CPS

Regular Meeting Meeting | Agenda

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Held in and broadcast from the Dr. Henrietta S. Attles Meeting Room, Cambridge Rindge, and Latin School, 459 Broadway, Cambridge. To sign up to call in using the ZOOM app on your computer or mobile device: visit www.cpsd.us/school_committee/virtual

Regular Meetings will be live-streamed at www.cpsd.us and broadcast on Cambridge Educational Access TV (CEATV) Channel 98/99, as usual. Motions shown below are updated live as they progress.

From the Office of the Executive Secretary to the School Committee

November 15, 2022 | 06:00 pm

1. Public Comment (3 Minutes):

2. Student School Committee Report:

3. Presentation of the Records for Approval:
  • October 18, 2022 Regular Meeting
  • October 18, 2022 Special Meeting
  • October 25, 2022 Roundtable Meeting
  • October 25, 2022 Special Meeting
  • October 25, 2022 Retreat Meeting
  • November 1, 2022 Regular Meeting
  • November 1, 2022 Special Meeting

4. Reconsiderations:
None

5. Unfinished Business/Calendar:
None

6. Awaiting Reports:
None

7. Superintendent’s Agenda:

7a. Superintendent's Update:
  • CPS Equity Budget Audit
  • Superintendent Draft Goals and Focus Indicators
7b. Presentations:

None

7c. CPS District Plan:

None

7d. Consent Agenda:
#22-261 Recommendation: Day & Residential Program Service not Available from the Cambridge School Department
#22-262 Recommendation: Contract Award: Lexia Learning Systems, LLC: Professional Development
#22-263 Recommendation: Contract Award: Increase, LLC: Consulting Services
#22-264 Recommendation: Contract Award: Creative Office Pavilion: Office Furniture-Amended
#22-265 Recommendation: Contract AwaRd: Battelle for Kids: Consulting Services
#22-266 Recommendation: Contract Award: CDW Government, LLC: Computer Hardware & Accessories
#22-267 Recommendation: Contract Award: CCS Presentation Systems: Interactive Display Hardware
#22-268 Recommendation: Gifts/Miscellaneous Receipts
#22-269 Recommendation: Grant Award: FY23 Circuit Breaker Allocation (SC23776)
#22-270 Recommendation: Grant Award: FY23 Early College Support Grant (SC23831)
#22-271 Recommendation: Grant Award: FY23 Hasty Pudding Theatricals (SC23775)
#22-272 Recommendation: Grant Award: FY2023 Occupational Edcation Vocational Skills (SC23606)

8. Non-Consent Agenda:
None

9. School Committee Agenda (Policy Matters/Notifications/Requests for Information):
#22-273 Joint Motion by Member Weinstein, Mayor Siddiqui and Member Wilson

WHEREAS: The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) is reviewing and revising bus service schedules; and

WHEREAS: Cambridge Public School District (CPSD) students and their families rely on public bus service to attend school and to participate in out-of-school time opportunities including extracurricular activities, sports, jobs, and internships; and

WHEREAS: CPSD does not provide school bus transportation to students in grades 9 to 12; and

WHEREAS: Proposed changes to MBTA bus routes serving the City of Cambridge include reductions 

and changes in routes and/or schedules that would greatly impact the ability of CPSD students to access school and other activities; and 

WHEREAS: Many issues with the proposed route modifications and recommendations have been brought forward by the community, including:

  • Route 68 Harvard - Kendall / MIT (travels down Broadway between Kendall Sq. and Harvard Sq.). MBTA proposes reducing service to weekdays only 6:00 am- 9:00 am and 4:00 pm-7:00 pm every 30 minutes. Afterschool activities and sports need evening rush hour frequency service extended to 3:00 pm-8:00 pm;
  • Route 69 Harvard - Lechmere (travels down Cambridge St. between Lechmere and Harvard). MBTA proposes a reduction from every 15 mins to every 30 mins;
  • Route 83 (Rindge Ave to Central Sq. via Porter Sq.). MBTA proposes a reduction to every 30 minutes from the current 20 minutes. Current frequency should be maintained, or increased to every 15 minutes to make the bus usable between 3:00 pm and 8:00 pm;
  • Routes 69 and Route 83 are being cut drastically; the frequencies of both routes should be increased to account for the needs of students;
  • Route 78 (78 Arlmont Village - Harvard via Garden St., Concord Ave to Cambridge Highlands). MBTA proposes a reduction from every 25 minutes to every 60-90 minutes (6:00 am-1:00 am). Students on this line need more frequent service to access school and afterschool activities and sports need evening rush hour frequency service extended to 3:00 pm-8:00 pm. Cuts to Route 78 also reduce access to Neighborhood Nine, Cambridge Highlands, Concord Ave between Huron and Blanchard Rd, including assisted care and medical facilities; it is also the only connector between West Cambridge and Arlington;
  • Route 75 (The dedicated CRLS route on school mornings) provides essential transportation services for high school students to get to school on time and should be reinstated and additional dedicated CRLS routes considered for other areas of the City;
  • Routes throughout the City need to be assessed in light of new and planned housing units including affordable housing and the potential future needs of students living in that housing; therefore, be it

RESOLVED: That the Superintendent and Mayor Siddiqui send a letter and forward this policy order along with emails from the community to representatives at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and the Cambridge state delegation on behalf of the entire School Committee, and be it further

RESOLVED: That this letter will detail the MBTA bus routes and schedules that are critical for the needs of CPSD students, with particular attention to those students and families who rely the most on MBTA busses; and be it further

RESOLVED: That CPSD will review student needs and the most recent MBTA proposals before submitting the letter and will add to or modify the list noted above if needed, and be it further

RESOLVED: The Cambridge School Committee goes on record in support of changes that improve access and in support of further changes to address the concerns of residents as summarized above, and be it further

RESOLVED: That this letter will be delivered to the MBTA as soon as possible with a request for a response.


#22-274 Motion by Communications & Community Relations Sub-committee

Report of the October 13, 2022 Communications and Community Relations Sub-Committee Meeting


10. Resolutions:
#22-275 Joint Motion by Mayor Siddiqui, Member Wilson and Vice Chair Rachel

WHEREAS: Transgender Awareness Week occurs November 13 – 19, to help raise the visibility of transgender people and raise awareness about the issues members of the community face; and

WHEREAS: November 20th is Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day to commemorate all transgender people lost to violence; and

WHEREAS: Discriminatory laws are being set to restrict the freedoms of trans and nonbinary students around the nation; and

WHEREAS: All transgender students at Cambridge Public Schools should feel safe, welcomed, and valued, and therefore be it

RESOLVED: That the Cambridge Public Schools goes on record recognizing Transgender Awareness Week.


#22-276 Joint Motion by Mayor Siddiqui, Member Wilson and Vice Chair Rachel

WHEREAS: November is Native American Heritage Month, to celebrate the rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and history of Native people; and

WHEREAS: There are over 600 Native Nations in the United States, where 6.8 million Americans identify as Native American, including 250 in Cambridge; and

WHEREAS: The City of Cambridge is on land belonging to the Massachusetts People; and

WHEREAS: Cambridge believes that the culture of Indigenous people is one to be promoted, and the rich and diverse history is worthy of celebration; and

WHEREAS: Cambridge will continue to observe Native American and Indigenous cultures that exist in Cambridge and recognize the violence that Indigenous Nations have been subjected to; and therefore, be it

RESOLVED: That the Cambridge Public Schools goes on record recognizing Native American Heritage Month.


11. Announcements:
None

12. Late Orders:
None

13. Communications and Reports from City Officers:

None


Updated on 11/10/2022