• November 12, 2024, Special Meeting 
• November 19, 2024, Regular Meeting 

WHEREAS: The public comment portion of regular Cambridge School Committee meetings is an important opportunity for speakers to share their views with the School Committee in a format that is accessible to the public; and

WHEREAS: Each speaker is allotted three minutes to speak during public comment, and past practice of the Cambridge School Committee has been to allot six minutes of speaking time to the president of the Cambridge Education Association (CEA); and

WHEREAS: This practice of allotting six minutes to the president of the CEA has not been formally established in the School Committees rules or procedures; and

WHEREAS: The president of the CEA, when speaking in their capacity in that role, is representing 1,500 Cambridge Public Schools educators and is elected to serve as their representative; and

WHEREAS: Hearing the perspectives, priorities, concerns, recommendations and feedback of those educators is valuable to the work of the School Committee; now therefore be it 

RESOLVED: That the president of the CEA is allotted either six minutes of speaking time to deliver public comment at regular Cambridge School Committee meetings when the regular time limit is three minutes or they are allotted four minutes when the time limit is reduced to two minutes by the Chair based on the number of individuals signed up to speak; and be it further

RESOLVED: That the president or similar designated representative of any bargaining unit that has a contract with the Cambridge Public School District also be allotted the same minutes of speaking time as the president of the CEA to deliver public comment at regular Cambridge School Committee meetings.

WHEREAS: The hiring of a Superintendent is the most consequential decision the School Committee will make; and

WHEREAS: Many timelines for the search have been proposed, but none yet adopted; now therefore be it

RESOLVED: That the School Committee will commit to a search timeline no later than October 15, 2024; and be it further

RESOLVED: That the timeline will explicitly include interim dates by which the following milestones will have taken place: 1) Hiring of a Search Firm; 2) Stakeholder Meetings Ahead of Job Posting; 3) Job Posting Approved; 4) Job Posting Publicly Released and Advertised; 5) Application Deadline; 6) Search Firm Review of Applicants, and Proposal of Shortlist; 7) Shortlisted Candidate Interviews; 8) Offer Made; and be it further 

RESOLVED That the School Committee will make clear, in writing, who will be responsible for drafting a timeline for the Committee to consider, who will be responsible for organizing the Stakeholder meetings, and who will serve as the Hiring Committee.

WHEREAS: All residents are welcome to speak during Public Comment – but some residents have been elected by large groups of residents, to speak on their behalf; now therefore be it

RESOLVED: That any elected representative of a group with a membership larger than 500 individuals (living or working within the District) and all union leaders be entitled to twice the time allocated to an individual at a given meeting, not to exceed 6 minutes. 

WHEREAS: The Tobin Montessori School was recently recognized by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and by the Cambridge Public Schools Superintendent for its high student achievement; 

WHEREAS: The Tobin Montessori School is leading the way within the Cambridge Public School District, delivering clear, measurable progress in narrowing gaps in achievement between students with different backgrounds – an issue that the District has long stated is its most important; and

WHEREAS: The School Committee went on record a year ago supporting the expansion of the and directed the Superintendent to “…provide a report and recommendation to the committee a plan of action for the possible next steps…”; and

WHEREAS: No report nor recommendation was ever made; now therefore be it

RESOLVED: That the School Committee request that the Superintendent provide a preliminary report on the feasibility of making this change, and a recommendation from the Superintendent as to whether next steps are warranted and what those next steps would be, no later than December 31, 2024 (with the definition of preliminary to be determined by the Superintendent).Tobin Montessori program (specifically, “…to explore the recommendation of the American Montessori Association Accreditation team to extend the Tobin Montessori Upper Elementary Program to three years…”) and referred the matter to the Superintendent “…for further review of the recommendations from the Accreditation team to explore implications of such a change including but not limited to the budget impact, upper school enrollment, and feeder patterns…” 

WHEREAS: The School Committee recognizes the importance of fairness and equality in its rules and practices, particularly regarding public comment procedures; and

WHEREAS: The School Committee Governance Subcommittee has determined that establishing a consistent time limit for all speakers in public comment would support equitable participation across all individuals; and

WHEREAS: A standard time limit of three (3) minutes for public comment was discussed and recommended by the School Committee Governance Subcommittee, ensuring that no individuals receive preferential time allowances; now therefore be it

RESOLVED: That the School Committee formally adopts a standard time limit of three (3) minutes for all individuals participating in public comment; and be it further

RESOLVED: That the School Committee Rules be amended to reflect this three-minute time limit standard, specifying that these rules shall apply uniformly to all individuals to ensure equal opportunity for community members to share their perspectives in public meetings.

WHEREAS: Cambridge has been a Sanctuary City since 1985, and we have reaffirmed our commitment to
remain so as recently as 2016; and
WHEREAS: The Cambridge School Committee wholeheartedly embraces its commitment to creating and
maintaining a safe and welcoming environment for all Cambridge Public Schools (CPS) students, staff, and
families; and
WHEREAS: CPS policies including but not limited to JB - EQUAL EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES, GBA -
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY, IB - ACADEMIC FREEDOM, JICFA-E-1 - NON-TOLERANCE OF
HATE CRIMES, JIKD - FREEDOM OF RELIGION express the Committee and district’s commitment to prohibit
unlawful discrimination, harassment and retaliation on the basis of sexual orientation, gender or sex, gender
identity, race or ethnicity, ethnic group identification, ancestry, nationality, national origin, religion, color, mental or
physical disability, age, immigration status, marital status, registered domestic partner status, genetic information,
political belief or affiliation, military status, or on the basis of a person’s association with a person or group with
one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics in the educational programs or activities the district
operates; and
WHEREAS: All CPS staff and students are entitled to their First Amendment right to free speech, but
harassment, discrimination, and bias-based harm have no place in CPS school communities and will not be
tolerated; and
WHEREAS: Students deserve a safe and supportive space to learn, reflect, and develop critical thinking skills.
CPS encourages educator engagement with students to discuss difficult, controversial, or emotionally charged
topics in a safe and productive manner. In doing so, CPS provides guidance and resources for supporting,
managing, and reflecting on student civil discourse, civic learning, and civic engagement. This includes
recognizing the factors that have shaped perspectives, including life experience, family, culture, and identity. The
purpose is to provide space where young people generate questions, explore their curiosities, strengthen their
civic skills, and analyze aspects of our society and government; and
WHEREAS: CPS’ students, staff and their families originate from many different countries, and may have
received temporary legal status under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), may be undocumented,
and/or may live in mixed status households; and
WHEREAS: CPS reflects the diverse population of the world, which the district celebrates in many ways through
students’ daily experiences; and
WHEREAS: CPS is committed to ensuring students have access to a high-quality, well-rounded, rigorous, and
joyful education. To achieve this, CPS continuously works to ensure that students see themselves reflected in the
curriculum by incorporating LGBTQIA+, disabled, Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, and other historical figures into
its lessons; now therefore be it
RESOLVED THAT:
1. CPS will work alongside its partners and immigration advocates to provide training and support for students,
staff and their families on immigrant rights, understanding various legal statuses, and the overall health and wellbeing
of those affected.
2. CPS will provide multi-language resources for its students, staff, and their families in partnership with the City
on legal assistance, immigrant rights, mental health care, and public safety.
3. CPS will include in any legislative agenda advocacy at the state and federal levels for Deferred Action for
Childhood Arrivals, Temporary Protective Status, and Refugee Settlement Programs, as well as oppose any
legislation for the creation of a Muslim registry system or eroding civil rights protections upon our communities.
4. CPS schools will always welcome all students, staff and their families regardless of legal status.
5. CPS will not provide assistance to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the enforcement of
federal civil immigration law. Therefore, ICE will not be permitted access to CPS facilities or personnel except in
the rare instances in which CPS is provided with a criminal warrant.
6. CPS will continue to honor changes in names and/or pronouns that students and families have requested, and
will welcome individuals to use facilities that match their gender identities.
7. CPS will continue to teach about sexual and reproductive health, consistent with policies including IHAM-1 -
PARENT/GUARDIAN/CAREGIVER NOTIFICATION RELATIVE TO SEX EDUCATION
8. The Mayor, Superintendent, and School Committee Members will publicly defend these values as
circumstances warrant.

Update on pending matters and highlight various initiatives taking place across CPS school communities to advance the district strategic priorities for the 2024 -2025 school year.

Following the previous three presentations focused on district and school-based performance data, the district administration will present information related to the systemic structures, practices and variables contributing to the environment in which all CPS schools function, including but not limited to the district's policies, enrollment trajectory and facilities' operations. The presentation will also further distinguish between the two schools profiled at the November 19th meeting of the School Committee, the Kennedy Longfellow School and the Fletcher Maynard Academy, to examine why different strategies should be employed to support the students currently assigned to these respective schools as well as others across the Cambridge Public Schools

Interim Superintendent David Murphy

WHEREAS: Cambridge Public Schools and the School Committee value our educators and are committed to supporting their professional growth and enhancing the learning experiences of our students; and

WHEREAS: Significant information regarding the current teacher evaluation system was presented at the Curriculum and Achievement Subcommittee Meeting on October 23, 2024; and

WHEREAS: It is essential to share this information more broadly with the Committee and the community to foster a meaningful, substantive discussion; now therefore be it

RESOLVED: That the administration, in collaboration with the Executive Secretary of the School Committee, schedule a roundtable discussion by March 1, 2024, to provide an overview of the current teacher evaluation system.

None