6 p.m. will come to order. Um, we are obviously here at the Alden Memorial Chambers, Medford City. Happy New Year everybody. The first regular meeting of the Medford School Committee will come to order. Today's Monday, January 5th, 2026, and it is
almost 6 PM. Um, this meeting will be held here at the Alden Memorial Chambers, Medford City Hall, and via remote participation. And this meeting is being recorded. meeting can be viewed live on the Meford public schools YouTube channel through Memphis community media on your local cable
channel, Comcast channel 9, 8 or 22 and Verizon channel 43,45 or 47. Participants can call in or log in using the f the zoom link on the two websites cities and schools and the meeting ID is 9318314821.
Be resolved that the member school committee will elect its officers for the 2026 and 2027 term at the next scheduled meeting. Be it further resolved that until that election, the officers from the term ending December 31st, 2025 will continue serving. Member Rousol, if you could call the role,
please. >> Certainly. And I'm calling the role not as a secretary at the moment, but as the senior member, which actually is also in the roles. Anyways, um, member Graham
Member Master Bony. >> This is just the role. >> Oh. >> No. >> Oh, you should >> roll call first, right? >> Got it. You want to vote on the resolution? Sure. So, if you could call
the role for the resolution. >> The resolution or the roll call? Oh, the roll call is later. You're right. So, this is the resolution. Sorry. Um, so that's abstain. Member Master, >> yes.
>> Yes. Member Olati, >> abstain. >> Member Parks, >> yes. >> Member Rinfeld, >> yes. >> Member Russo, yes. Mayor Lan Goern, >> yes. Five in the affirmative, two abstained. Um, roll call, please.
>> Certainly. Now, we're asking if you're here, >> Graham. here. >> Member Master Pony >> here. >> You're gonna help me with your last name better soon. Um, member Olady >> here. >> Member Parks
>> here. >> Member Ryan Feld >> present. >> Member Rouso present. Mayor Langokarn >> present. Seven present. Um, and thank you to our student rep for joining us tonight. If we all may rise to salute the flag, please. 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. Do we have any um agenda items from anybody on good of the order? Member Graham.
>> Um I just wanted to note that the reason that I have to abstain from votes tonight, Member Lat's in the same boat as I am is that we missed the 4:30 window to come be officially sworn in. So we can be here, we can be present, we can be part of the conversation, we just can't vote. Thank you. >> Got it. Thank you, Member Graham.
Next up is our consent agenda. We have approval of bills and payrolls, approval of capital purchases, approval of donations, approval of grants, approval of field trips. WGI Tom's River Percussion Power Regional Fieldrip and approval of the
meeting minutes from the regular meeting December 15, 2025. Is there a motion on the floor? >> Motion to approve >> by member Rinfeld. Seconded by >> Second >> Member Money. Uh, all those in favor?
>> Roll call. Graham >> member master >> abain parks >> member >> Einfeld >> yes >> and memberos yes and member mayor lango kern >> yes five in the affirmative to abstain
and And I think I might have said your name wrong. I'm sorry. Can you >> Master >> Mastro? Sorry. >> Mastro. >> Sorry about that. >> Four syllables. >> Um, no reports of subcommittees and we have three reports of our superintendent. So, I'm going to turn it
over to Dr. Suzanne Bealooi, our interim superintendent. First up is the um interim superintendent's evaluations and goals. Thank you. Good evening. So, over the past year, I've been deeply honored to serve the Medford Public
Schools community and to lead the district through a period of rebuilding, renewal, and forward momentum. This has been a truly busy year, but it's been a really meaningful year focused on restoring clarity, strengthening systems, and laying the foundation for
long-term improvement. Always centered in a deep commitment in Medford students, educators, families, and community. My belief in this community and what our schools can achieve together remains
unwavering and I am profoundly grateful for the trust that you all placed in me during this pivotal time. None of this progress would have been possible without the extraordinary dedication of our staff, our administrators, our educators, central
leadership, um, and just all the Medford Public School staff. A strong partnership exists throughout the district and it is in service of students and families. This work is very demanding and it is very complex and it
keeps you on your toes and it often requires a lot of difficult decisions, long hours and sustained focus and it is work that you take home with you. Yet it is carried out in everyday professionalism, care and an unwavering
belief in our students. I'm incredibly proud of the countless ways that our staff go above and beyond their formal roles in support of students and families. Much of this work happens quietly and without recognition, but it's foundational to what we do here today. I'm deeply grateful to the school
committee for your support, your guidance, and your partnership throughout this year. Your thoughtful questions, your steady leadership, and your shared commitment to Medford students and community have strengthened our work and helped move the district forward. I'm also very grateful to our
Medford families and community partners for their trust, their collaboration, and their support. The partnership has strengthened our decisions and sharpened our vision. Because of this collective effort, I'm deeply hopeful about what lies ahead and confident in the
foundation that we are building in Medford public schools. I thank you for letting me just start a a little bit that way. On the next slide, please. What I have laid out here um is what I would probably call like more of a state
of the schools. So this slide just gives a snapshot of this past interim year in review. The year started um with a little bit of some as I took over this position, there
was a shift in central leadership structure that the previous um superintendent had done and that had me shifting my role and I was in the assistant superintendent for academics and instruction. During that time,
we began to work a lot on our instructional excellence. We were working on creating an instructional vision so that there was a vertical through line throughout the district from kindergarten to post-graduate. That work did start in my previous role and
continued during this interim role. You will see here just a reminder of the work of the instructional vision and the aligned practice which was aligning to Desessie's version of an instructional vision creating an equity statement that
grounds our work each and every day and the creation of core values. It also included bringing in professional development to make sure that our staff was aligned in this work.
As I took over, I created a transitional plan that I presented to this body about a month ago. Um, this spoke about the work that I had done really working on the meet and greets, listening to the community, listening to the staff,
trying to get a better understanding even though my whole career has been here for 29 years. That shift in roles, I wanted to make sure that I was providing another opportunity for input and learning. All of that to bring with
me to this position. If we could please go to the next slide. This presentation right here on this slide, I am organizing my self-evaluation in the work that we have done this past year. So this work is
going to be highlighted in four buckets. I'm going to talk a little bit about the work that I have done collectively with staff and with the community to create stability through shared purpose and vision. I am going to highlight the work
of building instructional excellence through leadership and coherence which is a lot of the instructional work. I'm also going to talk about strengthening operational foundations of Metro Public Schools and the communication and partnership.
So to begin, our core values were created while I was in this position as interim superintendent. They evolved in a lot of the work that started previously to this interim position and then really came full
circle at the end of last year through that work and the coalesing that we did as an administrative team during our retreat. These core values came from the work of the instructional vision. So there is collaborative effort uh and
input put into the core values. Next slide, please. Our core values are we believe all students deserve to feel seen, heard, valued, and connected in schools where inclusive, culturally affirming practices allow them to grow, succeed, and fully engage in their
learning. We believe all students deserve the opportunities, resources, and support they need to reach their full potential. And we believe every student's success is our shared responsibility. So the pivotal piece first of this work
was really to restore clarity. Who are we? How do we lead? What we expect? And how do we communicate? Next slide please. So first I'm going to discuss stability through shared purpose and vision.
When I stepped into the interim superintendent role a year ago, January 2025, I knew immediately that my first responsibility was to restore a little bit of stability and coherence and a sense of shared purpose across the district. Medford is a system with
considerable strengths, but it was also operating with fragmented structures, uneven expectations, inconsistent communication patterns, and operational pressures that demanded clear leadership and alignment. My earliest work centered
on creating clarity, clarity of purpose, clarity of expectations, and clarity in how we were going to move forward together. That was the work that really began. It's work that's been ongoing, but
really fully began over the summer when we brought in a new leadership team. We were able to coalesce around our shared purpose, our core values, and grounding the the district in belonging.
belonging as the foundation foundational lens for all decisions. This slide talks about that. I've shared this before in many presentations I feel like this year, but just to make a point here that part of establishing that
clear vision was grounding us all in a central purpose this year and that was that was belonging. It guides our instructional coherence and grade level expectations, data-informed practices, and strengthening classroom experiences across the system.
And belonging frames everything from academic discourse to grade level instruction tasks to culturally affirming practices and the roll out of consistent expectations across classrooms. I will be highlighting that work as this presentation evolves. It
also really came forward in the intentional elevation of student voice. This is something that is still growing. This is something that we are making sure that we're including when we gather together in spaces. It is
the intentional inclusion of the Mustang moment in our agenda which I also will highlight a little bit further in this presentation. But making sure that we are embedding student perspectives during our leadership retreats. We had student
perspectives on our first day of school, our first opening for staff. They spoke at the convocation and really spoke about what belonging means to them and why and what they want their teachers to hear about why it's important. We have student voice in our Mustang moment and
we start every school committee meeting that way. So it reminds us as to our why, our collective reason why we're here. We want to make sure we are continuing to provide opportunities so that students are able to speak and lead and inform
our practice. I want to extend that just a little bit on an example here where I feel that this kind of aligns all of the work in one perfect example.
This year we've done a lot of work um which this body has presented on before but we had pretty successful negotiations with the teachers and that brought we had that wonderful opportunity because also of the override
and that brought an increased ability and opportunity for us to really be looking at how we're structuring learning every day for students and what that schedule would look like. And part of the alignment of a new middle school schedule provided lots of additional
instructional time for students. But it also provided an opportunity for making sure we can target students needs whether that's remediation, whether that's acceleration, whether that's enrichment, or all of the above. And so
having that first uh level of work to make sure that we are providing students with what we know they deserve, that work came allowed us to put in a challenge course. And so this challenge
course provided an opportunity for director Sieri to bring in a STEM focused program um called robotics C3. And so every element, every middle school student
will have a semester where they are grounded in this STEM work. This also provided a Mustang moment for us where students you got to hear from students their perspective of what that class has meant to them, what they're
learning from that class, how some of the students are actually hopeful to really see what the engineering program at CTE looks like now based on this experience that they were able to have. It also brought us recognition and a
highlight from the Secretary of Education, Dr. Tutweiler, and the Lieutenant Governor, Kim Driscoll, who came to visit our schools during STEM week to see what robotics C360 was all about. And then in continuation to that,
it also provided an opportunity opportunity for me to present during the MASC shared conference between the school committees and school leadership on the program. And all of this really
highlights the throughine of what we're trying to do here in Metro Public Schools. Lastly, the leadership reorganization was really critical for Medford public schools.
Bringing in a cohesive central administration, bringing together stronger coordination and accountability to our core functions, bringing in a level of expertise to the role has been so impactful and it
has really only been probably a little more than four months. So, I do think it's important to note we've had a big reorganization here in leadership. um which I'm going to talk about a little bit.
My historical component of having my whole career here for 29 years, what's really wonderful about the balance of this new team is that they're from outside of Metro Public Schools. They're bringing with them years of
experience and expertise and really able to round out our team in a way that is setting the stage for really great things that are going to happen in Medford public schools. With that, I was very intentional. I am
in an interim role, but I always want to do what's best for Medford public schools and was very intentional about making sure that these new positions were not tied to my status and that they are permanent for Medford public schools. So, we brought in Dr.
Kim Talbett, assistant superintendent for academics and instruction in her permanent position. We brought in uh Mr. Kenneth Lord, chief operations officer in a permanent position. Uh that's really helped to stabilize the district.
It's really helped to move a lot of the work forward. But they also started mid to late August. So we are still in the stages of building what we know we need to do. A tremendous amount of work has been done
in these last four months, but there's still a lot more to do. Um, the other piece is as which alludes to what I've been talking about is improving district-wide systems. So, a lot of what I've spoken about Medford
has always been a wonderful school district, but there are pockets of where there where we're lacking and where we need some um further systems to be in place. And so a lot of the work that we are doing especially now that there is a
complete team is working on setting clear systems and structures um specifically in operations but also in academics and across the district. Uh I also think it's important that in
this role I had been a part of negotiations in my previous role for certain units. Now, in this role, I've been able to be a part of um working with member Graham and member Rouso in all of the bargaining units. Um and
there's was a significant amount of work done last year. We're we're still going with some other units, but being there to see a lot of that work come to fruition has been um quite rewarding and is setting us off on a great start this
school year with with new CBAs. So strengthening operation found operational foundations. What I'm going to highlight in these next few slides is reinforcing operational expectations across departments. Um, for people that do not know, um, our COO
has oversight of facilities, technology, and security, systematically addressing areas of deferred maintenance, strengthening safety, and looking at our community schools.
On the first slide, reinforcing operational expectations across departments was making sure we were establishing clear and calibrated expectations, aligning workflows, and creating predictable systems for communication, for problem solving and
followthrough. Some of those examples are the MPS cyber security incident response plan, which Mr. Lord has been working on um and a weekly project facility work order review meeting. So that followth through
piece, that documentation piece is what Ken is really laying the groundwork for uh in the short time he's been here so far. So systematically addressing areas of deferred maintenance. This has been a big area for Medford public schools. This has been part of ongoing
conversations um really looking at what the deferred maintenance schedule is has been with transparency, understanding and acknowledging gaps in prior upkeep and leading the system
towards a more productive sustainable plan. Part of that work is the facilities conditioning assessment. That work was started prior to um Mr. Lord coming. The report came as he was here and we were
able to really look at what that report entails and it has been woven into our capital plan. Heating and roof leaks. So part for the course in the past year there have been lots of unexpected issues that arise. We
have seen uh the majority of them happening around either heating or roof leaks. Uh most recently we had one over the break in Kids Corner, our municipal daycare. A lot of work went into that to make
sure that it was remediated, carpets shampooed, uh items replaced, and mattresses replaced and ordered. And to make sure that they got here on time, we had to
make sure that they were delivered um speedily through Amazon. And so um John Mclofflin, Ken Lord, and myself made sure that we went to the post office and picked up those 16 crib mattresses uh delivered
them to Kids Corner. But you just don't know what's going to happen. And so part of making sure we're our buildings are safe and the upkeep is there. Regular maintenance is one of our goals. The other piece here is a complete
review of code compliance. Mr. Lord is working on a review of what needs to be done, what may be lacking, what has already been done so that we make sure we're keeping an annual review of code
compliance for our buildings. strengthening safety. So, this is one of the things we've heard from our staff um loud and clear is about safety, implementing modern security systems and establishing consistent, trained safety
practices so every school committee has secure, predictable environments for students and staff to learn and work with confidence. What that has looked like is an update uh and an increase in the cameras that we have in our buildings and keyless
entry. This is work that did begin um prior to Mr. Lord arriving, but he has seen it through to mostly fruition. Um we're in the final stages of it. But part of that keyless entry also was work
uh with staff who voiced concerns or input around what the hours should be set for their ability to come in and out of work. So a lot of that was collaborative conversation uh school-based and district level safety
committees. So those have begun. Principles have started school-based um safety commun committees within their schools. and Mr. Lord has started a district-wide safety committee um comprised of a variation of stakeholders
and school leaders and I think had a meeting today. This was something we also heard um from staff, especially teachers during joint labor sessions around really wanting more understanding of the I love you guys, which is our
security protocol, them wanting some additional training and all of that is underway. It also included an increase in our door monitor expectations and procedures in which there is a script and a handbook
of expectations um for door monitors. And then lastly for operations would be community schools. This is an ongoing area of focus and review. So you hear the word community schools here in
Medford public schools. that's mostly um the rental of our buildings. It also sees our summer programming, summer fun, but making sure that we are clarifying rental and program structures so that our buildings can serve as vibrant
community spaces. Um but also ensuring that student and staff needs are adhered to and that proper care and maintenance is going into our buildings. Um so a review of community schools both in operation
and in finance or budget has started and is continuing. Um Mr. Lord, myself and Mr. Liry, who is the athletic director and community schools director, have
been spending lots of time together um working on creating a clear process and documentation for what it means to rent our facilities. We are guiding on the school committee
policy for rentals. Um but in fairness, we've had to start we've put a communication out to vendors and are setting up in the process of setting up we've had a couple of them
already uh meetings with each and every vendor so that we can have a conversation around um the school committee policy and expectations moving forward. that is an area where it wasn't completely
streamlined and the system needed additional clarity. Um I think it's important to note that we want to do do right by our community partners and for them some of this came as a surprise. So having
personal conversations is really key in this area right here. So this has started but I am quite certain it will be ongoing throughout the year. Next is our bucket of building instructional excellence through
leadership. Here I'm going to talk about strengthening grade level access and opportunity, building instructional excellence through leadership, creating coherence through aligned walkthroughs and professional learning, and enhancing data systems for instructional decision-making.
So, as you heard me say earlier, our instructional work has really been anchored in a powerful throughine. That throughine is our shared sense of belonging. It is making sure that students not only feel that they are seen, heard and that they belong in
their classroom spaces and in all spaces of their school, but it is also a sense of belonging for their academic identities. So that they are coming into spaces and they feel that they are mathematicians, scientists, writers, readers that also is a sense of
belonging for them. So to strengthen coherence, the next few slides are really going to talk about some of the work that may have been in may have begun um prior to Dr. Talbet coming here and then the
work that she has initiated and just powered powered through. So the first is the new schedule that I highlighted a little bit earlier. Um, but I think it's it was just so
critical and so impactful to the work that we're doing that I do just want to call it out. Even though some people here have heard it before, I do think it's important to note that we increased the school day by 15 minutes for students. And that 15 minutes was not
used for transitional time. It was used for instruction. And so at the elementary level, what that meant is more time in tier one, more time for whole group time that teachers can use
with their students where students are not pulled for services or other things are not um coming up where the teacher can have the entire class for additional time. It also makes sure that our multi-tered
system of support is implemented and ensuring that our students are getting what they need. At the middle school level, I highlighted a little bit, but we went from 45 minute running period time, so no transitional time to
57 minute periods with transitional time and the implementation of the challenge block and still maintaining a win block, which is what individuals need. That is
very impactful for the work that is happening at middle school and really needed to happen for time on learning and at the high school. Finally, we were able to create one coherent schedule, merging
CTE in the vocational schools with the high school schedule so that we are minimizing the barriers that we were unintentionally but creating for our students because we were running on two schedules for one building. And so being
able to combine that into one set schedule, going from a six-day rotation at the academic side to a five-day Monday to Friday schedule and adding a seventh period, not only finally merged
the two buildings and increased opportunity, but it also provided that additional period for students to take advanced courses, dabble in something that they wanted to learn a little bit more of and also
provided an opportunity for some students who need to have services and not have it at the expense of an elective or something that they wanted to be able to take. So this was this schedule has allowed us to be able to
really work on our core values and what is the learning we want to see in every space throughout the district. Part of that work is making sure that we are grounded in grade level curriculum expectations and aligned tasks. Students
have a right and a privilege to make sure that they are educated at grade level standards and that is work that we are we have started and we are continuing. Part of that work is making sure that we are expanding access to highquality instructional materials
across the district. high quality instructional materials make sure that we are aligning our curriculum with not only state standards and Massachusetts standards but with the rigor and the representation that
students deserve and should see in what they're learning. Next slide. Creating coherence through aligned walkthroughs and professional learning. This is work that honestly
start maybe started to um really happen while I was in my previous role as assistant superintendent but wasn't able to get to the part and the point that we
are right now in bringing in a new team and having a clear alignment of what Our goals and vision are um we have established districtwide walkthrough rubrics and protocols that
are aligned to our instructional vision and at the secondary level gleam so that when school leaders, department leaders, central office leaders are in classrooms, we are all calibrated on
what those look fors are in a district aligned rubric. We are delivering professional development across our schools on this work and we are making sure that we're focusing again on grade level
instruction, evidence-based practices, academic discourse, and culturally responsive practices. We want to make sure that when we are in classrooms, we are seeing students have some cognitive lift here and that they're doing the work. We want to see
that students are able to share their brilliant voices, think out loud about what they're learning because that's what they need to make sure that they're truly understanding and learning. It's that transfer. Part of this professional development is that we have partnered
with Lynch Leadership Academy at the secondary level and they are providing coaching for our secondary leaders and we have the expanded partnership with Hill for literacy at the elementary level who this year are doing walkthroughs with again school leaders
and department leaders on instructional looks around literacy and data meeting support. The other piece is we are enhancing data systems for instructional decisionmaking. So really I think one of the more
profound pieces that I have seen in just the short amount of time um with Dr. Tabbit is the systems that she has begun to put in place around data and how we should be using data in real time to
make instructional shifts, decisions on what is best for our students. really looking at what are those data sets and leveraging um planning time that school leaders and
department leaders have with teachers. Uh so she has developed and implemented a common K through2 format for data analysis and action planning. She meets regularly with school leaders and with
department leaders and this uh embedded professional development is ongoing. uh she has worked with secondary leaders so that there is coherence between what the school leaders and the department leaders are doing with their staff
around some of these data sets especially uh NWA map data that ensures that consistency of language and approach for teachers. They're not hearing different things when they're in
their department meetings with directors and something different when they're in their staff meetings with principles. This is ongoing work, but it is laying the groundwork for some very important uh instructional moves.
Elementary leaders, this work began, this work has been ongoing for a while. Um but our work with Dibbles as our progress monitoring tool and the use of Hill for literacy's data platform called continuum
this year is full implementation of progress monitoring. And so every single staff member at the elementary level educator is progress monitoring their students. Everyone has a case load. We are making sure that they there is frequent and
ongoing progress monitoring of literacy skills and the use of continuum has really helped ground that work for school leaders and department leaders and our literacy coaches as they go from school
to school and grade level to grade level. uh supported data informed instructional improvement to ele elevate academic discourse and writing. I spoke about this earlier, but just making sure that we're doing in our data in our data
meetings, we're also making sure we're elevating so that the planning is purposeful for teachers around how can we build in those moments of academic discourse for students so that they're engaging with what they're learning and
able to articulate that to their peers and to their teachers. uh targeted leadership development based on trends emerging from walkthroughs, assessment data, and school level priorities. Um part one of this has has been some of my favorite. I know it was
on a previous slide, but Dr. Talbot and I started the year twice a week. We spent the mornings going from school to school uh walking classrooms and a lot of that conversation that we're able to have with school leaders um many here
tonight and I appreciate appreciate that very much. uh those conversations that come out of what the walkthroughs what we're seeing um means a lot and helps that shared alignment and shared purpose but it also
helps much as we want the students to have that that discourse in the classroom we want our leadership to have the same so that they're bringing that back to their work with teachers in buildings and then finally Dr. Talbot is
getting open architects across the finish line. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Um she's had several meetings with them. Open architects is a data analytics platform or dashboard. That uh image in the top is just a quick
snapshot of what the data of what the dashboard could you know does look like. one of them. This is a platform that is going to be able to house all of our assessment data. So that way again
teachers and school leaders, department leaders will have at their fingertips um collection of student data that they can really look at to inform their planning and to inform their practice.
on there. For example, we will make sure that we house MAP, MCCAST, um, Dibbles. We also have flexibility to put in there if there are districtowned,
um, assessment tools that we want to be factored into the type of data that teachers and administrators can use to manipulate and to sort the data. so that they're really making intentional
planning and instructional decisions. And then lastly, advancing curriculum coherence and review. So ensuring that our curriculum review process is continuous and anchored to our district core values and state
standards. We are launching a comprehensive humanities uh ELA review this year um for grades 6 through 12, but really at first with a focus on grades 6 through
8, the middle school years as um our first priority at making sure we are addressing a core HQIM alignment right now at the secondary level. Um, for people maybe listening that aren't
aware, all of our materials are self-created and that is a benefit maybe in some areas or for some, but as I previously said, making sure that we are providing students with highquality instructional materials that
are aligned to state standards that provide a level of representation and rigor is really critical to making sure that we are setting our students up for future success.
And then continuing that um coordinated review also on the case load horizon for Dr. Talbot is looking at the health curriculum. The state has put out new health standards
and so we need to do a review now of the how what we currently have aligns to the new state standards communication and partnership. In this next slide, I'm going to talk about consistent, timely, and
transparent communication, personal outreach, and visible presence, inclusive caregiver engagement, and restoring and enhancing community collaboration and relationships. On this slide, first, consistent, timely, transparent communication.
I feel like communication is probably always forever a goal. Um, it's work that es and flows and I think it always has to be front and center as something that we are reflective on and that we're constantly trying to improve and do
better. With that said, that was the mindset I also came in with. And so, little small tweaks to making the superintendent weekly memo a little bit more transparent, a little bit more accessible for families. um was
important that expected communication each week um is important for the the community to see updates and also share some of our celebrations. We also started this year um
maybe a couple months ago uh an administrative weekly memo. So internally, central office also is now sending out an administrative weekly memo on Sundays just with things that are on the
horizon, things to just be mindful of, um, things to remember. Just as another way, I will always say I try my very best with email, but we know how busy or crazy things can get or how things can
just happen that you know deter you from what you thought the block of time you had was going to be. Um, this allows for making sure we have like a a landing place um for some critical information
and not just rely on email. And then responsiveness to situations, administrators. Yes. Yes. Um, school leaders, department leaders, non-unit leaders, and then responsiveness to situations.
Uh, as with everything, things come up that you are not planning or expecting, whether it is a roof leak, a water leak, the neuro virus. When things happen, we are trying to be as thoughtful and as
responsive as we can be. We know in all of these situations when the unexpected happens, it can create a level of anxiety and the absence of information and updates can just increase that. And so we are really trying to be very
mindful about our responsiveness to situations as they arrive. Um the other piece is inclusive caregiver engagement. Um I also view this as a strength and an area of growth.
I have tried really hard to make space for community meet and greets. Um we have some upcoming forums this this month. Um, but I also know and as I shared in my findings report,
the the work and the area of improvement is how can I be leveraging these opportunities to make sure we're getting and capturing every voice in Medford. So sometimes at these meet and greets or
these in-person opportunities, it is not always the diverse representation that we know Medford to so beautifully be. And so how we can really make sure that we are capturing all voices is an ongoing area of uh
focus and a goal. Um we al we are very mindful though of of our search committees and so when we have key critical roles in the district that become vacant due to resignations, retirements, uh we feel very
um deeply about the level of varied stakeholder input um at the table when we're making big decisions for the district. So that is something that we have committed to um before this position and absolutely committed to
moving forward. Um and there's the task force committee. So there is the afterchool task force committee that I committed to in this role um as a way to make sure we are having conversation and moving forward
with um providing a greater level of afterchool care that families deserve. As you know, that's work that we have a consultant um that we are working with who is going to provide us a report and some input on the best ways to move that
forward. Um I look at member parks because she's on that task force. Um I appreciate the partnership of this the caregivers that have given their time and dedication to this important work. Um it's a committee that some of the
caregivers have received the golden ticket of afterchool care and some have not. So it's important that we hear from from all voices. An upcoming task force is going to be the one that we talked about prior to the holidays around the space utilization study that came out of
the enrollment and overcrowding and the variation of enrollment at the elementary level. And so that will interest in caregivers that would like to sit on that task force will be going out very soon so that we can start
building that task force and then through the MSBA and through district sponsored work. There are a lot of advisory committees which is another opportunity where we're gathering um varied voice and input. um MSBA,
we have a lot of opportunities coming up in January. And then just like one example of the of a district-based one is um the wellness committee and also the the advisory committee around food allergies
and food safety. I attended that meeting. Um, and that's important to hear directly from the experience that caregivers have and that their children have um around issues that impact what
their experience is like when they're in school or when they're engaged in after school activities. Personal outreach and visible presence. I've I would say uh responds to correspondence. Um, I try really hard to
respond uh in a timely manner to correspondence or pick up the phone and have conversations if it warrants that. Um, but in all honesty, it's also an area of growth. Um, to be able to keep up with
my emails in a timely manner that honestly caregivers 100% deserve. Um, as well as staff. But too often I have to start my emails with I apologize for this delay. So that is ongoing um work
for myself. But I have really committed to making sure I'm as visible as possible at events. I've attended games, sports activities, um performances, presentations,
community events. Um, not only is it great for me and, you know, bucket filling for me to be able to see the wide range of ways that the community supports one another, that the community comes out for one another, but also to
see from, you know, an inclusive adaptive performance from Spotlight to the Thanksgiving football game. Um it's just wonderful to see all of the different ways that that we're here for one another.
And then lastly, restoring and enhancing community collaboration and relationships. Um, I just want to make sure that I am working to
build trust or maintain trust in the community and that is both from staff as well as it is from the greater community. um in the work that we're doing here in Medford public schools and the work that I've been doing um to help
both collaborate and lead. Next slide, please. So, with all this said, um planning for the future. So over the past year, Medford Public Schools has made significant progress in
restoring clarity, stabilizing leadership, and rebuilding core systems, creating coherence across instruction, operations, and community engagement. With that work, the next two slides
highlight some of the goals. They are goals that we want to maintain. It's work that we have started, established, laid out, but it's critical to maintain it moving forward. And then there are areas of of new goals
and and and new focus. So, first are continuing priorities. These priorities represent a multi-year commitment already underway and they require consistency, coherence, and disciplined implementation. The first
one is continuing to strengthen our instructional ex excellence and coherence. That is continuing the work to ground all of our instructional work in belonging in grade level expectations and deepening that coherence
so that it is seen and felt in every classroom uh through walkthroughs, calibrated feedback, a high quality materials, targeted professional development and then strengthening our multi-tered system of support. So strengthening
those supports for students so that they are able to access grade level um content and making sure that we are meeting all student needs and making sure that data cycles and progress monitoring remain central to
ensuring that we that every student receives rigorous and grade level instruction. Also continuing is advancing operational stability and predictable systems. So our focus remains on maintaining consistent operational expectations
across facilities, IT and security. And that work means sustaining predictable workflows and following through on deferred maintenance and capital improvements. Ongoing safety upgrades and established
safety committees will ensure that our schools are safe and reliable environments for our students and staff. also is expanding student access and opportunity and voice. So, we're going to continue to to refine
our K to2 schedules. Um, I think that's an important thing to note. So really important the work we did on our schedules, but it was also done at the end of last year and so we didn't have time to kind of build how we
want that schedule and those opportunities for students to look. Um so part of that work is now focused on what what can this schedule really do and we have the time and space to be a little bit more intentional. And I think
each year we're going to be able to leverage that schedule um in a more efficient and effective manner. And then strengthening our culturally responsive supports for all learners and that includes neur neurode divergent
students and LGBTQ plus students um which is essential to everything we do. I did highlight this in my report of interim findings. um that was something that came up from a lot of um
caregivers and a lot of the feedback that I was receiving across the district. So that is part of here in our continued priorities but also in our growth areas enhancing communication and community trust. So
again, really making sure we're looking at our communication structures, making sure we are um using multiple modes of communication, really looking at how we're engaging, how we can increase our engagement to really capture the diverse voice of
Medford. All of that is continuous work and building the leadership capacity and system alignment. Um so maintaining strong leadership. Um we started this year I have started with uh the
principles a principal cohort. So I it's important that they have a cohort that provides them with a system of support uh embedded professional development
um and aligned work. So once a month we a a principal will host us for our principal cohort and we spend time in classrooms and then we spend time really discussing
and uh and providing input to the principal for next steps. how they can take this walkthrough that we went on together as instructional leaders and leverage it when they're meeting with their staff in
meeting times. That's work that will be continuing. Schools making sure that they have instructional leadership teams and how they're working with them. Um, that was another thing that came out of the CBA was an increased opportunity for teacher
leadership, which is so important. And we have amazing educators who deserve opportunities to really be able to flex that muscle and show some leadership potential. And our CBA before did not
have any layers of educator leadership. And now it does. And one of those areas, just to name one, is in members on an instructional leadership team. And that's a critical role in a school to to
be working on the instructional work and and the teacher being able to work with their peers. Um, that is work that is ongoing for us. Now moving to work that
are new goals and this is kind of the next phase of growth for Metro public schools and system building. So these goals represent strategic moves for the district to discuss when we engage in our strategic planning. This does not
mean that there are only four areas to discuss when we start working on our strategic plan. But this is just something that has come out of the work that we've been trying to lay for this past year. One is strengthening curriculum and instructional coherence.
I talked about that a little bit, but first and foremost is making sure that that teachers have available to them uh HQIM highquality instructional materials. Um, this not only will assist teachers, but
it also will provide them with the time and space to really be focusing their planning on making instruction available effectively and meaningfully for students.
Um, that is work that is critical implementation of open architects. So, as I said, Dr. tablet has gotten this across the finish line, but this is going to mean this year um for the rest of this school year, some training for our administrators and it will be some
training for teachers. Um and it also will be continued embedded professional development on platforms and HQIM. Uh secondly is establishing a multi-year operations and capital plan.
So, um, Mr. Lord has already started a lot of this work, but making sure that our long-term maintenance standards and timelines and reporting structures um, Mr. The Lord came into a a lot of
work and aligning the organization of these three departments in to coherence so that the staff at every level understands what is expected and how we are operating is
critical. Um and to that is also developing transparent annual updates for the community on the work that is ongoing and again like I spoke about but like that finalization of the review of
community schools um is really critical work. Number three, strengthening recruitment, hiring and retention systems. This is an a a true goal here. Um, building a more diverse pipeline for our
staff is a huge goal for Metro Public Schools. Quite honestly, it's something we have struggled with a little bit. I think our partnership with City Year has provided one opportunity as a way that we can build that pipeline. We currently
have um some of our city year core members as student teachers and that is wonderful and I believe all of them are at the McGllin uh middle school. There might be one at the elementary, but
having City Year as student teachers and providing that opportunity is one way that we can help diversify our educators because our students really should see more representation of themselves in classrooms.
Uh the additional part of that is Dr. Talbot is bringing with her um a network of secondary education partners. Um she herself um has a close relationship with Salem
State University and I think her creative way of working with some higher ed institutions uh and other networks will help us do that work. But this is this is an area of focus and of need for Medford public schools. And then again
um making sure that we are finalizing the review that we've been um enhancing our onboarding and exiting processes um for staff that has been ongoing but making sure we're finalizing that to a
clear structure. And then of course updating is needed because that that always happens once we have a process we find a way to >> fine-tune and make it better. Um, four, strengthen community centered district planning. Uh, I spoke about this in
terms of capturing the clear diverse uh, voice of Medford, but I really want to make sure that the strategic plan that we're going to engage in um, is anchored in the instructional
vision and that we are able to bring in varied voices of input during this process. Part of this work for the strategic plan is and has to be uh expanding equitable
afterchool opportunities for our families um and community programming. It's engaging families and stakeholders through the space utilization task force that's upcoming and making some pretty big decisions there. And it's through
the MSBA forum. And so all the work that we are doing to build a new high school is massive. We're spending a oodles of time making sure that that is um member Graham is going to give us an update, but making
sure that we're getting that community voice and input into these forums and building a a flagship school that's the pride of the district is critical. And then fifth is building leadership
capacity and system alignment. So maintaining our strong leadership development that we have worked on the principal cohort. I mentioned this before. It is ongoing work but it is also continuous goals making sure that
we are providing that clarity in our systems and structures and our communication so that we are maintaining stability throughout the district. And with that uh I conclude and
happy to answer any questions that you may have and I really thank you and appreciate your time. Thank you. Thank you Dr. Galooi. Very thorough great presentation. If are there any questions from the body? Member Russo.
>> Thank you. Um that was a lot. Um uh but first off I want to say I'm very I'm thrilled um and this is very loud today. Um I'm thrilled that uh it's it's clear you can walk and chew gum at the same time. I couldn't find a good
analogy that was uh less uh American sounding but that so everybody would understand it. But it it's it's nice to see like the the number of different things that you were covering. Well, you covered everything it sounded like frankly. uh a number of times I was like, "Oh yeah, we do that too, don't
we?" Um, so communications is, as you know, is something that is uh dramatically better than it was when I started 8 years ago. And um I'm I'm thrilled with the progress we've made. Um it's one of those things that, you're
right, is never done. I don't know if it's because the audience changes or if maybe it just takes a long time to fully build out a system to kind of get it right all the time, but um I I my daughter was tardy to school today and I
want to read the f two sentences out of that email we got. Uh I got u we would like to help you and your student in any way we can to alleviate your this attendance concern. anytime a student has tardies, it is a concern to us since tardies cause a student to miss
significant instruction and learning opportunities at school. Um, and I just I don't know when this changed. I don't think I think it might have been this year. Um, but I think it's a very good example of how uh there's there's nothing in this entire there's more to
the email, but there's nothing in there about compliance and DESIE and getting the at the the not attorney general, but um who >> commissioner? >> Uh, no. The you know, if you have too many absences, we used to get automatic
letters from like the district attorney >> with legal ease. Yes. >> Yes. and and so it's it's instead of like bunch of threats, it's like how can we help your student to get their education? That's why we're here. That's what we want. So, um it seems like a
minor thing, but that email is so uh descriptive of what I've seen is change in the district since you've become the interim superintendent. So, that's wonderful. Um >> can I just highlight that? Yeah, >> that is also just an example of that
through line of our charge of belonging because for a family to receive sometimes you have to have the conversation about the legal part that is attached to attendance but receiving it without having a conversation is the
piece about how we're communicating so that we have we are sharing that sense of belonging. So thank you for that feedback. It it really it's I just found it to be very descriptive of this of how I feel about the district since you've um taken the helm. Um there's also uh
you know for eight years I have been asking the question what are the community schools and um I have never gotten in my opinion a satisfactory answer. Um and I feel like I'm starting to get a grasp that it's just a rental company
essentially. um which >> it also provides summer fun but um it would have really been so much easier to just for me to have heard those words. So now that I have a grasp of what it is, I'm very glad to hear that it's um getting a lot of focus
because um I know that the there's some people in the community who are not happy with these changes and I think that we have um we can do better, but we also have to kind of get a grasp of what are they and what do we want them to be
um and how do we want to support the community. So I'm very excited that that work is being uh undertaken. Um for communications that are around each around incidents. So the non-standard daily things. Um do you have an
afteraction review for each of those to figure out like okay the communication was not wellreceived and or was wellreceived and how can we make sure that the next time there's an incident of a intruder in a building that that the communication hits all the the notes
the right way? And because you know the barrage of complaints afterwards is you know and that I I don't think there's anything wrong with the barrage of of um upset people. Um I just want to make sure like the next time it happens that we kind of do better. We don't
necessarily do it right because you kind of it's like a sort of a practice thing. But do you have an afteraction review for each of these incident related communications? >> We do for most. Okay. Not all, but I think the ones that warrant that level, so we did for that
situation, um, we had more than one at different levels. >> Great. Thank you. >> Yes, that that is important for us to inform our practice, um, and inform our decision- making moving forward. >> Great. Um, will we be having another
presentation and maybe we already have one in the fall, forgive me if I forget. um on uh reading and how we're doing on that because I feel like are we at like year four or three of really revamping
that whole thing and I I think that >> in the first couple of years it was like understanding how we were doing well the data wasn't there and it was you know there's there's a tale to that um to that data that makes it hard to understand but I would like us to see
that we're really uh hitting want that one out of the park because we were ahead of the state for the most part on that and um making sure all the kids can read at grade level >> I don't have to tell you is is a critical requirement for everything else
we do here so >> yes thank you >> there will be a a greater data um presentation next month >> wonderful and I will let my colleagues ask questions now >> thank you member Russo member Graham
thank you. Um I just wanted to say how much I appreciated that all of your comments about um your accomplishments so far and your plans uh were aligned with what this group and
what I think the community is expecting. So I think for too long we had like a superintendent's agenda and a school committee agenda and a community agenda and everyone had a different agenda and we were all sort of like generally operating in a direction but not really.
And I think it's important that when you talk about alignment you you can't have your own agenda as the superintendent if it doesn't >> match right? if it's not connected to like sort of what the community expects
>> and what we expect. And so I I just really appreciated that even as you were laying out goals, you you sort of drew a line of distinction between these are goals we're going to continue to work on because we're not quite there yet and these are the things that
we think are important priorities that are important to you, but also that they will be like weighed into the strategic planning conversation that is coming and is, you know, badly needed. So >> yes, >> I appreciate the connection there. Um
and I guess the other um comment is that we have made a tremendous amount of change in the last year in this district um starting with the changes to the schedule. Um and I don't think it has
gone like perfectly but I also think um all things considered it's gone pretty smoothly actually. And I think um having ha having Dr. Gussy at the table um from a negotiating
perspective was really important um because we really talked a lot about the instructional aspects and impact of what we were asking for that sounded may have sounded administrative in nature at the time but they it wasn't. It was like
this enables us to do something different instructionally. Um, so I I feel like that's really important and there's, you know, sort of countless ways that um the superintendent gets involved behind the scenes in things that the public does not see so directly
but gets but but the tale is there eventually and I feel like there's a whole slew of things in that category for me that we are in the middle of. So I don't think we've seen like the best of like middle school programming and challenge classes because it's year one, right?
um but to be um asked to present at DESIE and to have the um secretary of education and the lieutenant governor come here and I happened to be able to attend that presentation. Um and talk to them about how we've implemented it here
versus how they see it implemented in other communities. Um it was just like a really thoughtful it was a really thoughtful way to sort of ease into some of the the challenge programming and um it's just like sort of interesting to
see the level of attention that all of that is getting in our first year like in our first outing. So, um, hats off to the team that is making those things happen because you usually don't get, um, credit for implementation until a
little bit further like down the line. So, um, and I just want to comment that this has all come at the hands of a tremendous amount of work um, particularly as lots of seats were vacated um, early in your tenure. So, um
there there were times that you were the only one in in certain places and um having to deal with like what came and stabilized the district. Like all of that stabilization sort of feels very far away and we yes, we did it. that was
the purpose of the appointment and all of that good stuff, but behind the scenes what that took um to actually stabilize the district um was sort of bigger than you can put on a slide and it seems so far away that I don't think
you did it justice in your comments, but um it I'm happy that it's in the rear view. So, thank you. >> Thank you. I appreciate that because I the first day of um my interim appointment was the the day of the
executive orders. So there was a lot of work right at the beginning um and a lot of communication. So it's been quite the year. I thank my family for their understanding and support.
>> Not really. Um member Reinfeld and then um our student So, thank you for this. This was, as member Russo said, very, very full of things. And as you were going through it, I was just thinking back to that meeting where we very quickly had to
appoint an interim and we kind of went around the table and said, "What are we looking for?" And some people said, "Consistency as we transition into new leadership." And some people said, "An ability to shake things up with new leadership." And I think this
really reflects both of those pieces. And I appreciate the balance that we're seeing here, but not just the balance of all right, this is this is the right these are the right proportions. We've got it figured out and we're just going to keep going. I think it reflects a lot
of continuous reassessment, which is what we need, not just in these situ situational moments, but really where are we now as a district. So, I very much appreciate that. Um, I have a little bit of a question, follow-up question, um, from member Russo about
the, uh, the action plan review and thinking about how then the results of those reviews and all those internal things that are happening that the public doesn't doesn't necessarily see, but thinking about which elements of those then come back to the public to so
they know maybe not the specific protocols that show exactly where safety points are, but that reassurance that it happened and that these are the protocols and the clarity around that. Mhm. >> Um, so I think that's a piece that is
very hard to communicate here, but is useful to know about as far as leadership's approach there. >> 100%. And I think a lot of that presentation can come out of the work that the district safety committee is doing. And a lot of the pieces that we
heard from staff members specifically was around um the level or lack thereof of professional development that was tied to the I love you guys protocol. So that is actually one of the
priorities on Mr. Lord's agenda. Um and I think they are they tackled a little bit of that in today's meeting. So that they are going at a school level going to be talking about the the training and the
resetting of expectations around that protocol. So yes, there are certain pieces we for safety reasons don't want to share with the community, but I think like a progress of what those district level meetings are focusing on and
working on is something 100% that can be shared. >> Yeah, thank you. Um, and then one piece I think was missing, I don't think you mentioned it, but the hiring of a transportation manager. I really appreciate how you've been looking at
the staffing and people who are doing multiple jobs and how that can be best distributed. You talked about it at central leadership, but I think it's also happening at other levels as well. And so >> yes, >> I I've noticed it and I wanted to comment on it.
>> Thank you for that. So, I will just conclude because I know other people have things to say. Um, that seeing these action items and these this progress laid out the way it was, I think it really helps to figure out what
reports we need as a committee for this next term, what we're what we want to see, what resolutions we need to h to work together. So, I think your comments about the partnership in the beginning are really appreciated. uh and I would reflect them back to you um because this
was very helpful in understanding what's been going on in front of and behind the scenes. So, thank you for this spending the time. I know this can this probably took a lot of time to put together on top of every all these other things that are actually in here. So, thank you very much.
>> Thank you. Thank you, member Rinfeld Alachi. And then I think we have member paid and member prox our student student r uh thank you and you know I know my fellow committee members already mentioned it but uh it was very impressive you know um I think that you
stayed on task you stayed on all of these myriad of different topics for so long and I just want to give you a bit of applause there. I have a few questions, but I want I want to be really quick because I know other members still want to go. Um, so I know that some of my other members were talking about the humanities and health
curriculum review. Who is um sort of in charge of of the review process for that? >> Sure. So, Dr. Kim Talbot is the assistant superintendent for athletics, excuse me, for academics and instruction.
New title there, right? um she would help lead that work, but the director of um physical education and health is Rachel Perry and so the two of them would be leading that work.
>> Great. Uh thank you. Um in oh man, I don't know exactly what slide it was. I believe it was the enhancing data systems for instructional decision-making. Um you said that um this sort of data that you'd be collecting through uh this
new um >> yeah analytics uh sort of platform and stuff would be sort of used in real time uh to advise for instruction and whatnot I guess. Could you give an example of of how you want this or how it is being implemented?
>> Sure. Are you talking I'm so sorry Lachi because I I with the heating system I want to make sure I hear you correctly. Are you talking about the open architects? Yeah. Or or I just remember you saying um or in my notes I I you saying that some of this data would be used in real time. >> I just that just stuck out to me. So I
was just wondering sort of like if you could provide an example. >> Sure. Absolutely. So real time might not necessarily be in the middle of a lesson. It could be. >> Yeah. But it the real time part is we don't have to wait for an end of unit
assessment. We don't have to wait for midyear, beginning of the year, right? End of year large benchmarks. Real time means they teachers will have through the use of these dashboards. the hill for literacy one also this open
architects platform they will have at their fingertips data that they're using consistently that can inform their planning and their instruction from day to day or from week to week. So when
they're sitting out planning for the week, when they're sitting out planning for the day, they have accessible to them different modes of data. And some of that is also data that teachers collect just by student responses, just
by exit tickets. Like there's a myriad of ways that teachers are using data that they can bring into real time that's going to impact their planning and their teaching. Do you do you envision it more on like a class level where where these sort of these teachers
are seeing this data and they're you know could advise sort of what they need to spend more curriculum time on or is it on a specific student level where they might see that a student is struggling they want to reach out or or maybe both like what is >> all of the above. >> Great. So, it's at the student level,
it's at the class level, it's at the department level, it's at the grade level, um it's at the school level, it's all of the above because teachers doing it on their own to make sure they're meeting students needs, but
also working together with their peers um to work on grade level data or department data, school leaders, department leaders working with teachers on a greater scale. It's really for all the levels.
>> Great. That sounds amazing. Um for from a you know teacher educator perspective. Um so um for dip bowls I'm so sorry on this slide. Um you just said that they it has historically sort of like
helped um ground educators in the district. Um so so is that sort of a similar thing where you're talking about using the the data from this system to you know advise their curriculum. >> Oh dibble thank you putting here. Thank
you. >> Yes. So dibbles is a is used to assess students reading level and reading ability. >> So it looks different K to2 as it does 3 to five. It also looks different per each student and
what their own independent reading level is. Dibbles is given as both a benchmark and progress monitoring. So as a benchmark, it's given to every student beginning of the year, middle of the year, and end of the year. That's tracked in a way and that's data that's
used to inform. But then some students require progress monitoring. Not all do, but students that are below grade level, they require progress monitoring. Some students, they may have to be monitored every two weeks, every four weeks. Other
students might be only every six or eight weeks. So, it depends on the level of need. And then this dibbles is a quick screener. it's like a one minute. Um, that's also used for progress monitoring. So teachers can track at
those intervals what the progress has been and what the growth has been so that they can really target their instruction. What's awesome about the Hill for literacy platform that we use called Continuum is that all of this
data is put in that platform. And not only do teachers have access to what the data is, but it will help them provide what the instructional focus should be for that specific student. So then teachers have that at the student
level and then they can use that data to group students by the needs that they have um and really target their instruction during small group time. >> Great. Um thank you. And sorry, just one
more. Um, and if you don't know this off the top of your head, that's totally fine, but sort of what has been the like cost profile like monetarily of of open architects compared to previous systems or if this is a new sort of >> um, >> it's a very good question.
>> First, I want to start though only because you asked about Dibbles and I think >> yes, >> Dibbles is key because Dibbles is only like a dollar a student. You're really just paying for the platform. So, it's very very very costefficient.
Open architect seven >> oh 20 $20,000 for districtwide access. So that would be um all staff though all all educators, teachers and administrators
will have access to that platform. >> Understood. Uh thank you and again uh that was very impressive. >> Thank you Elachi. Thank you. Um, member Leady, then member parks. >> Thank you. I just want to uh say how
much I appreciate I think the full in-depth explanation you kind of gave us. I think you covered quite a bit in a really short amount of time. Something I really appreciated from the beginning um of your ter of your term or your tenure is this um the collective charge of belonging. And I find that
that's been that's underscoring I think a lot of what you you know detailed here the conversation about communication partnership the inclusion of caregiver engagement I think is incredibly important. A lot of the parents that I've communicated with in the public in the last you know handful of months have communicated both the excitement that they've been seeing from their students
coming home from class acknowledging that it's been coming more and more challenging to be a fully you know involved parent because of the cost of living for example you know scheduling difficulties. So a lot of the time we're sending our students to school each and every day and not being as engaged as we
want to be. And so having this um I think increased communication with with always room for improvement as you mentioned I think has been a huge benefit to the public and the general general um student population for to understand more about what's going on. And I think I just want to be able to acknowledge that this belonging as we
continue into the next the the remaining two quarters um or trimesters for one of our schools um and then the next you know um academic year as well is that to maintain that belonging I think emphasis that you've been really highlighting. So just want to appreciate Thank you. >> Thank you. Thank you member member parks.
>> Thank you. Um a lot has been done and I will be looking closely at everything some more and learning a lot more about it. Um, one of my questions though is how do you collect feedback? Um, I know a lot has been mentioned about um, you
know, things like going well and some things don't go as well, maybe the schedule or even how do you collect feedback on open architects or some of the other PD programs >> and know that they're working or people are embracing them or whether it be
students or teachers or anyone really. >> That's a great question. Oh, I'm not I'm not near the microphone. That's a great question. I would say there's there's when we have meetings, when we have professional development,
there's always an exit ticket. Um, and we really are using that data to structure and refine the next session. Um, and we're being very intentional about how we are honoring that feedback
in the shifts that we're making to the format of how we're doing things. I think we have given a lot of surveys. I think this speaks to part of um my and our ongoing look at how we are
collecting data. the, you know, we're getting responses from surveys, but it's not always capturing the full essence of Medford. And so that is ongoing um work for us. There's always also too
a level of street data. So when you bump into people at, you know, when I bump into people at the outings, when I am we're doing walkthroughs in schools, when we're showing up at meetings, you know, there's also that that level of
feedback that's given. Um, one of the things that we've really been doing as a leadership team, a central leadership team, is trying to create like landing pages and um,
sheets, spreadsheets, so that it provides us opportunities to kind of input that data. Um, especially Dr. Talbot and I, we we have a running one so that when we're when we're hearing these things or when something pops up, we have a place that we are recording
that so that we can go back. Very similar to with the administration too or like creating like landing spaces for people so that they know where they can go to kind of get some of that information. But I would say part of
that is also our continuous work that we're doing. And I think the upcoming forums is another place to be gathering real feedback and input from people in person. I know a survey will go out as
well, but um I gathered a lot of very important data during the meet and greets and when we participate in the committees and the task force. But again, it's really just that piece of
how we're making sure it's all voices and that's that's the work that um is still needed. >> Thank you. >> Does that answer your question? >> Yeah. Okay. >> Thank you, >> member Master Bony and then member Graham, then member Rinfeld.
>> Thank you. Briefly, superintendent. uh great first meeting for myself and and I'm really happy to get caught up on all the work that that you and especially the leadership team have been doing. Um three things that jumped out to me. It's it's clear you're doing a lot of organizational change um and organizational improvement. That's hard
work that takes a long time. Um and it's it's really um great to see that that reflected so much in in in the work that you're that you're that you want to share with us. Um, second, the idea of curriculum uh, development support, helping our educators not have
to take the time to develop the curriculum, but really focus on how they present it and and and try and make that connection. That's a real force multiplier. And again, something that, um, I really want to, you know, give you credit for and and give your team credit for. Um, that's that's fantastic stuff.
And and finally, um, something near and dear to my heart is community schools. Um, it's such a community resource. Um, and as the managers and stewards of those those places, I think we have to strike a balance between the the
generational equity of of of allowing uh the supporting the users right now and being able to maintain those assets for users in the future 10, 20, 30 years from now. So, um, I'm really looking forward to what your team is going to going to bring to us to to talk about what the future of community schools looks like. But, thank you so much for
the presentation. >> Thank you. Happy to partner with you in that work, too. Sounds like you might have some good ideas. >> Member Graham. >> Thank you. Um I just before we move off of this topic wanted to make sure that
um for the community we're clear about what the next steps are in terms of the superintendent's evaluation. So I'll let member Olady tell us that. But I think my question for like also for like planning purposes around MSBA stuff is
are we still like on track to have an evaluation to review together on the meeting on the 26th and do you need help from this committee? >> Yep. Member Leat. >> That's a great question. That that is a
that's Yeah. Yeah. um that's going to come out to the the members that we spoke about. So um former member Inappa and former member Branley and then um the not newest members of the committee that will come out tomorrow morning for each of us to now that we've had the evaluation from
the superintendent. We'll be able to each um compile our um thoughts and our um wants for the community to be known and then I will take that data, compile that into a succinct messaging. I want that to be clear to the public that what I will be reading out is a
coalescing of all the thoughts and reviewing opinions from the um established members from the previous meeting. Um so it will not be verbatim from each member unless a member feels like there needs to be something said but in general that's not this that's not the standard or that's not the um
the model that we follow. But that'll be ready for the 26th I think is the meeting. >> Yeah. If if I may from the chair, um just to piggyback, we'll get it tomorrow morning and then how long when should we have it back to you for compilation? >> Preferably uh that'll I'll have that
before Sunday. Sunday the >> 18th. >> Yes. >> Okay. >> Yeah. So that gives me about that gives me about a week week's worth of time to compile all the information. Um I don't want to push it any further because we want to have that um finalized that review finalized and public before um
MSBA in the next step. So >> sounds great. Thank you very much. Um, thank you for the presentation and I agree with my colleagues. Do did you want to say a few words? >> Okay. Name and address for the record, please. >> Uh, thank you. Uh, Simon Alundor, 44
Tainter Street. I was just wondering because you did mention how you're strengthening existing modes of communication, especially to parents and whatnot. I was wondering what work has been done with diversifying uh, communication, especially because I was um, I was curious. So, I did take a look online and there isn't really much
outside of the school's website in terms of just like forward- facing communication. Um, >> that's a great question. So, a lot of this is in partnership with my commun communications director, Will
Pacelli. Um, so we do maintain the website. We have updated our website. We are continuing to update our website um to make sure that it is providing families and the community with updated
information as best as possible. When we send something out, we are sending out our communications through the platform that the website is on called Final Site that automatically translates communications for families. We also use
an app called Talking Points that is uh like a texting app so caregivers can get it directly on their their phones or their devices that also automatically translates any documentation that they need. We do also have a Facebook Medford
Public Schools Facebook page and that's Mr. Pipelli updates that regularly. Um, and then I send out a weekly communication and the school leaders, the principles also send out um either
weekly, bi-weekly, monthly uh newsletters to their communities. >> All right, thank you. >> Yeah, great question. Thank you. Yeah, and your newsletter translates as well >> automatically through the site. Yep. >> Great. Thank you, U Member Russo. And then we're going to move on to the
school calendar. >> Thank you. Um that was a question though that is um you know with the end of newspapers um there's no one place that everybody goes to anymore and um you know it's like if you go to Facebook Medford
Politics has 2,000 people most of whom probably live in Medford and you know you could believe that you're communicating with Medford when you're in there and you are communicating with some of Medford. Um and I I think it's a challenge that is I think there are
whole sections of the city for which there is no communication path other than knocking on their door or mailing them something. Um, both of which are wildly expensive obviously. Um, and I do think it's a sad situation we're in,
especially when we talk about a new high school. um when we talk about a new high school, it's going to be, you know, we're not going to be able to publish op-eds in newspapers and think we're hitting most of the voters. So, um it it's a real
challenge of our time and I I I don't envy our communications group. So, thank you for that question. That's really important. >> Thank you, Member Russo, and thank you again, Dr. um Galooi. Next up, we have our recommendation to approve the school
year 2627 district calendar. I'll turn it over to you, Dr. Galooi. So, I don't know. Um, Mr. Pipelli, are you He's so good. Thank you. So, we spent some time talking about the
calendar for next year. What we are here to put forward for recommendation is this option for the school calendar next year. Um, a few things to note as I'm framing this for school year 2627.
Labor Day is very late. Uh Labor Day, as you can see, um on this right here is September 7th, which means per contracts, we come back to school the week before. That's really for next
year, the first week of September. Typically in a year, that return week is the last week of August. Next year, it would be the first week of September. Additionally, the primary
voting day is Tuesday, September 1st. So, what we are providing here is just a recommendation to pretty much follow the same structure that we have this year. So, that teachers would return and have
their professional development days, the launch on Monday, August 31st and September 1st. and we're welcoming students on grades one through 12 on September 2nd. This does make without
snow days the last day of school for as June 23rd. So if we do have a snow day, we would have to tack it on to after June 23rd. I also do want to be very transparent as
we've kind of discussed um last year when the calendar was presented because of the way some of the holidays fell there was a recommendation to honor the
high holy holidays for religious purposes but have um I don't want to say less sir, but for for you know um absence of a better word uh
not as high um holy days to be in attendance that we are taking a similar approach to that for next year. But I do want to note that historically up until this year, Medford public schools has had um Good Friday off. And so this is
the first year that it is a day of school and not a day off. And so this calendar proposal for next year also has Good Friday as being a day that school is in session. Um
I'm hoping we we will be fine, but we also haven't like experienced that day yet. And so I'm hoping that we're not going to encumber like a staffing issue. Um I just want to be very fully transparent that
this calendar is being proposed, but may potentially warrant a further conversation at some point down the road after we see what happens with that day this year. Um and then other than that, the only piece with this is that there's a a desi
regulation around when um graduation can be and the distance between the high school graduation and the last day of school for the district. And it can't be more than 12. So this means next year for the class of 2027,
um the graduation the earliest it could be would be Friday, June 4th. So we would have to move it from the Wednesday to the Friday in compliance with the DESIE regulations. Other than that, we're following pretty much the same structure as we are this
year. Um this was reviewed with uh the teachers union during joint labor and I did have a discussion with union president um Anthony Guian today and this is the this option is in full compliance with CBA so
they of course are in support of it. Happy to answer any questions. >> Thank Thank you, Dr. Lucy. And I think we've read today that you do have want to have one more input session. So you do you are you asking for a vote to table or you're looking for approval? >> No, we I'm looking for approval. >> Okay.
>> Member Russo, then member Graham. >> Thank you. Um I just want to say that we passed this policy in 2020 and this is the first year when the ag the calendar was presented that it was accurate. So I want to thank you. It's it is not an easy task to actually because you're like you know I want to look at the
dates for 2026 and it's like oh but I need 2027 for some of them but 2026 for the ones that are after September 1st. So it it is a little >> tedious and confusing sometimes. And I take the our policy and I take the proposed calendar and I go through and I
you know ask chat GPT when the date is on that year and even I after going through it I had a couple mistakes and I almost sent you a text saying it's not right again but I didn't because then I realized I was looking at the wrong year. Um so I do appreciate that that is
uh correct. Um, and I mean we really frankly got very lucky this year around a lot of holidays were on Saturday. A lot of religious holidays that we have no school for were Saturday or um well frankly a lot of Saturday and Sunday
ones. Um so from a school days uh perspective, we got very lucky. Um last year we got very unlucky. Um so I'm glad we didn't have to do that. Um, and um,
was there anything else I wanted to say about this? No, I just wanted to make a motion to approve option A as presented. >> Motion for approval by member Russo. Member Graham, >> I just had a quick question. So, the end of the last day of school being on June
23rd, um, am I correct that Desi requires us to have space for five snow days? And so we are in compliance here. >> Yes. >> Okay. Okay. Thank you. >> Yep. >> Is there a second? >> Motion for approval by member Russo,
seconded by member Rinfeld. Roll call, please. As I know two have to abstain because they're going to get sworn in tomorrow officially. >> Member Graham. >> Member Master Boy. >> That was uh meat.
>> Member Parks. Member Reinfeld. >> Yes. >> Member Rouso. Yes. Marilyn Goker. >> Yes. Five in the affirmative. Two having to abstain. Motion is approved. Calendar option A has been adopted for the 20 26 2027 school year. Thank you for the
copy. Goes right in my book. Next up, we have the um update from member Graham, MCHSBC chair. Um an update on the Medford Comprehensive High School Building Committee. Member Graham. >> Thank you. Um I'm going to try to move
quickly, but there has been lots going on. So I just wanted to take a minute and give this group an update on some of the work that's been happening um and to lay out some time some of the timeline particularly around um votes and decisions of this body that will have to
happen in the coming months. So, um, as you all know, uh, back in October, uh, SMMA was selected as our architect. Um, we formally signed the contract right before Thanksgiving, um, after a vote of the building committee. Um, but they
already were on board and working. And the part of what has been happening in the last couple of months is this like massive getting to know you phase essentially so that the team at SMMA can learn about who we are and how we do
things and investigate like what's in the ground and under the building and is there ledge and how does the traffic flow. So they they there's been a tremendous amount of work happening um on the part of the architects to really
get to know um everything about what they call existing conditions, right? So what happens today? How does it happen? Where's the ledge? Where is the playing field? How does traffic flow? Where are the challenges? And all that good stuff. Um, so all of that work has been going
on, including like having to undertake like a measurement process of every like nook and cranny of the building. So, lots of surveying, lots of measuring, looking at lot lines, looking at where wetlands are, not just like on our
property, but adjacent to our property, and like an extensive amount of surveying work, particularly because we're surrounded by the fells. So, they've been doing all of that work. um they're sort of more on campus right now than they are like you know sort of out on Winthrop Street and that kind of
thing. So um you know the community probably isn't seeing as much of that but it's still very much going on um they're like drilling holes to you know find out where the ledge is and that kind of thing um right now and there's plenty of rock there so I'm sure they'll
be finding it all over the place. Um but so all of that work has been going on to get to know the space. At the same time they have been working to get to know what we do inside the building from an educational perspective. Um that work
has been like really interesting to watch. So it started with them having what they called programming meetings. So they sat with heads of all of the various different departments um that operate in the high school and I think there were like 60 meetings that h that
happened across a whole variety of topics. Um and so they they had meetings with each and every one of those departments to understand you know or departments teams teachers etc. What do you do? How do you do it? Where do you do it? Um all of that good stuff. So all
of that happened. That was like the initial sort of like big like casting a wide net opportunity. Um and then um at our request um they brought on board an educational consultant to help assist us with what has to be submitted called the
educational plan. So it is essentially like how do we plan to educate kids in the building when it exists, right? And so it's very educationally focused. It's things like are we having a house model or are we having a
grade level model or are we having some other kind of model that is going to drive how space is created in the building. Um so this educational um planning consultant has been wonderful um and really thoughtful
and gave us a recommendation about how to go about sort of crafting all of that. And it started with sh like what a shadow day and administrators and folks from SMMA and folks from the educational planner
followed students around for a day. Um arrival, lunch, passing periods like all all of it, right? So pe you know various students in sort of various like grade levels and programming were followed by
some number of people for for an entire day. Um he also took um a core team on an extended field trip one day. I think they saw four schools in a day. Is that right? Um to help our team understand
what's possible. Right. because many people have worked almost their entire career in the in that building or in the district. And so even understanding what is possible is like a really important thing to do at this point in time. So the building committee has done some of
that touring. Um some of that touring with that educational plan focus in mind has happened um with Mike's leadership. And then um he held a two-day session um where he convened primarily educators
and students um as well as administrators and then a handful of folks um from the building committee and I got to be part of that two-day session. And I'm a huge critic of those kinds of sessions because that's what I do for a living. Um, and I was just like
waiting for an opportunity to be like, he could have done this differently. And I didn't come up with a single thing that did not go exactly as he intended. So, he was like super skillful and artful. Um, and just had a really like
amazing approach to making sure that any question he was asking was grounded in listening to students. So on the first day I sat with um a vocational teacher and an administrator and a student and
we spent like the entire day together. So anytime we would be given an exercise, it was like the first step of the exercise is to have the student tell you about this thing that we're asking you about and then for the rest of you to ask questions about that experience,
right? So, like what are the things that create like that make you feel like you belong here and what are the things that make you feel like you don't? And um it was really just fascinating um to be part of that. And then the second day was like a little bit more like moving
around. So, we didn't get to like sort of stick in a particular group on the second day. Um, but the entire point of the exercise was to start to like articulate what are we going to do in the building and how are we going to do it? And so
it's thing and then he finally at the very end allowed us to talk about space and it sort of became a running joke that we had these multiple days of sessions and what we were not allowed to talk about for about a day and a half was like space like is it in a classroom or is it in a hallway and is it an open
space or a closed space like that came at the very end of the two days of work in December because what he wanted to do was to hear from everybody like what we're trying to do so that when you ask somebody about
space, they have two days of like talking about how it could be different before they answer the question about space. Because envisioning a a space that you're going to go to and work in every day that's different than the one you have is really hard if you don't believe that anything about your day is
going to change. Like why do you need a new space, right? So it was a really interesting conversation and I think enlightening for all the participants um and um the teachers in the room commented about how much they enjoyed
the students being there and I do think it change it set the tone for the conversation in a very different way which was like super fascinating. Um, and so we have more work to do coming out of that to say, okay, we have all this like all of these like hopes and dreams like documented in in work that
we've been doing in preparation for this. And then we have this set of sessions and now now what do we do with all of this to create a cohesive picture of what we will do to educate students in this building. Um, and I think a good example of something that came out of
that is, um, one of the, um, students that sat at my table, she said something kind of innocuous, like, I take a break during every class. And she's like, I don't really have to go to the bathroom, but I take a break in every class. And
somebody asked her why, and she's like, well, I just need a break. And we're like, fair, right? Like, fair. when I need a break at home and I'm working, I get to do that when I need a break. Um, but then she went on to say, "But I would never do that in my CTE rotation." And
we we were like, "Why why wouldn't you do it there?" And she's like, "Well, I don't want I don't want to miss anything." And so the one of the things that came out like really strongly was students telling us
um maybe not shockingly but yet we don't do it that they want to understand and own their learning like the students want to know like why am I learning this thing right I mean do you remember saying that to your parents like I don't know when I'm going to ever use this
thing in math in my whole life right and Um, so there was definitely like I guess I felt like maybe not so old because that like condition of being a student, a high school student like still the same, right? But um, it was really
interesting because it did create conversation around like what should we be doing differently and and why are there things that are succeeding in certain programs that are not happening in other programs? And it also opened
the door for us as a district to say, do we have to wait for a new building to do some of these things? And the answer is like absolutely not. Like many many many of these things could be enacted or changed in advance of a new building. But there there will be like an upper limit of what can be done while we wait
for a new building. So out of all of that will come an educational plan and that plan will come before this body first on the 26th in our meeting. Um so we'll be introducing it then. So SMMA
will be here with us. We'll invite the council to join us at that meeting if they would like to um to hear about it. But the the absolute thing that this body must do after hearing um about the educational plan on the 26th is in our
meeting on our following meeting on February 2nd, we will have to approve that educational plan. Without our approval um that the educational plan can't be submitted and the goal to submit that is February 28th or 27th. Um
so that's our first big gate in the feasibility study is what they call the preliminary design report no prelim preliminary design plan um PDP um and the and that PDP includes the educational plan that's sort of the
realm of this group um that will we will have to sign off on that and then the other piece of that deliverable will be an initial set of space concepts I'll call them that um we're going to explore
more fully and deter and use that as the basis of determining what is like feasible right like which one we will do so that work is for the building committee to do so the building committee will have its own set of requirements um between now and the end of January um but I want to te I did
want to tee up that the ed plan will come here so in our meetings on the 26th and February too we'll have some dedicated time to go to talk about the ED plan um answer questions um and that will really be largely the superintendent and her team um with
support from hopefully our educational planner and um SMMA as well. Um the building committee sort of simultaneously has a series of activities happening. Um because we are finally at the point where we can talk about
the things people want to talk about like where will the building go and what will it look like and will it move on the will we like renovate it where it is or will we move it on the property. Right? So all of those are questions that are going to start to become
um discussed um in the coming weeks. So, in advance of all of that, on Wednesday of this week at 6:30, we have a Zoom webinar session um where we will um lay out sort of the process, what's happened, and what people can expect in
these like next handful of months so that people know how to get involved if they want to, right? So there'll be lots of opportunity at the building committee meetings in particular to look at, you know, maybe there's like 20 designs and we're going to look at 20 designs and
say no, absolutely we hate number five, six, and seven and the rest of them like we like enough to move on and that's going to inform like how they then go do some initial cost estimations and then we're going to review that and then we'll like whittle that down. So there will be lots of chances for community
input in those sessions. Um, so on on Wednesday night, we'll have like a primer for that so that people understand what has happened so far so that they can come if they want to to the building committee meetings on the 14th. Um, and then in February to
provide their input and their reaction to some of the things that they're seeing. Um, and we didn't want those meetings to happen without that primer and that context happening first. So on on Wednesday, we'll do that primer. um translation services will be available.
We actually spoke to um our community liaison earlier today about um supporting um that meeting in multiple languages. They've offered to help push out information um to their networks so that um folks who may or may not be on
the MPS mailing list um will get to know about those sessions as well and that there are services available for translation. Um, and so that initial meeting, we're expecting that to really be information sharing, probably like a light, I'll
call it a process oriented Q&A. We'll collect a lot of questions. We'll answer the process ones probably on Wednesday night. And then, um, you know, if we can pull off like a QR code so people can tell us about their hopes and dreams for the high school, that's like a great time to start like sort of thinking
about that and and articulating those things. And then um we'll create space in the building committee meeting um in January and then in February so that when we're rolling out these initial designs, the building committee will um be able to like see these designs and
think about them and um there'll be a place for public input and we talked with the community lison today about how to make sure that our um communities that require translation services also can be part of that process. So we have we're working on plans for that. Um
whether they choose to participate via Zoom or in person, there'll be a translator available and equipment if they need it in person to um listen to the translated the translator um who is going to translate in lifetime. So all
of that will um start to happen in our meeting in January at the building committee and um sort of the visual excitement of like what I've been told are like circles on a map, right? Like the building could be here or it could
be there. Um that's all informed by this sort of monster spreadsheet um that articulates what do we have. So, every single nook and cranny of the building, how big is it, how many classrooms is it, that kind of
thing. And then there's like a another section that says like what what will the building what what might the building look like? What do we need? And that's sort of a a compilation of like what the MSBA will allow
um in terms of space, what DESIE requires in terms of CTE space and then what we uniquely need in Medford to educate kids according to our educational plan. So that's why the educ the ed plan is so important. So, this
big spreadsheet has been evolving over over time and it's super interesting and enlightening. And one of the like factoids like I feel like we've been hearing for years that our CTE are going to get smaller through this project because the MSBA will never pay for spaces as big as we have. And that's
false. It's almost completely false. I think there's one program where that is true and it's like a marginal change. In all other instances, our programs are operating in space that is too small according to Desessie's guidelines. So
that changes the conversation around like preservation of spaces versus like doing something different or new. Um it significantly unconstrains the site um in a in an important way. Um but that space plan
um is the place where we get to like do some myth busting, right? Um, one myth that is actually a fact is that the MSBA will not pay for a pool. They will share in um the renovation of a pool, which we would need a renovation somewhat
urgently. Um, but also that our gym spaces are quite large and those would get smaller in fact if we were to build new ones. And so right off the bat, they're saying uh MSBA uh sorry, SMMA is
saying that we should be looking to preserve not just the pool, but the fieldhouse, which includes like the gymnastics room and the batting cages, um and a couple a handful of other like specialty spaces. What's the other one?
Fitness center. Um so, and it's it's not like marginally bigger. it's dramatically bigger than what they would allow. So that's like a really important that's actually like a fact that's a fact instead of a fact that's a myth. So all of these like fun little nuggets come
out of this process. Um and there's so much information that I think part of what we're trying to do is like figure out how to distill it so that people can get the information that they need out of the process instead of like being overwhelmed um by things that don't
matter to them. Um, but we'll try to tee all of that up in our meeting on uh in our meeting on Wednesday so that the community understands like sort of what has been happening because it's been paperwork. Like it's been a lot of like really not glorious um and definitely not glamorous behind
the scenes back and forth around like things that are really meaningful but only when you get to like see what they produce, not the actual spa. you know, nobody cares that our classrooms are 745 square feet or 600 square feet. They
care that like how many classrooms are we going to have in the future or how big does our space get to get and all of that stuff. So, um we're sort of in the that process that will inform some of the design choices, but I think they they have enough information that they're already working through that
because we will be seeing some of those early designs on the 14th of this month. Um, so I did want to make sure that this group knew sort of all of that going on. So I'm going to like sequentially read these meetings off to you so that um
it's clear like how all of these things link together if my phone will cooperate. Let's see where we go. Okay, so on uh Wednesday the 7th at 6:30 Zoom only is this community input
session. Um I did get a couple of questions about why it was zoom only and it is zoom only be because the goal there are two goals. One is to make sure that we could provide translation services and this was the most seamless way to do that the most quickly which
was important because this is a time-sensitive meeting and to create a higher quality um video production leave behind than can be had in a like hybrid setting that is not frankly wired. None
of our spaces are wired for good like lasting recordings of things. And we think that's going to be important because maybe you don't want to come on the 7th, but you're interested in what's happening, you know, a week from now. So, we want that to be able to sort of live a little bit longer than the moment
that it is delivered. Um, on Wednesday the 14th at 6:30 in the MHS library and on Zoom will be a regularly scheduled BU building committee meeting. This is where we're going to start to see concepts. This is where we will direct to the architects on which ones we want
to see blushed out in further detail around cost. Um and then um we will then move on to um January 26th which is a regularly scheduled school committee meeting. That
time does shift a little bit but sometime after 6 PM um we'll have a regularly scheduled meeting. the team will be here to present to us um not just what they've been up to um but also that educational plan for review and input. Um we'll invite the council to
join us on February 2nd. Also a regularly scheduled building comm uh school committee meeting. This body will vote on the educational plan that will be submitted to the MSBA on Wednesday, February 11th at 6:30. there will be in the MHS library uh building committee
meeting and that's where we'll look at not just the concepts but also the initial draft from the estimators that will in help inform us on what we want to submit as those things we're going to study in more detail um to the MSBA. Um on Monday the 23rd we will have
another building committee meeting where we will finalize our submission. So that's the ED plan, that's the space summary, that's the concepts that we want to study, etc. All of that becomes the PDP that gets submitted and reviewed by MSBA. There's no board meeting at that point from
MSBA. So there's there they'll provide feedback, but it's like written feedback. Um and then um from there we'll move into what is called the preferred schematic report PSR. Um that is where we will go from let's say we
have 10 options uh before us in February by June we will have one. So that preferred schematic report timeline will help establish how do we go from 10 to one essentially. So obviously lots of like continuing
feedback from Desi and others as we do that. Um but what we'll submit in terms of options to be studied will then go into another community input meeting where we'll be explicitly saying to the community here are the 10 options we're talking about. Tell us what you think
about them. So that's um scheduled for Thursday, March 5th in the MHS library. And then we'll shift into um a regular building committee meeting at the end of March on the 23rd um where we'll get an update and we'll be kind of continue talking. So that's like the next three
months of this project. Um so really by the end of March we'll be deep in the throws of like whatever those options are that we're studying like really um doing the work to do the cost estimation to understand like in more detail what does this building look like um no no
longer like circles on a map but like actual visual details um and um and cost. So all of that will be happening really pretty quickly now that we have come out of the holidays. Um, we certainly timing wise didn't we we
prioritized doing the work that we did over the holiday which was very brutal for the people involved behind the scenes. Um, so that we had the community's full attention before everyone checks out for summer, right? So there's like this like magic window I
think of community engagement from January to to like May or June that we want to capitalize on and the timeline um helped us helped us do that. So um there there will certainly be more to come about the second half of the um of
the year of 2026 in terms of this project. But I just wanted to lay all of that out and field any questions because I think there's a lot of questions in the community and I think we're finally at a point where there's answers and not just questions. So I'm looking forward to providing people some answers um you
know as we go here but um you know happy to answer any questions that you all have about the process, next steps, that kind of thing. >> Member Reinfeld. >> Thank you. This is super exciting. >> Yes. Finally. Yes. I'm very excited about this. Well, my first question is
can we borrow some of that visioning session for our strategic planning meetings because that sounds amazing. It it was really um it was really wonderful and I think some people in the room were like we need to do this with all the teachers in the high school and so there was a lot of energy around what could
happen and I think one of the recognitions and and um Mike who is the head of the organization said you know when you hear stories about schools that built something and then they don't use it
>> right you hear that all the time Um and he said that's that happens because people people make a list of their hopes and dreams and their wishes and they're like it's going to be so great if we can have these things and then everybody
like closes the you know closes up the list of hopes and dreams and wishes and waits for the building to come and sort of hopes that the building is going to transform them and the building is not going to do that. the transformation um
has to happen by people um because the things and the things that have to change actually are the people, right? So um we did talk a bit about um once we have this like initial ed plan developed, what kind of professional development um
opportunities and collaboration sessions should be happening to really start to collaboratively unfold. um what can we do before you know whenever this building opens and when can we do those things and what supports
are needed um and that is that is other work that this team at the educational planner does do um and certainly was like I'm happy to give you suggestions I'm happy to tell you how to do this yourself I'm happy to help you do it um but yeah I think to to the point like
the the work that he did to pos you know sort unposition everybody from whatever it is that they thought that they were coming in to to tell us um is important and it's like it's skillful work. So really thinking about the next steps I think is important. I think we'll use a
lot of the same techniques in our strategic planning sessions albeit uh we have a little bit less of a controlled audience so we'll we'll navigate for that >> was quite curated. >> Yeah. Yes. Um, yeah. And so I think when you have a curated audience, you can
really like direct and we're also going to try to do our strategic planning sessions in two hours and we had two days. So we're going to we're going to have to like move a little differently, but many of the same like concepts will apply for sure. >> Yeah. I wish there were way that people could that we could capture that and
share that in vignettes somehow. >> Yeah. And I think to your point like one of the things that we can talk about is how do we capture that because I think it was really very cool like what happened. Um and I think there is maybe an opportunity to do that that we can talk about.
>> Yeah. I mean I'm just thinking I got so my my children weren't in that but I I've been getting texts from today it was the the high school is colder than outside and the other day it was I taught a architect how to French braid. So >> yeah, >> so it's it's really wonderful to see the
students centering. So I think most of my other questions now are around this communication out to the community. Um I'm actually really glad that Simon brought up this idea that this question of communicating with people beyond the school community. We have a lot of
strategies for doing this and I would actually love it. you know, it's too it it might I would love to get this information out about the forum, whether it's through talking points or through emails through the schools. I know that doesn't necessarily go to the broader Medford community, but I'm thinking
about I'm looking at all the elementary principles here in the audience. Um, but these are the students who are going to be >> yes, >> living in this building and middle school as well. Um, so it would be great to get that notice out in advance of Wednesday, but I'm wondering if we can
put together some sort of backpack flyer on these dates with the the disclaimer of >> y >> subject to New England weather and whatnot. And here's how to subscribe if there's a newsletter going out. Um,
here's how to stay informed about this project. If we could get something physical out to families >> soon, that would be really Yes. So, a couple of things that are also brewing there. Um, we'll send a reminder. Um, Will's been in touch with
um Steve and the mayor's office to to do a blast about this meeting. Um, >> great. >> The community liaison will be communicating about this meeting um to their um to their communities um who need translation services. Um and then
um as we talk about important dates, the other thing we talked about with the community liaison today was like giving people just that exact list of like here's what's coming. So when we put that together, we can do any number of things with it, including we could um stuff some flyers and backpacks. So the
communication about the meeting has gone out in a couple of different ways. we'll send a reminder, but then we can put this like like trail of breadcrumbs sort of meeting schedule um out to people um in backpacks for our elementary students and like push that out through all of
these channels as well >> because I think getting that in a school-based way may engage some of our families who >> with all due respect may not follow the weekly memo quite as closely. >> Yeah. And I think the other thing that we um have we will be talking about is
how to create like a mailing list newsletter um that can be used for broader communications outside of the school community so that those folks in the community who want to be explicitly notified about things on the building committee um that that will do that. So
we have a whole bunch of communicationoriented things that will start to like get going so that we can create this like bigger base of people who are informed. >> Great. And I just and I think the the my final question was around that. I know when you started there was a communications and community engagement
subcommittee and just making sure that's still active and robust and if there's anything that this body I know half of a good half of the people well mo more people in this room are on that committee than not and to you've been on multiple building committees in
Somerville and you're a facilities project manager. I think I'm the only person here who isn't involved in building work. Um but is whatever we can do to support that committee and getting the word out because >> yeah the sub that subcommittee has not met in a bit because we've been sort of
>> turning our attention to all of the like existing condition work. Um but I think there is an opportunity to reconvene that team and I will talk to the members of that team about doing something that can push out like maybe a monthly newsletter or something um that can be
authored by um a subset of the building committee. So we'll talk about that. Yeah, that would be great. My my goal here is that nobody should be surprised when a debt exclusion shows up. >> Oh, absolutely. >> Sorry. >> Fair point.
>> We're we're going to try really hard >> to get everybody >> or when they're surprised that they can figure out where to go to learn more. So, thank you for all the work and thank you to everyone who has been doing this work because I know it's a lot and I'm just I'm so excited.
>> Thank you. you'll say a few words. >> Thank you again, Simon Al. Thank you again, Simon Alindor, 44 Tainter Street. I just had a couple of quick questions. Um, first of all, um, I know you like briefly touched on like transportation when you're talking about
like the exploratory phase of this. Um, what do you have like any more details on like what they've been doing exactly like especially when it comes like traffic with it being a sort of isolated place? I'm kind of interested in that. Yeah. So, um that's come up in a couple of different ways. Um in addition to all
the things that I talked about, I forgot to mention that. Um we have four advisory committees. There's like 70 or so people across the four committees um talking about who are community members who are joining us in a um targeted capacity. And one of the one of those
subcommittees is about site safety and security and transportation came up in that meeting just before the holiday break. Um, and so the conversations that we're having about transportation are a few things. One is about the like one way in and one way out nature of where
our where our um school is and talking about um we heard from the chief uh the police chief in particular that like emergency access is something we need to explore and the team is talking about that. We are also talking about creating
better flow of traffic around the building wherever that building sort of becomes situated. So one of the things that the architects commented on is that the the way the the way the property is laid out now it prioritizes parking lots
over flow. and that a lot of the problems that we have can be alleviated with like an attention to flow around the property. And the example that came up in our visioning session was like students were saying I try to leave my
last class a few minutes early because I have to get to the bus and it's across the school building and if I don't get there then I don't get a seat or I can't get on the bus because it's crowded. Right? And they're like, "And by the way, that's the same e everybody leaves
out of that same exit." Right? So if you're getting picked up in a car, if you're getting picked up on a bus, if you're walking home, everyone leaves through the same exit. It's it's madness, right? And so they were like, "Can't can the buses be somewhere else?" That was like the students ask, "Can we
just put the buses somewhere else?" And kind of the answer on our current property is like, "Not really." But in a new building where we're thinking about, okay, how do people arrive at this school? Like, they arrive on foot. By the way, it's a very steep pitch, right?
So, if you're going to arrive on bike, like it's a very steep pitch to get up that hill. Um, and I'm not a biker. Um, but I couldn't do it. So, you know, how many people are we deterring because there's a very steep pitch. And is there an answer for that? but also like how do
we make it so that we're not like everybody convening into the same like choke point essentially which is what h what happens today. So all of that is being discussed and um even things have come up like we probably do need to talk to the MBTA about the timing of the
buses and is there a shift there that can be made to create better access and you know when you start talking about those kinds of things um students rightfully will say there's no late bus so if I I try one of the students said to me I try hard to stay to not stay
after school because if I stay after school I have to walk two miles home and it takes me an hour. So because there's no late bus. So that sort of come like a lot of things come up in these sessions that don't have like a late bus has nothing to do with whether this building
is old or new but um is coming up in the context of like the the collective problem that we need to solve. So yes, very much lots of conversation around transportation is happening and I'm excited to see like the flow. Every time I go around that back corner of that
hairpin turn, I'm like, "Who did this? Why is it so tight?" Like, I can barely get my giant car around there. Um, much less two cars. So, you know, those are the kinds of things. And then if you think about like if you're going >> it does, it does.
>> Oh, those busards work miracles. But like but if you go around the back of the building to drop a kid off at um the field, you have to turn around and go back the way that you came. So those are the kinds of flow conversations that I'm
really hopeful will be alleviated in a significant way when we start talking about like how could this new building be laid out. >> Okay. And then um and then just like uh separately like uh is this going to be on like are the meetings for like the committee going to
be on like city events calendar and that I did notice that they're at least not the one on Wednesday isn't >> correct. Not yet. It's a work in progress. So the holidays sort of got in our way. Will has been putting all those things on the calendar um on the MPS calendar and has shared it with the city so that they can be there too.
>> Okay. Thank you. >> Yeah. Anytime. >> Thank you very much. Thank you, member Graham, for the um update and we'll work on the putting this in the city newsletter and robocall as well. Um we do not have any presentations as student advisory council or
presentations of the public. We going to skip also continue business new business reports requested and I'm going to go right to condolences. The members Do >> do you do you want to um just say that
in the so the public can hear? Thanks. >> Oh jeez. Yes. And um you know we we meet after schools at uh after school at the high school and so I know that some of members have expressed interest in in sitting in on some of our meetings. Um
we will get back to you on that. But again, if any of you um want to express concerns or or sort of um want an avenue through which to sample a specific concern you have, especially in the high school committee
uh community, just come to us. We'd be happy to help. And uh yeah, great. Thank you. Thank you so much. Um so so I'll read the condolences. The members of the Medford School Committee expressed their sincerest condolences to
the family of Robert S. Bloke, Medford High School assistant principal David Blo's father. The members of the Medford School Committee expressed their sincerest condolences to the family of Rosemaryie Heinig, Medford High School English language arts teacher, and the
Medford's third poet laurate currently. Um, that's Max Heinig's mother. The members of the Medford School Committee expressed their sincerest condolences to the family of Robert F. McCarthy, McGlin Middle School social studies teacher, Ryan McCarthy's father, and the members
of the Medford School Committee express their sincerest condolences to the family of Herbert Wells Jr., former Medford public schools teacher. If we all may rise for a moment of silence, please. Thank you. Next week we have our um retreat. We've secured a location. Um
and our next regularly scheduled meeting is January 26, 2026 and the Alden Memorial Chambers, Medford City Hall in addition to Zoom. >> Motion to adjurnn by member Rinfeld. Seconded by Thank you. Member Master Bony. Um, roll
call, please. >> Member Master Bony, >> member Alat, >> member Parks, member Ryan, >> member say yes. Marilyn Goker. >> Yes. Five in the affirmative to abstaining. Um, please get sworn in this
week before our next meeting. sorrow.