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The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education

Appointments to Board Advisory Councils

To:
Members of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education
From:
Mitchell D. Chester, Ed.D., Commissioner
Date:
April 12, 2013

I have two recommendations for the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education this month related to appointments to the Board's advisory councils. The first is an appointment to the School and District Accountability and Assistance Advisory Council and the second is regarding ongoing appointments to other advisory councils.

  1. Recommended Appointment to the School and District Accountability and Assistance Advisory Council (AAAC)

    One of the seats on the School and District Accountability and Assistance Advisory Council (AAAC) is designated for a representative nominated by the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents (MASS). I am recommending that the Board appoint Fall River Superintendent Meg Mayo-Brown to be the MASS representative on the School and District Accountability and Assistance Advisory Council. Superintendent Mayo-Brown will replace Dr. Matt Malone who resigned from the council when he became the Secretary of Education. Superintendent Mayo-Brown brings a wealth of information and experience that will be of great benefit to the work of the AAAC. She has been a district leader in Fall River for the past ten years, and superintendent since 2008. As superintendent of a Level 4 district with three Level 4 schools, she has worked closely with the Department's Center for Accountability and Targeted Assistance, which gives her a valuable perspective on this challenging work. In addition, her leadership role in the Department's Urban Superintendents Network will enable Superintendent Mayo-Brown to inform the council about the successes, challenges, and experiences of other Level 3 and 4 districts across the state.

  2. Recommended Delegation of Authority to Make Advisory Council Appointments

    In June 2012, the Board delegated to me the authority to make advisory council appointments between the June 27, 2012 meeting and the September 2012 meeting. You did so in accordance with G.L. c. 15, §1F, paragraph 3, which reads as follows:

    The board may delegate its authority or any portion thereof to the commissioner whenever in its judgment such delegation may be necessary or desirable. The commissioner shall exercise such delegated powers and duties with the full authority of the board.

    At the time of the June delegation of authority, I said that once we determined which advisory councils needed additional members, we would notify Board members so you could nominate candidates if you wished to do so. We did that over the summer and I then reported at the September 2012 Board meeting on the appointments and reappointments that I made during that three-month period.

    This delegation allowed us to move forward with appointments in an efficient manner. Therefore, I am recommending that the Board delegate the authority to make advisory council appointments to the commissioner on an ongoing basis, as you have done for grant approvals and certain charter school matters.

    Currently, we are reviewing the membership of fifteen councils to determine the need to appoint or reappoint members. If the Board grants me the authority to make appointments, once we determine which councils may need additional members, I will notify Board members so you may nominate candidates if you wish. I will then report at a later meeting on appointments that have been made.

    The advisory councils under review are those in Mass. Gen. Laws Chapter 15, Section 1G:

    Adult Basic Education, Arts Education, Community Service Learning, Educational Personnel, English Language Learners/Bilingual Education, Gifted and Talented Education, Global Education, Interdisciplinary Health Education and Human Services, Life Management Skills, Mathematics and Science Education, Parent and Community Education and Involvement, Racial Imbalance, School and District Accountability and Assistance, Special Education, and Vocational/Technical Education.

In addition, a fifteen member Digital Learning Advisory Council was established recently by the 2013 Act Establishing Commonwealth Virtual Schools. This council replaced the Technology Education Council. We are in the process of recruiting members for this council.

Attached are two motions for your consideration: one for the appointment of Superintendent Meg Mayo-Brown to the AAAC and the other for the delegation of authority to the commissioner to make advisory council appointments. I will be pleased to respond to any questions that you may have regarding these recommendations.