the regular meeting of the far school committee for June 3rd. Uh Deb, would you please call the role? >> Mr. A >> here. >> Mr. Das >> here. >> Mr. Cory >> here. >> Mr. Monus >> here. >> Mr. Riley. >> M Stewart >> here. Mayor Kugan >> here. Salute to the flag.
>> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Pursuant to the open meeting law, any person may make an audio or video
recording of this public meeting or may transmit the meeting through any medium. Attendees are therefore advised that such recordings or transmissions are being made whether perceived or unpersceived by those present and are deemed acknowledged and permissible. We have three people tonight for citizens input.
>> Point of information. >> Uh Mr. Zas, >> I thought we usually take uh recognition rewards out. >> We're going to get to them, right? Next item. There's only three people tonight, Colin. >> Okay. >> Um,
first up is Shai Hong Sang, math tutoring. >> Three minutes, please. Thank you. >> Hello, members of the committee. My name is Chihong Sang and I'm currently a junior at Dery High School. I serve as the junior class president, secretary at the National Honors Society, and head of
leadership in several other organizations throughout the school. I am here today not only as a student leader, but as a student who has personally witnessed the impact that academic support can have on student success. I am currently enrolled in AP Calculus BC, one of the most rigorous
mathematics course available at Dery. Through my own experience and through conversations with countless classmates, I have learned that every student struggles at math at some point. Whether it is an algebra 1, geometry, MCCAST preparation, or advanced AP coursework, there comes a moment when students need
additional help outside of the classroom. That is why the math lab is so important. During the past two years, the math lab supported students at every level, from newcomer classes to AP courses. It provided a welcoming space where students could receive extra help,
complete assignments, recover credit, make up assessments, and build confidence in their math skills. For some students, it helped them pass a class, and for others, it helped them excel. This year, due to limited funding to 1if of the requested amount, the math lab was only available for two days per
week for only one term. Yet, it still recorded over 130 student visits. Demand the demand demonstrates how valuable this resource is. Unfortunately, the reduced scheduling meant that many students who had commitments such as athletics, jobs, family
responsibilities, or transportation challenges could not access the support they needed. This is not just an investment on a tutoring program. It is an investment on student achievement, confidence, and opportunity. We often discuss ways to improve academic performance, increase MCCAST scores,
close learning gaps, and prepare students with advanced coursework. The Math Lab directly addresses all of these goals. It provides targeted support for struggling students while also helping students enroll in AP and advanced coursework at higher levels. Our
students have already shown that they will use this resource. The numbers prove it. The need is clear and the question is, are you willing to provide students the support they are asking for? As someone who has deeply involved in the community, I am willing to help find solutions. If funding is the
obstacle, I'm gladly I will gladly work with student organization, school leaders, and community partners to organize fundraising efforts. I urge the committee to fully fund the math tutoring center so that every student who needs help has access to it. Thank you for your time and consideration.
>> Thank you, Mr. Chair. >> Mr. Das, >> briefly um through you to superintendent if we can get an update on this in our Friday packet. I I wasn't aware that we cut any um just >> wants an update >> math program. Thank you.
>> Okay. Thank you. Next up, Keith Michon, Triion Avenue, East Province. Um you're usually pretty good, Keith. Three minutes, please, buddy. >> Thank you. Good evening. I'm president of the Fall River Educators Association, and I'm here to give what has become my
monthly statement from the union. I want to start by congratulating all of our students that are graduating this week and those advancing to the next grade level in a few weeks. This is an exciting time of year for those students. From our seniors who have been working hard through ups and downs for many
years to our prek and K students who have no doubt made significant gains this year and everyone in between. There is plenty of reason to celebrate in our district. I also want to take a moment to congratulate our retiring staff. I've learned that retirement can be a time of
mixed emotions for many, but I know each of your contributions have been great. Thank you for your service. I wish you all the best, and I hope you continue to be a champion for public education while you enjoy your retirement. As much as June is a time for celebration, it's
also a time for reflection on some of the not so great things. This has been a difficult year for many reasons, and this last month has been one of the most difficult. staff members injured, 213 non-renewals from my unit, and many difficult conversations. While some of
our staff and students thrived this year, this has been a difficult year filled with disruption and instability for many. I'm very disheartened to see so many great educators and those with great potential leave Fall River. I'm meeting with interimm superintendent Smith and Deputy Superintendent Legal
regularly, and I'm hopeful that better systems can be put in place. I've been in many conversations about what the district needs in our next superintendent, which I've heard you will be discussing. Some have said we need a person to clean house, a wrecking ball, if you will. I
think we need a builder. I know a little bit about building. An amateur builder comes in on demo day with a sledgehammer. A skilled builder may use a sledgehammer on occasion, but more often than you would expect, they use a screwdriver, preserving the integrity of
the old and its surroundings. Many times you find many times finding use where other where others would discard. When I look at leaders in our district and our schools, I want to see skilled builders who nurture and develop educators. Those
leaders will have educators who nurture and develop students. I'm looking forward to the work ahead. Thank you. >> Thank you. Uh and finally, Kelly Gabbard, Riverside Avenue.
Uh three minutes, please. Kelly. >> Sure. Can you hear? Hi. Can you hear me? >> Yep. [laughter] >> Um Kelly Gavardi. I'm a preschool teacher. Most of you know me, but I'm here to put a face to the non-renewal letters that you sent out on Friday. So,
Dr. Smith and um many of you know that I'm not somebody to sit around and be quiet when people are being treated injustly. So, that's why I'm here. So, like I said, I'm putting a face to the over 200 nonrenewal
letters that were handed out on Friday. We also have over a hundred openings still. This is a problem. Putting it out there, cutting your nose off to despite your face. But I wish I had time to bring all the others with us
so you could see us all. We But this all happened especially to me very unexpectedly as I have been with Fall River for over 20 years. I have um a master's degree from Wheelock College now BEu and at the time that I was
licensed 30 years ago, there was no such thing as a prek to two moderate disabilities license. Desi within the last few years has decided to make it a thing. Fine, I'm all good with it. But so where am I? Sorry. It wasn't a
license option. But I s sincerely love to have I would love love love to have a conversation with Desessie not only about licensing but about a myriad of other things including undevelopmentally appropriate expectations. But of course I can't do that just like I can't meet
with Donald Trump and give him my ideas too. But that's another thing. So here I am to ask you to really consider the impact of those 200 non-renewal letters will have on our students. Over the years, I have written hundreds of IEPs,
progress reports, and develop specialized instruction for my students. If you if I ask you if taking an exam 30 years after graduating from graduate school makes me a better instructor. Does this extra license requirement mean that my children as I refer refer to my
students are going to be better are going to have a better teacher tomorrow? I think not. Actually, I will say that having me having to take a personal day today to take the Males harmed my students, especially my extraordinary
students. They thrive on structure. They thrive on seeing my face every day. They thrive to know that I'm there to hold them if they need to be calm down or they need a problem, have a problem. I'm willing to be duly certified. And
will my being a moderate teacher change the fact that not one of >> 15 seconds >> not one of my students including my extraordinary students have made extraordinary progress. I'm leaving my data with you. This is my winter data.
If you notice these are the red. This is not meeting. This is exceed not yet. This is developing winter data. >> That's three minutes. >> I leave my spring data. Not one student is not performing, including my children with ASD and my non my newcomers.
>> Thank you. >> Thank you. >> You superintendent uh >> Kelly, thank you so much for those words. Uh I appreciate you being here representing so many of your educators in the Fall River Public Schools. I want you to know and for everybody to know
how important each and every one of you is, you know, certainly to the schools. Thank you for your time and we are going to work with each and every principal with every teacher that may have received a letter. Um what we're doing is working to make sure you're in a
place for what they call highly qualified with DESIE. Uh we will work to help people that have to get licenses that have been on waiverss. This is something that is required of every district. I've worked very closely with the president of the Fall River Education Association. I will keep
having conversations and we will make sure that we get each and every educator back in place and support them. So again, we have highly qualified teachers and we're able to support you in in any possible way. So thank you for speaking this evening. >> I appreciate that.
>> Okay. So we're going to go down the front now because we do have a number of recognition awards you want to give out tonight. First, Well, thank you all for this part of the recognition awards. I'm going to call upon Dr. Smith, the superintendent, to present the first award.
>> Thank you, Mr. Aguar. So, I'd like to invite uh Jack Rio to come up here and stand beside me. Let's give him a round of applause. First of all, [applause] he's graduating uh on the field on Friday evening. And I want to talk about leadership. It
is important. Student voice is important. Is it is important to all of us sitting here to grow the leaders of tomorrow to be able to take a step forward to represent your class to represent it so well. I know that I'm new, having just met you, but I've heard
wonderful things. I know what your commitment was, and you show the future students coming forward how important this type of a connection is to be part of, again, a school committee, a group of elected officials that are tasked with making sure that your students
receive the proper education that they require to go on to college, to go on to careers, to go on to military, all of the wonderful things that'll happen for these students. So, Jack, thank you so much. We have some special swag for you to always remember the Hill Toppers and
Dery High School and also a a plaque. So, I believe we're going to take a picture together. Jack, come over. >> Okay. I don't want to be in front of Let's get one more round of applause for Jack. [applause] And we will take a group photo after the
other four or five uh people come in. So just hang tight, Jack. The other part of the agenda always in June. It's a special time when we have many dedicated people that have dedicated their careers to education that are retiring. So it's a bittersweet day for a lot of folks when they retire because they've been so
dedicated to our students, whether it's here or in other schools. Uh but a little token of the appreciation from the school committee and the superintendent is a recognition for your years of service in the school system. So we have one for each person that's retired. Only uh four of them could
actually make it today. So we're going to start off with uh those folks. The first individual has uh was new to Fall River Schools. She's dedicated her career to teaching at the college level, I believe, and other places. I can speak firsthand of the work that she's done at
the R LMN LM resiliency prep academy getting ready with a culinary program that was a difficult task to start with. Uh she's persevered, she's been dedicated, and she's made that program better today than it was when she got here. So, let's get a nice round of applause and please come up Gloria
Cabral. [applause] One more round of applause for Gloria, please. [applause] Next up, we have a gentleman who's worked for us for 10 years in the school system. And I know for many, many years prior to that, he was dedicated as a vendor for us. He's come in as a jack of all trades for a lot of things in our
buildings. And we do want to say thank you to Mr. Jeffrey Cabraw for 10 years of service as a carpenter. [applause] [applause] One more round of applause for Jeff, please. [applause] Next up, we have a teachers assistant who worked as a a one-on-one for the
special education department at Dery High School. 26 years of service. We want to say thank you to Christine Wlette. [applause] We thought she was going to be here, but we'll get this to her. And the last teacher, the last retiree for today has worked for 31 years as a
teacher, various uh positions. She's currently a coach interventionist at Frank M. Sylvia School. She served many years as the president of the teachers association. Very dedicated to the students, the staff, and us as a school community. So, we want to say thank you not only for your teaching service, but
your service outside of the school system as well. This young lady has done an excellent job supporting schools, was instrumental in getting the uh student opportunity act. So we want to say thank you and your uh work Rebecca is going to be felt for years to come. So congratulations and thank you 31 years
Rebecca Cusk. [applause] One more round of applause for Rebecca, please. [applause] So, we have some retirees, but we also have some folks that are going to be leaving us to move on to different positions. They're not retiring, probably a little too young for that. But ultimately, we want to recognize
some folks as well that are going to be moving on to different positions. Uh in recognition of 16 years of dedicated service to the floor of our school system, as the CFO, uh Kevin Almea has done an excellent job. We're going to miss you. We wish you well and thank you for your service over the 16 years. Come
on up, Kevin. [applause] One more round of applause for Kevin Almea, please. [applause] And we also are going to be having uh another person who's moving on who's dedicated many years to uh service in the uh school committee as well as the students and staff in the for public schools. And in recognition of the many
years of dedicated service to the children and adults in the four river school system, we want to say congratulations and thank you to our very own attorney Bruce Assad for all of his years of service. Thank you, Bruce. Come on down. [applause] I couldn't see him. That's why I was getting a little uh wondering where he
was. >> Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. [applause] >> Thank you. Appreciate it. Thank you, sir. recognition as well as the others. >> Can I just say one thing? >> Absolutely. You can say as many things as you want. >> Okay. Just say one thing here. Um
basically when I started this, I expected to be here for a two-year period. Um 32 years later, I'm advising the committee that I do not want to uh would not be seeking a a new contract. But I want to to let you know that it's
been a wonderful trip. Met a lot of great people. Uh I've certainly enjoyed working with all of the school committee members, past and present, as well as the recognizing and appreciating the the professionalism and
dedication of our administrators, our teachers, and our staff who serve our students and their families every day. I wish you all the best and continued success. It's been a hell of a ride. Thank you. [applause]
Thank you very much. We get one more round of applause for Bruce [applause] and the uh six recipients. If you can come up to the front in the middle, we're going to be taking a photo. Uh so please come on up and uh thank you for your indulgence. Uh in a few minutes we'll be done. [snorts]
What you want? >> [applause] >> Okay. Okay. All right. So, thank you everybody. We appreciate everybody coming out to get their awards tonight. And um now we'll get back to the agenda. Uh item number four is the
superintendent report. Um Dr. Smith. >> Thank you, Mayor. Uh tonight my first uh update is the hiring update. So since our last meeting we have had 13 new hires. We have had seven par profofessionals, one interim
superintendent, a teacher, an SLPA, uh one seal leaison, a security officer and a custodian. We have had four transfers, two retirements and 28 resignations. And that is coming from our human resource office update
as far as summer programming update. And I may need uh Brian uh and Lori if there are any questions. So we have a a sheet here. I I'm not sure if it's been placed in all of your folders, but uh it it is everything from um I don't know if you
want me to to read it, but we have a credit recovery this summer. We have Acceleration Academy. We have a camp for uh band marching. Uh we have summer enrichment programs, a teen police academy, credit recovery for our high school students. We have summer school
um for our high school and middle school. We have uh again 21st century camps. So uh extended uh school year for our uh special needs students that are required uh on their IEPs uh at a number of our schools. So I'm
not sure if you have questions. I can certainly bring up staff. I I think it's very similar to what you've had in the past or what we've updated you on throughout the year if there were any additional uh programs we would be housing. So many of our schools the one thing I will say and and this is having been a superintendent a long time I
right away credit our staff our custodial staff maintenance this is the time where they're trying to get a lot done too. as soon as the the doors close, we have projects. We're trying to get ready for students entering back in September. And they do an excellent job of allowing our our students and our
community to use the schools for everything from recreation, as we said, to summer school, credit recovery, and at the same time, we always count on being able to open those doors in September. So, um, again, I'll I'll answer any questions I can uh or have my team answer the questions for you. May
>> Oh, Mr. A. >> Yeah, just uh just a comment. So I think just in summary, we actually are not cutting anything. I don't think we're doing anything less than what we had the prior year, which in this day and age of budgets and and that cuts. I think that's a credit to all of you as well as the committee for making sure that we're
at least maintaining all of the programming that we have in the summer. So of of course we would always like to have more, but I do want to just make sure everyone takes the credit for that's deserved that we're not going backwards. We're not laying people off. We're not cutting programs. So kudos to the superintendent, finance team, and
making sure that we're getting this. I yield. Thank you. >> Uh Dr. Smith. >> Any other questions? That's >> graduation update. >> Yep. >> Sorry. Yes, the graduation update. Uh, I had the pleasure of joining uh, Principal Jess Stevens yesterday at Dery
High School to look at the staging area, to look at the seats all out there, uh, preparations for our over 650 graduates. Looks like the weather is going to cooperate. That's very exciting. Um, I know the mayor and I will uh, be on the stage leading uh, with our principles
and our teachers uh, you know, to graduation. Also, I know there are school committee members, so we will all be up on the stage. our senior team will be joining us and I am looking forward to again being able to confer the diplomas and being able to see our
students uh as they march across that stage. So, thank you to Angel and all of the team for getting these things ready. Uh to our staff, to Ken Pacico and his staff for making sure that that we're able to have a wonderful graduation on Friday evening. So, I look forward to
joining all of you there. and then my transition into the district. So, I'd like to tell you that since coming on exactly a month and two days ago that I've been able to visit every school. That has not been possible. I have been out to a a few of the schools. I am really looking forward
to a time where this transitioning quiets down a little bit. It's just a busy busy time of year with so many things going on every day, each evening, meetings in preparation for all of the things that we're actually talking about this evening. But I will tell you, I've been able to attend some events at Dery
High School for our seniors. Uh the signing day, uh awards and scholarships last week, and I know all of you have been out there doing similar things to really congratulate our students especially, but our staff are making sure that our students have these wonderful events that are memories
really for a lifetime for them. When I visited yesterday to look at the graduation event, I think the the thing that I enjoyed the most was going into your school store. I will tell you I was recently out and I won't tell you the sweatshirt I was wearing but it was not Hill Toppers and somebody called me out.
So I was very excited to finally get my first Hill Topper sweatshirt. I will wear it with pride. Um I met young Colin there. He's a junior and he was very excited. I was impressed when he met me that he said, "Superintendent, you have a jurist doctorate. I'm going into criminal justice." I said, "Oh my
goodness, students are actually paying attention." I figured they would look and say, "Who is this person suddenly showing up?" But uh very nice conversation. It is just all about the kinds of students that you're preparing and graduating. The other evening I will tell you that I joined our team before
the city council here in Fall River. Um I will the next day I actually called President uh Cliff Ponte to tell him a couple of things. One was I thanked him for the knowledge and professionalism of our city councilors that support our students, support our budget. you know, had many questions. And the thing that
we committed to, mayor, is going forward, making sure that we're having regular conversations, looking at everything from transportation to having a collaboration. You've heard me talk about going before them in the fall to do what I call a state of the schools address, which really lays the groundwork for what our budget season
will be like coming into next year. So, again, I want to thank them. Um, I I thought it was an excellent evening for us. I also want to thank the mayor and all the school committee members here. Many of you have met with me for well over during the transition two hours. I
learned a lot about you, your reason for serving on the board, for taking all the time that you take each and every day. Many of you are meeting with me on a very regular basis. And that is a help to me as I I transition very quickly into the district to know, you know, the challenges ahead, the strengths that we
have and and really what our commitment is going to be. So, thank you to your entire team. I don't know if you heard me say the other night, I have had a chance to get out into Fall River a little. I did go to a Portuguese restaurant. I will continue to do that and [clears throat] other restaurants
and enjoy my time here in Fall River. And I guess I have to say thank you to my senior staff. It is amazing that they have pivoted. We have spent a lot of time together again looking at not only ending the school year, you know, supporting our our teams as we try to,
you know, uh really kind of bring this year to a close and already are preparing for next year. So, I want to thank them for all of the time uh my deputy superintendent included. And lastly, I do have to say this about transitioning. I come in every day to a
wonderful staff at 417 Rock Street and what from Al uh welcoming me to Paula to Deb to every member there comes in they work very very hard it is a wonderful place to be and it really does make a difference especially I'm talking about
being new to Fall River being new to your district and it makes a difference for the kind of work that you can do each and every day. Uh, I'm going to finish up by saying again, thank you to I have not gotten to meet a lot of the teachers, uh, but I I plan to be out there. I want to thank Keith uh, for
obviously representing our teachers and and many of the, uh, other people and administrators that I have met districtwide. So, I'm going to finish up by talking about plans going forward. You've heard me talk about our professional development. When we talk about our
teachers and their licenses and having to do professional development to serve your students for being highly qualified, although there is not a requirement, there are certain requirements for school committee members, for superintendent, but the one thing that I will tell you is I'm very excited going forward. You have a school
committee committed to professional development. We have one of our first days coming up before the end of this month. We will continue to do that throughout the summer and make sure that we are working in a collaborative fashion to support uh well over our 11,000 students uh in in this district.
And I think I have to end, mayor, by saying how important it is that as you look at districts around you and you see people laying off teachers, we just heard Kelly speak about the concern for letters going out. We're not laying off teachers, but we are making sure that we
are supporting and hiring the best teachers possible for the Fall River Public Schools. We will continue to do that. Our principles as we talk uh as there are moving pieces here uh to uh making sure that our our teachers with some of the requirements of their contract are making sure that we're
supporting those teachers that we get them in classrooms throughout the district very very quickly. So, I will have I I I know you've heard from your constituents. I will have those numbers probably early next week as we start to support people in getting uh waiverss and licenses and also getting people
placed in our uh positions throughout the district. So with that, mayor, that is my uh report. >> Okay. Uh we did have one of our retirees join us late. Um but better late than never. Um I worked with this young lady a number of years at Dery as we all did,
but we're really appreciative you came down tonight. Um, we're going to get back on with the meeting, but the uh recognition chairman, Mr. Ragi, I'll be glad to present you with a special gift. >> Thank you very much, Mr. Mayor. So, we definitely uh mentioned it before, but I
do want to mention it again. Teachers assistants are just one of the backbones of a school system. We all feel that way and we're very appreciative of all teacher assistants. This young lady has worked here for 26 years as a onetoone special education teacher assistant. And we want to say thank you to Christine
Wlette. Let's get a nice round of applause. And Miss Wlette, if you can come on up. [applause] for a long time. [applause] Item number five is our subcommittee updates. First up is facilities and operations. Uh Mr. Agie, our chair. >> So, we had a a subcommittee meeting. It
was a successful meeting. It lasted probably about an hour and a half. We discussed several items that are going to be on the agenda today. Uh we reviewed the nutrition account. Uh some questions went back and forth. There was no action needed at that time. We talked about traffic management that's on the agenda uh today because we're going to
be having traffic management plans at all of our schools to make sure that we're doing what is appropriate for arrival and dismissal. We had a turf management contract that we need to make sure that we maintain the quality fields here at uh Dery High School. So that's on the agenda as well. We discussed the
playground at Bishop Connley. As you know, we're gonna we're going to be adding uh it's almost over 600 students at the school. They need to have the appropriate play space. So, we're going to be spending some money to do that. And there were several uh naming uh requests that came forth and we tabled
those so that the superintendent can bring those to the appropriate uh following the policies of the school system. Meeting agenda in about an hour and a half and it was very successful. With that, I yield. >> Thank you, Mr. Aguier. Um next, we had a policy subcommittee report. Uh, Mr. Das,
>> thank you. to the policy subcommittee met May 13th at 5:30 p.m. Um, similar to what Miss Aguar said, the um policy subcommittee reviewed several outstanding policies which are before
the committee today for review and we continue to aggressively change and um update the policy manual so we are both within compliance and up to date.
I'll have for the further information to say when the policies come up. I yield. >> Thank you, Mr. Das. Um [clears throat] um the instructional subcommittee update will be carried over to the next meeting uh when Dr. Riley can give us the report. Uh item number six is the
approval of travel requests. >> Motion to approve. >> Second. >> I have a motion and a second on all travel requests. >> Quick question, >> Mr. Das. >> Um to the superintendent. are all our um travel requests here. We're following
policies. We're following um ethics disclosures. We're we're al we're we're up to date on that. >> I'm sorry. What disclosures you >> ethics disclosures? Ethics area or policies. All the travel requests are up to date on those.
>> I I believe they are, Mr. Das. I'll have to look into that. >> Thank you. >> I have a motion, a second on all travel requests. Anything further? Deb, call the role, please. >> Mr. Hag, >> yes. >> Mr. Das, >> yes. >> Mr. Cory, >> yep. >> Mr. Monus, >> yes. >> Mr. Riley. >> Miss Stewart?
>> Yes. >> Mayor Kogan? >> Yes. Item number seven is the acceptance of donations. >> Motion to accept. >> We have a motion to accept all. >> Second. >> I have a motion, a second on all. >> Very quick question. >> Uh, Mr. Das. >> Um, same line of questioning. We're up
to date with um both ethics disclosures and all these here. they haven't been expended yet before school committee approval. >> The only thing that I can say um Mr. Das is when donations are made and if they're
made certainly in a timely manner, they immediately go on the agenda for school committee approval. I will say if there is uh a donation made at a certain point, for instance, I'm going to say there are prom dresses. somebody comes forward
knowing there's proms, there is not a meeting, not an opportunity, I will approve things like that and then inform the school committee. >> Thank you. I just want to make sure as long as we're in compliance with the laws, this is something I brought up um month after month and um I know Mr.
Aguar myself just recently had a meeting with um an MASC representative which I believe I informed you of. >> Yes. >> Which partially um which in part I brought up the issue of accepting um donations. I just want to make sure ethics-wise we're um just fully on board
with that and and I know you're you're new obviously you're new so um just making sure our systems are in compliance with ethics the laws here it's all I ask for thank you >> thank you I have a motion to second Deb on accepting the donations uh Mr. Yeah, >> just briefly on the uh work boots. So
that's this is a thousand pairs and reading the back of its gently used uh work boots that I think our students are going to benefit from. Uh the cost that to the district is only $250 per pallet as a delivery charge. So I think it's it's a good thing that they're getting this uh opportunity. It doesn't
necessarily say that it was gently used and you try to figure out how much a thousand brand new pairs of boots is going to cost $15,000 or something like that. But this is gently used. So, I think it's a good program and I do appreciate the donation. Thank you. >> Thank you. Deb, please call the role on
donation. >> Yes. >> Mr. Das, >> yes. >> Mr. Cory, >> yes. >> Mr. Monus, >> yes. >> Mr. Riley, >> Miss Stewart, >> yes. >> Mayor Kugan, >> yes. Uh, eight and 8.1 contracts continuation. Um, I see we just have um
it looks like we'll go with community partnership and facilities contracts under that heading. Does anybody have any comments on coaching for change or industrial communications? >> There's more. >> Yeah. No, no, no, but I'm just doing the first two under the continuation.
>> I have a question on industrial. >> Um, uh, Miss >> Motion to approve coaching for change. >> Second. >> I have a motion, a second on coaching for change. Miss Stewart, >> I guess a question. Why do we buy so many? We bought We did it in February.
We did it in May. We're buying more today. I I get it. I understand why we need them. I just don't understand why we keep buying so many. How many do we have? How many is out there? We buy a lot. >> Mr. P. >> So, the
the district probably has well over 250 to 300 radios and we're replacing them as they need to be replaced. Um rather than replace radios that we don't that are not giving us problems. some schools the radios [snorts] are um a
different brand, not I'm sorry, not a different brand, but a different age um and and uh maybe a rendition of a different radio. So, some of those are no longer capable of of working with the others. So, those are the ones that are first going, but Dery um has quite a few
radios and we are, as I said, I think I may have and I'm excuse me if I'm repeating myself, but we're using the radios outside on the playgrounds now. so if there's a situation on the playground that they have that direct contact um with an administrator in the building. So, we are slowly but surely
upgrading the entire um district with the with the radios. Um I don't I said it last time, I didn't believe we were going to do another one. I'm hoping that between now and September um that we don't have other than a major order um
uh we will um and we'll come to the uh to the school committee for that. But as of right now, I don't believe that we should have another one. Um because I think we've done what we needed to do to get updated. >> Okay. Thank you. >> I want to withdraw my motion
on culture for change. >> Okay. So we have on both items the community partnership contract coaching for change and the facilities contracts industrial communication. I'd like to make a motion that we approve the coaching for change in a similar fashion as the last contract which was a
three-year contract at $150,000 per year. >> You can make that in the form of a motion. >> Second. >> So, Mr. Aguar is amending it to a three-year contract at the same amount. I have a motion, a second. Um, I could probably do these by voice vote. All in favor? >> I
>> opposed. Unanimous. Now on approval of the um um that was the approval of the amendment on the u coaching for change and the industrial communications. Can I get a motion, a second? >> I have a motion, a second. >> All in favor? >> I
>> opposed. Unanimous. >> Grant contracts. We have two from Amaral busing autism level up cartwheel Deborah Harris and New England sports promotion on that group. Does anybody have a hold or a question on any of those?
>> Cartwheel. cart wheels held. >> Motion to approve the others. >> Mr. Das made a motion to approve the others. Do I have a second? >> Brief question. >> Second. >> I have a motion, a second, Mr. Das. >> Just um and actually this really goes for all the contracts. Um we're up to
date on procurement. Does we're following procurement 100% no issues? >> Yes. >> Thank you. I yield. >> I have a motion to second on all but cartwheel. >> I'm sorry. One more brief question. >> Mr. Just a brief comment just um just want to make sure because we had an
issue with this contract last year that they one of the um um vendors was not being paid on time. So I just want to just make sure this individual is um paid on time so we don't run into those same issues again. Thank you.
>> Okay. On all the others discussion hearing none. All in favor? >> I >> opposed. Unanimous. Mr. Aguiar on cartwheel. >> Yeah. I did this go before the uh special ed subcommittee at all. Is this a referral? >> No. I'd like to make a motion we refer
this item to the special ed subcommittee. >> Second. >> We have a motion and a second to refer cartwheel back to sped um subcommittee. Uh any um time concerns with this, Miss Overchain? Any time concerns? Are we
we're fine referring this back? >> Oh, Miss Miss Brown. This is a continuation contract which is why it wasn't brought before subcommittee. Is that >> we're recommending it go back before subcommittee? >> Yeah, just for further just review and
and uh have dialogue relative to the effectiveness of the program so that you can present to the subcommittee what's happening and then we can bring it back to the full committee. >> Okay. >> Okay. >> Mr. Chair, >> um Mr. Das >> just going through the backup. I don't
actually I see a um a slides a slideshow presentation. I don't actually see the back the actual contract in here which we usually have for the backup for our contracts. Um >> it's going back to subcommittee. Yeah, it's going to go back to subcommittee. Colin is get it done. >> My only my only my only question why I'm
bringing that up is um >> we're not it's going to this looks like it's going to start July 1st. It's um we going to so they're going there I'm assuming there's going to be a brief
lapse [snorts] and but that's fine. I'm I support the referral but I just want to make sure that the company's aware and we don't run into any issues. I yield. >> I have a motion and second on referring cartwheel back to the subcommittee. All in favor? >> I opposed. Unanimous.
Miscellaneous contracts are next. Power school. Um >> any concerns about power school? >> Yes. Um on power school, Mr. Aguar >> just had a question. I haven't really reviewed the entire uh document here
relative to power school, but I can say that from um in the past we've been had various departments and companies. We were told several years ago at the subcommittee that we were going to change to powers school, I believe, because it was going to streamline
everything. It was going to make our HR department as seamless and everything was going to be easy to apply. Everything, you know, the principles would be happy, directors will be happy, the applicants will be happy, the whole bit. Lo and behold, I haven't heard that everybody's happy. So, I don't believe that we should be just taking this as a
okay automatic renewal until we get a presentation somewhere to say whether this is actually where we want to head. We're in the process of hiring a new HR director. So I think we should hold on any decisions relative to this until such time as we get the new people in and we can determine whether it's this
is the right company or how we're going to proceed. So I'd like to make a motion to table power school >> power school >> point of parliamentary inquiry >> just hold on. Do I have a second? >> Uh point the only issue is if with a table we can't discuss the table. I just had a brief question.
>> Go ahead. >> Thank you. Um I I do support my colleagues motion. My my first question is do we still use school spring >> and so so so it's fair to say there's a duplication of services here >> if we're paying if we're still have
paying for school spring there's a contract with school spring and we still have a contract with power school we um I mean what's the point of having the school spring contract >> well we we want to up our contract with
school spring the the two the power school in school spring they should talk to each other and right now they're not talking to each other for for whatever reason I I've talked to the CIO we are working on this so when we put our jobs up on
school spring edc wherever our jobs go they should just funnel back into human resources and they're not I'm trying to figure out why that's happening and why they're not talking to our computer program so that anybody who applies on school spring or
anybody applies on NASDAQ or anybody applies on um Ed Weekly or wherever it should be funneled right in because we want because we want our jobs to be on all platforms. We want people to see it. We want to recruit highly qualified
candidates and the more places where we put it out, the more applicant base that we get. >> That's fine. I'll I'll wait. I'll I'll hold those questions till we get a full presentation. My last question is looks like this contract um started May 12th of um oh it's till May 11th [laughter]
26. So do we still um do we still have P schoolool currently? It looks like the contract >> this is this is a cleanup for this year. This was one that's been outstanding that uh was brought to my attention and I have brought forward. So,
>> so this contra Oh, so this is a contract for last year. >> This is for this year. Yes. >> This is for last year. >> Not for next year. This is for this year. >> So, the contract I have before me is from May of 2025 until May of Correct. May 11th to 26. >> Correct.
>> And so, we are in June. >> Are they cutting off our services? Are we running into any issues? >> They have not. No, but >> Okay. I yield motion. Motion to table. >> [snorts] >> I have a motion to the table and a second. >> No, no second. Can I have a second? Do I have something on that?
>> I I withdraw my motion. >> You made the motion, didn't you? >> Yeah, but there was no second, so it kind of went out. Okay. >> There's [laughter] no second to his, but I just have a question on this. So, >> yeah. >> Frustrating, but it is what it is. Uh we have a bill before us that is actually presented to us and the entire 12 months
of it is passed. >> So, fully agree with you. >> Yep. So what I think we should do just doing what I think is just good government is we should take the one that we owe for the year separately. It's all bundled together here. So the one that starts in July we can table but
this one here which is 10,000 I got to what is it >> 10,000? What is it Mr. Al the one that's a year old? Is it 25,72255? >> So both both of them are for this year. Both of them are for this year and the
total is 39,000 whatever it was 39 802. >> Both of them are for this year. >> Yes. >> Yep. >> I thought I read one that was July but is it July? >> Yeah. So one is from May of last year and one started in July. >> So >> right. So the July one we got a little bit of time technically.
>> July of this past year >> but it's running until July of 2026 is what I'm saying. So correct if we meet in two weeks. So the the other one is the other one was 25,72578. >> So both of them total >> 39 8023.
>> Right. As much as I want to I I I can't believe we're even having the discussion that we're here before us for this thing. Based on that information, I'm going to make a motion to approve the 39, 80223 with a request from the administration to report back to the committee within
one month on how we're going to proceed moving forward because then we're going to owe another one. >> All right. So, I have a motion to approve the power school. I have a motion and a second. Any further discussion? All in favor? >> I opposed. Unanimous. We also have a number of special education contracts in
front of us. >> Motion to approve. I have a motion to approve any hold any holds on any of them down to South Coast Collaborative. >> I have a motion to second. Any discussion on those contracts? >> Hearing none. All in favor? >> Opposed?
>> Finally, we have a miscellaneous contract contract contingent on school budget approval request for approval of the education cooperative. >> Question on this one, >> Mr. Das. >> Thank you. So, let me pull it up.
the backup for for this. I just want a little bit of a presentation. Um, we just got a one pager, so I understand it's um the the blanket the company will do the the bidding for us. We'll get the contracts for us, but what is this specifically?
Like when you say general supplies, what do we talking about? So, it's paper, it's paper, it's um, you know, markers, it's pencils, it's all general like classroom supplies. And so through the tech bid,
we're able to get best pricing and they do all the procurement on their end for a nominal fee of, I think, $750 a year. when we get these supplies, if there's any um staff members that have any question on where they can locate some of these supplies. Um we I'm just going
to ask the administration just to make sure we're properly advertising that to staff if there's any ever a question on where they can get. >> This the stuff is available in the warehouse through Russ Lewis. But yes, >> thank you. I yield >> Mr. Aar.
>> Yes. So I understand fully what this is. uh when you read that it's going to be the lowest price, you know, sometimes I believe that and sometimes I don't believe it to be quite honest. So I just like at some point a presentation from that we've checked it to see is it truly the lowest price. I think Russ Lewis down there does a nice job with doing
whatever but I think just having something to us to say we've checked it and we are actually getting the lowest price. >> Sure. >> U would be appreciated. I yield. Thank you. >> You got it. >> Um do I have a motion and a second on >> motion to approve? >> Manny seconded it before. >> Manny seconded it. Okay. I have a motion to second. Discussion hearing none. All
in favor? >> I >> opposed. Unanimous. Okay. And we have our facilities contracts 8.2. We have two contracts with Century Paving and Construction. >> I'd like to hold them both, please.
>> Are you t Are you making a motion to table? >> No, I just want to hold them for questioning. >> Oh, I'm sorry. Uh, starting with the first one, Mr. Das. >> Thank you. So, I read through the backup. So, my understanding is [laughter] we had some um broken cran
granite curb that needs to be from the snowstorm that needs to be replaced. >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Um what's the So, we're asking the company. So, who um was it a vendor that broke the granite or was it our own staff?
>> Combination. Combination of both. 44 inches of snow. Um you don't see the granite curbs. you don't see, you know, the end of of a of a driveway. You don't see any of that stuff. So, there is an opportunity um a very good chance that
you're going to hit curbs um as you're trying to clean the sidewalks with that much snow. If the curbs break on the top, very brittle. Obviously, temperature has something to do with it. Um and when they hit them, they do crack. Some of
them move if they hit with a big machine. Again, because of the amount of snow we had, this wasn't damage done by a snow plow. This was heavy equipment, uh, loaders and >> from vendors, from vendors and and our own >> and our own equipment and our own
equipment. >> I guess um I guess it's a two-part question. So, for the vendors, >> why aren't wouldn't they be responsible for fixing what they broke? Some vendors are uh responsible for for
this work. But this is again on a normal snowplow situation, this stuff doesn't happen. 44 inches of snow, it is going to happen. And it was very difficult to to come after some of the vendors who were there doing this work blindly.
Okay, 44 inches of snow is a blind snowplow operation. There is no way to know where that curb is. You can't see it. and until you find one spot. So, this is a spattering of damage done across the entire c campus
at Dery. This item, although it may seem like a lot of money, is very, very little for for trying to handle that kind of storm. A storm that took $4 million to clean up. So this is again it's a it's a dollar amount but it is
really not a lot of money for the amount of damage um that we could have had uh with this situation. >> Okay. I guess I guess I'm you you make a similar um answer for like the staff. Do we have like if things are damaged
I I mean we don't we guess we don't really know who did it but what are like the policies surrounding >> I I again Mr. dice. I don't it is very difficult to find out who would have would have been the person who hit this just because of the fact
that where these locations are their kind of bumpouts in different spots where the machine would not know the driver would not know where that particular piece is. If our people hit it, it's because they couldn't find the edge if they hit it. And I'm not saying
they are the ones who did it, but I'm saying if they hit it, they wouldn't know where that edge is. We're also talking about a storm that people were working more than 12 hours, 15 hours, 17 hours. Some private vendors worked around the
clock to get the work done, whether it was for us or for the city side. So again, as I as I look at it, I look at this particular piece and the next item, and both of them are very small compared to the amount of damage that could have been caused with this much snow across
the city, but on our own property. Um, I feel we escaped um very well and we came out of this storm extremely well considering the situation. Uh, last question on this is, um, the vendors that we called in for
the snowstorm for Dery, did was it, um, I saw some of the bills come in. I did ask for the bills ahead of time. Um, was were there any formal contracts or was it more just like um, we're getting like a just a quick quote just in just kind
of verbally tell them what the work needs to be done? the work that the the ones that the district was responsible for were contractors that we already had their documents in place um that they sent requests to work for the city. Um
the hauling operation is a totally different matter and those were all paid for by the city but it was exactly the same thing. They filled out applications to do this work for the city but it was a state of emergency. Um, there were a lot of vendors and a a real the the
number is astronomical the amount of equipment that was in the city doing this work. >> I understand. I I think that's a a I I can agree that it was a an emergency we needed to get vendors in there. I'm not questioning like the necessarily the procurement piece or the urgency of the situation. It's just more of the general
idea if we have vendors that come in. And I understand it wasn't your typical snowstorm. I know this was a um a special sort of event that happened, but with that being said, I think we need to do a better job at going after the root
issues. I don't think it if someone else damages our property, maybe a vendor or someone, it shouldn't be on the taxpayers to pay for it. But I understand your argument you're trying to make. I'm I'm just um a little puzzled trying to >> Yeah, I I I get I I I mean I'm stating
facts, but I I I 100% agree. And in a normal situation, these things wouldn't happen. And if they did happen, the vendor would be responsible. That's the best way I can put it. If this was not a state of emergency, if this was not a situation that these things could not be
prevented, and I will say that with 100% confidence, being in the snow removal business for 20 years, I'm going to tell you this stuff was not able to be prevented. On a normal situation, this stuff wouldn't happen. And if it did, we would definitely go after the vendors. I
I can make assure you of that. >> I yield. >> Make a motion to approve the the first one, $19,20. A second. >> Any further discussion? [clears throat] All in favor? >> I >> opposed. Unanimous. >> Make a motion to deny the second one.
$23,250. >> Second >> discussion. Mr. A, >> just I can explain to you why I feel like they're different. The first one, as I read it, looks like it's things that replace broken granite curb radius, all that stuff at [clears throat] high.
[laughter] That's real intense work. When I read the description of the second one, I believe that we have eight grounds, seven grounds keepers or whatever the amount is. We have our own backhoe. We have different things that second one can be done in house should be done in house because the content of
what's here to loom and seed swale areas around the asphalt sidewalks, roadways, and parking lots. Uh re uh install some parking curbs, which I believe is the, you know, just put them in place for $23,000. We should be doing that in-house. So that's why I made a motion to deny.
>> Uh Mr. Bacho, is this is this at Dery? >> That's a Bishop Connley. >> This this uh >> replacing the um Okay. the parking spots and the uh grass areas and stuff. And and if I can that the um Connley was the
staging spot for um probably 250 pieces of equipment and 165 National Guard along with their equipment during the blizzard. >> Yeah, >> the damage was scattered. So not all of this was done in those particular
parking lots and areas. However, this was um throughout that property. There's not a lot of curbing at the at the Bishop Connley spot. So finding the edge of the road again with a 44 inch snowfall is very difficult to find that edge of the road. They can get pretty
close. As far as having enough personnel, eight personnel is not enough personnel to do this kind of work in the spring because we don't have to do this work in the spring. Normally we never do. It's again it's an extenduating set of circumstances that caused this particular
>> Yeah. I I I gotta um I have to comment on this one. As someone that was at Connley for I think all three days that was a staging area for a large large amount of equipment from New York, uh Vermont, Boston, and when they were
doing some of their turns because the trucks were on both sides of the road, I saw them backing onto the grass. We got some serious gouging issues over there. Um, we don't own the property yet and as Mr. uh, Pico said, there are no curbs, so they weren't really hitting curbs. They were going right into mud. We hit
the same thing down at Weaver's Cove. The ground was settling and this was heavy, heavy equipment. Um, I think putting this $23,000 back into the facility at Connley will pay dividends down the road. It needs the uh it needs the attention and I'm going to support
it. >> Mr. Um, Mr. Corey. And so u um >> I do recognize my colleagues concern and line of questions but I after listening to uh the presentation I would recommend
u being in support of this motion. I think uh the extenduating circumstances of the storm were really untenable and uh as you just stated Mr. Chairman uh was the staging area. So, I mean, I just
recommend I recommend that we uh pass this and and uh continue on. >> Yeah. Um Mr. Dus, >> thank you. I I think um and my colleague, Mr. Igar, brought up the point that this is I agree is two separate issues here. The first with the
Dery one, we were talking about who was it was more of an at fault like who was at fault, who should be paying, who's responsible. And um with this situation here, we're not saying that there there's not work that needs to be done. The argument here is we have
staff and we have a team that I believe is well capable to do the work that is here. Um I I guess my one question would be is and I did ask for this in the backup um for can Mr. Pico, can you just walk me
through um how many groundskeepers we've had over the last few years at Bishop Connley? I I can't remember if it's gone down or >> zero. Zero. >> We have zero grounds keepers. >> We have no zero. We have no grounds keepers assigned to to Bishop Connley. >> Have we ever? >> Bishop Conley is not a school that we
take care of as far as grounds. >> We've never had a groundskeeper. >> We have not >> since we've leased the property. >> Since we've leased the property, we have no groundskeepers. So >> I just want to make a point. >> So we are not respond >> point of power in >> Mr. Maga.
>> How many uh in the lease? How many people were assigned when we signed the lease from the dascese to work as groundskeepers at Bishop Con? >> Three. >> Three. And how many are there now? >> Um there's one groundskeeper there now. >> But there was three >> and there was three. Yes. >> Thank you. I yield.
>> Mr. Das, you're done. in the um my last question is in the um the the lease that we have is there it who's responsible for maintaining the property? >> They're responsible for cutting the grass. We're responsible for removing the snow.
>> So why? >> Because the snow did the damage. We damaged the property removing the snow. This was not a natural act. We damaged the property when we removed the snow. Well, we we don't I I would make
the argument that we didn't damage the property. The mayor even just made just stated that we had trucks going in and out. So, it was outside vendors that damaged it. I just think we should be fulfilling our um lease agreement. We don't officially own the building yet, and I think that's up to the dascese to
fix. I mean, we are offered them an extensive amount for Bishop Connley. So, I think that's just one thing that they could do for us. I don't think we're I think this should be if we're going to do it, we should do it with our own grounds keepers. I don't think we need this contract. I yield. >> Anything further,
>> Mr. Monus? >> Mr. Monus. >> Mr. Monus, >> I just wanted to add um I mean, we are leasing the building and everything else. Aren't they responsible for the grounds and everything else? >> I would I would think you're 100% correct, Mr. Monus, in normal course of events, but like
>> the equipment that was coming in and out of that day was breathtaking. And I know that some of it was going to clear around the schools and some of it was doing the rest of the city and they didn't even know where, you know, Connley was. They were all very green to our city. But I believe, like I said, you're 100% correct in the normal course
of events, but that was just something spectacular. >> Now, um, as far as Dery goes, um, no other district or no other, um, school was affected with curbs and sidewalks or anything like that. It's just Dery. So, there were two there were curbs broken
in broken in a couple of spots. I'm sorry, they weren't broken, they were tipped. >> So, those we straightened out ourselves. The ones that were bro broken and chipped. The detail around Dery is a lot different than most of our schools as you know. Um, a lot of curves. Um,
>> it could be architectural design cement. >> Exactly. Right. So, the ones that in the other schools, a lot of straight lines. Um, and when you hit a curb there, normally they would lay down as opposed to breaking >> breaking up. >> Um, it's different at Dery. >> Okay.
>> Mr. Egg. Yeah. >> Yeah. Just so uh just so I can I mean I'm reading exactly what we were given and nowhere in here does it say anything about the staging area or anything else related to it. It says, "I'm attaching herewith for the committee's
consideration request to approve a contract for sentry paving to loom and seed grass and swale areas around the asphalt sidewalk, roadway, and parking lots. The second portion is to install a damaged and disturbed parking curbs throughout the early learning center at
Ellsw Street. When I read this, and I know we've been told in the past that we have uh grounds crew that is skilled labor that get paid quite well to do the work. I know that they can do what is listed here for what we want. I'm convinced that they could do that work.
I just don't understand why we because we're questioning and now we're told it's because of the mobilization. If that was in here, I would have asked ahead of time to say is the city or whoever's picking up all the expenses for the uh for that expense in the blizzard, is that going to be affected
there? I just don't what I see here is that's before us says that our people can do this work. we have the capability to do this work and that's why we should be doing as many things in-house that we can. I think we outsource way too many things that our in-house people could be
doing. So that's the reason why I'm making a motion to deny and have our in-house people do. >> Let's vote on um Mr. Aguar's motion to Oh, I am so sorry. I forgot you. You're way down there. Sorry. It's okay. How much would it cost us because it's there's no it would have to go into overtime or something, right?
How much would it end up costing us if we did it? Or would it not cost us anything if we did it? first. So if I could just one second go back um to Mr. Aguio, you're 100% right. Uh people can do this work. I wouldn't say that in the least bit. This is all
work within their capabilities timewise. We didn't have the capability. Eight people at this time of the year, early spring, there's an awful lot of work in the district across the campuses, all the campuses. And this work does not did
not fit in. It was just a lot of time and we didn't have that kind of time. >> So we would so we're going to pay prevailing wage to an outside vendor to do what our in-house people could do. I'd rather you pay our people that want >> it's not enough over Mr. Agar. There's
just not enough time in a day for them to do all of these things. There is always going to be outside contractors working for us. The eight groundskeepers are not enough people to do this kind of work. Adding a campus like Bishop
Connley to this is going to be very difficult to the aid. >> All right, let's do it. Let's do it. >> So, if we had to do it, it would cost us overtime. >> If if I could fit it in, which I don't
I'm going to say to you I couldn't fit it in. It would it most of it would be on overtime. Would it cost more than the $23,000? >> Dep I don't know how long it would take us to do. We're obviously not going to finish it when a crew walks in there with every piece of equipment they need and the amount of manpower that they
walk in to do that with along with having the materials already loom seed all it it's a different it's a different conversation. Um our people don't have all of that readily available. We don't
have a lot of loom. This was truckloads of loom coming in to fit to fix the amount of ruts and and um issues we had over there. Uh the the curbing as I said everything that that this contract
is saying we could do inhouse situations different timing different. Yes. A oneoff doing four or five stops in a parking lot happens all the time. We do that kind of work all the time.
Loom and seating a small area. Absolutely. But the amount of yards that we used, 20, 30, 40 yards worth of loom across this property. That's not work we would do. Our trucks carry, it's a one ton truck. We're carrying a yard, yard
and a half of loom. >> How many trips we would have to make? Getting it delivered is would be an option. Um but again, it's not work that we normally would take on on this particular property. And we were fortunate that we did not have a lot of
this kind of work needed anywhere else. But again, Connley is not set up like our schools as far as curbing and and things like that that would stop machines sometimes from or trucks or cars from driving into the grass areas.
That's not available here. So, finding that line of the road was difficult with the uh with the amount of snowfall. >> Okay, Mr. This work wait. >> I'm sorry. M still got the floor. >> This work hasn't started yet. Correct. >> This work is finished.
>> Normally [snorts] at $23,000 it wouldn't have come here. >> Okay. Mr. Moss, that affect your question. >> No, that's that's what I was going to state. I drove by. It looks like everything >> everything's done. Correct. >> Everything's done. Mr. um Das. So why
why is it before us today? >> Because I felt it was important that it be here >> that the work was done by a contractor that we spent this kind of money on this particular job and I felt it was important to bring it here.
>> Okay. I mean, I guess if you add the two together, and I don't know if you went out to if it's I know it's two separate quotes, but that's why we need to well define our policies better is um if you add the two together, it goes over the 25, but um I
don't know. I I guess we'll vote. I yield. >> Okay, Mr. F. Yeah. What does the procurement say on that? We we brought it forward because it's the same vendor and it was [snorts] um you know it was almost $50,000 combined. So >> So theoretically it's one and
>> it's above the $25,000 threshold if we're just being >> truth and advertising and I get it. So it's not that it's not typically here. So that's not true. >> So it's before us to approve. My biggest problem with it is, and you all know exactly what I'm going to say, is that
we are here today to vote on something that's already been done. And this is not the first time. It's not the second time. It's not the third time. So, here we are debating something that we've already it's already done. I was going to ask before somebody asked the question, what's the problem of of of
not paying it? Because it hasn't been done yet. All of a sudden, it's done. like it. What's the point of having a school committee to approve something if it's already done and then you just throw it to us and you want a rubber stamp? This isn't what we should be having happen and we can do the work in house. Mr. Pico explained that we could
do the work in house. This is disheartening to just see about whether we did it or not. But the worst part of it is that it's already done and it sort of have we got to get together and have a what's presented is presented what's not. Things like this make me want to
make a motion that we reduce to $10,000 because all of a sudden we just keep on paying things and you know so we we raise it to 25 to try to streamline things. Things like this make me want to reduce that down. So you have to come to us to get permission to avoid situations like this.
So if I don't know if it has to be here or not be here. So I I say take a roll call on my motion to deny. >> Okay. Mr. Mr. Aguar's motion to deny. With that, please call the role. >> Mr. A, >> yes. >> Mr. Das, >> yes. >> Mr. Corey, >> no.
>> Mr. Monus, >> yes. >> Miss Riley, >> Miss Stewart, >> no. >> Mayor Kugan, >> no. >> I'd like to make a motion to approve, but going forward all contracts $10,000 and up come before the school committee. >> Any second?
>> I second. I have a motion, a second on all contracts now go down to $10,000. I think that's going to really burden some people, but Deb, call the role. >> Mr. Chair. >> Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Go ahead. >> So, this is the quagmire that we put ourselves in that the administration put
us in because we're having something for before us that we shouldn't have to to do it. Either it was either we got one person saying that it was here just voluntarily. We got the CFO procurement officer saying that it was kind of combined and there should have been one. So if it's combined and it should have
been one, it should have been one. It's listed here as 19,000 and 23,000. And when you look at the bids that people did, they were separate bids. They went one particular bid for all of this stuff. If that's what we should have done probably is say one bid for all of
the work so that equal people would have a chance to bid on the same exact work. We split it for some reason. I'm not sure why. And then now it's one's here as 19, another one's here at 23. Now I I fully understand that we shouldn't this is this is on top of the one we just had
that a bill came in for the whole entire year that the HR department didn't give to us. It doesn't it's not a good look. It's not something that I'm happy about. Uh I'm not going to be supporting this only because I think the 10,000 would be burdensome. But at the end of the day, I'm also not voting to approve this.
>> Okay. >> M Mr. Chair, [snorts] >> Mr. I think we should come to some sort of number. If 10,000 drastically is too much, I'm going to um I think we should lower the threshold slightly because I see I've seen many contracts in um
quotes come down to bid which are 24,900, 23,000, 21,000 which I don't and then if you add another on top of it, we we could very well have many more of these contracts that are
being split up that just to either I'm not saying just for facilities just in general either just to keep it from the school committee or whatnot. So I'll make an amendment to my motion from 10,000 raise it to 20,000. >> Do I have a second? Okay. I have a
motion to second to take the cap to 20,000 on contracts >> and approve this payment. Approve this one >> because they already did the work. They should be paid. >> Yeah. I don't I don't know about the change, but I want to get these guys paid. Deb, please call the role.
>> Mr. Drag. >> Yes. >> Mr. D? >> Yes. >> Mr. Corey? >> No. >> Mr. Monus? >> Yes. >> Riley? Miss Stewart? >> No. >> Mayor Cougar? >> Um, yes. Okay. [clears throat] Last grant is
Harbor Freight. >> Motion to approve. >> I have a motion. Do I have a second? >> Second. >> I have a motion and a second. Any discussion? All in favor? >> I >> opposed. Unanimous. [cough]
Committee of the whole update and a vote to approve alternative education and single district virtual school. >> Thank you, mayor. Um, I want to say that uh when uh actually before I came on uh one of the things I believe I was on a
Zoom call uh at the time it was early April and many members of the school committee had told me that one of the things I would be dealing with as soon as I got here was looking at the alternative program in in the district and in fact that did happen. I want to say that again during the past month I
did have the opportunity to visit uh 290 Rock Street where you had your RPA alternative school program. Um, I had an opportunity to speak to teachers, principal, and was well aware that there were going to be some changes coming to the district. I've met numerous times
with uh Dr. Amy Bronhood from my senior team. Uh, we've brought our team together of our alternative uh programs, Jessica Stevens, our principal from Dery High School, uh, Jan Schweitzer from Evolve, who is presently the vice principal, and Stacy Monae who is your
current RPA principal. So um what I want to say is we have been back to the drawing board a number of times. I've had the opportunity to speak to uh school committee vice chair uh Mr. Aguiar who again has had some experience at the alternative setting. We have uh
finally come up with I think a resolution going forward. You have already, if I understand correctly, voted to move the evolve program from its present location at Dery High School down to uh the RPA center at 290 Rock. And that was uh my understanding was a
successful program. We're looking to make it its own schools. I will have some recommendations this evening um but also to be able to grow that program. I think presently there are about 150 students there and by going to 290 rock there's the capacity to um actually
enroll uh more students at the school. Another thing was um looking at one of the comments made was uh taking the RPA program and redesigning placing it someplace else. We felt that there were a lot of
concerns about the challenges that that program faced in supporting our students. So, what I've asked tonight, I'm going to have uh Dr. Bronhard speak a little bit about what the process has been. I want to take just a little bit of time because I will tell you I'm very pleased with having met with the three
administrators sitting behind Amy, uh Jessica, Jan, and Stacy. And I do believe the year ahead is going to be filled with a lot of promise. Uh a lot of people that have worked a long time in alternative education and have a lot of ideas about supporting each of our students to make sure that you know they
have a successful opportunity here in the Fall River Public Schools. So Amy, let me have you speak and I'll follow up at the end. >> Sure thing. Thanks and thank you to my three leaders who are behind me, but we'll certainly take the mic uh following. So, Florida public schools is committed to reimagining alternative
education pathways to better serve students needing flexible graduation routes. The proposed the proposal outlines critical reconsiderations detailed in tonight's meeting materials that represent initial steps towards developing choice-based options tailored
to individual student needs. Rather than a one-sizefits-all approach, the district aims to create multiple pathways designed to meet students where they are and support them towards a successful high school graduation. So, Jessica is going to be talking to us
again. Dery High School and she'll explain to you is what we call tier one. That's obviously what we want our students to be able to do when they, you know, come to high school. So, just talk about the supports at uh Dery. >> Sure. Good evening, everyone. >> Good evening.
>> Dery serves as the district's primary educational pathway for the majority of Far River Public Schools high school students. We have a responsibility to support students across tier 1, tier 2, tier three while ensuring that students remain in the least restrictive, most
comprehensive educational environments possible as long as they are making meaningful progress toward graduation. Dery provides a continuum of structured supports designated or designed to help students remain on track and then recover when they fall behind, including
academic monitoring, counseling, intervention supports, unit recovery, term recovery, credit recovery for full course failures, afterchool recovery opportunities, and summer school programming. It is appropriate for students to experience setbacks and then utilize
these supports to get back on track while remaining enrolled in a comprehensive um setting at Dery. When students become significantly off track relative to credit approval or coursework completion, often considered a year or more behind
their cohort, traditional interventions alone are not typically sufficient. So at that point, most often alternative pathways become a critical consideration for helping students reconnect to graduation. Evolve Academy has developed into a
successful alternative trajectory within Dery. Evolve success has created an opportunity now for growth. As enrollment and demand for alternative pathways continue to increase, the program has reached a point where a different location is needed to allow it
to expand its capacity, strengthen its programming, and further develop its unique educational model and identity. >> Okay. Thank you, Jan. You want to come up and speak to your plans for Evolve? >> Sure. Uh so Evolve Academy currently
serves 149 students in grades 9 through 12 who are at least a year and a half off track for graduation and we are proud this year to have a largest graduating class this year of 49 students. Evolve students have fallen off track due to disengagement, lack of
academic success, issues with attendance, social emotional barriers, and interrupted learning. When students transition to Evolve, they thrive not only because the environment is smaller and more supportive due to the lower studentto staff ratio, but also because
they engage in competency based and project-based transformative learning experiences, which we call TLE's. We have received 194 applications this school year alone, and we envision serving 200 students in the 2627 school
year. We hope that we can serve over 300 students within the next three years. Evolve has been recognized as a canopy school and serves as a beacon in New England of what is possible for students in alternative education. Evolve success is due to students reinvestment in
themselves as learners which begins during the choice-based onboarding process. We have a growing need and we are hoping to serve more students by returning to the 290 Rock Street building where we will have more space and more staff. Stacy.
Hi everyone. Our students come to us with diverse academic, social, emotional, attendance, family, and mental health needs. We need to expand pathways and opportunities for our students, including hybrid virtual
learning, credit recovery, career and workforce opportunities, flexible scheduling, and competency based learning. Flexibility is not lowering expectations. It is creating access for students who may otherwise disengage from school. Strong relationships,
consistency, and student connection are critical components of alternative education. I believe there's an opportunity for RPA and Evolve to coexist during next school year as a partnership to support all students to ensure appropriate placement
for all. I also believe there needs to be a stakeholder task force created as soon as possible to explore future alternative options. >> Thank you. So, one of the things I'd like to, you know, open it up for questions. Um but going forward I do
want to bring to the attention of the committee that when you look at evolve going down to 290 rock and it is to become a desi approved school. I would like to be able to name uh a principal instead of right now presently Jan is considered a vice principal. You would
be naming a principal of that school. I'm also recommending that the new application for the virtual high school be housed at 290 Rock Street. uh that would involve uh teachers. It isn't just a virtual program without the support of
curriculum and teachers supporting the students in person uh during their time there. >> Make to make a motion that we approve the addition of a principal or conversion of the principal uh from the vice principal position as well as approving the single district virtual school. >> Second.
>> Um I I have some questions on the whole thing. >> I do too. >> No, you want to go first, Mr. I was just um just for a point of clarification. I'm I'm happy to hear what I just heard. Uh I heard Dr. Monae just present that um about the idea of
coexistence of the current RPA program as well as the absorption of the evolved program at 290 Rock Street. >> Mr. I know just a point of >> I'm not I'm not that wasn't finished. >> No, I know. I was just trying to go ahead >> kind of go peace meal. So the principal
piece the principal piece and the virtual piece check that box because that's what the superintendent said. >> I will speak to our PA afterwards. >> Okay. Thank you. Are you so there is a principle there right now.
>> Well let let me jump ahead. So one of the things that we you heard us talk about here is I think two very important things. I want you to see three leaders working together for the benefit of our students throughout the districts. That would be part of your coexistence piece. What I am going to recommend since you
are looking to grow the evolve program, you heard me recommend that Jan take on the role of principal because it's a Desi designated school. You heard me talk about the virtual academy uh application and that school being at the 290 Rock Street. I'm also going to
recommend at this time looking at the numbers. We think that we're presently looking at maybe 67 students that are presently in RPA. I'm not sure if those are exactly going to be the numbers uh going forward, but we are recommending to look for additional space throughout
the district. There's a possibility of looking at some space, I'm told, at the PACE center, your parent registration center, where we can start to build a program, look at a different schedule. as you heard um Stacy talk about a a real flexible schedule, work
opportunities, and granted this is the 11th hour. I understand that, which is why it's critical we start to talk to people in the alternative settings, start to take a look at what this might look like, and we'll continue to update you throughout. So, let me just one of
the you heard me start with some of the recommendations. So, can I just go through them and you can peacemail me? I talked about the establishment of the principle at evolve. uh also would have to look at the evolved graduation requirements which would mirror the 80 credits of presently the RPA and your
virtual uh school. For the virtual school, you have to vote to approve the uh FRPS single district virtual school. That would be a separate vote. And as far as RPA, I want to vote to support the establishment of not only a renaming
committee uh to for RPA. Uh also I'd like to vote to change the start times for RPA for the uh school year coming up uh and a excuse me for uh FY27 and a staggered start for the upcoming school year. I would also need um a vote on a
new position of job coach and a job description will be brought forth to you uh by July. And I know this is a lot and I'll go back. And the last thing is when you approve the budgets, we would have to divide up the three budgets with the three sites. The virtual academy, the
evolve school, and the new uh newly renamed uh RPA. >> Can we start simple? >> Yeah. Go single district. Yeah, go vote. So the motion that you need is what for the virtual school the location >> to vote to approve the single district virtual school to approve not second.
>> Well they the 290 rock can decide where but it doesn't matter yet. >> Yeah but she said 290 rock. Okay. >> So on that one item the single district virtual school going down to what is now RPA. I have a motion to second.
Any discussion? >> Very quick question >> Mr. the das >> in the in the backup for um students that have been reached out to. I don't see anything in here for graduated. I'm assuming some of these
students are going to be graduating and I see a lot of um there's a lot of students that we haven't met with met with almost a quarter and I just think it's all over the place. I just don't know the state. I just want to make sure this data is correct because there are students that are
graduating might be moving but um what's the plan to meet with >> in the backup that you have there are no 12th graders listed so all of the data represents our current eighth graders who will be freshman in September through our 11th graders. >> Okay. in the students who were not met
with uh there are those are the the three buckets are the undecided the students who are not met with and the students that have selected RPA those are the students that represent the 67 number that um Dr. Smith referenced >> okay it was a number of 29 students so but you answered it thank you
>> Mr. Corey >> so Dr. Smith. Uh I I heard you clarify three separate entities. Is that correct? >> And so you need to you need to delineate three, you know, uh there need to be three supervisors uh or or principles running each
program. >> Well, you presently have obviously we're talking about the virtual evolve and you're talking about the new RPA. So that's a good question. Uh Stacy Monae would be the designated principal I think in your application that you already had for your virtual high
school. >> And that's that's within the confines of RPA as we know it, right? >> That would be at 290 Rock Street. >> Yes. Very good. >> And she would be the designated principal working and overseeing. She'll work closely with Jan. >> Yep. >> So, >> and this vote is just for the virtual
just so we can try to get one out of the way. >> Uh Dr. Brian Hod, um are we just addressing the virtual school? addressing the virtual. Can I address the virtual? No, it doesn't come up. >> This is just to try to clear the virtual school off. >> Okay. Yep. Okay. I I I like uh Dr. Smith's recommendations and I'm ready to
support. >> Right. So, we have a motion and second on the virtual school being located at 290 Rock. Discussion hearing. None. >> Roll call. >> Roll call. Go ahead. Uh Deb. >> Mr. >> Yes. >> Mr. Das. >> Yes. >> Mr. Corey. >> Yes.
>> Mr. Monus. >> Yes. >> Mr. Riley. >> Miss Stewart. >> Yes. Yep. What's your next one? Um Dr. Smith, >> let me go to evolve. So the recommendations there are to establish a principle in place of a vice principal because of the designation that it is a
>> motion approved. >> Second. >> Um I have a couple of questions. So what what what's what's going to happen to Stacy? >> Well, right now I'm an evolve mayor. >> I know. But what's going to happen to
Stacy? If she's a principal down there, we're going to have two principles in the same school. >> No, no, she would be at the new site for our RPA student. She would remain the principal, oversee the task force, um work closely with the virtual school. So, she would be overseeing actually named as principal at two schools.
>> Mhm. >> Which is not unusual. >> Yeah. >> For alternative type's been a friend of mine for a long time. She does a good job. But I I I really Is this Was this thrown >> point of information? >> Hold on. Well, we was this on the agenda the other night when we had our meeting, Kevin.
>> Yeah. What uh resolution on RPA was on the agenda? Absolutely. They were working through their uh meetings and to try to come up with a solution, but the wording for making sure that we had the opa discussion, the overall proposal, it was uh on the agenda. It was requested
to be on the agenda. My first um item that I asked about. >> Point of order. I asked for it to be uh put first because uh principal Stevens said uh >> No, he's referring to the uh agenda setting meeting. >> Right. Did this come up the agenda setting meeting? >> Yes. >> Point of order.
>> Have a point of order. [clears throat] >> Mr. Das think I just want to um just want to be cautious and I know I've been um thinking for this before that we don't um cloud this with individual personnel decisions. I think that needs to be handled by the superintendent as
she handles the day-to-day. Are you >> Mr. Mayor? Can I clarify? >> Mr. Mr. Aguio. >> So, what the mayor's asking for is we have an agenda setting meeting where there's a document that's put forth with what they already know about the agenda. At that meeting, the first item that I
had a little uh piece of paper with a bunch of things on it. One of the items that I listed was we need a resolution to RPA because we've been talking about this for three months and the students, the staff, and the families need to know. So that's where how it got on the full agenda. It wasn't on the original draft agenda, but it was the first item
of discussion with the deputy superintendent, myself, you, and Miss Cabarl. >> Yeah, I must have missed it. Um I I really um I I think we should look at the whole plan first. So you're going to take Stacy and 67 kids and put them
where? >> Uh possibly at uh Pace. >> Have you been into Pace? I have been uh advised that there is room there that they would fit there and give us a year to plan for these students. >> I've been in pace a lot. There's not a
classroom there. There's not a cafeteria. There's not a gym. There's nothing for them. Uh it's it's the old vocational wing at Dery. Now, we renovated where Cindy Kudo is and her crew the whole way going up, but those are just vacant warehouses.
>> And those kids are going to be shunted to the side like that >> because they've already been they've already been in enough dire straits that we're trying to coach them up at RPA to get them back to something. And we're going to say, "Had down to the warehouse. You don't you don't you're
not you don't get a gym. You don't get a cafeteria. And why? We got a room. We got a building on two two uh 90 rock that h hel held 1,200 kids 1,200 kids on those five floors. And we're myself and Mr.
Pico uh were up at Diamond the other day making plans to uh get the auditorium seating out of there so we can rebuild that auditorium at uh 290 Rock. And we might get some other stuff. We may get a couple of lit backboards for that little
gym down there so that we can start to make these kids. We just spent a ton of money on that building and I I never wanted Evolve to leave the building. I I was clear about that when that fight first happened. Uh I knew Dery was going to be popping. I knew we needed space
and Evolve went to Dery. And as I said, I've worked with Jan. She's uh she's a brilliant education leader and I have nothing but respect. But I don't I don't really support this plan one wit. And I I I really am not going to participate where we tell those kids that need a
lift up uh you can head down to the uh the old warehouse in the back of the old dery. Uh you're not no there's no gym there. There's no cafeteria. No offices. Pace is beautiful where we where we help those families. Are those kids going to be going up and down those halls every
day? I don't know. We have kids there registering coming in from all over the world to our schools. And I'm not against it and we should be coaching those kids up, but to yank the rug on them like this. Um, I'm not in favor of this lick. Mr. Aguar,
>> can we please have the deputy superintendent who's been intimately involved in all of these discussions speak? >> She's been intimately involved, Mr. Aguar, but I've been in that building probably 200 hours more than her at RPA and I've
been in the PACE center probably another 150 hours more than her. And I don't know if she knows those kids at RPA, but I have again total respect for her. I think she's doing a great job, but I don't believe she has the knowledge or the uh history to talk about. Of course,
I'm going to let her speak. I'm not like you. Go right ahead, Mr. Cole. >> So, it's the 11th hour. >> It is. >> And we are looking for space. We're trying to hit all the buttons. I'm an alternative
person. I want these kids to succeed. I wanting looking for success. We want both programs, all three programs, all opportunity hubs, virtual school, uh, evolve, and the students that are currently in the RPA, if we change that
name. We were charged with finding successful pathways for them. And I get what you're saying. I I want to see these kids go out to work. I want to see school to career. I want to see them be able to use the um CTE program in the like in an
after-dark program or an evening program at uh Dery High School. We're starting at the 11th hour right now. And if it's pace, I want I would love to have them go back to Dery High School. I would love them to to have an opportunity at
uh to stay in RPA, but right now we're looking at different opportunities for the students to be able to develop into successful uh young men and women to go out into the workforce, to go to college, or to go someplace where they they feel uh that they can be
successful. Again, it is the 11th hour. There's still lots of planning. There's still lots to do. I get it. There's no gym. I get it. Where's the outdoor? Where's the cafeteria? We We are We're looking at all of these. >> Well, if you get it, you're not supporting this then.
>> I do. >> No, because we're not doing this to kids. We're not doing this to kids. I don't have any affection for this whatsoever. And I do want the kids to go back to Dery based on three things: attendance, conduct, and academics. And
they do work their way back and forth. Now, does some give up and not make it? It's heartbreaking. But this is this plan. Go walk over the pace. >> So, mayor, is there another possible? Uh, again, I don't know. >> There's five floors there. Jan can take
whatever floor she wants. She's got 300 kids. There's five floors in that building. You can come in the back way. There's a there's a there's a second floor in the back. I just got done telling you we're going to try to fix that auditorium. There's classrooms around the outside there. 67 kids.
There's what? Four rooms. And we're going to do what? put them in a in a warehouse. Oh, let's warehouse them up there. >> Anybody voting for this? I I I I don't I can't imagine they they have any kind of a conscience cuz it's it's this is
totally totally our kids. Mr. Yeah, Mr. A. >> Point of order. >> Have a point of order. >> Go ahead. >> Again, Mr. Mayor, you have the right to your opinion and I actually don't disagree with half of what you're saying, but to cast dispersions on the
committee before we even had the chance to hear the full presentation sayinguing that we don't care about the students is just inappropriate. >> Oh, Mr. Das, I'm not casting aspersions on the committee. I'm I'm trying to say what they're saying they want to do and I disagree with it. I don't know how you're going to vote. I didn't look
inside your head. Whatever you vote, if you're with me, great. If you're not, you got your own vote. But I'm not questioning your vote. I'm I'm questioning this plan. Mr. Mr. >> So, for several months now, we've talked
about a proposal to do various options to make sure we service all students. We've been faced with an IPA building right now, a school that is not doing well by everyone's admission.
by everyone's admission from the superintendent to the assistant superintendent to school committee members over the last several years it's gone downhill we're going backwards with alternative education and I've said that for years now but at the end of the day
we have to try to find out what's the best way to service all the children in the proper format I was a proponent of bringing the evolve program to RPA as a standalone school because that school and the population and profile of those students is such that they really don't
mix well with other students that have behavioral difficulties or uh aggressive or basically to tear up the school. I'm not in favor of having two schools in the building based on past experience in that building that you cannot have two
competing different types of schools within one. they're going to mix and it's going to be something that is not going to be good for Evolve and the long-term future of Evolve if we want to expand that. So that's why I made the motion to have the Evolve go back there.
Right now we have a problem with what is happening at RPA. I've asked for over three months for the data and the profiles to try to figure out what are the students that are going to be left, how many students are left. We received some information. I've met for hours trying to go over this with the
superintendent and others. There's a pilot program that the superintendent would like to run to try to plan what is the next version of the alternative school going to look like. Right [snorts] now, if we have 60 students, we're not going to be taking
any more students until we get this right with all of those other pieces. Some of those 60 haven't even been talked to yet, as we just heard from Mr. Das. So, we still have work to do to try to figure out how are we going to service all those students. the super
deputy superintendent went to the pay center. There's multiple classrooms there that can be used in order to do this. We would have to do some renovations. We would have to spend some money for sure. The other benefit of having a such a program right next door to the high school is they would be able
to use the Dery fields. they would be able to use the uh culinaries and other uh 74 programming and there'd be resources there for those students to be close enough by that they could transition back and forth or maybe a class here or an elective class like the Evolve has currently that they allowed
to take. So it's not throwing them out. It's not throwing them to the wayside. is actually just trying to create a situation where we're going to make the most successful and the largest programming which is evolve be a standalone school so that they can thrive. I'm a firm believer in
supporting all students and having all options in a continuum. I said three months ago right right here that we needed alternative options at Dery High School and for three months I haven't heard anything about it other than we're going to do this, we're going to do that. So, at the end of the day, we need
to have the, in my opinion, I'm voting for this so that we can have a task force. We can put all of our minds together, including with the superintendent, and then we can come up with a revised, revamped, and renamed RPA that's going to service the kids uh that have that profile of need. It's not
throwing any students away. It's doing what's right, I believe, to make sure that we have the sanctity of the Evolve program. >> Mr. Chairman, I yield. >> Mr. Cory, >> uh, I guess I was, um, uh, prefacing exactly what so many of
these remarks were before. I didn't realize that I was stepping outside of my lane. But I've been extremely concerned about the current students who are at RPA as we speak. Um, the ones uh, that are not graduating, the sophomores
and the juniors. And um I know that they have expressed passionate arguments about staying there. Uh, I know that when we set up the Stone School to be a therapeutic school and an early daycare center that we were able to use the
building for two programs and along those lines, why can't we just grandfather the students who are at RPA currently to remain there without upsetting their their educational trajectory moving forward. Uh and then
after after the sophomores graduate, if we could fully involve the evolve program there and renovate as necessary, then that would be the course of action that I would like to take as a school committee member in consideration to the
students at RPA that are already there. So, I'm I'm asking if there's a possibility that we could coexist in one building with the current program as well as moving into the evolved situation, which is a great idea.
>> Mr. I think um the way I'm understanding this is and I what the what the deputy what the administration is proposing for the I think is supportive of for the long term of alternative education. I see that um
what my colleague just brought up and what what the chair brought up I thought was some valid concerns. Thankfully, the PACE building is right next to Derpy High School. And whether it's for a um a short amount of time, it's an extended amount of time, and I've made this
concern. I brought up this concern multiple times um for RPA, for Stone students, we need to be offering equal services as much as we can. So with that being said, seeing
that the building is right next to each other, the Pace building and Dery, you could the the students can walk there. So what I would like to hear from the administration is the students that are going that could potentially be moved to the Pace building that they can have
equal services just at different times for gym to use the the state-of-the-art gym to use the cafeteria to have be fully [snorts] accessed as possible to programs at Dery High School. I just like to see I think that would alleviate some of the concerns of the committee if
we just present that and showing that we are offering the most services that we can for those students. That would make me feel comfortable as one member as well. I yield. >> Mr. Riley, >> I feel like the kids who are getting pushed out are the RPA kids. I I hear
the whole conversation and I see the deputy's vision. She's had six weeks to put this together. That is not long enough to put this program together. And quite frankly, if Evolve needs more room and we have classrooms at the pay center, why don't we put the rollover evolve kids at the pay center? Why are we moving the RPA kids? Like it we just
said at the last meeting, we have to have a plan for them. I'm looking at this. We haven't even talked to all the students and we haven't talked to families. The plan is not thorough enough for the students. And I feel like all we're doing is we're saying to the RPA kids, "Yeah, we're not happy with what you're doing here, so we're going
to shove you in this other place." I I agree. I don't think that that's fair to say to the students. They have everything they need in that building. If Evolve needs more space and we have classrooms, all the things we just said about putting RPA at pace, why can't we put the rollover evolve kids at pace
then and they can have access to the rest of the Evolve program? It just I feel like we have not taken the time to plan a thorough alternative program. I think what we talked about at the last meeting is leave RPA as is. Do not add extra students. Work through that
process for the year and plan an alternative program for the fall. It's just not enough time in this short span to really do what's right for kids. and and I I just don't see that it's fair to move the RPA kids to another spot that's
not prepared. >> I I I I want to thank I want to thank everybody for the comments, but at the same time that that that building is five floors. I mean, we're talking 300 kids in a school that held 1,200. We're not we're
not going to jam anybody. And I know that we've spent a ton of money in that building. And I wish we could spend more and we're trying to spend more, but at the same time, I don't see how that's going to in any way impact the space if there's got to be spacings or floor in between. I mean, I've been down there.
They use every configuration in the world. And I do believe that the problem with RPA has just been they haven't clicked and meshed yet. We've had a number of principles down there. We've had a number of kids down there. We've had a
number of teachers down there. And it's a constant flow. They need a little stability. They need a little bit of someone to care about them and and uh pull them by the shirt, but at the same time, I just can't understand why we would ever consider putting them in the back of the pace center. Anybody that
walks through there tonight, I know it Mr. Agio's right. Of course, we can renovate it. We were going to do that with preK, but that was a long one-year plan. This is like they said, "Hi, let's let's get ready to go." And we got a fun-filled summer of work. I think there's plenty of room to accommodate
everybody at uh at 290 Rock. >> Okay. So, I think what we need because we have been back to the drawing board. I've only been here a month and I have heard every rendition possible from opportunity hub putting all of the programs there to the uh RPA kids need a
new start. They need to be out of the building so we can grow, evolve. What I'm saying to the school committee tonight is we have the experts. I'm impressed by how they're working together. Yes, we have to go back to the drawing board. We need to provide a better opportunity for the the so-called
RPA kids. I don't disagree with anybody up here, but we need direction tonight as to where we have the people that can do it. I want you to have faith in us. We're going to work really hard. We'll continue to come back and present to the school committee. We need to know where these programs are going to go. At one
point when I was listening, you put again, I believe evolve uh down to 290 Rock Street and there was conversation about RPA coming out unless I misunderstood. So can can we have some clear direction, you know, for our team
to be able to to plan and and and I apologize because if it isn't the PACE center, I didn't know if there were other places other if if we wanted RPA students in a different location. if that's not what you're looking for,
we're able to go back and come back and present something to you sooner than later. >> Clearly though, we did approve the single district there. Um, virtual school going down. So, that's one thing we've got out of the way. Any of going back was already voted. Mr. Aguar. >> So, I think what we need to do is just
uh be honest and be honest about where the current state of affairs is at that school. We should be more concerned right now with the current state of education or the lack thereof at the RPA school. I toured the school tooured the school
with the assistant superintendent, two assistant superintendents and what we did and watched and when we debriefed it wasn't good. I think we're losing sight of the fact of how much that school has fallen this
year because what I watched when I went around I was very disappointed what I witnessed the lack of students even being present in the building. There was less than 25 students in the entire school that day.
The expectations were not there in my opinion. It hasn't been a good system right now. So we need to do something different. That's why I keep on saying if we're going to change the re and the need to rebrand and come up with something that at 290 Rock the Evolve
program has a good positive uh opinion right now. It's doing well. It's servicing kids well. We can't mix it with students that are either not either wanting or ready to do what they need to do to be in a school right now like that. So at the end of the day, we have
to preserve the sanctity of that building in my opinion for the evolve. Now, we've had months to figure this out, months, and we have gotten nothing. Still to this day, I've asked at least 10 times
for the profile of the students that are at RPA. What do they what do they look like? What is the needs? What does their discipline look like? Still to this day, I don't have it. I made a recommendation to the administration that we take the evolve that just at Dery High School,
one corridor. They had an entire corridor where evolved students went to just take the 60 students that are left and put them in that corridor where you'd have multiple areas in a regular school where you you'd have an entire school at your leisure just like Evolve
did when it was appropriate for those children. Just flip the school and have one go there and now you would have it. I'm told no, we can't do that. We so I've presented various options to do that for this one year of planning
and training and thought that that's not an option. If they don't want to agree to that, we got to find somewhere. In my opinion, we're risking taking the positive of what is in Evolve and turning that into a potential negative with different interactions with different levels of students. And I
think we need to be honest about it. Here's the story. We had Evolved kids and we had RPA kids come before us to say why they wanted to keep both schools open. And that same night in the bathroom at that school, the RPA children were threatening to
beat up some of the evolved children. Those don't mix. Everyone here, including all the assistant superintendents and superintendents, know that story. Those situations don't mix. there's a different level and a and a profile of
those students. That's why I'm saying we need to do separate for evolve and have a separate program wherever that may be. It can be back at Dery. It can be at the pay center renovated with multiple classrooms, but we in my opinion charged
everybody to go find this and look at the stuff and now it's the day before the meeting and we're trying to figure it out. I have just been saying consistently it's not working at RPA. It is not working and if anyone says anything otherwise they're not being truthful because it is not working right
now and right now we need to do something. We need to take some action. I'm saying that we rebrand. We move into a different direction and wherever that may be let the administration you know deal with that. Ultimately Evolve should be the only school at 290 Iraq. In addition to that, we have presentations
here that said, "We're going to divide the school in half with a line in the middle of the school." And then at the end of the day, you can't close the doors and you can't close in the building because there's fire codes and the like. So, we're going to mix various
programs in one place. It doesn't work. I'm telling you, I've been there. It does not work. And even in the documents that we got, it it just doesn't work with as presented. We need something for all of these children. I get it. But put mixing them down there is not the right way. Okay. I yield,
>> Miss M. Riley and then Mr. Corey. >> I want us to stop blaming the kids. Number one. >> Yeah. >> It It's not the kids. >> We don't have the right program running. It's the adults. It's not RPA kids versus evolved kids. They're all our kids. And we have to do what's in the
best interest of the kids. And what I all I'm offering is this is not ready to move. None of it's ready to move. RPA stays where stays where it is. Evolve stays where it is while you plan the right program. If we don't have enough room for more evolved kids, and we need
to have more evolved kids, that's the problem we have to solve. Not what we're doing with RPA or Evolve. We have to give our new deputy and superintendent time to plan a thoughtful program. That's an alternative program for kids who need that kind of environment. And
that's any kid who can't be successful. Not every kid can be successful in a school of 2500 students. And that's okay. That's life. But I'm not going to blame the kids for what's going on. The programming needs to be corrected. That's an adult problem, not a kid
problem. And I don't feel like we should be penalizing the students for things the adults haven't done correct. That's why I'm not in support of it. I think we leave things asidis. Take a year to fix it. Plan it. Have our deputy and our superintendent put eyes on what's happening. Look at ways to improve it.
Make it better. do some of these job coaching and other opportunities for our IPA kids, but don't add to it until we have a good program in place. Evolve works because it's been a thorough process of kids have to apply, they have to meet certain criteria, and then they
can join the program and they can be successful. We haven't set RPA up for that same success. Again, that's a program. That's an adult problem. It's not a kid problem. I think we're just not ready to move any of it, quite frankly. So, I I think we need a year to
make a plan that we can all accept. >> Yes, >> Mr. Cory. >> Yes, I concur. Uh I'm on the subcommittee uh and and was privy to some of the early conversations, but I have to admit that uh I've never really
felt uh clarified in uh in any of the sense of direction that we're trying to grow this into. That being said, I am in favor of the evolved program and and want to uh congratulate uh that program for its success and for its potential
building power. But um two meetings ago here, two school committee meetings ago, there were students in the uh in the audience that came and testified about, you know, trying to keep RPA solvent. And um I have to admit that those kids
won me over. I listened to their hearts and their hearts were genuine and that's what I'm listening to as a school committee member to try to respond to what our kids really feel. And uh I've
also as a retired adjustment counselor I've spent a lot of time at RPA and I know that it's never been properly resourced to find success but I concur with my colleagues comments about you know putting the brakes on put getting a
real good plan together figuring it out. I don't know if uh through facilities and operations if we can figure out a way to have two programs in one building successfully without any unsafe interactions. Uh given the small amount
of RPA kids left, I really think that you can cordon off that building and schedule classes in such a way that you could find success with maybe two programs in that building just for the meantime. But in the meantime, I'm not
in favor of having the RPA program leave that building until at least those juniors and sophomores find time to graduate and then we can look at something a little more stable down the road. After all, this has been presented
as an 11th hour uh issue and uh I'd rather just put the brakes on and really rethink things. I yield. >> Mr. Das, >> thank you. Just two points. So the first point that this is an 11 hour is 11th hour issue and I agree this is something that should have been done last year the
year before five 10 years ago. Um I guess as as we look what I'm looking at is the transfer of students that we're moving from RPA and we're moving them over to the pay center and there's
debate on the stage currently if that is a punishment or if that is negative for those kids. So what I like to see as one member and my vote would be contingent on this is and I think the administration can could present something in the near term on this is
what services seeing that the buildings are close to each other and I agree with my colleague we don't we have to be cautious of like in like of mix whatever but um if the administration can present
the plan where the services at Dery the auditorium the gym after school programs for students that are that can go to those programs. I just don't see what the negative impact would then be. That's the way I'm looking at this. So maybe we should table this if we're
having a special meeting later in the month or we're doing something like that. We can bring it back up and allow the admin administration time to prepare specifically on that issue. I think that would be best and then we can also support the superintendent and move in a decisive direction. I yield.
>> Uh Mr. Aia. So uh Mr. Corey about talking about resources at the um alternative school this committee and to your credit as one member that voted for it. We overresourced RPA resources was
not the issue. We have spent I don't know if the budget was three million for some reason I have it in my head. $3 million to service when I walked around the building there was less than 25 kids in the building. Now, granted, there was some on uh with the computer and the like. We spent $3
million down there. And if we said we didn't have the right staff, we should have done something about it. And I'm frustrated because we can do something about it. We should have done something about it, but we didn't. And when I said that's how it's been failing, it's not going well. I can't stress that enough.
It's just not going well. But at this point, we got a number of 60, 63, whatever, something along that way. We have a defined number of students that are in that particular program that we have to figure out what's the best place to service them and after listening to
everyone here they're discussing whether we go to pace whether we create anything. To me the most logical thing is that the evolve has to move has to expand and they are ready to expand with a successful program. Hence the reason why I'm in favor of them going to 290 rock. I'm making a motion that we move
the 60 students in the RPA to the space at Dery where the evolved program was. Okay, that's a motion. I don't hear a second. I want to say something else. >> Does anybody have a second? I'll second it for discussion. >> Okay. I want to say something right now.
Evolve started at RPA. That's where it came from. That's where its roots were. The kids that were going into Evolve were RPA kids. And the kids that are at the alternative school at 29 Iraq, the vast number of them
couldn't make it at Dervy. The school was too big. Their attendance would they moved too much. They might have had a disagreement with some other kids. They might have not liked the teacher. They may have uh done something taken something that didn't belong to
them, but they made a mistake. And if they go to um RPA where it is, the goal was always to try to get them to work their way back. If they're at um RPA, why can't they transition into evolve? If Jan sits down with them or Amy or Stacy and sits down and says, "Hey, this
kid's working. Let's give them a shot at evolve. They are there together." And there is ways in that building to keep kids separate. And I, you know, don't want uh any any trouble in any school in the city of Fall River. But I'm not going to trash those kids. We need to coach them up. We need to bring them
back. But putting them back in Dery, they left Dery for a reason. They left Dery for a reason. And if you look at their conduct, their attendance, or their grades, they need support. And that's why they went to RPA. And and I
know for a fact that a lot of them come back. They worked their way back, but they're ready to come back. We're not going to say, "Oh, by the way, now you're placed over here. The place you never got along. the place where you didn't get along with people, the place that was too big for you, we're going to send you right back there. Those kids
that are RPA, I get kids that come in my office and say, "I want to go to RPA." They want to go to down there and get a fresh start. They want to make up some credits. They want to get ahead. That's what happens to a true alternative program. And I I second um Miss Riley,
maybe we do have to do a lot of work down there. And and Mr. Mr. Raguar is correct, too. We do put a lot of money in there. We We just got to put the right plug in the right hole and get that place clicking. That's how that's going to work. It's not going to be put
them over there, put them here, move them around. They need stability. And if those kids want to stay, and I'm not even going to get into the fight about, well, we're not going to send any more. I don't know if that's a good policy either. Kids make mistakes. They need support somewhere else. So, I'm not, you
know, I'm obviously not voting for this at all. And I don't um I don't think um that this this would be a tremendous disservice to these kids and their families. And that's all I can say. Are we going to vote on whatever the last motion was? Oh, Miss Miss Stewart,
>> I just wanted to add I I think we shouldn't add any more kids anywhere until we can figure out what we're doing. The problem is is looking at these numbers, I can see we added students two weeks ago, three weeks ago. I don't understand why we're adding any students anywhere. We have no idea. they can go down there and get into one of their credit recovery programs and pick
up their grades and get their fourth English so they can get across the stage. They may have passed three and they may have missed enough school at Derby that they can't drop in on a class of 28 and get um get their English four done, but they have enough terms where they pass, but they missed too much
work. So Stacy will take them and coach them up and almost have them sit oneon-one with an English teacher to get their grade up to get them across the stage in a couple weeks. So, you're telling me the four kids that got put in in May, they're all seniors and they all just needed one more. >> I don't know what they are. I >> I don't want to get into individual things. Yeah. No, I don't want to get
I'm just saying in general, I think that because of where we're at, there's zero reasons to bring in any more kids right now because we don't know what's going on. Why are we adding more? >> What's the motion we're supposed to be voting on anyway? >> I made a motion. It was seconded to move the kids back to Evvol uh the Evolve hallway, separate entrance and the
>> back to Dery. >> Correct. On that. >> So, you want to take the RPA kids back to Dery? Uh Deb called, >> I have a comment. >> Oh, sorry. Go ahead, Mr. >> To Miss Stewart's point, can someone tell us why four kids were transferred in?
>> I can tell you from what the mayor is saying that is very common because it is fluid and a lot of times Oh, sorry. [sighs] I I don't know specifically who the four kids without looking at the the >> Did you get any transfers recently? >> Uh yes, we get transfers all the time.
And he's actually right because a lot of times it's credit recovery and we're trying to get kids. I I don't know if they're all 12th grade, but it is very fluid. Um at RPA, we're accepting kids all the time to make sure that they stay engaged, are still attending, and are still gaining credits. And a lot of
times it's credit recovery at this point. >> Yeah. So I just when we get back up like Mr. Stewart said it was in the backup. So that's the nature of my question will be why we also have to be honest and understand that we've created a situation where we've reduced the credits to 80 for RPA and for now we're
going to try to do it for evolve. That in essence when kids are already over some not all over age and underredited is almost telling them that they do not have an opportunity to go back because of the credit issue. It's going to create a quagmire for when they do. It's
not as seamless as a transition. And my history working in an alternative education is that sometimes that's not necessarily the best thing the kids don't even want. But we can't necessarily create a system where we're trying to figure out well they can come back. They can't because the 80 credits
benefits the majority of the population I would say. So when that person is way already deficient and they're overage is going to exacerbate that problem. But I'm all I'm saying is that as far as what I've witnessed, what I've seen in the limited
information that [clears throat] I've got, I still don't know a profile of each student exactly. I have summary data that I just got yesterday, but at the end of the day, I still don't think it's a it's it's going well at RPA. Okay? And I think we need to do
something different. And when when I suggest to go to to that hallway is to run a program within a program. I asked months ago what is the alternative options that are going to be created when Evolve uh leaves Dery because we had voted for that at Dery High School to have a
continuum of services for those kids. I still haven't heard anything related to what that looks like. So as far as I'm concerned, that hallway is open. It's a separate entrance. I've been there. I visited. And they can control where they come and go. when those kids can go to elective classes,
they can go to a world-class gym and uh fields outside. >> Mr. Aguia Dury's already at 26 something. That school was built for 2500 kids. We're already overs subscribed. The the the pressure that Evolve is going to take off that
building going down to Rock Street is what we're looking for. And giving them a home at the same time. That's where they came from. They're going back home is where they're going. I think we should just vote on sending the RPA kids to Dery. Uh Deb, call the role. >> That was the motion was to move.
>> That was Mr. Motion. He has second. >> RPA to Dery. >> Move the RPA kids from Rock Street to Dery. >> Mr. Agna? >> Yes. >> Mr. Das? >> Yes. >> Mr. Corey? >> No. >> Mr. Monus? >> No. >> Miss Riley?
>> No. >> Miss Stewart? >> Yes. >> Mayor Ken? >> No. Now, on the main motion, I say we table it and give them more time to come up with a plan. Motion >> to table to a special meeting. Are we having a special meeting? >> Well, they're going to need more than four weeks, Colin. They're going to need
>> motion to table. >> Motion to table. >> Second. >> I I have a motion to second to table. >> I withdraw my motion because I miss you guys a question. >> Okay. Oh, I'm sorry. Okay. >> I pretty much explained exactly where I my personal opinion is. we have to provide
an opportunity for the administr they want to do a one-year study. So I don't believe personally that it's the best thing to have two programs down there but understanding that at some point we have to allow them to do some sort of um study some uh you know I'm a little
cognizant of it because we've said we're going to do studies and studies and this is not reinventing the wheel. This opportunity hub is the same stuff we've been talking about for multiple years. Some of the stuff has been in existence. Case in point in [clears throat] here it says we're going to have a if we did this plan we're
going to have a uh a lab anenuity lab at RPA. Great. We had an engine lab there 10 years ago. Where the hell is it now? It doesn't exist. When I walked around I said where's theuity lab? It doesn't exist. So there's some things in here that are like basic lowhanging fruit that should be in existence and it's
not. Which is why I keep saying I don't think it's it's a it's a great thing going on down there. And I'm not trying to disparrage anybody that works there or the kids. I went there and witnessed it. And other administrators all over this place have done the same thing. And if they were being candid, they would
understand and agree that it's not going well. With that being said, we have to try to figure out a way to do something. And we have to provide some direction because the kids and the staff and the superintendent, they have to act. So tableabling it till a date certain is
not going to help us. When I look at the if we can look at the report where the line the red line went in the middle of the school. So if nobody wants to move them to pace, I've said what I my own personal opinion. The second part of that would be plan B would be if we were
going to do them together, what's the best place to do it for one year with 63 kids? And when I saw the line in the middle, you know, you've heard I just don't agree that that's possible. No. >> You know, like you can't sort of have horseshoe and have half and half. So
that I think if we're not going to move them and have it something and we're going to just like rebrand and recall it, rename whatever we're going to do, we have to figure out what is the next best way to do it. And in that building, what I saw on the proposal isn't necessarily the best way. So I think we need to provide some direction to the
administration so that they can make some decisions here relative to what's going to happen. >> Yeah. >> Can somebody comment on whether that red thing is even legal? >> No, that's that's that's not going to happen. Um, you got Miss Legal, you got Amy, and you got the crew. Let them go to work on this. Let them go to work on
this because I, you know, that's >> we've been waiting for three months, sir. >> I understand. >> And I'm asking what is in their >> People have been here two weeks for God's sakes. And we're telling them to close the school and get another principal. >> This proposal, Mr. Mayor, is what I'm talking about. We have a picture here for the edification of the public that
says we have a red line drawn halfway around a building that goes in a perfect square. This is the proposal of the administration in our backup. I'm asking them to be heard on what is what what's the best way to do that. They do they because they are the ones that created it.
>> Excuse me. >> Let me speak from experience here. >> Mr. Hold on. Okay. But >> Miss Smith, I mean Miss Dr. Smith, let Mr. Modus make his comment and then we'll go. >> Like anything, we need to make room and everything else. Why can't we just move the office personnel out of there to
pace and give uh each um group their own floor. >> Yeah. >> And call it >> Well, there's there's five floors there, uh, Mr. Monus, so we can look at that. I and I I kind of support that because I know they have a lot of office space in there. >> That's true, too. Miss Dr. Smith,
>> one of the things I will share with you is looking at alternative programs. Having come from a large city, you're all aware of that. I do think with a building the size of 290 Rock, and there are some limitations. I mean, we have fire codes. There are things that we
would have to look at. We probably could create two separate entrances, two separate opportunities for kids. uh you I guess you need to just give us a little bit of time and there wasn't time right now but that was one of the suggestions to let evolve
grow in that building and they've had a lot of success whatever that is to try to not only rebrand because I keep hearing negative negative negative and I agree this is not about negative for kids we want an opportunity where people are excited to come that there are
opportunities for work there are opportunities for some career that there collaborations. We can do this. We are looking from you for direction as to if it is 290 rock, we'll go back to the drawing board. We'll be more clear, Mr. Aguar, than just a a red line. We'll be
really clear about how kids come in, how they're accepted into the school, how they have shared space, what's that going to look like for security, how can we make sure that every kid feels safe there and has an opportunity. And and to bring it back to Dery, one of the things you did talk about and I had a
conversation with Principal Stevens, they they do have many kids at that school. And and again, just to be fair, you were excited about having some of those rooms back. You had ideas for some of the interventions you were going to do for your 2600 kids that are at Dery High School, providing some support. I
believe you talked about some expanded in the area of health. So there there are some thoughts because you have already made the decision and I believe you voted on putting Evolve down to 290 Rock. Isn't that correct? So that's already been a vote. So we can go back,
we can come back to you with a plan. I'm confident and as I told you from the beginning, watching these three leaders have conversation about kids and bringing back to kids was really refreshing. So I'm confident we can do this. >> Mr. Yeah.
>> So, can I get some clarity on the red line that goes through the middle where it says we're going to continue current throughway replicate on second of third floor on both sides of fourth floor shared space for officers to like what is the like can you lock those doors so that nobody can come back in? Is there
laws related to that? Is like what is the >> because this is saying this is saying your presentation is saying that on the same floor you want to have it divided up. >> It's your presentation. So the mayor keeps shaking his head. No, >> but at the end of the day, this is the administration's presentation. Sir,
>> a plan. That's a red line on a picture, >> but it says right here in the words that they're talking about sharing a floor. I'm just trying to get clarity for what this is. >> Dr. Talk about the discussion. >> Certainly. So, we had a number of conversations in regard to what would
work best to be able to ho house both programs within the building. And what we really talked about with Stacy who is currently at RPA and what we've all of us have really witnessed is we did not want to pigeon cole kids into one floor. And we talked with the superintendent
really about how challenging it would be to use the same entrance for the same groups of kids and using the main the current RPA office to switch that around to be for evolve. And so the superintendent really got us thinking around, well, wait a minute, can't we rethink the way that we would divide the
building? And Jan, who has had some experience with dividing across a floor, said, "I've had experience with breaking buildings apart in the past and housing two programs within." As you look at the red line, really what that is indicating is not a red line through the building,
but an entrance in the front for the current RPA. So that that would not change for those students. an entrance in the back with a we would develop a new main entrance coming in the back of the building so that our evolved students could really like create their own space. It would be kids coming in
facing one end and kids coming in facing the other. As we think about security, if you've ever been at RPA, one of the challenges that we have is kids are constantly lapping the building. And so as we thought about classroom space, putting the classrooms directly down the long hallway and putting the offices on
the end so that adults would be monitoring at like the ends of the space and the hallways, the long hallways would be where the classrooms are, but not on just one floor. That both programs would essentially get like an equal divide to the building. They would have two floors so that they weren't
just stuck on a floor, which we've heard from our students does not always feel the best. And we talked about a strategic scheduling which is also part of the if you recall back two months ago when we brought this proposal forward it was a later start time and the kids were
very vocal about they did not want to be only having an option to start school at 11:00 in the morning 11:30 in the morning. And so when we did meet with individual students and we were able to talk about their individual needs, they were able to share with us some of the pieces of what we were proposing that
they appreciated and some of the pieces that they were not appreciative of. And so within the proposal, the original proposal that is part of your backup, the first part was the rebranding and the renaming that I don't think any of us are in a disagreement about. The
second part was about redividing the building, but not that kids were just forced into one floor and you can't go up and down the floors, but that you've got a double floor. There is staff distributed across the three budgets that we feel confident will be able to meet the needs of the students
that we are looking to enroll in the pathways. But in addition to that um to have the three the three leaders or the three programs if you would in the building so that there can be fluidity across them because every student who chooses evolve may or may not be successful there just like every student
who chooses RPA may or may not be successful and similarly we've already experienced with the virtual school and so by having everything in one space what we also know is that it would be one-stop shopping for alternative programming so families don't get lost if they're going to tour for alternative
programming. It's in one space. You can meet with the different leaders and really explore and experience the three different alternative pathways in one setting so that the motivation to go to a new setting and start fresh won't die if I go to one place and I don't like it and then I've got to get a new new
meeting scheduled to go to another place. And so for us, it was really about coming together as leaders, taking some of the feedback that was brought to us by the committee, and in full transparency, nowhere in our conversations did we walk away thinking we needed to find a new space for RPA.
That was not what we were planning for. We were planning forward to co-habitate the 290 rock building as evidenced by the plans that are here. That is why we were not looking for another space. We have been very much also involved in knowing what Bishop Connley has been
taking from us. So to secure another space on top of that, we knew this was not the time to be coming forward with that type of proposal. At least that's what we were guided under. >> All right. >> So that is where this came from. So the whole piece with the red line down the middle is truthfully so that kids are
not just restricted to one floor other than the cafeteria and the gym and that there could be a twofloor equal distribution for both programs >> with a different entrance and exit as evidenced in the picture that's there for you. >> Mr.
We're at a um deadlock between well not even a deadlock just a um debate whether we should um keep the two programs RPA move one program there but we the administration to your point Dr. Brownard the administration really
hasn't prepared um like a detailed [clears throat] plan because we haven't really given formal direction as such as to what that would look like. So I think that is some of the hesitancy here by by some I'm assuming I don't want to make judge but
um I think what we should do is give direction to the administration to present two plans. One what would it look like if to Mr. Mon's point, maybe we move out some of the admin spaces and we get um something concrete that there won't be any issues between um any
conflicting parties and that we also present the plan of what it would look like just a draft. Not saying we vote on it binding of what it would look like if we move the program, one of the programs to the PACE building, what would look like in terms of structure, time, um
programming. So, we give the administration guidance to present two draft plans and then I think we should go from there. So, I'm going to make that in the form of a motion. >> What What is your motion? I'm sorry. >> We the administration present at a future meeting two draft plans. Nothing
binding. >> Do I have a second? >> I'll second it. >> I have a motion to second. Mr. Agar. >> Yeah. So, I'm not going to be supporting this. Uh I've said what I've said and I'm passionate about it. Uh, I think we're at the last hour. I can place
whatever blame I want on whoever didn't do anything for 3 months or whatever. That's not going to be a successful piece right now. We hired a superintendent to come in here to try to make some better decisions about programming and what to do. And I've said my piece. I don't think it's going
to work with having multiple in there. But at the end of the day, I want to amend Mr. Das's motion to say we're going to allow the superintendent to make decisions on how these programs are going to coexist at 290 Rock Street without need to come back to us for votes because it's the time is now. We
need to make this decision. And I'd like out of respect to the superintendent and her experience and the deputy superintendent, I want to make an amendment to this motion that we allow them to look at the options here and make the best decision possible for all kids along the way. We're going to study it for the year, but we have to make a
decision and allow superintendent to move. >> Second. >> Uh, okay. On Mr. Aguia's motion to allow the superintendent and the deputy superintendent to study um what the programs at 290 Rock Street for a year. >> Decide just to decide exactly what's
going to happen. She has the authority to say they're going to coexist, but the study is going to happen anyway organically. But I want to make a motion that says we don't need to come back and have a vote. she can sit down again with her team, which she sat down six times already in the last week, and come up with the best plan in her opinion and
say, "This is how we're going to proceed for the 26 27 school year." And then over the next year, we'll all be part of it. The subcommittee can be part of it, but because it's the end of the year, and it's already woefully late. I want to give her the respect as the superintendent to let her make the
decision. And we're going to I think she's going to make the best decision possible. >> I I I want to know. I tremendous confidence, but I want to know what's going on, too. So, they can send us updates, as you always say, or give us a one pager. I want to know what we're thinking because I don't I'm I'm
not I'm not keen on any of this, but I don't have a problem with his uh motion and his amendment. >> Mr. Corey, we've done this enough, guys. In regards to uh the mention of the motion, obviously uh I I do agree in nature that we let the superintendent
and the deputy superintendent, you know, make the decision, but I'd like to see it again in subcommittee so that we can discuss it before it comes back to this table again. >> It'll come to you guys. Okay. To call the role on M. >> Can I just be clear just in clarity? The motion isn't to come back to us needing
approval to make these decisions. She needs to have the approval. That's what I'm that's what my motion is. So she can she can come back to us with one pages every week, every month subcommittee meeting, but we just need to give her the approval to move forward. It might be and it's probably going to be something very similar to what's in here
with some maybe some tweaks as they research, but ultimately I think we just need to move forward and say what it is like just give the superintendent the respect and the ability to make these decisions. >> Okay. Call the role on that um amendment, Deb, please.
>> M. >> Yes. >> Mr. D. Yes, >> Mr. Cory. >> No, >> Mr. Monus. >> Yes, >> Miss Riley. >> Yes, >> Miss Stewart. >> Yes, >> Mayor Kan. >> Yes. Now, on Mr. Das's motion, >> which was just amended. What was your
motion, Mr. Das? >> Sorry. >> Um, >> do you have a really I think it was really >> the administration to present two plans going forward. Okay. So I I think um the administration this is just to present migrar
amendment was really it's actually really different than my motion but I think I'm going to just to alleviate some of the concerns that um we just get I just ask or I don't even know we need a motion but we just get an update over the summer and special education subcommittee.
>> Well I go with with what Mr. Agie has said that's fine. >> So is >> he's withdrawing his motion. >> I withdraw. >> Yeah. Okay. Next >> motion to approve >> 102 [laughter] point
>> who made the motion. >> Um >> so basically they want to read because I had made an amendment. So they just want to take a roll call the same roll call just >> call the roll call de. >> Yes. >> Or >> the amended motion. >> He withdrew the original motion. So that became >> my amendment actually became a real
motion. So it's just a technical piece. >> Okay. So we just >> I thought we moved on to 102. >> I did too. Yeah, I did. I thought >> if you think that parliamentary wise we we're covered. I'm fine. I think you're right. >> We are. We're good.
>> You are okay. >> 102 is an appointment and vote to approve MGL chapter 71 >> to approve. >> I have a motion. Do I have a second? Appoint one or more school physicians. Do I have a second? >> Second. >> I have a motion in a second. Any
discussion on 10.2? too. >> Mr. Riley, >> there's no contract and no cost. We're just saying yes. >> No cont. I'm sorry. >> On the physicians. >> So, we're appointing a school physician, but that usually comes at a cost unless he's donating his time to us. Usually,
there's a contract and a cost. >> Who's going to speak on that one? >> Mary. >> Who? >> Mary Gust. Mary, >> what was the question? >> She wants to know what this is going to cost. >> Same as last year. We asked that at the agenda setting. Same as >> it's just the same as we just have to annually uh it's already in the budget.
>> It's not a new position. It's just you have to appoint the >> Could Could we know what it is? Usually there's a contract for the backup. >> It's 3,000. >> Thank you. >> You got your number? >> 3,000. >> All right. Thank you. >> Sounds like he is donating his [laughter]
>> second. All right. I have a motion and second on 10 two. De call the role please. >> Mr. Aam. >> Yes. >> Mr. D. >> Yes. >> Mr. Hy. >> Yes. Mr. Monus, >> yes. >> Mr. Riley, >> yes. >> Mr. Stewart, >> yes. >> Yes. 103
is an update. >> The for public schools redistricting is presented by Brian Michael, director of school information services. >> Two minutes. >> Can I ask uh just the is this just an update? No votes needed? >> No. An update.
>> Just an update. >> Mr. Michael, >> good to go. Okay. I'm sorry. So, uh, for the better part the last three weeks, we spent, uh, pretty much every day going over the redistricting and moving over 400 students around, mostly in the elementary schools, a handful in the
middle schools, um, to new school zones. Um, Deb Caball transportation, uh, Cindy Cud and Pace and myself along with input from MLL, special needs, and, uh, and schools themselves to make these decisions. The letters as promised will
be going out tomorrow. Uh we promised this week will go out. The letter will include the transfer um request that uh parents can choose to to apply for another school for next year and those will be reviewed after the school year during the summer like normal. Um
the dual program was moved to green school which as of now two classrooms per grade level. Of the 180 students in duel that are at Rivera now, 25 families chose not to go and they were reassigned back to the neighborhood school with
many of them still being at Rivera. Um MLL department has four recruitment efforts uh events going on this month to try to attract more students for duel and also for the incoming K class that we have to do no matter what. um
special needs did their movement of classrooms and all schools right now have up-to-date information on where the kids that are coming to them [laughter] are coming from. Um and like I said, those are the basis for the letters going out tomorrow. We did it over three separate waves of moving students
around. We would do a wave. We look at the numbers, the class sizes at the school, how that wave affected the school populations. We looked at the inclusion percentages. We looked at the ELLL percentages for those support u of students and those departments now have the information along with the principal to make determinations if staffing
levels have to change or staff have to move from school to school because one school has more ELLL kids now than before or you know vice versa. So you know it was a it was a long three uh weeks of doing this pretty much you know non-stop. I think Cindy is sick of seeing me every day like Deb is but um
I'll answer any questions if you have any. Mr. Chairman, >> Mr. Cory, then Mr. [snorts] >> Thank you, Mr. Michael Azac. So, I I hear a couple of things. Um, so the dual language program when we were first talking about maybe pairing it down to
one classroom, but now it's back is it back up to two? We we plan we well we budgeted and also plan to have two classrooms per grade level because we're adding in the fifth grade based on the enrollment because right now some of the some of the grades may not support a two full classes
>> right that's what that Kelly Cooney and Brian Rafoso will you know make a decision on that to if it has to go down to one um but the ideal is to have two and um that's where we stand with that >> and so I understand that recruitment is
underway right now to try to get more kids involved. >> More events planned as of now. Yes. >> Okay. Well, that's good news because I'd really like to try to see it maintained at those levels. Uh when we have a nice program like that, we want to try to grow it as best as possible. So, I
appreciate all those efforts. Number two, so I I I appreciate all your efforts on the entire redistricting, you know, of the district itself. Uh do you think that it's going to have any positive effects on the cost of transportation for our school district?
Um, I'm not saying it will. Um, we did move around. We didn't use that as the basis for moving students, but just naturally that some of the areas we moved had transportation and we actually the overall goal of this plan was moving more kids back to their neighborhood school. And I think we did that. I don't have the actual percentage, but we moved
a lot of kids back to their neighborhood school that were in special programs. And I think that some of the areas like River for example, there's some areas that are going to that were Henry Lord that now Bavarious that they now can walk to Bavar versus getting a bus, you know, around Cook Bond to there. So that will have some impact. I'm not saying
it's going to reduce busing, maybe reduce the number of kids on the buses >> for now and then hopefully as we review this next year, we'll have a better idea as because our population as we know is steadily leveling out if not going down. my projection that maybe next year we're in a different place where we can do
another coat of paint on this redistricting as well. >> I like the whole idea. It seems to be that um redistricting is going to c create more efficient, you know, more efficiency in where the students are and that to me may translate because the
discussions at the city council level right now, you know, there there's a big cost in transportation. We all know that. I've already spoken to the state delegation about it. you know, moving forward, what can we expect? And I know that it's a hot button issue right now. So, I appreciate all the efforts that we
can make towards becoming more efficient in our systems. Thank you for your work. I appreciate it. I yield. >> Uh, Mr. Das, >> thank you. Um, just quickly echoing some of my colleagues um comments about transportation. and I think it's as one
member and as we prepare for the future the next one to three to five years is um around transportation. So getting those um those maps, those districts in a way that is the most efficient to um neighborhoods to neighborhood residents
and neighborhood students is very important because as one member and when we go on our retreat and we talk about the big rocks and how we want to plan for the future and our strategic plan, I would love to see this district move to K to2 yellow bus transportation. And I think it's an aggressive goal, but I
think it's something that we can achieve, especially if we finally get some funding from the state. And um not to go too off far off track because it does have to do with um does have to do with this with um redistricting the who
sets in law. Who sets the transportation budget? >> And who pays for it by law? >> The city does. Thank you. So, I just want to make sure that's clear. When the school committee
approves a budget and by law, I don't understand how the CFO of the city of Fall River can just pick another number that hasn't been approved by this committee, especially if there's statutes around it. But with that being said, I think it's important that we get the maps right because I think it's
important with having K to 12 yellow bus, we'll be supporting parents, we'll be supporting those students, getting them to school. will bring bring do even more good efforts with um attendance. So I hope hopefully this is something that the committee can support in the future. I yield
>> before you. >> Okay. Uh, one of the things I'd like to say in addressing that, I I said it at the beginning, uh, after the city council meeting last week and speaking to President uh, Ponte, one of the things we committed to was to putting together a transportation task force
committee to review things such as, and again, I'm I'm just learning the way you've done this, but looking at the mileage. You know, there are some state requirements. There are some that you as Fall River have put into place. So, we can look at some savings. we can look at, you know, I if we if we are able to
increase transportation, I'm not hopeful about the state coming through. Uh this is something that's, you know, been talked about for years. We haven't received anything, to my knowledge, from the state. So, um but I am looking forward to working closely with the city looking at the redistricting. We do not
know if it's going to be cost-saving for us. Uh but but we have an opportunity to do all of those things. >> Mr. Yeah. Does the transportation are we [snorts] going to save money? Like I watched a city council meeting where the CFO reduced the number just
because I guess without communication. Where did they get the number that we could reduce the transportation and at the end of the day I took what my role my vote was for the budget was what Mr. Pacico and the transportation director said they needed in order to provide
transportation. So I think as a part of this redistricting update, it's important to ask the question based on the limited amount of redistricting, nibbling here, going a little there, few students here. I was watching the meeting saying to myself, screaming into
the TV, saying the redistricting is not going to save money on transportation. What the hell are they talking about? That's what I was yelling at the TV. And I've been saying for months now, for actually for years, let me correct myself, for years, that transportation,
if we're going to actually do something to reduce the cost, we needed to do a major overhaul of redistricting because the whole district for over two years I've been saying it. And the old committee didn't want to support anything and the new committee at least is supporting of the little. But make no
mistake about it, from my angle, if you gave us a budget of $17 million, that's what we need for transportation. I don't know where the heck 900,000 cut came from just because and and nobody told any but nobody said anything at the city council meeting. Then I found out that
the administration met with the city during the day. I'm like well did anybody tell anybody that we were cutting 900? Like I just don't get it. >> No we did. We told them but we we had a reason for doing it and I believe it's going to be explained tonight at the uh
wrap up hopefully of the budget. So, it was based on data. They base theirs on data and we'll we'll see how it is. But with that being said, Kevin, I've said it from the get-go. We're not leaving any kids to walk. >> No, I understand that. >> No, we're not. I mean, I mean, it makes it sound like we're going to I'm not
going to chip any kids. >> But let's just call it like we see it. >> The school committee voted on a budget number, right, >> that was given to us by Mr. Almea, Brian Reposo as acting superintendent, Mr. Pacico, and the transportation director.
They gave us a number. I asked at the time, "Is there any more savings we could make multi-ter whatever?" Mr. Pacico answered or Mr. Almeid is one of you said, "No, we've we've we've maxed out. We cannot do it for any less than this number." But the CFO and the city and the mayor
can just say based on your numbers, he's trying to say your numbers are going to say that you're going to pay less. That's a our problem. But to get back to the redistricing, the redistricting isn't going to save us naturally in transportation. We might have transportation savings organically, but
the redistricting itself is not going to save us. Correct. Two questions. The dual language numbers, is there a grade that uh you know, you have to like you can't come in in third grade because you haven't been
K12 or do they come in um I'll just stand here. Um yes, good question. So once you're at fourth grade, um you really can't recruit students that are just monolingual, speak only one language because they've already gone through the program. So
really in K1 and two, we can sort of recruit. As we get to the upper grades, recruitment becomes a bit more challenging um because if you just come into the program that late. So we're really looking at it's very specific. For instance, in fourth grade, we might recruit students that speak Spanish at
home already and are really, you know, [clears throat] somewhat bilingual. Um, that could be a possibility. Uh, so we have one grade level right now. My numbers as of today, fourth grade is at 28 students. Um, and, uh, fifth grade is now at 31. So, we're able to preserve
what we talked about a subcommittee was we don't want a kid kids to have to leave the program. Some naturally did. They chose to stay at the neighborhood school, which is fine. Um, but right now our lowest enrollment grade I believe is grade four, which is right at 28 right now. >> So that'll be 14 in.
>> That'd be 14 in each. Or what we talked about at subcommittee was the flexibility to say, um, if we're at 28, maybe we run one section for that particular fourth grade. Um, so that's something that, you know, Mr. Michael alluded to where we're looking at those
recruiting effort. >> I I hear you. to the only reason why I said that was because we as a committee u made a decision based on them coming before us saying that we wanted to preserve the program. >> I just don't want it to be necessarily a like taking that mandate as we have to
run the program regardless and I think we kind of made a caveat that unless the numbers dictate otherwise. So, we've also heard people say that it has to be a a two person team. And I that's for the technical pieces of it, but I I don't feel like we're in a position
necessarily to say, you know, you have to make that determination, but I wouldn't want to see like we had before >> various we had a class size crisis across the district and we had two of those at 14 each. It didn't really look good. So, that's was one of my only points. So there's enough 12 there's 12
classrooms currently existing at green with no other repairs, no taking down rooms, buildings or anything. >> We have this we have the space at green school to do the 12 classroom. >> Yes, >> but we may not hit that if >> correct. But I'm saying we could if we were maxed out.
>> We just need that flexibility to make that decision driven by the numbers because I agree, you know, I have a class of 25. If I only have 25 at grade level, >> we could potentially run cohort. We could still preserve, you know, some of that teaching model depending on, you
know, how it shakes out. >> Um, but, you know, >> I understand. >> I'm just more focused on that you had the 12 classrooms. The other one is the special ed programming at the LNO school K to8. We had the situation where um if we create a program for like sixth
graders or if I have a fifth grade student wants to go to LNO to that spec special program in sixth grade, are we saying for the record that we're going to preserve for seventh and eighth grade? Those students wouldn't be have to transfer again.
>> Really need a longer table. >> Thank you. That is always my priority because I believe in that K8 model. However, looking at spacing at Laterno, we are able to open one additional classroom. So, there will be eight classrooms at
Laterno. We can keep some of our substantially separate students for middle school, not all. Right now, Laterno houses two programs. One is a more higher needs for students on the autism spectrum based on the transition
to middle school. We are going to keep those students at Laterno for middle school. But I cannot keep all students at LNO with the existing space for middle school. So, all of our traditional middle schools have our
stride program, which is a program for students on the autism spectrum or have some neurode divergent profiles that may have access to some inclusive opportunities with their peers. They have less um um special education needs
than the students in our RISE program. Those students will need to go to their traditional middle school based on the spacing available at Laterno. Does that answer your question, Mr. Aguar? There's two different cohorts. >> I don't like it. >> I know. >> Um I don't think it's a good for
children. Um why is there no space at the school for both programs to exist up through a grade 8? If we're making it a K to 8, >> right? But it's only going to be a two unitit school. Um, in middle school, it's only going to be a twounit school
in middle school. So, the two units are the general education programming. If I have to ex keep maintain the eight classrooms for my substantially separate strand at Laterno, it only allows one
classroom for the middle school group, 6 through 8. And I don't I have more than 12 students in that group currently because I have two separate populations. >> But you're talking physical space, not programmatics. Like are you saying
physically you just don't have the space? >> So physically I would need another. So for so what I would need is if there's two general education classrooms for each grade in middle school 26 27 28 I
would need at least two classrooms to house our middle all the middle school LNO substantially separate students I only have one >> I understand because of physical >> how many do you need and what are the
other I don't know what are the other classrooms in LNO that if it's physical space that there could be some changes to the other pieces in order to provide that because I voted to say we should do a K to8 model. I just vehemently
oppose having a student in a K to8 school go through K to six and then or or K to 5 and then all of a sudden say in six I have to go to a middle school. I just >> I know I think we're in that situation even at Henry Lord where some of Henry Lord middle school students don't go to
Henry Lord for middle school. >> Yeah. I just uh >> I think that that in Henry Lord some of our Henry Lord's middle school students don't go to Henry Lord for middle school. They have to go to the other programs just because there's not enough. And I'm not just I'm not saying
substantially separate but we did have to move classrooms to Morton which was not what I would want to do. It was just the physical space for our substantially separate at Henry Lord. I'm trying to keep it now restoring it at Henry Lord and at Laterno but even Henry Lord only
has one middle school classroom for our substantially separate students. >> Yeah. Phil philosophically I'm opposed to I understand that it's very difficult but at the end of the day we've been asking I've been asking for can we do this? So I it's not like I'm not a gotcha. >> This is what I asked at the last
meeting. >> Haven't got any information. So like I'm not trying to spot anybody here just that philosophically I'm opposed to that with the same time we need to be very clear to the parents that this is happening because they're making decisions on IEPs and the like. So
>> yes, >> however we have to do that or to your team so that we're not giving somebody the impression move here and then move again. We can't do that to >> right and we are being very transparent with families. >> Got it. Thank you. Are you >> okay this >> I have a quick >> Can I just add something? So when we're
looking at future years, that could change um based on our enrollment in K through five. So right now for this coming year, we're going to have three strands of K through five.
However, the if you look at the population of LNO, we may not need that in future years. So if we went down to two for each grade level, there's the possibility of that happening, >> right? But to Mr. Aguia's point, I never
want to say to a family, please choose LNO for K to8. I hope in two years I can keep your student there. I would ne So I appreciate what you're saying and Cindy and I work so collaboratively on this, but that's my concern is that I want to
be very transparent. If you're making the choice to go to Laterno in an upper elementary school for our programming there, I don't want to um make a promise I can't keep to a family with the hope that that's our goal. It's not like I'm
misleading anybody. It's always the goal, but sometimes the goal just doesn't end up happening >> for reasons out of my control. >> Miss Stewart, Miss Stewart, >> aren't some of the kids that are at Laterno now still going to go to c? Like they're not all staying there, right?
general as students you're talking about right >> yes we have enough for two classrooms that will stay at LNO mainly in Lturno but there's some parts of that Laterno zone that they are going to go with either Talbot or a CUS >> so that I'm just saying that in retrospect that that some students aren't going to be staying there
regardless I agree with you they should all say that I love the Kate model that's not what I'm saying what I'm saying is that some right now some other general ed students are going to be going other places so it wouldn't just be them leaving I do agree with you we should all stay housed together. But I'm just saying some general ed students are >> okay. Mr. Hager,
>> how many kids at Laterno don't live in the district? Is it now none because they all moved out? >> Well, our thought process with this was the kids that are at Laterno now, we tried moving most of them to um the sixth grade at Laterno. There's many other kids that are in other uh schools
that from grade five they'd be assigned to either if they lived in the Talib, they go to Talibit. Um C, they go to C. We trying to keep the kids who weren't in LNO now they're the ones that have mainly moving to the other middle schools and the Lateral ones are trying to keep most
of them together unless the parents choose. >> I was referring K to four >> excuse me >> K to four is what I was referring to. So how many students because I think in some parts of the city we said if you are at X school and you do not go to your neighborhood school you have to go
back to your neighborhood school. Have we told the LNO families that if you're at LNO in K to 4, you don't live in the LNO, are you is it fair across the district that anyone that's in their not in their neighborhood school has to leave? So to make it a two-unit school?
>> So tomorrow we're sending out notifications to all families who are going to be affected by the redistricting. We there's there's going to be an a significant amount of students from LNO
going back to their neighborhood, but not all because we didn't have enough room in all neighborhoods for for those students. So, there's still going to be some that will be staying at LNO. So Laterno won't be a 100% LNO district
because it doesn't fill three uh classrooms of each grade level with just LNO if that makes sense. >> I guess I was saying it based on if we we made it a two-unit K to8 school from >> Yeah. >> all including the special education you could do what we suggesting. What you're
saying is we just don't have the room and those neighborhood schools to put them back. >> Yes. But if you did based on whatever decisions made otherwise like a full redistricting you probably could say that's going to be a twounit school like right K to 8 which would solve this issue
>> and this is why we said this is a multi-year process we can't do it all in one year because we didn't have enough room in neighborhoods >> understand thank you I yield >> thank you for the discussion appreciate it guys 104
this [snorts] is discussion and vote to approve the administrative assistant to the school committee's job description as presented by Colin Das school committee. >> Thank you. The only um this is for final approval. The only change I would um recommend from the last meeting into
this one is on the new job description. It says under performance responsibilities number five to work collaborate collaboratively with administrative and supportive staff and addressing responsibilities including school department planning, personnel
policies and procedures, negotiations, management of grants, school department operations, evaluation and other duties required by the school committee. the even though this position is the school committee
um administrative assistant position the dayto day would be with the superintendent. So I would just um like to make I would propose that we add there by the school committee or the superintendent just so the superintendent has that flexibility.
Other than that I believe we should keep the position the keep this as proposed. So I'll make that in the form of a motion. Second >> motion a second on Deb's job description. Anybody have any other concerns? Hearing none. All in favor?
>> I >> opposed. Unanimous. 10 five is discussion and vote to approve the appointment of >> motion to approve. >> Second. South Coast Collaborative. I have a motion to second. Any discussion? Hearing none. All in favor?
>> I. >> Unanimous. Vote to 106 is a vote to approve the building blocks math curriculum for prek as referred by the instructional subcommittee and presented by Kristen Fious. >> Motion to approve. >> Second. >> Second.
>> I have a motion. Any discussion? >> No. >> Hearing none. All in favor? >> I. >> Unanimous. Opposed. Oh no. Sorry. 107. Vote to approve a multi-year pilot. >> Motion to approve.
>> Second. I have a motion and a second on the one-year pilot program for MClass. Is that you? >> Yes, >> Mr. Aguia. >> Mr. Prozo, I just I did get a chance to did not get a chance to watch the meeting. Could you give me the real >> shrink down version of exactly what this is basically?
>> Yes. So, um this is basically we administer Dibbles uh which is a fluency screening in Fall River um to kids. um we still um handcore that and then enter the data in. This provides an opportunity um for students to take this
assessment digitally. Um we want to explore this. Um we know that there's pros and cons. Um and we had I think a great discussion at subcommittee around that. Um I have a lot of experience for instance with math assessment and when I meet with a child and do it individually I can learn a lot about that child. Um
and then there's an efficiency as aspect as well as a data reporting. And so with MClass, there's the ability to get some data that um may make some recommendations around students. We always have the ability with our experts to override that and say, "Wait a minute, is that really what the phonics
intervention should be?" So, we want to really try this out. Instead of coming with a full scale uh across the board, we're looking to try it at three schools. I don't know if you have the revised quotes. I sent them um these quotes are were for a full pilot, but
it's actually um much less expensive for just the three schools and I believe that they're probably in um diligent now. I think Miss Cabraw, right? The MCL class. >> Yes. >> Yes. Yes. Um so I can get that
>> for you as well. >> Are you saying it's a different amount? >> Yes, it's a it's a much lower amount. Um, >> so you originally wanted it more or like >> Yeah, so originally when we brought it to subcommittee, the discussion was to go across the board. Um, we were looking
to potentially adopt as we had I think a great discussion. We came back and uh the motion was to come back with um to explore a pilot and so that's what's before you today. >> So this is the the subcommittee's recommendation. >> Yes, this is revised pilot at three schools much smaller scale and we'll
study it for a year and then may come back to you next year and say here's what we learned. >> Thank you. I yield. >> Do I have a motion to second on this? >> Yes. >> Any further discussion on 10.7? No. >> Hearing none. All in favor? I >> opposed. Unanimous. 108 is a vote to
approve the contracts to develop systemic functional linguistics units is referred by the instructional subcommittee and presented again by Brian Raposa. >> Motion to accept. Motion. Motion to approve. >> I have a motion and a second. Any
discussion on 10.8 >> is disapproved by the >> subcommittee. Subcommittee unanimous. Thank you. >> All in favor? >> I >> opposed. Unanimous. 109 is the vote to approve the Ridgerest LLC
contract as referred by the instructional subcommittee and presented by Brian Reposa. >> Motion to approve. I >> I have a motion. >> Motion to uh second. But >> a second. >> Point of clarification. if you can just u update us on that.
>> Sure. Yes. So, this um particular item is around the ELA um curriculum that we've been piloting at the high school. During the subcommittee meeting, we were able to hear from the dean of ELA um the associate principal uh the team at Dery around implementation. I also want to
note that this coaching and implementation also includes RPA and Stone um so we would be using uh these resources at those schools as well. And um this provides us with just some more implementation support from a coach as we try this out. Um we did some units
this year. They were wellreceived and we're looking to expand that um again next year. >> Okay. Anything further on 109? I have a motion, a second. All in favor? >> I >> opposed. Unanimous.
[gasps and sighs] 1010 is first read and discussion of the fraternization policy as referred by the policy subcommittee and presented by Colin Diet school committee. >> Motion approve. >> Press read. >> Second. >> I miss Stewart. We have a motion and second Miss Stewart on
>> a brief presentation. >> Um since I'm on the agenda. >> Go for it. >> Thank you. Um just so the just so the public in the committee is aware this is doesn't there are already policies in place for um staff staff fratenization
this is staff to student fratinization there have been concerns that have been brought up by the past by some members of the committee and this is just to have and I believe the committee unanimously chose a um robust policy which um covers everything that's most
simple way I can put it I yield Miss Stewart, >> there's just that one line where it says student refers to all all district students in grades preK through 12. We need it has to go safe. >> I can't hear it, but >> it says in this line it says refers to all students in grades preK through 12.
I need it to say through age 22 because we have kids. >> I thought when we referred that it was supposed to be changed. >> Yeah, but it's not. >> So, we'll make I'll make you make an amendment to add the change. >> It's a first read so we can edit. >> It's a first read. Okay. I'll make an
amendment to the motion that we change it to what Mr. Stewart recommended going up to age 22. >> Second. >> I have a motion to second. All in favor? >> I >> oppose. Second it. >> Um Mr. Aya
unanimous. Um 101 >> motion approve all three. Press read. >> I have a motion to approve. It says first read in discussion in the form of
a motion Mr. Aguier field trip policy, student overnight travel and public complaint policy. Any discussion? >> Second. >> Hearing none. All in favor? >> I. >> Unanimous discussion and vote to approve the
following job descriptions. Executive director of human resources and the chief financial officer. Any discussion on those two? Mr. >> I'm having a hard time looking at
diligent to see which the names of them. So, >> I'm just going to sort of paraphrase, but what does it say relative to the um qualifications? Is there a certification in human resources universally in the business
field or in in education? And is it when we're looking for the best person? I want to say the first time I looked at it, it mandated like a superintendent or some other clar. So if I had we had a real HR type person that might not have
had those other credentials, they couldn't even apply. >> No, they could if you look at the last >> is it from the last thing. Does it say they can wave it? Are they >> last bullet of that same list? It says it >> such alternatives to the I'll show you the specific but as far as certifications is there such a thing. as
a a certified HR individual, >> there really isn't. It's it's superintendent, assistant superintendent. Some may have director license, >> but if we had a a person out there who was a real HR guru that didn't have that assistant superintendent, superintendent, how do we encourage them
to apply? Is there a way to make that a little more robust as far as we encourage all applicants to you know, I I don't have it in front of me, so I um >> Well, I I two things. One is it is called executive director of human resources that would attract you know somebody looking for that type of job
and as we said we do put a minimum mast's degree from an accredited college university that that's our lead desi lure we do have there as assistant superintendent or superintendent what we also have at the very bottom is such alternatives to the above qualification as the superintendent's designate may
deem appropriate >> so I guess I hear what you're saying the only thing I would suggest is that we where it says required where it says assistant superintendent maybe we take that bottom piece and put it with the where it says assistant superintendent to make it clearer to an individual
that's not necessarily the exe you know I think it's saying the same thing but in the posting it would it would you you have to read down six whatever bullets to get to that point. So if I read it and it said, "Oh, I don't have the assistant superintendent license. I won't apply." I might not get to the
bottom. Whereas if it said in the required kind of a slash or whatever that wording is the >> Well, this refi, excuse me, this applied to all of the qualifications such alternatives to the above qualifications. >> I I I hear what you're saying.
>> I'm just asking if we can clarify it a little bit to I don't think it's it's affecting the >> We can we can certainly adjust it. the job that has been out there where >> I'm just saying so that we put it out there. Uh so I'd like to make that motion to approve with that >> clarification of how they can make it more uh >> all right so Mr.
>> with a question >> m Oh just wait one second Mr. Are you um approving both jobs? >> Yes. >> Okay Mr. um >> Agu made a motion to approve both positions with that clarification. Do I have a second? >> Second with >> I have a second Mr. Mr. Das.
>> Thank you. So my only question is, and I've seen these on old job descriptions for the fall public schools, not sure why we changed it. It would include if there are any qualifications that are waved, unless I'm missing it, but if there's any qualifications that are waved, they the school committee would
be notified. I could say in my two and a half years on the school committee or year, two years on the school committee, I have not ever been notifi I don't think I've ever been notified of a waiver. I could be wrong. I don't want to make assumptions, but I don't recall any
of those waiverss ever coming to me from um if a qualification has been waved. I don't see that language in there. Do we have an explanation as to why [cough and clears throat] >> I I don't >> um Mr. Ag may have some insight.
>> No, it's it's just a notification procedure. So, in in um job descriptions throughout the district, it says in there there's a line that says if one of the qualifications was waved by the superintendent, the school committee will be notified. So, when they say I
appoint Kevin Agia to X position, the I waved the Xqualification. It's a notification piece. So, if we haven't utilized it like Mr. Das's point, we might not have gotten the notice, [snorts] but it also might not have been utilized by any superintendent. It's
just a notification piece for us. It has nothing no bearing on the hiring. It was just a notification piece that's in all of the standard >> in every one of the qualifications. So if we waved one of the qualifications >> Yeah. Like for instance in the top where it says required rather than says
preferred. So when typically they say required and if it said you need a doctorate degree >> and you and and it doesn't say that but let's just say it did and you said no I want to hire Mr. Almea because he's got a CAGS and he's going to do a great job. That type of situation would just be a
notice to us. That's all. And that template language is in most contracts. That's it doesn't affect anything other than notification. >> I'd like to make an amendment that we add the template language back in. >> It's fair. I I second. I think it's just it not a big deal.
>> I have a motion. So, is that an amendment to his motion? >> Yes. that the template language be. >> So, let's vote on the template language first. Um, >> I have a motion and second. >> Deputy superintendent would like to say something. >> Oh, I'm sorry. Go ahead, Miss Le. >> So,
when you say template, that sort of means from top to bottom. So, if you're just amending like one line for that waiver, is that what you're amending? >> Yes. Just adding in that one line that says um if there's a qualification waved, the school committee will be notified. Okay. That the superintendent
Okay. Okay. >> Got it. Why don't you call the role on that one, Deb? >> Mr. Yes. >> Mr. Dus, >> yes. >> Mr. Corey, >> yes. >> Mr. Monus, >> yes. >> M. Riley, >> yes. >> Miss Stewart, >> yes. >> Mayor Kugan, >> yes. Now passing the amended job descriptions from 10:12.
I have a motion to second. Um, Deb Calder. >> Is this on both? >> Yes, they went together. >> Mr. A. >> Yes. >> Mr. D? >> Yes. >> Mr. Corey? >> Yes. >> Mr. Donus? >> Yes. >> Miss Riley? >> Yes. Stewart. >> Yes. Mayor Cougen.
>> Yes. 10:13 is a discussion and vote to approve to conduct a public school access review study for the district 17 public schools as presented by Ken Pachico, chief operating officer. Mr. Chico.
>> So, uh, in the packet is a proposal from Tyin Bond to provide the district with, um, the access review, basically a traffic study for, um, the district schools. There's
some schools that are highlighted that we would be hitting right away. Um and then there are so it'd be green, Laterno, Watson, Talbet, Westall would be the focus at the beginning and then we would move in and do the ex into all
of the rest of the uh district schools. Um once we get a certain um phase into it, it it the pricing uh is in all three phases. uh it's broken down as to what
each one of the phases would cost for um the total number of schools. So overall the we would be looking at a total fee of 672 which would cover all of the uh buildings that are listed on the uh
second page of the document. City of Fall River put out a um a bid quite a few years ago, maybe two or three years ago, um that would cover hiring engineer engineering firms
to do various pieces of um of work in their field and um they selected five vendors. This is one of the vendors that was selected in the engineering section and this work would be part of um what would
be called engineering. >> Motion to approve. >> Second. >> I have a motion to approve. >> I have a question. >> 1013 and Miss Riley. >> Oh, can I go ahead? >> No, I'm sorry, Miss Stewart. Go ahead. I'm sorry. >> Um, so the schools that you have here, you have these five. I just have a quick
How come Beveris is >> at the beginning? >> Yes, >> it can be. >> It can be. It can be. So I can I can ask for a sixth or I can remove one of those. >> Okay. >> That are there now. So we can have that conversation. But that um
Westall has already had some work done and so has LNO. >> So we could remove one of those. This is this focuses because they would start immediately. Correct. And just do some some preliminary work. Yes. And then they would work until September >> on that
>> piece. preliminary work for these plus the others. Yes. And then they would come back in. So we can uh substitute Visa in there or I could just ask them to add Viver. >> And then how come we're not doing the early learning center? Is it just for because of where it's located? >> Um we're not doing the early learning
center because the traffic patterns at the there's only one way. There's two ways in and out of the building. Okay. >> And both of them are off the same street which is Ellbury. The Langley Street piece um doesn't seem to be an issue. And to be totally honest, um 50% of the
students better than 50% of the students that are going to go to ELC are being trapped by bus. Yes. >> Okay. Thank you. >> But they're going to do that work at some point. >> Yeah. >> Miley, >> so I'm just confused about this is from a bid from five years ago. So, it was a
bid for it was a bid that was done two or three years ago and it was for a five-year period and picking five firms that would represent a group that you could pick from. So, rather than going out, they call it like a house doctor. You pick five carpenter carpentry
companies. So, this one was five engineering companies. And so, you wouldn't have to wait for the RFP RFQ process. You could go directly to one of these companies. So like an MPA of sorts but for the city. >> So did we do any studies last year and the year before? >> We didn't do any.
>> So we haven't done any yet. >> We haven't done any that hasn't we haven't done any studies on any of the buildings >> to what this extent is um since they were built >> and they're only going to make recommendations. Then it's actually on us to do what they recommend. >> Yes.
>> Okay. >> Yes. >> Mr. Yeah. So, uh, fiscally, if [clears throat] it's 69,000, you know, we if we approve this now, the end of the fiscal year is in a month. Like, they're not going to do all this work. Can we pay for the services now even
though they're not going to provide us anything until next fiscal year? >> We can encumber the PO now, >> regardless of what it is. >> Yes. >> So, we need this. I've said this at the subcommittee. We said it at the complaints that we get. We have a lot of like we're going to do a oneway here, one way there, four-way stop signs here.
So we basically need this for all. We should have had them already. So my feeling is that we should take the amount of money that is needed to do all the schools and encumber that money so that they know we're going to pay for $200,000 whatever that would be. Um
>> so the total is 67 across >> only for the top group >> for all of them for all of them. If you look it's all of those groups. So it should the the the fee should encumber encumber. It's phase one, phase two, and phase three. >> So 67,000 is doing them all,
>> right? Unless we ask them to do additional services. >> So they're going to basically recommend where the drop off and and pickup should be, you know, the things that >> right >> for 67,000 across all schools. >> Yes, >> sounds good. Thank you, >> Mr. Chair. >> Mr. Das >> very briefly and and I'm happy we're
finally um have this up and going and I just think it's important that when we're um recommending things or proposing things to the city, we should probably hold off until this is complete. What what's the turnaround time? Sorry if you mentioned it. What's what will be the turnaround time for
>> Some of the work will be started now before school lets out over the summer. They will develop some of the um I I would say the more mundane piece of the report we'll put together on all the schools and then they will go back and do some uh uh traffic studies,
additional traffic studies uh on the um schools that they haven't hit out of those the beginning schools. >> Thank you. Just want to quickly give credit um to the administration. And I know the deputy superintendent was on top of this and um the the police department through their SRO's and
through traffic the traffic department for the city. There was um a breakdown in communication at Tany and there was um definitely some unsafe um traffic operation there and the last few days that I've seen it definitely looks to be
over um definitely improved. I saw Mr. Ventur out there as well today. So I just want to give kudos to the administration for that. I yield. >> Okay. On 10:13, I have a motion, a second. All in favor of the traffic study? >> I I >> opposed. Unanimous.
10:14 is a vote to approve the courtyard playground at Henry Wood Community. >> Motion to approve with a quick question. >> Second. >> I have a motion to second. Who had the question? Mr. Das, go ahead. And Mr. Aaron next. >> Thank you. Same question. Um, turnaround time. Once we approve this one, can we get started?
So with the approval of this we will start the two preliminary pieces which is the um the tree cutting and the excavation and demolition of the current. Again we school in session we are going to have to wait. We may do some Saturday
work um to get this work done. We may do some after hours work. The building needs to be empty when because the noise factor. >> No that's fine. I I guess what I was um just finding out, will this be done by the start of next year? >> My hope is is that if everything falls into place, it'll be ready for September. >> Thank you. I yield,
>> Mr. AA then M. Stewart, >> just the question on the uh >> I had asked this at the agenda setting about the in inside versus outside and the >> things that come along with it. You know, why not just do it outside if it's easier? Don't know the rationale. So the
rationale is the fact that the the school um community feels that the safety um of inside and very um there's no no chance of of students aloping. They can't get away from that
particular area. They can go back into the school but they can't run off the outside one. Even with the fence, they could get away from the from the area. and Henry Lord is in the middle of a lot of area to uh to chase students on. So,
this one here was a much better setting. It also um allows us to do a couple of other things in that area. Um and the protection of the equipment, some of the equipment that's going in here is extremely expensive. It allows us to
protect that area where it won't have any other use other than this school community. >> Yeah. just a it does seem like a lot and it's it's a task to get to that area. >> Yes. >> When you have a um there's classrooms I believe all around
so it also affects in my opinion it affects classrooms sometimes when you're having noise and things while there you know so there's like pros and cons to each thing but I did ask the question before to the deputy was um do we really want to like it's I think $300,000 more
is that what the something like that a couple hundred thousand more to do it in there versus if we did >> it's about it's about $110,000 more than it would be to put it outside. There's something that we would have to do something with the inside anyway.
>> The the inside is not a safe area >> to continue using. So, we would have to do something with the inside area anyway. What this will allow is that if at any point we decide to put the second playground in, which was part of a plan, this this school technically has
three areas. It has one inside area that's much smaller next to the kindergarten area, this area, and then that potential area where the basketball courts used to be before we fil built them the full core. So, there are quite a few play areas here, not counting the acres of land where the football field
is. So the outside area would would be cheaper to do by what I had said. Um but it's not a significant amount. It's the equipment that's very expensive. >> Thank you. I yield Stewart. >> That was essentially my question. Why can't we put it outside? My worry is
though once we get on the inside and realize how many roots and everything that are on that inside, it's going to cost us more than what is being presented. >> So we've got a couple of assurances from the companies who have gone to visit the bidding process. the the trees that will
be cut um inside and and um in that particular area um will be removed, you know, down to roots um stump grinded out and all of those trees are going to be leaving the building, not through a crane. So that one piece um is going to
be done differently. The rest of the work um is the only piece in question is the crane piece. They've all all of the companies that have bid on the work have figured in that they are going to crane all of the debris that they need to get
out and then also bring in the new uh pieces and then the company who's providing the um playground equipment and all of their supplies will be craned in also. So there each group with the exception of the tree cutter will have
crane there's already cranes in their particular piece. So there's no there should not be there should not be any hidden costs whatsoever because we as we went there we had that conversation with the vendors >> um as to just what we were expecting.
>> Okay, that's just my >> Yeah, >> I'm just worried about costing more because of the roots and everything else that goes on in there where we could have it outside. You could put a big enough fence, it'd be fine. I'm just worried about this costing way more as before. >> All right, [laughter] Mr. Cy go then you go next.
>> So So Mr. Chairman, I just have a basic question uh in regard to Henry Lord in general. Uh there were some homeless encampments on the site. I just hope it doesn't present a safety issue for any playgrounds that were developing or any after school activities that are going
on at Henry Lord nearby. There were there were homeless encampments along Amity Street. I hope it's been, you know, taken care of and I hope it will continue to be taken care of. >> Yeah. We took those out of there and cleaned it, Tom. >> Yeah. Yeah. And and so it's going to be
a vigilant effort moving forward. I hope >> and if I could >> as vigilant as we can be for the homeless. >> If I could this this area is not accessible by anybody. >> Yeah. No. >> You have to be in the school to get to this area. All right. >> Yeah. It's an inside access only. >> Thank you. Are you >> Mr. D?
>> Oh, I have nothing. >> Oh, I'm sorry. Oh, I'm sorry. It's Mr. Hegier. Mr. Agaria. >> Uh, last time we asked it was where is the money coming from? So last month uh when we did our trans
our third quarter transfer, we had um nearly $4 million be left in the budget. We put we proposed prepaying up to 2.75 million uh in prepaid uh tuitions last
month, leaving you with a balance with about just just under 1.3 million in the budget last month. So, um, this will come out of the balance that's remaining. >> Thank you. The, um, I would like, I guess the reason why I
asked that question last month was when is the committee going to know that we have 800,000 to spend. And that's some of my frustration with some of how we operate here because yes, this is a $500,000 expense. It's valuable. Kids, I
get all that. We as a committee are the ones that's supposed to have the budgetary decision-making on what's the value judgment of spending 500,000 on this or 500,000 on something else. We as a committee never received anything from the administration to say and we got $800,000 left over. What would you all
like to do about it? Too many of these decisions at big money are made without the school committee even though the school committees one of their duties is to do the budget. So, I agree with this, you know, per se, but I do think we need to have more transparency and respect
for the committee to make these decisions. >> Okay, Deb, do I have a motion to second on the on the playground? >> You do. >> Okay. Uh 10:14, Henry Lloyd playground. All in favor? >> I >> opposed. Unanimous. 10:15 is a vote to
approve the turf optics as >> motion second with a quick question. >> I have a motion and a second. Uh Mr. Das >> same thing just turnaround time when um is this something that's done this is something that's done yearly correct >> this is all yearly yes >> um
>> this is a three-year package >> this is year two of the >> this is year this will be year one with this company we had a a small portion this year in in the current fiscal year very small but this is [snorts] this will be a full year quarterly um work
>> okay so they already started the work but it was a separate contract small amount. Yes, I >> have a motion in a second on 10:15. Miss Riley, >> did this go out to bid? >> Did this go out to bid? Yes.
>> Point of information. >> How many biders did you get? >> Two. >> Okay. >> Rad was the second. >> Who was doing our work before? Was it Optics or was it RAD? >> Um, Rad. Uh, Optics used to be um Give me a minute here.
The owner is the same. It's author Eddie and um Traverse. >> Okay. >> Yeah. >> Perfect. >> Yes. >> Anything further? [cough] I have a motion and second on turf turf optics. All in favor?
>> Opposed? >> Unanimous. 10:16 is a vote to approve the playground, small toys, and bikes at the early learning center. >> Motion to approve. >> Second. >> Second. That's I have a motion, a second. Any discussion? >> Just one quick question. Um
>> Mr. Das, >> same question. Turn. So, they're going to get started right away. Um this will be ready for the >> This one here would This would This one, this particular piece will be started right away. >> So, we will be working on this and this one will be ready for September also.
>> You all set, Mr. D? >> Yes. >> I have a motion and a second on the playground at the early learning center. All in favor? Opposed? >> Unanimous. 1017 is an update on the service agreement for the green
elementary school energy updates as presented by Ken Pico. >> So this piece is just part of the um the work that will be done um at the green school. Um these are the the potential savings uh through uh the work that um
is being done by Amaresco, by ENE uh and by the other vendors, the smaller vendors that are going to be working on the um CEC grant uh award. So these items um are energy management service
agreement. every one of our projects that we do um with um with Amaresco because they are an an energy [snorts] uh savings company and their work is is specified under uh chapter 25A and that
work is is basically you pay for the project on based on savings. So, they're normally 20-year agreements. Um, and they guarantee the savings. Whatever year they don't hit their mark, they need to pay us the difference. So, they're they sit there
and guarantee their amount. So, when you look at these amounts, these total guaranteed savings, these are the marks that they will hit. The savings are based on the new equipment and uh the difference between the efficiency on new equipment to the old equipment. This we
have agreements like this with um with other buildings uh and with the city. Uh this agreement is uh this contract the Amaresco is is a a 10-year contract with the city. So this has been bid out and it's a open book. So we see everything
that they're charging us all the way through the the line line items. So this document here is is basically as you get through into the the latter pages of the document, you'll see um what the new measures um equate to compared to what
the old measures are. This is an update piece. This is part of the overall performance contract. >> Mr. the um I think this is a somewhat complicated, you know, I'm curious myself to dig deep into this. Sure.
>> So, I'd like to make a motion we refer this to the facility subcommittee. >> Second. >> Sure. >> I have a motion and a second to send a uh green school energy update to the facility subcommittee. All in favor? >> I opposed. Unanimous. 1018
is a discussion to establish a time attendance policy for all APSME employees as referred by the facilities and operations subcommittee and presented by Kevin Ag. >> I would just like to say first off this apps me should be deleted because the discussion was basically around the need
for a policy both for uh security badging in as well as safety as well as uh you know who's in the building and the like. So the request at the time was just to have the superintendent review and come back to us with some sort of policy related to all of those issues. We want to be able to be safe at the
same time as people have badges for a reason. When I go to a school, if I'm working in various schools, I should swipe in. The school knows I'm there, you know, god forbid if something happened. So I I just this all this was was uh to ask the superintendent and her team to come back to us with a recommendation for all, not just after
me. >> And that's just a discussion. That's >> it. I yield. >> Thank you. Mr. Chair, >> Mr. U Das, >> just a discussion, do we have an update on um on this m Madam Superintendent?
>> Based off this item being here, do you um based off what the vice chair just said, do we have something? >> I didn't realize that was the charge at the time. So, we will go back. I'll meet with my team. And so my understanding again is you're looking uh to establish
a a time attendance policy for all employees. >> Motion to table. >> Well, go to policy subcommittee. >> Is it a policy that would go to policy subcommittee? So are we asking the superintendent to draft the policy for policy subcommittee?
>> I would assume that when they draft a policy then it's going to get referred. would be uh we should have a policy anyway on bad you know what's the use of a badge and the like. So it's just look at it all come back to us some recommendations and it'll get sent to policy.
>> All right going forward we have a number of retirements resignations appointments transfers >> accept and place on file. >> I have a motion to accept and place on file. Do I have a second? >> Second. I um all in favor >> I
>> opposed unanimous. >> Can I ask a question? >> Mr. Aia, >> just uh I know we talked about this before, but we have new people around um waivers. We didn't have uh a policy that if the person is um hired on a waiver
that it would be listed here. And uh I maybe we're just not hiring anybody on waiverss right now, but um just want to make sure everyone's aware that that's a policy or protocol that when somebody says we're appointing a person to a certain position and it says their
license number, you know, for K to 12, but if it's a waiver, it should say that because we currently have a situation where people have been on waiverss for a long time. So I think you're trying to tighten it up anyway, but I just don't see any here on waiver. It's probably just because that's not a practice we're
doing at the present time and less needed. >> Thank you. I yield. >> Okay. Item number 12 is new business. Any new business to come before Mr. Das? >> Thank you. An item I requested um over five business days ago. I asked for a an
invitation go to the Mr. Glenn Cooer from MASC. Um we had someone from MASC under the old committee. I think just having three new members of the committee. I know for myself I have many questions for MASC. I like to ask in an
open session about the services services they provide and what they offer in terms of advocating for school committees. And I make no secret about it. I have many disagreements with their um with what they advocate for
policy-wise. I did ask for this to go on the agenda. Before I make any formal motions, just want to get an update from the from the leadership on >> Okay. Yeah, >> it sounds reasonable to me that they come down and talk. That's fine.
>> U She never got it. Um Mr. Das De >> never got a request for that. >> I I didn't submit it to Deb. I followed the policy. I submitted it to the vice chair sent it already to MASC >> and um you just Smith uh Dr. Smith sent it to MC. >> I received it from Colin.
>> She she received it. Okay. Go ahead. >> Just wanted to say at the same time Mr. Das asked about uh the having a representative as a liaison. When we looked at the documents at the agenda setting meeting, we missed the deadline. So for years now, we haven't had a delegate to the committee because it's
May 1st when we need to do it. So it was just after that, not that we're opposed to a delegate, but moving forward before May 1st, we have to say that we want a delegate. That delegate then has a vote at the convention. So we just missed the deadline. So, it wasn't that we'd ignored it. When we looked at it, we
said it's after the deadline. So, in the future, we need to figure out who's going to go to the uh meeting and at that same time make them the official delegate. >> Right. I think that's two separate issues. What I would like to see, what I requested is um and if we can have a near future meeting is Mr. Cooer come
before us, explain what MASC offers and what they do. And the reason I requested Mr. Coocher specifically when myself and Mr. Aguar had a um a conversation with our field rep. There was a lot of questions that he referred
to Mr. Coocher himself. So it's just and at the same time sure I could ask for a meeting with Mr. Cooer but I just think again having three new members that might have questions for MASC that we just have an open discussion with them. So, I'm not going to make any formal motions on it,
but I'm just hoping that the leadership can invite or >> So, you want me to invite him to a future meeting, a school an official school committee meeting? >> Yes, please. Thank you. >> In the last in the last item, I'm I'll briefly bring up for a new business is
diligent. I think um I'm just asking through the chair to technology subcommittee which I'm a member of that we can um just have an update on this because I think there's a lot of bugs and issues that don't allow um people
who are adding like backup on here to I just think it's we're making it harder for people who had the backup to be able to do what they need to do because I think there's issues with the software itself. So I I'll wait till we have a discussion but I just wanted to put it on the record. I yield >> Mr. Yeah,
>> I would agree the diligent needs to be more diligent on how this works. So, I think that's definitely something that we should look at. You know, uh the secretary does a lot of work and then we found out yesterday if she changes one thing, it gets rid of all of that work. It's something that we're working on, but diligent needs to do a better job.
It's nothing internal here in my opinion. Uh but the other thing is under new business, I do think that we have a situation going on where we our attorney is going to be leaving us June 30th. We do have a situation where we're looking at I think some vendors to come in and I think we're going to have a need for a
special meeting in June before every everyone leaves so that we can actually not have a um a lapse in time. So just putting it out there that the I would request that the secretary through the chair reach out to all of us and maybe in two weeks have a special meeting for whatever topics that the superintendent
would like including that piece. Can I >> just Mrs. Riley has her hand up. Mrs. I leave >> if you could do it earlier. My son is getting married at the end of June. I will be in Detroit the last month. He's getting married on the 27th. We leave on the 24th. >> It'll be before that.
>> You'd have to do it before that. Okay. >> The 23rd. So, I think when everyone gets it, I >> it'll be >> a few people are leaving. But I I think that's important for us to get so we do do not have a lapse in time. And it also gives the superintendent and her team over the next couple of weeks if there's
something else that comes up we can take the so we don't want to load up these agendas. If we meet for like one thing we should probably meet for five things in my personal opinion. >> We already have a few. >> Great. Thank you. >> Um is there a reason to go into executive session? >> There would be mayor. >> Um
>> motion to go into executive session. >> Second. >> I have a motion to second. Mr. um Assad would >> Okay. >> Would you like to read the >> Sure. >> Sure. National Laws Chapter 38 Section 21A7 to review and approve the executive session minutes for May 6, 2026 regular
school committee meeting. National Laws Chapter 3A section 21A1 to review the open meeting law complaint dated May 12th, 2026 filed by Colin Das regarding the May 6th, 2026 school committee meeting. The complaint alleges that some
minutes were approved late and that all minutes did not contain summaries of the discussions. National Laws Chapter 38 section 21A1 to review the open meeting law complaint dated March 8th 2026 filed by Colin Dyers regarding the March 4
2026 school committee meeting. The complaint alleges that certain complaint brought against certain school committee members was discussed in exe in executive session and another member of the school committee reveal the information in the communication on social media. National Laws Chapter 38,
Section 21A1 to review the open meeting law complaint dated April 22nd, 2026 by Patrick Higgins alleging that Chair Paul Kugan and or his staff did not respond to his request for meeting minutes for the years 1974,75,76,77
and 78 within 10 days. Our Mass General Law Chapter 38 section 21A1 to discuss complaints brought against school committee members. on National Laws Chapter 38 section 21 A3 to discuss strategy with respect to the collective Bogney agreement including
grievances relative to all par profofessional employees of the forest school system represented by the for federation of par professionals as the chairs determined that open session may have a detrimental impact on a bargaining position of the committee mass general laws chapter 38A section
2183 to discuss strategy with respect to the collective bargaining agreement including grievances relevant to all historical employees of the for school system re represented by Ashme council 93 local 118 as the chair has determined that an open session may have a detrimental impact on a bargaining
position or litigating position of the committee mass general laws chapter 38 section 2183 to discuss strategy with uh to regarding litigation regarding department of labor relations in a matter of ask me council 93 local 118
and the for school committee MUP 2611918 as the chair has determined that open session may have a detriment mental impact on the litigating position of the committee. Mass General law chapter 38 section 2183 to discuss strategy with respect to litigation regarding the department of labor relations in the
matter of ask me council 93 in the city of Fall River Fall River Schools GR2 number 269-26 226 2026 144 SS-K L118
as the chairs determining the open session we have a detrimental impact on the litigating position of the committee National Laws Chapter 30A section 218 A2 to conduct strategy sessions in preparation for negotiation with non-UN personnel andor to conduct negotiations
with non-UN personnel specifically Kathleen Smith interim superintendent of schools and Elizabeth Lagalt interim deputy superintendent of schools all fall river educational and fall river government TV cable grant positions eight of them all non-union central
office administrators nine positions All administrative assistants, 12 positions. All school-based athletic programs uh support positions. All facilities and operations supervisory positions, eight uh positions. All computer technical and
student information management system support positions, 16 positions. All special education support positions, two positions. All early education support positions, four positions. James Sullivan, chief officer of special
education compliance. Christine Abdau, uh, procurement specialist. Sandra Silva, payroll manager. Melissa St. Pierre, CTE, cooperative education coordinator. Evan Massud, uh, production technician/editor.
Muriel Karum, family and community engagement specialist, Renee Arena, part-time home visitor. Tayana since I apologize. Sentilia Mashado part-time home in vis uh home visitor we would
reconvene there may or may not be statements at that time >> Mr. Chairman >> Mr. Yeah, >> Jenny said, are you going to misreading those now that you're not going to be with us? >> You know, something just calling it. [laughter] Thank you. >> I have a motion and a second on going into executive session. All in favor? I
>> opposed. >> Unanimous. We're out of executive session. Anything? Uh Deb, please call the role. Mr. Aguio >> here. >> Mr. Das >> here. >> Mr. Corey >> here. >> Mr. Monus >> here. >> Mr. Riley
>> here. Stewart >> here. >> Mayor Kugan >> here. Anything further to come before the committee? [clears throat] >> Mr. Ag, >> I'd like to make a motion that we approve the executive session minutes for May 6, 2026 regular school committee meeting. >> Second. >> I have a motion, a second. Any
discussion on the minutes? De, call the role, please. >> Mr. A. >> Yes. >> Mr. Das. >> Yes. >> Mr. Cory. >> Yes. >> Mr. Monus. >> Yes. >> M. Riley. >> Yes. Miss Stewart. >> Yes. >> Mayor Kogan. >> Yes. Anything further, Mr. >> Yes, Mr. Mayor. >> Like to make a motion that we approve the contract as negotiated with
Superintendent Dr. Kathleen Smith. >> Second. >> I have a motion in a second. Any discussion? Deb, please call the role. >> Mr. A. >> Yes. >> Mr. Das. >> Yes. >> Mr. Corey. >> Yes. >> Mr. [cough] >> Yes. >> Mr. Riley. >> Yes.
>> M. Stewart. >> Yes. >> Mayor Kan? >> Yes. >> Anything further? Mr. I'd like to make a motion that we approve the contract as negotiated with Elizabeth Legal, Deputy Superintendent. >> Second. >> I have a motion, a second. Any discussion hearing? None. Mr. uh Deb,
please call the RO. >> Mr. Row, >> yes. >> Mr. Das, >> yes. >> Mr. Corey, >> yes. >> Mr. Monus, >> yes. >> Mr. Riley, >> yes. >> Miss Stewart, >> yes. >> Mayor Kan, >> yes. >> Anything further, Mr. Just want to make uh I just want to clarify that uh today
is the final uh regular school committee meeting for our attorney that we gave a citation to earlier. Attorney Assad will be leaving us but he's not retiring. His Toyota's practice on Bedford Street. You need an attorney. Call him. Just want to make it very clear to everyone. Thanks.
He's not retiring. He's still going to be active in his law practice. Thank you very much, Bruce. And good luck. Yes. Thank you. [applause] >> Motion to >> second. >> All in favor? >> I >> opposed. None.