School Committee

AGENDA #7​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Page 1 ​ ​ ​ CLERK OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE WORCESTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS 20 IRVING STREET WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS 01609 The School Committee will hold an in-person meeting with a virtual option*: on:​ Thursday, March 19, 2026 At:​ 5:00 p.m., Executive Session; 6:00 p.m. Open Session ​ Esther Howland Chamber, Worcester City Hall or virtually with link below https://worcesterschools.zoom.us/j/82746440670?pwd=dmp4TnIxYThBd nhkZWQ1bm1hMjFFZz09 Also accessible by telephone, to dial in call: +1 301-715-8592 or +1 305-224-1968; Webinar ID: 827 4644 0670 *This meeting/hearing of the Worcester School Committee will be held in-person at the location provided on this notice. Members of the public are welcome to attend this in-person meeting. Please note that while an option for remote attendance and /or participation is being provided as a courtesy to the public, the meeting/hearing will not be suspended or terminated if technological problems interrupt the virtual broadcast, unless otherwise required by law. Members of the public with particular interest in any specific item on this agenda should make plans for in-person vs. virtual attendance accordingly. ORDER OF BUSINESS A.​ General Business Items taken in Executive Session Executive Session pursuant to Mass. G.L. c. 30A, Section 21(a), Purpose 7 to comply with, or act under the authority of, any general or special law, including the Massachusetts Public Records Law, Mass. G.L. c. 66, Section 10, and the Massachusetts Open Meeting Law, Mass. G.L. c. 30A, Sections 22(f) and (g), relating to review of executive session minutes for meetings that occurred between 2023 and 2026. Executive Session pursuant to Mass. G.L. c. 30A, Section 21(a), Purpose 7 to comply with, or act under the authority of, any general or special law, including the Massachusetts Public Records Law, Mass. G.L. c. 66, Section 10, and the Massachusetts Open Meeting Law, Mass. G.L. c. 30A, Sections 22(f) and (g), relating to review of executive session minutes for meetings that occurred March 5, 2026. To discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining position of the public body and the chair so declares – Successor Contract Negotiations – NAGE R1-156, 52 Week Administrative Secretaries Unit. To discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining position of the public body and the chair so declares – Successor Contract Negotiations – NAGE R1-16, Cafeteria Workers Unit.  AGENDA #7​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Page 2 To discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining position of the public body and the chair so declares – Successor Contract Negotiations – Massachusetts Nurses Association for and on behalf of Worcester School Nurses. B.​ Call to Order C.​ Pledge of Allegiance/National Anthem D.​ Roll Call​ M. ​ Student Advisory Committee Items ​ E.​ Consent Agenda i. ​ Approval of Minutes Approval of Minutes of the March 5, 2026 School Committee Meeting. ii. ​ Approval of Donations To consider approval of a donation of a $100 Amazon gift card from Lindsay & Michael Boggess to support students at Claremont Academy. To consider approval of a donation of 30 Dell Pro Laptops from the Mass Broadband Institute as part of their Connected & Online Program to benefit Worcester Public Schools. To consider approval of a donation of hat press machines, transfer label aligner, DTF ShakerDryer and Hat Lower Platen from Kevin O'Brien to benefit Worcester Technical High School's Graphic Communication program. To consider approval of a donation in the amount of $1967.03 from Reading for Education to benefit Nelson Place Elementary School. iii. ​ Notification of Personnel Records a.​ New Hire Instructional Staff b.​ New Hire Non-Instructional Staff c.​ Resignations/Retirements ​ iv. ​ Initial filing of Recognition McCullough ​ (March 19, 2026) To congratulate Burncoat Dance team and coaches for their 1st place finishes in Varsity Hip Hop, 2nd place in Varsity Jazz and 2nd place in JV Pom from the MSAA State Championship. McCullough ​ (March 19, 2026) To recognize our senior student School Committee representatives.  AGENDA #7​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Page 3 McCullough ​ (March 19, 2026) To recognize Doherty High School senior Bernardo Pena Dos Santos on being selected as Posse Scholar. v. ​ Notices of Interest to the District or to the Public F.​ Item for Reconsideration ​ G.​ Held Items ​ gb 6-28 (Mayor Petty) ​​ (March 5, 2026) To consider rescheduling the School Committee meeting of Thursday, June 18, 2026 to Wednesday, June 17, 2026. Recommendation: Approve and file ​ H.​ Recognitions (Mayor Petty) ​ (January 22, 2026) To congratulate Linda McSweeney for her recognition from Governor Healey on her years of service and dedication in the field of education. (Administration) (January 22, 2026) To recognize student Adryan Ferreira Pugira and bus driver Fabian Torres for their commendable response to a porch fire. (McCullough) ​ (February 26, 2026) To recognize Andrea Cook for being named Central Mass Music Educators Association Middle School Educator of the Year. I. Public Comment-Any member of the public may address the Committee regarding any item before them for two (2) minutes. Those speaking will state their name, their residence, and the item on which they wish to speak for the record. Those speaking may do so in person or via remote participation. Those wishing to address the Committee in a language other than English are asked to notify the Clerk of the Committee in advance, so the Committee may be provided with an interpreter. Members of the Committee may not respond to the comments of the public at the meeting. Click to view Policy BEDH-Public Comment J. ​ Public Petition ​ c&p 6-1 (Medina) ​ ​​ (March 19, 2026) ​ I request that WPS provide families with a comprehensive, published K-12 calendar of  AGENDA #7​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Page 4 all district-wide and state assessments (such as ACCESS and MCAS) for the remainder of the current academic year; and request that parents and caretakers be notified of specific subjects and testing dates at least one week before the start of any assessment to allow us to prepare our students mentally and academically. ​ Recommendation: Refer to TLSS K.​ Report of the Superintendent ​ ros 6-6 (Administration) Vision to Action…Vision of a Leader - Family and Community Engagement Recommendation: Approve and file L.​ Reports of the Standing Committees ​ ​​ N.​ Approval of Grants and other Finance Items ​ To consider approval of a prior year payment to an employee in the amount of $2,084.11. O.​ General Business gb 6-7 (Alvarez) ​​ (January 22, 2026) Response from Administration To request administration to provide a report on which Worcester Public Schools received in-school fire safety visits from the Worcester Fire Department during the last 5 academic school years and any planned visits during this current year, including the grade levels, the frequency and format of the visits, and the criteria or process used to determine which schools receive visits. The report should also include any plans to expand or standardize access to ensure all students have equitable exposure to fire safety education. Recommendation: Approve and file gb 6-29 (McCullough) ​​ (March 19, 2026) To explore the possibility of a creating Guidance Liaison or Guidance Q team position(s) in order to fully support district Guidance Counselors and College/Career Readiness (CCR) efforts. Recommendation: Refer to Administration gb 6-30 (Clerk) ​​ (March 19, 2026) To review policies BBA-E, BBBA-E, BEC, and BDE for potential updates. Recommendation: Refer to Operations and Governance gb 6-31 (Guardiola) ​​ (March 19, 2026) To request that the administration provide a report to the Committee on the current status of special education transportation in Worcester Public Schools in light of the findings and recommendations contained in the Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General’s February 2026 report.  AGENDA #7​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Page 5 Recommendation: Refer to Administration gb 6-32 (Guardiola) ​​ (March 19, 2026) To request that the administration provide a report on the status of the Head Start program within Worcester Public Schools, including enrollment data for the past three school years, current program capacity and locations, waitlist information if applicable, and any changes to funding, staffing, or program structure. The report should also include an overview of outreach efforts to families and any anticipated challenges or opportunities related to enrollment and program access moving forward. Recommendation: Refer to TLSS gb 6-33 (Administration) ​​ (March 19, 2026) To authorize the Administration to purchase the Reveal Elementary Math Curriculum for the Worcester Public Schools, on a six (6) year contract, at a cost not to exceed $3,200,000. Recommendation: Approve and file P. Announcements Meeting Dates: -March 29, 2026, Standing Committee for Teaching, Learning, and Student Success, 5:00 p.m., 20 Irving Street, Room 410. -April 2, 2026, School Committee Meeting, 5:00 p.m., City Hall, Esther Howland Chamber Q.​ Adjournment Kristi Turgeon, Clerk of the School eCommittee