##VIDEO ID:NrScEHJ6mjk## recording in progress good evening everyone and welcome welcome to the Malden school committee meeting today is Monday February 3rd 2025 the time is 6:03 p.m. our next meeting will take place on Monday March 3rd 2025 here in the council chamber at 6 PM this evening's agenda consists of the following first we'll pledge allegiance to our flag we'll ask everyone to please remain standing for a moment of silence in honor of all those who have fought for our country from there we'll have our clerk take attendance to ensure that we have a quorum sufficient to allow us to come together this evening after that we'll get into tonight's agenda which consists of the following there are eight items the first is the approval of the special session minutes of January 13 2025 that will be followed by public comment we're going to do 15 minutes of public comment three minutes per her speaker but before we begin public comment we are going to take something out of order from the superintendance report which is Malden Reeds who is going to present the 2025 book selections and programs again from there we'll go to public comment then the superintendent's report having covered Malden Reeds the superintendent will give an update on the proposed graduation policy we'll talk about the budget introduction for fiscal year 2026 and then there will be a further discussion on the superintendent's entry plan after that we'll go to subcommittee reports and discussions of which there are two items uh first we're going to hear from Miss rosberg on policy and procedure and then to my right your left we'll hear from Bor about negotiations after that we do have one motion I actually think it's a resolution that's being sponsored by Mr Bernard it's an inflation cap resolution and uh that has to deal with the Chapter 70 formula which Mr Bernard will outline now after that we'll hear from the members who want to speak about what's going on in their respective Wards and then pending a motion for approval we'll go into executive session for four items the first is we're going to move to approve uh January 13th 2025 minutes uh from the special meeting that we had um and then number two we are going to discuss an open meeting law complaint dated January 24th 2025 filed by Bruce fredman against the Malden school committee item number three Mass General Law chapter 38 section 21 subsection A3 we're going to discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining or litigation with SEIU Local 888 cafeteria I actually think this is contract right approval yes and then from there number four uh we're going to continue on discussing strategy with respect to collective bargaining or litigation with the Malden Education Association units a b and c then we'll come back out uh we will pending what happens in executive session potentially vote on uh one of these items in Open Session and then from there we will move adjournment until our next meeting which again takes place March 3D what's everyone think any questions queries quals concerns hearing none all right let's do uh let's pledge allegiance to our 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 again I'd ask everyone to please remain standing for a moment aside vience in honor of all those who have fought for our country and continue to do so around the world today thank you we'll now have our clerk take attendance mayor Christensen here Mr drummy here m M mcarthy here miss Bora here miss Macklin here Missy Mr Gray Mr Bernard here miss Ros zberg here superintendent Sipple here student representative cathine fonsella all right great so we have a quorum sufficient to allow us to come together I'm going to segue over to our vice chair Miss Bor for a moment to let you know where we are with translation I know some members that regularly come to our meetings have been asking where we are with the transition from Zoom to teams and uh Miss spor has been all over that so let's have her given an update thank you Mr chair uh so we are still in the works of processing uh a switch to teams um we did switch to teams but apparently educational licenses don't carry the translation that we need so we have to switch to a a different license but in the meanwhile um we do have zoom and we have translation and close captioning so it's better than nothing so I just those people that are participating at home um and hopefully because it's not translating yet but to access translations you're going to go down to the uh the captions button at the bottom and you're going to choose um the uh click the caption language that um you need the captions translated to um this is last minute so I apologize I'm going to try to drop these instructions into the do we have a chat I'm going to try to drop these instructions somewhere because obviously me talking in English right now is probably not very helpful to those watching um in another language although um you could say this all for me Dr civil in Spanish um if needed but let's try to drop this into uh a chat for those at home that can translate it um and hopefully by the next meeting we will have our teams up and running with full translation but we're getting there technology all right thank you Miss Bor for staying on top of this okay let's take a look at these uh minutes from January 13th you've all had a opportunity motion by was that you Mr drummy seconded by Mr Bernard any questions queries all good all those in favor say I I anybody opposed the eyes have it the special session minutes of January 13th 2025 are approved unanimously all right let's bring up Malden Reeds one of our favorite moments of the Year welcome back thank you for your continued support of our city thank you mayor Christensen thank you Dr SI thank you I'm sorry recording stop recording in progress are we good to continue okay thank you I'm just bringing up our slides and as I'm doing that I'll introduce who I have with me uh my name is jod zal I'm one of the co- facilitators for Malden reads and somehow I'm hoping you'll see my slides soon but I have with me folks from Malden high school and we're so pleased to have them as one of our partners we have Mr nadell who is one of the school librarians and he is also the advisor for Malden High loves uh for kids and we have some of the members of that high school club with us and I'll be introducing them in a moment but can you see my slides because I can see them here but I don't see see them on the screen no okay I'm going to try doing something else it says uh screen sharing is paused so I'll try again that huz okay thank you so I wanted to introduce myself and M reads a little bit and then we'll hear from MHS loves for kids and some of the programs and some of the books that we are um going to be implementing this year to start I do want to thank you again for having us here before you this evening and let you know this is our 15th year for Malden reads and it is truly humbling to be before you for 15 years and to have this community organization have such an impact over over these years we're a community organization that dreams of new answers each year when we ask what if all of Malden reads the same book we are made up of passionate and dedicated Volunteers in collaboration if folks don't know with the Malden Public Library and urban media arts as our anchor institutions and fiscal agents each year we select a main book for the community to read and we plan programs related to its themes and we also select companion books so that the themes are accessible across different reading levels and so we can connect our whole Community including the public schools through literacy and the power of reading and so tonight we are here to announce our book selections for 2025 share about youth activities and collaborations and describe plans for our upcoming programs so to start I'd like to begin sharing highlights of our collaborations with the Malden Public Schools over the past 14 years each year Malden Reeds provides a donation of developmentally appropriate diverse books and educator resources to the Malden Public Schools over the years Malden re has donated hundreds of titles and thousands of books to the Malden Public Schools we know how important it is for students to see themselves in a book and we have consistently partnered with the high school Ela teacher leaders other teacher leaders liter coaches the ELA and World languages director uh school librarians and so many others to help support Educators efforts and to support students among the Partnerships that we've implemented include a partnership with TS University supporting a mini writers Den for Middle School writers and our 2025 program for the mini writers and will begin this week we're excited about that we have had in-person and remote off auth visits in a video library of author talks and an Adaptive arts program in collaboration with the Chinese Culture Connection our mission is to connect the community Through reading and we value the connections that we've made with Educators and students for the future of our community in this past summer thank you to Mayor Christensen and also to the mini mayor uh youth Outreach coordinator Henry Fen we met the Malden High School Club love for kids and while the high school has many impressive students the drive Behind these students is so extraordinary we have already collaborated on many literacy based projects together to create learning opportunities in the community for families and children not only are their Futures ahead bright but they are making a difference in our community and I will let Sophia Chan the president of Malden High loves for kids describe our partnership as well as tell you about our 2025 book selection so I'm just going to get over to Sophia's slides for you good evening everyone it is an honor to be here today my name is Sophia Chan and I am the vice president of love for kids and I am joined today by Rashmi KC our social media coordinator Ator and alonna Abraham our vice president as well as Mr nadell our advisor love for kids is a club at the m and high school where we read and have a wide variety of educational activities planned with teachers from The Early Learning Center for children that are ages 1 to four activities we have planned other than reading are face painting puppet shows and arts and crafts we wanted to create an additional educational and fund program that would allow children who may not be native speakers of English through one-on-one Partners to develop literacy skills as well as provide extra support to Young students in general as we have many young siblings and cousins and students that we care for in Malden we would like to see those students receive help and the most support they can when it comes to their education in addition to learning literacy skills we believe that our club helps support students and display critical thinking creative expression Community engagement and cultural awareness reading to young children during a child's development is critical for learning especially when it comes to cognitive development this club was made possible through our many dedicated and passionate volunteers who helped provide this support to the young students in our community in addition to working with other High School volunteers through Henry fan the youth Outreach coordinator at City Hall we were able to meet with modern reads and found that we had many of the same Passions and goals this led to collaborating at many substantial events when it came to planning activities and providing volunteers helping each other's Visions come to life when it came to Greater education reaching not just students at the Early Learning Center but also children throughout the entire modern community events we have collaborated on in the past with Malin weeds is indigenous people's day on this day we had children take take part in making mural that would allow them to express their creativity and learn about indigenous people how they live through the way they caught food and the games they played along with other artworks like creating their own fishes peas sticks and trees that would allow them to learn more about the environment and Indigenous culture these artworks made by the kids who attended the event were then displayed at the m and high school library allowing high school students to remember this day and learn about indigenous people many of these activities were adapted from from educational children's books like the rainbow fish and fried bread other events we have collaborated on with modern Meats include winter wonders stargazing and Chinese Culture Connection along with many others with different activities adapted to each event though through the same educational goal as indigenous people's day we are thrilled to announce that the Malden Reeds book for 2025 the boy who harnessed the wind is an empowering book about the importance of a good public Ed education as far as for many's education allows people to gain more opportunities and learn important life skills the narrator William Kam cam kamba did not have a free public education as his family was not able to afford one though he adapted to this situation through the help of his community and access to books he was able to learn about windmills and how they can create energy with this knowledge William and his community were able to build windmills and successfully bring their energy into their remote town and Village in Mala through sharing ideas with his community and the help of others who trusted in his ability to solve problems within a few years they were able to significantly better each other's lives leading to meaningful and Lasting change showing the power of education and a strong community that works together because of people like William kwamba and his community we strongly believe free and strong education is important to have development and growth we promote the power of education and Community by working with organizations such as malen reads and the Multicultural club we have confidence that we can create an impact that allows people to become inspired and motivated to improve themselves in Malin as a community events love for kids will be collaborating with modern reads this year are the opening celebration of the boy who harnessed the wind at the bread of life and are collaborating with modern re for an inclusive art program that helps children with disability to express their creativ and develop Focus critical thinking and find motor skills thank [Applause] you thank you I have just a few more slides to wrap up although it is hard to follow that they are so wonderful and really are so inspiring to us into all of um the reasons why we do what we do so as slides are still loading I want to again thank Malden High love for kids and sharing the programs that we've collaborated on together uh here in our community and thank you to them for announcing our 2025 Malden Reeds book selection and here on the slide you can see that there are different additions of the boy who harnessed the wind they are all called The Boy Who harnessed the wind which is a little bit confusing but there are different additions and we wanted to make sure that everybody has an addition that is appropriate to them there's a picture book a young adult version and an adult version as well we are gifting copies this evening of the young reader addition to school committee members we hope you will read it and share it with your constituencies and come to an event as Sophia described and Alana and Rashmi the themes from the book that resonated with our book selection committee include sustainability Innovation the power of perseverance water conservation gardening for food sources and the importance of teaching science to the Next Generation and we wanted to explicitly welcome you and invite you to our opening celebration which will be one week from tonight on February 10th at 6:30 p.m. it will be held at the new bread of life facility and we are excited to have that event with food and music and learning learning about uh the boy who harnessed the wind and some of the other community organizations in our program we also will be having other events including one led by um mayor Christensen a book discussion at the library that will be held on February 26th and will'll be holding other events throughout the spring including book discussions film screenings and Family Programs and we hope that you will join us on the 10th where we'll be we'll be showcasing programs including not just love for kids but also the high school Eco Club the Multicultural Club students in the maker space and our other Community Partners and we always want to collaborate and connect with other organizations and folks in the community and we really want to uh thank you for your involvement and hope that we will see you on the 10th and other events this year perfect thank you so much thank you books can may we distribute the books now okay thank you school committee will be in a brief recess okay here good thank you [Applause] okay all right school committee is back we're now at public comment it's an opportunity for members of the public to address the school committee we only state that you state your name and address for the record public comment will now be open for 15 minutes 3 minutes per speaker we'll give you a u 30 second uh reminder okay so let me turn the mic on all set uh my name is Marie Motley I live at 70 School Street in SAS Mass um good evening members of the school committee my name is Marie matley and I have had the privilege of working as a school social worker at Malden high for over 15 years during this time I've had the honor of supporting our students in a variety of roles but the one that's closest to my heart is my work with the students in the pathways program the pathways program is an alternative high school program designed to meet the unique needs of our most vulnerable students those who face significant emotional social and behavioral challenges that make the traditional classroom environment difficult for them these are students who for various reasons May struggle with attendance Behavior or personal circumstances yet have so much potential to succeed when given the right environment and support as a longtime social worker I've seen firsthand the transformative impact of the pathways program many of the students who come to us feel lost disconnected and sometimes even invisible but the right support support that is personalized and built on strong trusting relationships those same students can blossom I've seen it happen time and time again and it's one of the most rewarding parts of my job however the success of the pathways program depends heavily on a role that is crucial to the structure and functioning of the program the program manager this role is essential in providing the individualized care that these students students need the program manager is not just an administrator overseeing disciplinary issues they are a critical figure in helping students stand on track with their education they collaborate with families and work closely with teachers to create an environment where students can Thrive unfortunately this year for the first time in the history of Pathways there is no dedicated program manager while we're grateful for the support of Jared Wickham and Brian Bates who have stepped in to help manage the program the absence of a full-time program man manager has placed an immense strain on everyone involved the complexities of the students needs require someone who is able to F Focus exclusively on their growth and challenges someone who can vote the devote the time and attention necessary to ensure that they are getting the personalized care they deserve without a dedicated program manager we risk losing the progress we've made we risk falling short and providing the support and structure that these students need to succeed the reality of of it is is that many students in Pathways have faced trauma displacement and significant challenges in their lives they need an administrator who will advocate for them someone who understands them and someone who can work with their families to ensure they are getting the full range of supports they need I'm here toight tonight to advocate for the reinstatement of the program manager position for the pathways program this is not just about administrative oversight this is about giving our most vulnerable students the best chances at success as a social worker who has been honored to work with MHS students for over a decade I ask you the time you're almost done cuz you're at three okay yep consider the importance of this position and the impact it will have not only on the students in Pathways but on the broader malen High Community with our most vulnerable Stu when our most vulnerable students succeed we all succeed thank you for your time and for your commitment for the well-being and success of our students thank you all right anybody else wishing to address the school committee can do so now good evening chair mayor Christensen Vice chair spatap for Dr Sipple and members of the school committee my name is Deb jaldo I'm president of the malen Education Association located at 77 Exchange Street here in Malden as you know we are just some of the many Educators who are elected to represent the dedicated education workers who work tirelessly every day to support and uplift our students we're deeply committed to the mission of fostering ing a school environment where every child feels valued heard and safe physically emotionally and intellectually as we continue to navigate the challenges of the current moment in our country it's critical that we do so with an unwavering commitment to the well-being of all of our students one issue that demands our Collective attention right now is the safety and protection of our immigrant students these students who often face tremendous challenges both at home and in their communities need our support now more than ever we cannot and must not let fear and division take root in our schools or our community that's why we are here today to ask this committee to partner with the Union in distributing red cards from The Immigrant legal Resource Center to students ensuring that they understand their rights these cards can be a Lifeline for students particularly those who are undocumented or at risk of deportation when they feel empowered to speak up and protect themselves with their constitutional rights they can better navigate any fears they may face in the school environment or in their Community the red cards would be at no cost to the district as the mea has already ordered a few thousand of them to distribute in the community in in addition we urge the committee to commit to ongoing efforts to protect all students from any form of discrimination or intimidation whether based on immigration status race religion gender sexual orientation or ability our schools must be places where every single child feels emotionally and physically safe the union is ready to work with you to keep our school environments inclusive and welcoming for all especially our most vulnerable students together we can create the kind of supportive Equitable school system that helps every student reach their full potential the moment is now for us to collectively be the voices of justice and kindness that our students need thank you anybody else wishing to address the school committee can do so now anybody online so if I have anybody on Zoom that would like to speak in public comment please use the raised hand feature and you will be um promoted to um speak all right seeing none last call here okay public comment is now closed let's go to our superintendent well good evening mayor Christensen school committee members um and members of the public we're here want to thank you all for um this opportunity to share um some information in this month's report uh we already heard from Malin Reeds um but we're going to be speaking about two main items um tonight one is a proposed graduation policy that uh addresses the needs that have have been highlighted in in the um following the passage of question two and uh just an introduction into uh fiscal year 26 budget development and then just a couple of opportunities for input into the entry plan I'll be sharing tonight as uh our next steps just a reminder uh the core values that guide our work as a district um have been to include and collaborate to make sure that um we are hearing the voices of everyone in our community as we um work to advance the success of our students and to collaborate with one another and collaborate with all stakeholders the importance of embracing growth that um none of our students is um a finished product they're all on a journey just as we are and our schools are and we're all um working towards um becoming a better version of ourselves and our district being becoming better as well and then lastly the importance of doing right by all kids um we we want to be committed that every child regardless of what their background is um what their resources might be what success or lack of success they've experienced in the past that were committed to supporting all of them as they move forward to prepare them for the future um in that um vain um echoing some of what uh one of our um Mr CH Walda shared um do want to just uh call out I've received a lot of parents and a lot of uh community members who reached out to me regarding concerns um both for our immigrant students but also for students who are uh transgender or gender non-conforming in the wake of um different announcements that have emanated from Washington DC and um what I've um as you know I shared a message with the community last week um or the week before regarding um our current school committee policy um on immigr immigrant students and just affirming their right to be uh in the legal requirement that we in fact educate them and give them every opportunity to learn in our schools um but I also just wanted to um remind all of us that Massachusetts General Law chapter 76 Section 5 States the following that no person shall be excluded from or discriminated against an admission to a public school of any town or in obtaining the advantages privileges and courses of study of such public school on account of race color sex gender identity religion national origin or sexual orientation and I just think it's important for everyone in our community to know that um this is a state law that we um we follow this is a state law that guides uh all of the the regulations um within our Commonwealth related to public education and um the announcements and executive orders uh can um say a lot of things uh at the federal level but this is that doesn't change our legal our obligations here in the state and this is what we will continue to do every day so I just wanted to open with that Mr Mayor moving on to the proposed graduation policy I just want to review uh information we shared with the committee last month related to the graduation requirements and the impact um of question two and and the the necessity to respond to question two with a Amendment and revision to our policy here in Malden um and then we'll review the highlights of the proposed policy revision with respect to competency determination which is the most important part of the of the policy that needs to be amended and then the next steps and um have have time time at that point for the committee to um to ask questions before we move on so just a reminder our uh students have to meet in Massachusetts both local requirements and also the standards of a competency determination um you remember uh and know well that our students meet um achieve 21 credits um and there are courses across all of the content areas uh four credits of English four credits of math as you can see here that are required for students in the class of 2025 and that's been in effect for many years several years ago the committee uh amended those graduation requirements to align with mass core so that when a student uh receives a diploma here in Malden they also have met the minimum admission standard for our State University Systems and so specifically for the class of 2026 going for forward it's 22 credits and it does include two years of World Language and a year of Fine Art but the competency determination is the part that needs to be updated um our students um previously and students across the Commonwealth since their early 90s um demonstrated that Competency Based on uh minimum score on the mcast tests and that is the part that has changed with the passage of question two now the compeny determination must be defined by school committee policy and the the district must certify that um certain coursework is and Mastery of of that coursework is evidence that they've met that minimum standard so this is our recommendation and uh I want to acknowledge the work of assistant superintendent Kom Basin um and also director of guidance Aon cra um with collaborating with others in the guidance department at the high school um especially um who spent um time not only thinking this through and drafting the proposed policy before you but also um connecting with other districts and their counterparts and other districts um to make sure that what we are proposing is in alignment with what other districts are also doing and so the The Proposal is first of all that students would demonstrate Mastery skills competencies and curriculum as measured in the areas measured by the 2023 mcast high school test as evidence by passing the following classes math 2 in math English 10 in English language arts and then biology or physics in science and for each of these uh that there would also be a provision for an equivalent course to be counted for for that um that is very important because we do have students transferring into malen High School continuously um I Believe Miss pasine has an extraordinary statistic um that she could share I believe correct me if I'm wrong Miss Pine but it was 400 students of the class of 2025 is that right no please good evening thank you if we look at the students who are currently enrolled in malen high just under 400 of these students um enrolled in our district within the last three years um and what's wonderful about that is these students speak more than 37 home languages and heal from over 50 different countries um which is one of the things that draws so many of us to work in Malden it's just such an amazing Testament to our community and it speaks to the lexity of developing a policy around equivalent coursework thank you she said it better than I could have the next part of the uh of the policy is that um former malen high school students who did not pass the mcast when they finished their time with us and were awarded a certificate of attainment instead but believe that they've met the current compens termin requirements that would be um that would be adopted through this policy they would have the option of submitting their um a request in writing to have their transcript re re-evaluated to see if they meet the competency standard and then they could um be granted a diploma and then lastly that the determination regarding equivalent coursework will made by the principal in practice um we would anticipate that would actually be guidance counselors who would be carefully reviewing transcripts from the students previous School whether whatever um state or municipality or country they've they've come from and then they would make a recommendation for the student to have met the compeny determination which would be finally approved by the principal and in cases where there is a a dispute about it or a question about it they could appeal the principal's decision to the director of guidance and the assistance superintendent of teaching and learning this policy would take effect obviously for the class of 2025 we're very concerned about them um these are students who took mcast because that was the law of the Commonwealth two years ago when they were 10th graders and now here they are in the second semester of their senior year looking forward to crossing the stage and we've shifted the goalposts potentially and we want to be fair to them uh and so so that's part of the urgency of of taking action if possible um this evening so they know where they stand this policy would also be in effect for the class of 26 and Beyond however the committee would reserve the right to revise it um as there um there may be further guidance from the board of Elementary and secondary education and I know we're many of us are aware the governor has recently announced the appointment of a commission to look at um potentially designing a Statewide framework to meet the the requirements of question to um the new law but that's still um on the horizon so that's that's those are the essential parts of the graduation um the proposed policy um hopefully we'll um have some discussion tonight um Mr chair and then um just want to reassure everyone that for students who are in at risk of not meeting graduation requirements mainly because they haven't achieved all the course um the course requirements um we interventions are ongoing already with those students and as I've mentioned previously we have also interventions for our ninth and 10th graders to prepare them for future success including on the high school mcast even though it's not required it's a competency determination okay thank you what say you all question questions queries let's go to Mr McCarthy uh thank you Mr chair um I just have one question for um the superintendent regarding the uh the compeny determination policy recommendation on the second slide um so slide two bullet point1 um when it comes to the former Mal and high students um can you just clarify how you plan on um reaching out to those students when it comes to um letting them know that they have that opportunity to be able to look at um their mcast results I think that's important thank you Mr McCarthy I um I believe that's something that me Miss pasine and um Director Craven may have talked about but it would been a little bit premature because it's not yet been adopted but I we certainly know who those students are from our um past records and we would be able to reach out to them and inform them of that opportunity do you know what that number is offand no I don't I don't have that information here I think historically it's not been a large number of students um for whom that was the the the barrier but um but it is um that you can find that information yeah because I I mean I mean clearly it's important because we want to give you know any student that has that opportunity to be able to actually you know hold that actual physical diploma um you know that's a life goal for a lot of people and a lot of people don't get that opportunity but um I'd just be interested to see how that how that goes if you know if this actually passes um yeah but thank you for that information and member McCarthy I could just say that um we could obviously come back to the committee with an update um assuming the policy is adopted then we could provide that information and what followup has taking place great thank you very much Mr chair thank you uh Mr McCarthy student representative do you have any questions okay let's go to to uh Miss H thank you Mr chair uh superintendent simple I have a couple questions about the proposal of graduation requirements I I love the idea that we're looking a at a lot of varied electives that are listed here my concern is who's going to teach the electives do we have the man power to teach the electives and we do we have when I'm looking at a year one year or credit from finer Performing Arts I don't know off the top of my head I don't know that anyone here does how many current performing or Fine Arts teachers do we have and will they be able to teach enough classes be within their contract um required hours that's that's what I see when I'm looking at this I love this but is this going to be able to play out in the way that and I'm I'm aware that you know there are currently teachers that teach math and financial literacy you know so I I understand that that happens but when we're I was just looking more at the fine in the Performing Arts because if we're looking for everyone to get a credit there that pool is usually smaller let g a chance to respond so thank you for the question Miss Hardy and I just want to clarify that that portion of the policy um the reason why it's contained there is because in our current policy in our policy manual on the masc website it doesn't list the courses at all it it's silent on that and so we just thought it was important for the committee to be explicit about about those course requirements however um that there has been it has been the expectation with the class of 2026 going forward that they would achieve Mass core and so separate from this discussion uh I know um assistant superintendent bassine has been working with the curriculum directors in the areas specifically of World Language and Fine Arts to confirm um whether to make sure that we have enough seats if you will to make sure that every student has the opportunity over four years to at least get one credit but obviously um ideally getting more exposure than that if possible um but we're definitely aware of that concern and with the class of 2026 and particular we want to make sure that every student has that opportunity for the two years of World Language as well as the full year of Fine Art and can I ask one other followup question I noticed that you also have down for World Language um the Seal of by literacy requirement does the and I'm Excuse me but I'm unfamiliar with this world language Department I'm only familiar with the one that I work with um are students given the opportunity to take the B biliteracy test at the end of the year within the district just as an option for their specific language yes yes they are I in fact um I had the opportunity with principal mangelo to speak to all of the 10th graders last week um just because of a question that many of them are asking is okay if the mcast is no longer required for compens determination why are we still doing this and we had a really great conversation all 500 10th graders than us in the auditorium it was great they were really really really engaged our student representative was there hopefully she can be my witness it was good right okay uh and um one of the things that we talked about we talked about the Adam scholarship we talked about other other reasons why knowing where you stand as far as being prepared for the future is valuable and this is a a standard that's used across the Commonwealth for that purpose but we also in that discussion um there was a a question that came up about bilingualism and how the the value of bilingualism and um Mr mangel made the statement um about the the SE by literacy that test mcast for English but then for the other the other languages that that's available to them in in in a host of languages okay thank you yes anyone else Miss Macklin then we'll go to miss bfor uh thank you Mr chair um superintendent can you um tell us a little bit about the language for the certificate of attainment that's not something that I'm familiar with um and just wondering how that differs from the diploma language um and is that used outside of Massachusetts yes so the the and I'll invite assistance presend McDonald to come up make sure that I I don't misspeak but um essentially when mcast was a graduation or the requirement for the competency determination if a student had met all the other local requirements but had not passed mcass uh as an acknowledgement of what they had achieved they were given a certificate of attainment and allowed to participate in the graduation ceremony even though they were not given a diploma is that correct that's correct and most of those students then stayed on with us to do a transition program and were um allowed to stay till their 22 and then left us on their 22 22nd birthday um just as a um a point we already have had students calling us that have certificates of containment looking so we are already working with families on that thank you thank you thank you m pfor don't walk away Pam no just a very quick question so that would be students that like took mcast alts okay okay that makes makes me happy though uh superintendent just a quick question on um in regards to so all of the the competency determination proposals like they tie to mcast somewhat because um math 2 English 10 those are both sophomore courses that you would you'd be taking that or you'd be um that information would be in mcast correct I'm just curious what in Science Biology so mcast we take our freshman your nth grade mcast correct biology but why physics because physics isn't offered usually until junior year so I'm just curious why such the big difference in the science requirement that's a great great question patora so the in question two is um the the language of question two which is now the law um it's it does say um coursework equivalent to what was tested on the 2023 mcast and in 2023 there was English language arts that all 10th graders were required to take and the um the math mcast that all students were required to take and then in science there were only two tests that were offered one in biology and one in physics they had phased out chemistry and they had phased out the engineering test so the only two were those and unlike um English language arts and math which are always administered in 10th Grade those two tests are administered at the end of the year when that course is taken so if they were in physics in 11th grade and they had not taken Biology previously to already meet the mcash requirement they would take the physics test some schools offer physics as a nth grade course also and and they take it then um but that's why those two those two subjects are called out because those were the only science tests that were um administered in 2023 thank you thank you over to Miss Rose zberg thank you Mr chair a quick question or might not be depending on the answer um looking at it um you know demonstrating Mastery of skills compen and curriculum Frameworks in the areas um and is evidenced by a passing score in the class if we can talk about that and what would be the definition of a passing score does that include a d all the way up to an A and sort of interested in hearing how other committee members feel about that thank you thank you for that question um so the idea is that if they obtain a credit in that class which would be for a d or higher then yes that would be considered a passing score and again the intent here is to avoid creating more of a hurdle for students than they would have faced had that been the mcast itself um and so and to not again to avoid moving the goalposts in an extreme way as students are entering the home stretch towards the graduation um so so that could be uh the definition of of Mastery as as passing a passing score could be an area that the committee might revisit um anecdotally we uh have paid attention to what some of our peer districts um have been doing and we've seen draft policies from across the state from many urban districts but also uh other um districts that are more affluent you might say and the our the language that we're proposing here is consistent with with what the majority of this districts are also doing for 2025 thank you thank you so we'll entertain any motions Mr Bernard um you can tell me whether this is appropriate or inappropriate but I think we should go and um send this to poliy for review and um we can have a discussion about it there and then go and bring it back to the city council unless we want to go and I'm sorry bring it back to the school C it's been a long day stand by because I think the superintendent's team were hoping for Action tonight or do I have that wrong the superintendent team would love to see action tonight um I think the class of 2025 more than more than we would like to see um something more immediate because um just to make sure that there isn't any surprises waiting for them as we get closer to the to the day um I'll withdraw that but I'll make another motion to go and for us to go and and vote on that tonight to accept it and Mr Bernard as the super intendent said down the road we can revisit that we can look at what M Rose iberg said about um the uh grades and but I think for now we just need to react and get something in place for uh the student rep and others so motion made well I want to wait for a second anybody want to Second it second for purp second for purposes of discussion uh that was Miss fapor all right so now it's properly before us Miss Hy and then we'll go to Miss Rose zberg I'm wondering if we can um just pull them apart meaning if can we vote on the 2025 um graduation requirements tonight and get that handled and then send the second portion to policy are we allowed to do that or no does it have to be all in the because they're different right well their criteria is different I guess is what I'm looking at so for 2025 versus the 2026 and Beyond so the the what was already in place in in the student handbooks that have been in the program of studies that have been approved in years past was that the local graduation requirements um meaning the courses that need to be passed um were changing for the class of 2026 going forward and that's already that's already been established and we've been working and preparing students to meet those requirements the the other piece is um would be the same for all students the competency determination so if the policy were adopted that would be in place and then but could also be revised in the future okay at the pleasure of the committee okay thank you thank you m Roseberg um just raising a question procedurally uh when a motion is done this way that we do have because there's um policies on how we have to adopt or amend policiy so we would have to set those aside um sort of a step process so that vote would have to be taken before we can make an adoption okay superintendent's nodding so further expound um got to try to find where I put the um the policy in place on how to adapt I got to try to find it now um to make an amendment or which because we have policy on in place I have been looking it up today it's policy [Music] bgb ummit time for study of all policies or amendments to policies is a portion of it um it must be presented in an agenda items to the committee in the following sequence and information item a discussion item then an action item but motions to amended policy a draft policy and the action item must be made in writing but then the school commit be made dispense with the above sequence to meet emergency conditions by a 2third vote okay motion to suspend do of rules motion by Mr Bernard seconded by Miss Bor everybody clear on what we're doing here any questions click call a roll CHR yes Mr drummy yes Mr McCarthy yes M Bor yes Miss mlin yes Miss Wy yes Mr greay yes Mr Bernard yes Mr Ros iberg yes okay that carries unanimously now back to the motion you made it was seconded by Miss ffor to adopt right Mr Bernard who with the sponsor clerk will call the rooll May Christenson yes Mr drummy yes Mr McCarthy yes M VOR no M mlin yes Miss Mory yes Mr Gray yes Mr Bernard yes Mr ryberg yes okay that that carries nine to 8 to One 8 to1 y all right very good let's keep it going budget introduction all right thank you for that um as um many of you aware two weeks ago the uh Administration and Boston released the uh proposed budget for this coming year and um the um Chapter 70 Aid and Foundation budget was also announced for school districts across the Commonwealth um I'm just going to be um just reminding us about chapter 70 is all about what the foundation budget is and what it consists of some comparisons with Malden and some of our surrounding districts that we are we find um very uh important to keep an eye on and then also our um next steps so Chapter 70 um as you will recall is the go the law that governs funding for all public schools in the Commonwealth it establishes minimum spending requirements for each school district and it also establishes minimum requirements for each city or town as far as its share of those costs and then for the the additional part of that um that that spending for each each district is made up by state aid or chapter 78 so in the foundation budget for 2026 um every K12 student uh will be at this point projected to be funded at a a um a pure people rate in Malden of $1,830 per student if the governor's budget is approved by the legislature as it's been proposed prek students are not funded to the same degree um those students who receive at least two hours of Special Education Services per week um they are funded at a per pupil flat rate and last fiscal year that was $4,875 stud uh and we don't know yet we haven't confirmed what that rate would be for 20 uh 2026 yet but the foundation budget and Foundation enrollment includes all of Malden Public Schools students who were enrolled in our schools but it also includes funding for tuition payments to those who are enrolled in charter schools anywhere in the State vocational schools except for Northeast vocational because that's a different um Arrangement and then um other school districts students who are going to other school districts through the school choice program which we don't participate in but our students are eligible to go out if they find a district that does um participate in school choice and so here's the the foundation enrollment for the last four fiscal years uh you can see that it's been in the 6800 to U 6900 range um and again this is It's includes our uh pre 12 enrollment but it also includes those students who were in charter schools those who are in through school choice and other districts and those who are also participating in vocational programs the foundation budget the total Foundation budget for this year if the governor's budget is approved would be 13 30 million 437,000 um plus the required local contribution would be 60 million so that's the part that the city of Malden would be required to to contribute to that Foundation budget and then 69 million will be coming um from the state and again this amount includes the the funds that are paid out as tuition to the charter schools and to vocational schools and um students who are attending other districts so this is just some data that um you I believe I've seen I know you've seen before because I saw some members of our legislative delegation presenting to you on on YouTube last year when I was researching Malden Public Schools for a potential job here and um the at for this uh fiscal year 2024 uh Malden's uh funding was 2 20 2 20 218 million rather 800,000 and this is our population I'm sorry that's the available revenue for this for the city not the not the not the budget for the school district and my bad the uh that's a lot more than the budget of the school district to be clear um the foundation enrollment was 6,9 927 this year our local contribution as I showed in in the previous slide and the chapter 8 chapter 78 are those amounts in the foundation budget but you can look at our surrounding some of our surrounding neighboring cities and their populations are not that much greater than ours but the amount that they receive in chapter um 78 um relative to what they require as a local contribution is quite significant this is another representation of that um fiscal 23 24 25 26 um with a with a floor of 50 million um our chapter 78 has been going up and this was a part of the the promise of the student Opportunity Act that school districts with communities like ours with students that had the demographic profile of students like ours would receive more money um increasingly over a six-year period through the student Opportunity Act but as you can also see uhu some of our neighboring um cities have received much much more in that chapter 78 um through the through the same the same funding formula and so I know that there's conversations that have been ongoing with our State Legislative delegation about how to examine those um discrepancies that are disadvantaging the students here in Malden relative to their neighbors in the these surrounding towns this is another interesting um statistic just as a percentage of the city's local Revenue um Malden is between 25 and 30% of its local revenue from the city is uh there is the required contribution for um for the foundation budget and then you can see that that that percentage for these other cities um is significantly less so just important context and I guess the last thing I would just say as we get into the next steps is that as you're aware um each January um there's U some anxious expectation of the governor's budget coming out and not knowing whether we're going to see increases or or decreases um and to what extent um that student Opportunity Act will be um bearing the the promise that it was intended to Bear here in Malden um and this year um things were we did see an increase and we're grateful for that but each year it it does make it difficult to plan too far in advance because you don't know um we don't have any assurance that that's going to continue um but the budget subcommittee uh will be Miss pedor informed me we'll be announcing meetings uh for next year's budget development to begin after February break um we uh at the district office are will be having preliminary enrollment and Staffing projection meetings with our School principles um and as we've um everyone's aware I believe we've opened contract negotiations with our labor Partners the modern Education Association um we have continued advocacy going on with our state legisl delegation um to reform Chapter 70 uh funding formulas or to at least look at why certain communities like ours are not receiving the benefit that um we definitely should be and then lastly a report of Entry findings with proposed areas of a development for our next strategic plan will be coming in the spring and with that I just want to plug three opportunities parents and community members give input into that I'll be uh what I've learned from to and all the data we've looked at and all visited all the classrooms months um the district PTO will be hosting the first of those Gatherings at Fair way school Thursday the 13th having a superintendent at M they've been gracious to um offer me the um the opportunity to share findings at their March meeting um which will be announced and that I believe will be held at salemwood school so um with that I do want to acknowledge um Tony MZ our Director of Finance and operations who's with a broad smile in the back of the room um so you may have detailed questions that I may not and she's of course available to answer questions related to budget also questions of the team any questions m spor thank you Mr chair uh no question but whenever I can get on my soap box when it comes to Chapter 70 um and our formula that puts us at quite a disadvantage compared to the communities that surround us um and this analogy I I love because all of us up here who have door knocked for this job have come across people that have said well I don't don't pay attention to the school committee because I don't have kids in the district and it's so much bigger than that because when you look at those numbers that show how much revenue that the city takes in how much the schools have to take and then what is left for our police and fire and so it does affect all of us so I just as we leave this room and we go that is so much need push school committee members aside because they don't have you know it doesn't affect really each and every one of us that lives so Soap Box take it over to the slide Malden foundational budget if youed 5's contribution which is 57 million the formula next year is saying Malden needs to put up 60 million so that's roughly 3 million in change locally we're capped at what we can go up each year which we do right to the limit which is 22% which equals roughly 2.5 million to $3 million so the formula is 3 million versus what we raise versus there being 40 departments across the organization you can see the conundrum that we're in thankfully as the superintendent mentioned you know we have Tony Merz and we have Ron Hogan and we have others and our organization that have been helping us navigate this but if this does not change then our reserves would be gone in four to five years because again the formula saying malda can swing another three million and that's what we bring in and we have 40 departments so something has to give here and um I was with the delegation today you know they're doing what they can but as you can imagine you do something for Malden it affects this community and that Community but you know Miss Bor and I and others have been saying well you know we're only you know we're only interested in what happens in Malden what happens elsewhere is not our concern but you could see the train wreck that um that's coming if there is no relief to this formula so any questions on that does that make sense that's probably the best way to look at it you just look at what the formulas telling us we can afford and you look at what we generate it's a wash and you have besides the school department 39 40 other departments you have to fund so all right well let's jump down to um subcommittee reports let's go to Mr R zberg thank you Mr chair um very quick um update so we had met back in um January the things that we are looking at our um after discussion had happened um looking at if we would like to make any changes or make any recommendations to changing when somebody moves out of the district and we sort of narrowed it down to potentially making a change to if somebody's in the 12th grade what we might do um so we'll be looking at that and waiting to get we'll be getting feedback also from Central because there's different imp you know to make sure we're covering all the bases there's different facets of it from Transportation things like that that we want to make sure when we put something forward that we have already discussed all of that um and also looking at potentially making changes to different um documents that are uh being allowed to be used for registering your child in the school um interestingly since we've done that along with what folks have mentioned there have been changes I've been watching a lot of different um webinars and things and with the current um status of um what's going on um people are making recommendations on taking a look at what you ask for as far as using for documents to register your kids so it's a timely we were we were ahead of ahead of it see that um but they're recommending that you do take a look at what you um use for that so we'll be meeting again and then reporting back to full committee pretty soon okay any questions thank you okay Miss spor I'm gonna wing it because my laptop just died with my notes in front of me so um so negotiation subcommittee met uh January 23rd for our first bargaining session with the Malden Education Association um we are currently in um bargaining uh sessions with all three of their units units a b and c which represent um their Educators the um directors and assistant principles as well as educational support professionals um in that first meeting meeting uh we established ground rules um and I think probably the biggest ground rule is going to be all of our future sessions are going to be completely open um and that means open to the public you will be able to um come to hear council chambers for future meetings and um still treated as though a public meeting of the school committee so um there would be any public comment or part participation per se but be able to see um what goes on in these sessions and um I think it's it's really good actually to be able to share that with the community um and and hear what's going on um let's see if my laptop has started um those that would like to follow along the um district has a dedicated page to this it's um www.m maldenps.org negotiations D updates and on that page you can find um the dates for upcoming meetings um some frequently asked questions if you're not familiar with um the bargaining process the current contracts which part of my my speaking points were just to add that the contracts do expire on August 31st 2025 and we are very hopeful that we will not go a day past that um and um and any proposals will be on the website as well so um I invite the community to follow along um be a part of the process um and I look forward to seeing um everybody else at the February 27th is [Music] our that's okay oh yes I got it right good memory um and again you can find all that information on the web page so update on negotiations thank you questions Mr M thank you Mr chair um so I want to go and put forth a uh a resolution here to go and talk to our state legislation uh State delegation concerning uh the Chapter 70 funding and particularly the part that has to go and deal with um how they go on they calculate the in the inflation rate um I think tonight we actually got some very sobering information about how uh how about Chapter 70 is uh the formula needs to get looked at um we know that there are Parts there that uh certainly hurt molon um this is one that U came out of a coalition uh with a number of other cities that are facing the same problem uh School members uh school committee members from havil from Chelsea uh uh Swansea down the cape uh various places where they're also going going to be hit particularly hard want to go and do the best for their students want to make sure that we're getting paid and that we can go and we can get the funding that we need to really go and give our kids the education they deserve um effectively what this would go and do is if we can go and we can get our legislators to go and look at this is right now the cap is for what they will go and look at for inflation the index it at somewhere around 4 and a half% that and don't ever uh think that that was going to increase when they formed this originally um this would actually go and bump that this up to 7% and as we know inflation has been in Parton has been extensive and it's been large uh if anyone has gone and bought eggs recently if anyone has gone to the grocery stores and realized exactly how much you're owing and paying for uh your cansas soda your uh your rice your uh your various food stuffs they have all gone up amazingly and they've gone up not by 7% not by 4 and a half% but closer to 10 11 20 and that also reflects in everything that the school system's going by that reflects in every teacher and uh educational professional because their budget for those things suddenly is increased it affects every single one of us um we just need the state to go and and put a reasonable a more reasonable number and I think that given again that information that we got tonight uh going and asking our delegation to push for this um it's not just it's not just smart it's necessary for of a motion second by Mr drummy any questions on it everybody's had a chance to look at it I mean it's not that Panacea for us but out of respect to you I'm going to vote for it thank you cck call the roll yes Mr drummy yes Mr McCarthy yes Miss Bora yes Miss Macklin yes Miss Wy yes Mr Gray yes Mr Bernard yes Mr ryberg yes okay that carries unanimously all right everybody Personal Privilege left to right Mr drummy thank you Mr chairman um the Fairway has a paper drive going on or a paper goods Drive I should say they're looking for uh plates napkins cups tablecloths whatever they can do they'll be taking them up till February 13th just to help out when they do their functions at the school uh parent teacher conference will be Tuesday the 11th from 3:30 to 5: parents are requested to get in touch with their students teachers to make appointments for that uh to delegate some time for that uh that's where how they're meeting because later on that night the PTO and the SSC are meeting on Zoom or in this case uh Google meets uh to get there again go to the ferryway school PTO site it'll give you the instructions on how to hook up and go from there um I just want to mention that last Thursday they had a fairway karaoke night unfortunately I couldn't make it but I saw the pictures now that involved children adults someone who mayor knows uh and uh several others and it looked like they had a great time there was face painting uh the kids had a ball they dressed up they had a really good time and I this this PTO has really done well and they're going to keep doing it again and again so uh it was a fun night uh last but not least uh well second to last but not least uh school break 17th through the 22nd no school kids will be happy parents will be going crazy and for those of you that uh oh I don't know support The Confectionary and greeing card companies uh the 14th Happy Valentine's Day children have a good one thank you Mr chairman thank you I I think Miss Hy thank you Mr chair on uh Wednesday February 12th there will be parent teacher conferences at the Forestdale School from 3:30 to 5: um but most importantly important to me and should be important to all of us it's National School counseling week yay um it is an essential function within a school district that a lot of people are unaware of the roles and responsibilities of our school counselors and school adjustment counselors are something that's often under the radar they spend a lot of time with students both individually and groups and within the classroom um getting to know them in ways that other people in the building don't getting to support them and their family in ways that other people within school don't um most people don't even know that this is their week but I want to highlight um how fortunate we are to have all of the great folks that we do working in the Malden Public Schools in that capacity so thank you thank you over to miss Macklin thank you Mr chair um I have an announcement uh some announcements from the ELC report cards for all students and progress reports for students with disabilities will be sent home on February 6th and 7th report card conferences will be held during the week of February 10th through the 14th the ELC PTO is collecting items for their gift basket raffle notices were sent home in backpacks uh raffle tickets will go on sale next week let's sell as many tickets as possible the ELC winter festival will take place on February 28th from 5: to 7:00 p.m. join us for an evening of Music gift basket Raffles and a ton of fun and from the high school um in celebration of Black History Month the malen high school afro Caribbean Club will be holding a celebration of culture dance and food on Thursday this coming Thursday February 6 from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. quarter 2 report cards will be available in Aspen on February 6 the class of 2027 will be hosting the cupit shuffle on Wednesday February 12th and MHS caregiver faculty conferences will be held on Thursday February 13th from 3:30 to 5: um and lastly um Bell of the ball is back uh Bell of the ball is uh an initiative that helps uh Juniors and seniors with prom attire and accessories um students in the high school do need a referral um I'll certainly distribute the form to guidance counselors at the high school and share uh with my colleagues up here for their constituents as well there are some important deadlines um the early bird referral um I think that ends soon I think that ends on Friday and so with the early bird incentive uh students can choose and select the time that they would like to do their shopping you're paired with a personal shopper who will help you select a gown or whatever it is that you choose to wear to the prom and with shoes and accessories um so that deadline is this Friday the deadline for any referrals would be March 14th and the shopping day is March 22nd and that's all I have thank you m Rose zberg thank you Mr chair some information from the lynon PTO on Wednesday this Wednesday it's the winter walk to school um two meeting locations um one is Steve's Corner which is on Salem Street the other one is at the hawkridge Delta which is on Beach Street where Lawrence crosses that um meeting times are 7:30 to aim to be there and to be leaving the locations at 7:45 and then walking to the school other events they have coming up the SG Club is hosting a movie night for students in grades 5 to 8 this coming Friday they're also currently selling carnations that'll be delivered on Valentine's Day the deadline for that is Wednesday for ordering um those are believe $2 a piece um and they are hosting those events to help raise the funds um so they can go to their next model un events they also are the PTO is hosting a night out for students in grades 3 to 5 at launch Trampoline Park in wubber and that is on Wednesday February 26 from 5:30 to 6:30 it's not a fundraiser just a chance to get together and flyers be looking for flyers for that to be going home and they we have started a few committees for some upcoming events they have their Multicultural celebration night committee that will be planning um there's different subcommittees within that that they'll be needing and so please be looking for some announcements on that um this one I think sounds like a lot of fun the messy science Day committee um which is an idea that's coming from parents and teachers to utilize the driveway for um different activities um that will also be coming up the U month of February is also the readathon month we talked about that last month um there will be three prizes this year a pizza party for first place popsicle party for second and a reader swag bag for third they are encouraging kids to read and I'm especially um still continuing that reading during break um and next Thursday they're celebrating kindergarten 100th day of school with a throwback Thursday Spirit day encouraging everybody to dress like their kindergarten self as well as having a guess who who of teachers and staff photos from their kindergarten um school photo and the PTO has uh purchased some prizes to make the day special for kindergarteners um February 14th is also school resource officer day and they're hoping to get handmade cards together um to give to them from the students and the last one I have they're working with chess Wizards to offer chess classes on Tuesdays starting March 4th until the end of April the class with chess Wizards is open to students in grades K to 5 with limited space and the cost is $28 a class those will be held in the library and flyers and signups for the class will be coming out this week as well thank you thank you Mr Bernard yeah my apologies that I didn't catch the inline thing and had to go and find my email uh so uh some announcements from the St uh from the salemwood uh uh this Wednesday uh there is an early dismissal at 11:00 a.m. uh on next Wednesday February 12th there is going to be a school council meeting at 5:00 pm um there is a virtual component to that and uh the fto will be meeting at 6:00 p.m. in the 5 the the 5K uh Cafe and then of course February vacation kids be nice to your parents they'll take you out to someplace nice like the movies and just leave you there for a few hours it'll be fine uh is February 17th through the 21st um and just something a little personal for me I I know that right now there's a lot of chaos that is coming from uh Washington DC um I know that there's a lot of uh people that are anxious um and I want to go and just let people know there are places that if you want to get active you can you feel re feel free to reach out to me and I can plug you in if you feel you need to go and do something uh I'm sure that the union has resources if you want to go and do stuff in the schools and at the very least come to these PTO functions get involved um see what the kids are doing and I can tell you that going to a karaoke night or going to a winter festival is a little way to go and give yourself a little break from some of the chaos that's going on and one of the things that we need to go and do is remember that even when things are horrendous we need to go and make sure that we're really looking for joy and happiness where we can find it thank you Miss Bor thank you Mr chair um out of BB we have a whole District early dismissal 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday um on the 6th Thursday there's a title one bre breakfast happening at 8:15 a.m. make sure you check your U backpacks because report cards will be sent home as well um February 14th we have Spirit day and the last day for Access testing February vacation and the BB School site Council will be meeting on the 26th of February 5:00 pm uh couple districtwide the Malden CPAC is hosting Rachel Duffy from constellations to discuss what is Aba and how does it support my students educational Journey this meeting is going to be held February 10th 6:30 at the Salem Wood School 5 through 8 cafeteria um congratulations to the Malden swim team they are the Greater Boston League champions for the fourth season in a row it's not too late then to support the golden tornadoes uh club with the golden tornadoes comedy show fundraiser at Giggles Comedy club/ Prince Pizza Wednesday February 12th at 6:30 p.m. um and then a big um shout out and good luck success in a competition the malen high school science competition Club is heading to Brown University for the Science Olympiad on Saturday February 8th Malden is one of 50 teams in 31 schools participating and then lastly uh I'm gonna I said soap box I'm going to get on my milk box just because I've had some parents um and students actually um concerned about why there is no more chocolate milk in the cafeteria and um that is not because we don't love chocolate milk and we know our kids um chocolate milk if you're going to drink milk chocolate's the way to go however the USDA is saying that um milk based products should have no more than 10 grams of added sugars to that chocolate milk and if we were to put that in our cafeterias anything more than that we will not get reimbursed um for any of our meals so if you're not seeing chocolate milk it's because we cannot put it out there anymore however there is um Dairy Farmers Across America and this is what I was doing my research on today are coming up with low um sugar options of chocolate milk so we can get it back in the cafeteria so stay tuned it might not be here right now however um it could be coming back so we didn't take it away because we we don't love some good chocolate milk thank you good all right everyone so motion to go into executive session motion by Mr drummy seconded by Mr Bernard Kirk will call the rooll mayor Christensen yes Mr drummy yes Mr McCarthy yes Miss Bora yes Miss Macklin yes Miss Wy yes Mr Gray Mr Bernard Mr ryberg yes okay school committee is here by an executive session recording stopped e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e recording in prog do I have any motions Mr Bernard I'd like to make the motion that we uh accept the and approve the contract for SEIU uh is it 888 uh effective for September 1st 20124 do I have any seconds seconded by Mr McCarthy the clerk will call the role yes that passes unanimously and just to note that that passed in executive session unan unanimously as well do I have any additional motions Miss hordy motion to meeting motion to adjourn by Miss hordy seconded by Mr McCarthy all those in favor say I all those opposed the eyes have it school committee is here by adjourned recording stopped you're welcome