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9 Meeting Minutes
Board - Committee - Commission - Council:
School Committee
Date: 2021-01-14 Time: 7:00 PM
Building: Location:
Address: Session: Open Session
Purpose: Open Session Version: Draft
Attendees: Members - Present:
Chuck Robinson, John Parks, Tom Wise, Carla Nazzaro and Shawn Brandt
Members - Not Present:
Erin Gallen
Others Present:
Superintendent John Doherty, Assistant Superintendent Chris Kelley, CFO
Gail Dowd, Director of Student Services Jen Stys, Human Resourses Director
Kerry Meisinger, Parker Principal Ricki Shankland, Director of Facilities Joe
Huggins, Director of Nurses Mary Guiliana, Network Administrator Julian
Carr, Members of the Finance Committee
Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Vanessa Kraft on behalf of the Chair
Topics of Discussion:
I. Call to Order
Chair Robinson opened the meeting and announced the School Committee was meeting in a
virtual setting,fully remote via Microsoft Teams,practicing social distancing and in
accordance with the Governor's suspension of certain open meeting laws. The meeting was
being recorded and broadcast live on RCTV. The Chair called attendance:
Mr. Robinson—here Dr. Doherty—here
Mr. Parks-here Mrs.Dowd—here
Mr.Wise—here Mrs.Kelley-here
Mrs.Nazzaro—here Dr. Stys—here
Mrs.Gaffen—not in
attendance
Mr.Brandt—here
Mr.Robinson called open session order at 7:00 p.m. and reviewed the agenda.
A. Public Input
Mr. Robinson explained that for public comment,please use the live chat feature on the
Microsoft Teams link which will be posted on the Superintendent's Blog and sent out via
Connect Ed prior to the meeting.
In lieu of the live chat,you may send an email in advance of the meeting to
schoolcommittee(a),reading.kl2.ma.us This email will be included in the next packet.
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B. Consent Agenda
Motion move to approve.Mr. Wise moved to consent agenda.Motion Second.
C. Reports
Student
This week the seniors picked up their senior shirts and masks.xzsW inter activities have
started up with January's Cardio Challenge.This consists of the 0 and 11'^graders
versus the 106 and 12'^graders,led by the Vice Principals.Also,on Jan.21 at 7:00 P.M
on Microsoft Teams,there will be an Arts Orientation for current 8'"graders.
Director of Student Services
Assistant Superintendent
Mrs.Kelley issued a reminder that tomorrow is a Professional Development Day for
teachers and staff.There will be no school,in-person or remote for students.The theme
for the day is Resiliency in a Covid Classroom.There are 50 different workshops being
offered with in house experts. She thanked everyone who helped organize this day.
Human Resources Director
No Report
Chief Financial Officer
No Report
Superintendent
Letter read by Dr. Doherty:
Good Evening, Reading Public School Community,
This past week was an exceedingly difficult week in our country, emotionally,politically,
and civically.Amid the ongoing impact of the pandemic, there was a major historic event
that took place last Wednesday afternoon of the United States Capitol Building in
Washington, D.C. where six people died, including a Unites States Capitol Police Officer
who gave his life protecting our legislators. This event created a significant number of
emotions rongingfrom anger to anxiety to sorrow.
I have withheld public comment on the recent events regarding the attack on the Capitol
and our response as a school district, because,frankly, I have struggled on what to say. I
have written and rewritten my words several times over the last few days. Each time[feel
that I have the right words, something else happens which creates pause in my remarks.I
have listened openly to parents, teachers, administrators, community members, and
members of the Reading Police Department about what transpired, both in our country
and in our community. These conversations have been emotional at times and there has
clearly been many points of views expressed.After listening to all these stakeholders and
reflecting on what I should say as the leader of this school district, I have concluded that
we all need to pause and take a breath before it is too late.
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Our community, like many communities are at a tipping point. The combination ofthe
fatigue of the pandemic, the recent incidents in Washington D.C, and the social unrest
that has hit our nation over the last several months has pitted groups of people against
each other who in the past have worked very well together. This has had an impact on
our students, our staff, and our police. This week, an anonymous website called Fix
Reading Schools was put online. This website denounced the role of the schools in
teaching social justice issues and unfairly criticizes the work that our teachers and
Principals have done in this area. In addition, some of our schools and our central office
have received unidentified phone calls regarding our handling of these topics.As a
result, some of our staffdo not feel safe. In addition, our police do notfeel supported by
the schools in the discussions about social justice and equity. Ultimately all our students
are being impacted,particularly the families ofpolice officers and students ofcolor. The
children of police officers cannot feel alienated from our schools. Our students of calor
must feel like their voices are being heard. Divisive and harassing behaviors are not
acceptable in our community and in our classrooms and do not allow us to have the
difficult conversations and hear all perspectives which is critical in times like this.
As a community, we have a long way to go on this topic, but our school district and our
law enforcement are trying every day to do their jobs to the best of their abilities. To that
end, I want to say unequivocally that I support the difficult work that our principals and
staff are doing with equity and social justice AND I support the work that our police are
doing in our community. I purposely say that in the same sentence because over my
tenure as Superintendent, we have had an amazing relationship with the Reading Police
Department. Our police officers risk their lives every day in the line of duty and many
live in our community and have children attending our schools. We have worked
collaboratively on a variety ojschool safety, equity, and social justice issues. We have a
relationship with our School Resource Officers that do not exist in other school districts
and other communities are envious.
Public schools need to be safe places for all students to have discussion and dialog about
issues ofpublic concern such as equity and social justice. However, those discussions
need to be respectful and not attack or give one sided political views. Last Thursday,
many of our classes had those discussions after our students watched the events unfold on
Wednesday afternoon in Washington D.0 Many students came into school with a lot of
questions and concerns about their safety, their country, and the impact
on society. What made these discussions a little more challenging was that we were
virtual last week and that lack of in person connectedness made the discussions a little
more challenging. Unfortunately, what made these discussions more challengingfor our
teachers last week is that we were all remote and had to have these conversations
virtually.
In anticipation of those student questions our building principals sent optional resources
to staff andfamilies to help support those conversations. These resources were shared to
the principals by the school district. Traditionally, this is something that we have done in
the past when tragic events have occurred that we know will have an impact on our
students. The purpose of these resources was to give parents and teachers options on how
to focus the conversations from supporting our students to feel safe, to looking at the
event through a civics perspective and a social justice perspective. Our teachers did not
share these resources with students. The resources that were shared with parents were
not meant to promote a particular political view nor to denigrate the work that our police
department or other departments do to keep our schools and community safe. However,
one link that was shared, which contained the Woke Kindergarten Video, should not have
been shared due to some of the violent nature of some of the photos and the perceived
role that police play. I take full responsibility for this and I need to do a better job of
vetting resources prior to them being shared with staff. I truly apologize to those
individuals who were impacted by the content of what was sent out.
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Since this incident occurred last week, Chief Clark and I have had several productive
conversations on what the next steps should be to support both the work of police and the
work of our educators. As we have in the past, we will be working collaboratively to
continue to build the trust between law enforcement and our schools. The Reading Police
Department has been and will continue to be partners with us in our quest to create a
safe and supportive environment for all and we appreciate that partnership.
As I mentioned earlier in my statement, we need to pause and take a deep breath.As a
community, we are beginning to plunge headlong into the unknown, out offear,fatigue,
uncertainty, and a need to do something. This pause may not be well received by all—but
it needs to be. The conversations that we are having with our students, our staff, our
families, and each other are uncomfortable and challenging, especially during these
times of crisis. The only way that we can address the critical issues facing our society is
to have these conversations. We have a long way to go as a school district and as a
community in how we can have these conversations with our students and our families. In
this hard work, we are committed to representing all our students. With this, we will work
to provide our parents with appropriate resources that represent our entire population
and that offers entrypoints for discussion. l want to thank the families, our Principals
and teachers for providing that safe space to allow our students and staff to have those
conversations.
Please contact me if you have any questions.
School Committee
Mr.Tom Wise reported that they have had 22 application packets received in the new
Superintendent search. Of that, 10 were selected for first round interviews.The search
committee will reconvene on January 27,2021 to select 3-5 candidates who they will
bring back on January 28".
Mr.Robinson thanked Mary Anne Downing and Ed Ross for their participation last
meeting.
Chat Question from Chris.Tennyson Road:
"It should be crystal clear by the amount of pushback regarding the political discussion
at school that it should not be discussed. In the statement that was just read, it's clear
that it will ironically continue. Why are we going down this road?"
D. New Business
FY22 Budget Presentation
Dr. Doherty indicated Mrs. Chris Kelley would start the Regular Day piece and then turn
it over to Dr. Stys for the Special Education portion. -Gail Dowd presented on FY 21
budget/FY22 budget.
Mrs. Kelley reviewed the FY22 Regular Education budget. She indicated it has a lot of
the cost center,including,all regular education teachers, secretaries,paraprofessionals,
tutors,principles,assistant principals and others. She said this budget was prepared
knowing that the school will be working with the unions on contracts which will expire at
the end of the year. She reviewed the three big ticket items which were the Social Studies
renewal,Math and Elementary Literacy,
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The committee asked questions regarding Mrs.Kelley's budget and curriculum changes.
Dr. Stys reviewed the FY22 Special Education budget. She began her presentation by
introducing her team and thanking the staff,families and SEPAC members.Dr. Stys
provided information on evaluation numbers,in and out of district placements and how
these compare to last year's figures. Dr. Stys proposed to add a Special Education
Literacy Coach.She believes this would be a wonderful investment to our district in
helping support students and staff. With the current cost of some out of district schools,if
we were able to keep one child in-house with this staff addition, it would pay for itself,
Dr. Stys said. Dr. Stys also reviewed the new program names and the meaning behind
them.
The committee asked questions regarding the new Literacy Coach position.
Mr. Robinson thanked Mrs. Kelley, Dr. Stys,Mrs.Dowd and Dr.Doherty for their work
on the budget.
E. Old Business
Winter Hybrid Leming Update
Dr. Doherty provided a Winter Hybrid Update: Please see slides.Dr. Doherty gave an
update on sports. He indicated sports resumed this week,games on Saturday and
practices last Friday. Hockey has its first game tonight. Dr.Doherty said they were trying
to reschedule missed games.Gymnastics are not practicing as the venue continues to be
closed. If they do not open,the team may look to a different setting to practice.In terms
of Health and Safety, Dr.Doherty reviewed our mitigation strategies and the option of
adding pool testing.He reviewed the details of what this program may look like,
including that DESE would fund the first six weeks of the program. It would then be up
to the district to continue at their own expense. Dr. Doherty said they are reviewing the
logistics and will be working with DESE over the next few weeks to iron out details. Dr.
Doherty reviewed the current hybrid learning model and the logistical issues in trying to
increase in-person learning at the High School.
Chat question from Geoffrey Coram,Ridge Rd:
"How quickly will the results come back?"
Dr. Doherty answered,24-48 hours.
Chat question from Marc Cirrone, Victoria:
"What is the advantage of going to this testing protocol? Will this help to get students
back into High School somehow?"
The committee asked questions regarding the pool testing and the logistics of staffing and
space issues at the High School.Committee members expressed concerns about the social
emotional well-being of our students.
Chat question from Theresa Wiggins,Terrace Park Street was read:
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"This Statement of Support was written in response to an inflammatory website written
by an anonymous parent or group of parents, that was aimed at teachers and
administrators of Reading Public Schools. The content of the website has changed
rapidly, with the most egregious statements being removed, but not before the damage
was done. We, the undersigned, steadfastly support the teachers'and administrators'
proactive efforts to guide our students through difficult world events. We understand that
educators are tasked with acknowledging what is happening in our world while
balancing each child's ability to digest events based on their developmental stage. We
understand the importance, challenge, courage, and scrutiny that accompanies this
work."
Chat question from Tim Mathieu,Briarwood Avenue was read:
"As a follow-on to Chris, Reading parents need a voice in the districts plans on
addressing political and social issues. Classroom discussions need to discuss and
condemn all forms of violence,from the Capital to BLMprotesters shouting down diners
or looting stores. We also need to teach students to respect differing opinions. Despite
Theresa Wiggins'statement, a diversity of views isn't celebrated among the Reading
students emboldened to use social media to shout down peers and label any dissenter
racists. A cancel culture driven by singular world views is alive and well. Parents need
a voice jar protecting their kids."
Chat question from Kirsten Tzianabos, Duck Road:
"How malty teachers DON'T have their own space??"
Chat question from Marc Cirrone,Victoria Lane:
"I would assume this balancing of classes and scheduling of roams would have been
done in the fall and contributed to the decision to run a 2-day hybrid model. Has
something changed from a staffing perspective such that this is being re-evaluated?"
Chat question from Kim Mahoney,Longfellow Road:
"Good Evening, I work in the City ojBoston and I am actively involved in the community
in which I work. I am trying to wrap my ahead around how the City of Boston has
managed to get the kids back in school and Reading, a much smaller town, has not? Why
is Reading not considering using other communities as a model. Has anyone called the
City of Boston to ask how they were able to come to an agreement with their teachers. "
Chat Statement from Kristen Gemara,County Road:
"We need a deadline for this.A deadline to get the logistics straightened out and a
deadline to work things out with the RTA."
Chat question from Erin Squeglia,Meadow Brook Lane:
"Ifthis is a staffing issue, can you explain again why the volunteer solution isn't an
option"
Chat statement from Danja Mahoney,Reading teacher:
"As an educator and department chair at the high school I am extremely concerned about
the number ojstajjwho have expressed an intention to take leave."
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Chat statement from Lynna Williams,RMHS staff:
"Please know, the administration has looked at all these issues repeatedly since the
beginning of the year and it comes down to rooms, staff, technology issues, and so many
more issues. We want the kids back and have looked at this from all angles. This is a
complex puzzle that makes it extremely difficult to figure out with our many limitations."
Chat statement from Danja Mahoney, RMHS staff:
"I am a teacher and the World Language Dept Chair at the high school. We have worked
on classrooms, class sizes, balancing alpha splits, teacher licenses, workspace for those
not working, room for lunches for educators and students."
Chat question from Erin Squeglia,Meadow Brook Lane:
"Do surrounding towns have the same issues and have you reached out to find their best
practices for getting their kids in school? Why is Reading the outlier?"
Chat question from Diane Naczas, Victoria Ave:
"Why are we just assuming whether teachers will come, stay, leave? Why can't we set a
deadline and have the teachers make their decision on whether they are comfortable
staying in. make the date and see how it works itself out."
Chat statement from Mary Anne Lynn,RMHS staff:
"I echo the concerns of other RMHS department heads regarding the fact that if teachers
are in person both weeks that more teachers will need to take a leave of absence. In the
best oftimes,finding qualified science teachers is a major challenge."
Chat statement from Theresa Wiggins,Terrace Park:
"R is clear that all stakeholders want what is best for the children. To administrators and
staff, thank you for all the efforts you have made and continue to make during this global
pandemic. You go above and beyond every day."
Chat statement from Allyson Williams, RMHS Teacher:
"Every RMHS teacher would love to have our kids in every day. We are saying that,
given all of the information available to us, we cannot make this model work. Even
though our model is different by having teachers alternate by week, almost every RMHS
class is taught 100%synchronously, which is NOT offered by other districts. The purpose
of the alternate week was also to prevendslow transmission by enabling all people in the
building to quarantine for 10 days. "
Chat statement from Rebecca Bailey, 17 Forest Glen Rd:
"I want to thank the teachers and administrators for their hard work I think Dr.
Doherty's point about how many synchronous hours of teaching and learning we are
offering is not being given the weight it should be. I get that it's hard on the kids to learn
at home so much but if the trade-offfor more days in the building is less synchronous
learning when they're home, that may not be worth the trade.Just something to
consider."
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F. Public Comment
None
I. Routine Matters
a. Calendar
2. Information/Corresoondence
3. Future Business
4. Adjournment
Adioum
Mr. Parks moved,seconded by Mr. Brandt,to adjourn. The roll call vote carried 5-
0.
0. Mr. Parks,Mrs.Nazzaro,Mr.Wise,Mr.Brandt and Mr.Robinson.
The meeting adjourned at 10:17 p.m.
NOTE: The minutes reflect the order as stated in the posted meeting agenda not the order
they occurred during the meeting.
Link to meeting video:
httos://www.Youtube.com/watch9v=gkiNxbHgmSA
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