Amherst School Committee Meeting Tuesday, December 19, 2017 Library, Amherst Regional High School 21 Mattoon Street Amherst, MA 01002 IN ATTENDANCE Phoebe Hazzard, Chair Michael Morris, Superintendent Eric Nakajima Sean Mangano, Finance Director Peter Demling Tim Sheehan, Curriculum Coordinator Anastasia Ordonez Katie Richardson, ELL Coordinator ABSENT Derek Shea, CF Principal Vira Douangmany Cage Diane Chamberlain, FR Principal Nick Yaffe, WW Principal Katherine Appy, Enrollment Working Group Member

Jennifer Page, Enrollment Working Group Member Katie McDermott, Enrollment Working Group Member Allison McDonald, Enrollment Working Group Member Kerry Spitzer, Enrollment Working Group Member Debbie Westmoreland, Recorder Public and Press

1. Call to Order and Approve Minutes 6:01 p.m. Ms. Hazzard called the Amherst School Committee to order at 6:01 p.m. She announced that the meeting is recorded and live broadcast by Amherst Media. Ms. Ordonez moved to approve the minutes of November 21, 2017. Mr. Nakajima seconded and the motion was unanimously approved. 2. Announcements and Public Comments 6:04 p.m. Ms. Ariel Schwell, parent, read a statement (attached) in opposition to using the elementary schools as a polling site during voting due to safety concerns. She thanked the School Committee for voting for a calendar in 2018-2019 that has a Curriculum Day on the November election so students will not be in the buildings. Marla Jamate, parent, also expressed appreciation for making the election date next November a Curriculum Day. She expressed concern about traffic issues that arise at the schools during voting, noting the danger to students and the difficulty for school administrators to ensure student safety. Both speakers encouraged bringing an end to use of the schools as polling sites. Ms. Hazzard expressed appreciation for the speakers' comments and noted that there is an item about this issue in Dr. Morris' update. Based on a comment in the last meeting minutes, Ms. Hazzard asked for clarification from Ms. Ordonez about how she suggests the School Building Committee Updates be referenced on agendas. After discussion, it was agreed to use the term "Fort River Feasibility Study Committee." Ms. Hazzard noted that she and Mr. Demling will not be serving on the BCG since the Regional Chair is expected to attend, which would create a quorum of the Amherst School Committee. Instead, Mr. Nakajima and Ms. Marriott will attend as the Regional Chair and Vice-Chair. 3. Superintendent's Update 6:14 p.m. Dr. Morris reported that he attended the first Racial Imbalance Advisory Committee (RIAC) meeting at DESE yesterday and found it very helpful to interact with people from various sectors regarding equity. He noted that all district administrators will be participating in a workshop regarding harassment incidents and investigations on January 5. Dr. Morris reported that he has talked with Town Manager Paul Bockelman who supports having the Amherst Police do a risk assessment of using the schools as polling sites. The assessment should be done before the March election. Ms. Ordonez asked if the committee can also get more information about what is

involved in changing polling sites when the risk assessment report is made. Dr. Morris will connect with the Town Clerk to get that information. Finally, Dr. Morris reported that the health insurance trust is continuing to decline despite the reallocation of funds to those expenses. The Insurance Advisory Commission (IAC) is scheduled to meet tomorrow with the Town Manager to discuss the issues around the insurance trust in more depth. Dr. Morris noted that there will be in-depth discussion of the impact of health insurance costs, both to the FY18 and FY19 budgets, as the budget process unfolds. Members of the School Committee encouraged Dr. Morris to share as much, and as in-depth, information with the public as possible as it becomes available since this is an issue that impacts the Town as well as the schools. 4. New and Continuing Business 6:30 p.m. A. ELL Update Dr. Morris introduced Katie Richardson, ELL teacher and Coordinator. Ms. Richardson utilized a Powerpoint presentation to provide an overview of the ELL program in the elementary schools. She reported on demographics of the program, including the first languages spoken; the bilingual interpreter program; next generation ESL guidance from DESE, including service delivery times per level; current models of ESL instruction in Amherst, including pull-out/self-contained, co-teaching and push in/phasing out; assessment; and the RETELL course required for all teachers for relicensure. Ms. Richardson noted that significant changes are coming in Massachusetts law regarding ESL instruction due to Bill H.4032 An Act relative to language opportunity for our kids (LOOK bill), which was signed into law on November 22, 2017. Changes will include flexibility in the models of instruction, including bilingual education; development of a mandatory English Learner Parent Advisory Council if there are more than 100 English learners in the district; and inclusion of a seal of biliteracy on diplomas. Ms. Richardson and Dr. Morris answered clarifying questions for the School Committee throughout and after the presentation. Mr. Shea spoke briefly about the ways in which the schools embrace ESL students as soon as they arrive, noting that the numbers of students are changing constantly throughout the school year. B. Homework Guidelines Mr. Sheehan gave an overview of the changes that were made to the first draft of the Elementary Homework Plan based on feedback received from staff and community members through guided discussions and meetings. He noted that teachers Susan Radke and Stephanie Joyce utilized the feedback to update the plan, which was shared again with staff and families for additional feedback. Mr. Sheehan noted that he has received very little feedback to the updated draft, and he and Dr. Morris will be developing an implementation plan in the near future. Dr. Morris noted that the largest change to the document, based on initial feedback, was the addition of Section IV: Appendix of Supplemental Activities for Families, which was developed by Mr. Sheehan. Dr. Morris and Mr. Sheehan answered clarifying questions for the committee. Ms. Hazzard noted that this has been a model process with regard to engagement and thanked Dr. Morris and Mr. Sheehan for their work. She asked what implementation will look like for teachers and how it will be shared with parents. Mr. Sheehan noted that there will be facilitated discussions with teachers around implementation and, likely, a document will be shared with parents/guardians in report card envelopes to ensure they see them. C. Policy BEAA: Superintendency Union 26 Ms. Hazzard reviewed the changes that were made to Policy BEAA after the first reading by the Amherst and Pelham School Committees. After brief discussion, Mr. Demling moved to approve Policy BEAA: Superintendency Union 26 as presented. Mr. Nakajima seconded and, after brief comments, the motion was unanimously approved. By consensus, it was agreed that the Policy Subcommittee should discuss the potential for developing a policy that defines the relationship between the Union 26 School Committee and the Amherst-Pelham Regional School Committee.

D. Enrollment Working Group Report: Socio-Economic Balance Subgroup Dr. Morris thanked the volunteers who have put in tremendous efforts on the Enrollment Working Group subgroups. Katie McDermott introduced herself and other members of the Socio-Economic Balance Subgroup, which includes Katherine Appy, Kathryn McDermott, Allison McDonald, Jennifer Page and Kerry Spitzer. Ms. McDermott reviewed the four purposes of the subgroup and provided background information regarding socio-economic balance in the schools. Ms. Appy provided a review of the history of this issue, including the closure of Marks Meadow School and subsequent redistricting to ensure economic balance in the three remaining elementary schools. Ms. Spitzer reported on the finding of the subcommittee, which is that the proportion of elementary students in Amherst from economically disadvantaged families has increased overall and within the three elementary schools; however, the schools' economically disadvantaged populations are no longer balanced across the schools. She reviewed efforts made by each of the elementary schools to assist students. Ms. McDonald reported on the findings of the subcommittee through their interviews with principals, assistant principals and guidance or adjustment counselors at each of the three schools. The five themes found through the interviews were 1) family engagement and connection; 2) staff training; 3) role of the schools as community centers and service providers; 4) student stress and anxiety, and 5) preschool access and school readiness. Ms. Page reported on possible solutions and steps the School Committee may want to consider taking toward those possible solutions. Ms. Hazzard thanked the subcommittee for the very thoughtful and detailed report, noting that this is the first of five subcommittees that will report on their work. Mr. Demling asked if the report can be shared on the website. Dr. Morris noted that it should be made available, but he would like to think about whether the reports should be posted separately or at the same time once all of the subcommittees have presented their work. Subcommittee members answered clarifying questions for the committee on various aspects of the report. E. Fort River Feasibility Study Committee Update Mr. Nakajima reported that the committee has met, noting that there was a bit of a glitch in getting all members sworn in, which means the first of two meetings was not official. He noted that this is a terrific group and there is a dynamic in which all members are contributing well. There is a subgroup that will be revising existing RFQs to move into the process for acquiring an OPM by early spring. Ms. Chamberlain, who also serves on the committee, noted that trying to understand the parameters within which the group has to work has been interesting since it is a committee of the town. Mr. Nakajima noted that he was tasked with asking the School Committee if they plan to submit an MSBA Statement of Interest this year, which will be discussed under the School Committee Planning agenda item. F. RSDPC Update Mr. Demling briefly reviewed the history of the appointment of the RSDPC, which includes him, Marylou Theilman and Joan Temkin. The committee met on December 12 and will meet again on January 23 at which time Mr. Mangano will attend. Mr. Demling noted that this is a good team and work is moving forward. Dr. Morris reported that recipients of the grant we applied for to help with this work will be announced after the beginning of the year. J. Accept Gifts Mr. Nakajima moved to accept a gift of $300 from Trevor Takayama, Fort River technology teacher, for the ARPS Family Center holiday drive. Ms. Ordonez seconded and the motion was unanimously approved. K. School Committee Planning 8:31 p.m. Ms. Hazzard noted that Mr. Demling has asked whether the School Committee will take a position regarding the vote on the potential Charter Commission and asked for the committee's input on whether this should be on a future agenda. After brief discussion, it was agreed by consensus that this will not be a future agenda item. For future agendas, topics will include themes from feedback sessions with staff;

presentations of the Special Education and Declining Enrollment Subgroups of the Enrollment Working Group; initial MSBA Statement of Interest discussion; initial budget presentation; school choice hearing; and sabbatical requests 5. Adjourn 8:43 p.m. Mr. Nakajima moved to adjourn at 8:43 p.m. Mr. Demling seconded and the motion was unanimously approved. Respectfully Submitted, Debbie Westmoreland MEETING DOCUMENTS

1. Amherst School Committee Minutes of November 21, 2017 2. Superintendent's Update dated December 19, 2017 3. Amherst ELL Program School Committee Presentation dated December 19, 2017 4. Elementary Homework Plan (revised December 2017) 5. Socioeconomic Integration Report 6. Policy BEAA: School Committee: Superintendency Union #26 (revised December 18, 2017)