• January 17, 2023 Regular Meeting
• January 24, 2023 Special Meeting

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, the state delegation and the Governor-Elect Maura Healy as soon as possible with a request for a response.

SC Order #22-293 - Vassal Lane Upper School Renaming

Dr. Victoria Greer, Superintendent of Schools

Office of Student Supports and Special Education: Evaluation Indicator I-E: Data-Informed Decision-Making

Dr. Barbara Mullen, Assistant Superintendent of Student Services

Francisco Alves, Interim Executive Director, Office of Student Services

None

Report of the January 19, 2023 Curriculum and Achievement Sub-Committee

Report of the January 19, 2023 Curriculum and Achievement Sub-Committee

Report of the January 25, 2023 Buildings and Grounds Sub-Committee

WHEREAS: Susan Noonan-Forster was a teacher at the Thorndike and Kennedy Schools in East Cambridge; and

WHEREAS: Susan was a CTA/CEA local president and an organizer for the Michigan Education Association and the Massachusetts Teachers Association described as “a champion for children and a fierce negotiator for teachers”, a political activist, brilliant, generous to a fault, tempestuous, with a strong will that allowed her to do much good in the schools and in her community; and

RESOLVED: That the Executive Secretary for the School Committee confer with the Superintendent to consider the request to honor Susan Noonan-Forster with an appropriate plaque or other remembrance at the Kennedy School building and/or grounds.

WHEREAS: Forty students (see: Appendix A) from Cambridge Rindge and Latin School (CRLS) participated in the 2023 Harvard High School Model United Nations (HMUN) Conference from January 26 through January 29, 2023; and

WHEREAS: This was HMUN’s largest conference since COVID with 3,758 delegates participating representing 43 different countries; and

WHEREAS: The CRLS Model UN club is the largest it has ever been; and

WHEREAS: Students Jeanne Alailima and Kiri-Anna Kingsbury Lee were recognized with diplomatic commendations  (see: Appendix B); and

WHEREAS: These students deserve recognition for their hard work and dedication to the CRLS MUN team; therefore, be it

RESOLVED: That the Cambridge School Committee go on record honoring and congratulating these scholars on their hard work and dedication; and be it further

RESOLVED: That a formal copy of this resolution be prepared by the Executive Secretary to the School Committee and forwarded to the students listed in the appendix.

WHEREAS: Black History Month is an annual celebration every February to celebrate the achievements of African Americans and their recognition of American History; and  

WHEREAS: In 1915, Harvard-trained historian Carter G. Woodson and minister Jesse E. Moorland founded the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), an organization dedicated towards promoting the achievement of Black Americans and other people of African descent; and 

WHEREAS: The ASALH established a week in 1926 to celebrate African American history and chose the second week of February to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass; and 

WHEREAS: Many cities across the country began issuing yearly proclamations recognizing the week, causing the movement to evolve from a week to a month in the late 1960s; and

WHEREAS: President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month in 1976, calling upon the public to seize the opportunity to honor the accomplishments of Black Americans; and

WHEREAS: In Cambridge Public Schools, Black history is taught throughout the year focusing on stories of oppression, agency, and joy through the lives of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Bayard Rustin, Ida B. Wells, Mary Church Terrell, Daisy Bates, and Fannie Lou Hamer; and 

WHEREAS: Students at the King Open School have been listening to parts of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech during their morning announcements; and 

WHEREAS: At the Cambridge Public Library, there is currently an exhibit dedicated to local Black Trailblazers produced by the Cambridge Black History Project, which introduced and distributed Bookmarks dedicated to and detailing the contributions of 15 Black Trailblazers born in Cambridge, now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED: That the Cambridge Public Schools goes on record recognizing Black History Month.

WHEREAS: The School Committee was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former Cambridge School Committee Member, City Councilor, Mayor, and State Representative Alice K. Wolf, at the age of 89 on January 26th, 2023; and 

WHEREAS: Alice Wolf believed in creating a world that is accepting of all, a value instilled in her at an early age, when her family escaped Austria in 1938 from Nazi rule, leading them to seek asylum in the United States; and 

WHEREAS: Alice Wolf’s family settled in Brighton, MA, and attended Boston Girls’ Latin School, earned a bachelor’s degree from Simmons College, and a master’s in public administration from Harvard Kennedy School; and 

WHEREAS: Alice Wolf was first elected as Cambridge School Committee Member in 1973, launching a nearly 35-year career as an elected official that would take her to the City Council for five terms beginning in 1984, serving as Mayor from 1990-1991, and the MA House of Representatives in 1996, where she served for 16 years; and  

WHEREAS: Alice Wolf lead many charges to advance social justice, including the effort to establish Cambridge as a Sanctuary City in 1986, an example of her commitment to humane and fair immigration policies; and

WHEREAS: Alice Wolf was an effective ally of LGBTQ+ communities, for example hosting the City’s first Gay Pride breakfast, and championing a 1992 policy that allowed LGBTQ+ couples to receive healthcare benefits if one person was a city employee; and 

WHEREAS: Alice Wolf made meaningful changes in Cambridge and the broader Commonwealth regarding education, environmental matters, reproductive health, affordable housing, elder services, and many more progressive causes; and

WHEREAS: Alice Wolf spent her life working to bridge divides, build consensus, to promote tolerance and respect for all; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED: That the School Committee go on record in expressing its deepest condolences to the family, friends, and the community of Alice K. Wolf for their loss; and be it further
RESOLVED: That the Executive Secretary be and hereby is requested to forward a suitably engrossed copy of this resolution to Alice Wolf’s husband Bob and their two sons, Eric and Adam, on behalf of the entire School Committee.

WHEREAS: Cambridge is now the first public school district in New England to offer students and staff a space to observe space for meditation, reflection, and spirituality; and 

WHEREAS: Sacred Spaces at CPSD schools are open for all students regardless of religious background; and

WHEREAS: The Sacred Spaces will allow staff and students to practice any form of self-reflection; and

WHEREAS: Chief Equity Officer Manuel Fernandez; Zakkiyya Witherspoon, the co-founder of the Muslim Community of Cambridge Public Schools (MCCPS); and the CPS Employee Resource Group worked collaboratively to create sacred spaces; therefore, be it

RESOLVED: That the Cambridge Public Schools goes on record recognizing the individuals involved with advocating for and establishing Sacred Spaces and acknowledges their commitment to equity.

• Vice Chair Rachel: Memorandum on Subcommittee Organization