District/School Administration Administration
The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education

Board in Brief
Tuesday, February 26, 2008

This is "Board in Brief," issued at the request of Acting Commissioner Jeffrey Nellhaus to bring you up to date on Board of Education matters. This is a report on the regular meeting held on Tuesday, February 26, 2008 at the Lilla G. Frederick Pilot Middle School in Dorchester.

Comments from the Chairman

Chairman Paul Reville introduced Boston Superintendent Carol Johnson and Frederick School Principal Debra Socia, who welcomed Board members and made a presentation on school and district objectives.

The chairman noted that an agreement with Commissioner-Elect Mitchell Chester had been reached and would be voted on today. Dr. Chester will start on May 19th. Chairman Reville said the Board and the Department were blessed to have Jeff Nellhaus serving as Acting Commissioner, and that the Acting Commissioner and Dr. Chester have a good working relationship. The chairman also directed Board members to his testimony on governance changes and a copy of the executive summary of Tough Choices or Tough Times, both of which were included in the Board packet this month.

Comments from the Acting Commissioner

Acting Commissioner Nellhaus said that he and Board of Higher Education Chancellor Patricia Plummer have been working with stakeholder groups to build the College and Career Portal. The portal will assist students and families in applying to college and for financial aid online. The Acting Commissioner said that the Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority (MEFA) will develop and house the portal, which is expected to be up and running next fall.

The Acting Commissioner provided updates on the Department's continuing work with six Commonwealth Priority Schools, his budget testimony to the Senate and House Ways and Means Committees, and the initiative to review and update the Mathematics Curriculum Framework.

Comments from the Public

Eleven individuals spoke to the Board on topics including charter schools, the Massachusetts technology literacy standards, MCAS, and educator preparation and effectiveness.

Commissioner's Salary

The Board voted to set the salary for Commissioner of Education Mitchell Chester at an annual rate of $206,000, effective May 19, 2008, and to endorse the terms and conditions set forth in the chairman's draft letter to Dr. Chester.

Randolph

The Board voted to accept the Acting Commissioner's recommended actions and benchmarks for the Randolph Public Schools based on the findings of the District Leadership Evaluation Report. The Board will defer action on the question of chronic underperformance and state receivership for the Randolph Public Schools for a period of 120 days. The Department will appoint a District Support Team to work with local school, municipal, and community leaders to define actions to be taken over the next 24 months and to assist in a community-wide, consensus-building effort. At the June 24, 2008 Board meeting, representatives of Randolph will present their Turnaround Plan, at which time the Board may approve the plan or consider a decision to place the Randolph Public Schools in receivership.

Technical Amendments to Regulations on Underperforming Schools and Districts

The Board declined to start the process of making technical amendments to the Regulations on Under-Performing Schools and School Districts, 603 CMR 2.00. Rather than moving forward now to seek comment on adding the term "Priority 1 School" to the regulations, the Board decided to defer action pending further review of whether more comprehensive changes are needed.

Educator Effectiveness

Acting Commissioner Nellhaus and Associate Commissioner Robert Bickerton provided an overview of some key issues in the educator licensure system and highlighted four current statewide initiatives: (1) the Governor's Readiness Project subcommittee on recruiting and retaining educators; (2) the proposed legislation sponsored by the Teachers 21 Coalition; (3) the Massachusetts Teaching, Learning and Leading Survey (MA TeLLS); and (4) the Board's Educational Personnel Advisory Council, which is examining several aspects of the current system.

Massachusetts Technology Literacy Standards

The Board deferred a vote to approve the updated Massachusetts Technology Literacy Standards, which were originally adopted in 2001. The Board will vote on the updated standards at its March 25, 2008 regular meeting.

Charter Schools

The Board voted to approve the following three new charter schools: Silver Hill Horace Mann Charter School in Haverhill; Dorchester Collegiate Academy Charter School in Boston; and Hampden Charter School of Science, which is to be located in the Chicopee/Ludlow/Springfield/West Springfield region. The Silver Hill Horace Mann Charter School will open in September 2008; the two other schools will open in 2009. The Board voted against the approval of a fourth new charter school, International Charter School of Southeastern Massachusetts in Brockton.

The Board voted to renew with conditions the charter for New Leadership Charter School, a Horace Mann charter school located in Springfield. The renewal is for a five-year period, with conditions to be met in 2008, 2009, and 2010.

The Board voted to approve charter amendments for Innovation Academy Charter School in Chelmsford and Boston Preparatory Charter Public School in Boston. The approved amendment for Innovation Academy Charter School allows the school to become a regional school and to move the location of the facility from Chelmsford to Tyngsborough. The approved amendment for Boston Preparatory Charter Public School allows the school to fully expand its grade span to include grade 12.

Grants

The Board approved federal grants totaling $270,000 under the following program: Technology for Data Driven Decisions.

Next Meeting

The next regular meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, March 25, 2008 at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in Malden.