Quincy, MASSACHUSETTS – May 18, 2022
Regular Meeting of the Quincy School Committee
A meeting of the Quincy School Committee was held on Wednesday, May 18, 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, Mr. Paul Bregoli, Mrs. Tina Cahill, Mr. Doug Gutro, Mrs. Kathryn Hubley, Mrs. Emily Lebo, and Mr. Frank Santoro, Vice Chair.
Also present were: Superintendent Kevin Mulvey, Assistant Superintendent Erin Perkins, Ms. Allison Cox, Mr. Michael Draicchio, Mr. James Mullaney, Ms. Madeline Roy; and Ms. Laura Owens, Clerk.
School Committee observed a moment of silence for the people of the Ukraine and the men and women of our armed forces at home and overseas.
Superintendent Mulvey recognized former Quincy Public Schools employee Edward Smith, 32 years as an educator and administrator and Joseph Mulligan, father of City Councillor at Large Anne Mahoney, both passed away recently.
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.
Approval of Minutes
Mrs. Hubley made a motion to approve the minutes of the Regular Meeting for May 4, 2022. Mr. Bregoli seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
Mrs. Lebo made a motion to approve the minutes of the Executive Session for May 4, 2022. Mr. Gutro seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
Ms. Veronica Bertrand, parent of Quincy Public Schools student, is concerned about harassment and cyberbullying at South~West Middle School. Ms. Bertrand urged School Committee to implement a policy limiting the use of cell phones in school.
School Committee recognized North Quincy High School senior Kiera Sleiman, who has been appointed to the US Naval Academy. A member of the National Honor Society, graduating with a 4.21 average, Kiera is also a talented scholar-athlete in track & field (holding school records in long jump and pentathalon).
School Committee also recognized students who received recognition from the 99th Annual Boston Globe/Scholastic Art & Writing Awards: Sophie Nerine, NQHS and Christiana Nguyen, QHS both received Silver Key Awards for Writing. Several NQHS students were recognized for accomplishments in Art: Anna Sekmoukas (Silver Key), Christine Lin (Honorable Mention), Hao Zheng (Honorable Mention), Meiying Wu (2 Golden Keys and an Honorable Mention) Gold Key artwork is displayed in an online regional showcase through the Museum of Fine Art School at Tufts University.
Superintendent Mulvey continued his report by updating that Quincy Public Schools enrollment is 9,948 for Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12, an increase of 24 students since the May 4 School Committee Meeting.
For COVID-19 statistics, there were 398 student and 81 staff cases in the two weeks ending May 17, an increase from the previous two weeks. 2,656 staff and students are participating in pooled testing, 23.2% of the staff and students in the district with a 1.66% positivity rate. Just under 2,300 staff and students are signed up to receive home testing kits.
Superintendent Mulvey concluded his report by reviewing recent QPS Family Engagement events: The Quincy Multicultural Festival, a collaboration of Quincy Public Schools and the Citywide Parent Council EDI Subcommittee was held Thursday, May 5 at Pageant Field. The event was attended by hundreds of QPS students and families, who enjoyed the music and dance performances, games and activities, and food trucks that provided connections from cultures all over the world. Upcoming events include the Quincy ArtsFest, May 21 & 22 at the Koch Family Park & Recreational Complex; NQHS Drama Presents The Addams Family Musical on May 21 & 22; English Learner Parent Advisory Council Meeting on May 23 via Zoom; the Welcome to Kindergarten Parent Academy on May 26 at 6:00 pm at Central Middle School; the All-City Band & Pops Concert on May 31 at 7:00 pm at Quincy High School; Elementary & Middle School Robotics on Saturday, May 21 at Quincy High School; the Clifford Marshall/Point Webster Family Fun Run on May 21 at 9:00 am at the Clifford Marshall Elementary School; and the Montclair Elementary School May Festival on May 21 beginning at 10:00 am.
There was no Old Business on the Agenda.
FY2023 City of Quincy
Mayor Koch gave an overview of the FY2023 City of Quincy Budget, presented to City Council last week and they are beginning their Finance Committee hearings for departments this evening. There are three sources of revenue for the city, property taxes, local receipts, and state aid. Health insurance is up 9% this year, these increased costs are not being passed on costs to staff and the Quincy Public Schools employee health insurance costs are carried on the city side. Chapter 70 funding was increased by $3.5 million, thanks to the support of the legislative delegation. Thanks to City Council, there is tremendous support for Quincy Public Schools, in terms of direct allocation and the work of other City departments, including Police, Natural Resources, Public Buildings, and City IT.
In comparison to other cities and towns, schools are clearly a priority in Quincy. The investment in schools benefits all residents in addition to the direct benefit to our students and their families.
FY2023 Quincy Public
Superintendent Mulvey introduced the preliminary FY2023 Quincy Public Schools budget, the generosity of the allocation from Mayor Koch and the City Council will allow for addressing needs of our students in terms of class sizes at the high school level and provide for additional positions to meet social-emotional needs. Additional funding will be available through ESSER so that the foundation of service delivery can be maintained and enhanced.
Director of Business James Mullaney reviewed that students are at the center of the budget development, meeting with the principals and members of the Superintendent’s Leadership team to review the line items. $126,439,644 total budget; consisting of the Mayor’s appropriation, CARES ESSER funding, and Circuit Breaker funding. With the associated costs carried on the city side of the budget, close to 50% of the entire City of Quincy budget is focused on Quincy Public Schools. The per pupil expenditure averages $17,000. After budgeting to meet all contractual obligations, there is approximately $4.2 million available for program enhancements. Proposals include 6 new teachers for North Quincy High School to address class size issues, reserve funding for raises for all Quincy Public Schools staff, an additional 0.5 Art Teacher, 1 ELL Teacher, 1 CVTE teacher (0.5 at both high schools for Health Education), 1.0 Physical Education, and 1.5 Special Education. (In addition, two elementary Math Interventionist positions will be grant funded.) For Academic Support, the proposal is to add 1 Psychologist, 1.0 Assistant Principal for Montclair, 5 Special Education paraprofessionals. For non-Academic Support, 1 Office Paraprofessional for Broad Meadows, 3 Security Guards (Grant funding).
For Subsidized Services: Food Services is expected to begin charging for meal service in September 2022. Mr. Mullaney recommends that the charges reflect the minimum required by the USDA. For Building Rentals, there were significant decreases in revenue due to rentals being limited during COVID. Recommending no change in the rate structure for Building Rentals or Transportation. For Athletics, there was a significant uptick in revenue for user fees and gate receipt, recommending to keep the fees the same.
In summary, the budget increases would be allocated 45% to Academic Classroom Teachers, 31% to Academic Programs, 19% to Academic Support, and 5% to Non-Academic Support.
Mr. Gutro thanked Mayor Koch for the generous Quincy Public Schools budget and also the state legislative delegation for the increase in Chapter 70 funding. Mr. Gutro noted that enrollment has continued to increase, and asked if there are enough teachers to address the potentially larger class size. Ms. Perkins said that some positions have been shifted between schools at the elementary levels to address the fluctuation in enrollment.
Mrs. Lebo asked Mr. Mullaney to explain how Chapter 70 funding is allocated at the state level. Municipal contribution is determined by revenue income and wealth of the community (value of real estate). Other urban districts receive larger allocations due to those two factors.
Mrs. Lebo asked for clarification, the Academic Expenses are being level funded, no increases in any categories.
Mrs. Lebo asked about the EPA Grant for electric school buses, Mr. Mullaney said we have received a grant to assist in purchasing four buses, there are additional expenses for charging stations. Looking for additional grant opportunities, collaborating with Director of Energy & Sustainability in the Public Buildings department.
Mayor Koch noted that debt service in the city is largely attributed to new school construction, thanks to the Massachusetts School Building Authority and Treasurer Goldberg for their support for our building projects.
Mayor Koch made a motion to move the draft budget to the Budget & Finance Subcommittee for discussion at the next meeting on May 25. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Cahill and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
Superintendent Mulvey introduced the review of Student Discipline in Quincy Public Schools, which is regulated under Massachusetts General Law, including Chapter 222 of the Acts of 2012. The Acts made significant changes to student discipline, particularly for Special Education students but affects all Quincy Public Schools students. There is an emphasis on building positive school cultures through evidence-based practices as prevention, implementing progressive discipline, and implementing alternatives to avoid suspension to address misconduct. Superintendent Mulvey that discipline is individual, each case must be addressed based on the facts involved. Access to education must be provided even during out of building suspension or expulsion, through tutoring or online programs such as Accelus.
Ms. Perkins reviewed the processes, defined in statuatory sections 37H(a), 37H(b), 37 ½, and 37H 3/4, the emergency removal process, the process for conducting a hearing, and the right to appeal to the Superintendent of Schools (for suspensions of 10 or more days). There are procedures and timelines defined under the statutes. For students with disabilities (IEP or 504), a manifest determination hearing must be held with the IEP team prior to the student being suspended for 10 days or longer (single incident or cumulative in a school year). If the behavior was the result of the student’s disability or the failure of the school to properly implement the student’s IEP, then suspension or expulsion cannot be imposed. When students move into a new district, these procedures must be implemented even for existing situations.
Discipline data is reported to the Department of Elementary & Secondary Education under the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) and School Safety & Discipline Report (SSDR). The SSDR is used to identify schools and districts with data reflecting significant disparities in the rate of suspension and expulsion. Reporting of 2021-2022 data for the CRDC will happen in Fall 2022, the SSDR is submitted in summer.
Data was shared for the previous four school years (2017-2018, 2018-2019, 2019-2020, and 2020-2021). Ms. Perkins noted that the 2020-2021 data reflects the pandemic and that many students attended school through remote learning all year. There were declines between 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 due to the participation in DESE’s Rethinking Discipline initiative for middle and high schools. Data for 2021-2022 will be shared with School Committee after it is compiled at the end of the school year.
Mrs. Lebo asked about discretion at the school level, Ms. Perkins said that the principals and assistant principals consult with Superintendent Mulvey, Ms. Perkins, and Ms. Papile to determine discipline or alternative approaches to managing incidents. Mrs. Lebo is concerned about establishing expectations about consistency for the Principals. Superintendent Mulvey said the monthly Principal team meetings are an opportunity to reinforce this process with staff.
Superintendent Mulvey said that there have been templates developed for consistent notification across the district. Assistance is offered especially for the most complicated cases.
Mr. Gutro asked if there are assemblies that detail to students disruptive actions and consequences, Superintendent Mulvey confirmed that these are done at the middle and high school level. The Student Rights & Responsibilities Handbook is available on the QPS website. Superintendent Mulvey said that Parent Academy events have been held on social media, vaping, and mental health issues that lead to in-school behavioral problems.
Mrs. Cahill asked what happens when a student’s parents are non-responsive, Ms. Perkins said this is a challenge, reasonable effort must be made to engage the parent, but the process can go on. Mrs. Cahill asks if the student appeals the suspension, will this be removed from their record and the incident is still documented even if there was remediation.
Mr. Bregoli is concerned about bullying, asked if state monitoring of discipline impacts the principals implementation of effective discipline. Ms. Perkins said that the pandemic has really had a heightened impact on our students, the incident rate is higher this year. Quincy Public Schools was cited in 2017-2018 for over-suspension of students of color at two middle schools.
Mr. Bregoli asked about disciplinary consequences for bullying, Superintendent Mulvey said that because of student confidentiality, the student and family cannot know the disposition. The gravity and specific nature of the offenses are factors, and significant discipline has been imposed.
Mr. Bregoli feels that bullying is underreported in elementary and middle schools, Ms. Perkins said there is a specific definition of persistent and harmful behavior that must be met to meet the criteria for something being classified as bullying.
Mr. Bregoli noted that the Student Rights & Responsibilities Handbook spells out specific behaviors and consequences.
Mr. Bregoli asked about the process for enrolling a student who was excluded in a previous district who moves into a new district. Ms. Perkins said the entire process must be followed in the new district to determine whether the exclusion can be upheld, but educational access must be provided. Superintendent Mulvey said these can be very complicated and we sometimes need the support of the Quincy Police Department with this process.
Mrs. Hubley asked about incident reports being in student files, Ms. Perkins said the historic conduct history is visible on Aspen and is a factor when considering discipline.
Mrs. Lebo said that effect of the pandemic on students is profound, there needs to be a discussion about the use of cell phones and getting students back to basics.
Mr. Gutro asked about information sharing between districts, student discipline records are supposed to be forwarded but some school systems are more consistent than others. Superintendent Mulvey said we share the information on our students when they move on to other districts.
Mr. Gutro asked if there are more discipline issues with transfer students, Superintendent Mulvey said the rate is is consistent year to year.
Mayor Koch thanked the presenters, this is a view into all the work that goes on behind the scenes. Mayor Koch agrees that cell phone usage has become an issue and would like to be sure that the message is being consistently sent that appropriate discipline is important.
Mayor Koch asked if the GOALS program is a typical program statewide. Ms. Perkins said several other cities have these programs, but it is not usual. Mayor Koch asked if this assists when our data is evaluated, Ms. Perkins said that this prevents us from excluding more students. Mayor Koch said that the vast majority of Quincy Public Schools students are doing the right thing every day.
There was no Additional Business.
Mr. Santoro noted that School Committee’s last Regular Meeting of the school year will be held on June 15, 2022 at 6:30 pm in the Coddington Building. Upcoming Subcommittee Meetings include FY2023 Budget& Finance and Facilities, Security & Transportation on May 25, 2022; and the FY2023 Budget Public Hearing, and FY2023 Budget& Finance and Teaching & Learning on June 1, 2022, all beginning at 6:00 pm.
Mr. Santoro noted that Subcommittee minutes are published on the School Committee page of the Quincy Public Schools website (quincypublicschools.com)
Mr. Santoro reviewed the FY2022 Quarterly Budget & Finance Subcommittee meeting that was held on May 11, 2022. Director of Business James Mullaney presented an overview of the Quincy Public Schools salaries and expenses to date for the 3rd quarter ending March 30 2022.
Mrs. Lebo reviewed the May 11, 2022 Teaching & Learning Subcommittee meeting, where an overview of the Early College High School program was presented, along with an update on new curriculum for English Language Arts and Mathematics for elementary school.
As there were no corrections, the minutes of the May 11, 2022 Quarterly Budget & Finance and Teaching & Learning Subcommittees were approved as presented.
Mayor Koch made a motion to adjourn to Executive Session for the purpose of Contract Negotiations at 8:50 pm, seconded by Mr. Bregoli. On a roll call vote, the ayes have it, 7-0. School Committee will not return to Regular Session.
Since School Committee moved to Executive Session and will not return, the May 18, 2022 Regular Meeting was adjourned at 8:50 pm.