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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-07-11 School Committee PacketOpen Session 7:00p.m. Reading Memorial High School Library Reading, MA Reading Public Schools School Committee Meeting Packet July 11, 2024 Town of Reading Meeting Posting with Agenda This Agenda has been prepared in advance and represents a listing of topics that the chair reasonably anticipates will be discussed at the meeting. However the agenda does not necessarily include all matters which may be taken up at this meeting. Page | 1 2018-07-16 LAG Board - Committee - Commission - Council: School Committee Date: 2024-07-11 Time: 7:00 PM Building: School - Memorial High Location: School Library Address: 62 Oakland Road Agenda: Purpose: Open Session Meeting Called By: Thomas Wise, Chair Notices and agendas are to be posted 48 hours in advance of the meetings excluding Saturdays, Sundays and Legal Holidays. Please keep in mind the Town Clerk’s hours of operation and make necessary arrangements to be sure your posting is made in an adequate amount of time. A listing of topics that the chair reasonably anticipates will be discussed at the meeting must be on the agenda. All Meeting Postings must be submitted in typed format; handwritten notices will not be accepted. Topics of Discussion: 7:00 p.m. A. Call to Order 7:00 p.m. B. Public Comment Consent Agenda 1. Minutes (06-20-2024) 2. Parker Science AWOD and Environmental Clubs donation Accounts Payable Warrant Reports 1. 06-20-2024 2. 06-27-2024 3. 07-01-2024 Payroll Warrant Reports 1. 04-12-2024 2. 04-26-2024 3. 05-10-2024 4. 06-21-2024 5. 07-05-2024 Reports 1. Superintendent 2. Liaison/Sub-Committee 7:10 p.m. C. Personnel 1. Vote on Appointment of Superintendent to Collaborative Boards a. SEEM Collaborative b. Northshore Education Consortium 2. Review and Adjust Liaison and Subcommittee Appointments including Vote on School Committee Recommendation for School Committee Membership on the Killam School Building Committee 3. Review & Discuss School Committee Meeting Calendar for SY24-25 Town of Reading Meeting Posting with Agenda This Agenda has been prepared in advance and represents a listing of topics that the chair reasonably anticipates will be discussed at the meeting. However the agenda does not necessarily include all matters which may be taken up at this meeting. Page | 2 7:40 p.m. D. Old Business 1. Review Appointments for Athletics Facility Naming Advisory Committee and Discuss Next Steps 2. Annual School Committee Reorganization Continued – Vice Chair F. Information / Correspondence 1. “Re: Gifted and talented education in Reading” – Liberman, Rebecca 2. “Re: KSBC Members – Karen Herrick” – Angela B. Binda 8:00 p.m. Adjourn Join Zoom Meeting https://readingpsma.zoom.us/j/82939358119 Meeting ID: 829 3935 8119 Find your local number: https://readingpsma.zoom.us/u/kevtzj5din Consent Agenda Reading Public Schools School Committee Meeting Packet July 11, 2024 Town of Reading Meeting Minutes Page | 1 2016-09-22 LAG Board - Committee - Commission - Council: School Committee Date: 2024-06-20 Time: 7:00 PM Building: School - Memorial High Location: School Library Address: 62 Oakland Road Session: Open Session Purpose: Open Session Version: Draft Attendees: Members - Present: Tom Wise, Charles Robinson, Shawn Brandt, Sarah McLaughlin and Carla Nazzaro Members - Not Present: Erin Gaffen Others Present: Superintendent Dr. Thomas Milaschewski, Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning Dr. Sarah Hardy, and Director of Finance & Operations Dr. Derek Pinto Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Olivia Lejeune on behalf of the chairperson. Topics of Discussion: A. Call to Order – Mr. Wise called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. to review the agenda. B. Public Comment – Karen Gately Herrick, Vice Chair of the Killam School Building Committee and Vice Chair of the Select Board, spoke about the Killam School Building Project, highlighting its critical juncture as the town prepares for a vote next spring. She also proposed a joint meeting with the School Committee and Select Board to ensure the project stays on track and to address concerns moving forward. Mr. Wise motioned to take item E4 out of order, seconded by Mrs. Nazzaro. The vote passed 5-0. E. New Business 4. K-8 Literacy Update Middle School ELA Curriculum – Dr. Sarah Hardy and district educators presented to the committee on the culmination of a two-year process, recommending the implementation of Amplify ELA’s 100-lesson pathway. This recommendation includes integrating district- developed units and lessons to guarantee high-quality instructional materials and equitable ELA learning experiences for all students. The full presentation can be found in the packet. Mr. Wise motioned for the School Committee to adopt the recommendation of Amplify 100 Day for grades 6-8 across the middle schools, seconded by Mrs. Nazzaro. There was Page | 2 some discussion about including diverse texts alongside classics to continue introducing students to a variety of literary works. The vote passed 5-0. ARC Implementation Update (Data & Lessons Learned) – Dr. Sarah Hardy and K-8 Curriculum Coordinator Erin Burchill provided an end-of-year overview and outlined next steps for the elementary ARC Core implementation. They presented data from two literacy assessments: DIBELS and the Independent Reading Level Assessment (IRLA). Dr. Hardy and Ms. Burchill also summarized feedback from elementary teachers, discussed curriculum supports and updates for the 2024-2025 school year, and highlighted promising practices to carry forward into the next academic year. The full presentation can be found in the packet. Mr. Brandt motioned to take item E1 out of order, seconded by Mr. Wise. The vote passed 5-0. 1. Parker School Improvement Plan Update Principal Ms. Rochelle Rubino and Assistant Principal Dr. Jill Story provided an update on the Parker Middle School Improvement Plan, emphasizing their efforts to enhance student outcomes. They reviewed data from i-Ready and noted that the implemented strategies are showing promising results, comparing mid-year outcomes from this year to last year. Additional updates included: • The focus on improving structures for general education intervention and supports to ensure all students have access to targeted instruction. • Coordinated professional development to differentiate and meet the unique needs of Parker • Curriculum work. • Purposeful SEL activities to increase Sense of Belonging & Connection. • Leverage coaching, collaboration, and partnership. B. Consent Agenda 1. Minutes (06-06-2024) 2. Parker School Instrument Fund Donation 3. Parker Science Olympiad Club Donation 4. Wood End Drum Set Donation 5. Request to Surplus Property – RMHS and Barrows 6. Acceptance of FY24 Skills Capital Technology and Equipment Grant Award Accounts Payable Warrant Reports 1. 06-06-2024 2. 06-13-2024 Payroll Warrant Reports 1. 05-24-2024 2. 06-07-2024 Mr. Wise motioned to approve the consent agenda, seconded by Mrs. Nazzaro. The vote passed 5-0. Page | 3 Reports 1. Director of Finance & Operations – Dr. Pinto presented the budget to SEPAC in May, addressing their questions and providing necessary information. Special thanks to Town of Stoneham Administrator Dennis Sheehan for facilitating Dr. Pinto's participation in the Office of Inspector General’s Massachusetts Certified Public Purchasing Official designation classes at no cost. Additionally, Dr. Pinto recently completed the 300-hour apprenticeship log, a requirement reviewed by MASBO and submitted to DESE to advance their professional license. Gratitude was extended to Julian Carr for diligently tracking products, collaborating with vendors on models and pricing, and procuring over 300 devices to meet student needs. 2. Assistant Superintendent for Teaching & Learning – Dr. Hardy noted that several teachers are engaged in curriculum-based summer work across all levels throughout the district. 3. Superintendent – Dr. Milaschewski thanked the staff working Extended School Year (ESY) over the summer. In recent weeks, there have been community questions regarding hiring and retention processes, especially concerning the non-renewal of staff. Dr. Milaschewski provided additional context to address some of these inquiries. Due to staff confidentiality and privacy regulations, the district cannot comment on decisions regarding staff non-renewals or why a staff member was not selected for a particular job. District leaders approach these decisions thoughtfully, prioritizing the best interests of RPS students. Mr. Wise emphasized that hiring and firing decisions fall outside the purview of the School Committee, and they should refrain from discussing these matters. 4. Liaison/Sub-Committee a. Ms. McLaughlin – The Killam School Building Committee met on Monday to discuss design options. b. Mrs. Nazzaro – The next Killam School Building Committee meeting is on July 8th and there are two community meetings on July 15th and August 14th. Both community meetings will be held at the Reading Public Library. c. Mr. Brandt – The Select Board voted to establish an ad hoc committee to commemorate Bill Russell. One member of this committee will be designated by the School Committee. Ms. Herrick has been appointed by the Select Board to serve on the facilities renaming advisory subcommittee. d. Mrs. Robinson – The Charter Review Committee met last week and will hold a public hearing on August 29th to review all proposed changes. The Recreation Committee also met to discuss summer programs. e. Mr. Wise – The Permanent Building Committee appointment meeting took place a few weeks ago, and the committee is now fully staffed. E. New Business 2. Pre Q4 Financial Update w/ Budget Transfer Vote(s), if necessary Dr. Pinto provided a snapshot review of the Q4 financial update, covering the period from April 1, 2024, to June 14, 2024. A comprehensive quarterly report will follow in September, Page | 4 detailing the financial status through June 30, 2024. Since purchases are ongoing and invoices are still being processed, we anticipate changes in the balance. Mr. Wise motioned to transfer $111,000 from regular education day cost center to the special education cost center to cover the increased prepay for FY25 out of district tuition, seconded by Mr. Robinson. The vote passed 5-0. 3. Special Education Reserve Fund Report w/ Vote on Reserve Fund Allocation Dr. Pinto presented three proposed options for the end-of-year balance and noted that the dollar amounts are anticipated and subject to change as FY24 is finalized. The committee discussed the three options and leaned towards option B, with a slightly adjusted allocation. Mr. Wise motioned to allocate $200,000 to the special education reserve fund and provide guidance that we return approximately $75,000 to the town, seconded by Mr. Robinson. Mrs. Nazzaro motioned to amend the vote to return approximately $50,000 to the town, seconded by Mr. Brandt. The committee discussed in which it was noted it is good to keep the prepay as high as possible with more students coming into the district. In a 1-4 vote, the amendment did not pass. The original vote passed 5-0. D. Old Business 1. Mid-Cycle Formative Review of Superintendent and Vote to Accept Mr. Wise thanked the committee for their time and effort in compiling their reviews, and highlighted key points from the mid-cycle formative review. The committee continues to recognize his strong leadership and collaborative nature, which have contributed to numerous successes across the district. Mr. Wise motioned to approve Dr. Milaschewski’s FY24 formative review, seconded by Mrs. Nazzaro. The vote passed 5-0. E. New Business 5. Post Formative Review Discussions & Votes Mr. Wise discussed an amendment to Dr. Milaschewski’s contract. Currently, the language references an annual summative review; however, Dr. Milaschewski will not undergo a summative evaluation this year due to a two-year review cycle. The proposed amendment allows for annual raises, annual retention incentives, and eventually, end-of-contract retention. Mr. Wise made a motion to approve the amendment to the superintendent’s contract. The vote passed 5-0. Mr. Wise discussed the next steps regarding the superintendent's salary and reviewed a table provided in the packet to assess potential increase options in alignment with the results of the formative review. Page | 5 Mr. Robinson motioned to use a 3% percentage increase absolute increase of $6,420 for a 2024-2025 salary of $220,420, seconded by Mrs. Nazzaro. The vote passed 5-0. 6. School Choice Update and Next Steps Dr. Milaschewski provided an update on School Choice and outlined upcoming plans. In the latest round of the School Choice lottery, we received 35 applications, of which 31 were accepted. According to Massachusetts General Law, a second lottery must be held before November, which seems late. Therefore, we propose opening the remaining seats not filled by June 21st, with an application deadline of July 5th and the lottery scheduled for July 8th. While no vote is required from the committee, notification is provided as a formality. 7. Annual Reorganization of School Committee Mr. Wise turned the meeting over to Dr. Milaschewski for the annual reorganization of the School Committee. Mr. Wise was nominated for Chair. A question was raised regarding whether there is a School Committee policy concerning a member potentially serving as Chair or Vice Chair during an election year, and it was clarified that there is no such policy. Dr. Milaschewski then closed the nominations. Roll Call Vote – Roll Call Vote for Mr. Wise as Chair of the School Committee, Mr. Robinson – yes, Mr. Brandt – yes, Mr. Wise – yes, Ms. Nazzaro – yes, Ms. McLaughlin – yes. The vote passed 5-0. Mr. Wise took over the meeting as Chair and asked for nominations for Vice Chair. Noting that Mrs. Gaffen is not present, the committee chose to postpone a vote for Vice Chair. Mr. Wise motioned to postpone the vote on Vice Chair until the next meeting, seconded by Mr. Brandt. The vote passed 5-0. Mr. Wise motioned to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Mr. Brandt. The vote passed 5-0. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilYGrhEU7-0 Meeting Adjourned from regular session at approximately 9:54pm. TO: Reading School Committee FROM: Olivia Lejeune, Executive Assistant to the Superintendent DATE: July 9, 2024 RE: Vote to Accept Parker Science AWOD and Environmental Clubs Donation Please vote to accept a donation from the Parker PTO in the amount of $514.46. The purpose of this donation is to help support the development of the Parker Science AWOD and Environmental clubs in the upcoming year. Thank you. Reading Public Schools Instilling a joy of learning and inspiring the innovative leaders of tomorrow 82 Oakland Road Reading, MA 01867 Phone: 781-944-5800 Fax: 781-942-9149 Personnel Reading Public Schools School Committee Meeting Packet July 11, 2024 Administrative Offices 82 Oakland Road Reading, MA 01867 781 944-5800 READING SCHOOL COMMITTEE Thomas Wise Chair Erin Gaffen Vice-Chair Shawn Brandt Sarah McLaughlin Carla Nazzaro Charles Robinson Thomas Milaschewski, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools TO: Reading School Committee FROM: Thomas Wise, Reading School Committee Chair DATE: July 9, 2024 TOPIC: Liaison, Subcommittee, and Committee Appointments At the current time, the Liaison and Subcommittee appointments are as follows: Board, Committee, or Subcommittee Liaison or Appointee Sunset or Timeline Info Audit Committee Brandt and Wise N/A Finance Committee Brandt and Wise N/A Recreation Committee Robinson N/A Select Board Brandt and Wise N/A RCTV McLaughlin N/A SEPAC Gaffen N/A Permanent Building Committee McLaughlin and Nazzaro N/A Bylaw Committee Nazzaro N/A Board of Library Trustees Nazzaro N/A Reading Coalition for Prevention and Support Gaffen N/A Partners and Allies for Inclusive Reading Gaffen N/A Policy Subcommittee Gaffen, Robinson, and Wise (Chair) N/A Student Advisory Committee Wise N/A Killam School Building Committee McLaughlin and Nazzaro (Chair) TBD Charter Review Committee Robinson TBD Reading Children’s Cabinet Wise TBD Athletics Facility Naming Advisory Committee Robinson November 30, 2024 Going into the meeting, I am aware of two members who have challenges with their assignments: (1) Sarah has increasing work demands and needs to step down from the Killam School Building Committee. Given recent changes to the composition of that meeting and a desire to maintain our balance on the Committee, I am recommending Shawn Brandt to fill Sarah’s spot. To do so, and to stay compliant with our Bylaws, we need to officially vote on that recommendation (or another recommendation) and inform the Permanent Building Committee Appointment Committee to appoint Shawn to that position. Additionally, if we make this change for the Killam School Building Committee, we should probably change the Permanent Building Committee Liaison to maintain alignment between the two. (2) Erin informed me that the meetings of the Reading Coalition for Prevention and Support and the Partners and Allies for Inclusive Reading are on the same Wednesday every month. Thus, she cannot be at both and would like somebody to cover one of the two for her. She expressed a willingness to pick up another assignment if necessary. If there are any other changes people would like to see, we should discuss those as well. Finally, last year we had the following Joint Labor Management Committee assignments: Board, Committee, or Subcommittee Liaison or Appointee Sunset or Timeline Info Special Education Caseloads JLMC McLaughlin TBD Teacher Assessment Process JLMC Nazzaro TBD Professional Development JLMC Gaffen TBD Technology Impact JLMC Robinson TBD With the new contracts in place, we will need to reassess our appointments in alignment with the new or extended Joint Labor Management Committees. I will be working with the Administration to determine which committees we require School Committee representation on and plan to report back during a future meeting. Thank you. Administrative Offices 82 Oakland Road Reading, MA 01867 781 944-5800 READING SCHOOL COMMITTEE Thomas Wise Chair Erin Gaffen Vice-Chair Shawn Brandt Sarah McLaughlin Carla Nazzaro Charles Robinson Thomas Milaschewski, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools TO: Reading School Committee FROM: Thomas Wise, Reading School Committee Chair DATE: July 9, 2024 TOPIC: School Committee Meeting Calendar & Agenda Discussion I would like to finalize the calendar for our regular meetings for the upcoming school year. To do so, I wanted us to have a quick discussion around the following key topics: (1) Any key agenda items before the start of school that may be necessary for an August 8th meeting. Without any key agenda items for that meeting, we will not need the August 8th meeting. (2) Any other key agenda items you would like to see addressed throughout the school year and the approximate timing of those meetings. (3) September meeting dates. Would we prefer September 9th and 23rd, September 12th and 23rd, or some other combination? (4) Given our usually heavy end-of-the-year schedule and the fact that Dr. Milaschewski’s Summative Review will be due next year, should we plan to add one more meeting in the May/June timeframe next year? Some ideas follow: a. May 12th, May 22nd, June 5th, and June 16th b. May 12th, May 22nd, June 2nd, and June 16th Following our discussion and any upcoming Killam School Building Committee planning, I will work with the Chair of the Killam School Building Committee to create a centralized calendar between the School Committee and the Killam School Building Committee so we can collectively plan appropriately for the upcoming year. I will try to overlay any expected joint meetings with the Student Advisory Committee as we continue to progress that student leadership engagement model. Finally, as a reminder, here are the preliminary dates I forecasted before our last meeting for other meetings throughout the year: July 11th August 8th and 22nd September 9th or 12th and 23rd October 10th and 24th November 7th December 5th and 19th January 9th, 16th, 23rd, and 30th February 13th, 26th, and 27th – 26th with the Finance Committee for Budget Approval. March 13th and 27th April 10th May 12th and 29th June 12th Thank you. Old Business Reading Public Schools School Committee Meeting Packet July 11, 2024 Administrative Offices 82 Oakland Road Reading, MA 01867 781 944-5800 READING SCHOOL COMMITTEE Thomas Wise Chair Erin Gaffen Vice-Chair Shawn Brandt Sarah McLaughlin Carla Nazzaro Charles Robinson Thomas Milaschewski, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools TO: Carlo Bacci, Reading Selectboard Chair FROM: Thomas Wise, Reading School Committee Chair DATE: July 9, 2024 TOPIC: School Committee Athletics Facilities Naming Advisory Committee Update The following is an update on the constituents of the Athletics Facilities Naming Advisory Committee. Committee Constituent Role Recommending Body or Individual School Committee – Charles Robinson Member School Committee Chair RMHS Principal – Jessica Callanan Consultant School Committee Chair Select Board – Karen Herrick Member Select Board Local Business Leader – TBD Member School Committee Chair* RMHS Student – Daniel Pastore Member RMHS Principal Historical Commission – Christine Keller Member Historical Commission Local Community Member – TBD Associate School Committee Chair* RMHS Student – Alex VanHorn Associate RMHS Principal *This recommendation will take place after reviewing applicants received in alignment with Section 8.10 of the Reading Home Rule Charter. As of this writing, we do not yet have official applicants for the Local Business Leader and Local Community Member. While the information has been posted on the town website for some time, I notified the two petitioners and posted the information on our Facebook page this evening to hopefully drive interest in the two roles. If I receive applicants before our meeting on Thursday, I will provide updates to the School Committee during our meeting. With that said, since the committee is a five-member body, even if we are not able to fill the other two positions, the committee can start meeting now that four of the five members are appointed and one of the two associates is appointed. Thank you. Information/Correspondence Reading Public Schools School Committee Meeting Packet July 11, 2024 From:Hardy, Sarah To:Rebecca Liberman; Milaschewski, Thomas Cc:DG School Committee Subject:Re: Gifted and talented education in Reading Date:Monday, July 1, 2024 11:09:48 AM Hi Rebecca, Thank you for reaching out! I’m happy to share with you how RPS strives to meet the needs of our advanced students. We believe supporting all students to reach their personal best is essential. For some of our students, their intense curiosity, their ability to comprehend complex content fully and quickly and their interest in learning requires a challenge beyond grade level standards. We endeavor to offer this challenge in a variety of ways. Below I’ll outline a few of the opportunities in RPS based on recent accomplishments and the initiatives we plan to implement in the 2024-25 school year. During Adoption of New Curricular Resources Recently, we have engaged in a number of curriculum review processes. We believe an important way to ensure all students receive instruction aligned with their needs is to have high-quality, research-based instructional materials in place. As part of our curricular review process, we consider how a resource will meet the needs of students who master content and skills quickly and who are able to think and problem solve at grade levels above their peers. For example, we will be launching a new literacy resource in our two middle schools in September 2024, Amplify ELA. We believe the texts that accompany this program are worthy of student time and provide a depth and level of variety that allow all students to be challenged. Additionally, one of the features of Amplify ELA that we really liked is the embedded differentiation. Teachers have the ability to designate a level for students and then portions of the program are differentiated, increasing the level of complexity of tasks for advanced students. Updates At RMHS Our advanced students have many opportunities to shine in high school. We offer a variety of courses and levels for students at RMHS - College Prep; Honors and AP. About 90% of our courses offer an Honors option. We are continuing to examine and add AP course offerings. Additionally, we recognize that some students are ready for challenging courses earlier in their high school career, so we are opening more AP courses to 10th graders. Previously, students needed to wait until 11th grade to enroll in AP courses. Additionally, we are expanding dual enrollment options for students, including courses taught on the RMHS campus by our teachers and courses students attend on the college campus. We believe these courses add an element of rigor that benefits our advanced students. We also believe that both of these shifts (opening up more AP access and increasing dual-enrollment opportunities) will make our students more competitive candidates in the college admissions process, particularly for highly selective colleges and universities. You asked about virtual high school courses, but currently, DESE does not allow public schools to offer virtual classes. Students can attend one of the DESE-approved virtual public schools, but that would be separate from RPS. As part of dual enrollment, we do have students that access asynchronous college courses, but this is not a large group of students, and not a practice that meets the needs of most high school students. The addition of several innovation career pathways at RMHS gives unique opportunities to our highly able students to participate in dual enrollment courses and challenging internship opportunities. This positions students to extend classroom learning to real life applications. We know this is particularly of interest to our advanced students who are often ready for the challenge of translating classroom learning into real world skill development. Similarly, all RMHS seniors now have the opportunity to participate in an internship during quarter 4. This year, we had 190 seniors take advantage of our internship program, many of which were paid. As an example, we’ve had students participate in internships with MITRE and Weston and Sampson. While we know the innovation career pathways and the internship program benefit all types of students, for our advanced students, these opportunities are especially important for career exploration and establishing a professional network with mentors and can allow students to play an active role that supports their creativity and drive. Math Pathways in RPS During the 2023-24 school year, we spent time examining the math pathways in RPS and putting in place actionable updates to improve the experiences of our students. I’m not sure if you saw the June 6, 2024 school committee meeting, but at that meeting I provided the committee and the community with an update on the work accomplished this year to strengthen the RPS math pathways. You can see the presentation from that meeting here. One area of note in the presentation is the new summer geometry course being held this summer. The summer geometry course is a significant upgrade for students looking to accelerate to Algebra II in grade 10. The course will be taught by an RMHS teacher. It is in person and will include follow-up sessions during the school year to extend and review material, ensuring students are ready for the grade 10 MCAS. This new course will enable a student in 10th grade to be on track to take Calculus during their senior year. Also in the school committee presentation, you’ll see we have added optional summer math modules for middle school students with a teacher check in. The 7 weeks of modules for rising 7th and 8th graders contain review of concepts taught in this past school year and also include concepts that challenge and extend math concepts for students who are interested in the more complex topics. We believe this opportunity will benefit our students who are interested in math and want to push themselves. It will also be used to support rising 8th graders who want to enter Algebra I. In general, during our math pathway work, we have worked closely with our middle school and high school principals to ensure that we are customizing our approaches based on the individual student. For example, we reviewed math iReady data for all grade 8 students this spring. We identified a group of students with outstanding performance and offered them the opportunity to take the summer geometry course. These students completed Algebra I in grade 8, meaning they will be eligible to take Algebra II in grade 9. This positions these students to likely access AP Calculus AB or BC as juniors. We are exploring the next step for them on their pathway either through internal courses or dual-enrollment. The reason we have these students participating is because we proactively offered this option to students we believed had the aptitude and disposition for the challenge. This is an example of the efforts we are making to ensure our top math students have opportunities for advanced coursework available to them in RMHS. Professional Learning Opportunities Educators at all levels receive extensive training in the use of selected high quality instructional materials as well as opportunities to participate in other professional learning experiences that focus on modern pedagogical approaches that support each student on their individual learning journey. For example, many high school teachers took a course with Modern Classroom in Spring 2024 to learn strategies for structuring their classrooms to meet the needs of the diverse learners in front of them with blended instruction, self-paced structures and mastery based learning techniques. Teachers at both the middle and high school levels have also participated in book studies focused on strategies used to meet the needs of all learners. Extracurriculars In addition to our academic programs, students with interest and aptitude in specific academic subjects at all levels can participate in numerous academic extracurricular offerings in our district. For example, our Coolidge math team scored in the top 20 in the state, with two of our students finishing within the top scoring students across the state. At the elementary and middle school level, we are bringing back the Lego League, which is an opportunity for students to explore and learn coding and robotics. To close, I want to thank you for pointing out the example of the teacher who went above and beyond for the students who needed more in regards to vocabulary instruction. We are constantly hearing stories like this of our RPS teachers finding ways to push our students to higher levels of challenge. In addition, I will share that we are continually looking to improve our offerings and approaches to ensure our highly able students feel challenged and have opportunities to push themselves. We are proud of the major strides we've made through our work in curriculum development, professional learning, and increasing and improving student course offerings/pathways. This will continue to be an area of focus for our team. Our goal is to ensure that all RPS students have access to what they need to meet their full potential. Happy to follow up with a conversation if that is helpful! Thank you! Sarah Hardy, Ed.D. Assistant Superintendent for Learning and Teaching Reading Public Schools From: Rebecca Liberman <rfliberman@gmail.com> Sent: Sunday, June 16, 2024 6:45 PM To: Milaschewski, Thomas <Thomas.Milaschewski@reading.k12.ma.us> Cc: DG School Committee <SchoolCommittee@reading.k12.ma.us> Subject: Gifted and talented education in Reading CAUTION: This email originated from outside of Reading Public Schools. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender email address and know the content is safe. Dear Supt. Milaschewski and School Committee Members, In light of the recent Globe article on how few programs there are in this state for gifted and talented students, I'd like to know what Reading is doing to make sure that our district's gifted and talented students are being adequately challenged, especially given the collapse of tracks to only two levels for many classes. As a short-term fix, could we make sure to test students and provide appropriately challenging material? One of my children's 6th grade teachers requested testing for a group of students who were getting 100% on every English test and were getting bored. After some pushback, these students were tested, and she gave them Wordly Wise books at the 7th, 8th and even 9th grade level so that they were seeing new words and being adequately challenged. Why can't we do more of this type of thing as well as to restore options for accessing algebra earlier, ensuring an honors option for all classes, restoring access to virtual high school courses, and providing other options for accessing more challenging courses to our students who need them? If we don't challenge our most talented students, then those who can afford it will go to private schools or enrichment programs, and those who can't will remain bored, contributing to inequities in access. We must aim to have all students be adequately challenged. Please let me know what Reading is doing to ensure that our most talented students don't need to leave the district to receive an appropriately challenging and engaging education. Thank you. Rebecca Liberman 50 Pratt St. From:Wise, Thomas To:Angela F. Binda Cc:Milaschewski, Thomas; Lejeune, Olivia Subject:RE: KSBC Members - Karen Herrick Date:Wednesday, July 10, 2024 8:45:32 AM Angela - Thank you for your feedback. Thomas Wise Reading School Committee Email: thomas.wise@reading.k12.ma.us SC Distribution List: schoolcommittee@reading.k12.ma.us Mobile: (617) 869-6825 Reading Public Schools Website: https://reading.k12.ma.us When writing or responding, please remember that the Secretary of State's Office has determined that email is a public record. This communication may contain privileged or other confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient or believe you have received this communication in error, please do not print, copy, retransmit, disseminate, or otherwise use the information. Also, please indicate to the sender that you have received this email in error and delete the copy you received. -----Original Message----- From: Angela F. Binda <tunacat@comcast.net> Sent: Sunday, July 7, 2024 10:01 PM To: DG School Committee <SchoolCommittee@reading.k12.ma.us>; Nancy J Twomey <nj2me@comcast.net>; contact@killamschool.com; ptompkins@ctaconstruction.com; kirk.mccormick@hotmail.com; jas.coote@verizon.net; gstepler@tcco.com Cc: Alan E. Foulds <alanfoulds@verizon.net>; Alan Foulds <alanfouldsmoderator@gmail.com>; selectboard@ci.reading.ma.us Subject: KSBC Members - Karen Herrick CAUTION: This email originated from outside of Reading Public Schools. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender email address and know the content is safe. To the KSBC and the School Committee, (Please forward this to KSBC members for whom I do not have email addresses.) I am writing to request that no action be taken on the recent Select Board vote to remove Select Board Vice-Chair Karen Herrick from the KSBC. The meeting took place by zoom only on a Thursday morning at 9:30 am, and was the first time this agenda item was taken up by the Board. Select Board members Mark Dockser and Melissa Murphy both stated they had no information to take a vote, and were "voting blindly." Mr. Dockser asked Select Board Chair Carlo Bacci to delay the vote so he could talk to people involved with the matter, in order to make an informed decision. Mr. Bacci stated that he could read a list of complaints, and they could stay there all day if necessary, which Mr. Dockser said he could not do. The Select Board is not the appointing authority of the Killam School Building Committee, the Appointment Committee of the Permanent Building Committee is, so the Select Board does not have the authority to remove Ms. Herrick, it only has the authority to ask that she be removed. The Appointment Committee of the Permanent Building Committee is bound by the Reading Home Rule Charter, which outlines this process for removing a member from a committee: 8.12 Removal of an Appointed Board or Committee Member 8.12.1 The appointing authority may remove an appointed member of a board or committee with more than six (6) months remaining in the term for which he was appointed. The process for such removal may be initiated in any of three methods: a The appointing authority may, by majority vote, cause a notice of removal to be filed with the Town Clerk; b A board or committee may, by majority vote, submit a written request that the appointing authority remove one of its members, specifying the grounds for such removal request in writing and causing a notice of removal to be filed with the Town Clerk; c One hundred (100) or more voters may file with the Town Clerk a petition requesting the removal of a member of a board or committee, specifying the grounds for such removal. Upon certification by the Board of Registrars of Voters of a sufficient number of valid signatures, the Town Clerk shall immediately notify the appointing authority thereof. 8.12.2 Public Hearing A public hearing shall be convened by the appointing authority not less than twenty (20) nor more than thirty (30) days after a notice, request or valid petition for removal is filed with the Town Clerk. Not less than five (5) days (see Section 8.5) prior to such hearing, written notice thereof shall be given by the Town Clerk to the board or committee member whose removal is sought, by mail, postage prepaid, to his last known address. Not less than forty-eight (48) hours prior to the time set for the commencement of the public hearing, the board or committee member shall be entitled to file a written statement with the appointing authority responding to the reasons cited for the proposed removal. The board or committee member may be represented by counsel at the public hearing, and shall be entitled to present evidence, call witnesses and, personally or through counsel, question any witnesses appearing at the hearing. Town of Reading Home Rule Charter General Provisions Page | 35 Reading Home Rule Charter – November 2023 8.12.3 Removal The appointing authority may, by majority vote, adopt a final resolution of removal, which shall be effective upon adoption. Failure to adopt a final resolution of removal within thirty (30) days of the public hearing shall be deemed to be a disapproval of such resolution. The action of the appointing authority in removing the board or committee member shall be final, it being the intention of this provision to vest all authority and fix all responsibility for such removal in the appointing authority. The board or committee member shall continue to serve on the board or committee until a final resolution of removal has become effective. Until this process is completed, I believe Ms. Herrick remains a member of the committee. According to Mr. Bacci, this possible removal has been initiated by a single person on the KSBC, KSBC Chair Carla Nazzaro, without the knowledge or consent of the committee. I have spoken to a member of the Permanent Building Committee / KSBC who stated that Ms. Herrick is a valuable member of the committee and they would like to see Ms. Herrick remain on the committee. In addition, I have spoken to elected officials who were disturbed by the lack of due process that this attempted removal has followed. The Killam School Building project is too important a project for it to be tainted by what appears to me, and many others, to be partisan politics. If Ms. Herrick does not remain on the KSBC, or if she is removed by any other process than that which is outlined by the Reading Home Rule Charter, I will have lost my trust and faith in the KSBC, and will be skeptical of any proposal it puts forward. Please keep the new Killam School project going forward in a transparent and positive manner. Sincerely, Angela Binda Orchard Park Drive