Minutes
Quincy, MASSACHUSETTS – October 26, 2022
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Regular Meeting of the Quincy School Committee
Regular Meeting
Vice-Chair Presiding
A meeting of the Quincy School Committee was held on Wednesday, October 26, 2022 at 6:30 p.m. in the School Committee Room at the Coddington Building. Superintendent Kevin Mulvey called the roll and present were Mayor Thomas P. Koch, School Committee Chair and School Committee Members Mrs. Tina Cahill, Mr. Douglas Gutro, Mrs. Kathryn Hubley, Mrs. Emily Lebo, and Mr. Frank Santoro, Vice Chair. School Committee Member Mr. Paul Bregoli was absent.
Also present were: Superintendent Kevin Mulvey, Ms. Sarah Anderson, Ms. Kerri Connolly, Ms. Kim Connolly, Ms. Allison Cox, Ms. Julie Graham, Ms. Jennifer Leary, Mr. James Mullaney, Ms. Kimberley Quinn, Ms. Madeline Roy, Mr. Keith Segalla, Mr. Lawrence Taglieri, Ms. Bridget Vaughan; Quincy Education Association President Gayle Carvalho; and Ms. Laura Owens, Clerk.
A moment of silence was observed in memory of the following retired and active Quincy Public Schools employees: Wendy Hanlon: Science teacher at Atlantic Middle School for 24 years; Diana Reilly: Food Service staff member at Bernazzani for four years; Frances Young: Business Office/Payroll staff for over 20 years.
Mr. Santoro read the following statement into the record: Pursuant to the Open Meeting Law, any person may make an audio or video recording of this public meeting or may transmit the meeting through any medium. Attendees are therefore advised that such recordings or transmissions are being made whether perceived or unperceived by those present and are deemed acknowledged and permissible.
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Approval of Minutes
Mrs. Hubley made a motion to approve the minutes of the Regular Meeting for October 12, 2022. Mrs. Lebo seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
Mrs. Cahill made a motion to approve the minutes of the Executive Session for October 12, 2022. Mr. Gutro seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
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Open Forum
Members of the Quincy Education Association urged the Quincy School Committee to negotiate a respect a fair and equitable contract: Carol Austin, Michelle Andrews, Joanne Collins, Rodney Davis, Andrea Curtin, Evangeline Lee, Meghan Matthews, Kate Tedeschi, Janet Bargar, Mollie Ehrlich, Allison McGowan, and Natalie Valente.
Parent Liz Speakman spoke in support of Ballot Question 1, the additional revenue for education will support dedicated Quincy Public School staff.
Parent Courtney Perdios spoke in support of the Quincy Education Association membership.
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Superintendent’s
Report
Superintendent Mulvey announced that 121 Quincy Public Schools professional educators recently received mini-grants of up to $400 each for a total of $40,700.00. The mini-grants will provide support for the academic, emotional, and social development of students. The annual Quincy Public Schools mini-grants are made possible thanks to the generosity of twenty Quincy School~Community Partnership members including Mayor Koch, and over $550,000 has been distributed to date. Congratulations to all of the educators: Lauren Abbott, Sarah Ahearn, Courtney Alcott, Kimberley April, Mary Arventos, Deborah Baird, Molly Belovarac, Ashley Bergin, Stephanie Bogan, Claire Boudreau, Jill Brown, Vanessa Brown, Julia Buben, James Camden, Julie Campbell, Andrew Card, Laurie Carnes, Debbie Cerone, Lisa Chin, Dawn Ciardi, Marianne Collins, Wendy Connell, Patti Cooper, Rebecca Cordero, Michelle Cunniff, Holly Davis, Casey Deaguero, Kimberly DeBello, Kimberly DeLisle, Michael DeMarco, Mallory DeVoe, Thomas Doucette, Katelyn Downey, Patricia Eastwood, Cassandra Feeney, Danielle Fernandez, Meghan FitzGerald, Jesse Flaherty, Marlena Forrester, Pauline Gao, Christina Gilman, Kerry Ginty, Megan Goncalves, Elizabeth Good, Jennifer Griffith, Jill Griffith, Kelli Guarino, JoAnn Hallisey, Gwendolyn Hamilton, Catherine Healy, Maura Healy, Meghan Healy, Patrice Healy, Tracey Henault, Mary Hurley, Michael Imhoff, Zach Innis, Colleen Jackson, Melissa Jankowski, Jillian Jasie, Stephanie Jones, Christine Kelly, Elizabeth Kelly, Patrick Kessler, Christina Kitoski, Julie Krieger, Nicole Kymissis, Sara Lane, Laura Latini, Judith Letteney, Dominique Lucier, Maureen Lynch, Deborah MacDonald, Joseph MacRitchie, Stacey Maydak, Christine McBride, Hope McDonald, Samantha McGrath, Nancy McLaughlin, Mary McMorrow, Rebecca McNealy, Christina McNeil, Aici Mei, Nina Meltzer, Danielle Mullaney, Alison Murphy, Clare Murphy, Jennifer Murphy, Lisa Nasanofsky, Dylan Nauss, Deborah Nelson, Donna Niosi, Sara Onofri, Robyn Paniocco, Deborah Parrish, Megan Patey, Cara Pekarcik, James Phelan, MaryEllen Phillips, Caitlin Plaskasovitis, Christine Powers, Marisa Qualter, Aileen Quilty, Michelle Ramponi, Chris Ranft, John Rogan, Katie Rogier, Renee Roukous, Linda Savage, Isabelle Smith, Breanne Starsiak, Colleen Stravin, Antonio Tenaglia, Dorinda Vale, Victoria Wallace, Kate Walpole, Kathryn White, Joe Wilder, Charles Wilson, Florence Xia, Jessica Young.
Cradles to Crayons has generously included Quincy Public Schools in their new initiative to supply school districts with season-appropriate clothing donations for students ages 3-12 in the fall and spring. Cradles to Crayons provided outfit packs, socks and underwear packs, hygiene kits, and winter coats.
Upcoming community events include: Quincy High School’s Student Council is hosting Haunted Hallways on Thursday, October 27 from 4:30 to 7:00 pm and the Quincy High School Drama Club is presenting The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: A Halloween Panto on Friday, October 28 at 6:00 pm; Saturday, October 29 at 2:00 pm and 6:00 pm; and Sunday, October 30 at 2:00 pm. The Quincy Parent Advisory Council to Special Education is hosting a Trunk or Treat on Sunday, October 30 from 1:00 to 3:00 pm in the Wollaston School parking lot. The first English Learner Parent Advisory Council (ELPAC) Meeting of the year will be held on November 3 at 6:00 pm on Zoom. The dedication of the new Abigail Adams statue on the Hancock Adams Common will be held on Saturday, November 5 at 11:00 am. The North Quincy High School Parent Advisory Council is hosting a Holiday Shopping Expo on November 12 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Superintendent Mulvey updated on recent events: the Quincy/North Quincy High School Marching Band & Colorguard secured a 2nd place finish this past Saturday at the New England Scholastic Band Association competition and qualified for the NESBA Regional Marching Band Finals. This past Sunday, the band and color guard competed at the Massachusetts Instrumental & Choral Conductors Association competition at Veterans Memorial Stadium, earning high marks in Music, Visual, and Percussion and the silver medal.
Superintendent Mulvey concluded his report by announcing that at this morning’s Massachusetts School Building Authority Board Meeting, Quincy was invited into the Accelerated Repair Program for projects at Montclair and Wollaston (partial roof replacements) and Parker (boiler replacement). Next steps will include meeting with the assigned Owner’s Project Manager(s) and beginning the schematic design process, with construction anticipated for Summer 2023.
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Old Business
MASC Resolutions
(Vote)
Mrs. Hubley reviewed that at next week’s Massachusetts Association of School Committee Conference, there will be a membership General Session on November 2 and she will be representing the Quincy School Committee. Mrs. Hubley reviewed that there are six resolutions for consideration, she will cast a vote on each as the School Committee representative.
Mrs. Lebo made a motion to abstain from a position on MASC Resolution #1, seconded by Mrs. Cahill. On a roll call vote, the ayes have it, 6-0. Mr. Bregoli was absent.
Mr. Gutro made a motion to support MASC Resolution #2, seconded by Mrs. Cahill. On a roll call vote, the ayes have it, 4-2. Mr. Bregoli was absent. Mr. Santoro and Mayor Koch voted No.
Mr. Gutro made a motion to support MASC Resolution #3, seconded by Mrs. Lebo. On a roll call vote, the ayes have it, 6-0. Mr. Bregoli was absent.
Mrs. Lebo made a motion to support MASC Resolution #4, seconded by Mrs. Cahill. On a roll call vote, the ayes have it, 6-0. Mr. Bregoli was absent.
Mr. Gutro made a motion to support MASC Resolution #5, seconded by Mrs. Lebo. On a roll call vote, the ayes have it, 6-0. Mr. Bregoli was absent.
Mrs. Lebo made a motion to abstain from a position on MASC Resolution #6, seconded by Mrs. Cahill. On a roll call vote, the ayes have it, 6-0. Mr. Bregoli was absent.
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New Business
Early Childhood
Program Improvement
Plan Presentation
Team Administrators Kerri Connolly and Jennifer Leary presented the Early Childhood Program Improvement Plan, reviewing the program structure of Integrated Pre-Kindergarten and CARES classes located at the Della Chiesa Early Childhood Center, Point Webster Middle School, and Snug Harbor Community School. Full-Day Kindergarten classrooms are in all eleven elementary school locations. Supports for Occupational, Physical, and Speech & Language Therapy are provided in all locations. All Kindergarten and Pre-Kindergarten classrooms are staffed by a teacher and one or more Paraprofessionals. Curriculum is aligned with Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks for English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Social & Emotional Learning. Both Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten have an array of curriculum and assessment materials for age-appropriate instruction and student achievement.
In reflecting on last year’s goals, the Integrated Pre-Kindergarten team implemented age-appropriate components of Community Circles as part of their daily routines, with an emphasis on expected behaviors, respect, and enhancing social skills. The Integrated Pre-Kindergarten team also collaborated to develop classroom practices to help students identify feelings and emotions in themselves and others. The Kindergarten teachers’ goals were focused on new curriculum initiatives: initial implementation of Illustrative Mathematics and the new early literacy universal and dyslexia screener, Amplify mCLASS with Dibels.
For 2022-2023, the goals for the Integrated Pre-Kindergarten Team are to (1) implement daily literacy activities to increase student learning in the area of phonological awareness, in which students learn to manipulate language and hear the sounds in spoken words and (2) to introduce a monthly character trait and incorporate character education into play theme activities. The Kindergarten Team will fully implement Illustrative Mathematics core math resource to meet the academic standards presented in the 2017 Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for Mathematics.
Mr. Gutro asked if there is a cap on the number of students enrolled in Pre-Kindergarten, Ms. Connolly said there are currently 359 students enrolled. Since the majority of the classes are integrated special education and typically developing students, additional classes can be added if the number of special education students grows.
Mrs. Lebo noted that Pre-Kindergarten students attend school two or four half days per week in the Integrated program.
Mr. Santoro asked about District Determined Measures, Ms. Connolly explained that there is an Assessment checklist developed by the Pre-Kindergarten team and used by teachers to evaluate skill developments.
Mr. Santoro asked about English Learner needs for Pre-Kindergarten students. Ms. Connolly said that picture clues are used as much as possible and Ms. Graham said there is a Pre-Kindergarten English Learner screening tool.
Mrs. Cahill made a motion, seconded by Mrs. Lebo to approve the Early Childhood Program Improvement Plan. On a voice vote, the ayes have it.
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New Business
Literacy Program
Improvement Plan
Presentation
Coordinator of English Language Arts and Literacy Bridget Vaughan presented the Literacy Program Improvement Plan, sharing the new instructional vision statement developed by a team of educators: All students will have an equitable experience with English Language Arts in reading, writing, listening, and speaking, based on the science of reading. Students will develop these necessary skills that are the foundations for creative and purposeful expression in language. The Quincy Public Schools Literacy program was developed to identify and support students in Kindergarten through Grade 2 who struggle to acquire foundational literacy skills. Students are selected by the Integrated Learning Team based on assessment results and overall reading performance. Students are tiered into a three-level system indicating the degree of support required.
In reflecting on last year’s goals, Kindergarten through Grade 2 students improved their foundational reading skills as evidenced by an overall decrease in the number of tier 3 students, by more than 5% at each grade level. For Grade 3, the targeted increase of RIT points on the MAP Assessment was met.
Literacy Team goals for 2022-2023 are (1) Kindergarten through Grade 2 students will improve their foundational reading skills as evidenced by an overall decrease in the number of tier 3 students. This will be measured by a decrease of 10% for Grades K-1 students and a decrease of 5% for Grade 2 students. (2) To support the district goal of improving reading comprehension through small group instruction and implementation of targeted reading interventions, as evidenced by an increase of 10 RIT points for Grades 2 and 3.
Information about the array of curriculum options, related professional development, and the GLEAM grant funding for the new Tier 1 core ELA program was shared with School Committee.
Mrs. Hubley asked about Literacy program staffing, six elementary schools have one Literacy Specialist, while the other five schools have two or as many as four Literacy staff members. Ms. Vaughan said the staffing is adjusted based on the number of students needing Literacy interventions at each school.
Mrs. Cahill said the deliberateness of the Literacy program is evident through the student successes.
Mr. Gutro made a motion, seconded by Mrs. Cahill to approve the Literacy Program Improvement Plan. On a voice vote, the ayes have it.
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New Business
Superintendent’s
2021-2022 Summative
Evaluation
Mayor Koch shared that School Committee has received the Summative Evaluation form for Superintendent Mulvey, populated with the Superintendent and District Improvement Plan goals for this past school year, 2021-2022. The members have also been provided with supporting materials from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education on the Superintendent evaluation process including evaluation rubrics. The completed evaluation form can be returned to Ms. Owens by Wednesday, November 9. The individual evaluations, including comments, will be compiled into a composite summative evaluation to be reviewed at the November 16 School Committee meeting.
Mrs. Lebo reminded School Committee that Superintendent Mulvey presented a review of his progress towards his 2021-2022 goals at the October 12, 2022 School Committee meeting.
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New Business
Referral to EDI
Subcommittee
Mr. Gutro made a motion to refer Accountability Date to the Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Subcommittee for review. Mrs. Hubley seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
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New Business
Student Travel Requests
Out of State/Overnight
Mrs. Lebo made a motion to approve Quincy High School Grades 10-12 students to the Yale University Model Congress in New Haven, Connecticut on December 1-4, 2022. Mrs. Hubley seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
Mrs. Hubley made a motion approve Point Webster Middle School Grade 8 to New York City, New York on June 8-9, 2023. Mrs. Lebo seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
On the motion, Mrs. Lebo is concerned about the cost of the trip and students being excluded. Superintendent Mulvey said there are fundraising opportunities for students to help defray the costs.
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New Business
Student Travel Requests
Out of State/Overnight
Mrs. Cahill made a motion approve Quincy High School Grades 9-12 to Paris, France and Milan & Rome, Italy on April 14-23, 2023. Mr. Gutro seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
Mr. Gutro made a motion approve North Quincy High School Grades 9-12 to Paris, France and Barcelona, Spain on July 12-21, 2023. Mrs. Cahill seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
Mrs. Hubley noted the form is missing a nurse’s signature. Ms. Owens said that once students have signed up for the trip, an updated form will be submitted with the required signature.
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Additional Business
Mr. Santoro asked School Committee to consider a late submission for student travel.
Mrs. Hubley made a motion approve North Quincy AFROTC to Windsor, Connecticut on November 19, 2022. Mrs. Lebo seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
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Communications
Mr. Santoro noted that Regular School Committee meetings are scheduled for November 16, 2022 and December 7, 2022 at 6:30 pm at the Coddington Building. Upcoming Subcommittee meetings include Teaching & Learning on November 9, November 14, November 28, November 29, and November 30, 2022, where the School Improvement Plans will be presented.
Mrs. Lebo said that Superintendent Mulvey and Mr. Segalla have sent letter to DESE objecting to an additional hours requirement for CVTE programs. Mrs. Lebo asked for the letter to be shared with School Committee.
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Reports of
Subcommittees
There were no Reports of Subcommittees.
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Executive Session
Mayor Koch made a motion to move to Executive Session for the purpose of Contract Negotiations at 8:05 pm. Mrs. Hubley seconded the motion and on a roll call vote, the ayes have it, 6-0. Mr. Bregoli was absent.
School Committee will not return to the Regular Meeting following the conclusion of Executive Session.
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Adjournment
Since School Committee did not return from Executive Session, the Regular Meeting was adjourned at 8:05 pm.
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