e e e e hi uh I don't see the agenda on the city website I don't see that I don't see this posted on the city website but can you tell me where it is on the school
website hi Dr gloy I don't it's not on the city it's not posted on the city website this meeting either of these meetings which is usually where I find the agendas can you just direct me on the schoolb I'm gonna go check it out right now please okay thank
you here we go you pulled it up from the school website just now yeah I logged in I logged on from the school website okay okay but we don't post the agendas in the school website
okay I see the agenda there you do I don't I was gonna say I thought I saw the agenda too because that's where you get the link because it's all on there all right it's not not pulling up either for me on my computer here the link or
the agenda I just put it in the um chat thanks yes it's here okay good as long as you all can see it somewhere that's thank you okay we have for
see we should be good I think maybe just um member reinfeld we're waiting for so I'll just read it is 6 5:32 so I'll read the um agenda the fourth regular meeting of the meis school committee Wednesday February 26
2025 will come to order this is a remote only meeting executive sessions at 5:30 and our regular meeting is at 6:00 p.m. please be advised that there will be a meeting of the Medford school committee held via remote participation only this meeting is being recorded the meeting
can be viewed live on the medfit public schools YouTube channel through medfit Community media on your local cable channel Comcast 98 or 22 and Verizon 43 4547 participants can lo call or log in by using the following link which is on
the agenda on the school website the meeting ID is 951 64621 937 member rouso if you could call the role please oh there you member
brandley presid member Graham is that a present rememberr I see your face so you're muted can you hear me here yes okay sorry member Anapa here member here
member Ry F present member present mayor Longo Ken present um seven present zero absent if I'm don't believe there's any student reps on just yet and if we all may rise to salute the flag please pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and the
Republic which it stands one nation under God liberty and justice for all thank you and we have executive session in a motion to enter into executive session pursuant to general laws 30A section 21 A3 the meod school
committee will convene an executive session to discuss strategy with respect to litigation with respect to codus versus Medford Public Schools the Medford school committee will convene public session immediately following the conclusion of the executive session at approximately 6 PM is there a motion to
go into executive session motion to go into executive session by member brandley seconded by second member Graham roll call please member brandley yes member gr yes
member and TOA well he's coming in again I'll come back member Ola yes member reinfeld yes member so yes Marland goar yes member TAA assuming this is a motion to go into executive
session sorry yes seven in the affirmative zero in the negative we are going to go into executive session and we're going to bring um attorney Austin with us thank you e
e e e e e e e e e e
e e e e e e e e e e hi everybody we're back
Dr Cushing any student reps and then we're going to just start recording or I apologize we are uh we do not have student reps at this moment okay thank you and I it it looks like we are recording so I'll just continue um thank you we have our consent agenda
approval of bills and payrolls approval of capital purchases approval of Grant approval of field trips approval of meeting minutes and those are the regular meeting minutes from February 10th 2025 is there a motion on the floor for approval motion to
approve by member brandley second by member ol uh roll call please member brandley yes member Graham yes member inapa yes
member olapa yes member reinfeld yes membera yes mayor Londo K yes seven the affirmative zero and the negative consent agenda is approved we do not have any reports of subcommittees we do have three reports of our superintendent the first is the international travel
and exchange I'm going to turn it over to Dr Peter Cushing assistant superintendent and Miss Vilma bedau oh I pronounced that wrong B director of World Language sorry about that good evening Madame mayor members of the school committee uh thank you
very much for this opportunity uh for us to speak to you this evening um on what we're looking at as an upgraded um opportunity for our students to be truly immersed in uh our world languages program at Medford High School and
within the Medford Public Schools um myself and Dr bibo will be presenting to you this evening on this tremendous opportunity um so benefits of an exchange program um really gives students a true better understanding of different cultural and Community
perspectives and also gives students an opportunity for a increased interest in global issues um a true Exchange program also provides students an opportunity to be immersed in their experience with
their host families but to also not simply be voyers as they travel through a country and briefly engage with the um the experiences um Dr BAU would you like to add anything at this time good evening everyone thank you for
having us tonight um my personal experience with Exchange program in another District um has been that this besides the tremendous opportunity the kids have while traveling to another country and make friends but then creating those lifelong uh relationships
with those uh students the students come back so they have the opportunity or vice versa they have the opportunity to see those students and to visit each other's countries and families and interact with each other um it's a beautiful opportunity because they built
something beyond what a a normal trip will give and they really immerse themselves to the language and the culture of the country that they that visiting um if you allow me I can explain a little bit more of what uh how
this came about uh we were um approached by a school in Italy uh in a venito area uh Northeast of Italy uh near uh Venice and um we did the school as they provide
us with um all the benefits and the structure that the school is um that they have to offer is a high school just like ours a little smaller they have traveled um to the United States before in fact uh I believe they have a trip
schedule now to Chicago and they would like to come to Massachusetts they have been in Massachusetts before also by another District uh but the district that were hosted before they did not want to go back to Venice so they approached us um lovely uh people uh I
have communicated with the teacher several times and um they would like to come to visit us in October next October 2025 and we will go then visit them in octob in April
2026 um the dates are still to be determined because we want to make sure that everybody's on board uh them just like us they need to propose this to their um school committee and they need to to approve the dates in the meantime
uh we are busy organizing what this ex exchange can look like now in terms of Metford this will be a pilot program we are planning to um to try this and see how this goes uh with a small group uh
15 10 to 15 students but the group that is coming from Italy will be more or less the same amount uh we're talking about 15 maximum 17 uh students again high school students uh this means that these
students will be um hosted by our family our community so our next step will be if um this this pilot program will be approved uh The Next Step will be to um involve the community and see who would
like to host students and um and teachers two teachers from Italy and two teachers possibly a third chut on going to Italy from Medford going to Italy um once we have um the interested uh
parties we will have conversation meetings with the families what to expect uh we will have a conversation with um the tra travel agency before we em embarked in this
beautiful um initiative uh we consulted with local schools district they have already they have years of experience with exchange programs and we were between all the recommendations that we
got uh we were recommended to contact promotor promotor seems to be an agency a travel agency who has a study um program in terms of dealing with exchange programs and in fact we uh
immediately contact them they've been very responsive and they already provided us with a package of what our um Exchange program will look like if I have a few more minutes I can briefly tell you how this is going to look for
uh Medford so when we go we're talking about 10 days uh during April vacation 2026 and uh we will arrive to Venice from Venice we'll go to the school in Molano near
Venice um we'll take the train to go to Molano we'll be welcome there and we'll meet students um faculty and families then the students U will go to their respective families together with the
teachers teachers as well and then we will spend in Within These 10 days we will spend uh five six days in the school um exchanging um with a school program and Etc we we we're going to be
in their schools in their school and um the other days will be traveling to Milano Milan um Venice of course and Verona uh and um I'm missing something um Venice Verona Milano and I thought I
had something else but those are are the oaps triso these are all local uh cities uh surrounding cities the promo tour will guide us we'll have a guide we'll take us to these places we'll visit
museums uh local historical places and um they will we we will provide children with um our kids with a meal a lunch and then this will be one day trips and we'll return to
Molano that evening and um kids will go back to their respective families then when we'll do another city we'll repeat the same thing I'm going to pause for a second Dr Cushing um I know there's probably so much curiosity we're still
in the beginning of organizing this of brainstorming so um there's still so much work to be done but I would um if you have any questions um of course the travel uh has um um includes uh an
insurance cancellation Insurance um if students needs to come back over here for a medical reason um it includes all the packet includes all of this meals as I Transportation meals all of it Dr kushin so we are also
uh just so the committee is aware because this has been an issue previously we are offering uh For $52 included in the overall price a cancel at any time policy up to 48 hours prior to departure um so our families will
have that opportunity uh and I believe it's $522 uh this is a really great opportunity uh the students as um Dr bbo mentioned the um will be visiting us in October exact dates yet to be determined
um and we expect 17 students to visit with their Medford High School Host families um during that time so uh and then in April 15 2025 uh I'm sorry April 15th to the 25th
of 202 6 so just about 14 months away we will depart in a pilot with a very small group 15 students um to stay with Italian host families and to participate in their school and cultural experiences uh this is a program that is brand new
to Medford uh and something that we're very excited to take the opportunity to try so academic requirements uh requiring a 90 commun of average in World language classes overall 83 semester average no suspensions academic
dishonesty or pattern of inappropriate behavior uh attendance and participation in orientation meetings leading up to this for both the host families as well as our students who will be living with the Italian uh host families uh and then
a journaling of their observations from the trip uh are there any questions I'll stop the share briefly but to see if there are any questions from the Comm committee at this time thank thank you both very much um for the good presentation sounds like a great opportunity are there any
questions from the chair is there a motion for approval I'll make a motion to approve I'm really excited second motion for approval by member ol second by member brandley um before I call the role member taba do
you have any questions yeah just one quick question um just looking at the climate and especially with traveling and you know everything that's going on do we expect that any possible executive orders or any of the already written executive orders may have an impact on the implementation of
this um program just so that we're aware and we understand any risks that may come with it uh thank you member and TOA at this time uh and you know obviously there have been a host of executive orders nothing at this time leads us to believe
that there will be any impact uh on our travel to Italy or Italian students attending school here for the two weeks thank you just wanted to just to double check on that obviously it's ever changing but for the time being before
we vote I just want to know so appreciate it great um good thank you for the questions um member Russo if you could call the role he member brand oh I sorry I had a question oh sorry member reinfeld yeah I
think my hand is the same color as my wall um I'm curious what happens if demand exceeds Supply on this one like this is super exciting and I think a lot of people be interested I think there are some really real Financial challenges for Equity
but what's the what's the protocol so I can take that um so in terms of uh if it becomes uh you you mean if it becomes very popular more kids if more people want to do this than there is room for it do you
have to be a host family to be an exchange family or to just for your student to go is the um so if I'm understanding uh your question um so F first of all uh the no
the hting family doesn't necessarily need to go to Italy to to host um ideally that would be the real exchange so my daughter I would host with my daughter going to madford for
example and then my daughter will go to Italy that will be um the the real exchange the real meaning of the exchange but of course if that doesn't align it will be okay as long as okay with the family it's okay then if I um
if I understood your question I think you also had a financial question that Dr kosing and I are uh working uh to also get some um to look into some scholarships to help uh these students
the prices of this trip is very far more economical I mean it is a very competitive price from what I've seen of Europe but it is still Yes uh but it's it's still of course it's ay every trip is ay with we're already looking into scholarship
to try to in fact um actually I'm I'm anticipating something there's something coming later that Mr Cushing is going to um is going to present that I already asked if that could be part of U this program could be included as part of
this go program a recent fund that we just received um so we'll be looking on that too I hope I answered your question and then I was just wondering if what if more people want to go than there are more than 15 students so so for this trip for this trip we will be having to
have a cap as this is our first time and absolutely we really want to make sure that um students that we really want to make sure that we as an organization this is a significant shift in our travel practices and we really want to make sure that as an organization we do
this well uh and we understand that um you know how our students are operating within other fam's homes and so uh in speaking with Dr BAU we just want want to be cautious on this first one um
before we launch uh hopefully what will in the future be a significantly larger group um so I I think that you know we may have some families who are disappointed but I think what our not I think I know that our plan is to start with seniors uh and then work down through
the world languages so that there'll be opportunities in the future and hopefully this becomes an annual experience not just for Italy but for other um other opportunities other not that age prioritization was I think what I was getting thank
you no further questions roll call please member brandley yes member Graham yes uh member inava yes member olapa yes member reinfeld yes member Russo yes L
go yes seven the affirmative zero in the negative U motion is approved thank you Miss babau and Dr Cushing for the presentation thank you so much we have um job description for facilities director and assistant
director Dr Peter Cushing superintendent assistant superintendent of schools uh hello again I do want to apologize uh I missed the window to hand my daughter McKenzie off so she's joining me right now I apologize she's being much louder than I
anticipated apologize so um so uh the job descriptions one of the things that we've been doing over the last several years is updating and reviewing our job descriptions with the supplemental budget thanks to the approval of the overrides in Medford uh we have a added
an assistant facilities director uh and in order to hire that position we needed to create a new job description uh I will screen share that with the committee right now um and uh take any feedback or comments you may
have member brandley so I have a question um so do we already have the facilities director the position filled can you hear me or can I just not hear Peter oh we can hear you and the answer
is yes yeah yes I apologize I didn't know if I was muted or unmuted yes the position is filled right now um but the job description um has not been updated in I don't know how long it's not dated um and what we did was we took a look
for both of these um at a significant number about 12 districts in all honesty to really compile the expectations uh around um the these job descriptions uh I believe the first one on the agenda is actually the assistant
facilities director am I able to have like a point of clarification absolutely absolutely I think it's important for the context of having the job description for an assistant f um
facilities director to see the job description for the director position and then we're able to see what the the demands and the expectations and the the requirements are for the director position when we're looking and viewing
the um what's needed for an assistant director position if that makes sense okay so who's the facility director John mlin all right that's what I thought and then I'm like no he's building in grounds and I'm like is that the same thing so I didn't know if we
were trying to approve two position so I just wanted to make sure for clarity that I was on the same yep you are yeah the member brandley the uh language is updated to really uh recognize uh how the field has
changed perfect thank you mayor member gram um just to point another um small clarification before Dr kushen Dives in here um the school committee is required
to approve all job descriptions and uh we have not had a wonderful history of doing that work so part of this is to get back on track around making sure that that there are
controls in place about our job descriptions so I I know that the job for the facilities director has been filled for quite sometime but I would also bet money that at that time the job description didn't come before the
school committee because that wasn't part of the typical pathway at that time so um I think we're going to approve both tonight or amend and approve um and I I agree I think it's really important to know how these two positions are supposed to work together um and um I do
have a couple questions once um Dr kushin goes through this one um whenever you're ready mayor yes thank you mogram I was just putting in the chat is there any any chance Dr Cushing you could increase the font size just so the especially the
recording grabs it yes just give me one second here did it come up so tiny so I think it's because I have a rather large monitor at home instead of two monitors so I uh let me just try to
do that actually no rush Peter can you just uh yeah you got it is that better or would it be better if I stop share and someone else shares
uh make it a little bit bigger okay there you go yeah perfect okay all right so um as the as the community uh moves forward facilities director definitely altering the name but trying to understand what is going on in the industry and what our school
uh really needs as we look for this position that's not to say the building and ground director is outdated but just want to make this a uh more contemporary um piece look at flsa um which is the fair labor standards act if I'm correct um and 260
260 days with flexible hours of supervision of various shifts uh reports to the assistant superintendent for enrichment Innovation and operations uh job description has been reviewed and approved uh as you can see I'm not going to read everything verbatim the next
part I do want to really go through though and make sure in summary um that the facilities director is responsible as a management level position for eight schools across seven buildings comprising approximately 1.2 million square feet of academic science lab
athletic and Performing Art Space and it's responsible for maintaining the best possible conditions for all staff and students these spaces in their condition are critical to the academic and extracurricular success of our state Mission so I want to be very clear about
that is that uh as I work through these job descriptions uh they aren't standing alone as managing space they're they're standing in concert with making sure that our academic and extracurricular environment has what it needs so that we
can produce the best audit the best stated outcomes for our students and be a flagship district for the Commonwealth um so the facilities director is directly responsible for the following staff members our maintenance staff an administrative assistant and assistant
facilities director which is listed as tentative right now simply because the other has not been approved facilities director is responsible for the indirect supervision of the following staff members and that's our custodial crew and they are uh under the direct
Supervision in the assistant facilities director position uh the facilities director was responsible for developing both short and long-term practices for preventive corrective and predictive maintenance and the facilities director needs to identify innovative ways in which the department can improve
functionality and will utilize existing District systems and strong organizational skills to assign work to staff members qualifications uh in researching this uh a minimum of possessing a bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year College University in one of
the following Fields Facilities Management civil engineering construction management or a closely related field however uh in working with our owners project managers and other engineering firms well specifically b2q on the HVAC process um master's degree
would definitely be prefer be preferred as we move forward with complex Building Systems especially thinking about um the potential of an updated or New Medford High School that will come through a feasibility study prior experience working with msba would be preferred
this is not just for the immediate situation but for uh statements of Interest moving forward in years in the future a minimum of 5 years related experience with two years supervising staff experience analyzing problems budgeting developing action plans
knowledge of practices related to um fiscal management um and to make sure that um we have a working knowledge of Osha EPA requirements as well as the Massachusetts building codes and an
ability to work collaboratively um to be on call uh M Graham was able to to oper a comment on that um and to be able to really make sure that they are available as situations present themselves which
in 1.2 million square feet of uh office space I'm sorry of academic and extracurricular spaces happens frequently um and the essential functions are to oversee and direct the daily operations of the facilities
Department lead departmental Personnel in collaboration with principles once again bringing it back to that academic focus and include the providing annual professional development and training or members establish a vision of um vision
for the Department that provides functionality in existing facilities manage annual service contract processes which we're really looking at preventative maintenance uh in this area but also cleaning contracts review and approve all invoices upon verification
that the work has been completed uh develop and execute an annual departmental budget review plan specifications permitting cost estimates for district projects confirm all district systems are adequately and properly maintained uh and so providing examples
here ensure District Landscaping facilities are well-maintained presentable and available to students athletes and residents and environmentally conscious manner build an administer an equipment and vehicle plan that includes acquisition maintenance and replacement McKenzie come on and
establish a weather mitigation plan to really look at uh the uh we put it forward a heat protocol to this committee but to make sure that that is inclusive of snow and advice to the superintendent of schools as needed maintain strong working relationships
with City department heads and vendors participate in the collective bargaining process and administer all contracts involving facilities Department staff um assist in the that is Believe It or Not uh that staff represents three separate bargaining units uh assist in the
negotiation and implementation of District facility leases with renters of all our facilities engage with students staff school committee board uh and general public in a manner that is professionally engaging and responsive to the suggestions and needs that are
presented and to create an energy management plan that reduces Reliance on fossil fuels uh and then the physical requirements are proforma around lifting 50 pounds uh availab to move freely within schools offices in all district spaces ability
to flex hours uh to support the needs of the district as situations arrive rise and then additional requirements attend school committee meetings when requested manages the aara plan which is our asbest maintenance plan integrated Pest Management collaborating on
District safety plan and all permits for work through the med for building inspector and perform additional duties as assigned by the assistant superintendent thank you Dr Cushing are there any questions or comments or amendments or adjustments or
emotions remember um first of all I think we should have a new rule that you should have to have a baby or a toddler on your lap for any meeting where we discuss something like this that's pretty dry um um but in all seriousness um in keeping
with with what um Vice chair Graham mentioned um you know I've been working on policy formats and all this other stuff and I just realized that we probably should have a similar kind of uh section on job descriptions so that we know in the future when a job
description was approved or amended um so I don't feel like I have anything to actually add to it but if the committee is fine I will just uh draft something to be added to those that would be very similar to our policy uh format that we've been
using I don't it doesn't need to be a motion unless somebody just thinks that's a bad idea for some reason um member Graham thank you so I did um pop a couple of changes into the um document
that you saw in Redline but the one I wanted to call out um was this uh the bullet under um uh under first section qualifications where it said be available in an on call
manner 24 hours per day um I my fear is that nobody will want this job so my suggestion is that we instead say be available to promptly address planned and unplanned needs across school
property um I'm just going to pop that in the chat if everyone is okay with that um I think that's probably slightly better language um and uh I'm just looking to see if there were any other um questions or
comments um I had I did have a comment also under essential functions where we say um manage the annual service contract process um I know that we are trying to implement service contract like preventive maintenance service contracts that will um be managed by
this team but we also have a contract cleaning service and my suggestion um is is for Dr Cushing to separate those two things out so they are they are different line items because they're sort of completely
different kinds of work in my opinion so managing a contract cleaner I know there's a Contracting piece of that but that's about like daytoday uh daily nightly performance of the contract cleaner versus like the
monthly Pest Control folks or or whatever those other um maintenance contracts will be so those would be my two suggestions um and I'd be happy to make a motion to approve as amended unless there are other questions member and
papa yeah thank you I don't really see any uh distinctions of the moment that I would change although I would um with respect to Vice chair Graham push a little bit back on the on call manner because as someone who has served in on call capacities before I feel like being
pretty blunt about the demand is almost better to like have it outright like I understand the the appeal and and trying to make sure that it's phrased in a way but um I think something about you know on just General on call support may maybe maybe you don't say 24 hours a day
because that I mean it's kind of just implied with the phrase on call support but um I think being very very blunt with that maybe um and my opinion I think is a is a better course so would you like to sever that
Amendment yeah if we could sever that Amendment that'd be great I mean I mean I'm also I'm also open to amending the amendment and just saying to just be available in an on call support manner throughout the year as opposed to in an on call manner 24 hours a day throughout
the year M mam thoughts somewhere in the middle maybe might work we think we're sort of splitting hairs here this is a management level position and people applying for these kinds of positions
understand that they are expected to be available so what if we said be available for on Call support and to promptly address planned and unplanned needs I I just trying to get away from 24 hours a day seven days a week language that's the part that like if I
was reading that as an applicant I what I would be worried about is how many people work for this place am I going to be called to do every last little thing that goes wrong like there's you know there's a lot of um there's a lot of like variability in there so I feel like maybe if we like merge the two together
we'll get to the spirit of that yeah no that works for me I think that's what I'm trying to trying to imply I think that's I think I think I was just Hu um held up on using the on call support language and keeping that consistent but yeah no that that works for me if it
works for you putting it in the chat okay motion for approv of my mogram as amended and then adjusted with another amendment mayor member reinfeld has her hand up oh gosh yeah member reinfeld sorry it does blend in with your
background maybe I'll switch to the default yellow instead of my accurate skin tone um um I could you clarify what the the role is in terms of special projects I know there's mention of maintaining the
capital plan and relationships with vendors but when we approved the assistant uh facilities director as part of the override allocation part of the motivation for that was we knew that the district was going to be entering into a
number of Special Projects not just the new high school but with this new with the capital plan that we have approved as a committee we know there are going to be select projects you mentioned HVAC but we know that's not the only one we know there are things coming up and I would maybe it's
a bullet point just on special projects um but I wasn't sure exactly is it the facilities manager is it the assistant pH facilities manager who's going to be serving as the liaison to the vendor the OPM the project manager
I think if that is an explicit responsibility of being the point of contact or the team lead within the district for these new construction projects these big maintenance projects not just ongoing maintenance I think that needs to be called out more clearly
in one or both of the job descriptions and I wasn't quite sure which one that was landing on good thoughts thank you member reinfeld so is that a motion to amend into which job description should a bullet
point definitely in the new one I would believe yeah or both yeah are they both is it is it the at the discretion of the facility's director to delegate that to an assistant facilities person I know
there was a vision I'm not sure I'd like to see that reflected in one or both of these descriptions okay I I agree member Graham um yeah the facilities director is our liaison for msba today and I
would expect that that would continue to be true particularly because the facilities director in this like two prong process the facilities director has responsibility over the maintenance staff directly versus the custodial staff will sit with the assistant
director so I do think like that special projects piece belongs in the facilities director and I also say um uh you know just as a matter of like good form for um job descriptions it would also say
other responsibil other job related responsibilities as assigned so that it's clear that this is not like a finite list of what could happen in the job as time goes on so I would be
happy to add those two amendments thank you motion for approval as amended by is there motion for approval motion to approve member Graham as amended seconded by second member and
topper um roll call please member brandley yes member Graham yes member Anapa yes member alapa yes member reld yes member yes mayor lern yes seven the
affirmative zero the negative motion passes as amended if there's no other amendments to either job description um I'll go on to number three vocational presentation to adjust for msba Dr Peter Cushing assistant superintendent and Mr Chad
Fallon director principal of the Medford Vocational Technical High School welcome I just want to answer direct did we were just both approved or was just one that's I just wanted to follow up on that I thought I was facility
director okay so let's back up sorry no my it's okay my my apologies okay so is there motion for approval or any questions or amendments to the assistant facilities director position member Grim I had a couple of
um suggestions on this one as well [Music] um in the section sorry I'm just looking for it in the um essential functions section um there's a bullet about halfway down
it says assist in the construction of weather mitigation plans including snow and ice operations that account for equipment Personnel training and materials and um I think the word I think it it would be assist in the
development of a weather mitigation plan um and then I would also suggest that there be another sentence added to that that says like um some about enacting the weather mitigation
plans as appropriate like when needed right so it's one thing to have an overarching plan that says this is how we're going to like handle these events and then when events happen we have to actually do the thing that we put in the
plan so I would just um clarify that um the other change is the um same language about the 247 language um which Dr pushing may have already
gotten I did okay thank you um and that was it um I'm happy to make a motion to approve unless my colleagues have other questions motion for approval oh member
reinfeld is this another other duties as assigned needed here yes we know that this is going to to grow or evolve maybe not just I do have that under additional requirements perhaps it would be best if
we merge additional requirements just in but it is perform additional duties as assigned by the facilities director so what I did in this was I took the direct reporting responsibility away from uh my current title and moved it to be nested under the facilities
director um and then assist with collective bargaining and administer all contracts involving the facilities Department staff is it really just the custodians versus so it could if this person is responsible for the custodians and not
other management I'm not sure it's appropriate to be administering contracts not related to custodial but you tell me how that works so I think uh this would be more of a team
approach uh for all the collective bargaining and would want to make show that the person whoever is the successful candidate would have the opportunity to uh observe and grow and contribute to so maybe it's assist with collective bargaining and and
administration of all contracts of rather than the administer verb I know this is this is a little bit semantic but this person is not responsible for fully to administer it to assist an administer they're assisting with the
bargaining and administration yep just uh if I Dr kosing did you yes oh are you all set okay you working on it and then we're going to go to member usel the member gram thank you I just want to implore my
dear colleagues to have written up language when you want to change stuff it's really hard to write amendments to a full document I can't write the whole document over into a into the minutes um I know that it's how this is I do this too myself I'm not scolding anyone but
trying to figure out how to write this so that it can actually become part of the minutes is a very big challenge so do you have thoughts on a sentence what's the new sentence look like uh would be greatly appreciated thank
you thank you member R member Graham I'm I'm happy to make a motion to approve if there are no other um comments motion to approve by member Graham as amended seconded by second member ol roll call
please member brandley yes member Graham yes member and papa yes member alapa yes member reinfeld yes member Russo yes go yes seven the affirmative zero the
negative paper passes um we do not have any presentations of the public under continued business we have second read member gram we have to do number
three oh we missed gosh vocational presentation to adjust for msba Dr Peter Cushing assistant superintendent of schools and Mr Chad Fallon that's right sorry about that guess it's been a long week director principal of Medford Vocational
Technical High School I already read that thank you y good evening Madame mayor members of the committee once again um so what we wanted to do was take a moment here today um to Simply update you much of this slide deck will not be presented tonight um but I wanted
to take a moment uh to have uh director Fallon speak on this slide and the next slide as we uh also discuss uh the approvals that were made and voted into record on May 20th of
2024 for expanding the CTE programs at Medford High School uh and ask and requesting of the committee um and I'll get into it later but a uh vote to actually reduce that from five programs to four based on conversations we've had
but at this time I'd like to hand it over for these next two slides for director Fallon good evening um I wanted to provide an update last time we met about msba we didn't have the 2425 school year uh placement data and we do now I wanted to
give a quick update we're in a much better place as far as a wait list goes than we were in previous years and this is due in part to the additional teaching staff in three of our programs due to the override we were able to increase seats by about five to six students in each of those programs so we
have a total of 18 students right now that are on a wait list those 18 students haven't received any choice of our Career Tech programs there's several students that are on weight list for additional programs or maybe students that didn't get their first and second choice but right now the weight list
stands at 18 so as we look at new programs in the future for the new building we do believe that we're going to really be able to close this Gap and and not have any students on a weit list so that every student at least gets a program of their choice whether it be
their first second or third for this year we had 271 students complete the CTE exploratory 200 of them were placed you can see the difference from last year to this year as I said 18 have been weight listed and 53 of those students chose a traditional High School
pathway next year we're going to be going to a model that that um all freshmen will be able to participate in freshman exploratory which will include an art rotation a music rotation and a technology rotation and then we're also
going to build in a freshman seminar rotation into that uh plan thank you director Fallon so our current programming as the committee is well aware um is 15 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and SEC secondary education chapter 74 approved Career and Technical education
vocational programs uh we are trying to make sure that everyone moves away from you know voke and really thinks about Career Technical education or CTE uh and five programs currently approved by the Medford school committee referencing that May 20th vote that I mentioned
earlier so the approved no new programming that can launch in the current facility and does not require new space all right our it networking that we will look to go through the Desi application submission next school year
um and the uh launch the exploratory in 26 and 27 and then criminal justice which is a which is a narrow title for a very expansive field um but looking for Des Desy application submission more
than likely in all honesty for us to start this work next year as well um I want to make sure that everything is tied tightly to the um to the msba feasibility process and we don't miss a window because a program has not been
approved by Desi so criminal justice uh hopefully to launch the exploratory in the 2017 28 school year um as you see there approv no new programming that the committee approved last year however this is really connected to the msba
process and would require new space we do not have the space available at this time to open these shops or to run these exploratories and so those would be Dental Assisting and plumbing um and uh looking at Desy
application work to commence next year as well hopefully again to align with that feasibility work what we are here tonight really though to ask for is the reproval of one of the approved new programs and that's veterinary science
um we had a conversation uh and as you see here school committee approved May 2024 we as MPS leadership are seeking to remove it at this time based on further conversations and investigation so uh director Fallon feel
to jum feel free to jump into any point but as part of our eligibility phase we met with desie regarding proposed expansion plans for chapter 74 programs and desie highlighted the significant commitments to launch this program district and school leadership is again
seeking a vote of the school committee to remove veterinary science from our chapter 74 submission form and uh director Fon would you like to speak about the rationale for removal as is bulleted on the screen so in in speaking with other
schools and as um Dr Cushing said speaking with the Department of Education directly there was there is more to this program than just the day-to-day operations there's a significant upkeep uh requirement you need to have 24-hour care for the animals that you have in your care
there's additional certifications we we almost feel like there you know the um agricultural schools really do a good job at this because they have the space and they're they have them the ability to do this we we just are thinking that based on
the information we've received and all of these factors probably is not the best move for Medford at this time and so the remainder of the slide deck uh has been basically maintained from May 2024 for new programs and
updating I do not see the need unless the committee feels it is necessary to go through uh that presentation the remainder of the presentation at this time as what we're seeking is the removal of veterinary science member Graham while you're yep
unmute hi um I just wanted to thank uh Mr Fallon and Dr Cushing and Dr gloy um for hopping on the phone with Dy um it's a pretty standard part of the msba process where um because we had chapter
74 programs and we were talking about expansion um msba passes our paperwork essentially over to desie and then it's pretty standard part of the process where they meet and say what are you thinking what's happening what happens next that kind of thing so that's where
this conversation happened so um it's a pretty routine part of the process um we will need to take a vote tonight so that I can pass that back to msba um and the um chapter 74 form can be updated which um Dr Cushing and I will handle um but I
just wanted to say like I I think this is exactly what the process is supposed to do it's supposed to say like explore think about the things that you want to know more about and then um you know you sort of triangulate in and fine tune and
um I have a sister who is a vet and I was like oh veterinary science sounds like a thing that could happen without lots and lots of animals at this stage like in these early stages and then when we talked to desie they were like no no you need to have animals and I was like
okay that's really not where we're at right now so um at any rate um I the the process was very smooth desie was very collaborative um they were excited about the other expansions that we talked about and um I have a motion when people
are done with their question great thank you me member gr member rouso my question is was there specific language but that program threw that in at the last minute so I did I did um and I will put it in the chat um oh that's
not the right language um let's see uh the motion is to remove veterinary science from exploration and adjust the expansion timelines for dental assisting criminal
justice Protective Services Plumbing HVAC and information systems per the presentation so um I just put that in the chat and um so there's so basically because we sent this initial presentation to msba we will have to
make send them the update and be able to clarify for them what changes happened um and this motion will do that okay thank you member Graham I'm personally bummed about the veterinary program I think it would have been great for our students I know there's always a wait list for Essex Tech but completely
understand that it's un feasible I'm glad we learn that now before we got anybody's hopes up um motion by member Graham seconded by second that member Russo roll call please Iber
brandley yes member Graham yes member Anapa yes member ol yes reld yeso yes maryn go fine yes sevenly
affirmative Z in the negative motion passes okay we do not have any presentations of the public but we do have continued business we have our second reading of the Medford High School graduation and competency determination requirements I'm going to turn it over to Dr um galy
our intern superintendent thank you good evening um as previously presented during the last school committee meeting um we put forward a um proposed language to update the ikf policy regarding the requirements for
high school graduation and the state and legal needs to have a competency determination measure as a result of the um passing of ballot question number two so here with just a few tweaks but is
the second reading um for that policy I do kind of yield to the committee if you would like me to read this again um or how I should proceed can we wave the second reading a
motion um motion to wave the second reading by member branley is there a second otherwise I can read it second member Graham doesn't want to hear my voice for that long we've got a lot of policies to read tonight so roll
call vote on that please um on the motion to wait the second reading of ikf member branley yes member Graham yes member and top yes member yes M reinfeld
yes and M so yes May okay yes seven the affirmative zero and the negative um motion to wave the reading has been approved is there a motion motion for approval of the second reading um which is on page three four and four of the
agenda for anybody that is watching from home motion to approve by member Russo seconded by second second member ol roll call please member brandley yes
um member Graham yes member Anapa yes member Ola yes meld yes member ISO yes Marilyn go yes s the affirmative zero and the negative second reading has been approved thank
you thank you Dr gloy we have 224 d44 offered by member topper it's a second reading first reading was on 122 2024 ADF W water wellness policy meod Public Schools is committed to the
health and safety and well-being of our students faculty staff a Community Partners in doing so the med for public schools commits to providing safe drinkable water for consumption districtwide to wave the the full reading there's a lot of num sure motion to wave the full reading by member
reinfeld second and by a second member Graham I think got to got your um roll call please did she beat me she did M sorry the change on this
was uh we're doing the waving the reading roll call right now sorry uh member brandley yes uh member Graham yes membera yes member ol yes member
reinfeld yes M so yes and May Long go yes s the affirmative zero and the negative the reading was waved we all want drinkable water we've recently learned um if I may from the
chair that um changing out the faucets and Dr kushen can further elaborate but the good news is that changing out the faucets did alleviate a lot of our problems so that is very good news and we will continue working through that I
know we got that update from Paul riggy our city um facilities director that's helping the schools so is there a motion for approval if Dr kushion doesn't want to add anything to um for the second reading of this policy a motion to approve my member
part seconded by can I just interject one thing actually on this I I believe that from the water presentation that we had earlier this year by the comp by members of uh D or and I apologize mixing up acronyms I believe they were
reducing it from 15 parts per billion to 10 parts per billion um if I remember correctly which Narrows the field but mayor yes member Anapa thank you um yeah I believe that was the talk that we
had back in December when this is originally put that it would be bringing down from 10 to 15 and and I also know member reinfeld had a comment and this may be her comment about that number being changed um I'm open to amending and would encourage an amendment actually motion to amend uh to go from
where where it states uh lad results to go from anytime 15 is mentioned to go to 10 parts per billion because it looks like looking at Google and you know whatever comes up like according to mass.gov it's still 15 parts per billion but if that's in progress we can be
Progressive about it and get ahead of the game so we don't have to revisit this and then say it's actually 10 I'm more than happy to amend the motion so that way it actually reads US 10 instead of 15 okay motion for approval by member but amended by member
inapa is there a second I can second I remember branley roll call please member branley yes I think I am oh I'm not muted okay uh member Graham
yes member Anapa yes member ol yes member yes member Verso yes Marilyn goer yes seven the affirmative zero and the negative second reading is passed under new business we have
20257 offered by member ol par and member reinfeld resolution in support of mps's lgbtqia plus Community M school committee affirms the me public school's commitment to protecting the safety dignity and educational rights of our
quer and gender non-conforming community members we recognize and celebrate the unique qualities and potential that each of these individuals brings to our community and reject any efforts to erase denate or weaponize their identities as a direct a front to the
values and practices of me Public Schools we REM remain committed to upholding the non-discrimination principles and protocols outlined in Mass general laws chapter 76 Section 5 and chapter 662 Medford Public Schools
policies AC aca1 AC ACA Dash e and JB and all federal laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex sexual orientation or gender identity we also affirm students and employees right to privacy in accordance with the above
and other relevant state and federal laws be it further resolved the Met Public Schools shall continue all activities and initiatives to ensure a healthy and welcoming School environment for our quer questioning and gender nonconforming community members in beyond the classroom included but not
limited to gay lesbian bisexual pansexual and asexual students teachers and staff including but not limited to trans transgender non-binary gender fluid and intersex students teach and staff thank you mayor I can I can speak on this um so thank you than to my
colleagues for considering these resolutions um right our job is of course to set policy and this resolution isn't setting policy it's simply um affirming the existing policy and directs the superintendent to continue existing practices so I just wanted to
talk very very as briefly as I can about why this is on the agenda particularly since it echoes the guidance that Dr gusi has already sent to District staff and a statement that the acting Commissioner of education for Massachusetts sent put out a few weeks
ago um this is on the agenda in partly in response to concerns from students teachers some students families wondering whether things like our gsas and respectful pronoun use and language in academic and administrative fors and protection from bullying and harassment
are going away in light of the political climate just want to say know they're not um but also this is on the agenda because there is a pattern in history and in communities more broadly of using marginalized populations as a test balloon for trampling of individual
rights and so I don't need to dwell on that but I think this is why I or really we felt that this was important to draw a line now and state this publicly um and I also just wanted to note that we did separate out
um sexual orientation from gender identity because there are different risks uh vulnerabilities really that come with those different identities and I think that's worth acknowledging um but ultimately this is about belonging right learning does not happen unless
people feel safe and safety requires a sense of belonging um so I I think we do have a few students um on the call I think there may be some people watching on YouTube and just to say um we celebrate you we appreciate you and
everyone belongs in the Medford Public Schools um I have a couple of language changes I would like to put questioning back into that first sentence and um we missed a couple of the policies around harassment and retaliation um just so
just to add those to the list of MPS policies but these exist these laws have not changed we welcome our queer and gender non-conforming students and staff families and I think it's worth saying publicly Here and
Now member Ola I don't know if you wanted to add to that yes thank you member ryanfeld member ol thank you uh absolutely I want to Echo what member reinfeld said this is very much this a similar decision um as the one we made
back in January um on the in the 27th January meeting um I think it was 2025-the in policy these things already instituted and we want to recommunity that we as an educational um
you know Center want to re reintegrate our commitment to our students and their families and the Greater Community that we want all people to feel comfortable and included no matter their you know regardless of their um characteristic or their lived experience right these are
things that we all believe in I think um speaking as a generalization I think there's a commitment here um especially from the federal government there are some pieces of rhetoric coming out um of that government that are I think misaligned um from what we as a district have committed to and so that's why we
wanted to put this forth so that's you know very much what I think member R is trying to get at and I'm in in full agreement so thank you Dr Lucy thank you I just wanted to be able to say um thank you to um member
reinfeld and member alapa um and also for mentioning the part about belonging it is a critical piece to our instructional vision for The Med for public schools district um and as member reinfeld said um in order for students
to learn they have to feel safe and it is at the core of our values and beliefs that students come to the door and they feel seen heard valued and welcomed um that also includes our um
staff and I just wanted to kind of just reiterate um the positioning for me for public schools and um the support that we have with this policy thank you Dr Kushi I'm Dr um
galy so the motion for approval by member reinfeld as amended um in those two loc in the two locations oh there were two sorry there were to to add the policies additional policies under school policy and then on
the first paragraph you want to add I have the first paragraph on was what was the second one H so it's in the chat oh well then I could always look at that the acab policies and the one of the JB
policies okay this one I the language got it thank you I'll second test I don't know if anybody else has mayor you're muted thank you and then roll call
please member branley yes member Graham yes membera yes member Ola yes member reinfeld yes Russo yes mayor Longo K yes seven in the affirmative zero and the
negative motion passes as amended offered by member olade and member reinfeld control and suppress diverse perspectives in public schools Across the Nation the medord school committee believes that education should Empower students with a knowledge critical
thinking skills and cultural awareness necessary to thrive in a diverse society and to contribute meaningfully to their communities whereas the Medford school committee recognizes that a high quality education must respect and celebrate the abilities needs and potential of all students regardless of race ethnicity
nationality gender identity sexual orientation ability socioeconomic status religion or language background therefore be it resolved the Medford school committee reaffirms its unwavering commitment to diversity equity and inclusion as foundational principles that inform all aspects of
District policy curriculum development and educational practice we had further resolve the mord school committee fully supports the district's use of robust and inclusive educational resources that accurately reflect and affirm the diverse lived experiences of our students and families provide
historically and culturally responsive Cula that honor the contributions and histories of all people including historically marginalized communities equip students with the knowledge skills and Global awareness necessary to engage in respectful dialogue Civic engagement
and lifelong learning we had further resolve the meid school committee strongly opposes any efforts to restrict or eliminate essential academic content including history Arts science literature and health education on the basis of political or ideological agendas that seek to erase
divers voices and lived experiences we had further resolve the M school committee unequivocally opposes the removal of resources support systems or accommodations for neurodiverse Learners and students with disabilities recognizing that access to an equitable and inclusive education is a fundamental
right for all students be further resolved the M school committee extends this commitment beyond the classroom ensuring that extracurricular activities after school programming and school sponsored initiatives remain inclusive and access ible to all students fostering leadership creativity and
personal growth be further resolve the mord school committee will not tolerate bullying harassment or intimidation whether from within or outside the district particularly when such actions seek to undermine students rights to a fair comprehensive and affirming education in a safe and welcoming
environment be it finally resolved that the mord school committee remains steadfast and its mission to cultivate a school system that is inclusive Equitable and empowering for all students staff and Families and we'll continue to advocate for policies and practices that Advance these
values is there a motion for approval motion for approval by member inapa seconded by second member branley roll call please member ol did you have your hand up we just say a quick comment about
this absolutely thank you very much so um this again is very much just reaffirm our commitment as a district to this I think that there has been an increasing um set of rhetoric and I would argue in weaponization of diversity Equity inclusion um efforts um coming out of
the federal government I think that this in my opinion should be removed from a political POS political position or ideology I think we as people and Professionals in this work have a responsibility to our students and their families and the Greater Community to reaffirm our commitment that we
understand that Dei efforts are not uh used to undermine um opportunity that's what's we're hearing is that this is used these systems and these initial are being used to um separate people when in reality it's intended to um include people right
we're using inclusive language um and so sometimes I think people who are coming from a bad faith perspective um argue that inclusivity is um removing opportunity and that's just not the case um and so I think that that's why we um or myself at the very least feel like this is a very much um Rec commitment to
that work because we understand that this is an opportunity for all students regardless of um lived experience or characteristic that they have the equal opportunity to be involved in what we offer here in Med for public schools so thank you thank you member olapa member reinfeld yep I just wanted to again Echo
what member olapa said but to note that um this comes a little bit out of an executive order from the end of Janu from about a month ago about um ending radical indoctrination I don't think that is what we're doing um this is why
we are supporting the Lo the the district's commitment to educational materials it's also coming out of the Texas and Basera Bara case um which if people are not familiar with this this is seeking to
remove Section 504 compliance um and so I think it's important that people know that these are some of the the things that are happening here um and then I just also wanted to note that the again the laws have not changed here executive orders
are not laws um this court case is pending but things like um I've spent I spent a fair bit of time with the Harvard uh affirmative action case and while the while race as a a loone determinant was determined was the
Supreme Court handed down a verdict that said that was not a basis that that um decision does actually affirm that lived experience and how identity characteristics including race inform your educational experience and your
opportunity is in fact a reasonable basis for making decisions about what belongs in and in policies and classrooms so it is worth noting that these are these are laws that are in place and that they do as member Ola
said seek to expand maintain opportunity and ensure that people are able to reach their full potential and be reflected in the learning environment thank you both um there's been a motion in a second so I'm gon to
ask member s to call the RO please ever brandley yes member Graham yes member and tapa yes member yes member reinfeld yes Meo yes mayor
Longo yes the affirmative zero and the negative motion passes we do not have any everyone thank you any reports requested we have two condolences the members of the mord school committee Express their sincer and condolences to the family of Bruno
Devo father of Gina DeVito Moran evaluation team leader at the mcllin middle school and members of the Medford school committee Express their sincerest condolences to the family of family of Robert E scary former Medford School Committee Member and cousin to Medford High School teacher and unified
basketball coach John scary if we may um take a moment of silence please mayor there's an updated agenda sorry oh do have something added I don't see it anything does any be have in front of them could
read sure I'll read it sorry um the members of the school committee expressed their sincerest condolences to the family of Ruth Youngblood known to many as Cherry she has been a symbol of love and Community engagement and her everpresent smile and laugh will be
missed yes thank you for that addition um if we may all please take a moment of silence thank you we have our next regularly scheduled meeting on March 24th at 2025 it's a
public budget hearing in the Alder Memorial Chambers Medford City Hall in addition to zoom is there a motion to adjourn can I can I just ask one question do we not have a meeting March 10th we have a budget meeting that we scheduled for it's actually March 5th
which is next Wednesday at 4: to 5:00 p.m. yep and then I think our I think today March correct I think today is our March 10th meeting yeah today replac March 10th as far asch and then we have a school budget
and then I'm not sure and I have it noted as a school budget meeting on the 24th and then a regular school committee after that so I'm assuming we'll do an hour and a half and an hour and a half or something thank you yes okay motion to
a by member Russo seconded by second member reinfeld roll call please member brandley yes member Graham member tapa yes member Ola yes
member reinfeld yes member so yes may longar yes seven the affirmative zero in the negative meetings and J have a wonderful rest of the week everybody thanks guys