kids, the better our community is. >> Thank you. >> Y >> I just want to say thank you so much for the presentation and also um my son is
doing this program so I think it works very well and it gives the opportunity to the to really, you know, if they're struggling to have another opportunity to finish it, especially when they going through so much. And I think, you know,
it shows that they really want them to succeed and to graduate from high school. And that's the main thing that we wanted to do to really be supportive and to be there until the end of, you know, the graduation. >> Yeah. Thank you. >> Thank you. Y
>> anyone else? Yes, >> thank you. Um, I just wanted to ask if the the level of academy would be open to both juniors and seniors as well. >> Yes. So, we're going to do that in April. So, we so right. I mean, think
about like your fellow classmates, right? When if they started get bit nervous around like April, like oh. So, we're strategically putting the timeline so we support the freshman and sophomore uh in February. um because we know our freshmen kind of don't know that Fs matter until like oh wait a minute it
really does um and this is a good way for them to get to to fix that kind of first semester and I think you guys know what I'm talking about and then when we think about some of our struggling seniors this is a good opportunity for them to be like okay like let me get this back on track so that they're not they're not you know they're not really
doing the heavy lift in May as as they get into graduation. Does that make sense to you guys? Thank you. Okay. So, as you can see, we're intervening for students at all grade levels at the high school and uh and
Malik, I just want to thank you for your work. Um you you do so much and and and above and beyond. So, thank you. Um, now I'd like to ask u Miss Lee from our HR director to come and share an update on
um recruiting and retaining diverse educators. >> Good evening school committee. Good to see all of you. I am excited to present a little update for how our recruitment and retention efforts are going in
diversifying our educator workforce. This is something we've been working on for since I started with Dr. Aveda. It's something that she heard from the community was really important that our staff represent our student body. And so we're really proud of this work and I'm
happy to present this to you tonight. So this is our agenda of what I will be going over. But first I wanted to turn it over to Dr. beta to talk about our student Emily and share um her name
strength and story. >> I I love talking about Emily. Emily is featured on our um update and our strategic plan. I met Emily three three years ago at her National
Honor Society induction and she came to me while I was in the receiving getting food at the end of [clears throat] the ceremony and says, "Miss, I need to talk to you." And I looked at her and she was just so strong about it. I was like, "Sure, what's going on?" And she's like,
"I have some concerns about my AP statistics class and I need to talk to you." And it was a Thursday. And I said, "Well, let's meet on Monday and I'll meet you at the Chelsea High School office and we can have a conversation." So, I met her that Monday and she told me who she was, what she was doing. She
was a senior. She was taking a lot of AP classes and she was there was something that had happened and she wasn't happy about it and it was this was already the fourth quarter and it had happened in the first quarter. And I was like,
"Emily, did you share any of this with an administrator or someone?" And she said, "Yes, but I just wanted you to know." And she says, "Because it's it was important to me." And um when I was
watching you on stage, you reminded me of my family and someone that I you looked like someone I could talk to and I just wanted to talk to. And so that was a very important moment for me
when she said, "You look like my family." And our ch children do need to see mirrors and windows of who they are in our comm in our community. And it it's very important. So later on um I talked
to Emily. She has come back several times and and talked to our leaders about her experience as a student in Chelsea. Um, now she's at UMass Boston and she shares her story. And then I I did have to ask her I I hope when you
said I looked like your family that I I was like who who in your family do I look like? Cuz I don't I was like I don't want to be grandma. And um I'm not ready to be grandma. And she said, "Oh, no, no, miss. You look like one of my aunties, my t a tit." And I was like,
"Oh, thank God." [laughter] It's like I'm not there yet. But um we love Emily and those are the the the that's the joy that we get to work with our amazing students and really know them and and stay in touch with them and
they come to City Hall and say, "Hi, miss. Look at my grades. I'm doing amazing." And um and so I feature our students in our strategic plan. and almost all of the students that are featured uh we have personal
connections to our students. So that is the story of Miss Emily. >> We're proud of many of our students, all of our students who are doing great things in our district with all of our wonderful educators. So our
HR recruitment um retention work is grounded in our strategic priority number three. Recruit, support and retain diverse and high quality teachers and leaders. And this is our pri this is a priority that we've been working on
for many years. And so we're excited to see the results. And as we all know, it's important to have a diverse workforce. That's why there's a lot of financial investment from uh the department of elementary secondary education as well as other venues. But
ultimately research consistently shows that greater diversity and the educator workforce leads to better outcomes for all students of all backgrounds. And so as Dr. Aveda shared a story, many of our educators have similar connections and
wonderful ways that they can connect to our staff that does make a difference for our students. I also wanted to take a moment to thank the school committee to create policies to support recruitment and retaining diverse educators. Um when Dr. Jennings
started six years ago, [laughter] um you all passed a a policy that says every school needs to have a panel to ensure that um there is a process to help with making sure the selection pro
process um highlights uh a diverse staff. Um this policy was put in place in 2020 and also you all have every budget year um allowed our budget to align to resources to um to support
these initiatives such as menel lensure supports and other types of professional development. I'm sorry, my bullets look very strange. Um, but the mission for the Department of Human Resources is to recruit,
develop, and retain diverse educators that reflect our students and families. And ultimately, the vision is that there will be a diverse workforce that our students will have access to various educators in front of them. And so we
developed the teacher pathway program back in 2019 with the support of uh Desi initiatives that helped us to launch this and this is one of I believe it's the second cohort during co we all met and they are
most of them are in classrooms now and so currently we have done some things to train and develop we have many of our participants in bachelor's programs and also M's programs. We also are offering
MTEL courses to support with lensure. We have mentoring for new paras, educators, administrators. Um, and a lot of our support around the diversification work is woven into all of these initiatives.
And thus far, Desi has supported us in obtaining almost a million dollars at this point for scholarships to help support our educators to get their certifications so that they can be in the classroom with our students.
And this is a testimonial from Yenia Hortiz. She says, "I think the kids feel comfortable because they see somebody that represents them and they see somebody that represents the community. I do think it's a really good thing because the kids will be like, "Oh, I
know who that is." So, it becomes an inspiration that we can do whatever they want to do. And Yenia um told us a story of how um her son uh is in the complex
where she works. And when she uh started pursuing her degree, um her son was so proud of her and would point that's my mom and call out that she's supporting um I think she was a pair at the time.
And so the kids see uh their their parents and their families doing this work. Uh so our assistant principles are our pipeline for our administrators and as you could see since 2019 up until this
year we have done a great job diversifying our assistant principles and our principal demographics are pretty steady but that's because we've had a very stable principal workforce.
Um but again we are setting up the pipeline to ensure that our leaders are reflecting our staff and students. This is some data around diverse teacher hires. So you'll see since 2023 when we
started tracking um we have been approaching the 50% mark for many years. And so we're very proud of all the work that the administrators have been doing at the schools. The principles have really taken ownership of diversifying
the workforce, encouraging the pair of professionals, trying to recruit diverse staff. And so it's been an all hands-on deck effort. And I also know Dr. Jennings does the um the BIPO uh events
that also brings diverse educators together. And so we really have a nice community to support one another. And so overall you could see over the last seven years we are almost at 30%
diverse teaching staff. And that is huge because the desi average of diverse teachers is 10%. So we are doing great things and well above the average. There's obviously always room to improve, but we're really proud of the work that we've all done. So with that,
I'm happy to take any questions. Any questions from the committee? >> Not really a question, but more so a comment and just sort of like commending uh I guess our district for that sort of leap like the leaps and bounds that we're making in terms of like hiring
diverse educators. I'm just reflecting on my experience as a Chelsea public schools graduate and noting that like none there were very few bipok teachers that I had during my time when I graduated in 2016. I did not have a
black like educator until I was in college which is a long time to sort of wait right because they bring their own experiences and knowledge and different approaches to their subject. So, um, yeah, I think that that number is impressive and we should that that's
just continue to bring that number up. >> Similar to you, I didn't have an Asian instructor until college. And I was so deeply moved by seeing someone like me. He actually became my um advisor and we stayed in touch. I even had a
conversation with him a few years ago. So, maybe I need to reach back out to him, but it makes a difference. But I don't know if um Dr. Dr. B, you wanted to mention anything, but all of this work was based on our listening session, her listening sessions when she first came in and continuing to uh hear that
that's important to staff and students and to the community and hopefully the students feel it too. I was going to comment that when um Dr. beta came on. That's when I started to see the biggest um uptake in in the the
diversity in our staff. And it it was it was just such a refreshing because even for for me um I've never had a Hispanic teacher. I mean, and I know that I know I'm a lot
older than all of you. Um, but I never had a Hispanic teacher even through college. Um, all my teachers were white, all of them. Um, but when Dr. Ala came in, I was very surprised when I started with the school committee that so many
that we had such a little diversity in our in our schools being in Chelsea. And when Dr. Aveda came in, I that was one of her big big first jobs that she took on. And I have to say I have to applaud her because she has we have come a long
way. So thank you to all of you um to Dr. Ala and to all of her staff that work so hard to get to get us to where we are today. And I I want to say thank you to HR because HR did a lot of training um
because it starts at the hiring and um and so it's been a entire district effort that we know that this is a priority and then we also have the good news of higher teacher retention and that's another presentation that we can
bring in that we're improving in that area as well. So Christine, thank you. >> I don't Oh, I don't know if anyone has any other questions though. I will say um thank you. I didn't have um many teachers of a wide
array of um backgrounds. I had um several paras because by the time I was in the public school system here, the bilingual program had been terminated. Um with the exception of um the language program at the high school levels. Um I
did have an occasional uh white teacher that did speak um Spanish or tried. Um and the teachers that were diverse, I don't think that they did feel the inclusivity that um just recently um in
the uh Thanksgiving uh video that we shared um in the I think there was something that happened at the high school that was done. and it was like a mixer or something and the staff also did like a give thanks and it was also the students something that was thankful for and the video was beautiful and very
moving only because the diversity and I didn't and it wasn't just diversity within um ethnic backgrounds but it was also the age groups and the inclusivity all around um
so the and and it was just like you saw the how genuine when everything just felt the students were coming right up. Um and it was pretty vibrant. Um it was it was very seamless. Everybody just
seemed to just kind of connect and it it was just like in and out. Um so that that was pretty pretty awesome. Um so I I hope that you guys are are thriving in the the new culture. So that's all that I have to say.
And then I'll be um uh short and quick, but just want to again echo um what my peers have already mentioned. And something that um is is not directly shared in the slides, but something that I'm really impressed by is the number of alumni of CPS alumni that I'm seeing in
our building. I think of William Estrada. I think of Ilana Valentine who are at the high school and so many more of our educators that are homegrown to our community. and not when we think about mirrors and windows, it's so critical to have people that are from
our community um and folks who are also joining our community to serve as representations for our students. So, I just want to uh commend um our staff um and the work that you all are doing in central office to really ensure that um there's a sense of belonging for all of
our staff um particularly for our alumni who've gone through Chelsea public schools and now are creating space for our students as well. So, thank you so much Anna Romero, she's older, too old. >> Yes, >> thank you. Um,
similar to uh Kati, uh, the representation of um, another group that's really important to me is the linguistic diversity that you all have brought in and continue to to focus on. Um, and so thank you so much. I think because of my other uh interests and work, I'm really interested in in
statewide and and um countrywide data as well. And so this is the work that is also keeping Chelsea cutting edge and uh really innovative when we look at the rest of the state. And we know that it will um and it already does trickle into academic achievement. And so thank you all for that work. Um I think in future
definitely not an ask for now. I don't want to add any additional burden or labor to all's work. Um, but in addition in in future reports on this, I'd love to see the comparison uh not just year-over-year, but also as compared to trends in student uh diversification.
Um, I know that our community changes rapidly from year to year, but also within a single year. And so, uh, as you continue to put together these reports, um, a focus on, uh, comparing it to the student demographic would be really interesting, um, to me, to the rest of this body, I'm sure, and to the folks we
represent. Um but kudos and thank you for keeping our our city um recognized as the leader one of the leaders in teacher diversification. It's really doing a lot for our students. >> Thank you. >> Okay. So um Dr. Blake Ky cannot be here
tonight but that's okay. We are a very diverse cabinet and we know how we cover for each other very well. So, uh, Mr. Han will go over the indicators of success tonight. >> Yeah, I am, uh, Dr. Blan, a substitute teacher today. I will do my best to
mimic her brevity, which I'm not known for. So, the first indicator we're going to take a look at and um we're going to take a look at our indicator two. Uh districtwide daily attendance rates will be at 95%. I just want to focus on a
couple of oop let me sorry I just want to focus on on a couple of things that kind of jump out in June. Uh one we've s we've seen a bit of a bump at CHS. Not much but a small bump from December to to uh to January. um attendance remains high K through
eight and our yearto date remains consistent what what we've seen in 2025 as we move to indicator 10 uh we've seen uh over the year 51 students uh total dropout which is 3% and our year-toate
um students 14 uh students at 1.5% overall students e students uh 6.6% 6% students with disabilities at 2.5% and dual ID at 2.5%. These are our high school students. Those numbers are much lower than what we've seen in in
previous years. And then finally, the mobility um you know we we continue across the board ELC all the way up to the high school uh to have more students coming in um and less coming out. Uh we know that that kind of triangulates as well with the dropout
rate. So overall across the district uh we've had 352 students in and 221 students out this year. Are there any questions on those basic data points?
>> Any questions? >> Quick and easy. All right. Thank you everybody. >> Thank you very much. And now for our favorite part, our student representative updates. >> Good evening. Um Dr. Beta, Chairwoman Hernandez, and school committee members.
Um over the past few weeks, our class of 2026 has been excited to see prom tickets officially go on sale. Um sales have been steady, especially during lunch periods, and it really shows how quickly our year is moving. Um it's really hard to believe how fast time has gone and students are already preparing
for one of the biggest I would say activities of high school. Um at the same time I would say there are students um facilitators that are getting ready for our inschool student summit. Um this this summit continues our work for of collecting meaningful and student
feedback about classroom instruction and school experience. A selected group of students will be facilitating discussions in different classes to help gather honest input from their peers. Um, our goal is to better understand what is working, what can be be improved, and how can we strengthen our communication between students and
teachers. Um, I also want to recognize the Boston Children's Choir for their incredible performance on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Seeing our students practice, sing, and perform at Symphony Hall, I would say was truly inspiring. Um, they performed beautifully and had an amazing experience, uh, being on such
a historic stage that is Symphony Hall. Uh more importantly, they represented our community with pride and helped carry forward Dr. Kim's vision through their voices and dedication. Um overall, these moments show how engaged, motivated, and connected our students are, whether through leadership,
academic, or the arts, and how much we continue to grow as a school community. Um but finally, I wanted to talk about our sports. It's something I kind of really talk about all the time. Um, but I I really wanted to shout out the basketball, boys basketball teams, um,
for just having an incredible season. Um, I just wanted to say that we should continue to show up for them and root for them as the games get pretty packed. But I think it's for a reason. Um, I also found out today that there is a senior student who is Monica Cespes Cruz who reached the thousand point
milestone. Um, so it's an incredible achievement. [applause] It's an incredible achievement. Um, and I I'm just happy that seniors within my class are really making history throughout this year and I think are making this year um very special and
very dear to our hearts in our community and our school. Thank you. >> All righty. Um, good morning, evening. Good evening, Dr. Abera Chairwoman Hernandez and school committee members. I want to speak directly to my fellow CHS juniors and seniors. In speaking
directly to my spirit to my peers, I hope to give the larger audience listening insights into students college process and how you yes you can encourage juniors and seniors within your sphere of influence. Recently in the superintendent student advisory council meeting, we discussed the reason
students miss school and how we can better support them. I spoke with several seniors about how they are managing their college applications. One student shared that they had missed a few days of school because they felt unsure of where to start with the application process. This was disheartening because I personally know
that this that the resources resources at CHS could have helped the student navigate the application process. I want to speak directly to our juniors and seniors tonight. We are students from diverse backgrounds and many of us will be first generation college students. Navigating the college process can feel
stressful, confusing, and overwhelming particularly when doing it on your own. This is why seeking support and joining programs designed to guide students through this process is so important. At times, students may miss messages about financial aid workshops, college events, or invitations to programs
shared by counselors, organizations, or through school announcements. So, I want to encourage you to open your hearts, minds, and ears to the support that is all around you. Chelsea High School offers many strong support systems, including programs such as TRIO and Avida Scholars, as well as teachers and
counselors who are dedicated to helping students with financial aid applications, building college list, applying through the Common App, reviewing essays, offering feedback, and applying for scholarships. I encourage our juniors to take advantage of these programs, and stay connected with their counselors so they begin the college
process early and with confidence. To our seniors, please remember that you are not alone. This is a shared experience as we prepare for our next chapter of our lives. There may be moments when motivation is low or challenges arise, but it is essential to take breaks and use resources available
to us. I would like to share that a few weeks ago, our superintendent, Dr. Arda, asked me how my own college process was going and if I needed any support. I found this incredibly meaningful and reflects how much this community truly cares about it students. We want to see every senior succeed through this
journey. Okay. Good evening, Dr. Alvea, Chairwoman Hernandez, and school committee members. Tonight, I want to take some time to talk about mental health as a senior and how we can help each other out on this road towards graduation, but also kind of buck up on
um my my peer Allison on a lot of different organizations that has helped not only seniors, but juniors, sophomores, and freshmen. As seniors are slowly starting to see the end of the finish line, we want to make the time either go faster or
slower. And the reality is that both are impossible. We Seniors must live in the moment. However, with all the stress and pressure that we are going through right now, it's completely okay for us to be in a tough mental state. Feeling unprepared for college and almost if you're falling behind on your college
process can happen a lot. However, we have multiple mental health, academic, and college support resources at Chelsea High School that are available to you because you are a student and your district cares. Just to name a few resources, we have TRIO with Maria and
Herman. I cannot express how helpful Trio has been on my college my college application journey. They meet up with you and help you set up MEIPA, FOSPA, college apps, and a bunch more. I recommend for every senior that is interested in going to college to sign up with TRIO as fast as possible and
fill out their FOSPA forms. But I also encourage our juniors to get a head start as well. Sign up for TRIO so that the college process is a lot easier for you for your senior year. It's always important to be overprepared than underprepared. your Chelsea High School counselors.
Meeting [clears throat] up with your counselors and making a plan about your future is something I believe every CHS student should be doing. Whether you're an incoming freshman or even a sophomore, it is in your interest to talk about your plans on how the adults around you and your counselors can help you with your future and talking to your
friends, of course, but I promise you majority of your friends would also tell you the same exact things that I just listed. As a senior myself, I know how it feels to feel like you're in a deep deep sea of having to juggle school work, home life, a job, and extracurriculars. Not being able to turn in homework on
time because you get caught up with other situations, which can cause you to fall behind. It can be overwhelming, stressful, and most importantly, alone. But no one in Chelsea High School is ever alone. Here are some ways you can communicate these troubled feelings and work through not falling behind. To
communicate with your teachers. Your teachers will always hear you out. I have had many many wonderful teachers that have always helped that has always told me that they would always understand if something was to turn was to be turned in late because of personal life occurrences. All teachers ask is
for communication. As long as you are able to communicate with your teachers about your worries, they will make accommodations to lead you to success. Teachers want to see you win just as much as you want to see yourself win. And then again, CHS social workers and counselors. If the stress, pressure,
fear, or any strong emotion gets to a really bad point, reach out to your social workers. They are here to help. Feeling huge emotions can sometimes be too much for just one person. So, rely on the people who are able to help you, who will listen to you, who will listen to you and all these strong emotions and
guide you to a more comfortable position with these emotions. At the end of the day, I want all of CHS to know that you will never be alone in this process. And for my seniors, this transition in life is not meant to be worked through alone. It is okay to feel stuck, confused, or
even lost. You are still human with emotions at the end of the day. But remember to voice your issues or your confusion. Rely on the adult organizations that are meant to help that are meant to help you through these crazy times because the adults are here
to help you succeed. Thank you. Thank you. That was very thorough and amazing as always. Um the biggest joy that I have is is working with our students. Um you're the reason why we we
do what we do. So thank you. Um okay, I will move on to our personnel report. and we do track who we're hiring and it's February, January, so we're not really in the hiring season right now, but of the few people that we have
hired, 100% are Hispanic. And then our enrollment numbers, we are at 5,778 students. I would like to commend these two reports to the record. And that
completes my report for tonight. Thank you very much, Dr. Ala. And we will move on to um to the committee reports. I'd like to make ask for a motion to commend these reports to
our our records for our subcommittee reports. Motion to commend those reports. >> Second. >> Thank you. We'll move on to new business. Um I'm going to break down
these into two sections. um the first two items and then the the second three we'll group together and uh and do a consent agenda if we can if that's okay with the committee.
>> Um I propose doing just one consent agenda. >> Um I was just separating them only because the first two are money and then the second three are um field Okay. If you want just just in case there's questions to do with the money
part. I don't think there will be, but in case there are. >> Okay. So, we do I need to make a motion. >> Do we have a motion to consent agenda as described by Chair Hernandez? >> Can I get a motion to um do a consent agenda?
>> Motion to consent agenda. >> I second that motion. >> Okay. Okay. So, we will move on to the first item. I'm sorry. Do I need to list the numbers of the items? No. Okay. Um the first item,
um consideration and action to accept $240 in gift cards to Burger King McDonald's from the Chelsea Rotary Club for the Chelsea students. The second item is consideration and
action to accept $1,600 in gift donations. Can I get a um a roll call? Roll call for items 267. I'm sorry, 26 SC01 and 26 SC02.
Mr. Small. Yes, >> Miss Kovz Caravo. >> Yes, >> Miss Enriquez. >> Yes, >> Mr. Organ. >> Yes, >> Miss Balderas. >> Yes, >> Dr. Neville. >> Yes, >> Miss Carell.
>> Yes. >> Miss Hernandez, >> yes. >> Mr. Gome, Miss Pereira, >> yes. >> That's nine in the affirmative. >> Not in the affirmative. Motion carries. The second we'll do this the second half. Um, first item is consideration
and action to approve on the recommendation of the superintendent an out of out ofstate field trip to the Newport mansions in Newport, Rhode Island on April 10th, 2026 for 260 Chelsea High School students with 26
chaperons to tie in learning about the Gilded Age and the Great Gatsby. The second item is consideration and action to approve on the recommendation of the superintendent and outofstate and overnight field trip
to Walt Disney World in Florida from March 2nd to March 6, 2026 for 26 students, three chaperoons, and four district administrators for a public performance and workshops with Disney.
And the third item is consideration and action to approve on the recommendation of the superintendent an overnight field trip to the Boston Sheridan and Hotel from February 19th to February 26 22nd,
2026 for the Harvard Model Congress mentoring program for 10 students in two chaperones. Can I get a roll call? Roll call for items 26 SC03 through 26 SC05.
>> Mr. Small, >> yes. >> Miss Kovayo, >> yes. >> Miss Enriquez, >> yes. >> Mr. Orian, >> yes. >> Miss Baltteras, >> yes. >> Dr. Neville, >> yes. >> Miss Cabraw, >> yes. >> Miss Hernandez, >> yes. >> And Mr. G, Miss Pereira, >> yes.
>> It's nine in the affirmative. >> Nine in the affirmative. Motion carries. We will move on now to announcements. Um I know that Mr. Small had asked me to
to allow him to make an announcement. So I will hand this over to him. >> Yes. I'll um Good evening everybody. I'll start my announcement by sharing first. Um, as uh an elected member of this body who also identifies as African-American, uh, it's
very exciting for me to wish you all a very happy, celebratory, and meaningful Black History Month. Say it back to me. Thank you so much. Yes. Yes. I love it. Um, this is a month of celebration. And for me, as a a black American, uh, it's deeply important. I
don't say African-American um, to exclude the vast diaspora of blackness. Um, it is true that black folks live and have always existed on every habitable continent around this globe. That we exist in every state and US territory in
this country. We exist in every city and township of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and in every district of Chelsea. Um, and our black and brown students in particular experience uh an incredible wealth of wisdom and
opportunity because of the diversification efforts that Christine Lee um mentioned earlier and that our district pushed forward. Um, it's true that those students and all of our students are more likely to show up to school. they're more likely to be academically successful, more likely to graduate from Chelsea High School, more
likely to go on to college and uh pursue ambitious career pathways because of the teacher representation and the teacher diversity that we have in this city. Um, and so to connect this uh celebratory month back to the school system, you know, I oftent times will be one of the
members on this body that point back to data at the state level and across the country. Um, the Center for Black Educator Development found a couple years ago that a black student who has one black teacher by or before third grade is 13% more likely to go to
college. If that same student has two black teachers by or before third grade, the percentage of or the likelihood of them going to college increases to 33%. And so this work is synergistic. Um, when we talk about diversity, it's not just uh nice to have. It's a
conversation about student safety, student security, and student opportunities. Um, and so I can't say with more pride in my heart, uh, congratulations to the district administrators for the work you're doing to keep us at the forefront of teacher diversification. Um, our students
benefit from this work. Uh, to our district leaders who identify as black, Dr. Aaron Jennings, Dr. Mayor Blake Kanty who's typically here, the other black administrators, thank you for serving as the necessary representation that our students deserve um each day in
school. Um and a very special thank you to Dr. Aaron Jennings. Um as a black man myself, as a black educator myself, I know the importance of representation and black men are among the most underrepresented in the educator workforce both in this state and across
the country. Um Dr. Jay, you're doing a lot of incredible work. Um, I know that incredible work requires the support of an incredible team and you're always uh first to acknowledge your team. Um, I'm so proud to be a resident of this city and I'm proud to celebrate Black History Month with all of you. Thank you so
much. The announcement part of this though, um, please join me in celebrating uh, a number of Black History Month events throughout this uh, month. Just yesterday, I participated in the opening reception art exhibit for Black History
Month where Calvin Hawings um shared art uh that is up in City Hall. It will remain up for at least a little while >> through the whole month. Yes. >> Okay. Getting some nods from folks around. So, check out the art exhibit in City Hall throughout this month. February 12th, the Underground Railroad
presentation at Chelsea Public Library. February 21st, Verb, Flow, and Vision celebrating Black History Month over at Spencer Loft's Gallery. And February 26th, Black History Month community celebration to wrap up the month over at the Brown Middle School. So, I hope to
see you. Um, as long as I am healthy and well, I'll be at all of those events. Um, so please stop over and say hello. Happy Black History Month to you all. >> Thank you. [applause] I was going to say I think you forgot the announcement [laughter]
but he caught himself. Um, anyone else? Yes, Dr. Neville. >> It's hard to follow all that enthusiasm but um I just want to mention to everyone that the Chelsea Research Festival is happening for the fifth year. This is going to be the fifth
Chelsea Research Festival and we are currently accepting um applications to present and by application I mean everyone gets to present but we like to collect submissions. Um so if any teachers have any um students who are
doing anything with related to data or research your students can submit to present at the festival. Um, if you are a student, if you're doing a class project like for AP statistics for example that relates to data or you're collecting some data or doing any sort
of research and you want to present it, you can present it at the research festival. Even if you're doing something that um is not a class project, it's just a research project you're doing on your own. uh educators who have data from their classrooms, if you track your
own data about what you do, uh district administrators who want to present data on the school district. It's every it's a celebration of all data research and evaluation. So, I hope to see you all there. Oh, and you can submit them at
chelseearchfestestival.com. Cool. Jake, thank you so much for sharing um all of that beautiful information and yes, happy Black History Month to everybody. I'm going to say the following in English and in Spanish, and I will be brief because it does concern
safety. So, um as usual, to be uh not to be the Debbie Downer, but um I believe on February 19th uh at the Mary C. are complex. There will be a a study uh being conducted. So I know at
the we share out uh we put out in public uh parent square um the information at the city websites and at the at Chelsea public school websites we also do it. So if you're looking out for that please do. Um but more importantly at least
around the Mary Cur complex um there's been a substantial amount of speeding. So, in the uh recent uh traffic and uh parking commission, there was a couple of uh concerns that came up um regarding traffic patterns that there's been um
there was a hearing that was taking place regarding uh new flow of traffic that could potentially change um parking drastically and the amount of parking altogether. So, we should be keeping up with that as it might be
changing within the next month. So it's very important for us to look into that um because the next hearing will be taking place um within uh the next early um their first meeting will be next month early at the
beginning of the month anyway. Um and that's separate from the February 19th meeting. Um so we need to start paying a little bit more attention to the additional um boards and commissions. Um and the school department is doing additional work as far as our team is
concerned. So, but that's separate from the speeding that's going on. That's not necessarily just, you know, parents and people at drop off and pickup. So, be mindful of the buses, be mindful of the, you know, the lights
changing and shifting because we're, it's not just Chelsea residents that are going through Chelsea. you know, there's people getting to, you know, to buses uh to the next town over and, you know, it's getting a lot of pretty close calls. Um,
so Mary C. Burke. What is it? Yeah. Okay. Thank you. Oh god, it's too small. Okay. public schools, city hall
and Facebook. Do not enter. Um, public schools. >> Thank you so much. Yes. um qu uh there is happy black history month.
>> Um there's that part and then also just wanted to mention that there is a youth safety meeting happening at Greenroots. They're hosting it. It's more so an invitation for my peers on the committee if folks want to sort of listen. I didn't expect this to be a moment where we're being put in the hot seat. I just
ran into their youth organizer and they invited us um to attend. So, I wanted to extend that invitation to folks, young people, please come and share your opinions and thoughts. Um, it really just is a space for us to to to listen to folks and hear their thoughts on
safety, need safety in the in the community. Um, just elaborating a little bit more on what Glatty mentioned, it's safe roots to school, which is a state program. It's federal program, but the Mary Se complex was um funded. So they're redoing they're redesigning
Eastern A making it more accessible for people who are walking and they're also going to be improving um bike facilities. So what that means is bike lanes. I was thinking this is like the work that I do outside of >> school committee. I work in transportation. Um so I'll be there.
This is in district three. Um this is a moment for folks to talk and give feedback on the design. So Mass will be presenting their preliminary design. um it gets to a certain point where people, you know, they're soliciting feedback now because at a certain point they have to just sort of finalize that and then
they'll engage in construction. So, I would encourage all folks who are interested in having a say in how our community is built to come and show up because this also influences our public spaces. There's a parking lot there um next to the Aadia apartments. In the initial design that I saw, they were
looking to turn that into uh a park like a green space. So if you have thoughts on that, come and share your your comments. That's all. >> Thank you so much. >> Thank you so much everyone um for your time. Um I just wanted to share last month uh my neighbors and I suffered
from a house fire and I'm really grateful that everyone is safe um and in good health and housed and finding normaly during this time. I want to thank members of the Chelsea Fire, the Chelsea Fire Department, Laaborativa, City of Chelsea, and neighbors of Cottage Street, many of whom are Chelsea
Public Schools alumni who guided us during a tumultuous time. This experience is an affirmation that we are better together and to take care of your neighbors. Um, so thank you so much for the Chelsea community for continuing to hold us in your embrace. and despite all
the things that are happening right now um across the country, I know that we can lean on our neighbors during this time. So, I just wanted to send a wholehearted gratitude and thank you to the folks that had reached out and really sharing the support for those that are on cottage tree right now.
Thank you so much. >> Thank you. >> Dr. Ala has an announcement. >> So needy. I I I normally don't make announcements. >> I know. I was shocked. >> I have to as we were talking about Black
History Month. Um and you were mentioning Dr. Jennings. Um Dr. Jennings is actually going to be awarded at the state house. Um the award for an award for black excellence. Um, so yes,
[applause] as as affectionately known as Dr. J. I think you were the first person that I hired and um, it has just been so amazing to work with you. Um, many of you may not know, but he mentors many of
our young men. And I'll every now and then, not every now and then, at least every week, get texts from him with him and and students and at the high school. And when they graduate, he's mentoring them
through college and helping them navigate college. And it is just such a joy to see. Uh, and then of course, and he leads our Dr. J E leads our equity work but also um is
over the office of wellness and so I could not have I feel like I h we have a gem and Chelsea public schools we really do and many have tried to steal him >> and I'm like no but he's not mine so Dr.
Jade will have to make that decision on his own and he stays >> and and I'm I'm so grateful. So, uh a special story about this recognition. It is a nom he was nominated by and this
has never happened the state senator Saudi Dominico and our state rep. They normally get to choose one person each and they both chose the rep. Judith Garcia, they both chose Dr. Erin
Jennings and that has never happened. >> But are we surprised? >> So, are we surprised? No. >> No. Because Dr. J is amazing. And just ask our students. When we talk to our students and I ask them
>> many of them, who is the teacher that's made a difference in your life? And many of our young men will say Dr. J. And so I am so proud to call him first
my colleague and friend. And you are welld deserving of this award. I will be at the state house with you. And it is an honor, an honor to work with you, Dr. J. You are priceless.
[applause] So, February 27th, it is an honor. Okay. Well, what I what I like about being last is most of the time my colleagues have all said all the things I wanted to talk about. So, they get to
cover everything and I don't need to repeat myself. Um, and I do feel [clears throat] exactly what you what you commented on because I was my family and I were victims of fires twice while
I was growing up twice. And it is amazing how the people in Chelsea, how they your neighbors come in to help you. Um, the first fire I was very little. I was I was only 10 years old. Um, and the
second time I was 18 and they are it's devastating. There's nothing like seeing your home where you live burning. It is such a horrible feeling till this day. I'm 61 years old and I still can see and
vision both those times that my house was on fire and that we stood outside and we're watching it. And but it it helps so much to have support whenever you're going through any crisis. To have support makes such a huge difference. Um
and the city of Chelsea and Chelsea residents are known for that. We definitely support each other. Um and share in each other's happiness and also in their in their trials. So you are right. Um, and on the corner of my
street, which I was very happy to see, they're almost done with it. They are actually building a park right in the corner of Highland and um, Congress. And it's perfect because I have a 2 and a half yearear-old grandson and he's so
excited. Every time we drive by and he's like, "Park, Mima, park." And I'm like, "Yeah." And now it's full of snow so you can't go in the park. But, um, I was so happy because I've been there for 38 years and we've always we always said we wish there was a that's an empty lot.
Why couldn't they turn it into a park? And boom, it's being turned into a park. So all um green spaces in Chelsea make me very happy because I feel like we've lost so much of it with all the buildings going up. We we're losing so much of that green space that we get so
little of living in a city to begin with. So that makes me happy. And yes, we must be present for this meeting on the the 19th, February 19th. I think it would be very um very positive for us to
the school committee to be there present and to be there to show our our faces and be part of what the plans are because Eastern A is a very main street and there is a lot of traffic on that street and yes, people do fly on that
street like crazy. So, um, definitely something needs to happen because every time I drive by there, all I think of is these kids crossing with the families. So, with all that being said, thank you so much for your attention and for your
presence and for all that you do and I look forward to when we meet again. Thank you. And can I ask for a motion to adjurnn? >> Motion to adjurnn. >> I will second >> enough.