Hello Heath School Families,
The Brookline School Committee's Ad Hoc Remote Learning Task Force did not meet on May 29. Here are the main points from our latest meeting on June 5, 2020:
- Recap of 6/4 School Committee Meeting - Last night the School Committee heard many passionate statements from the community about the FY21 budget and the recent teacher reduction-in-force (RIF) notices. The School Committee voted to put forward a bottom-line budget amount to the Town. They also voted on guidance to central administration about what budget cuts should be sought in order to begin immediately recalling educators who received the RIF notices—as many as possible as soon as possible. The School Committee chair and vice-chair sent an update email to the community this afternoon with more detailed information and explanations.
- Community Expert Advisory Panels Formed - Four expert advisory panels have now been formed taking advantage of the professional expertise in our Brookline community. By next week, the names of the community member volunteers will be introduced to the public and the panels will begin to meet. The four panels are focused on (1) educational excellence with equity, (2) whole child supports and development, (3) educator capacity-building, and (4) public health, safety, district operations, and logistics. The panels will meet weekly under open meeting laws, and the panels’ co-chairs will be invited to attend the Remote Learning Task Force meetings to provide updates.
- Update on School Reopening Working Groups - Central Administration has three working groups currently developing plans for school in the Fall. Each group has a distinct focus: (1) operations, (2) health and safety, and (3) academics. All the groups are working on plans that include both in-building and remote learning. They will present their draft plans on June 19. Our district’s plans will conform to prescriptive guidance from the state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), which has not yet been released but is expected by mid-June.
The Task Force meetings are from 9:30 - 11:00 AM on Fridays, with the next meeting scheduled for June 12. All School Committee meetings are published on the Town calendar (https://www.brooklinema.gov/calendar.aspx?CID=110) and are open to the public.
As always, if you have a perspective that would be relevant to the Task Force, please do reach out to me by email (esilk@me.com) to share your thoughts.
Sincerely,
Eli Silk, Heath School Parent Representative
** NOTE: Remote learning—and today’s home, school, and work environment more generally—presents a range of unexpected challenges that are unprecedented in our lifetimes. All stakeholders in our school district are working hard to serve our students as best they can, but the challenges are complex and the situation is continually evolving. The latest Remote Learning Task Force meeting was 90 minutes and included substantive discussions on a range of topics, but because the Heath PTO wants to keep you informed while respecting that you have many important issues seeking your attention, this summary is necessarily brief and simplified. If you would like to learn more, additional links are provided below. **
Want to dive in further? Here are some useful links:
