1. Public Comment (3 Minutes):

2. Student School Committee Report:

3. Presentation of the Records for Approval:

• May 2, 2023 Regular Meeting

4. Reconsiderations:
None

5. Unfinished Business/Calendar:
#23-072 Motion by Communications & Community Relations Sub-committee

WHEREAS: School Councils play a critical and valued role in the Cambridge Public Schools by assisting school principals in planning for and implementing best practices that enhance the achievement of all students; and

WHEREAS: The School Committee seeks to support our schools and our School Council members by ensuring School Councils in CPSD:

• follow uniform policies and practices while being able to adopt practices that best serve each school community;
• are inclusive, diverse, and equitable spaces that reflect the diversity of our students, with representation from parents/guardians, caregivers, secondary-level students, teachers, and community members; and
• function as they should under state law and regulations and are supported to do so; and

WHEREAS: The School Committee is grateful for the work from March - June of 2021 of the School Council Working Group, which included a diverse group of parents/guardians/caregivers, students, family liaisons, teachers, and administrators, listed by name in the Handbook, in partnership with the then-newly formed CPSD Family Engagement Office, and is grateful for the subsequent review of the handbook by the CPSD administrative team and for the additional input and feedback of members of the CPSD community who reviewed draft versions of the Handbook; and

WHEREAS: The Communications and Community Relations Subcommittee of the School Committee has convened multiple meetings to review and revise proposed versions of the Handbook resulting from this process and is satisfied that the attached version is ready for full implementation, with regular review with the aim of continuous improvement; therefore, be it

RESOLVED: That the School Committee approves the attached School Council Handbook; and be it further

RESOLVED: That the School Committee notes that at the time of this motion being submitted, current law related to extending certain state emergency accommodations, which, among other things, extends the provision allowing public bodies to continue holding meetings remotely without a quorum of the body physically present at a meeting location and to provide “adequate, alternative” access to remote meetings until March 31, 2023, has not yet been further extended, and therefore the language in this handbook will be adjusted to ensure compliance with Open Meeting Law as in effect of April 1, 2023, if this provision is not further extended.

#23-082 Recommendation: Contract Award: Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology: Instructional Services

6. Awaiting Reports:
#C22-311 Joint Motion by Member Weinstein, Mayor Siddiqui

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.

7. Superintendent’s Agenda:

7a. Superintendent's Update:

District Update

7b. Presentations:

Office of Student Services English Language Learners/Billingual Services: Superintendent's Student Learning Goal 2: Academic Achievement Standard 1: Instructional Leadership

Karyn Grace, Assistant Superintendent of Student Services

Beth Kershner, Director of Multilingual Learner Education

7c. CPS District Plan:

None

7d. Consent Agenda:
#23-089 Recommendation: Approval to Retain the Law Firem of Morgan Brown & Joy, LLP
#23-090 Recommendation: Contract Award: Creative Bus Sales: Ford E-Transit Electric Van for RSTA
#23-091 Recommendation: Contract Award: Gerry's Music Shop: Musical Instruments
#23-092 Recommendation: Contract Award: University Instructors, LLC: Professional Development
#23-093 Recommendation: Contract Award: Amplify: Student Assessment Softward (FY24 Contract)
#23-094 Recommendation: Contract Award: Aperture Education: Computer Softward (FY24 Contract)
#23-095 Recommendation: Contract Award: ConvergeOne: Computer Network Supplies (FY24 Contract)
#23-096 Recommendation: Contract Award: CDW Government LLC: Computer Software (FY24 Contract)
#23-097 Recommendation: Contract Award: Follett School Solutions: Computer Softward (FY24 Contract)
#23-098 Recommendation: Contract Award: PJSystems dba HiQ Computers: Computer Software (FY24 Contract)
#23-099 Recommendation: Contract Award: Cartwheel Health Services P.C.: Mental Health Services (FY24 Contract)
#23-100 Recommendation: Contract Award: New England Center for Children: Computer Software (FY24 Contract)
#23-101 Recommendation: Contract Award: Perkins School for the Blind: Special Education Services (FY24 Contract)
#23-102 Recommendation: Contract Award: Baystate Interpreters: Translation Services
#23-103 Recommendation: Contract Award: Cambridge Center for Neuropsychology & Learning: Special Education Services (FY24 Contract)
#23-104 Recommendation: Gifts/Miscellaneous Receipts
#23-106 Recommendation: Contract Award: The Stepping Stones Group: Special Education Staff Services
#23-107 Recommendation: Contract Award: NorthEast Eleictrial: Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) Batteries

8. Non-Consent Agenda:
None

9. School Committee Agenda (Policy Matters/Notifications/Requests for Information):
#23-105 Joint Motion by Member Fantini, Vice Chair Rachel

WHEREAS: In 2021, the School Committee requested a plan for transporting students to after-school programs (C21-311, Members Wilson and Fantini); and

WHEREAS: Cambridge Public Schools provided additional funding to community partners that year to address the transportation needs of their participants; and

WHEREAS: Last year, the School Committee requested that the district work with the contracted transportation company to address student transportation to afterschool programs (C22-230 Vice Chair Rachel, Mayor Siddiqui, and Member Fantini); and

RESOLVED: Cambridge Public Schools was able to accommodate transportation for all families who are attending Department of Human Services (DHSP) sponsored after-school programs at a location other than their home school in the 2022-2023 school year; and now, therefore, be it further

RESOLVED: That given the increase in after-school slots created by the Department of Human Services (DHSP), the School Committee and district administration confirm to continue its practice of bussing students to after-school sites that are less than a mile away from their home schools. 

10. Resolutions:
None

11. Announcements:
None

12. Late Orders:
None

13. Communications and Reports from City Officers:

• Vice Chair Rachel: Memorandum re 2023 Superintendent’s Evaluation Timeline

Updated on 05/15/2023