Last night’s meeting was a long one, lasting just over four hours. The main agenda item of the night was a recap of the new contract agreed to between the Boston Teachers’ Union (BTU) and the district. Before this recap, the Superintendent gave a lengthy update on happenings in the district, which included a note about a new transportation policy. While this was not an agenda item, the district did announce a new policy that may remove some students from routes who do not ride the bus for 10 days in a row. There were few questions about this policy and members further encouraged the district to increase the “on-time” rate of buses earlier in the year than seven months into the school year. 

District leaders then presented to the School Committee on the details within the newly agreed upon BTU contract. More specifically, the Superintendent and her team outlined updates to an increase in wages for paraprofessionals as well as a new model for serving students with disabilities. The district’s explanation of the revisions to the model for special education were convoluted, at best. 

Another area of concern that emerged from the district’s presentation was the financial implications of the new contract, with the Superintendent’s team stating they felt “uncomfortable” with the cost of the contract. The contract, as well as the supplemental appropriations necessary to fund the contract, passed the school committee vote unanimously. 

After a short public comment period and a few votes on small grants, the meeting moved on to a discussion of transformation schools. As mandated by the Systemic Improvement Plan (SIP), these quarterly updates provide a glimpse into the progress, or lack thereof, of the district’s most underperforming schools. While two principals from these schools shed some light on some positive news, the majority of the presentation touched on many of the same points we have been hearing, mainly, continued concerns about student achievement and chronic absenteeism. School Committee members asked pointed questions about potential alternatives to transformation schools and whether we are using the best data practices to monitor their growth. Due to the district moving out of the SIP, there was uncertainty about how this information will continue to be shared moving forward, but we will continue to keep an eye out for updates on them in the future. 

Finally, the meeting wrapped up with a discussion on the Massachusetts School Choice Plan for SY 2025-2026. In the past, and last night, the district has opposed having the district opt-in to school choice, which would allow students from other cities and towns to enroll in BPS. Member Cardet-Hernandez proposed to allow municipal employees, including teachers, who live outside of Boston, to enroll their kids in BPS. This potential pilot program received significant pushback from the Superintendent and her team and was shut down without any further conversation. 

In a new initiative to hold the district accountable, we will be tracking the questions and requests made by School Committee members during the meetings. Oftentimes, questions about district affairs, data, and more are often raised but left unanswered. We will be monitoring these questions and whether they have been answered. As you can see, the list has grown from last month’s meeting. Here is our list, so far: 

• Can we create a task force for achievement and opportunity gaps? - Member Dr. Stephen Alkins

• In the district, how many psychologists are there per student? - Chair Jeri Robinson 

• Where are we now [in terms of priorities in the budget]? - Chair Jeri Robinson?

• Can we see enrollment data at the transformation schools? - Member Brandon Cardet-Hernandez

• How will the new Boston Teachers Union contract improve student outcomes? - Chair Jeri Robinson 

• Can we see some tangible follow up on a potential pilot program for our district joining the Massachusetts School Choice Plan? - Member Quoc Tran

• Can you add two columns to the grant spreadsheet tables that include a space for evaluations and whether it is a continuing grant? - Member Dr.Stephen Alkins

The School Committee will next meet at 6pm on Wednesday, May 14th. We are looking forward to hearing more from our district’s leaders.