Boston City Council, MA Ways & Means, 15 May 2023

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From YouTube: Ways & Means FY24 Budget: BPS Schools on May 15, 2023

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Ways & Means Hearing- Dockets #0760-0768 FY24 Budget: BPS Schools

A

Thank you, foreign.

B

For the record, my name is Tanya Financial Anderson, the district 7 City councilor I am the chair of the Boston city council committee on ways and means this hearing is being recorded as being live streamed at boston.gov forward, slash City, Dash, Council TV the broadcast and broadcast on Xfinity channel 8, RCN, channel 82 and FiOS channel 964.. The council's budget review process will Encompass a series of public hearings beginning in April and running through June. We strongly encourage residents to take a moment to engage in this process by giving testimony for the record.

B

You can give this in several ways attend one of our hearings and give public testimony. We will take public testimony at the end of each departmental hearing and also at a hearing dedicated to public testimony. The full hearing schedule is on our website. Boston.Gov forward, slash Council Dash budget. Our scheduled hearing dedicated to public testimony is on Wednesday May 17th at 6 pm.

B

You can give testimony in person so.

A

A

C

D

B

You can give a testimony in person here in the chamber or virtually in Zoom for in-person Testimony. Please come to the chamber and sign up on the sheet near the entrance for virtual testimony. You can sign up using our online form on our console budget review website or by emailing the committee at CCC dot, WM boston.gov. We when you are called to testify, please state your name and ensure that all comments and concerns can be heard.

B

um Your name affiliation residence and limit your comments to a few minutes so that all comments and concerns can be heard. Email. Your written testimony to the committee at ccc.wm boston.gov, submit a two-minute video of your testimony through the Forum on our website for more information on the City Council budget process and how to testify. Please visit the city council's budget website at boston.gov forward, slash Council, Dash budget.

B

Today's hearing is on docket0760-20762 orders for the fy24 operating budget, including annual annual Appropriations for departmental operations for the school department and for other post-employment benefits: opeb dockets, zero, seven, six: three: zero: seven: six: five to zero; seven: six: six orders for the capital fund, transfer, Appropriations, dockets, zero; seven, six, four: zero, seven; six, seven: two: zero: seven: six, eight orders for the capital budget, including loan orders and lease purchase agreements. Our Focus area for this hearing will be an overview of the fy24 budget for the Boston school department.

B

With regard to Grant's, grant funding reform, Community program, sorry.

B

uh We'll just say that it's an overview FY budget uh for the Boston Public Schools, our panelists to today's hearing are Mary Skipper superintendent uh good morning superintendent, thanks for being here, Dr Linda, Chen senior, Deputy, superintendent of academics, Dr Sam, depina, Deputy, superintendent of operations, Dr Drew, echelson, chief of schools and accountability.

B

Dr Anna Tavares Deputy, superintendent of equity, community and family engagement, uh Nate Krueger, chief of financial office Chief Financial Officer and David Bloom Deputy Chief Financial Officer I am joined today by my colleagues, counselor Liz Braden and counselor Julia Mejia for our format we will I will go directly to the administration for a presentation. First I'd just like to ask for my Council colleagues if they have just a 30 second uh opening statement after your presentation will break we'll, give a presentation of our breakdown if necessary.

B

If the council, my Council colleagues, encourage that they have a further aggregate data on your budget as well as public testimony, if any are here in person, then into um second round of questions and then we'll come back to any public testimony online counselor Mejia. Would you do you have an opening statement? Yes, thank.

E

You chair and thank you to the administration for being here. um I I really do appreciate the smaller PowerPoint. Thank you. It's great to see um superintendent Skipper welcome to your first budget. Thank you um and I really do appreciate your partnership. Over the last six seven months since you've been acclimating.

E

um It has been uh incredibly uh refreshing to say the least, to to work alongside your team on some family engagement.

E

um This morning, I was at the Sumner School I've been working with that school to help increase the Latino parent engagement efforts. Yes, um so I really do hope that we're learning how to be more collaborative the best way for you to know how to Advocate is to actually roll your sleeves up and be inside these schools, because you know you learn differently for this particular budget.

E

um I know I've been incredibly patient and Grace just, but it seems like there's still so much more work that we need to do and I have four pages of questions.

E

I'm Nate that I'm most likely going to ask you to really lean into, and you know our role is to be Advocates and to fight for the people who put us here and I. Guess at some point you know no more free passes and the budget is the opportunity for us to really hold the administration accountable and I'm. Looking forward to doing just that, thank.

B

You thank you councilman here um for those watching at home. uh There were a couple of hearings for on BPS today, but I had to um make room for redistricting process, and so a couple of dates have been moved and you will get the updated schedule soon, um so that there was today this afternoon's canceled um and the remaining virtual still stands on the same days and then there's at least one for this afternoon. It will be moved um later across, probably after the virtual hearings that we have.

B

B

So the next hearing will be um May 22nd, virtually and at 10 A.M and at 2 pm.

B

B

um And then again, at June 5th, at 10 A.M and at 2 p.m and I'll be updating for the other day soon all right um to the administration. uh Please give your introduction, and hopefully the clicker is working right to it. Great.

F

So, thank you, madam chair I'm, delighted to be here with you today to discuss the budget for the upcoming year. I want to begin by thanking our mayor, this body and our school committee for their past and continued support of our school district.

F

We've all heard this before, but I truly believe that our budget is a statement of our values. Our goal is to create a budget that reflects our commitment to providing all of our families and students with the necessary supports and resources. They need to succeed our regional model and the hard work of our leadership team have enabled us to become a more stable District.

F

We are now in a position to make a shift in our thinking and mindset around how we serve those students who have been historically underserved in our district. Our black and brown students are students with disabilities and our multilingual Learners, with and without disabilities.

F

We must make educational Equity a reality and ensure that all of our students have access to the same opportunities and resources, and that is why Equity is at the core of every investment we make. We are adding Equity specialists in our regional model to build capacity and focus on developing, culturally and linguistically affirming practices and providing support across the schools.

F

We are also investing in our Recruitment and Retention cultivation and diversity departments to help ensure that our staff, both in Central and school-based, reflect the communities we serve.

F

We are prioritizing family and Community engagement, inclusive education, increasing bilingual education and native language access, deepening our work in Equitable literacy and expanding our Early College and Career Pathways programming to help students earn the college credits they need to graduate and pursue their dreams.

F

Given we are still very much in recovery and healing mode from the pandemic. We are investing in additional social emotional supports, such as bilingual social workers for us life, students, building capacity in our networks for restorative justice practices and peer mediation, increasing and aligning our supports for chronic absenteeism across our regions and strengthening our investment in health services and mental health supports for our students in schools, I'm, proud of my team and the work they have done to make this budget reality.

F

If and if approved all of the needed resources it will bring to our school communities, since the chair has done introductions of who's on the committee, I just want to thank our team and I'll now turn it over to Chief pooter to begin the presentation.

G

Thank you, superintendent and good morning counselors. We open all of our presentations with this quote from the opportunity achievement Gap policy. It was the starting point for our planning and therefore is a fitting start to to this afternoon's presentation, or this morning's presentation.

G

Excuse me, the fiscal year 2024 budget for the Boston Public Schools is Guided by the belief that every child in every classroom and every school deserves the same, and for some historically underserved students, even greater opportunity to learn, grow and Thrive as we strive to ensure Equity of opportunity and enact anti-racist decisions, we're called upon to maintain focus on our values and how those values are demonstrated through our budgets.

G

Throughout today's presentation, we'll continue to reference two major themes which the superintendent which the superintendent herself emphasized throughout our planning process. The first is that each of our investments must be designed to close opportunity, achievement gaps for most marginalized students, including black and latinx students, students with disabilities and our multilingual learners.

G

The second theme is community and family engagement.

G

We must continue to partner with our community to ensure that we are responsive to their experiences and expectations for their students.

G

The superintendent has identified six budget priorities first, that the district-wide inclusive education opportunities, second, is to strengthen our supports and programming for multilingual learners. Third, ensuring every student's access to grade level materials through our Equitable literacy work for supporting our students, social, emotional, health and well-being, five preparing our students for life after graduation and six strengthening our Partnerships with families and communities.

G

All of these priorities must be looked at through an equity lens, and we must be intentional, while providing each student with what they need to succeed to further close opportunity, achievement gaps and, as a superintendent mentioned. Not only is our budget a statement of values, but in this context, in a lot of ways, this budget serves as a transitional budget.

G

In addition to the need to plan. For the last year of Esser, we received several reports Midway through the budget process and throughout our city council hearings this year, we'll discuss not only our immediate actions funded for fy24, we'll also be presenting how we see our long-term work that will inform the budgets for fy25 and FY 26.

G

Understanding a 1.4 billion dollar budget can be a daunting task, so this slide is my best attempt to provide a comprehensive yet easily understandable version of how our budget is changing. The changes in our budget from FY 23 to this proposal can be broken down into three main categories: strategic Investments increase costs and long-term sustainability.

G

The first category strategic Investments, since returning to BPS superintendent Skipper, gathered different people's perspective and experiences about what's working in the district and the community priorities. These perspectives have informed this proposal and helped shape our priorities for fy24.

G

The second category is increased cost. This represents the cost increases we incur because of the right, the rising cost of providing the same level of service. Of course, we always strive to be efficient and effective district office. This serves our schools and students. Well, you'll see a majority of our cost. Growth coming from collective bargaining, Transportation facilities and special education in the final budget category is long-term sustainability. Bps has two sustainability challenges facing our district.

G

S are coming to an end and managing the general funds allocated to hold schools harmless from enrollment declines for the last two years. This budget aims to maintain critical services to schools in the coming year, while ensuring the school budgets begin to address their hold harmless dollars in a strategic way. Our overall budget proposal is requesting. 71.7 million dollar increase over fiscal year, 23.

G

Bps is incredibly fortunate to have the continued support of this Council, the mayor and the City of Austin. The mayor's message to us was clear: build a better future. We must ensure our students have access to Quality learning opportunities every day. We know that improving access to Quality will take major Investments and with the mayor's commitment of 50 million over the next several years, we have the resources to build inclusive School communities.

G

We're also set to begin a new era of partnership with the Boston Teachers Union and other unions that will ensure every classroom in Boston.

G

Public Schools is inclusive for all students, in addition to our operating commitment, the mayor's commitment of 2 billion in capital, Investments, separate and distinct from this presentation on operating we'll have resources to launch a new era of school building projects with the green New Deal for VPS foreign I mentioned already that the critical thing we need to think about, as we plan for this budget and future year are two key sustainability challenges, as are coming to an end and managing enrollment to clients.

G

This budget aims to not reduce critical services to schools, and schools were not asked to cut their budget to balance based on enrollment to clients, but this has required us to do two key moves. The first is we're moving critical Services, currently funded by Esser onto the general fund, we're working with schools to identify those things that they've already funded on Nasser that are strategically aligned and having an effect on students, and we move them to the general funds in this year that ensures that our general funds have.

G

This is the most critical Investments already sustained.

G

At the same time, we're also shifting hold harmless support from the general fund to Esser this approach. That means means that schools will not be required to make Cuts or services, but they are moving from the general fund and on to Esser a less sustainable funding source.

G

Yeah for the last two years, we've not asked schools to make Cuts or to look critically at the number of classrooms in their overall School. This was intentional. We needed to figure out how much of the enrollment declines were temporary and pandemic related this year in the current year that we're operating enrollment is declined by less than projected, showing that this improved. This approach was at least partially warranted, despite that we're still anticipating continued enrollment declines in future years, due to broader demographic Trends, as have been seen in other Urban centers.

G

Regarding the overall decrease in school-aged children and smaller entry grade cohorts in the next few fiscal years, schools will not be able to rely and hold harmless policy to maintain their extra capacity. So as a district, we need to confront our District's, challenging realities and shift resources in a way that meets student needs and accelerates. Improvement.

G

Our budget is available in online at bostonpublicschools.org backslash budget, it's available in Excel and PDF. However, if you wanted to familiarize yourself with our budget in one slide, this is it. We break our budget down into four key categories. The first is direct School expenses. These are items that are budgeted in schools and represent the largest portion of our budget. This is where you see the budget for the majority of our teachers and paraprofessionals our leaders of our schools and other services that you see directly in schools.

G

We also have a category of spending that we call School Services budgeted centrally. Those are items in its Central budget. So, if you look at our Tables by central office, you'll see them there, but they're actually located in schools. An example of this is our custodians. All of our the majority of our custodians are allocated directly to schools, but are budgeted for in our facilities. Department, the third category Central Administration. This includes the superintendent, the central academics, team and other central office supports.

G

This is what you traditionally think of as the district office supporting our schools. And finally, we have a category. We refer to as non-bps student services. Those are services like transportation to charter schools that we provide to Boston residents in non-bps schools. This is also a major expense for us of out of District special education services.

G

As I mentioned, all of our resources can be found online, we'll be posting translated version of all documents in our major languages and with that that concludes our presentation. I'll turn it back over to you, chairwoman for questions.

B

Thank you so much Nate, um quick and concise I guess as uh one of the counselors asked for um I'm gonna go to my Council colleagues, First Council Braden just wanted to acknowledge as well that council president Flynn has joined us and councilor Coletta has joined us um Council Braden. You have the floor.

H

Thank you, madam chair. um Thank you for your presentation. um This is the annual rate that we go through reviewing the school budget. um I I was interested in just the idea of the inclusive School communities.

H

In terms of what sort of scaffolding we have to put in to ensure that that's a successful strategy are we, you know in terms of co-teaching models or or what? What are you thinking about that and and what will be the specific added costs to doing that I think I am I, am in support of it, but I'm just trying to figure out how it's going to work sure so.

F

uh I'll I'll start and then I'll have my colleague Dr Chen, um under which special education Falls, so our inclusive communities is really general education practice. It's building our communities in a way that different than is currently exists. Our special education students don't have to go to particular programs in particular schools, but rather they have full access throughout the district to be able to attend schools that can meet their needs.

F

This came off of a historic agreement with the teachers union back in the summer by which it'll be about a five-year implementation of it for us in the district, the council, great City, Schools report really underscored that many of our issues in special education are rooted in the fact that we have too many students, particularly our black and brown students, concentrated in substantially separate settings and so thereby they're not getting access to the type of rigor and grade level material and curriculum that's needed.

F

So this really is an initiative that will change a mindset throughout our district that will touch all parts of it. On the operational side, it goes from enrollment and how we enroll students to our transportation and where we have to transport students to eventually our funding formula relative to next year, with our reimagining funding of how we think about supporting the needs of students with disabilities and multilingual Learners with disabilities on the academic side, it really is rethinking what the service looks like for our students and how they receive it. So what you're talking about?

F

Is it a you know, a dual teacher situation, a co-teacher situation? Is it a push-in situation or a pull-out situation? This is where it really is about and and why the teachers union was so important to be. Partners with us is clearly redesigning how special education services are delivered first by training our field in what we called MTS, which is our multi-tails support system, and that means that every classroom teacher will have a new set of skills that they don't currently so they'll, be intensive professional development over the next several years for this.

F

Additionally, it has to do with how we write our IEPs for students that their the services aren't in a particular program. In a particular school, but rather in the classroom itself, and what that looks like so this is something bless you that on the Council of great City Schools, they made a lot of I think really thoughtful and good recommendations based on how other large urban districts like ours carry this out and execute it.

F

We see this, as you know, at least a four to five year initiative with next year being a deep planning year with inclusion, planning teams budgeted for each of the schools, and particularly for the ninth grades and the high schools you'll be hearing more and more of this will require an investment each year this year, as you can see, it's a number one invest as you know, because we believe this will transform the practice of strong tier one instructional support and focus in the classrooms, along with those types of materials that are going to allow all students, but particularly our students with disabilities, that access Dr, Chen I, don't know if there's anything else, you'd like to add.

I

Sure, thank you counselor for your question and for your support. First and foremost, the work around inclusive education is our top priority, because it is about making sure that every one of our students across the city, particularly in areas where we've as a system historically underserved our students. So it really is about making sure that we Embrace every student. This is certainly about special education inclusion, but it really is inclusive all around that every one of our students has seen as assets for their cultural, linguistic and neurodiverse assets they bring into our classrooms.

I

With that, your question is particularly, um you know important, because it is about support as you're asking about and number one. It is making sure that our educators are prepared to be able to truly see every student's for their assets and strengths, and that requires professional development, understanding, cultural, linguistic and neurodiversity.

I

Our partnership with the Boston Teachers Union is a big part of this work, so I won't say more than what the superintendent mentioned around making sure that our students have strong core instruction. One of the things that we are working on as a system is to provide every student with grade level instruction.

I

That is something that, over the years, because our students, some of our students, perform under grade level and have special needs, we tend to teach them at lower levels and what the superintendent was referring to with tier one instruction is making sure that every student has access to that work.

I

um It also means that in every school we have, we have a system to Monitor and see where are kids performing and how are they doing and then how do we provide the supports that they need and that's what she refer to as mtss or multi-tiered systems of support? Again, all of those things require that our teachers get the kind of support that they need. Whether it is you mentioned co-teaching, which is certainly one model of support. It is really driven by what our students need.

I

So we would want to make sure that there is professional learning around how to support students in accessing that tier one instruction, there's also quite a bit of work when it comes specifically to special education.

I

Around making sure that the individual education programs or the IEPs are written in such a way that we are really being able to provide the tailored supports that are needed in addition to our own work around inclusive education, the state is also changing the IEP format, and so that is another layer of work that we are going to begin as well in the next few years, along with the state's rollout.

I

um In addition, I think, what's particularly important, is there's an inclusion planning team process that we made an agreement on with the Boston Teachers Union and this year when we began some of that work, it was incredibly important to make sure that we as a school system partner closely with our families and our school communities. So as schools are making their plans to ensure fully inclusive environment and least restrictive environment. For our students, we want to make sure that every school has an inclusion planning team.

I

There are processes and supports in partnership with the btu around this. That includes not just teachers and school leadership, but also paraprofessionals, who are key Partners in this work, as well as family members. This year it was great to be able to see that work underway and we look forward to that happening.

I

System-Wide as a superintendent mentioned, the council, the great City School report and Desi have implored us to really move with deliberate speed to make sure that we are having system-wide inclusion and not just one school at a time, but that the entire system, all of our students, deserve inclusion as soon as possible.

F

Thank you, Council. The one other thing I would just add, is one of the things that we've heard from our parents of students with disabilities is the concern that, as inclusion, rules out the the issue of bullying and so part of what will also need to be done. As the inclusion plan planning teams take effect is to really build the culture of the school as one of understanding, acceptance and real appreciation, and so there's a lot of work to be done on the climate of the schools as well for teachers to recognize again.

F

What are the signs of bullying? What does that look like, and then how do we mitigate that so that that's the other piece in the social emotional side that is reflective in the inclusion planning.

H

Teams, in fact Madam chair can I I just add a comment or no I'm.

B

Coming right back a comment sure.

H

A comment: you know: I I, the inclusion piece one. You know from my background and I worked in special education for 16 years, but you know I families coming in English isn't their first language. The IEP process is not very opaque. It's it's! It's not very clear. It's difficult and complicated. My concern is that families will not know what to advocate for and I. Also. My other concern is, you know a special ed teachers.

H

We have so many teachers who are dual certified, but if you make an inclusion class and those teachers are supposed to do, General, Ed and special ed together, I think that's a bridge too far, so you know I I think it's. It's really part of the conversation to make sure we we're building a system that with adequate accommodations and adequate support, so that we're building for success and not not building. You know not not missing anything that will just lead us into another Dead End Street, so to speak. Yes, thank you. Madam chair. Welcome.

B

E

Have before thank you, madam chair and I'm curious before I dive in um superintendent Skipper. Can you just talk to me a little bit about your leadership in terms of diversity, I'm wondering if they're any black men or women that are part of this team, because right now, I'm not seeing it.

F

So when our senior advisor team, so this here represents our Deputy team um Sam, your cape Vernon.

F

But in addition to this, in addition to this team, we have the deputy team and then we have Chiefs and um I'm happy to share the org chart with you, as well as our senior advisors of which we have a very strong, diverse team, yeah I'd.

E

Like to see that sure we can get that to you and and Sam I do appreciate it. I'm an afro-latina I understand cleaning your black roots, so I appreciate that um so I'm just curious a little bit. If you could just talk to me about um your Esther funding and how's that going.

F

So we can, we can give a breakdown. It's both I think. As Chief Kuda indicated, one of the strategies in the overall budget was to ensure that we're using all of our Sr dollars, but also to have our schools start to think about what are those things that we believe are going to need to be permanent, supports and structures that are sitting on us or moving those over to the general budget, so that we don't get into deep cut issues next year at the budget time that exercise I think has yielded.

F

Certainly everybody's focus on spending down the yes or dollars. It's also giving us a glimpse as to what are those things moving over to Esser that we can evaluate with the school leaders for the coming year in terms of the spend down alternative to Chief kuder to to speak to that nope. That's okay!.

E

Because I have a few minutes, so I want to make sure that, but thank you for that superintendent. um Can you just talk to me a little bit about the progress of how our school budgets will be informed, formed outside of using the weighted student funding formula.

G

Yeah I'm happy to take that first, if you'd, like um I, think there are two things over the last few years. We've done a lot of work to increase what we call our foundation for quality or their quality guarantee, which are increasing the number of positions that are funded outside of weighted student funding that we've heard from the community are critical. This has been the rollout of nurses in every school social workers, family Liaisons, we're also launching a project around reimagined school funding to come up with our new way of funding our schools.

G

This is a project we're doing with the community and will recommendations will be made to the superintendent in the fall for a new way of allocating. It may include some student-based budgeting, that is the foundation for weighted student funding or may include new ways of thinking about guaranteeing funding and guaranteeing opportunities across schools.

E

Can you talk to me about how this budget will work to dismantle the high disparities that we see specifically for black connect students with disabilities, who are in substance, substantial, separate classrooms.

F

A three so um I think the conversation about the inclusion. That's one of the things that's at the heart of it is to um that was flagged it by both Desi and flags, by the Council of great City Schools is that you have way too many students who are programmed and substantially separate and in particular, substantially separate programs say like emotional impairment.

F

uh Our black and brown students are overrepresented, so part of dismantling those substantially separate classrooms and moving toward inclusion, which will allow our students much more choice in parents, much more choice about the schools they attend and give them access to high quality grade level. Content is going to in in essence, help relative to the Gap work. Can.

E

You talk to us a little bit about how you're going to be speeding up to expand access to native language, Learners, specifically with disabilities. You know you, it seems like you're, not I, wouldn't say dragging your feet, but it just seems like a slow start and and until we support English language Learners, we're not going to be able to really meet this moment and they're not going to be able to learn. So can you just talk to me a little bit about what you're doing to pick up the space there.

F

Sure so um part of what we adopted out of some of Desi recommendations was a strategic plan for our office of multilingual Multicultural Learners. A piece of that are positions that are specifically looking at the practice and supports for our multilingual Learners with disabilities. Additionally, part of what that strategic plan is aiming to do is to increase bilingual education, strengthen the the core of sheltered English immersion in the schools that have it and, most importantly, expand access for native language, Dr Chen. This is your department.

F

I, don't know if you want to add anything to that.

I

um Yes, so part of what we're doing with that work is making sure that we review the IEPs of our multilingual Learners with disabilities and understand how they've been identified, what the needs are and making sure that we are improving our evaluations to diagnose appropriately as one piece it's.

C

Also, like a dashboard for that, like how we.

I

We are working on that so.

C

So let me just pause right. Real, quick, like.

E

And Nate, you know this, we were talking about return on investments, and your budget is so much bigger this year, just keeps getting bigger and I'm just curious kind of like how we're going to track how you're going to measure success. How are you going to hold yourself accountable? What what's that look like.

C

E

Is, oh, you are responsible for the Financial Health of this organization right in many ways, so where is a tool for a real accountability? This is my fourth budget. So how are we going to measure dollar for dollar.

G

So a couple things that we're doing the first is on the Esser side: we've piloted some new ways of tying all of the school based Investments to both their strategic plan and measuring for outcomes. So a lot of the outcome based measures assigned to that no.

E

Say that simple, you give that to me and like what does that mean.

G

Yeah, so um one of the things that we're doing is partnering with our research team to understand the areas where schools have chosen to invest. Let's say that they've invested in tutoring as one of their Investments and then working with them to be able to identify and look at the data on those different tutoring programs to see if they're, working or not and.

C

How long does that take.

G

Well, so, if, if you're investing in any given year in tutoring I mean this, is one of the challenges about return on investment for education? Is the outcomes for these students are often multi-year outcomes that we want to continue to measure we're also working to do better input measuring so that if we say that we're running a program for 20 kids, that we measure that the 20 kids attended, we see their attendance.

G

We see the service delivery, that's the sort of most immediate measures that we can do so that, on all of the Esther spending, we can look at what have we implemented? What have we implemented with Fidelity and then of that? What are showing signs that they're working to improve education.

E

Okay, so let's talk a little about Fidelity and for those who are tuning in for that it means to do something consistently: those the translation we have been having issues with restorative justice and in order for us to get this right, hiring nine people for a district that has a lot of issues around mediation and conflict resolution is not meeting the moment. So how can we set people up for Success if we're not making those Investments.

F

All right, so, whoever threes you so I'll I'll grab that I just I I want to just if I can just kind of finish answering um the dashboard question, I I! Think in general there has not been the type of attention to student outcome that you're talking about Council.

F

um This is something that's deeply important to me and it's something that, in terms of the team, we have reframed uh we're working in the academic side to make sure that there's dashboards attached to any of the initiatives we're doing whether it's inclusion, whether it's the expansion of bilingual education and access to native language in relative to student outcome.

F

It is at the granular level or will be at the granular level of how students are achieving and what the Gap closing looks like so I agree with you that I don't think that I can't speak for the last couple years, but I don't think that we have had the kind of pointed attention to making sure resources are translating into student Gap closing and achievement.

F

That's something that at this time next year in our budget, you will be able to see some of those dashboards during the course of the year and see that play out in terms of the restorative justice. I. Think our plan on the on the Youth Opportunity and the student support side I think there's multi-approach to how we're going to support our students. Post-Pandemic I.

F

Think one of the things that we're doing, in addition to restorative practice is peer mediation because we're seeing with the kids that they just don't have the ability to you know they have so much trauma. They don't have the ability to regulate in the moment, and sometimes Small Things become big things for them.

F

So one of the things we're building out under Corey McCarthy and chief kelton's leadership and we're actually working with Jalen Brown's mom and their their Foundation is around building out a peer mediation program that will be in all of our schools and so, and my hope is that we can actually pay our young people, which is something we don't do enough of, but pay our young people to actually be trained and be part of that.

F

Additionally, on the restorative practice side, we're beginning with the for the regional structure, we're aligning all of our supports to that we're doing one per region right now and we're now looking across kind of districts, our size, we're working with the console to ask you know what are some of the districts that you see have large-scale restorative practice? That's been in place that doesn't get yield results that is tracked um since they're a deep partner in the work.

F

So this is an area that I've said both in in every budget meeting I've been in and I think to you personally that I intend to make the investment year after year in this, because this is the way that we ensure our schools are transformed in their climate and culture. So while it is the nine practice right now, there's actually a supervisor and then one other, so it's 11 total of FTE those there will.

F

We will leverage we'll leverage, other partners, we'll leverage the community and then we, most importantly, will adopt a model that going forward will be the thing that we invest in, but we do want Community input with that as well.

J

So those nine folks will be signed by region, the superintendent said, but underneath that and in the school base we have other people that will be supporting them and implementing RJ. So the Deans of the schools will be trained in implementing it. The social workers will be trained in implementing at the safety service specialists, where we train the special, so they'll have a team of people, both the school-based level and essential to help support with more of the work as well. Foreign.

E

Thank you. Okay,.

B

uh Thank you customer here, I just wanted to clarify in terms of schedule. um So I was in the expectation that the superintendent would be here today. uh Full time and I know that you've accommodated I mean I, appreciate it I think there was a miscommunication between my office and Annie I apologize that um I didn't get the communication. I've been super busy.

B

So whatever message that was sent to me um yes and I'm, I'm addressing you Annie, um whatever message that was sent to me about timing or schedule um with this uh schedule, I have not been on my communications. My comms director husband, um so I I apologize um on behalf of my office uh for not getting that so the expectation for me the way I, envisioned it and I would think it would be up to the chair and that's what I meant by courtesy to communicate about.

B

It um is that you're here today and I thank you for accommodating us again last minute um and then so to my Council colleagues and those who are watching if you review the take. The superintendent will be here today and is not expected to be here and the remaining hearings and I. Think that makes sense that you're here for the full length of it um and then once we have a full conversation. If you have questions, we can submit them or you can submit them through the chair to the superintendent.

B

um But you are absolutely not required to be here in the next.

F

Yeah I differ completely to church, so thank you for the understanding and sorry for the miscommunication.

B

Yeah, no thank you for accommodating me and obviously I didn't get the memo, but um that that was on me. I didn't check um so it was. It was buried somewhere a week ago. So here we are you're accommodating me. um I'm I'm I, like I, try to be very transparent about things. If I make a mistake, um I'm saying I apologize, I didn't get the memo, but I really appreciate you um and accommodating and I think I. Think that makes more sense that you're here and then we can have a full, robust conversation.

B

This is the first hearing. If counselors are not here, they're super busy I get.

D

It um but then they expect I hope that they don't expect you.

B

To be here in every single hearing, because that's ridiculous, um but thank you so much um and.

D

Counselor Flynn you're. Next on my list, um you have the floor.

K

Thank you, madam chair and I, want to say thank you to you, madam chair, for your important work and Leadership, but I also want to acknowledge the superintendent for providing strong leadership during difficult times and you've been excellent and as a leader for the Boston Public School System I also want to acknowledge that I supported the BPS budget last year and it was active in testifying against Desi in their potential takeover of the DPS school system.

K

um So I want to I want to talk about two things: superintendent and on page 12, it just says the decline, enrollment enrollment decline by 22 percent over eight years. Basically, um we also receive state funding to the city of Boston, um but is there some point in the next several years that the declining enrollment in possibly cuts from the state government? Does it does it have such a significant financial impact on BPS? That BPS has to consider drastic measures to deal with that Financial shortfall.

G

Yeah I appreciate the question and I I would um I would defer to my colleagues at City Hall, who deal uh more closely with Chapter 70 funding, one of the things as a dependent, School District, um we're very fortunate that the city um takes on most of the risk, as it relates to the Chapter 70 funding because of the the sort of peculiarities of Chapter 70 funding in Massachusetts and as it relates to Boston we're.

G

We are not as sensitive to enrollment declines as other districts who depend on a larger portion of their budget to be funded by chapter 70.. I. Think the percentage of our budget that is funded by Chapter 70 percentage of BPS budget is um significantly lower than 10 percent I. Think it's now close to the four or five percent range. That's the result of the increased cost of charter schools and what they call Net chapter 78. So the amount of money the state gives us.

G

You subtract out the amount of money we take for tuition to Charter Schools. It means that there's almost a various very small percentage of our budget coming um from the state, and so um our sensitivity to State funding is like I, said, a better question for for ovm.

K

Thank you Nate.

K

My second question in listening to the comments from the superintendent, but also from Dr Chen, Dr, Chen, think if your work and Leadership one of the issues I always focused on especially in in Chinatown, is the support, we're giving BPS families. Many of the parents do not speak English, they speak Cantonese.

K

Their child may or may not be in the special education program at Josiah, Quincy School.

K

So the communication with the nurse with a social worker with the with the teacher with the paraprofessional um with the cafeteria staff. How will we? How are we certain that each child, especially when their parent doesn't speak English, but each child's is getting the services that they need and the parent is also part of the the discussion. The parent is engaged and are we doing everything that we possibly can for the parent?

K

So the parent can play a critical role in making sure the child gets the services that they need, but also that they can interact with the BPS team.

F

I would ask Dr Chen to perhaps speak to our multilingual Services relative to Quincy upper and Quincy lower, but then also Dr Tavares, president Flynn, who is the our Deputy for Equity family and Community advancement, a big piece of what you're asking is the parent engagement part and how, in a specific Community where it is language specific? What are the extra supports that we offer there.

I

So for our multilingual learner families, when they enroll at the welcome centers, we do go through an assessment to determine whether or not they're eligible for services. And then our newcomer assessment and Counseling Center supports students in determining where their English acquisition levels are or their English language development levels are and then actually work with the families um to, and we do have folks on our team who speak the main languages.

I

But we also have um translation interpretation services that Dr Tavares can talk more about, but we want to make sure that families are not only um shared with what the processes are for services, but also some options for the types of services that they would like to receive, whether it's sheltered, English immersion classroom, that's language specific or is multilingual or dual language programs. We want to make sure that our families are fully aware of what the options are for for learning for their child yeah.

F

L

Thank you, Dr uh councilor Flynn, for asking the question regarding the access to language. Can you hear me.

F

B

If you press it and then wait till the blanket.

L

Okay, thank you I appreciate that thank you for that question. Counselor Flynn, regarding specifically the language access to families, because that's definitely an area that we're very focused on both at the Staffing level, really thinking about linguistic diversity across our organization at every single part of the organization that touches and supports and communicates with families. We're really aware and very sensitive to finding folks within the community that actually speak the language of the students and the families that we're serving and that's something that's happening at every level and specifically to translation and interpretation.

L

We're also not only thinking about the regional model and how we consider what languages are specific to the different areas of Boston, and you mentioned Cantonese, which is really critical within Chinatown. That, in particular, is something that we're really developing opportunities to with my work that I do with supporting Dr, Chen's work and thinking about how our family Liaisons really support that language capacity for families and at the school level to be very um like go to the the face-to-face day-to-day work.

L

That has to happen not only with thinking about how the Staffing at each and every school has to reflect the linguistic supports that are needed for those communities and thinking about how at central office, we also need to support linguistically the communities and the Staffing and the schools that have to also interface with families. So thinking about language and language supports at all of those levels is really critical to the work that we do in order to really do a wraparound of support for families when it comes to their language needs. Yeah.

F

Just um I would also just add that in the area of mental health services and Health, Services I think that's been a place where we are being much more intentional, because we realize for parents those tend to be high stress situations.

F

So the worst thing is for them not to be able to reach somebody at the school that they can communicate with so I know at the Quincy Opera, for instance, there was an issue of nurses and we resolved that because we saw the need for them to make sure that we had a nurse that spoke Anthony's. So.

K

Okay, thank you. Superintendent, uh Madam, chair could I make one final statement. Thank you. Thank you, madam chair um one. One issue I would like us to continue to focus on and I know you are committed to doing that superintendent, um but working with the city of Boston food Access program and working closely with BHA development.

K

Many of my schools are located in public housing developments, but just want to see if, during this budget process, if we're able to expand services for BPS families that are living in BHA developments, but also making sure we expand the food Access program to students throughout BPS. um Thank you, madam chair, for giving me an extra minute.

B

M

M

Good morning, everybody thank you so much for your work for being here for your presentation, um there's so much um that has been condensed down into this presentation, so I understand the full breadth of your work and um just want to Express gratitude. We've been in constant communication on facilities in my district I know that we're in close communication about the O'donnell School playground, I'm, looking at you Sam. So thank you all so much for figuring out how we utilize that money. That's come from this Council as well as the state.

M

My state Partners have secured money for that I'm just going to uplift the fact again that that school, Services, 88, Hispanic and latinx families, many of whom come from the eagle, Hill neighborhood and who don't have backyards so access to a playground is key, so just want to put that out there and I do look forward to getting the timeline on when that will be. um That will be built.

M

So I think I'm going to focus my line of questioning on this difficult, Balancing, Act of declining enrollment right and trying to match up facilities, planning and budget planning it is.

M

It is a difficult um Balancing, Act I think I was surprised to see that the increase in enrollment is due to new arrivals and migrant families and I thought about it more and just with the amount of you know, folks that we've seen come into East Boston I've been working with a family of five boys who are all dispersed to different schools because there's a wait list at binka and we know how incredible Binga is and I know that a lot of my colleagues have talked about.

M

You know the multi- multilingual education line item I, see that there's a 6.3 increase, I'm wondering if you could dive into what accounts for that in that increase. Like bullet points like what are we spending that money on and top three expenses as part of that and how we are servicing our our new arrivals in migrate families through that line, item or any other line item? For that matter, sure.

F

Sure so um I'll begin, um so that is accurate, that wonderfully we are seeing our immigrant students coming as newcomers and um we to accommodate we're. Currently to your point about binka, we have opened a newcomer center now over in Brighton, because we're really kind of looking at the data East Boston we're actively looking for location to be able to do that, because that will also take some tension. Point off of East Boston high now that it is 7th and 8th, graders and then also charlestownheim.

F

So we're we're really trying to look around the city to see where we can most accommodate our families. So certainly that line the large budget increase. A vast majority of that is going to support the um the omme or the what we call the office of multilingual and multi Multicultural Learners. It's going to support the expansion of bilingual education of of increase in accident native language, but also just with so many newcomers coming in making sure that we have enough SEI, programming and ESL support, because it'll be back-to-back years.

F

That we'll be seeing that kind of increase. So a great deal of it is going in support of the programming strengthening the programs. Additionally, there is, there are 15's life, social workers, bilingual social workers that we've added in- and this has been something that's been long and coming in being needed. When we we get our newcomers.

F

There are newcomers who have gone through traditional education in their country, and then there are newcomers who make a journey and because of it, they're either missing multiple years or grade levels, or it could be because of situations back in the country from which they're coming they're missing that schooling, and so we call them interrupted Learners and when they come, not only are they missing many great AIDS worth of education, but they're also traumatized in many cases and so partnering a strong academic program to be able to service a student who might by age, be 14, but by actual gray competency might be.

F

You know, fifth grade. The academic piece has been the piece that most districts focus on the part that often gets left to the social worker. That's in the school is the social, emotional support and the difficulty there is that they often don't speak the language.

F

So you know we've added in and we're in the process of hiring 15, particularly for this life classrooms and I do think that that will both Aid our students and families, because they are social workers, but also it will take away for the social worker, that's in the school and allow them to focus on other population. Dr, Chen, I, don't know. If there's anything else, you want to call out materials. Perhaps that's in that line.

I

Sure, in addition to what the superintendent shared you mentioned, that there's a wait list at binka and what we are doing is also expanding newcomer centers in three other locations next year, Brighton East, Boston and Charlestown, because we really want to make sure we meet the needs of our newcomer students. We also have additional investments in expand, expanding bilingual education, which includes Heritage language teachers as well as bilingual paraprofessionals.

I

In addition to this life, social workers that the superintendent mentioned and as well, we are expanding some positions in our multilingual Learners with disabilities, because we need to have dedicated supports there. Great.

M

J

We do spend about seven million dollars translating materials all materials are translated and providing translators at meetings as well, so that of the team. Also, that's.

M

Great sharing that it's largely going to those social workers they could be specialized for this group and also that you're expanding these. What did you call them? A welcoming Center? Yes,.

F

Welcoming Center Charles.

M

Town East Boston. My second follow-up question, which you kind of answered, was how is facilities planning reflected in these needs for our newcomers, I heard you say, potentially a new school.

F

We're looking for a site in East Boston that could uh ideally about 12 classrooms, there's much like think of this, an advantage to being able, in the first couple of years, um to focus on specifically for our newcomers and what they need, and then they would have access to East Boston high after that. So.

M

Okay, I will go on record in support of that. I think that that's an incredible idea: binka is so far away from East, Boston and and Charlestown in my district. If we could have a new facility solely dedicated to these students, that's something that I would um very much support. So thank you for looking into that and I look forward to efforts on that front. My second question is going to be around recruiting and retaining incredible teachers.

M

I know that this time last year there were significant openings, so I'm trying to figure out how we're doing on that front. I know that there's a line of item for increasing salaries and then also we're increasing Rashawn Martin shop, shout out to him he's in his East Boston resident, he's doing incredible work in that in that division, so I'm wondering how we're doing just recruiting and retaining teachers. And then what is this seven hundred thousand dollars going to, in particular.

F

um So through each year, so um I I would answer that in multiple ways, so I think compared to last year. We are definitely seeing a much larger pools of Educators, diverse, Educators and linguistically diverse Educators. A lot of this has to do with pipelines that we've been working on both with the colleges for those that are coming out, but also going out into the community around hiring. So it isn't just Educators. It's like all staff. A good example of that is a bus, monitor fair that we were able to do with a school Committee.

F

Member yielded us over a hundred bus monitors. You know hiring St Stevens is another area that we've partnered around food service and paraprofessional hiring. So we're really trying to also take the job piece out to the community as well, in making connections with Partners who can help us with the recruitment. We have a dashboard that we work on, and so it changes on a daily basis for the hiring right now, because so many positions are posted. It's hard.

F

Some of those positions may have an internal candidate who is being hired, but it wouldn't necessarily be reflected. It's still showing as an opening, so it's not the easiest thing to read right now, but right now in talking with human capital, we are ahead of where we were last year, which is hopeful.

F

I also think that next year, with Esser everywhere and nationally and across the Commonwealth, with the yester dollars going away in many positions being eliminated throughout the Commonwealth, that we will see more and more applicants to Boston, because we are a great place to teach and to work and we've developed we're developing that reputation through the Partnerships I.

F

Think for us, when I think of Staffing solidifying, the principal core is the number one thing we can do, and this year we will see less less instability in the principal core, so more people we won't see people leaving. Then we probably have in about a decade. Thank.

B

You thank you. Thank you. So much counciloral you have the floor.

N

Thank you, madam chair, and thank you to BPS for being here and always being so responsive.

N

My first question is: most of our students live in the southern neighborhoods of the city, where a few where public and private or Charter Schools exist, does BPS have any data on where students live and what school they attend and can that information be provided um to me through the chair.

G

Yes, counselor. Thank you for that question. As the as the local Education Agency, we do track all of the students, all school age, children in Boston and know their enrollment, and so we can provide you with a report on all enrollment by neighborhood and and the neighborhood in which the students are attending. Thank.

N

You and then last year, I presented a hearing order around um city of Boston established in the Cradle to Career Data Tracking System other other cities, including Chicago, who have had success backed by data, have established consortiums bringing together. You know, School leadership, educator, researchers and policy makers, I mean these groups conduct resource to inform and assess policy and practice in public schools and also just evaluates and audits. You know the initiative that we're doing as a BPS system to make sure that our you know.

N

Pps students are on track for family earning wages or um if they have the right skills and the ability to graduate college. You know. Are there any efforts underway in Boston to help that make that coordination to to use our researchers, whether it's Bari Harvard? You know we have a whole lot of Institutions here. That I think that we could be using a lot more to evaluate and value audit and evaluate our our initiatives. So I'd love to hear what's going on around that, it's.

F

Reach um so when I first heard you speak about this, counselor I was very excited, because this is actually the type of comprehensive look that we need to do. I would say that we have a tremendous amount of data on 7 to 12 in terms of what happens for students where they go success. Boston is our 9 through 12, now 7 to 12 initiative of sort of forward look for career in college.

F

We have that this is actually like a great project for the children's cabinet, which is something that's being created where you take City agencies, School District put them together. It's through Harvard by all means this would be the type of project that we could get outside Partnerships to help support, particularly to marry. What we know happens in the earliest the birth of a child. Now that we have such a strong Early Childhood mixed delivery system really then put together that middle part and then marry it to the high school part.

F

So it's an area that we're interested in doing. We don't have it right now, but it is something that I think through the children's cabinet. We could look at.

N

Thank you and I think the biggest part is getting the data from BPS to to the city of Boston, and it that just boggles my mind because it's you know, BPS in the city of Boston are one in the same, but we will love your. You know work on that as well um um crafts and trades and are really important to me and making sure that everyone has the opportunity um to you know, engage in vote, Tech or Technical Training or early career and college Pathways um and I. Believe that's chapter 74.

N

um would love to hear. You know what efforts are being made to make sure that every student in BPS has that opportunity to early career college and votech and Technical, and then also I, just read about a new partnership called chapter 74 after dark. You know if we don't have anything up and running right now, where we don't have anything up and running right now, which votech is in every school like? Are we putting in applications to partner with other districts, to give our our our students that opportunity.

F

Future so, as we talked about after our Henderson visit, this is an area of extreme excitement within BPS for us Madison Park, the new design, the potential for the new. You know new or renovated, building uh long incoming. That's going to really enable us to have a just a showcase for our chapter, 74 centralized as a school, which we call CTE.

F

Knowing that not all students will go to Madison that some students want to learn some trade, some career trade, and then they also, you know, also want the college component we're looking in our Early College and Career to expand that to all high schools. That's a that's a commitment you know, I'm making and the mayor has made to make sure that in in every High School we're offering um you know a full menu of opportunities for our young people.

F

N

We see is quickly superintendent. What's the timeline, do you think we'd be able to have that.

F

So we expanded this year this coming year, we're expanding both Early College sites uh to to six high schools six and for CTE, with the uh with the early um sorry, with edvestors in in Boston skills. We are, we will be at seven schools that will have career trajectory.

F

um What I think we we need to do, though, is to look at the high school picture so that in every area of the city, regardless of where a student lives, they don't have to travel across the city to get to the one that they want right.

F

So this really is not just about having one or two career paths within a high school, but expanding that to three or four and making sure that the Region's covered to your point, the Dorchester Mattapan rocks barrier, especially having Madison, but then also looking at the all of the high schools in the Dorchester area. So this is the map that we're beginning to work on and what that could look like and that will yield certifications.

F

So when they, if they go to the culinary program, they will get fresh food certified. This is where young people are telling us. They want they want the opportunity to go out and not just do entry-level skill, but they want middle skill so that they able to afford to live in the city.

N

N

N

When I'm driving home from work, sometimes I see the Boston public schools shut down, like the lights, are closed. No one's in the building and I feel like that's a waste of space. You know there's so many non-profits um that are looking for um places to engage our students. What are we doing to you know collaborate with our non-profits to bring them inside the school to give them space to to engage our students yeah.

F

So I know Dr depina can chime in on this, but I will just say, as you and I connected on this you're absolutely right. The building is the resource in the community. We need to open it. We need to get our young people in it. Our youth opportunities is working right now to do that so they're plugging in with different community orgs and non-profits, and then we're working out whether it's the gym or the cafeteria or the classrooms, to be able to give them that space same with faith-based.

F

You know often they want to be able to use the schools as well and I know. Dr Bina has a couple of concrete examples.

J

So, over the years this year, specifically, we 've been very intentional on making sure we're clearly aware of what our partners would like to do in our schools and where and making sure we match. The partners needs with what the school-based needs are and make those connections and bridged into our partnership office as well and where the space that's needed. We just work that out with the partners, including appropriate permits, and we go from there.

N

And is there an application for non-profits to apply to get into space and it's.

J

It's through our asset Essentials permitting system. So it's the same way. We do it now. So um if I can happily forward the directions to have it as a reference point as well right.

F

And also councilor we're moving toward a hub model which is under Dr Chen's office. So as every school becomes a community school or a hub school, it starts by meeting with the community and determining what the community wants and needs and then really making that building about that. So the after school programming the evening programming that you're talking about and having access for students that will come up through the Hub model. We have 13 Hub schools for next year and then every year we'll be adopting a new cohort of them.

N

And is there any way to make that after school component, mandatory sorry can I ask one last question all right: is there any opportunity to make that after school program in mandatory for our students, or is it just an optional.

F

Not to reach here so so some of our schools had what was called extending learning time, which became part of the school day.

F

um With the way staffing has been, it's been very hard Statewide to actually staff the programs, there's also lots of consideration for parents with child care and work and things that will most come up through I think through the Hub schools as to what's offered and then making sure families have choice in it, but, most importantly, a seat right. So if a child in a family wants it, they can have it, but I think trying to do it through the schools, at least with the extended learning.

F

A lot of those dollars have dried up through the state and, more more frankly, some of our schools have just really had a hard time, Staffing it in the after hours. Thank.

A

B

Council illusion you have before.

O

Thank you, madam chair and I, want to say thank you to all of you at BPS who do the work of ensuring that our kids, who are in Dynamic, that we are giving them the resources and the people and the love for them to meet their potential and I, get really sad when I think about how we're failing our kids and not um uh letting every one of them know how Limitless this guy is, and so I take that as the charge of the work that we need to do to really break cycles of poverty.

O

To make education really be the great equalizer that it can be that it was for me um that it can be for so many other people. I want to start uh to piggyback off of what counselor I believe.

O

What councilor I was saying um when we look at our schools, especially that have struggled with a lot of issues of behavior issues, or this isn't a violence superintendent, you were able to come with me to Young Achievers, but Young Achievers as being an example of a school that has been stripped of all of its Community Partnerships right.

O

There are no non-profit Partners, we have the Mattapan teen center, not far away so I think it's critically important that we um continue like to expand the hob School model, but that we bring on non-profits into our schools that have different relationships with our students and that can build more adults that our students can trust. I think that's incredibly important. It's also why I Champion more guidance counselors decreasing that ratio. We have um missing Casio at Boston, modern school, who was named against guidance counselor of the year for the Commonwealth this year and last year.

O

I went was that the Desi hearing, when the guidance counselor not from Boston last year, spoke, and they both say that if you want more guidance because of the year, you got to hire more guidance counselors. They really sit at the Nexus of two things that are important: the social and emotional support that our kids need and preparing our kids for Life, After, BPS and so I think that there's an they can do the triage necessary before the student goes off to see a social worker and so I just think.

O

It's important that we continue to scale that up. I, don't have a question per se on that, but just wanted to add that to the record, um I do have a question about the vouchers that we provide, that we're able to provide to families, um and can you I, know I see in the budget that there's an art home, ARP, homeless, child and youth line item for one million uh 1.5 million? What exactly is that line item for.

G

um Do you mind just telling me the line that you're referencing.

O

It's in the operating budget, it's the program name and it says: ARP, homeless, child and youth. There's a 1.5 million dollar allocation.

G

um So each of the schools are given an allocation on the weighted student funding for the number of students experiencing homelessness in their building as part of the process. um They also need to um allocate those and come up with a plan for supporting students experiencing homelessness. So that's part of the program code budget for homelessness. David just pointed out that, on the slide that you're referencing, the ARP um homelessness is part of the packet that we provided.

G

um I'm gonna stop talking and see if David could describe where that came from and.

P

I'm gonna give a partially disappointing answer, but then I will get back to you very uh shortly, so that is um the ARP funding that was referenced in the uh briefing packet of 1.5. Just more 1.5 million dollars is American Rescue plan act, um Federal funding, not a part of our general fund I, will quickly look up the information on and get to before. The end of the hearing.

O

Okay the reason why I asked well last year, we increased allocation for the city's uh voucher program by 2.5 million dollars uh via arpa, which we were all really excited to do um in a clarification of whether that that is a source of funding for our students experiencing homelessness. My understanding is yes, that a lot of our students who are experiencing homelessness, a source of uh something that we're able to do is via that pool of funding, provide vouchers for our students. Is that correct.

J

Yes, part of our program homeless, education, resource networks, partners with the city on that initiative, and we do provide those about just through that.

O

Great and how are we making sure that our our BPS families are and students know about the program, because I'm hearing different things from Community about just lack of communication or like the engine, isn't working as smoothly as it could in communicating that we have this resource? We actually want to use it uh primarily and and most ardently for our students. So how are we doing? uh How are we doing that? Communicating that.

J

Yeah one of the things we've been assessing over the years and how that program is going as we debriefly prepare for the end of the year and the upcoming school year is what training will need to do in education. We need to do with the homeless days on that are in the schools.

O

Every school has a homeless liaison. Yes, that's not seated in the school right. It's a.

J

It's a city of the school, so they're they're at the school.

O

Separate from a family liaison, that's right, I didn't know that that every school has a homeless liaison internally, like on staff for the school.

J

Yes, yes, and then um that could be like a a social worker. They identify people but.

O

Oh okay, but it's not like a stand-alone okay right.

J

F

J

Every school has one and then what we're trying to do now is make sure that we do extensive training and education to those folks, as well as student support teams, and then that way they can with family days on so they're all aware and educated the process. What tends to happen as well is that we also have partners that engage in this work with us that we're really thankful for they're also trying to make sure we streamline all the processes and procedures to make sure everyone's clear on what to do and how to do it.

F

Yeah like, for instance, Higher Ground, is one of our key Partners on homeless assistance, but also the um you know, I think. A big piece of this is the communication and and to your point of getting the information to the right people is: we've been able to develop a stronger, what I would call student support and network at each school and that could come through the nurse, the family liaison the homeless liaison the guidance counselor, the social worker.

F

That's like the the student support team, so Chief Kelton has worked hard to make sure that every school's student support team is functioning well and that the people that need to be on it are on it. So that is this kind of critical information or his family is identified. Yes, it triggers.

O

Yeah so I'm identifying it as an issue. That's been brought to the attention of my office. Obviously our students can't learn if they are in unstable housing wondering how is the line like? Are we meeting the need? Are we get are we do? We have more need than we have vouchers?

O

How can we increase funding if necessary, so um through the chair, I'd like to get a financial accounting of what we're doing um where we stand in terms of our ability to provide vouchers and vis-a-vis the need, but would like just some more information about how we're meeting the need and what the numbers are. If you have it now, that would be great.

O

It's not something you can get to me and if we need to be able to at if we need to advocate for more vouchers here on the city council, I'd like to be able to do that, that's great I think um and then I'm very glad, obviously to hear about this life classrooms, the students limited um or interrupted formal education and that each uh they're all getting social workers. It's incredibly important, uh incredibly important too, that we're getting more welcome.

O

Centers I want to advocate, for more of that we have students traveling from Austin Brighton to a slave classroom in Mattapan right and they've already gone through all these long Journeys, the we need slight classrooms in all of our neighborhoods um and one also, you know shout out to the Teachers Lounge, which has been doing incredible, work in building out the pipeline and supporting um and retaining the teachers of color here in the city of Boston um and then I guess a last question that I would have Madame chair.

O

How am I doing on my time.

M

You have five seconds.

O

Okay, Early Education investments in Early, Education, um incredibly important. uh We, the goal post, continues to move it's upk, but now I believe it's. You know we got to be doing it at nine months, so how our investments look like what are upk numbers I. Believe superintendent I asked you this: can every family who wants a new pkc right now get one? um If not, what what can we do to get there.

F

Or what we're seeing is that the four-year-old yes at the three-year-old, no we're seeing a a deep, deep need at the three-year-old level, for special education service and for family care. So this is an area that we're working hard with Kristen McSwain in her office on we've been having a lot of internal meetings. We are. We need to identify additional facility and classroom space for three-year-old for three-year-olds yeah.

O

And what about one-year-olds two-year-olds, like whatever so.

F

In the play groups, which is where that is that that's us, this is one of the struggles. Many schools would love to have play groups. They just don't have the physical space to offer them.

F

um So this this is part of in our reconfiguration as we sort of work on the enrollment side and we work on Green, New Deal is being able to ensure that schools do have the space to be able to take in the youngest of Learners Orient the family right, so that the family comes in. They get to know the school, the staff, the layout and then watch more likely to want to get services in that school.

F

They also, then, can find out about what's possible for special education if they need that or for if they're looking for bilingual education, so it all ties together, but right now there isn't the space that we would like to see. So a heavy part of the one and two-year-olds is in the mixed day. Here. Thank.

B

You um I have some questions for you and then we'll do a round two. If folks are still here, so a comprehensive. The comprehensive Behavior Health motto: initiative budget has decreased so.

B

382 382 482 for FY 21 and then to 339 uh 100, sorry, 339 124 dollars in fy24. How will this impact the availability for mental health support, social, emotional and behavioral needs for students in BPS.

G

I'm sorry counselor I missed the opening to that question and.

B

If you're, the comprehensive behavior health model initiative, um budget decreased and so I just wanted to understand how it will impact the services from 21 FY 21 to fy24 now being 339 000.

G

um We continue to invest in the mental health, supports I, believe the the changes that you're seeing are on the operating budget every year we sort of review our our operating budget and our external funds and I the shift. This is most likely a shift from um resources from General to external likely on on one of our entitlement grants. um Is there a specific slide that reference institutions confirm when I'm that I'm looking at the same data? Well.

B

I extracted this from the data that you provided, that there was a decrease specifically in the behavioral health model initiative I mean in order for me to go through the books right now. It's going to take too much time.

G

No, it's okay, I can I can follow up and give you a more detailed answer um as a fall to the hearing.

B

Okay, thank you. um So the most up, most up-to-date summary for the 21st century Community learn end of the year report is 2020 2018 to 2019.

B

um Is there a reason why we don't have a report from 20 to 22.

B

This is the summary for the 21st century: Community learn and Avia reports.

G

I'm not as familiar with that I'll have to follow up uh with you afterwards. Okay, follow up with the council afterwards,.

B

All right, um the budget for alternative English learning education has decreased zero dollars in FY, 23 and fy24. Can you please give me some context.

G

Can you repeat the category that you're talking about.

B

um So how did the department plan to to spend and utilize funds um that were diverted from this section? So the fy234 alternative learn English learning education.

F

So that would fall under um bada bada would be one of the schools, but then we do have some other programming in East Boston in Charlestown High foreign I can.

G

I'm, having trouble locating the line that you're referring to, we have alternative education program code budgets and then we have the English learner program budgets, so I'm, not sure which one you're referring to okay.

B

So I can provide the SE questions to you in writing. If it helps if I'm hearing it um in this way, doesn't help you or maybe finding the line item for you so that you can actually reference it.

G

Yeah I would appreciate that.

B

Can you explain the allocations for funds for careers in technical education, um so how has fy23 budget 21 and so million been spent so far.

G

There's there's multiple ways in which the Career Technical education funding is allocated. um The first is the school-based programs, the largest, of course, is Madison Park um and the Career Technical programs. There. We also have other high schools that have formal, um Career and Technical chapter 74 programs, including emk Kennedy health careers, Dearborn, East,.

F

G

And so there's school-based funding for positions for Career and Technical. That's allocated out there's also under our office of our high school office. There's a Career and Technical team that supports those programs, both in terms of the regulatory requirements and Reporting requirements, but also in terms of program implementation of fidelity. So.

F

Those dollars could be for training in particular locations. It could be for material for that location, certification, program, Staffing field trips runs the gamut.

B

B

So there was a I guess: a decline for budget for Madison Park in Roxbury um and I. Guess I just wanted to understand the impact of that.

B

Specifically, um The Vocational programs offer there and how the goals for the schools with declining budgets being maintained.

P

Good good midday sorry got stuck between morning and afternoon. Oh.

D

Good afternoon.

B

um Almost yeah.

P

Good good time of day um uh so Madison Park's budget um I have is increasing for next year um in what was approved by the school committee in um March, but regardless with each School, we're working to ensure that the only things that we're reducing out of their budget as we transition from 23 to 24, is unneeded capacity.

P

So if a school used to have three fifth grade classrooms, but the number of students they have, it means they only need two next year, we're reducing that third classroom and letting them reinvest. The money schools are then also allowed in consultation with their school communities, to make individual changes to their budgets to sort of cut one thing and increase another thing. But overall, that's that's. How we're working.

B

Okay, um can you explain the 24 um I think it's 24 million three hundred and five thousand four hundred and forty nine dollars increase in Personnel Services from 23 to 24.

B

and specifically I guess my questions are going to go more toward um Equitable hiring and you have measures to ensure that you're increasing in equity. If any programs at all to support people with um professional development, specifically um people of color- we talked about this last year and it was there was a need for it and what came out of the conversation with the unions and uh people that I talk to teachers and so forth, Powers?

B

Is that the I guess the paraprofessionals of color did not necessarily have the funding for the training to move up, and there was a need for programs to support them and re or reimbursement, and we talked about a possibility. Where are we with that?.

F

uh So through so um underneath our retention, cultivation and diversity Department. This is actually a big focus of ours. So there's been um so first of all, there's uh Partnerships with certain colleges that provide discounts for paraprofessionals or teachers who are looking to go on for a degree if they don't already have one or a master's if they already have a bachelor's there's also uh with a big barrier for our paraprofessionals, has been the mtel and taking the mtel.

F

So we've increased and actually not put any limit on the amount of tutoring and coaching support that we'll provide for any paraprofessional or educator. That's looking to get certified that mtel's been the barrier, so Rajon Martin and his Department have been hiring actively for that for the summer, because that's a big time before we were limited to a certain number of coaches and going in and seeing the wait list, which was around 300 I, completely, took that off and said hire whatever you need to make sure that people get the support that they need.

F

Additionally, on the pipeline there are, you know, Northeastern is a good example, one of the universities that right now come through a scholar program. Mcfarland Scholars offers 20 of our Educators a scholarship if they're looking to be able to get a degree in order to move up in advance, so we're trying to build as many programs as we can and Partnerships knowing that for our staff, particularly for our staff of color in positions like paraprofessional or first second year, teachers getting their certification is the barrier right now.

F

Desi has allowed the emergency licensure to continue, however, for some of our Educators that doesn't necessarily help them if they don't have the degree to your point and I'm happy to provide more information with the actual figures of what we're doing with it. Okay did.

G

You also I didn't mean to drop, but just would you like me to give you the big categories of of personal growth, yeah.

D

G

Be overall so the in terms of FTE growth, number of new positions that we're adding the big categories of growth have to do with Librarians and expanding our multi-year commitment to have a librarian in every school um social worker expansion. As we talked about including slife program, um there are a lot of additional ESL FTE that have been added for next year to be able to service our students in our multilingual programs and then overall, the salary growth.

G

um It can be attributed to the finalizing of our collective bargaining agreements, which were multiple years sort of unsettled, and so that's a catching up on salary costs as well. Yeah, those are probably the biggest and then the last would be um as we continue to expand.

G

um Inclusion programs, enroll inclusion, programs up and they have traditionally been more Staffing intensive.

B

Yeah I'm not of the opinion that BPS has too much money, I, don't I! Don't have that opinion. I, think that's stupid! I think we need more money, and but I am of the opinion that we need to invest extremely in our Capital to be able to build infrastructure and Facilities to complement our curriculums.

B

I think that the problem is that facilities overall and the Reese and the amenities that we offer at these schools are just lacking right um and when we compare in comparison to other cities or other districts, um you and I I spoke with you about this mate last year. I've seen the difference, because I was a young mom and my sons attend Westin public schools, and so, of course, I see the comparison person and it's just Stark and sad, so I think that we need to invest way more money in our schools, State, both City.

B

In order for us to do that, these kids get experiential learning on a different level and I I, just I want that for us, I want that for BPS. So when I through this process, I hope that the conversation is going to be about just really understanding how you know in terms of measures or metrics that you are implementing in order to build and create progress towards academic success for all children in BPS.

B

But I will stop at just my last question for this round. I heard you say something about peer mediation program and I, really love that concept. I filed a hearing order to discuss ways to create Partnerships between high schools and colleges and how we can pay our high school students to do homework and so I think Beyond.

B

This peer mediation, if it's peer mediation like a work program where they are doing their homework and they can get paid for that not just peer mediation, I think it's necessary considering the stat like the data on uh blacks, boys and particularly in terms of Dropout rates in terms of Latino children as well right in our BPS schools. So I would love to talk about how y e and that can go into a second round um or bcyf is partnering with BPS um and I agree with Council Morrell.

B

We should be using our facilities, our current facilities, to be able to go beyond school time to do that. If it's a work program, it's an after school program, I think I did a some research a couple years ago on high school students with homework help, and there is none. It was an absolute desert.

B

You go to the Kroc Center Boys and Girls Club, and with the exceptions to like the tutoring programs that you have to pay for high schoolers, don't actually have homework, help they don't actually get to have service, and then there was that pilot thing that you that BPS did where they were paying teachers to tutor at libraries. But of course, you're only getting kids that are already right, connected and integrated.

B

um So I would love to talk about how we are spending our Yee dollars in paying our students and how BPS can support that program on your end in paying or are we asking colleges to partner to do the right to do the work program on their end, pay their students to tutor? We pay our students from the city Side as a job from ye to be employed, and all you have to do is I'm going to work and that's downstairs right, but I'm doing my homework.

B

What do you think about that?.

F

I think this is such untapped right now. I just actually had a conversation about our 18 to 24 year old and the Dropout issue, and um you know: we've recovered about 100 students right now in Adult, Ed and so just talked with Trent about being able to use the dollars to pay those students be for every every course they complete as an incentive for them to go on and be able to get their diploma, and so that's something that we're actively now working on I, agree.

F

I, think you know, I can give you a bunch of different models but calculus Project's. A great example where we know the power of an older student with a skill making money and actually tutoring and supporting and mentoring a younger student.

F

You can have an adult in that position: it's not going to have the same impact, so these are the kinds of the peer mediation with Jalen Brown's. Foundation is the first step you know for us in the peer mediation area, but it's a way for us to train over the summer, like and I believe it's I think it's around 80 students that will be trained over the summer to be peer, mediators and then they'll go back into their schools and they will help to peer mediate, particularly the younger grades in those schools.

F

So you know we could do that with the academic pieces. We could certainly do that with the athletic pieces as well. You know for students that are in college, there's no reason that they're not coming back or not even in College and Career, coming back and being able to be sort of junior coaches in a way, but with a livable wage. You know we need.

F

We need to get a livable wage for these guys, so I would love to work in any capacity that I can with you across across this, because to me that's helping to transform BPS is a place for BPS graduates. It's also a place for BPS students to be empowered.

B

Yeah I would love to be included in that in any way. I know that I've said that often and we're all busy, but um in particularly the social emotional um I think come to me here. You you filed to include social emotional um in the curriculum. Our teachings in the curriculum.

B

um I think you know, Civics and obviously uh financial literacy is the other component, but anyway um I will stop talking because then um councilman he is going to ask me, have I passed my eight minutes um and I will go to uh Council Braden to the next round. Did you Dr Tavares? Did you have questions for.

L

B

L

Actually wanted to do a plug of Shameless plug for the summer jobs and internships website that families can actually access to your question around just accessibility, whether it's peer-to-peer support or even opportunities for youth, especially in the summer I, wanted to make sure that you know. We all collectively make sure that we send this out to communities as much as possible. There are internships and there are job opportunities for our youth and they can easily access some of them through the summer, just even plugging in BPS summer and summer internships.

L

They can get some information on that and also reach out to us. That's excellent.

B

A lot of student, a lot of parents, feel that you know I know the pick program works on this. Yes, exactly um as well, but um anyway, I think it's work that we can do outside of this hearing, but just to add to that it would be nice to have students get paid just as teachers were getting paid where they were sitting in libraries. I used to take my children, even though they're not in PBS but um I.

B

It would be nice to take um to pay students to get paid for their homework, even if they're not part of this peer mediation program, but just get paid to do homework because it is, it is a task. It is a job and we're talking about Equity right so um yeah anyway. I know that ye has been exceptionally open. The the um what is what is that program up up something program?

B

There's a there's, a there's, a program that I connected and was successful in accessing contracts with ye. To do that. um So I know that the city is open to do that as well. Councilor Braden, you have the floor. Thank.

H

You, madam chair, um you folks, have touched on some of the questions. I'm, really delighted to hear that we are working on that pathway for our part of professionals. I think we raised this issue last year. That's already supply of diverse motivated folks, who know the community who will make incredible teachers so I'm glad that's happening.

H

um The one question I had was really about Partnerships in terms of I. Think last year, when I asked a question, there was one person in central staff who was sort of dedicated to Partnerships I know some of our our Pilots schools have someone on staff who works in Partnerships, but are we able to beef up that capacity because we're leaving a lot on the table in Boston? So.

L

So yes, I'll, take a stab at it and then, of course, um give it to to superintendent Skipper.

L

We I can say that there are actually three now that are actually dedicated to Partnerships, along with, of course, working within the division where we support across, but specifically thinking about faith-based, there's someone very specifically dedicated for faith-based non-profits and Partnerships, and then, of course, we have more school-based, and then we have Carissa Goff who who's the director of Partnerships, and she leads those two staff members who really think about different ways of connecting across non-profits to support schools so trying to build a team out.

L

That really is aligning with also the priorities you know, with Dr Chen and Dr depina thinking about our priorities across our district, so that Partnerships aren't just a long list of you know a laundry list of folks that are interested in working BPS, but that they're actually non-profits that are working in aligned with our priorities.

H

As well in relationship and ongoing long-term commitment yeah, the other question I had was really about. We have a lot of newcomers coming in and I I know that I, the one question the critical question, I think is just thinking about screening these new arrivals for hearing and vision.

H

uh You know you can sit in a classroom and if you're hearing, impaired or vision, impaired, you're missing a whole lot and I'm concerned that these young people are ready all the challenges they bring in but are we are we screening them on the you know, early in the first few weeks of being in school and that their vision and hearing is is adequate so that they can actually get a chance of participating in in the classroom.

L

The first step at it because it the kind of work- that's absolutely in collaboration at the nursing level, at every single School.

L

Absolutely those screenings are happening, especially with new newly arrived students and taking into consideration where they're arriving from is really critical as well to your point and then our established Partnerships, with, for example, in Austin Brighton, with St Elizabeth's, and really working in partnership with those Healthcare folks that are within the community that are supporting schools even even having, for example, Dentistry mobile situations that come to the school and do a lot of the screening for students in that way.

L

But those are some of the ways in which we really rely on our Partnerships, with um with different clinics and different hospitals within the different communities that our schools are in and then thinking about that Hub School model that also connects with health. You know, and those screenings and and the the overall health of the student and the families in that particular way in the way that you're asking so definitely the Partnerships around. That is really critical and then I'll pass it over to Dr Peppino Dr Chen.

L

If they wanted to add anything else around them,.

F

uh I would just I would add that um we're beefing up the um the nursing model uh with the regions and so there'll, be one per three region as a sort of a lead nurse to be able to support that helps with the health education for the nurses, but also to help triage. If there's any issues that we're seeing of the handoff between the enrollment center in students enrollment in the schools and getting access to those critical screenings.

F

So it's um that is one of the most important things we do when a student first comes into. Us is to make sure that the health needs are taken. Care of.

H

The other thing I wanted to raise just in terms of thinking, Early, Education and inclusion. You mentioned bullying, I, think one antidote to bullying in the later grids is if students grow, begin learning together in in preschool, especially if the kids have special needs or disabilities. So do we have an solutionary models for for the Early Education stage of the student's life.

F

uh Three chips, so that's actually something that we're working with Krista McSwain on with our special education department um and that you know that it will right now we're trying to get seating for the K zeros um relative to the buildings, uh but in the school there are many preschools of which the four-year-olds attend that are attached to the school. So as they're developing to Dr Chen's point the inclusion planning teams that will be also including those preschool classrooms as part of that Dr, Chen I, don't know if there's anything else on early Ed.

H

Yeah I'm going I'm trying to beat the Bell here. um You know many of our high school students are working 20 30 hours a week to help support their families and often lead into the evening. I know that some the offering and the offering of more flexible options so that they can develop a portfolio of work that would get credit and who so much is focused on just the MCAS and exams.

H

But you know and a portfolio of work that can demonstrate that you can get high school credits or a college credit for and also remote learning options if you're, if you're working to 10 or 11 o'clock at night, you may not be too perky first thing in the morning, so I don't know. Are we looking at flexible models to try and make it possible for um so students who have to do this? This is an economic necessity. How are we supporting those students sure.

F

So this is an area with alternative education. What we call educational options that we need to have a menu like a true menu that meets the students where they are in some cases. That may be that a student is lacking credit because of past you know absence or struggling in school. It could also be that a student's life circumstances have changed and to your point, they have to work or child care. So one of the advantages of it options is that you, you create a menu of schools that have different hours, different ways.

F

They can be hybrid. We do have a remote, that's attached to our Boston collaborative and then within our larger schools, making sure that there's programs that are what we call tier 3, that they can access, even though they're still part of Sam, Brighton, High or they're part of a Charlestown, but that they are able to be able to do different hours and have some flexibility. So that's it. That's an area right now that we've sanctioned certain programs this year, we've expanded some of those seats but we'll be in the process over the next couple years.

F

Is an actual Desi process? We go through to be able to sanction that program and what that program's intent is the.

H

Other question I had was about transitions. You know preparing this student, a special student on an IEP to transition into the workforce, and are we? How robust is that system like I know from my work at Perkins that there's a lot of effort went into preparing young people for independent living and being able to have a job and have some meaningful occupation when they leave the school system right.

F

So this is actually one that I'd love to go out and visit with the counselors in school committee, but we have a. We have a program called strive which has been here for a very long time and they do amazing work on transition work. Some transition work is done in the schools itself for that 18 to 22 year old, but strive actually is an umbrella for both special education and non-special education, students and their sole purposes.

F

Work for us development, so they're, really kind of meeting the students where they are I visited the Wentworth one where I I can't speak enough about how robust it was. There's a core group of our our students who are there. They are solely responsible for the recycling at Wentworth.

F

Wentworth has provided them an entire area with Office Suite for the strive staff and they do everything from collection of the recycling to the actual, stripping and processing of the materials to the bundling to the removal, and that is all in them there's also a construction arm that they have as well. This is an area that we want to be able to build up.

F

Even more and they see some 3 000 students- you know during the the course of time and then to do the same in our high schools, which is we used to have stride programming located in almost all of our high schools that has sort of been scaled back. So this is an area that I'll be working closely with Dr Chen and with Ted Lombardi from the secondary office on it'll.

H

Be particularly important as we work towards inclusion to make sure that absolutely thank you, madam chair.

B

Thank you counselor. You have before thank you.

E

Chair um so I often talk about the fact that I'm, the first person in my family to graduate high school and I'm very proud of that that is having interrupted education and you know going through my own Journey, but since then I'm still the only person in my family that has graduated Boston, Public Schools, that's 30 years later, and so I've had three nieces that have gone through the Boston Public Schools.

E

None have graduated none.

E

So when I sit here and have these conversations, it's not um political, it is very personal and I think that there is something to be said about showing up to work every single day and expecting different results, and that's why I've been incredibly generous with my patients with Boston public schools, because I am I am hopeful that we're going to take the right turn to get us to where we need to be um so. I just want to name that, and my daughter now is in Boston Public Schools.

E

So if we can get her out of there, she'll be the second person in my family to graduate from Boston Public Schools and so there's a lot of work for us to do to get there and that's why you know it's hard for me to come into this chamber and not be as aggressive as I need to be, because this is what this moment calls for, because like me, there are thousands of other families right now who are experiencing the same thing that I'm experiencing and so there's a level of accountability that I have as the chair of Education to show up in a way.

E

That is a little bit more.

C

Saucy, if I will so.

E

I I um I'm curious about your um the breakdown of the employees by race and gender over the last five years.

E

You know, Boston public schools has a high percentage of Latino students, I believe is 43 or 41 of Boston Public Schools students are latinx, but yet only 14 um percent were um we had employees 14 in 2018, and we've only gone up three percent in 2022 with 17 percent.

E

That's still pretty low in terms of meeting the moment right and we also look at black employees by race. It was 31 in 2018. and in 22 in 2020 to it's. Only 32.7.

E

And so there's something here that I just don't know what it is, but I just don't know why either we're having a hard time recruiting people of color or we're having a hard time reaching retaining them and I. Don't know what the culture is within BPS, but I do know that if we don't shift the culture, then we're not going to retain the talent. So I'd like to hear what you are doing to shift that yeah.

F

So I think it's it's probably a combination of both I do think. um Last year to this year we had a higher retention rate of our educators of color, which was great but I. Think overall few things I think on the hiring. Some of the questions that councilor Fernandez Anderson asked about what we're doing with recruitment um I'm sorry with retention. All of that helps to ensure that we're moving our pipeline of educators of color that are in our paraprofessional positions or teaching positions and moving them forward, I think on the recruitment side.

F

This is particularly important. We have about a thousand educators of color that are under waiver right now, and so our Focus right now is making sure that we're giving them supports to be able to ensure that they can get their licensure um so that that's the retention side, I think on the recruitment side.

F

This is really about establishing strong pipeline uh Partnerships teacher Lounge, um a meeting later on tomorrow, with the Greater Boston Latino Network, um really trying to reach out to as many of the organizations that we believe can help us with the recruitment pieces. It's also about intentionality at the hiring at the school level, and so this is something from both accountability, but also I, think awareness of us working with our school leaders on their open positions to make sure that they know who's available.

F

That's currently in the system, without a position, but also going out and as we recruit making sure that those lists come to them and then being accountable for making sure that their school hiring reflects their student population right. So it's all of that.

E

So, as I mentioned this morning, I was at the Sumner I'm working with um the the family Liaisons there to help increase Latino family engagement, because many of the parents didn't even know the parent Council existed, um and so that's unacceptable that me, as a city councilor, have been spending my time and energy building capacity at a school that has asked me to come and support them.

E

So I want to talk a little bit about Investments that we're making family engagement in particular for um more recent arrivals. So can you talk to me um on about your strategy for them.

L

Were you referring specifically to the students that are the most recent arrival to.

E

Stop talking about the families and family engagement, specifically Latino parents, that I have been spending my free time, volunteering Sumner, educating parents about their rights about the American education system, how they navigate it. The merger they didn't even know it was happening, and so I'm just curious in terms of Investments. What are we doing to build capacity so that a city councilor isn't spending her time volunteering to increase engagement at a school that has a high percentage of Latino parents that have no clue of? What's going on? Thank.

L

You for clarifying one of the the ways in which we're doing very specific and targeted Outreach for Latino parents in the Roslindale area is working really closely with the school leadership, because we recognize that there's absolutely a need you already described it I, don't have to repeat it and really building capacity with their family Liaisons, who actually have the language capacity to reach out to families, and we, you know working very closely with Noel green and his team to do a lot of targeted and robust professional development on what does that look like and then working with organizations that are both local and organizations that work with us as partners, for example, Saint, Stevens and c-plan, and um really utilizing the Partnerships that we have in order to to develop opportunities for school-based folks to be able to do that.

L

Work that you mentioned so.

E

There's still a disconnect, though, because absolutely reached out to me for support, so there is definitely something that.

L

Absolutely look.

E

Into because yes, I appreciate the fact that I'm, the chair with the education but Latino parents in particular, and those who are immigrants and recent arrivals are not being embraced in ways that help support them in navigating through the system and then I just want to ask one more question too.

E

If you don't mind sure um on Friday I also worked with some parents who are in shelter, um and there were two particular moms that have been in a shelter for a year and a half BPS parents that have yet to hear about vouchers that they can qualify for so I'm curious again in terms of communication and roll out.

E

What are we doing to really help inform families about the opportunities that exist for them to be able to apply to have access to this information?.

L

Counselor your support is, is critical and always appreciated and similar to the way that I mentioned the summer.

L

Internships wondering how we can, when we connect with families like you did to have them, also know what are the resources that are out there and making sure that they can connect with a live person, whether and counselor you can always reach out to me to connect with a family I'm always at your service and also making sure that we plug the helpline and we plug in with the social workers of the school and we plug in with the community folks that are working at the school level with our families.

L

Those are the the places where sometimes the connections and you're right, they're missed um and the places where we need to be much more Vigilant and the places where I want to make sure that we work together. Yeah.

E

But at some point there has to be some accountability where families actually have easy access so that we're not paying traffic control. We're not we're not playing. That I mean. Yes, we play a role, but you know I, already work 12 to 13 hours a day already just trying to juggle the 700 constituents that I am responsible for, but then later that, on top of also having to direct traffic to organizations or to you know the BPS that you're supposed to already have that infrastructure.

E

So you're asking us to provide you funding, but yet those dollars are not. It doesn't seem like the dollars are matching up to the services that are supposed to be rendered yeah. So.

F

If I might, if I may um so so a couple I think I think you're absolutely right that it is about building an infrastructure that doesn't allow that doesn't focus on us serving one person at a time.

F

um A couple things I think the family liaison role is fairly new in the sense that a lot of the focus was on the hiring. A lot has to be around the training, so this summer, I know that um that Anna will be working with her shop to make sure that family Liaisons all do have the information in our train, particularly to hit the ground running. The Community Connector positions are the other one that comes to mind with this, because I think sometimes, where there's disconnects is. If the.

F

If the resource lies on the school side, we can attach it when it allows them lies on the city Side. Unless people are trained in it and they know it, they don't necessarily know where the handoff is. The the goal is you know with the City Connector is: is that those folks are going to know what city agencies are what's available and homeless is actually one of the top things that we listed in that job description.

F

So that's going to be another Cadre of folks who are going to be able to support and help, particularly in the after hours doing home visits you know, and we will make intention for any family. That's new to the school, because I think that's the other place that sometimes gets dropped when they're new to the school that we make that connection with them through the connectors, so I think it's going to be a variety of things, put your right ideas and a counselor.

F

We have to be able to account for every family and I also just want to say, I, deeply appreciate your support not only not only on the family engagement side, but also on the mental health side, to know and see what you did at the Burke and helping the young people to pull together their mental health day and how successful that was meant. A lot to our whole District.

B

Thank you, um I just needed some clarification. um So what what do you call the connectors? The.

F

Community connectors.

B

And then, what's the difference between the family, community outreach coordinators, the fcocs and the or managers and the family, Liaisons yeah.

L

You can respond to the family liaison because that's a school-based position that every single School across our district has so those are the family Liaisons that are school-based and they support schools directly from their school Community. Every school has one family liaison, or sometimes two, depending on the size of the school and.

F

They're full-time full-time.

L

Yeah, okay, full-time positions.

J

And with the Community Connection coordinators, the idea there is that they'll be uh two types: uh two different shifts: one will be a nine to four shift and another one will be an 11 A.M to 7 P.M shift, and the idea is that they're also in the community, doing this off hours, work in the community and then bringing that information and work back to school. So the idea is that it straddles both the school time and after school hours, so they can do evening. Events Community meetings um engage with families at home.

J

That kind of thing got.

B

It so basically you split, is it? Do you still have fcses? Yes,.

J

Those those still exist and that's largely School, based during school time, although there's some like after school like work, that's done, but with these Community connecting coordinators, they're actually physically out in the community and like going into the community and working with community-based organizations,.

B

Right the families are in schools too. Yes,.

J

B

So are the fcocs.

J

B

And how many fcocs do you have for school I.

J

Don't know that we have to get that information Okay.

B

So family Liaisons one to two for school Community connectors how many of those per School.

J

We'll have 18 total, so they'll be on nine um per region. It's like two per two per region.

B

How many schools in the region.

J

About 15 they're about.

B

12 to 15 two per region and so 15 schools, no 30 schools. That's.

J

Right, whoa, I'm. Sorry, no.

F

There's there's an AM and a PM per region, so two purposes.

J

F

Two four: fifteen: okay.

B

So so one per 15. yeah.

F

There's there's um 12 to 15 schools in each region, there'll be an AM and a PM of the Court, the community coordinator, Community connectors per region, so for if, if they have 15 schools, there'll be an AM and a PM for those 15 schools.

B

Understood alternating the 30 schools exactly, however,.

J

Though they are all targeted to tier three support, so they're retargeted with the students that really need the support, so they won't be. Focusing all students, it'll be just a target of the two out.

B

Of three not everyone needs a home visit guys. So what about social workers? How many.

F

uh Again, it ranges on the school anywhere between uh one or half and three. It depends on the the size of the school there's, a heavy concentration in our middle and high schools, a.

B

Minimum of a part-time.

F

A part-time yeah and then we cut we.

P

F

P

It and with the um additional life social workers, some schools- might have as many as four.

J

um Some Schools staff, above and beyond that as well. That's why the.

B

And how many guidance counselors are.

F

Those social workers as well at the top of my head I, would have to go back on the guidance because it's focused at the high school guidance.

P

Counselors so they're uh we have a 135 guidance counselors for next year. Okay,.

B

um How many BPS schools.

F

119 schools, but um again the guidance is focused on the seven to twelve. Yes,.

E

Customer here I need to clarify something here: the community collector positions are not supposed to be coming out of the BPS budget right.

F

They did not come out of the budget that was presented to school committee. It was, it was out of the city as a separate allocation as a unit that came over to US Post. What had been through the school committee.

E

So this one so that I'm clear is, can you just for the record clarify for me if that budget is allocated towards this coming out of BPS who's, paying.

B

For the family connectors for the community connectors.

E

Yeah I need to know whether yeah who's paying.

G

For it, this is currently funding. This is in our current.

E

It wasn't supposed to be, though, right. Thank you.

A

B

In the budget, thank you, it wasn't perfect. According is. That is that your answer find your answer. It's in the budget. It's in your.

E

Bps budget, the.

G

The Community Connector positions are in the in the BPS budget because.

F

It came as additional dollars from the city specifically for that unit for.

G

B

Thank you, Council Flynn. You have the floor. uh Thank you for allowing me to clarify.

K

Thank you, madam chair.

K

Thank you again to the panel superintendent I had I heard you talking about the Wentworth partnership and I had the opportunity as well to visit via maybe about four or five months ago, and it's an outstanding, outstanding program, Workforce training, educational program.

K

um Superintendent. Can you talk about some of the other unique programs that colleges and universities or hospitals are doing that are putting our students on a path to a career, a path to training and education, a path to success? Sure.

F

So I mean it ranges. We have a Career Tech area. Health careers is a big one for us in there it ranges everything from Health assistance to nursing.

F

Certainly, the life sciences biomedical is a big one that that is enhancing, as is green new technology in there you know it may be anything from Lab in science all the way up to engineering, certainly in the stem side of the house with Technology and Engineering, it can be in computers. It can be anything from programming.

F

We have I just celebrated a program with Microsoft, that's in the Quincy upper and bla, where students are learning to become programmers, so they get access to computer AP and then there's others like JROTC, does leadership, programming in our schools and so they're in they're in several of ours, for the for actually all branches of the military, that's another form of leadership, so it really varies. There's there's lots of opportunities, and this will increase for our high school dollars.

F

Opportunities for them year. Up is another one that comes in in senior year really talks to our students about wanting to take not a gap year, but a year where they can actually spend going to college and in two or three different areas. They are guaranteed a paid internship that then often turns into their continuation of College and Career. After that.

K

Thank you, superintendent I know. Recently, Congressman Lynch was able to get funding for UMass Boston for their nursing program, probably the best nursing program around that in Boston College. Certainly UMass Boston has an excellent program.

K

What are we doing in terms of partnering with UMass Boston, so our high school students that are involved in the medical medical studies area are able to access the education at UMass Boston.

F

So we have several Early College programs with UMass Boston right now. Brighton actually is launching one that's of Interest, which is biomedicine and it's also medical technology. And so what we're finding is UMass really wants to play a deep role with us in the in healthcare, but also in life. Science, we're having some conversations right now about bcla and McCormick in the area since I'm, in proximity to UMass Boston as being a natural place where Early College could happen.

K

Thank you I the year up program. I think that was the was that the program Council Flaherty, probably couldn't speak on it, but I know he was active on that educational program as well. um So I guess my final question.

K

Superintendent I know you highlighted the JROTC program and I know: you've been a supporter of that program for a long period of time and I I see these young students, probably one of the most diverse group of students, if you could possibly see and I love, seeing them whether they're from Excel High, School, East, Boston, I or Charlestown High, but they they provide. They receive an excellent education, excellent leadership and they're really committed to their studies and and getting involved in the community.

K

I guess. My question is: I always heard that the the principles that some of these schools always had the opportunity to to reduce or to water down or um to eliminate the program, unfortunately, but I'm a champion of that program, I think it works. I. Think it's an excellent program and I don't want to see it eliminated. I don't want to see it decreased. Can you give us your thoughts about that program, superintendent, sure.

F

um So I've, actually, as I've, been doing a lot of meetings with the different leadership programs that come into BPS I met with JROTC most recently, I think that there's been two stressors in the schools. One is a fiscal trade-off and particularly with things like Arts and Music and Librarians, and so as we've been able to shift some of those dollars as part of the quality guarantee. I do think. There's opportunity there for schools to revisit that. I think.

F

The second thing is that JROTC has evolved, where it's not just leadership, that the students can actually get credit course, credit for particular areas, such as, depending on the branch everything from Civics to The Sciences to electives, which fits into the mass core. So I think that there's an opportunity to with fresh eyes take a look at it, and certainly you know bring it to our School principles once again to sort of see what could fit the schedule at the high school level is really tough.

F

It's like this is this is where I think jotc has been thinking out of the box about how to be able to do it different than it's once a week. It's every week, every day, every week for four years, so it seems like they've, become much more flexible and I. Think the principals need to hear that so that they can see. You know it may be a small group of students that are interested in it or a larger group depending, but we want to offer our young people as much option as possible.

K

Thank you and I'm glad to hear that I I see the young people at Excel, High School several times well, probably once a month anyway, at various events throughout the community and they show up in uniform. They do community service. They're they're part of the community they're part of the neighborhood they're doing volunteer work, they're respected. They take pride in themselves and again it's the most diverse group of students, I've seen and just want to highlight that that program is critical to so many young people that really want to learn about leadership.

K

They want to learn about accountability. They want to learn about Civic, lessons and and being part of a team, so just want to highlight how important it is to the city of Boston for a strong and vibrant JROTC. I know you share that superintendent, so I just want to say thank you for your commitment to that program. Madam, chair, I, don't have any further questions. Thank you.

B

Counselor Worrell, you have the floor.

N

uh Thank you, madam chair. um Just a few questions around the line items um is why the increase in contracted services.

G

Contracted Services is a place where we um have a number of different items budgeted, including partnership funds, funding for uh external services, so contractor Services. The Inc increase has to do with increased cost of existing contracts. It's also a place where early in the budget process, schools will Place Funding into the contracted services at this point in the year and then, as they develop their full spending plan over the summer to get ready for the next school year.

G

We'll transfer money out of contracted services, so oftentimes the change in contracted services from a fiscal year to not to the next at this point in the year is really a budgeting exercise more than it is a true increase in spending all.

N

Right and then how much of Essa funds unspent answer funds? Can we or have we allocated to contractor services in the past year or in the current.

G

Year, how much of the unspent have we reallocated reality in new spending right.

P

Yeah good afternoon, you know I got it right this time, um so uh we have increased. uh Our uh Sr contract is spending by about a million dollars projected from the current year to next year.

N

um So wait: what's the unspent amount of Essa funds so.

P

uh Let me look so the balance as of today or not today, the date we pulled it, the balance of the day we pulled, it was 247 million of that 247 million. A large amount of it is already sort of budgeted.

P

The vast majority of that 247 million is already budgeted between now and the end of that funding uh period, running out, which is at the end of September 2024..

P

So we have plans for the vast majority of that 247 million dollars, but.

N

But we have reallocated unspent answer funds in the past to contract the services right, um I believe in the BPS overview that was released on February 23rd. It was 4.5 million dollars that was reallocated to City air right. Oh yes, yeah right! So so we we are able to reallocate and spent instant funds to City contracts right, yes or contractor Services. Sorry.

B

um Excuse me a moment: um counselor can I apologize over time for a second yeah. um Just a clarification did you say: 247 million Esther funds was originally budgeted and what did what was spent.

P

No, so sorry, 247 million is remaining to be spent between.

P

um It was probably two weeks ago now when we pulled the data and the end of the time period that uh doesn't include so that would be things like salaries right um that haven't, you know been spent at and contracts that are still in progress.

B

N

You thank you, thank you, so it is. It seemed like there's some cost savings that we're going to be um receiving. You know that we might, you know, receive through Essa funds and I guess. My question is: does that kind of inflate? You know the city contracted services like if, if we're increasing, City Contractor Services, then we're going to be seeing savings on Esser funds. As we have seen in the past, it's a contracted number a little inflated.

G

um I I, don't think our contracted Services numbers necessarily inflated this year, relative to others. I, do think as we start to look at spending down Esser. One of the ways in which we have understanding and Sr has to do with our vacancies and so budgeted positions that are not being filled or unable to be filled. As we get later in the Ester spending, we will likely convert that to Contracting spending, because it's a more um it doesn't.

G

It doesn't sort of set us up for positions that will continue or staff that we will be able to retain post Esser. So as we get into year, three of Esser we'll likely be doing more. Either supplies contract spending or contracted Services spending.

N

Is it possible to get you know through the chair a up to date because I believe the last one was? Was it October.

G

N

G

The report that you have that we submitted um last week includes the most up-to-date um uh spending it's about two weeks old now, but that's the that's. The current spend rate we, as David mentioned. We do have plans to spend the full answer amount, um so we're not anticipating um significant understanding, but we do plan for, as you know, with any budget that large there's gonna be areas where things come in under budget and things come in over budget.

N

And then right and anything that's under budgeted, the BPS has the ability to reallocate yes and we have had seen 60 or 40 cost savings and some of those initiatives right all right. Thank you. No further questions.

M

Before thank you, madam chair and I'm, trying to condense all of my priorities into I. Think three months is what I have so I'll be quick. I have eight still. Thank you. So much awesome okay um go to school. What is the update on that um last I heard is going to the Massachusetts school building authority. What happened with that, and what's the timeline for getting that up and running, we spent a lot of money on it.

M

That's 189, Paris Street in East, Boston, yeah,.

J

My understanding is that we did not get funding for that um through mspa.

M

Okay, so it's now who has ownership of it? Is it still? It's.

J

Still a city property that we do, that the city does own and we'll just need to determine next steps and what we do with that on through the green New Deal process. So we're in the phase now, where we're wrapping up the facilities, condition assessment, finalizing the um design study, and once we do that, then we'll look at the whole city picture, including parachute on what we do. Next. Okay,.

M

Is there an opportunity opportunity to appeal that decision to go back to the the building authority, I mean I, think we're going to need those.

J

Annual applications so it'll be like on the annual application. We have to also prioritize what other projects we want to submit for msba. So it's a it's an annual process that we do that we'd go through.

M

Is it typical that you submit more than one per year.

J

It's possible yes,.

M

F

There's in these two projects, there's two types: there's the acceleration repair and then there's the actual proposal to redo a building, um but in general, if it's redoing, a building, it's one that we would put in per cycle if it's the acceleration and repair which is roofs and windows and ventilation that those we can put in multiples. Okay,.

M

I know that there is discussion about expanding the newcomers Academy to my district, which is great again, is that um has there been discussions about that building being in the location like where? Where are you all thinking.

F

Yeah no I think it's a different building that we're we're looking to potentially uh either lease or buy. Okay.

M

Thank you for cleric clarification on that, um so my questions will go through climate science and environmental justice, curriculum uh Health teachers, dual enrollment and arts. So I know that that's the Full Slate and if we need to follow up through the chair for um for more information, then we can do that so earlier uh or late. Last year, rather I put forth a climate science and environmental justice curriculum idea, expanding that getting that into all of our schools as East Boston, in particular, being an environmental justice Community.

M

There is a discussion about a pilot program with East Farm and the harbor Keepers and potentially linking this to the Civics projects that kids have to do. Our kids are going to inherit all of the human impacts that we're currently putting forth on our environment. So just wondering if there's any updates on that, and if there has been a allocation for that pilot program or conversations about that pilot program. Dr.

F

Chen, do you have anything on that? One.

I

Thank you, but we have been engaging multiple partners, but we'll make sure to get back on that specifically. Okay,.

M

Thank you, Health teachers, so when I was in, eight I was looking into um the uh the vacancies of our health teachers and our licensed professionals and as of 2019 I'm. Sorry I, don't have the numbers in front of me, but we were not meeting our standards when it comes to giving our kids health education, and that includes sex ed, which is a topic that is important to me. Just because we didn't have enough licensed Professionals for this particular area.

M

So I'm wondering if you have any updates on that and if we're still short when it comes to those those teachers.

J

F

Can you David, can you just uh take a look at the for the health teachers? um What are we increased.

P

Positions I think for health teachers we'll have to come back at the academic at the academics. Hearing with a more detailed eggs around that.

M

Thank you, I, look forward to that. You mentioned something about dual enrollment, which is an incredible program. What are the increases to that and how is that reflected inside and outside the classroom? Right.

F

So we we do two forms, one is dual enrollment, and sometimes that is where a college professor will either come to the high school or they will certify a teacher within BPS to teach the course for college credit, and then this early college, where generally the students are going on site to be able to to get their education so where this will be an area that we'll be expanding every year, we're now up to I believe uh seven Early College sites with Fenway being the pilot for a wall-to-wall meaning one whole year, um and so this is, you know, as in our vision of Early, College and Career, we see you know for students to have experience on both sides.

F

You know we know in the in the latest College data that we've seen a decrease in enrollment, coming straight out of high school into college, which is a national Trend, but nonetheless we have to pay attention to it. We've also seen that our persistence, so over six years of students, successfully matriculating uh for being a two-year four-year or technical, has also decreased. We also see that students that participate in AP, dual enrollment IB and then certainly Early College, sorry IB, International Baccalaureate, oh great yeah.

F

We have two schools Snowden in Quincy upper uh and one other, that's exploring it, um but we see that students that participate in the rigor and the experience of college-level work, with our support that those students are much more likely to enroll in college straight out of high school and to successfully matriculate.

F

So this will be an area with success, Boston that we will be rebooting and expanding to all of the high schools, but it has to be done thoughtfully so that we can really create Partnerships between the colleges and the school for what the career paths will be.

M

As part of all of those programs, is there an opportunity for kids, too and I heard you talk about this, but I, don't know if it's the same thing but to earn a wage through. You know, if you're doing an early college and get an internship um if you're trying to do programming and you get an internship at Google.

M

Are you earning um money, because what usually happens through East Boston high school is that these kids, they are working two or three jobs, even outside of the classroom, so I'm wondering if there's an opportunity for that or what that.

F

Looks like this is this I mean this is the area we should be working toward.

F

um We will work toward, but right now, the way that it's generally structured is with mass core students are allowed to what's the equivalent of two courses worth of experience, so they can do two full internships but they're getting course credit for it. Where you see that connection to the wage is that often, as students become connected with a particular higher ed or a particular business they'll be offered some kind of paid.

F

You know paid employment and you know certainly some of those would be paid internships just not during the school year per se, um but I do think this is an area you know to counselor Fernandez Anderson's Point um that we should be exploring, because we often put our students in this situation of either work or school and it's not viable.

F

um So we will be.

M

Thank you and my last question just has to do with the Arts I. Don't see, Arts mentioned anywhere in this presentation, I'm the chair of the arts and culture committee, and so my question is: how do we? What does that look like? Are we expanding um that line item I know that there was a partnership with music education and I went to that announcement at the Curtis guile. It was beautiful and wonderful. Thank you for that, but fully encompassing Arts Visual Arts dance. How are we investing in our kids that way.

P

So our line item focused on arts in particular, is up six and a half positions and about 1.3 million dollars going from this year into next year across all funds. Music is up about four positions or about in about eight hundred thousand dollars and I. Think that covers that sort of the buckets that it's all um Consolidated into.

M

Thank you. That's.

B

M

B

Thank you, Council political counselor uh Flaherty you have before good afternoon. How are you.

Q

Good to see you everything's great and thank you, superintendent and as well as all the members of the team and uh following up maybe on the Arts question um on the same power of see it's BPS, Athletics, um School sports school pride, having um good fields and athletic facilities and uniforms and equipment sometimes is the difference between keeping a kid in school and not getting them off the street corner away from drugs and guns and gangs, maybe also put them in a position to compete potentially for a college scholarship, so just want to make sure we're throwing the shoulder, in addition to the ATS that we're keeping on BPS Athletics, they compete against folks across the city, but also Suburban compound counterparts so making sure that we have up-to-date equipment and uniforms that we can be proud of and Fields Etc that we can be proud of.

Q

That's that's a Paramount importance to me. In addition, I'm excited obviously about and I'm just going to kind of read through some of my questions and then you can take them. I'm excited about Boston year, 13, hoping that it will focus on stem of long felt that our curriculum should match our local economy. We boast the best colleges, universities, hospitals, network of Community, Health, centers, Financial, Services life science, you name it. Everybody wants to be in Boston CEO. Those are moving their companies to Boston, which is the good news right.

Q

Bad news is obviously cost of living and housing prices have risen, but in order to to backfill that Workforce- and you know it's- it's not good enough- that we're getting the loading dock um in the um you know being able to obviously build the building and and handling the mail room. You know we want to make sure that we're participating in those careers uh that can change the trajectory of an individual and or their family and create General relational wealth, so just want to make sure that we continue to focus on stem.

Q

We continue to focus on the abilities to put men and women to work, particularly through our trades My Hope Is. That Madison Park at some point will be as boastful as some of our best colleges, universities. They often talk about the one that's out in Worcester I want Madison Park to be the best VOC Tech trade, school Etc in the state and whatever we need to do to make that happen, because the jobs are there.

Q

If we have a curriculum over there that matches the economy similar to hopefully what year 13 is going to do so we're going to make a huge difference in our students, life and then just shifting gears to make sure that our teachers have the resources that they need to do what they do best, which is the education about BPS students. I want to just dial in a little bit on our execution of Courts and our outside legal bills and outside Auditors and outside experts to make sure that we're getting that under control.

Q

You know if we continue to be sued if we continue to have audit and accounting issues, ETC. That causes us to sort of lose focus, which is our primary missions of the education of our children and that we're now focused more on the back of the house and cleaning up the spills, as opposed to dealing in the front of the house, but also precious resources go to deal with and address and fix those problems.

Q

So if we've got an issue over it at the mothership and that Folks at the back of the house on paying attention, then we need to address that sooner rather than later, and that might be whole scale changes. That might mean that we need to adjust folks capacity to handle certain issues and then, obviously, on the transportation stuff, we continue to see. Transportation cost balloon, so we get Transportation costs ballooning while School enrollment is, is decreasing and and the costs are obviously it's the fuel.

Q

It's the maintenance, it's the repair, it's the insurance, there's a significant sort of fixed cost to continue to rise uh with the times.

Q

At the same time, when we're seeing the enrollment come down so finding ways to identify that I know, we had a little bit of an issue and a glitch with not only the assignment process but also the transportation process and and making sure that, under your leadership and your team's leadership that you're well aware of those issues and when there are gaffes or kerfuffles there's, they cost a lot of money to to to address and and again that's money.

Q

That should be going right into the classroom for teaching and learning and the before and after school and the wrap around so I'm on the team.

Q

Obviously, as a long time supporter and long-time counselor supporting our Boston public schools in the mission, which is the education of the future of our city, and when you think about all of the great opportunity we have in our city um and how both how boastful we are about those opportunities, we need to make sure that that's trickling out to our neighborhoods, but also to our schools and preparing that next generation of student to compete in those spaces.

Q

So year, 13 Madison, Park arts and sports uh and making sure that resources are making to the classroom um and, and then just. Lastly, if you could just maybe just touch on um our relationships with our college and universities, do they need to be strengthened? What are we getting? Are we getting a good bang for the buck out of them, of course, the pilot program payment in the law of taxes?

Q

They um have a different formula: are we getting to use their facilities and, if so, which schools and which facilities are we getting some volunteerism from their student bodies and or their course curriculums? Do we get support in the classroom through instruction, whether it's uh regular education, through their schools of Education or even through our arts program, so I'd like to get a sense as to what are our colleges and universities doing for us?

Q

Because, while we support them- and they are a big part of why we're on the map uh nationally and internationally, with thousands of students coming here every single year to get higher education, we want to make sure, as the host City, that they're partnering with that Boston public schools, because the travesty is that while we have these Great Schools, not enough of our kids are getting into these schools and the ones that are fortunate enough to and more often than not they're the top of the class. They may be the valedictorians or the they finished.

Q

um You know the Straight A's when they get to this when they get to these schools. Many instances they don't finish worst case scenario. Some some of them are home after their first semester, and so turning that trajectory I think Boston. Yeah 13 will do that. They'll get exposure to college prep classes, they'll, get exposure to stem to internships lean on some of those Partnerships and we'll be able to turn the tide, but nothing worse than you know kid in the Alice, Taylor public, housing, development uh and I go back.

Q

I was born the old Harbor projects and you could say the same thing you could literally, you could be from the D Street projects, look straight down, D Street and have no sense of connection to the hope and the opportunity that is literally coming out of the ground with a lot of these companies that are providing tremendous opportunity.

Q

But you could be it over to Alice Taylor, literally stare across the street at either Northeast or Wentworth, and that kid has no sense of connection or hope to be able to be in that classroom and to come across the stage. With that diploma they might be able to sneak on the field every once in a while or climb over the fence and play When. The teams are not there. There may be some type of partnership, they have.

Q

They might be a cookout in the summer that the schools do with the with the development, but in general those kids don't have a sense of connection. We need to close that Gap. If you will so that's my opine, but also weaved in some questions, and we want to continue to support you, superintendent, Skipper and your team. There's a lot of great things that you've done to date since you've been here and we're expecting and hoping for a better to come in the future.

F

So, thank you, councilor, um first of all, for your advocacy for the 13th year and absolutely right, I think the early college and the career um CTE kind of programming we believe, is going to make the connections to the businesses in Boston we're working with the chamber right now around kind of looking at what are the areas of the industry sectors?

F

How can we for our high schools kind of bring to them Partnerships with the businesses, the chambers interested in doing an RFP with us to look at three or four cities like Boston, where we could really kind of model? What that menu could look like to staff up and support the Early, College and Career efforts, I I think on the um on the Athletics, a 100 Arts, music Athletics. These are all the things that students love to come to school for and gives them instant Community as well.

F

I know that uh either Nader David could tell the increase in athletics, but we've used a bunch of fiesta dollars to be able to fund uniforms, increase improved facilities, locker rooms. um You know, coaches increase number of coaches, things like that. So definitely one area of investment for us. We believe in on the um on the outside external piece.

F

It'll be my glorious day when we don't have one more report from an external person to read, because it'll speak to the fact that what we're doing inside is working I do think that we are investing in our risk assessment inside our risk management office as a way to build our own capacity to be able to make sure that we're reviewing data we're looking at what's happening, um and so it doesn't take an external audit to be able to do that.

F

That said, we are responsible and accountable for the audits that have come before, and so Our intention we just presented at school committee is to make sure that we're making progress in each of those critical areas, Transportation being one of them and I, think you know on Transportation. What I would say is I think, there's a lot of cost savings that will happen as we strengthen the quality of our schools and parents feel confident in the schools that are around them.

F

I also think inclusion is another area that, as we roll that out, that means we don't have to bus a student across the city to get to a bilingual program or to get to uh um you know a a an area that a school that is going to have programming that supports their disability right now, that's not the case, so there's lots of cost cost savings uh to be had there as well and then, finally, um on the uh the business and the college piece, I I think we have I think we are building a lot of our relationships back in the college and university area.

F

I've been out to a number of them meeting with the presidents talking about what our students in our schools need and want, making sure that it isn't. You know to your point kind of this Division and this line where that's the wonderful world and our kids are over here, but having our students be able to set foot on those colleges, taking courses having the college students in Partnership and interacting with our students as mentors as uh you know, that was um one of the wonderful bla actually their AP Computer, the Partnerships with Microsoft.

F

They have a full-time Microsoft person in teaching with the AP teacher to be able to explain the connection of how industry would code and what the student said is. You know love our teacher, but sometimes this person actually teaches us the shorter way to do it, because it's tied to business, it's tied to economy. So it's not the theoretical, so I think it's finding all those different kinds of connectors between the colleges, the businesses and, most importantly, how to take all that resource, because this is Boston and bringing that to our students.

Q

And thank you, sir Virginia appreciate your leadership and arguably has been been lacking in that position for, for several years, my opinion uh and look forward to working with you and your team moving forward. Thank you, madam chair. Thank.

B

You thank you. Council party, I, really appreciated that um you brought up again the college and school Partnerships um as well as the Arts I, think that a lot of I know that a lot of constituents in district 7 are and Madison Park families are advocating for arts in Madison Park recently in the capital sort of community engagement meetings.

B

Folks, there was no mention of arts, and particularly the parents were mentioning it, but it's not in the plan. um So I was deeply concerned about that. A lot of what I saw was I, think culinary hospitality and it just kept people in service, and so it's like, okay, so everybody that goes to Madison Park.

B

You go to service there, weren't real vocational connections other than repairing, what's already in place, so I'm really interested in continuing that process, with the with the planners and designers and Engineers or whomever architects in these meetings, but also making sure that Community is heard that it's a more robust plan and I did go through a list of from your programs, a list of all Olivia programs, and it seems, like a lot of things- are being cut.

B

Different programs and I'm not sure if it's because something else is replacing it or it just didn't, make any sense, um and just so from your point of view, superintendent um and particularly uh the Boston adult high school, there's uh zero appropriation for fy24 there's a huge list: I don't want to go through the whole list. There's a lot of good programs coming in, but a lot of things also being um not uh any no funds allocated to them um and then the Civics teaching and learning I had a question about that.

B

There's only 61 000 allocation, so I didn't really quite understand if it was like just one position: comprehensive behavioral health model initiative. I really appreciate that it was you know, 339, 124 and I guess.

B

This is Page 284 of the budget book 285 of the budget book by the way um I know earlier, when I mentioned certain programs that you were questioning where they were coming from, um so I had to find it for you um and then the Early Education incubator wanted to understand a little bit about that um I guess: Early, College, sorry, incubator and Early College Planning was cut and I wasn't sure how it was Consolidated or what's the plan there, the emergency food relief services all also zero dollars allocated for that, but fy24 financial literacy planning back in I think FY 21.

B

It was um ten thousand dollars and I'm not sure why it's only ten thousand dollars. But what is that program and why there's no money going toward it? The fresh food, fruit and vegetable program um at some point up to 600, 000 plus thousand dollars in FY 22, but 23 and 24 receive nothing uh and another one. That I was interested in is the um Partnerships and social emotional, obviously understanding your Partnerships and is that contracts with third-party nonprofits or mental health clinics that are providing these services in school base.

B

The social emotional learning got zero dollars allocated fy24 and then the Special Olympics zero dollars. Special Olympics, unified, Champion schools, zero dollars allocation as well just some of the things that I really care about um and just wondering why the decrease or did it go somewhere else or what's happening.

G

um Thank you chair. If, um if we could I'm gonna go back with the team and and follow up on the line items that you just listed, so we could provide some details: um I apologize, I, don't have the city's budget book in front of me um and that's my mistake so we'll follow up and with those line items to get the back up as to what's happening with them.

B

I have copies of the city's budget book, but do you mean that you need to respond to my question specifically with more time.

G

As a follow-up yeah, if, if we could.

F

Counselor I did want to just make one point on the adulthood So currently adult adulthood Falls in different places. Sometimes it falls under City and sometimes it falls under School District. Here it's under the school district, and it's historically was with me of the high schools so because of the large number of 18 to 24 year olds, who are trying to recover back they're missing a diploma and they really need um they need supports that are a little bit more extensive than what would typically be an adult ed for somebody trying to get their diploma.

F

um Adult Ed is going through a bit of a restructure to try to figure out how to get that like, for instance, they have to pass the MCAS like there's things that they have to do, that an older person wouldn't have to do so. They're in the process. Right now of a bit of restructuring in Adult Ed lives off of Grants.

F

They they're heavily heavily funded by the state grants I bring this up because, historically, what is underfunded is the amount of classes for adult ed offering for ESL and so thinking about the amount of newcomers that we have who are coming. Who are here and who are coming in the last couple of years.

F

um It is a tension point because for us to give the classes in the budget to the high schoolers so that they can in fact graduate and get their diplomas. There will be some trade-off where we won't have the dollars to put toward additional adult ESL.

F

So I say this because I think it's important for the city to think about it, because it's needed for the parents and the adults to be able to get that access.

B

That's super important I know a lot about that, because I connected folks I would connect folks to either Notre Dame or I would connect folks to um what's the one on Bowden Street.

F

The new Bostonian.

B

I know the the Bowdoin Street one where they get DSL, but also oh.

L

B

um But yeah that one should um and also uh Roxbury Community College, but then you have to pay um and so the access and then getting classes in you know other languages obviously um not available, and sometimes people coming in with degrees and having to translate that they still have to attain their GED before they can do anything else.

B

um So I'm I'm interested in looking into that um and we fi I filed a hearing order to basically look into how BPS is addressing the needs of ell parents, not the students, but specifically the parents, because how do you create that homeschool connection or how do you equip the parents with homework tools to be able to assist their children in at home?

B

um But I will, if I'll submit any other questions because I know I, have you the department um for five more hearings, um so I'll stop there I think councilman here has a last round of questions and then we'll close out. Thank you.

E

Thank you chair and thank you to the administration for hanging in there. We're almost done um so I'm curious. If you could just talk to me a little bit about um I I'm I'm still there's you hear that Echo. Is it.

C

Me can we fix that apple.

E

Go ahead, yep! Thank you. Okay. Can you just tell us a little bit about the how BPS and the cities using the racial Equity planning tool to prioritize schools to receive ventilation improvements so that we're advancing equity for bypoc students, sure English language, Learners and students with disabilities? And can you just in your answer, just walk me through this process.

L

Thank you for the question. Dr grandson and his team are working in collaboration with folks in facilities and then the different projects that are in motion absolutely are required to meet that standard with reviewing the tool are.

E

You going to be releasing that information publicly for each for each of the substantial improvements that you plan to make.

L

That's definitely part of the process to be as transparent as possible with the community and.

E

We'll have a place to go and find it.

L

We'll have a place to go and find.

E

It and how are you going to access you know to assess the actual impact after the changes in questions are, are made so.

L

Part of the tool itself has an auditing piece to it that is accountable to the community and um there's a committee that meets that has a cross-sectionality of community members and families that actually reviews all of the different. um The tool itself has to be reviewed by this Committee of folks. So there's a already an iterative like cyclical process that includes the beginning of it. The meeting with Dr grandson's team, the actual teams that are doing whatever facilities, improvements or work, that's happening, and then they're required to go through the committee as well and.

E

I'm curious, um if we could talk a little bit about some services that have not been rendered specifically I'm, not talking about facilities. I'm, talking about speech, therapy, okay services, when they're not being provided due to Staffing.

A

E

Does this impact the budget and where does those dollars go.

F

Right so those are organized um where they're given as compensatory. So it's done through the special education office and I believe there's you, gentlemen, will be able to tell the dollar figure, but um it's the command series done through Esser. So.

G

Yeah for the for services that were missed due to the disruption of the pandemic, we did have money set aside on Esser to do compensatory services and then in any given year, when there's either Staffing missing or we're unable to fulfill the services using contracts. It's through the IEP process that they designate the remediation and then we fully fund it for the department when they identify it and the total amount for compensatory Services I'd have to.

B

um Councilman here, um I just noticed the time counselor, commissioner superintendent um I had no coffee. Today, superintendent, Skipper, I, apologize, I noticed a time and I know that I was supposed to relieve you, not one. So please use this time to leave I'm. So sorry, we went over time, but the rest of you can remain for councilman. Here's questions. Okay, thank.

E

You so much um so Nate. The Boston Herald recently published a um a finding this morning in particular that uh a Boston Finance commission audit, which found that BPS did not complete payment uh on a 164 000 Plumbing contract bill. You familiar with that racking up since 2018.. Yes,.

C

E

So, can you just talk to me about what we're going to do forward to ensure that our budget is being used accurately and responsibly.

G

I'm sorry, with the two ethics ethically and responsibly, is.

E

That Excel accurately and as possibly.

G

um So I think I I think from the from the perspective of of um Equitable procurement.

G

um One of the things that we're doing is making sure that we're identifying and working with um local and minority women-owned businesses- um that's part of the procurement process now for for people who are putting together contracts, particularly those that are exempt contracts, sort of non-rfps to be able to identify those firms and work with them, I think also as part of it. When we work with local, particularly smaller businesses, we want to make sure that we're being efficient in how we do the Contracting process so that they receive timely payment as well. We.

E

Said superintendent Anna, where you going on she.

C

Came laying leaving.

E

Early, let me find out we're going to do a rewind of this tape. Okay, so the department of Elementary and secondary education released an audit in May of 2022, which found that BPS said it had completed. 29 School, bathroom renovations, but the state visits found that at least two of those sites had not been renovated. Another Finding was that BPS had inflated the calculation of school buses that arrived on time, but not including its data on the buses that never showed up. So can you talk to me about the discrepancies that exist there.

J

Yeah yeah with regard to the bathroom mod. It's um since the beginning of the work around the Sip, we've worked really closely with Desi to make sure that we all calibrated and all put eyes on what we've seen or not seen in the field. So we've gone out to visit every site in the bathroom projects that we um plan on doing and had planned on doing just to confirm everyone's expectation, and we mapped out a plan to make sure that all the bathrooms get addressed. So that's um pretty much was resolved with Dusty.

J

With regard to the bus calculations, we also continue to work with them on figuring out the best way to present the data we typically in the past did not include buses that didn't show up as on time or not, but we worked with Desi to make sure we included that information into the data that we provided them. So the issue there really was. We did not typically ignore. We hadn't historically counted buses that didn't run as on time or not, but they wanted us to make sure we included. So we did.

E

Is anyone here able to talk about those things? Okay,.

J

E

Deal, can you guys talk about that? Is anyone here left to be able to What.

J

Specifically, do you want to know so.

E

um I'm, just curious in terms of the mayor's capital budget has several line items totaling about 60 million dollars pertaining to ventilation, in particular, repairs and improving the air quality in BPS schools.

E

The city in BPS must, you know, move with more urgency to get ventilation in more of our schools, and so some of the recommendations that we've been hearing from Advocates and I'm just curious. What you think about this is to use half of the 30 million point five in the green field for BPS quote: unquote: Reserve and FY 2024 to begin the process of installing new mechanical ventilations in schools without systems.

J

Foreign ly, um the work we've done with our air ventilation has been nationally recognized in a lot of school. Districts are jumping on board, with a lot of work that we're doing and modeling what we've done with that working space. But with regard to Future, Investments I know, we have accommodation of grants that we're securing.

J

We have combination of funds that were allocated with the capital budget and we're happy to dive into more detail of it and when we do present in the capital, budget or budget presentation, but currently we we're not going to make any broad changing decisions on the broader green deal budgets until we fully are aware of the results of the FCA and the results of the design study that comes out and then once we look at everything in totality, then we'll make more targeted investments in different areas.

J

I'm sorry, we have additional information about the other two bathrooms.

R

Just for discrepancy with the bathrooms I think it was an issue where same school but different campuses, so the project was listed as, let's just say, I think it was the Elliott school. So it was the Elliott School lower school, but the bathrooms that needed to be renovated were at the upper school. So I think there was a sub reporting issue.

E

So I'm going to bring up another topic. Thank you for that. um As the exam School uh issue and.

B

I would just offer some clarification um customer here.

B

um So the just just for folks watching at home um on uh opportunity and achievement: Gap curriculum code of conduct, English language, Learners, special education and inclusion, literacy, Early Education, Universal, Pre-K, special curricular programs, AP Credit, Recovery age, 22, vocational education or graduation and career Readiness, Library MCAS office and elementary schools office of secondary schools. Some of these things we've covered in this hearing, so I think that we could probably move some of these sub topics to the hearings. That's already been scheduled um that that needs to again.

B

Some of these things will be moved instead of rescheduling and then, as far as the remaining um hearings and the topics on the 22nd May 22nd at 10 A.M, we will be holding a VPS enrichment, Arts and Music Athletics after school program and tutoring summer learning and Partnerships at 2 pm on the same day we'll be hosting um we'll I'll, be facilitating for social, emotional learning and student supports to include Behavior or mental health, supports, homeless education, Resource Network trauma, crisis response, family liaison social workers and schools, psychologists, nurses, Early Education, Hub schools and then to the remaining the remaining ones that we will be.

B

Having is on June 5th Boston Public Schools operations, and then that should cover the administration, Transportation food and nutrition, school safety, admin, budget, central office, human capital, diversity, recruitment, evaluation, staff retention, procurement, BPS revolved funds and so for 2 pm, then to to discuss Neighborhood, Services and language and communication access coming together with Boston public schools. In order to discuss how you're working together in order to improve coordination of services. So just wanted to clarify that, because we're covering a lot of the different topics for the other hearings.

B

And just so you know, you'll, have a lot of.

D

Time to discuss.

E

um Okay, thank you for that clarification, so that means I should not be asking these questions or what I'm unclear about I.

B

Would say I would say um uh if you could wrap up your final question and yeah discuss them.

E

Yes, I guess: I was just going to talk really quickly about transportation um and I. Do appreciate the improvements. I was going to talk about something else, but since we're wrapping up, I might as well just um get a sense of the transportation.

E

um Many years ago there was this idea that we were going to focus on improving neighborhood schools as a way to reduce the amount of travel time that students are spending on empty buses to get to and from an underperforming school to another underperforming, school and I'm curious. What what have we learned? You know since five or six years ago, where we tried to embark on that journey and what investments are we making so that we're spending our dollars in ways that are a little bit more cost effective in terms of our return on investments.

G

You have a couple a couple initial thoughts, I think um I think in terms of travel and transportation. I think the first thing is, we know that investment in school Improvement is, um is the focus and the the work that we're doing to improve instruction core instruction in all of our schools to make sure people want us want the school, that's closest home, I. Think the other piece of that I think the big yeah.

E

Sorry I now remember my question that I think it's really important to put on the.

A

E

If you don't get to it tonight, because I feel, like I've, been here all day, you're going to give it to me when we move I have a heard and I don't know. If this is true or not, there are thousands of students who are unaccounted for that have not returned back to Boston public schools, and we have no idea where they are.

E

J

In what context do you mean.

E

um They've never returned and we have no idea where these students are true or false.

B

I guess the question is: are there a number of students that um or a decrease in registration or decrease in students.

E

Students that never returned back to BPS post covet and that there's a large number of students who are unaccounted for, and we do not know where they are.

G

So free yeah, when a student, when, when students leave the district, we do make an attempt to track where they enroll next and find out from families where they um why they left the district and where they're enrolling next, and there are um always in any given year a number of students who leave that we don't have it information on where they went. So in that context, the answer is yes, there are probably thousands of students.

E

Who have left thousands of students post covet that are un unaccounted for, that? We don't know where they are? Yes, yes,.

A

E

And this is something that we have I've I had to hear from the streaks, not something that has come from BPS and apparently there is going to be some digging into this to identify where we have gone wrong. Yes,.

B

E

B

That mean that the data doesn't I, don't understand, we don't know where they are so.

G

If a student unenrolls from the district and they transfer schools, they leave the country they move somewhere else. We make an attempt to find out why they left and where they left, but if they don't respond and give us information in the high school level. Those are those students who get coded as a Dropout, but we don't have any way to track down families if they leave without telling us I. Think that's, oh, and so that happens. You know the.

E

High schools not just high school.

G

It's not just high schools. These.

E

Are Elementary this is this is something from what I understand a little bit alarming and I just want to note that for the record, as we continue to talk about the budget, that we need to figure out like what tools we need to put in place so that we can have a better way of tracking our students and where they are, why they have left what we need to do to be accountable to that.

E

So I just want to just name that that is something that has come across my desk as something that I need to lean into and I didn't have the answer to it. So I didn't know that there are thousands of students who have disappeared from our schools that we have absolutely no idea where they.

G

Are and and to be clear, this is not thousands of students on an annual basis, I think over since you're saying since covid.

E

Started but there are thousands of students that we do not know where they are.

B

So since December 2019.

G

We certainly could pull and get the information, but yeah we make every attempt to get in touch with families when they leave BPS or unenroll, um and I think um you know certainly would be open to other ideas for how to how to better collect that information, because it is. It is important information for us to know why families are leaving and where they end well. Afterwards,.

J

Yeah we do have procedures in place by which, once students, families leave what schools.

E

Should do what's frustrating about these hearings right Andrew, you weren't here back in 2020, I, don't think if you are no, so you could just excuse yourself. You are not part of this when it, you were I asked about creating surveys, exit surveys for us to learn why our families were leaving. This was before you know the high. You know not even covet, but just in general, and we still have yet four years into this conversation to develop A system that provides us with specific feedback as to why our families are leaving.

E

So when we say we want to change the way we do business, but then we keep showing up without making any changes. Then I have to question whether or not we're really serious about changing the way we do business. Just.

J

If I could teach a concert, we do have procedures that um when students leave the district, what should happen, however, sometimes semester kudu's, Point families, don't participate and get provide that information. That's what we struggle with to really figure out. Why so.

E

For the families that do understand.

J

E

Thing is to struggle, and the other thing is to learn from that struggle. It's about having a growth mindset. When you know better, you do better. So we have to figure out why families are not participating and then fix the problem, because it's four years that we've been talking about the same conversation and we haven't seen any change in terms of being able to track it. So either you guys are just yesing me and then not following up just so that we can get through the budget.

E

But at some point we're gonna have to meet the moment and find out why our families are leaving and then, of course, correct. Accordingly,.

J

So there's always room for improvement. Counselor to your point. um I just want to just note that there is a process and we have to get better at figuring out how we can get families to provide the information if they don't provide it.

E

Yeah, so this is, this will be my last comment, and this is probably one of the reasons why I find this to be so. Frustrating is, as the education chair, I have been extremely patient, as you can see from my performance this time around, but it is really difficult for me to sit here and keep asking the same questions and not seeing results at some point. People have to understand that. That's why people don't trust the system.

E

It's because we get yes to death. Then we pass the budget and then what we come back a year later and ask the same questions and then hear the same thing and I bet you.

E

If I go back to the tape in 2020 when I had this conversation, y'all be saying the same thing to me that feels disrespectful and that's how families feel when they're navigating A system that they don't really feel sees them and so I'm just naming it because I think we have an opportunity to change it and whatever that looks like, let's invest in that change, let's put the tool together, let's put a working group together.

E

Let's, let's do something so that we're not coming back next year and I'm happy asking the same question: yes, we got to do better, but when are we going to do better when thank you.

B

Council over here, um I do have a letter to come to me. Here's point I, think that you know if you can submit your response in writing in terms of what your plans are so far. What have been your uh steps to uh resolving this issue?

B

um I know that, obviously, ultimately, it's the parents, it's in the family's responsibility, but if BPS, obviously, if the numbers are declining post coven, we understand people are getting, um people are depressed. People are dealing with health issues, people are suffering losses um and people are also dealing with socioeconomic issues right. So if we can, if you can send in writing your sort of plan or what you've been doing to work on it, I think that will suffice in terms of um I. Just have to write.

B

Read this letter of absence for com from counselor Murphy into record um dear chair Fernandez Anderson I am writing to inform you that my absence during this morning's Council City council's hearing on FY 23 budget regarding Boston Public Schools, a representative from my staff, will be listening um in the fall and, following up with me, I look forward to reviewing the footage and follow up on specific information. I have questions about I, sincerely regret that I could not attend this hearing and this morning, as an unpredicted circumstance arose.

B

Thank you. Council Murphy um I also wanted to um just acknowledge that I know that BPS and families are and counselors are, with the or trying to resolve the issue with the young boy who was missing, Muhammad fofina and our prayers and my prayers to the family. Inshallah that this boy's found immediately and bring him home safely.

B

um uh John I do apologize. We were closing. Is it okay to send your testimony in writing? We did not get any. The testimony section of this part is closed. Specifically.

B

um We are, we have six other or five other hearings to hold on beat for BPS.

B

It's never two minutes with you John the testimony is finished. It is closed, I'm asking if you could do it in writing or if you could testify in another BPS hearing. That is all another five coming up.

B

The testimony section of this hearing is closed. uh Yes, it's been closed, except for an hour over an hour now and I would like to uh clear the chamber for the next person, but two minutes sure John, and we would like for you to testify early on.

B

Yeah I'm. So sorry that that we didn't know that indicated.

S

Basically, a positive person, so I'm not going to get Negative here. My name is John provenzano I've lived in South Boston I have four family members that are teachers in the Boston public schools and the charter schools.

S

My first comment: well I would like I would answer a Council I mean he is a question as to where the kids have gone and I could tell you. I could give you a list of the kids that have backed out of the Boston Public School, not because of void, they're being taught, but because of the discipline.

S

The discipline is not in the Boston Public Schools. There's a lot of incidents that don't go Untold.

S

That would make my family, including my family, three great-grandkids that have pulled out of the Boston Public School one out of the the in one granddaughter that's been pulled out. So the answer to council Mejia well I, respect very much and I can understand your frustration, but it's not these people, it's not their fault that that's been happening. It's parents fault, that's where the parents and I'll give you an example of my kids growing up when we went to City when we went to parent teachers meetings.

S

Do you know what most of the teachers would say? Why do you? People keep coming you? People are doing that your kids are doing excellent because we give them a hundred percent of our time. It's the people, the parents, that don't get involved with the Boston Public Schools. It's not these people. These people are the experts between financing and expertise like superintendent Skipper, who I have all the all the confidence in the world that I know it personally through my children that are teaching and what's happened with the Boston Public Schools.

S

So that's part of what you have to deal with. I'll I won't go through all this. If you don't want me to um uh chair for us and I appreciate you even just allowing me the couple of minutes, but if I give you one more thing: safety safety in the Boston Public Schools, we know- what's happened all over this country and I pray to God every night that that's not going to happen here when I come into this building, I go through a metal detector.

S

If I go in to see any of the councils, I can't get through there without going to that metal detector first to get into the building. You need that in the Box in public schools, Council Flaherty had a meeting not too long ago and I watched it on TV, because I couldn't make it, but it was to do with the safety in the Boston public schools and the young girls that were testifying were talking down the Boston police.

S

Instead of talking about getting them into the schools to protect our kids, they were talking down the police, and that was disgusting to hear one more little Peak part about that growing up, and then my kids had this when they went through the whole Boston Public School System.

S

We had something called officer friendly every every elementary school and you get into high school. It's a lost cause, but between the first grade and the sixth grade to have awesome officer friendlies in the schools to talk to the kids to make them realize what these police officers are all about, teaching them how to cross the street with a red and yellow light, simple things and they related to them, and they grew up with them.

S

What you're seeing now is people are talking down the Boston police and that's that's disgraceful, so I won't take any more. Your time. I hope I answered your question uh councilmania, because that's where the kids have gone did the parents, the parents that are interested in education are pulling them out of the school system and that's a negative for me. But that's the fact I could give you a list of all of them, so I had a couple of things, but I want I want to thank you people for being here.

S

If you could pass that on to uh superintendent Skipper, to keep doing what you're doing when they talk when the counselors talk to you about I. I can't understand this. When the counselors talk to you about give me the racial balance of how many black, how many brown, how many Chinese, how many white get colorblind the experts are here. The experts are in the system, it's not their fault, it's the fault of the parents, that's where it goes.

S

If you could send a letter out every three months to the parents to show up to talk to the teachers that are teaching your children will be doing a lot better than what we've been doing in the last 20 30 years. 30 years.

B

S

Kids have been out for so long. Oh one more thing, thank you on the college thing.

B

Thank you, John thank.

S

You I put my kids in my car and drove them around to the Boston College High School, to UMass to Boston Latin and show them where they could go. That's the answer to the question which you were talking about me: I respect, you a whole lot and that's part of the thing is the parents getting out their show I want you to go to that school. I! Want you to go to that school. My son I was going to send him to the to Boston.

S

Oh all, right anyway, they all ended up going to good schools and it was because their parents stayed.

D

S

Thank you for giving me that time. I owe you that's.

B

Your time, thank you, John.

S

B

D

We all have we all. We all just got some bad news, so um the series is missed. I'll update those of you watching at home, I'll update you on what's happened.

A