 This program is brought to you by cable franchise V's and generous donations from viewers like you So I'm seeing a presence of a quorum. I'm calling to order This meeting of the regional school committee and when I call your name, please indicate that you're present Mr. Deming Deming present Mr. Herringhorn Herrington present Oh Kenny present, sorry, I didn't hear you Thank you. Um, miss present and miss Seager Seager present Miss Spitzer and miss Dancer live and not present. I'll go back miss Spitzer. I'm McDonald present I'm present. Sorry. Just having connection issues. Okay. Great And so we are to order and just for the folks watching at home We are being live streamed on Amherst media on channel 15 and Amherst and on Amherst media's Website, thank you to Amherst media And now as our first order of business, I'm going to move that we move into executive session To discuss strategy with respected collective bargaining bargaining or litigation of the APA and AFS CME if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining or litigation position of the public body and the chair So declares and I declare with intention of returning to open session The move by McDonald's is there a second Second second and by Harrington and we'll take a roll call vote and mr. Deming Deming I Mr. Harrington Harrington I miss Kenny Kenny I miss Lord Lord I miss Seager Seager I miss Spitzer Spitzer I miss dancer Mr. Sullivan Don't live an eye and McDonald's I So we will now move into executive session And I'll take a roll call vote and a roll call attendance. Please state present when I call your name mr. Deming Deming present mr. Harrington Harrington present miss Lord Lord present miss Spitzer Spitzer present and McDonald present Miss Hall All right, I'll call to order this meeting of the Pelham school committee at 704 and I'll start with roll call attendance miss Kenny Kenny present miss Barlow Barlow present miss Dancer answer present and Hall present and I don't see Ron that Okay, I did let Ron know that the meeting was he emailed me a couple minutes ago. I said we're ready for you So I imagine he's just popping on. Okay. Thank you great and Okay, so our first order of business is to approve the minutes And a quick agenda change. We actually have already approved several of these minutes and on August 13th We have approved the minutes of July 20th July 21st and July 28th and On August 25th. We approved the minutes from August 6th So tonight we're reviewing August 13 2025 and September 2nd 8th and 9th Mr. Demling Did you say July 28th was approved or was not approved? It was okay Um then my only edit in all of the Minutes you mentioned is August 13th Page four, which I'm sorry. It's gonna take me a little while to find but August 13th. I'm sorry page seven I'm talking about clubs and it says cubs It's just a small typo. That's my only input Staying on August 13th on page two of August 13th Which is 42 of the packet And our item six. I believe Obed's name is obed. I had a question mark on the page three the next page the second paragraph down where it says Dr. Morris said we are tracking the bilingual population to make sure we have relatively situated classes and I wasn't sure What I don't know Dr. Morris if you remember what you were saying at that point It's regarding the coming on to this program I don't that's not ringing a bell to me. Oh class sizes. Okay I think C. Lo was voting. Yeah, I think it was about the balance of the class size. That's right Well done remembering C. Lo And a little further down under item eight It says senator Comerford and representative. It should be blaze B. L. A. I. S. And that's all I had on 13th does any miss Segar I think you're muted still miss Segar. Can you unmute? Yep, sorry about that Page five towards the bottom the second to last sentence says miss Segar asked what would happen if the public health data Indicates that we should close schools if the data signifies otherwise I think it was local public health data I think I was asking about what if you know something so local that it's it's not represented at the state level yet I'm not sure how to rewrite that but maybe just adding local public health data Mr. Harrington Yeah, oh no, so page five at the top Section B. It says dr. Morris think the committee members for coming out to the outreach event last weekend on south Hadley road It was impactful for village park families Was that I'm not sure was that referring to the east the one on east Hadley road, which would have been south point So so that the two changes would be east Hadley road and that it was impactful for our south or Oh, that's south point with south point boulders, et cetera families That's all I had. Yep Miss Kenny Um, I actually also found another typo on page seven. Here's the bottom. It says I think it's supposed to say Miss mcdonald, but it says dms mcdonald But I think it's just I think it's just a typo Yes Anything more in the 13th? I'm looking at the 20th august 20th And anybody have edits on 20th? Miss Kenny um And under number six, I think it should have been olympia oaks and village park The locations as a town hall. Yep, or so I had on page Four of that same one. Um the second paragraph down Um, it's that miss mcdonald said that we would change the language um to upon vote or when Actually, I don't know exactly the words, but it's when it instead of from it was going to be from declaration of ending of the emergency to Change the language to upon school committee rescinding it and then Further down on that same page under the description of the edh public engagement at committee meetings that first line um, it should say this policy updates us based unrevised model policy and Policy from other massachusetts school committees and on the page five Towards the bottom The third paragraph from the bottom that starts with mr. Manino asked if we could use a numerical Scale It says mr. Demling said that once you make an evaluation you cannot break any laws And i'm gonna look to mr. Demling to if he remembers what he was saying this was about the evaluation Yeah, and I think the general sense was um People were asking what the legal What you're who's legally allowed to participate in an evaluation and then wondering about What you should comment on where like where you should put the covet stuff and where you should put the Previously established goal stuff I guess I was just making the general point that When you do the evaluation, there's there's no right or wrong way to do it in terms of legal requirements You it's it's it's not possible. So if you mention Covid and during one of the goal sections, for example, it's you're not You're not breaking any law. I'm not sure how to say that in a uh, it's a distinct way Maybe it's you won't break any laws by answering the survey The way you wish to sure any more on August 20th Seeing none So august 25th Miss seager and then miss kenny I was not at that meeting but it has me in attendance As I believe that meeting was the 25th was a tuesday not a thursday miss hall Oh, actually, uh miss kenny was first. Sorry. Oh miss kenny. Sorry Well, I was in attendance So maybe that's what happened and then I also found on page four um It says sign, but I think it's supposed to say six just will typo there miss hall Just on the call to order it has for pelham It should show me calling to order the pelham school committee not the regional on page five of that The left the paragraph right above the fall 2020 update It says miss mcdonnell move to approve policy and then it says bedh I believe that should be ebc f a because It shows the region approving bedh twice. So I think if you just change that one to ebc f a works We're good. Uh any more on the 25th Seeing none. So we'll move on to september 2nd miss hall Yeah, just a more cleanup on the um Calling to order and the various votes. Um, so hang on um Sorry in number five. It should say that I called the pelham school committee to order and then Down below in the adjourn Section just to clean that up so that amherst adjourned amherst and that I adjourned the uh regional school committee Not I mean sorry pelham not region Um, and I believe I see miss kenny is missing from the attendance list on this one as well and and actually Um, I can't remember the date, but at some point ron menino Um left the region and his only pelham and said and Miss kenny is pelham and region So I believe that should be the august 25th as well, correct? I think that's right Yeah, miss dancer three athletics in the second paragraph second sentence um, I think we need to add Where it said mia modifications we need to add for cross country it It describes modifications, but it doesn't say it's for cross country on number ten in the fourth paragraph It just it says virtual form and I think it should just be forum. I think that's just a typo Number 11 the fall update paragraph four the second line it says face masks And I believe that face shield and I wonder if because that's a such a significant donation if we should actually put in 11 000 face shields Because that I think dr. Morris that was what you noted There were face mask Oh generation And to be clear that that it's just that one line that it should be changed to face shields because the next line is Correct that it should be cloth face mask. Yes But they were actually healed and they were 11 000 face shields anymore on september 2nd Moving on to september 8th Just a little more cleanup. So number six it has me calling to order the region again um And then down at the bottom It just needs to be added a section showing pelum adjourning. There's no doesn't show pelum adjourning that meeting miss dancer A couple of small things in number three That first line it's got last week twice and I I think we just need to clean up that sentence and take out one of the last weeks And then um in number 11 The fourth paragraph midway down. Mr. Manino asked what presence a student from group a joining group b I think that presence Anymore on september 8th Welcome, mr. Manino okay so um Our agenda says that we also had september 9th, but I don't think we even met on september 9th So there and there's no a minutes for september 9th. So What we are look what we would be looking for motion on would be to approve the minutes of august 13th august 20 august 25th september 2nd and september 8th Mr. Demley So moved for the animal school committee. I'll second that so for amherst moved by demling seconded by mcdonald We'll take a real call vote. Mr. Demling Demling aye Mr. Harrington Harrington aye Miss lord Lord aye Miss spitzer Spitzer aye And mcdonald's aye and the motion passes unanimously. We'll make a motion for the region to Approve the five meeting minutes as amended Is there a second? I move by move by mcdonald's second by stancer And we'll take a real call vote mr. Demling Demling aye Mr. Harrington Harrington aye Miss lord Lord aye Miss spitzer Spitzer aye Sorry miss kenny Kenny aye Miss seager Seager aye Miss stancer Stancer aye Mr. Sullivan Sullivan aye And mcdonald's aye Did I miss anybody? No And the motion passes nine to zero Chair hall All right, I'll make the motion for the Pelham school committee for the minutes for those five meetings. Is there a second? A second Seconded by stancer. All right, we'll do a real call vote. Miss Barlow Barlow aye Miss Kenny Kenny aye Miss stancer Dancer aye Mr. Menino Menino aye And hall aye So we will now move on to our public comment And tonight we have one voice message and one email message And they're both related so I will Play the voice message now To those I live in Montague and am a teacher in Amherst Leaving a public comment today Tuesday September 29th And the comment is a reference to the cluster of cases that you mass and The question of of how that might impact our public schools Actions are openings and I just want to really encourage people to think about indoor air quality You know with the the issue that this virus Is often passed through indoor air I'm going to send a link to Austin McDonald from an article in the new york times yesterday about Indoor air quality and some simple things that can be done to Make it safer regarding virus transmission You know as we're getting ready to open up. I think we It's tough, but we do need to really keep that safety issue in mind at the same time as we are making plans to open up it and You know trying to move forward with that as well just keeping safety in mind I think that you know the cluster is probably going to Grow as as people look into it more and learn more about it Um, so, uh, thank you for taking my comment and I will send the link via email yesterday's new york times monday's new york times Thanks a lot, right? Share my screen are folks able to see this so this uh This comment document is posted already on our website if you go to the regional school committee agendas webpage The link to this document is there And for anybody interested can link to the new york times article from there as well We are right on time so We will Move on to our superintendents update Dr. Morris And i'll be very brief because most of it will be in the fall 2020 update section But I have a nice update. I wanted to share that mark more already. He was a high school teacher Been with us for many years was recently notified by the university of chicago that he was selected a university of chicago outstanding educator after having been nominated by high school alumna milio levin's page so we're really thrilled that um He's getting the recognition for this and it's great that our graduates still think back to their high school experience With that sense of appreciation for the educators who affected them So just want to share that I'll plenty more to share when we get to the agenda topics But that's my only non-fall 2020 Related up a return to school related update Thank you So moving on to the chairs update. I actually have two two quick updates. Um the I'm going to get out. It's the collaborative for educational services Board meeting is is this week Mr. Sullivan Have been serving as the representative for the regional school committee and on ces board and he's volunteered to continue in that role this year and I as for those from the amherst school committee, I did put a call out for volunteers to serve on that and Ms. Lord has volunteered to serve in that capacity So assuming the rest of the committee is amenable to that appointment, then Ms. Lord will serve as our Amherst school committee representative on the ces Great. Thank you both for for your service and that Chair hall, do you have any chair updates? I don't thank you Uh And now we're on to the next item, which is school committee announcements. All right. Does anybody on the committee have announcements Mr. Demling So I want to thank senator cumberford for alerting Our committees as well as our local governments to a study that's going on at the state looking at minimum local contribution and To avoid getting totally wonky that the roll-up of this is that this is an aspect of state aid to school districts That is looking at basically how much Local districts should pay and how much they get back in addition to chapter 70 Hold harmless is a big piece of this. It basically says that if your enrollment declines that you don't get less than what you got Last year. It's a massive component of our funding if this was lost. Amherst would lose more than three million region More than five million. So we're talking about potential catastrophic loss of staff and services And there are business groups that are advocating for just that for the removal of hold harmless and so Um, I want to thank your amherst town council. I know that this is on their radar as well Um, this will maybe come up a little more in our agenda planning Um chair mcdonald, but I think this is an opportunity for uh for advocacy It's kind of a short window October 16th is the deadline for public comment Um, but it's it's something that is critical to our level at state funding. Um, and something we At least for a couple weeks should focus on trying to get a strong message out Thank you. Yeah Dr. Morris Just adding to mr. Demling's comment. Um, well, I don't have a figure. Pelham was is also a whole harmless district So it affects all three districts present tonight. Are there any other announcements from committee members? We are moving right along. Um So now we'll move on to our new and continuing business and we'll start with um the fall 2020 update um from dr. Morris Thank you. Um, so, uh It's kind of five things. I want to go over or six things. I want to go over so I'll try to pace myself. Um, but um, I'll share them One is just an update on the UMass who's public comment about the UMass cluster. I want to share information about that Uh information about hotspots and is because that's come up About distance learning and how that's going Uh about ventilation testing which we have more information about and just a little bit about caregiver video Training in a video that was sent out to phase one families this morning. Those are kind of the The highlights I want to go over. So uh, I'll go in order. So, um, I want to thank UMass The administration at UMass as well as the town for being in touch with me very frequently Um and our staff um, Joe Consolino as well About the cluster they have there So I've had daily updates from the university as well as the town since this all started playing out on Friday And so, you know, we feel good about the communication that's happened at this point We're not seeing a resulting increase in the community Which is one of the things that um the public health folks that advised me that Not that the cluster is good But it'd be more problematic if you looked at the larger community and saw rapid increase in the non UMass related parts of the town Um to date we have not seen that it's something we're actively looking at. Um And so we continue to have communication on that topic. Um, but at this point It's not something that would uh with the data we have right now preclude us from returning to school In person on Thursday It is something that um, if conditions change decision making matrices may change and so I want to be realistic that we don't know what we don't know Uh, but talking to the public health folks Uh in the town and and university There's not been a recommendation to not open on Thursday with the information we currently have So we're going to follow that recommendation and our plan is to open on Thursday I know there were some questions about that want to be really clear. Um You know, I don't want to be pessimistic, but again if if the information changes I want to make sure it's a conditional statement. We're looking forward to open with the with the information We have now if there's a rapid change of information. We'll be communicating that out, but um The information I got as recently as Hour and a half ago from UMass Is status quo information and status quo information is good information for us in terms of Any uh, we're more concerned about the new information. The status quo is what we know and that's where we are Today and we plan to open on Thursday with that Um, I think the larger point it is Something that we'll have to continue to watch for um and communicate continue to communicate with the university in the town Yes, you know, we've had a transition and health directors in the town with jennifer brown Fortunately, she's been known and worked for the town for a while But we'll have a new health director coming in but I think again that communication and collaboration is going to be critical moving forward Um, I'm going to skip around actually. I'm not going to go in order So I'll go to ventilation testing. So, uh, it's on our website now as well as the committee has received it today We had our next round of ventilation testing Um, and the good news was with the exception of one space at the high school that tested out under four Air changes per hour all the other ones with modifications or fixes to the hvac systems Ended up over four air changes per hour and are ready for use and the one that didn't is one that we weren't really planning on using much anyway, so that was a You know, um That was okay. It was it was going to need major major renovation of hvac systems in that room. So, uh, we had we Um, we had that concern looking at it after the first round of testing Um, and that's where we are The second round of testing also tested the phases the spaces for phase two at the elementary level Um, and fortunately at fort river At wildwood and at pelham all the phase two spaces tested out over four air changes per hour Crocker farm kind of oddly enough in the new construction upstairs Did have some areas that tested a little low. Um, the ones that were tested We added a second purifier to those which adds air changes per hour and three of the four Big classrooms upstairs are now over the four the fourth one Still needs works the fourth one's not ready for students, but we have a couple weeks for that Anyway, it's not it's not they're not classrooms that um, the this particular classroom wasn't a room that anyone was going to be in Starting on thursday. Anyway, we've made some updates and some fixes to all four of those classrooms upstairs You know, one would have expected them to be performing even at higher level because they're new construction from 2002 But um, when nexus our consultant comes back and test we anticipate those being significantly higher from what The information I received from our hvac specialist So overall it was really good news it continued the good news We we had from the first round and it was also good news to see that four of the five spaces at the high school were able to be fixed And saw a significant up uptick in their air changes per hour number. So again many thanks to our facilities Crew and all the work they do both routinely as well as when we get new information to make fixes and improve the ventilation in our schools Those were two pretty big topics and the rest get More about hotspots distance learning and caregiver information. So why don't I pause there? See if there's questions about the ventilation testing or UMass Cluster information that I can move on to the other three topics questions Not seeing any questions okay, then I will move on to caregiver training so This morning there was a video sent out both in english and spanish of caregiver training It's about 15 60 minutes long just what trying to help families with what to expect when they get to school I did it with miss consolino and so we talked about things like playground usage meals health and safety safety checks All those types of things we did also share that the great news is that all meals until january 1st are free whether students are in person or at home because of the the extension of that Kind of essentially what was our summer foods program? We will be serving breakfast at the end of the day in a bag lunch or bag breakfast that students can take home Because of the later start we don't want to wait till 9 45 for students to have breakfast. It also Creates a lot of challenges. We don't want to have food in rooms. So it kind of Does well on both of those marks But we sent that home because we wanted to provide information and principles are sending additional information to families about Specific like car drop off bus drop off those types of things That are more building specific But we're trying to communicate as much as we can with families ahead of thursday because we know that there's a lot of questions and So far so good in terms of some nice feedback that They felt like it was it was the right information that they were looking for Before the return to school In terms of hot spots we've ordered more and we're collecting and they should be coming in soon We did find a vendor who can get us them relatively quickly. It's a pretty small number of families who are still needing Hot spots, but we are able to provide them as much as we can and I think we just asked that If folks need a hot spot that's great, but really these are these are intended to be your mark for families that don't have their own wi-fi You know, we had a little bit of conflict around that with families I know who would help versus families without internet access, but we're trying to support for all So really at this next round we do have a handful of families Who are still struggling with with consistent access and so that's going to be the next round That we get and we expect those in within a week and we'll be able to provide those See there's a hand up so I can pause What exactly is a hot spot and how are they installed? Yeah, so that's a great question. So the nice things about hot spot hot spot is essentially creates a Cellular network and you're in in someone's home or in a space So it's kind of like what your cell phone sometimes people use cell phones as hot spots. So it is able to Provide that and the nice thing is just plug it in play. In other words, it doesn't require complex setup because it's really just creating Kind of local network where you're chromebook and log into In a parking lot it's installed in a home It could be I mean there are some places that have had large hot spots that are installed on buses that go to High density housing. I've seen that in urban areas not so much in the northeast but in other parts of the country But these are I don't know They look not much different than like a charging pod, you know, if you've seen the charging pods instead of something that plugs in So that that's what it is and the challenge we have is that in some areas that don't have cell phone coverage Then a hot spots you're not going to work So there are you know, we're in much better shape with that but there are some places in our catchment area or for families Whose children may be between two homes or mr. Sullivan's home and where Hot spots won't work, but for the majority of our families. They've been very successful hence the demand that we have this year But it is worth noting that if if anyone lives in an area where there is not a hot spot If there's not cell service the hot spot is feeding off the same technology. So that'll be a challenge Thank you. Yep. Thanks. Sorry. I should have explained that more clearly. I know weird things we learned during this time and so miss spitzer Just a quick question I know the initial round of hot spots were all purchased through very generous donations from a lot of the families in our community Are we able to purchase these additional ones using the carers money? Yeah, exactly and the Yeah, the carers money and and the purchase actually isn't the big cost It's the monthly fees that are the large cost But we were able to negotiate a deal with horizon who's doing Which is our vendor and they're doing deals with schools that actually significantly reduced the cost from what we were paying prior Our front unlimited unlimited data plan districts that have not used unlimited data They find out that You know two hours into google meets for the day everyone's maxed out just because it it pulls so much data Um, so that was really the only option that was feasible to support students without reducing their access Any other questions? No, okay And my last one is an update on distance learning. Um, I think the rollout Has gone incredibly. I believe and the feedback is from all stakeholders got incredibly smoother than what we experienced last spring Um, but both and I want to thank our staff teachers power educators and others for their incredible work because it's really is incredible to Uh to think about what it takes that to be an effective teacher in a virtual environment is really different than what anyone was fully trained on We did do significant training over those 10 pd days. Um at the beginning of september Uh, and I think the training was high quality, but it's there's one thing to do a training another thing to put it into action So we have gotten some uh significant amount of positive feedback including from families who felt like it was Uh, the spring was pretty isolating, you know and unsuccessful for their children By no means is that do I think it replaces in-person learning for all kids? I think that there's kids there's children and students Who don't have access to the distance learning. It still has implications for families I want to be really sensitive to that that it's it's especially for families of young kids and families of Students who require a more adult support We do have some examples. Um as we negotiated with our bargaining unit of Or have other folks consultants who are doing some in-home work for students who are More intensive needs doesn't necessarily fit fit all the students But we are trying to meet students needs even if it's supporting their access to distance learning We've gotten some positive feedback that that's made a difference. Um, we also have some on-site things happening So athletics you all voted um as a collective body But we are also working with the theater arts department who are working on planning some Outdoor experiences for students as it relates to performing arts. So we are seeing more and more Even before Thursday opportunities where school staff and students at least in some limited ways Are able to connect in person. So Really want to thank also our kindergarten teachers and others who did in-person Student orientations. I think I mentioned last week. I got to see one. I'm not sure I mentioned it here And it was just it was fantastic to see the relationships already being formed and how the safety measures were part of that Kindergarten orientation, but they weren't the whole thing. It was happened to be at Wildwood But that I was walking up and got to witness a part of so We are making strides and I'm glad we're using a phased approach and really easing into That in person because I think it's from a capacity perspective. It makes a lot of sense But that's sort of where we are with things at the moment But really just want to thank everyone for their embrace of distance learning our staff and how much Outreach and family outreach Is going on. I think, you know puts a sink lead the two of the biggest complaints last year we're not enough synchronous learning and Not sure where to go in terms of where, you know, how to get on And how do I meet my teacher and our staff have risen to the challenge? I think to be doing significantly More synchronous learning. I know that and also to supporting families with much more Structure and organization of where to find resources and supporting students independence So again, just big thank you to all of our staff for their work with the you know, two weeks in The distance learning for this year Mr. Deming You think I know how to unmute myself by now so Thank you for the update. Um, so two process questions for you on the continuing Bargaining with the APA on the memorandum agreement. So from my understanding the process is When bargaining concludes, there'll be a draft MOA That the APA then votes on the whole membership And if that passes then the school committee will vote on it in open session And can you give us an update on the status of of of that whole process? Yep, so we are at the place of a tentative agreement with the APA Their voting will happen. My understanding is This week And if it's affirmative then the school committee can consider that next week next Tuesday night Mr. Deming Okay, so related What is this document public now so the public can review it and if not why and the reason I ask is that I presume that that if it passes APA successfully the school committee is going to want to vote on it Rather expeditiously Um, certainly not going to want to delay it further. Um And and and the public is going to want an opportunity to read digest it and then potentially give us feedback Process wise, right? So we it can't just be made public like the day before the school committee meeting So is it public now and if not why and and when will it be made public? Yeah, so I did check in with the attorney for the district on this topic this afternoon and the perspective I received was that Until it's voted by both parties. It's technically still in negotiations while we're not actively in negotiations the way we were before a tentative agreement It until it gets voted is considered Like anything else that would be a confidential document. Um, I think we've released some of The information with a joint statement with the APA on september 11th. We released that um, but that's the understanding that he shared with me um This afternoon because that question had come up. Um, and um That's the answer I got It's just a follow-up. Mr. Deming. It's okay Yeah, so okay, so I appreciate that and I appreciate that we need to be legal So just so just to clarify um So some details were shared in that statement joint statement other other details that can be shared Or like what's the line, you know, like I guess I'm just asking for this process wise right like because there's obviously A lot of the public that is anxious to understand the details and so If there's components of that that's legal that's understandable, but is there no other like summary I'm just if I'm a member of the public and I'm watching this process Do I just wait until the school committee votes it and then I find out what's in the agreement? and potential impact to you know phasing and metrics and all sorts of other things or like I guess, you know from a point of view of the public. What's what's what's the information for what sequence going to be? Sure, so phasing and metrics were and I'm not picking on you peter, but those are two things that were You know two of the things that were shared out. Um, probably the two things that were shared out um And my understanding from from legal counsel is that uh, what would happen is the sequence would be the school committee would get um A final draft moa It'd be voted by the you know, and that would be shared with the committee and then As it was talked about in executive session next Tuesday and voted it would become a public document when both parties have voted it in Um, I'm not necessarily before You know, and that's something certainly, you know, I'd be happy to follow up or you could follow up with the chair and legal counsel But I that was the response I got from um our legal counsel this afternoon Thank you Thanks anybody else have questions about um Distance, uh, mr. Sullivan I think you're muted mr. Sullivan. I am muted. So it's the exact opposite of distancing I haven't got to ask about transportation in months Now I'm just curious because in the spring We negotiated with our two bus companies at that point Because they weren't running and I'm just curious since they're not run since five stars are one company now And they're not running full. Are we still getting a discount or once they start to run that on thursday? That's it. They're full contract Thank you Yep, so that is going to be a topic on tuesday night with dr. Slaughter has been talking to five star around that and even though We're not running full. They're also supplying some bus monitors for us and and other things. So, uh, look out for that conversation next tuesday Mr. Spitzer I think so I um just want to start off by saying thank you to everybody I have noticed like a huge improvement in distance learning from My perspective as a parent and also just from you know conversations with other parents and families and caregivers in the district. So My second question is just I think it's great that we approved Sports and we've approved Theater, you know or not that we've approved theater, but you just shared with us that theater is potentially happening These are all for high school and maybe middle school students Um, I know that you mentioned the in-person But they're you know all the folks in phase three are potentially not having any real in-person connection And you know like our fourth and I think it's fourth fifth and sixth graders So maybe I'm getting it wrong, but I'm just wondering if there's any thoughts in the works about trying to Have some in-person connection to them or maybe they're too young and although transportation issues are complicated But I'm just curious if there's any new thinking on that Right. It's yeah, we have talked about that and I think it is what's hard is there's not existing structures along that same dimension What's a little easier at the secondary levels athletics existed after school drama existed Um, so one of the things we did and starts tomorrow for the young kids and a couple Wednesdays is We did try to partner with outside organizations to offer like this and not that this is a perfect fit for everyone, but Free soccer clinics that are going on the next four Wednesdays. Um They're at Fort River, but further for any students in the district who want to register So we are trying to think of ways that we can access community-based resources to provide some vehicle for elementary age students to be in person I know that's not the same as as interscholastic athletics or It's certainly not the same as as drama, but it was trying to think about how do we Provide an opportunity for students and based on an email I got a little while ago before the meeting they have 30 students Uh registered, which is all I think it's just k1 and 2 or something like that For the the younger children's soccer, which is a fair number of kids who are going to be able to participate So we'll continue to look for opportunities where we can partner with community agencies To provide opportunities. It's not quite the same, but it's hard to sort of invent Opportunities that weren't there to begin with in terms of the after school programming I know some families have also started to organize because we have that long lunch recess block like kind of What's optional Playground times, you know at grove park or other places and and so I want to thank families who are trying to connect Other families with in their classes with some of those times As well, but you know if there's other ideas committee members or community members have please send them by way because it's You're right. It's the same timeline as it would be at the secondary level But there's not the same kind of resources that are typically given or structures Mr. Dan sir, so you've mentioned the performing the the after school Drama performing arts and I know clubs are not academic But is there any update on any kind of club activities besides the performing art for the middle and high school class Yep, so the clubs are looking for Advisors some of the clubs have started meeting there. Most of them are meeting in a virtual context, but Yes, clubs are getting going and Liz. Hey good who does incredible work at the high school Actively is looking for volunteers for club advisors and things like that. So We are in the same at the middle school As well. So we are actively looking to supplement The academic day that way for most of those clubs. It's likely to be not in person because we can Excuse me simulate That experience and most of the clubs if you meet for 40 minutes And you live in north jutesbury as mr. Sullivan Walks out, but I was a I was a plug for him, you know at some point You're driving just as long as the actual activity takes place and you know, that's a barrier So we're trying to think about what logically makes sense there Well, there are other questions So I just have a one question on going back to the distance learning update We talked a little bit about this. I think at our last meeting um For a couple meetings ago about the the students who are choosing all remote learning And the potential that they might be oh, yeah with Students from other schools or teachers from other schools. Can you talk to sort of how that's playing out? How many students are impacted by that? Yeah, so the short story on that is just to review is that we don't have enough Well, we looked at how many students across our four elementary schools Wanted a remote placement and it generally is two or three classes full of students In each grade level and we have four schools So it meant that some students who chose a remote placement will be in classrooms with students from other elementary schools And you know, and I think that's that's been that's worked well in some cases in other cases. It's felt harder And I want to acknowledge that fact in terms of like specialists and others and the connections and so we're actively trying to problem solve Excuse me that with families and trying to think up creative solutions Um, so we're only at k and one now so the next next Decision would be for second and third grade, but the same trend is going to continue We're going to try to get most of students With the teacher at their home school and we'll still be able to do that But it won't be everybody, you know, for instance in pelham. There's not really a lot of great options there And we're still trying to problem solve one particular challenge that we have in pelham and as we get toward that in k and one but as we move up Um, so it is something like I was looking at Wellesley and you know, maybe we could have Uh modeled or named it better. They call it their district remote academy And and we weren't willing to go there because we'd like it's Use of overused word, uh, like a hybrid model where we're trying as best we can to keep students within Uh teacher from their home school But it we're not 100 effective because the demand and the needs aren't quite lining up From our placements and and and staff members So, um, I think when we get to next week's meeting we'll have more information about second and third grade And I'll be able to share it there But but it is hard and we are you know, receiving some people feeling like it's working pretty well And other people who are more challenged by that, you know kindergarten's a little bit easier in some ways because they don't have pre-existing relationships with the staff um first grade As excuse me first grade has been a little bit more challenging and for second and third grade where they have long longer term Established relationships of their teachers were trying to be thoughtful and also not add I mean, you know, if we were able to add a teacher or two to every grade level At elementary school we could make it all work, but you know that the couple hundred thousand dollars that we don't have So we're doing our best to try to match them. We're taking that feedback trying to come up with some positive creative solutions particularly with grade one a group of grade one students at fort river that's been You know, we're hearing their feedback and none of it's about the educator. It's about the structures and Trying to problem solve as we go Good. Thank you any Final questions comments from the committee committees, I should say Okay Good So, uh, we'll move along to our next item. Um, our agenda is um title nine policy updates uh, gba a Sexual harassment in the workplace and j i c k sexual harassment of students first read And discussion So just as a reminder for policy We always bring them in uh, bring them Any changes to the committee for a reading and a discussion and any changes or edits and then we come back We don't vote until at least a second read um these particular um policy updates the proposed policies in your packet um Earlier in the summer or late spring um The guidance from the federal government on title nine Was was changed. We got new sort of direction on on that and so um as a result our policies had to be updated These were effective. The new guidance was effective. I believe august 14 um So the policy that's in your packet is actually language that was uh proposed and recommended by our attorney Based on the requirements of the of of this directive um on title nine um at Miss spitzer and I reviewed these um both of our current policies on sexual harassment So gba a and j i c k And in looking at them and comparing them to the proposed language from um attorney mark terry um What we're recommending is instead of updating each individual policy That we create a new policy That replaces so we'll retire the two policies gba a j i c k and replace them with this new policy um, which would be a c a b and for folks that um are paying close attention to policy um the other harassment more general harassment policy that we just um Voted last school year um is also in that same section of the policy handbook Um miss spitzer. Did you want to add anything? I know you spent some time reviewing this No, I think you did a good job of summarizing and I think the nice thing about this it's it'll Kind of consolidate or we have a lot of policies. I think when there are opportunities for us to have A consolidation occur. I think it's if it's appropriate. It's it's a good thing and I think this is an appropriate instance any um Miss dancer Is this language pretty much the same as what was in the other two policies or did you have um, is there a significant language change and if so Where um, it is pretty substantial change Um, so which is why we're we um and actually I apologize We should have included the existing policies that these are replacing just as reference documents in here. Um I will send those out to everybody after um after this meeting so you Can have the links right there and don't have to go searching for them. Um, but it was pretty substantial replacement Um, so rather than do the markup of everything that was changing because it literally would be an entire paragraphs. Um We're The same replacement. Um Yeah, it's pretty substantial. Okay. Thank you and seeing the old ones will be helpful Yeah, it does it does follow Very similar flow and content. It's just the wording is different. So um the introduction definition of what constitutes sexual harassment those definition The the definitions sort of I don't know what page it is here, but examples of sexual harassment are very similar to the examples There's just many more. Um, and then also more clarification um that sexual harassment is not Um, does is not based on gender or different genders or same gender, right? So there there's just more sort of clarification and definition in this new policy Right. Thank you As well as I think the other key thing is because it's highlighted in yellow is the requirement that we name Somebody specifically as the title nine coordinator for this. Um, is that correct dr. Morris? Yes, we we have that in place already, but um, It's more explicit. Um in the policy. Um, but you know, we've gotten legal guidance that we should have that Years and years for years and years. So we do have that in place for it currently any other thoughts questions comes Miss Kenny um, so I noticed a couple of places um in pauso He or she can we either replace that with they or just add they them into there So everyone is feeling included. I I like that change except any other Thoughts if there's no other comments or questions and Are we ready to move on to the next item? Okay, great. So our next item is The 2020-2021 goal guidance um And also in your packet. I sent it by email, but it's also in your packet is Um a document that uh the chair hall and I and vice chair Dancer and Demling Pulled together to help help our conversation and it's not intended to be a statement of these are the Priorities that that we're saying it really is to help us start the conversation. We're a large group um, you know, and Usually we we sit around and have an informal conversation and discussion about what our priorities are um, and then dr. Morris will take that input and draft proposed goals For for the school year. So this this the intent in this document is to jump start that discussion and provide that sort of framework for um for us to talk about priorities We included this year's goals because I I I don't know with the Pellum Uh evaluation but for several of the goals for the region and amherst school committees. Um, they were they were Not completely completed because of the covid and school closures in the spring So we wanted to sort of just hold on to those and keep sight of those as we talk about what our priorities are for this year um And then if you look at the second page of that we we Um included some guiding principles about sort of why we're having this conversation with all free committees the joint committee and sort of High-level um principles as we talk about what priorities we want to see included in the superintendent's goals and I'll stop talking and let chair hall or Miss dancer mr. Demling um add any thoughts or comments to tee this up No, I think it was a great job Then it'll open it up to anybody else that would like to um Share their thoughts on priorities Miss like thank you. I um I have sort of two questions Sorry, I just ran into my bedroom to plug this in because I was gonna die So I'm out of breath. Okay. One was around in the regional it has diversity listed as a goal But for amherst which would imply which means elementary. It's not listed And then it's listed again for Pellum. So I'm just curious about Are there a maximum amount of goals you can have because amherst? Had five but we don't have diversity in there It's the first question and the second question when we mentioned wellness in as two of the goals. It's um, it's inclusive of the lgbt qi a plus You know being open and affirming trans affirming so like wellness is also anti racism and anti classes and you know, and to but Diversity and equity is also lgbt qi a plus. So I'm just curious about how we decide Where we place the priority or the goal in terms of inclusivity So I think your first part of your question was looking back at last year's goals um So the first the first page and a half is is just listing what we had as goals for last year So, um Nope Do we lose do we lose miss lord or are you still there? Probably well, um I think just for the for the group one of the things so i'll just read one of the reason the key thing about the guiding principles is that we And it's kind of related to miss lords observation about the number of goals and sort of the differences across the different committees Uh, which is that we want to share the goals across those three different districts as much as we can Um to make the total effort more manageable and achievable within this school year because of being a welcome back um um so what I was I was um Speaking to the first bullet point under our guiding principles miss lord Which is about sharing the goals across the three districts and why we're having this conversation with the three committees um It's going to be a challenging um School year um with a lot of work ahead And so we wanted to make the total effort for the superintendent more manageable and achievable Um, and frankly as you rightly noted We had a lot of goals last year that was that were different or slightly different across the three districts. Um, so What our hope is is that maybe we could make it a little bit more streamlined For the superintendent this year Um, and then we also wanted to moderate the scope Knowing that the year is going to be challenging and unpredictable. Um, so really thinking through what is potentially feasible given that we may be in another emergency situation And at some point in the year and that that's not a statement of fact. I don't can't read the future I'm just making a comment that everything that we're doing this year is to be prepared for If we have to go back to a hundred percent remote um And onto your uh next part of the question um I can't speak to what our thinking was a year ago when we drafted the goals for each of the committee So I don't really I think if I think Part of it has to do with what are the specific initiatives and actions that we're talking about Um with within each of those buckets and how do those bucket into sort of a larger Theme that we can Wrap into a one larger goal So it's not necessarily to say that one doesn't belong in both. It's what are the specific initiatives in that particular year And so we can you know when we look at sort of the the list below This is just a proposal. We can move them around however We want if we think that the the right initiative when we're talking about diversity and and anti-racism Really belongs more with sort of a wellness um emphasis than Anything else we we can absolutely do that Or both belong with both right right. Thank you for the thank you for the clarifications Mr. Denley Yeah, I guess you know the other thing that um Came to mind as we were going through this exercise of what are potential goals for the upcoming year was was And this is why in the guiding principles We attempted to put that not all top priorities and projects need to be defined as goals every year Because if you know if you go down to the um the priority values and themes You know, it's it's not like it's not like we expect like say wellness isn't for example isn't called out as a goal specifically It's still a top priority right and we still expect the superintendent to be focused on it We still expect progress in that area. It's not like wellness is done or it can be parked for the year It's like it's still it's still a focus of activity and the same thing with budget and capital planning and diversity and Um and all those things and so I feel like um, so this is like my fourth time going through a third or fourth time going through this this process of goals and so I think this I think this is natural tension point of wanting to elevate everything that's important to us into a goal Whereas if if if we do that unbounded we end up with what's been happening in the last three or four years Which is this really large set of goals and it's it's similar to even for specific projects So like the elementary building project the amorous level obviously very important to us I fully expect that to have the superintendent's priority priority attention when needed that being said Does it have to be called out as a superintendent goal every single year until we cut the ribbon? Maybe not but we still expect their attention right and so um, I think it's it's just I don't think there's a right answer one way another I just think it's it's it's a food for thought and and maybe Um, maybe helps the committee feel a little better about having a smaller number of goals If we know that if one thing isn't called out specifically it doesn't mean it's not getting priority attention Yeah, I'd actually if Dr. Morris has some some input on that Um, I'd like to hear that just process wise about about what what is helpful And because this is really kind of a communication device right between the school committee and the Superintendent about what your focus of activity is and how we'll evaluate you even though there is obviously A greater scope to your work than than just what something goes Yeah, if that's okay with the chairs, um To jump in I think that's right. I think um Here's what I'd say I think the thing the fewer things that are identified as goals The easier it is to put regularly on agendas and the easier it is for the committee and the and the staff myself But others as well to really be focused on and I think when we've had so many goals that we try to integrate on agendas And that means People are getting you know quarterly or less updates on the goal areas because there's other things that go on routinely So I think uh for me it's helpful, you know that, um Uh, appreciate the organization of the document by the way for folks who put it together um But that not all priorities the part that was raised earlier need to be to find a superintendent goals because ideally the the few topics that are superintendent goals Really define a lot of the agendas that are being said and when we have too many goals, then we end up having too many agenda items and we all you know Let's say this delicately, you know, uh We've been in places where we have too many agenda items And then when agenda items get we get to them at 9 30 at night It doesn't feel like we're prioritizing them even though the goal of the point of making them with goals that they are prioritized I'd much rather have Fewer goals knowing that you're going to get routine Everyone's going to get routine superintendent updates on all the things, but that we could the committee's able to dig in Um, and I think one of my pieces just in terms of reflective feedback is When we have more goals than we can manage collectively It doesn't feel like the committee ever gets to dig in on them because We're going from goal to goal to goal and rotating them through meetings and and that has felt really unsatisfying I know to the committee To get updates intermittently even if they're good updates, but it doesn't really let The committee, you know Ask relevant questions and come back to a future meeting that's That's remembered by the time you get back to it With follow-up items and tasks So there is a long-winded way of saying I think less is more and I think quality over quality quantity Uh from the committee makes sense And that's not at all saying the committee can't ask on other thing other projects that are really important To have routine updates on them, but I think if we can Agenda calendar the items and have them come back frequently ends up being much more rich conversation and the committee can Can feel like they're they're getting informed and inform, you know that two-way street that we talk about That it's possible. Um, so I'll stop talking, but just wanted to emphasize that point That it's not it's not everything i'm doing and it's not everything even that the committee can ask For updates on it's really trying to define some key key goals That that the committee feels like they want to get routine updates And not just updates, but actually engagement and throughout the year um miss Dancer and then miss spitzer and I said mr. Harrington you had your hands. I will go Stan sir spitzer Harrington um, I'm thinking looking at this, um I don't know how other people felt but in doing the evaluation this this time It was really difficult because we had goals That were in different buckets And so we had to write about them in different buckets, but they really were interrelated and so It that was very difficult. I found in some cases and I feel like this This might help with that Aspect when it comes time to do the evaluation So there was something that was in wellness and there was something that was also in diversity equity But but the initiative projects. I mean these are really specific things Kind of it seems to me anyway pulled out of the the priority values and so I don't know if that makes sense, but it just seems to me that looking at this May help us be able to do better with the evaluation as well Mr. Sir, so I have first reaction to Mr. But I guess I'm not supposed to respond directly but um I just one thought about that that was jogged when in response to that was that We have to tie this to the rubric. So it there there is a desi kind of set of I'm gonna get the wrong word, but there's a rubric where there's certain categories And usually what we need to do is go back and tie whatever the goals we are, you know To to this rubric. I think it's four stand standards is what they call them So there's other four standards we need to tie these to so part of the awkwardness of the evaluation is a function of the Um The structure that the state puts in place So I don't I don't know if there's a way to I mean, I don't want the state's process to be leading our goal setting I think we should set our goals to reflect what our community needs But it does kind of create this awkwardness when we're when we're doing the evaluation Which I'm not sure how to get around but maybe we could talk about over the course of the year to think about a little bit more Oh go ahead I'll respond later It was about the evaluation Finish your thoughts So then I had some reactions just to to the Initiatives and projects and I I do like this way of putting down some priority values and themes. I think that's great When I look at the initiatives, I think Well first just a quick reaction to the early education. So I think it's almost like instead of saying Increasing access. I honestly think we just need to maintain access like I'm honestly in this place of you know Where anecdotally it seems at least that we are in fact actually losing slots in in some of the early education So I don't know if if you know maintain or increase maybe should be the language there because I think honestly If during these times we can just keep the number of slots that we have available Open and available to our kids. I think that'll be um success I'd like to see more obviously um and then um I feel like there's some sort of Connection between the strategic planning and the coven changes and and I honestly think at this moment in time If I were to say what I'd like to see in six months or you know nine months But I'm not maybe getting my mouth on but you know at the end of the year It's it's not so much that I I feel like the visioning we were doing It's not that all of that should go to the wayside But it's almost like I'd like to see instead active reflection on what happened this year and how we responded to this crisis and what In what ways does this totally just rubbed how we've been doing things and where we can potentially see opportunities like I know I have a feeling definitely might have been behind the later start time but There are also things like you know outdoor education, you know thinking changing the way we're thinking about getting food to students the changing the ways that um We're using information technology and and supporting that so I I think it might be If it's I don't know how you think we could maybe even take one initiative project off but kind of like lead a reflective practice where we come up with you know District wide or you know just you know each district could do this on its own But rather than having at the school level Maybe have it at a wider level where we just sit back and we think we just survived Hopefully we'll be looking at the Way out of the situation we're in but it's very likely we'll still be in it And what are the lessons we learned over the past? You know six to twelve months and how can we Incorporate these learnings, you know into going forward I don't know how they're thinking about that, but Those are my thoughts so I'll listen now and before I go to Mr. Harrington that that was um part of the intent between sort of that bullet and the the last bullet was was So I like the way that you phrase that though because it is it is bigger than just later start times It's like what are the things that we've learned and held on to that In new ways of doing things like You know down to like really mundane things like approving warrants. Um It's like we're doing those electronically now and and there's so many things That we're learning and that that we might want to hold on to and the you know What are those things that we'll want to hold on to in a post-covid world? um Mr. Harrington You're muted There we go. There you go. I was going to say that inadvertently uh, the spits are kind of pretty much answered my question I was going to ask about like the you know correlation to between like desi standards and and guidance in our goals, but But thank you. Thank you, miss spitzer So I wanted to come back to your your um, both miss dancer and miss spitzer's comments about the evaluation because And I had the same experience. I found it really cumbersome and and Frankly a little repetitive in writing the evaluation That we evaluated the goals within the standards and then we evaluated the goals again and then we evaluated the goals again um, and so It might be what? I'll just plant this when we get to the agenda planning But we might want to actually look at the instrument at the beginning of the year as opposed to waiting to the end of the year So that we have all of our experience sort of fresh in our mind as soon as we have superintendent goals um Voted on and and agreed to then it you know, it might make sense to take a look at that and and both in terms of streamlining our meetings for the rest of the year, but also Helping us out at the end that we we sort of know ahead of time what we're doing and as opposed to having to remember a year ago what we what we did On the evaluation, but I do think that there's opportunity for us to Make it more efficient for both us committee members to complete but also for the public to review and read what other Reactions do people have or other sort of input on sort of priority guidance for superintendent goals Mr. Devin um, yeah, I just to say that I like the way that um miss spitzer framed that third bullet Yes, I did write later start times in there, but But it was because uh dr. Morris Was talking was from a comment dr. Morris made a couple of meetings ago where he said, um, I'm paraphrasing but You know having been through covet even after the vaccine comes school's never going to be the same and it's because we're learning and uh, and hopefully reflecting on these things so I think I think I think if it if it was um If we could sort of take that and make it a little more general about about that sort of theme that's that's that's what I was going for Using later start times is just like the example um But other than that I seen you I mean, I like the if they line up with the rubric They're mappable. I like the initiative projects List there, um um, you know, you know that being said I don't know. It's it's it's really tough. Um I'm uh, I'm almost violating my own rule that I just spoke about because then I look at wellness And I'm like what could be more important than focusing on that during this this year, right? Um And yet it's not elevated as a superintendent goal, but that's okay Um, but other than that I like those initiative initiative projects almost we're missing something major I do think um The you know the priority is that so for me when I think about it with the priority values and themes is is You know, these are things that we expect that the superintendent and district is working on all the time and continuing, right like There's no way that we would come out at the other end of the year just because we didn't have a budget goal budget related goal that if if somehow things go Hey wire through the year that we're not going to mention that in the evaluation just because it wasn't a goal, right? So I think that's sort of the way the way I think through these things about sort of what What qualifies as a priority value of themes is like these are expectations that we have For a well functioning and well run district school district regardless of what these Specific initiatives are that we're trying to focus on in that particular year I like the way Dr. Morris you characterized it that we really want things that we really want to be able to dig into And and and really focus our attention on throughout the year Because we're not going to not have a budget presentation or a capital plan presentations or the year just because it's not a goal Ms. Spitzer you had your hand up I guess I guess just when So if these priority values and themes I'm just recognizing that they don't like include academic excellence and you know I'm not saying so. I guess I'm just trying to figure out the line where something should be on here and Is it necessarily a goal and the line like would somebody call us out like you're a school and you haven't Maybe that's just part of our mission is to educate everybody. So that's why we're not including it Which I'd be fine with I'm just curious about like what people were thinking of when they tried to Kind of determine What's up here and and are we going to be tying these then and this is it can be a later Conversation, as you said, we're talking about building the instrument. I'm just thinking, you know having gone through the process of creating the instrument Are we going to try to tie these then to the desi rubric? Or are these like the nice thing is we don't need to worry about tying these to the rubric and maybe we can just have these as things at the end that were Evaluating independent of the rubric I think I don't know if other folks want to answer and drafting it. I mean we can add things to this This is not carved in stone the conversation You know right now is to add things so um the I think at least that was my my thought process So we you know academic excellence and our mission statement and vision statement holds true without us even Calling out this would sort of be the like the next layer down. So here's our vision Here's our priority values and themes about you know that are related to that in our Implementing our vision are working towards the vision and then these initiatives and projects are the specific activities that we're doing in this particular school year That we're really focusing on sort of like a You know waterfall or a ladder Go ahead. This fits her I guess the only one i'm kind of looking at and thinking about is is if we were thinking about in the time of covid I mean like the biggest thing i'm worried about none of the biggest and there's so many worries right now but one of the big things i'm worried about is um just the loss of um Learning time and so i'm wondering if we should maybe call that Out in the priority values and themes is just like especially in terms of the achievement gap and and how that there's might So it could sort of be in a diversity equity piece But i'm just thinking like we're not Like we've just had a huge disruption in learning and and I think we want to try to to the extent possible we can try to Do everything we can to To address that um Might be another bullet, but i'm also happy to think of that as being part of our mission But it might be worth calling out that this is yours particularly challenging one for that right And I think that sort of that it's it's that one's probably a multi-year also thinking about that maybe because This year it would be learning and addressing and assessing what the you know where where where students have fallen backwards and putting in the plan that partly will be Addressed this year but also in future years because it's not we're not going to be able to solve at all in in In this year as we're in our hybrid sort of situation Dr. Morris Something I should have said at the offset perhaps and and maybe you said it and I missed it But just explicitly is this feedback super helpful to me and hopefully it's super felt the committee because According to policy what would happen is that any feedback that the group gathers um Can be taken into a perhaps a revised draft that actually gets voted by the committee um some years the committee has been Really focused on taking formal votes on uh on this some some years perhaps less so but it is I actually think it's a good practice in my personal opinion. It's helpful to me as a superintendent That you have this kind of dialogue Certainly people can share their opinions with the chairs after the meeting If they want if they think about it Uh, and then this gets voted formally and then that then it makes the goal writing exercise It just aligns it with where the committee Is um, so I just I'm doing process things multiple times tonight out of order So I apologize, but I just wanted to clarify that piece and it was sort of mentioned earlier, but hopefully that's helpful Thank you that is helpful any other like what other Other thoughts reactions do folks have? I'm looking also at folks that haven't Been speaking if there's um if you have ideas that you want to be adding Mr. Harrington I don't have much that I would want to add to this, but I I did want to point out that like so in my little research prior to this Getting myself familiarized with uh the whole process and I would recommend Every other new person on on the committee do this that desi has some pretty interesting videos About this. I think some folks on this call would find the videos very interesting like Like a spoiler alert. Some of you guys are in the video But yeah, I can post a link to that in the comments It was awesome. Mr. Minino, Mr. Harrington, would you post those links please? Any other ads from anybody else I'm looking Miss Seager and Mr. Sullivan Miss Kenny Miss Barlow, Miss Hall Miss Kenny, sorry I looked away probably right when your hand went up No, that's okay. Um so I really like the um idea of having one of the Projects or initiatives be a reflection period about what has worked and what hasn't worked And I think there have been some things that have been really great That have come out of coven that we could keep and continue to implement and um, and I think I think being able to um have some time to look at those and Talk about them would be great. Um And then I think The diversity equity and inclusion I think we can also add parts of the wellness into there um, because I think that will be There's a lot of wellness that comes into equity or lack thereof Um that I think would be good too And miss lord, did you I apologize that I Couldn't see you and didn't look for you. Did you have anything you wanted to add to this? No, no, thank you I was just my screen keeps going black. I'm sorry. That's okay. Ms. Seager I don't have much to add. Um, and I'm just interested in watching how this all comes together Being that this is my first time on this committee. Um, or first Ground on this. I don't know, uh What I just want to say too. I really like the idea of a reflection period um in In thinking about what's what what is going well and what we've actually had a chance to consider Um changing up during this time period and how to bring that forward. So I just want to say I really like Dr. Morris Yeah, it's it's it's it's a really interesting point and you've heard me say it before that, you know Going back to exactly how things were before um In many ways I could think of that in terms of anti-racism. I could think of that in terms of probably Start time If we had a panel of middle school and high schoolers on I think they they would not endorse a return to 745 So I want to support mr. Denley's concept that there's something there to be talked about whether we could resolve The logistical challenges is a different question. Um, you know, we think about some of the infrastructure changes We've made at some of the other some of our elementary schools and Amherst It's going to cause problems. I can't see going back. I can't see reinstituting partial walls and hallways to get to bathrooms and And I also, you know, and you've also heard me say this before I tend to be I'm generally an optimistic person. I'm I am a little pessimistic that will be out of the woods on this Super soon, especially when we think about vaccines being designed for adults and not necessarily for kids and You know, I don't I think this is a long haul kind of thing. Um, so I I'm really taken by the idea of um Actually engaging in dialogue routinely with the committee about What we're learning because it I think otherwise we can just all get super busy as we've been and Pick up little nuggets like I just shared but I think there's some deeper Points to be had. Um, we've had a surprising number of students Uh and families And I don't mean it's like a huge percentage, but it's more than I would have thought Who are actually really liking distance learning Not because of a health and safety But they're just for a whole host of reasons is working really well for them. That's not an outcome. I would have predicted in May Right, I don't think many people were there in May, but I think because it's it is going much better. We're having students You are saying, you know, I'm not sure what this is generally not phase one kids But phase two or three, you know, I may want to stay with virtual longer And it's not because I'm nervous about or have feelings about the health and safety or concerns It's actually this is working well for me and I wouldn't have thought of that So I do think having some routine around that. Um, and I'm thinking about you know, could that even be a goal? I think it's worthwhile because we're we're We're so in the midst of it. We maybe you know, I find I will I'll just speak for myself I'm so in the midst of it. It's sometimes hard to step back and Consider all these statements and things we're learning I'm learning and and think about long-term implications But I think it'll be a lost opportunity if we don't if I don't do a good job or we don't collectively Do some real work on that So I just appreciate that perspective because it's not most most people don't have goals to reflect, right? You know, it's not it's not in the education world Anyway, we we talk about reflection more than we're able to do it because we're often doing so many things I don't think it's just education, but certainly I can speak to that field So, you know, I want to mull on that one, but I I think it's a really important point Because the world's not going to be the same and why the world's not going to be the same How how would earth would be expected schools to be the same? Afterward, so I think, you know three years from now We'll be really happy if we do a really good job with that And I think that when we think about goals, we're not just thinking of them as being so Temporal but having long-term impacts on on our students. So just want to appreciate that perspective any other thoughts comments not seeing any and as as dr. Morris Suggested feel free to email and myself and and miss hall afterward if you if there's other ideas or Comments you'd like to add to this Okay, moving on to our next This actually does leave very nicely into our next agenda item, which is agenda planning and school committee calendar um So We will be meeting um next Tuesday At least as the region with an executive session um As well as a Meeting do we have the full? Calendar of meetings for the year or no Um Dr. Morris. Yeah, so a couple of things. I mean for next week the things I have are negotiations as you mentioned Uh, the policy that was discussed tonight um, the perhaps the continuation and vote on the document you all just talked about and offered feedback on um There's a bus conversation that needs to be had around bus contract and adjustments based on um the adjustments to transportation um And I guess so that's on the short term on the longer term the question is Do we want to Revert Revert has a negative connotation. So I don't know how to say this differently How do we want to structure, you know, the three committees meeting schedules? Seems like next week there might be some crossover items In terms of the particularly around the um The goals document and perhaps the policy but particularly, you know this um Thing document that would lead to goals I'm open to whatever works for the committees. Um You know, I think we have I have had to inters first some Amherst meetings and some Pella meetings in there Um, just because topics are relevant. Um, I don't want to assume that we'll stay in this I don't want to make assumptions about what we want, but we're I guess we're looking for some feedback from the committees on what you would all want to do in terms of Um structure and then we can build a calendar that we could bring at any committee's next meeting It's a great question. Um It's funny. I was I stumbled on a page on the agenda's website looking at archives And I don't even know how I did there But I noticed that in some past years that most of the year was joint meetings of the three committees So I I didn't know I'm not Being a history Local local school committee history buff I didn't know what if there was a reason that was driving that but I did see that There actually is a history that A lot of meetings were joint so um I guess From my perspective particularly speaking. Um, just completely biased from an Amherst Member perspective because all Amherst members are also all members of the region. There is some Um efficiency in many cases to having the joint meetings and particularly with we're continuing with the sixth grade goal um, so they're That and then this reflection Um, you know, whatever covid changes where we embed into into the goals that will also continue throughout the year. Um To probably be well served by joint meetings um What do other folks feel? Um Chair hall and then um, mr. Manino Um, yeah, I mean, I I don't know it seems like over the past several months We've shown that we can be pretty flexible and adjust our schedules as needed. Um So I don't I don't necessarily like the idea of assuming an entire year of all joint meetings. Um And then to try to determine what today whether or not say april would we would have a joint meeting that like that would be really challenging. Um so I mean I don't know. I mean, maybe there isn't a really specific meeting schedule at least not yet It seems like there's so much up in the air Do we have to have it written out? Is that something that has to happen? Dr. Morris. Yeah, and I think for me just maybe uh respond to that comment We could try to create a schedule of weekly meetings on tuesdays Um, and that way at least it's predictable for the public and for you all and if we don't need a meeting We won't have a meeting if pelham doesn't to be there. We won't call for it We've been reasonably effective in my opinion of when pelham and amherst needs a meeting either doing on the front end or the back end um You know, usually the front end for pelham and the back end for amherst front end for pelham Because not all pelham members may stay on for the rest and back end for amherst because unfortunately as mr mcdonnell noted well Perhaps you disagree, but unfortunately the committee members are going to be there anyway Um, so there's no conflict with doing an amherst meeting on the back end But I think just what what i'm hearing from members as well as the public is just wanting to have some predictability and reliability of um And even if we just created a schedule and and try to plug in some agenda items for the next two months or something Knowing that we'll adjust You know, I think that probably satisfies thing. I wouldn't go to april because I don't you know, who knows Uh, your guess is as good as mine on that one. Um I don't know how that feels for folks I I do like that and I think it's you know having the um That assumption that we that we just put them on the calendar and flex as as needed At least for the next four months ish Once we get to budget planning that we may need to break into separate meetings more frequently at that point because That gets into the leads. Um, I see two hands. Mr. Minino and his stancer Mr. Not against joint meetings, but there are times Where the issues are unique to pelham And the joint meeting mitigates against us talking about that in greater depth And I would not like to give up the opportunity to talk about pelham When pelham meets basically, uh, it it focuses the attention on our problems And I prefer to like the last four years we've had Uh meetings separately than joint meetings and I think it's gone well So just experiences that the old model works But i'm not against joint meetings Miss stancer Okay, so we have it sounds like we have at least next week's agenda Set and it sounds like There are uh two region topics the negotiations the policy um About amherst and and pelham are part of part of the policy even the technically region votes first and then the others But that can be joint and then the goals guidance and vote and transportation. What else would be joint Is that Okay, great Any other um Agenda Mr. Deming So First quarter budget update Uh would be it will be interesting But we definitely need to start thinking about that. Um Uh school committee resolution or advocacy thing on on the mlc the minimum local contributions to hold harmless Uh and all that um I also this is really fully formed and I don't want to advocate for it during planning, but I would like to discuss some level of Potential ag if the committee wants to have some potential level of advocacy or action Regarding some kind of a motion asking the umass chancellor to add consequences for student violations of the umass community agreement Um given given its direct impact on our ability to keep our schools open going forward Okay, anything Mr. Spitzer just One thing about this planning. Um, I think election day is a tuesday So I'm hoping that we wouldn't have a meeting on that evening. Um Tuesday the third and then uh November 3rd and then the other additional thing I was thinking is at some point it kind of going to mr. Manino's point it Would love to have on the emerson agenda When it's appropriate an update on the school building project and just pre-planned Mr. Dancer Sorry, I'm calling in with my phone for the audio and every so often it decides that it doesn't want to do it anymore um So two things about the joint versus individual, I guess I Having been just on palim and having been on the region. I see advantages to both ways, but right now I think if we were only If if palim wasn't included in what's going on. I think we would really be left out um the palim meetings There's a lot more information that comes out of the regional meeting than than you get in the palim meeting and it's not always necessary but I personally find it helpful to have a little bit more context on things sometimes so Just my two cents Not seeing any more No, okay. Um, great. So we'll move on to Our next item, which is a warrant report and I have one. Um, I don't know miss spitzer if you have one as well. Okay, so Sorry chair mcdonnell. I have two. Can I do those after you guys do yours? Yes. Thank you Um, okay, so I have mine right here. Um, I authorized by my signature to payables in the amount of $696,434 and 76 cents the warrant dated September 25th 2020 this includes general fund expenses of 453,825 and 45 cents Revolving fund expenses of $10,522 and 33 cents grant fund expense of $8,103 and 47 cents FEMA fund of 142,993 and 17 cents Care fund which I'm guessing is the cares act fund. Um, 80 80,990 and 34 cents and I signed that today Miss spitzer So, um, I authorized by my signature to payables in the amount of 230,351 in the 99 cents For the warrant dated September 23rd 2020 This included general fund expenses of 144,083 dollars and 85 cents 5,929 dollars and 27 cents 69 that sorry that was revolving fund expenses of that amount grant fund expenses of 69,220 and 67 cents And other funds in the amount of 11,118 and 20 cents and those funds were for capital and this was um signed on September 25th I also authorized by my signature to payables in the amount of 790,438 and 59 cents for the warrant dated September 25th 2020 And this included general fund expenses of that amount specifically and that was signed on September 27th 2020 And that's all I have Okay, miss health Okay, I authorized by my signature to payables in the amount of 49,176 dollars and 35 cents for the warrant dated September 3rd 2020 This included general fund expenses of 39,704 dollars and 6 cents And grant fund expenses of 9,472 dollars and 29 cents and I signed that one on September 4th And I authorized by my signature to payables in the amount of 33,191 dollars and 39 cents for the warrant dated September 18th 2020 That included general fund expenses of 30,561 dollars and 93 cents Revolving fund expenses of 135 dollars and 46 cents grant fund expenses of 2,494 dollars And I signed that one on September 21st And that's all great um and Moving on we have gifts and I don't think we have any gifts tonight. Nope. Okay, so um item number 13 Would somebody from Amherst select to make a motion? I moved to adjourn the Amherst school committee uh, okay Moved by Spitzer and seconded by Harrington. There's no discussion um Mr. Demling I'm just going to delay for seven minutes so that we can't end on him Now Demling I Um, mr. Harrington Harrington Ms. Lord Lord I Ms. Spitzer Spitzer I And McDonald I we are adjourned and I will note actually we were supposed to have adjourned at 835. So we're actually Chair Hall All right, someone from Pelham like to make a motion I moved to adjourn the Pelham school committee. All right moved by Barlow Second Signed by Kenny. All right. We'll take a roll call vote. Um, is Kenny Kenny I miss Barlow Barlow I Mr. Manino Manino I Miss Dancer Answer I and the hollow I Pelham is adjourned And I will move to adjourn the regional school committee. Is there a second? Lord second Moved by McDonald second by lord and there's no discussion We'll call vote mr. Demling. Demling. I mr. Harrington Harrington I Miss Kenny Kenny I Miss Lord Lord I Miss Seeger Seeger I Miss Spitzer Spitzer I Miss Dancer Answer I Mr. Sullivan Sullivan I And McDonald I the region is adjourned Thank you. Amherst media and thank you everybody