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Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE)

Board Documents — November 2019

Regular Meeting

Board of Elementary and Secondary Education
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
75 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA 02148
Tuesday, November 19, 2019, 9:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Comments from the Chair
Comments from the Commissioner
Comments from the Secretary
Statements from the Public*

Briefing

Meeting Minutes of the Regular Meeting November 19, 2019

Meeting Minutes of the Board Retreat November 21, 2019

Routine Business:

Approval of the Minutes of the October 29, 2019 Regular Meeting

Agenda Items:

  1. Kaleidoscope Collective for Learning: Overview and Next StepsDiscussion

  2. Board of Elementary and Secondary Education FY2021 Budget Proposal and Report from the Board's Budget CommitteeDiscussion and Vote

  3. Proposed Amendments to Vocational Technical Education Regulations, 603 CMR 4.00Initial Discussion and Vote to Solicit Public Comment

Other Items for Information:

  1. Report on Grants Approved by the Commissioner


Board of Elementary and Secondary Education Members

  • Ms. Katherine Craven, Chair, Brookline
  • Mr. James Morton, Vice Chair, Boston
  • Dr. Edward Doherty, Hyde Park
  • Ms. Amanda Fernández, Belmont
  • Mr. Matt Hills, Newton
  • Mr. Michael Moriarty, Holyoke
  • Mr. James Peyser, Secretary of Education, Milton
  • Mr. Paymon Rouhanifard, Brookline
  • Ms. Mary Ann Stewart, Lexington
  • Mr. Matthew Tibbitts, Student Advisory Council, Ludlow
  • Dr. Martin West, Newton

Jeffrey C. Riley, Commissioner
Secretary to the Board


* The Board welcomes public comment on matters within its purview. Accordingly, the Board makes available a maximum 30-minute period at its regular meetings for persons in the audience to address the Board for no longer than 3 minutes. Written material of any length may be submitted. Preference will be given to persons who seek to address the Board on specific agenda items for the upcoming Board meeting. Agendas for upcoming Board meetings are generally posted 5 days prior to the meeting on the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education's website. Persons wishing to speak are strongly encouraged to submit their request before the day of the meeting; contact information is provided below. Preference will be given to those who submit requests by 5:00 p.m. on the Thursday preceding the regular Tuesday meeting. If time permits, the chairman will allow members of the public who have not contacted the Department in advance to speak in the public comment period; those individuals must sign in prior to the start of the meeting. The chairman may limit the number of speakers due to time constraints and may increase or reduce the time allocated per speaker. While there is no requirement to submit written testimony, a speaker who elects to do so should submit 15 copies of the testimony prior to or at the meeting for distribution to Board members. Requests to address the Board, written testimony, and other inquiries may be transmitted by mail, e-mail, fax, or telephone to: Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, 75 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA 02148, Phone: 781-338-3112, Fax: 781-338-3770, E-mail: boe@doe.mass.edu .

Board of Elementary and Secondary Education Retreat

Babson Executive Conference Center — Potomac Room
1 Snyder Drive, Babson Park, MA 02457
Thursday, November 21, 2019, 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM

Objectives:

  • Ensure shared understanding of Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) members' roles, interests, and expertise
  • Strengthen and build understanding of Our Way Forward
  • Deepen the collective understanding of key issues impacting K–12 public education

Roles:

  • Meeting Lead: Katherine Craven, Chair
  • Facilitator: Liz Najjar

Board Attendees

  • Katherine Craven, Chair, Brookline
  • James Morton, Vice Chair, Boston
  • Edward Doherty, Hyde Park
  • Amanda Fernandez, Belmont
  • Matt Hills, Newton
  • Michael Moriarty, Holyoke
  • James Peyser, Secretary of Education, Milton
  • Paymon Rouhanifard, Brookline
  • Mary Ann Stewart, Lexington
  • Matthew Tibbitts, Student Advisory Council, Ludlow
  • Martin West, Newton

Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Team

  • Jeffrey C. Riley, Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education
  • Leldamy Correa, Chief of Staff
  • Helene Bettencourt, Associate Commissioner of Communication and Planning
  • Jessica Leitz, Director of External Partnerships
  • Rhoda Schneider, General Counsel
  • Courtney Sullivan, Program Manager II
  • Julie Swerdlow Albino, Special Assistant to the Commissioner

Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Team to Join at 11:30 am

  • Bill Bell, Chief Financial Officer
  • Komal Bhasin, Senior Associate Commissioner, Kaleidoscope Collective for Learning
  • Cliff Chuang, Senior Associate Commissioner, Educational Options
  • Matt Deninger, Acting Chief Strategy and Research Officer
  • Russell Johnston, Senior Associate Commissioner, Center for District Support
  • Heather Peske, Senior Associate Commissioner, Instructional Support
  • Ventura Rodriguez, Senior Associate Commissioner, Strategic Initiatives
  • Jeff Wulfson, Deputy Commissioner

BESE Mission:

The mission of the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education is to strengthen the Commonwealth's public education system so that every student is prepared to succeed in postsecondary education, compete in the global economy, and understand the rights and responsibilities of American citizens, and in so doing, to close all proficiency gaps.

The BESE's responsibilities include approving learning standards, deciding when to intervene in the state's lowest-performing districts, voting on charter school applications, and hiring the commissioner. The BESE includes the secretary of education, a student (the chair of the State Student Advisory Council), and nine members appointed by the governor. Those members must include a parent representative, a labor representative, and a business representative.

Agenda:

TimeTopicPoint
9:00 AMIntroduction, review retreat objectivesChair Craven,
Commissioner Riley
9:15 AMOpening activity (P)All (Liz Najjar)
9:30 AMBoard EngagementRhoda Schneider,
Liz Najjar
10:05 AMOur Way Forward — Deepening Understanding and UpdatesCommissioner Riley
11:05 AMSecretary of Education Peyser — ReflectionsSecretary Peyser
11:15 AMBreak 
11:30 AMCurrent Initiatives UpdatesVentura Rodriquez
Heather Peske
Russell Johnston
Cliff Chuang
Komal Bhasin
12:30 PMLunch (Head to Lunch Room)All
1:30 PMWhat brings us to this table? What are we passionate about?All
1:50 PMSmall Group Discussions Jeff Wulfson
2:50 PM Next Steps: Collective & Individual
  • Top next steps based on our discussions
  • Individual reflection and commitment activity
All
3:00 PMClosingChair Craven

Last Updated: November 12, 2019

 
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