*NOTE: Since publishing this post on May 19th, the School Committee approved the proposed budget including the allocation of funding for menstrual products in schools, an enrollment study and additional garden resources which were previously under discussion. 

Dan Futrell shared a summary of the Superintendent's proposed budget at our May 13th Regular School Committee Meeting as part of his report on the Budget Public Hearing, which is included below. SPS Administration's mission to increase equity, access, and opportunity for all students is al the heart of the investments proposed for 2019. Click here to access the budget FY2020 budget information, including all documents, including the presentation by SPS administration at the public hearing as well as a link to a video of the public hearing. 

POST UPDATE 11/1/2019: Work has continued and a new version of the Equity Policy (dated 10/21) has been approved by the Rules Subcommittee of the SC and deliberation on this version will begin at the November 4th Regular Meeting. 

Over the past several months the School Committee (SC) has been working with district administration on a draft Equity Policy (dated 4/22) and we are interested in your feedback. The purpose of the policy is to establish a definition of equity for SPS and set a path towards achievement. Administration conducted research and shared policies from other communities and, with School Committee’s input, created this draft Equity Policy. The district is currently conducting focus groups of staff and students and I am publishing this blog post in the effort to increase awareness and obtain initial community input.  Below are some of the areas of School Committee discussion about the draft Equity Policy, which include but are not limited to the mission, the scope, levers to impact equity, and the distribution resources necessary to achieve the mission.

With respect to the mission, achieving equity means equal opportunity for success for all students, which may not result in the same experience for all students. Establishing equity necessitates meeting the specific needs of different students. The draft policy has explicitly included a definition of both equity and equality to clarify the difference. Decoupling the link between educational outcomes and any personal characteristic, including socioeconomic status or race, is the root of achieving equity. Creating a thoughtful equity policy provides the justification and license to pursue the challenging work of reconsidering the systems, structure and practice of public education that were originally developed in the context of class and cultural bias.

This is the question the Somerville School Committee has been considering and is scheduled to vote on Monday March 18th (rescheduled from March 4th snow cancelation): Will the Somerville Public Schools (SPS) adopt the proposed Powderhouse Studios as an in-district Innovation School? An Innovation School is a Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) designation that allows for the creation of in-district public schools (different from a Charter School) that employ creative approaches and differing practices from district or DESE mandates. This January the School Committee (SC) initiated the last component of the DESE defined authorization process for the proposed school initiated approximately five years ago. The SC is very interested in community opinion on this decision, and here I share my best understanding of the opportunity, as well as what I will be considering as a Somerville SC Member when I make my vote on March 18th.

For those not familiar with the proposed Innovation School for SPS, below is a brief overview:

• Powderhouse Studios is a proposed Innovation School that is being considered by the SC. The proposed school was initiated by an outside non-profit (“the Applicant”). SPS had representation on the Innovation Committee that developed the initial plan, facilitated the process for the Somerville Teachers Union to consider the plan, and is collaborating with the Applicant more significantly since early January to support the further development of the proposal for SC consideration.
• The proposed school is designed to serve up to 160 students, 13 years old - high school, after a four-year ramp-up period. It would provide an alternative to attending grades 7-12 in our current public schools. Some of the differing elements include: a later start time, a longer school day, a year-round calendar, significant real-world projects (versus traditional subjects), and non-standard budgeting, curriculum, and staffing.
• The plan has the proposed school located in the former Powderhouse School site as one of several tenants in a mixed-use development project. It is not planned to be located in a City owned facility, therefore the draft financial model includes rent and build-out expenses.
• A $10 M grant was awarded by XQ to the Applicant, not to SPS or the City of Somerville. How the Grant money can be utilized is still under discussion between the Applicant, the SPS and the Grantor. The full $10 M cannot be allocated to offset district expenses. Nearly $1 M of the Grant money has been spent by the Applicant since awarded by XQ two years ago.
• Since early January, the School Committee has hosted a public process to consider the proposed school, which has included: two Public Hearings, fourteen SC Office Hour sessions, the receipt of many emails, and presentations/discussion in all January and February SC Regular Meetings with the opportunity for Public Comment at the beginning of those meetings. The last opportunity for Public Comment on the proposed school is March 18th, 7 pm, at Somerville City Hall.

The adoption of the proposed school is not a “done deal” as several people have assumed. There is a vote scheduled by the SC on March 18th on whether or not to adopt the proposed school.

If you want to learn more, visit the SPS web page which details the process and has links to a great deal of information on the proposed school: http://www.somerville.k12.ma.us/district-leadership/somerville-school-committee/powderhouse-studios-proposal

During Office Hours over the last weeks, in emails and at the two Public Hearings, I have heard from those excited by the proposed school and creative model, those who expressed a strong belief in the Applicant and those considering the proposed school for their children, if it is adopted. I have heard from constituents who are questioning how the adoption would impact the rest of the district (financially and initiative wise) and if adoption will address the SPS goals and challenges, specifically the achievement gap. Although discussed, these questions have not been answered. The financial plan has not been finalized and there is less than one week until the scheduled SC vote.

The draft financial plan includes, over the next five years, a $10.7 M investment by the Somerville Public Schools and an additional $1.4 M investment by the City of Somerville. This School District investment is based on average per pupil spending. In short, this money would be spent by the district if the proposed school is adopted or not, however if the school is adopted the funds would be shifted from other schools and initiatives to the proposed school. The financial plan assumes full enrollment to cover significant fixed costs which may not be realistic in an urban district with demonstrated high annual student mobility. If the school is not fully enrolled, the planned average per pupil allocation from the district would be reduced (by average per pupil spending of students not enrolled) and the school would not have expected money to cover the expenses outlined in the financial plan which is not accounted for. Additionally, the draft financial plan assumes a reimbursement of $900 K over five years from the Grant for district staff time to support the proposed school design and launch, which has not been agreed upon to date by the Grantor. If not covered by the Grant or the allocated average per pupil spending, SPS would assume any additional expense from the district budget.

I cannot speak for my colleagues, but I plan on making my final decision when the SC completes deliberation on March 18th considering thoughts from my SC colleagues and the recommendation from Superintendent Skipper. I can share the four primary considerations I will base my decision on: the educational design of the school, the viability of the plan (including the financials), the potential impact to the district, and how adoption would support SPS goals and priorities. The impact to the district includes the potential to explore innovative ideas that can be adopted in the district based on the experience with the proposed school. It also considers how a diversion of both funds and resources from other schools, initiatives or opportunities due to the investment in the proposed school, will impact our district.

The proposed school is exciting, complex and a radical change from a traditional school. The number of unknowns, outstanding questions and concerns is large. Less than one week before the SC vote, the financial model is a draft which has yet to demonstrate that the proposed school is fiscally responsible or predict the likely impact to the district. Additionally, based on the complexity of the proposed school, I am concerned the amount of work necessary to realize the vision will distract from current district-wide innovation efforts and goal achievement. I look forward to exploring these concerns and questions further over the next several days to inform my analysis and decision, in the context of serving the best interests all students in the Somerville Public Schools.

The SPS staff have invested a great deal in refining the plan for the proposed school throughout this community process. I am impressed by the efforts of my SC colleagues, with their various skills and experience in education and business, to understand and give sincere consideration to the proposed school as well as request and review input from the community. I extend my thanks to the Somerville community, SPS staff, my colleagues and the Applicant for their efforts.

If you have an opinion about whether or not Somerville Public Schools should adopt the proposed school, Powderhouse Studios, or questions, please contact the Somerville School Committee (email or phone can be found on the SPS website) or join the School Committee at City Hall for Public Comment at 7 pm on Monday March 18th.

Laura Pitone, Somerville School Committee Representative, Ward 5

[email protected]

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Consideration of a new Innovation School, Office Hours, Budget planning, Equity Policies, and the initial findings of the Somerville Learning 2030 initiative are just a few of activities of Somerville Public Schools (SPS) and the School Committee (SC) this winter. 

OFFICE HOURS: Please join me and Ward 5 City Councilor Mark Niedergang for Office Hours Sunday, February 10th, 10:30 - noon at the Armory Cafe, 191 Highland Avenue. The School Committee has initiated Office Hours a little earlier this year to seek input on not only on the 2019-2020 budget but also the proposed Innovation School Powderhouse Studios. See full schedule of Office Hours. 

PROPOSED INNOVATION SCHOOL: The School Committee plans to vote on March 4th on whether to adopt Powderhouse Studios as an Innovation School in SPS. The SPS website Powerhouse Studios Proposal page has information about what an Innovation School is, the Innovation School Process and the proposed plans for Powerhouse Studios. There is a great deal of content on the SPS website, I recommend starting with the video of the January 23rd public hearing, which includes a high level overview of the proposed school design and comments from the public. I also encourage people to attend the next School Committee Public Hearing this Wednesday February 6th from 6 - 8 pm at the West Somerville Neighborhood School (177 Powderhouse Blvd). School Committee Members are seeking community input on the proposed school to inform their decision for the district. Community members may also email the School Committee, or participate in Public Comment at 7 pm at the School Committee meetings scheduled Monday February 25th and Monday March 4th (day of the vote) at City Hall.

SOMERVILLE LEARNING 2030 FINDINGS: Nearly 700 surveys were completed and over 200 people participated in focus groups exploring the question: "What do we want growing up in Somerville to look like?" View the initial results and share your feedback on the results in the "What you said - findings so far" section of the Somerville Learning 2030 webpage. Some of what participants said they value included housing affordability, youth friendly spaces (indoors and outdoors, especially for teens), attention to youth social emotional health, and access to affordable early childhood and after school programing. Once the report is finalized, it will serve as community input for future planning for our City and Schools. 

EQUITY POLICIES: The School Committee is creating policies to prioritize and guide efforts to ensure equity for our students at Somerville Public Schools. Equity may mean different things to different people. In the context of public education, I often come back to the statement "decoupling the link between student socio-economic status and success" which has guided the Somerville Public Schools as participants in the By All Means initiative (an educational consortium Hosted by the Harvard Graduate School of Education.) One tangible result of these efforts is the newly approved Workforce Diversity Policy, with a goal to diversify District staff to better reflect the District's diverse student population.

Marijuana, Vaping & Youth: A Discussion: An opportunity for parents, guardians and their students to learn about the concerns associated wtih marijuana and vaping. 

Thursday February 7, 2019 - 6:00 - 7:30 pm Somerville High School Highlander Cafe (81 Highland Avenue)

Updates on Facebook: If you are interested in more frequent School Committee updates and announcements, Like or Follow my Laura Pitone Ward 5 Facebook Page. 

Please share your thoughts on both the proposed innovation school (Powderhouse Studios) and 2019-2020 Budget by joining members of the School Committee at Winter Office Hours between January 22nd and February 10th.  Many are co-hosted by Alderman (being retitled City Councilor) and State Representatives. I will be co-hosting the the following office hours with Ald Mark Niedergang:

CORRECTION: Wednesday January 30th 8:30 - 9:30 am, Kennedy School Coffee (5 Cherry Street) *changed from 1/24

Sunday January 27th 10:30 am - noon, The Armory Cafe (191 Highland Avenue)

Sunday February 10th 10:30 am - noon, The Armory Cafe (191 Highland Avenue)

Full schedule for all School Committee Representatives below

In addition to announcing Fall School Committee Office Hours, I am excited to share Somerville Public School initiatives including a city-wide community visioning process for learning called Somerville Learning 2030 (please take a moment to participate), efforts to reconsider Homework Policy, a pilot of enhancements to SPS recycling programs and the establishment of the Indigenous Peoples' Day holiday. If you cannot attend Fall Office Hours, please email me at [email protected] and let me know what you're thinking.

Laura Pitone, Ward 5 School Committee Representative

Office Hours - Fall 2018
Join me and Ward 5 Alderman Mark Niedergang at our Spring 2018 Office hours.

• Sunday, Oct 28, 12:30 - 2 pm, Armory Cafe, 91 Highland Ave.
• Tuesday, Oct 30th, 8:30 - 10 am, Armory Cafe, 91 Highland Ave.
• Wednesday, Oct 31st, 7:45 - 8:45 am Kennedy School Drop Off
• Thursday, Nov 1st, 7:45 - 8:45 am Brown School Drop Off 

All School Committee Members are hosting office hours from October 27 - November 3, see this link for the full schedule. Planned in all Wards, attend the one that best fits your schedule.  If you cannot attend office hours, School Committee members always welcome emails and phone calls, or you can share your thoughts in public at the beginning of each Regular School Committee Meeting during Public Comment.  

Homework Policy - Encouraged by strong parental interest, the Educational Programs Sub-committee is working with administration to draft an updated homework policy. Community and staff feedback has been solicited (surveys this past spring) and research done on homework effectiveness and value. The current policy provides time guidelines by grade starting with Kindergarten, but I expect that the proposed new policy (which has yet to be completed, reviewed and deliberated on by the School Committee) will be less prescriptive with a reduced emphasis on homework for early elementary students. 

Recycling at SPS - A pilot recycling and composting programming has been launched in the cafeterias of four schools; Argenziano, Brown, Healey and Kennedy. A collaboration between SPS, the Department of Public Works and the City Office of Sustainability and Environment, this grant funded initiative also included hiring sustainability champions in all schools to support and encourage recycling efforts as well as a new School Committee Recycling Policy. This pilot will be evaluated in early 2019 and recommendations made for next steps.

Somerville Learning 2030 - The City and SPS are asking all community members to share their thoughts on what the experience they would like to see for kids growing up in Somerville. Participate in a visioning working session or complete the survey. The goal is to establish shared priorities and values that will inform investment in city services, educational programming (in schools and beyond) as well as strategic partners. Learn more about Somerville Learning 2030 here. 

Indigenous Peoples' Day - After a compelling presentations by students of the East Somerville Community School, the city renamed the first Monday in October as Indigenous People’s Day (formerly Columbus Day) and the School Committee passed a resolution to change the holiday in the schools as well. Research, thoughtful arguments and articulate oral presentations by these students was exciting and inspiring.

Ways to stay informed about the Somerville School Committee

What do you wish growing up in Somerville will look like in the future? Share your thoughts as part of the Somerville Learning 2030 Project. Somerville Learning 2030 is a community visioning project to identify our shared priorities for learning and youth development in Somerville. What do currently love about youth opportunities in the city? What do we need more of? What did you love about your own experience growing up that you would like to see in Somerville? This is not just for parents, all members of the community are encouraged to share their thoughts. 

Three ways participate:

1. Fill out the Survey - Please share the survey link via social media.

2. Participate in a Visioning and Values Session - Three dates are already scheduled: Sat Nov 3rd 10 am - noon, Mon Nov 5th 4 - 6 pm and Tues Nov 13th 5:30 - 7:30 pm. Additional details, including location and registration included in the link.

3. Host your own conversation with friends and share your findings - This link includes a conversation guide to help facilitate a group conversation and how to share your notes with the project team.

Information about shared priorities and values generated through the Somerville Learning 2030 project will inform planning in our city, schools and youth partners for several years. Make sure your ideas are heard -- We want to hear from EVERYONE in EVERY neighborhood.

For more information about the Somerville Learning 2030 Project, please visit the Learning 2030 Website. 

Please join members of the School Committee at Fall Office Hours between October 27th and November 3rd.  Many are co-hosted by Alderman and State Representatives and some at schools during drop off. I will be attending the following office hours:

Sunday October 28th 12:30 - 2 pm with Ald Mark Niedergang at The Armory Cafe (191 Highland Avenue)

Tuesday October 30th 8:30 - 10 am with Ald Mark Niedergang at The Armory Cafe (191 Highland Avenue)

Kennedy School Drop off - Wednesday October 31st 7:45 - 8:45 am with SC Rep Paula O'Sullivan, Ald Mark Niedergang and Ald Lance Davis 

Brown School Drop Off -  Thursday November 1st 7:45 - 8:45 am with SC Rep Paula O'Sullivan, Ald Mark Niedergang and Ald Lance Davis

Full schedule for all School Committee Representatives below, as well as translated into Spanish, Portuguese and Haitian Creole: 

The School Committee recently created a new policy that includes a public comment period at the beginning of each Regular School Committee meeting, which are generally scheduled the first and third Monday of the month. This is an opportunity for members of the community to share with the School Committee in a public meeting thoughts about the Somerville Public Schools. Policies BEDH and BEDH-E outline the expectations and guidelines for public comment, but in short community members must sign up by 7 pm, are generally allowed three minutes to speak, and are asked to not identify any staff members in their comments. As the public comment period is designed as input to the School Committee, administration and School Committee members will not respond to any comment during the meeting. Read more if you are interested in ways to stay informed about meeting agendas or activities of the Somerville School Committee.

In addition to announcing Spring 2018 Coordinated School Committee Office Hours, I am excited to share about Somerville Public School activities including efforts to envision the future educational experience of our high school students, a city-wide community visioning process for learning, the establishment of School Committee Long Range initiatives and the addition of Public Comment to our Regular School Committee Meetings. If you cannot attend the Coordinated Office Hours, please email me at [email protected] and let me know what your thinking, about the budget or any other aspect of our schools.

Office Hours - Spring 2018
Join me and Ward 5 Alderman Mark Niedergang at our Spring 2018 Office hours.

• Sunday, April 8th, 12 - 1:30 pm, Armory Cafe, 91 Highland Ave.
• Tuesday, April 10th, 8 - 9:30 am, Armory Cafe, 91 Highland Ave.  

All School Committee Members are hosting office hours from March 28 - April 14, see this link for the full schedule. Planned in all Wards, attend the one that best fits your schedule.  If you cannot attend office hours, School Committee members always welcome emails and phone calls. 

Envisioning the Future of Somerville High School - Planning Grant
Somerville High School, in partnership with the Center of Collaborative Education, has been awarded a two-year $300K Grant from the Barr Foundation to "catalyze innovation...toward the planning and implementation of public, whole-school educational models that transcend the school walls in order to help students develop the competencies required for a 21st century definition of student success." Read more about the scope and process of this very exciting work that will enhance student learning at Somerville High. 

Growing Up In Somerville: SomerVision for Learning
SomerVision is Somerville's community planning process initiated in 2009 and the city is excited to share that Somerville has received a grant to expand this work, to develop a community defined SomerVision for Learning. Growing Up In Somerville conversations will include our schools, but will also consider experiences beyond the public schools that impact our youth. Watch for future announcements about how to get involved in this exciting process. 

School Committee Identifies Long Range Priorities
At the end of 2017, the School Committee completed a process establishing the School Committee Long Range priorities to support the realization of the SPS Vision and Goals. Long Range initiatives have a longer time horizon than traditional School Committee two-year goals and are significantly complex with respect to level of investment (time and resources) as well as cultural shifts necessary to both consider and implement. The resulting three Long Range priorities are: Equity in the District, Enrollment Strategy and Planning, and Supporting Human Capital Strategy/Labor Relations. Read more about the Long Range planning process and priorities. 

Public Comment at Regular School Committee Meetings - Newly Established
The School Committee created a new way to share your concerns -- establishing a public comment period at the beginning of each Regular School Committee meetings. Read more about what to expect from and guidelines for Somerville School Committee Public Comment here.