Summary of School Committee 9.22.22

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00:00:00 - 01:00:00

The Hamilton Regional School Committee is meeting to discuss a range of topics, including the district's vaccination policy, comments from citizens, the school committee's vision, policy, budget, and accountability, the new cell phone policy, and the goals of the school committee.

00:00:00 The Hamilton Regional School Committee is meeting to discuss a range of topics, including the district's vaccination policy. The committee is also discussing comments from citizens. One citizen is advocating for the school district to rescind its vaccine mandate, while another is urging the committee to listen to teachers and staff.
00:05:00 The speaker discusses the concerns they have with the district's policy of not approving exemptions. They share an email their wife Sue wrote to the school community, in which she shared the profile of a student who is amazing. The speaker expresses their hope that the committee will stay focused on students and not be removed from the school system or begin their child's academic journey in Wenham.
00:10:00 The school committee discussed various topics, including the school committee's vision, policy, budget, and accountability. The student representatives present reported on the activities of their respective classes. Finally, the school committee discussed the new cell phone policy.
00:15:00 The school committee discusses different policies and how they've been successful so far. They also discuss how the school committee would like to see Mahala continue to do her job. They also discuss how the school committee would like to see exhibits be linked to live websites, instead of just having them be linked to YouTube.
00:20:00 Superintendents are required to work with the school committee to set goals for the year, which are generally aligned with the district goals. The superintendent draft goals were generated and approved previously. Tonight, the school committee will get feedback on the goals, and then come back with the final goals for the following meeting.
00:25:00 The School Committee discusses and reviews standards that schools should aim to meet, as well as indicators to measure whether schools are meeting those standards. They also discuss how to improve school processes and increase engagement with the community. Finally, they discuss benchmarks that schools should aim to reach.
00:30:00 The video discusses the goals of the school committee, which include improving student learning, increasing staff morale, and increasing the district's equity and culture. The video also discusses the goals of the school committee's various Connections, which include improving student learning, increasing staff morale, and increasing the district's equity and culture. Finally, the video discusses the goals of the school committee's professional development, which includes improving staff morale and increasing the district's equity and culture.
00:35:00 The school committee is discussing how to integrate the transition from fifth grade to sixth grade, how to improve student achievement, and how to break down barriers for students. They are also discussing how to implement the school improvement plans, and how to improve professional development.
00:40:00 The superintendent discusses their goals for the school committee, noting that Standard 1, Instructional Leadership, covers "if you go to instructional leaderleadership that go all the way to the standard level," which is different from the other standards. He recommends either evaluating on all six indicators or choosing two. One member of the school committee voices their disagreement with this suggestion, citing the contentious past when this issue arose.
00:45:00 The video discusses the new school committee's goals for modernization and data management. The committee is struggling to come up with a sustainable solution for managing all of the software and data required for the goals, and asks the district's DBA if they are able to provide the necessary training and support. The committee is also concerned about the district's many data-related projects, which are being handled by a variety of different people with varying levels of expertise.
00:50:00 The School Committee discusses goals for the upcoming school year and discusses the professional practice goal that was originally included but later removed. Feedback is given on the goals and decisions are made to include or not include the goal.
00:55:00 The video discusses school committee goals for the upcoming year, including the goal to develop high standards. One superintendent suggests that the goal to develop high standards should also include a commitment to meeting those standards.

01:00:00 - 02:00:00

The school committee discusses their goals for the year, including a three-year strategic plan and equity and culture building. They also discuss the feasibility of requiring vaccinations for new hires, and decide to keep the policy but allow for exemptions. Finally, they discuss the draft budget calendar and the upcoming regional agreement.

01:00:00 The video discusses school committee goals, specifically goal one and four. Goal one is to complete a three-year strategic plan. Goal four is to focus on equity and culture building. Eric notes that student interactions are not listed as a principal goal, but they may be in goal three, which is system efficiencies.
01:05:00 The video discusses the need for a vaccination requirement for employees, and how it has been a roadblock in the hiring process. The presenter suggests that the decision be made by the board and discusses why it is important.
01:10:00 The video discusses the school committee's decision to rescind the mandatory vaccination requirement for District staff. The video also discusses the school committee's decision to allow exemptions prior to new hire.
01:15:00 School Committee members discuss the pros and cons of requiring vaccinations for school staff and faculty. The majority of the committee members feel that the pros of requiring vaccinations outweigh the cons, but they want to wait for the state to make a decision.
01:20:00 School Committee members discuss whether to keep or rescind a policy that requires school bus drivers to be vaccinated. One member argues that the policy is discriminatory because it favors those who are vaccinated over those who are not. Others argue that the policy is necessary in order to maintain public health. In the end, the committee votes to keep the policy, but with the caveat that exemptions can be granted on a case-by-case basis.
01:25:00 The school committee is considering whether to rescind language requiring new employees to be fully vaccinated or submit for an exemption prior to beginning employment. If the motion passes, existing employees would still be required to be vaccinated, but new hires would be exempt unless they have a religious or medical exemption.
01:30:00 The school committee discusses whether to require new hires to receive a vaccine against kova 19, and decides to amend the motion to include the first line as presented. Jen suggests a change to allow for exemptions for religious or medical reasons. All six members present agree to the change.
01:35:00 The school committee voted to approve the amendment to their motion, and then voted on the actual motion. The motion passed unanimously, and the strategic planning committee was created.
01:40:00 The town committee is discussing changes to their strategic planning committee. Anna Siezek and David Frankel have been appointed to represent the school committee on the strategic planning committee. Jen Carr is proposing that they add a third representative, Eric, to the committee. They are also discussing the warrants for Hamilton and Wenham, and Dana points out that the number of zeros in the million dollar figure is inconsistent with the rest of the warrants.
01:45:00 The town committee is discussing a feasibility study for a new school district facility. The school district would like to borrow a million dollars from the town, but the town committee is worried that Wenham's share of the loan is not specifically spelled out. Eric will be speaking at town meetings to clarify the town's portion of the loan.
01:50:00 The school committee discussed ways to improve communication within the town, and came to the conclusion that making the school committee's communications more accessible on Facebook would be beneficial.
01:55:00 The school committee discusses the draft budget calendar for the upcoming year, and notes that they usually work backwards from the town meeting to prepare it. One member notes that there is a new projector, but it hasn't changed anything with the scrolling issue. The committee discusses the upcoming regional agreement and Mass General law, and then Vinnie closes the meeting.

02:00:00 - 02:20:00

The video provides an update on the progress made by the school committee in recent months, specifically focused on their work on the Equity Audit and the Accreditation Report. The superintendent reports that they are close to completing the budget and that the Quintuple Chairs Board meeting went well. The committee unanimously decides to adjourn into executive session.