Canton Public School Shares Information From March 30 School Committee Meeting

Press release from Canton Public Schools:

April 6, 2021

CANTON — Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Fischer-Mueller would like to share with the school community updates and information provided at the March 30 Canton School Committee meeting.

A recording of the full meeting can be viewed here.

Additional meeting materials, including all documents shared at the meeting are available here.

The School Committee also recognized and celebrated Chair Kristin Mirliani for her six years of service with the Committee. March 30 was Ms. Mirliani’s last meeting on the School Committee.

FY22 Budget Update

The operating budget originally approved by the School Committee in January represented a 5.11% increase whereas the FINCOM target is a 3.48% increase, having left a difference of $752,185 between the School Committee and FINCOM budgets. Members of the Central Administration and School Committee met with FINCOM once again to discuss their work to bridge the difference between the budget amounts. A revised version of the budget has now reduced the difference from $752,185 to $261,986.

The revised budget did not include funding for the Special Education Therapeutic Program for GMS, which was a priority for the District and would require $125,000 to start the program. As a result of the FINCOM meeting, it was proposed that the therapeutic program would be funded using funds from the Special Education Reserve Account. This would reduce the request for funding to the reserve account from $660,000 to $535,000, and the $125,000 would be used as one-time funding to begin the therapeutic program.

The District is looking at further potential savings opportunities should additional funding not be able to be provided by FINCOM to resolve the current $261,986 difference. An additional FINCOM meeting took place on Wednesday, March 31 to discuss the revised budget proposal, and the revised budget will be voted on at the next School Committee meeting on April 8.

The updated budget document can be found here.

2021-2022 School Calendar

The first day of school has not yet been determined for the 2021-2022 school year. It is possible that the school year may start before September 1 if the Canton Teachers’ Association votes to support an earlier start date. This is expected to be determined soon. The District will also be gathering data from parents regarding early release days for 2021-2022. Parents/guardians will receive a survey to indicate whether they prefer next year’s monthly early release days to take place on Wednesdays or Fridays. The District is also discussing with the CTA their preferences on early release days.

The 2021-2022 calendar will be presented for a vote of approval at the April 8 meeting.

“All-in” Model Updates

K-5 All-in

Parents/guardians are reminded that Wednesday, April 7 is an early release day. K-5 students will have in-person learning in the morning. Hansen and JFK will dismiss at 11:50 a.m. and Luce will dismiss at 12:20 p.m. Bus transportation is available on this day and parents/guardians in need of bus transportation for their students are encouraged to contact the Transportation Office.

All K-5 classrooms comply with DESE guidance of a minimum of 3 feet of distance, and most rooms exceed 3 feet. Tents have been installed at elementary schools to be used to extend teaching and learning outside and for lunch. Bus transportation also went smoothly for K-5 on the first day of All-in. Masks are required for everyone on the bus regardless of age. Maximum distance between students should be maintained during boarding and travel, and students are assigned to a single bus and particular seat. Windows are kept open at least two inches during operation, and every other window will be open during adverse weather conditions.

As of April 5, students on the Learning Continuum are expected to be in school. Students should not be learning remotely unless they have COVID-19 symptoms, are identified as a Close Contact or test positive for COVID-19. Students in these scenarios will be able to use technology to engage in the classroom for lessons and staff members will provide check-ins throughout the day for interaction and to answer questions.

Additional elementary updates include:

• Before-school music lessons have resumed with a revised schedule. Music lessons will comply with the recommended guidelines from DESE and lessons will be held outdoors when feasible.
• The PACE schedule has been updated for in-person learning, and RLP classes remain remote. Parents/guardians will receive communications regarding schedule changes.
• Lunch accommodations continue to be evaluated for potential improvements and parents/guardians with questions or concerns about lunch arrangements are encouraged to contact their building principal.
• Pooled testing for JFK students in grades K-2 began April 6.

GMS All-in

Thursday, April 15 will be the first All-in day at GMS. Monday, April 12 and Tuesday, April 13 will be teacher professional days and there will be no school on these days for students, including those students on the RLP. Wednesday, April 14 will be a remote learning day for all students. From Thursday, April 15 onward, all GMS students on the Learning Continuum will report to the school building, regardless of their Cohort.

A webinar was held for GMS families on Wednesday. A recording of the webinar can be viewed here.

Preschool All-in

Monday, April 5 was a no school, teacher professional development day to prepare for All-in. Community peers visited April 6 after school hours so students could see the layout and spaces, before 11 community peers will be welcomed back for All-in on Thursday, April 8.

The All-in update presentation, including photos, can be found here.

CHS All-in Planning

DESE has not yet released a mandated timeline for high schools, however it has provided high school administrators with guidelines regarding time-on-learning that generally state that students will be expected to attend a full school day equivalent to the length of their school day pre-pandemic.

CHS has targeted Wednesday, April 28 as the first day for All-in learning, at which point the typical full-day schedule of 8 a.m. to 2:29 p.m. five days per week will resume. Monday, April 26 and Tuesday, April 27 will be CHS staff professional development days. There will be no school for CHS students on April 26 and 27.

CHS families had a final opportunity to change their students’ learning model via a survey that closed at noon on Monday. Central Office and Human Resources staff have also met with remote teachers to establish their plans for the remainder of the year to prepare for All-in. The overwhelming majority of remote staff will return on or before April 26 and will begin teaching their classes in person at CHS.

CHS is currently assessing space and needs in regard to room capacity. A total of 20 desks will be arranged at least 3 feet apart in every classroom, and CHS staff are working to determine what accommodations will be made for spaces where more than 20 students are assigned. It has been determined that there is enough available seating with the proper spacing indoors for lunch periods, however plans to offer outdoor seating for lunch are also being developed. Details regarding adjustments to the CHS schedule are still being finalized and will be shared with parents/guardians when they are available.

Prior to April vacation, CHS administrators will provide additional communication to students and families regarding the All-in model in the form of FAQs, webinars and student assemblies. CHS administrators are also working to get feedback from student leadership groups regarding student needs, and plan to enlist the support of Link Leaders to help orient freshmen students who have been working remotely as they transition to All-in.

The full CHS All-in presentation can be found here.

The next Canton School Committee meeting will take place on Thursday, April 8 at 7 p.m. Each meeting is available to watch via Zoom and upcoming meetings are listed on the District website.

This press release was produced by Canton Public Schools. The views expressed are the author's own.