Ep. 45, Last Night @ School Committee: 12/15 Meeting Recap

Last Night At School Committee

Last night’s meeting began with the announcement that two current Committee members, Hardin Coleman and Ernani DeAraujo, would not be seeking reappointment to the School Committee after their term ends. After this announcement, the Superintendent provided a brief Superintendent’s Report that touched on a few subjects, including COVID-19 testing updates and an experiential learning competition, where a BINCA student designed artwork for a new sneaker that is available for purchase. After a quick presentation on charter amendments for the Edward M. Kennedy (EMK) Academy, the meeting shifted to public comment, where there were numerous public comments regarding the prospectus for the Charlestown Innovation and Inclusive High School, as well as comments on COVID-19 testing and the exam schools.

The School Committee took three votes last night, voting on two charter amendments for the EMK Academy and the Boston Day and Evening Academy, and finally voted to close the Irving Middle School, Jackson/Mann School, and Timilty Middle School – a vote that had been put off several weeks ago. After voting, the School Committee heard two reports last night: the first was a detailed report from the Office of Equity, and the second a financial update on the district’s budget and ESSER funding. During this report, we heard that much of the federal recovery funding granted to BPS still has not reached schools, and there was also a discussion about the budget impact of continuously declining enrollment numbers across the district.

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