Friday Board Bulletin 2/16/2024

Posted Date: 02/16/2024

Board Members:

It has been a very busy week! Jazz festivals, state wrestling, and district basketball. Congratulations to all our students who represented us this week. Tough loss for the girls basketball team on Tuesday night, but they can hold their heads high! I want to spend just a bit of time today giving you an update on pending legislation now that we have cleared the first funnel. Here are the bills that I am keeping an eye on. 

• HSB 712 Sets SSA at 3%. This bill passed out of committee and is ready for floor debate. The Senate has not moved a bill and has indicated they are interested in waiting until the March REC meets before moving forward.
• HSB 713 This is the House version of the AEA overhaul bill.
• HSB 714 The House broke the teacher salary portion of the bill out of the AEA bill and has included it here. It calls for a minimum $47,500 starting salary in FY 2025 and a $50,000 starting salary in FY 2026. It also calls for a minimum $15/hour wage for support personnel. The bill also includes a $14 million appropriation for teacher salaries and $20 million for support personnel. I can get behind this proposal but am skeptical the appropriation is adequate to get across the finish line. There is also a competing bill in the Senate:
• SSB 3073 This is the Senate version of the AEA bill. It did not break the teacher salary portion out of the language and instead sets the minimum teacher salary at $46,251. Don't ask me how they came up with such a random number, because I literally have no idea.
• HSB 650 In this particular proposal, we have a regurgitation of legislation from about a decade ago that took a run at literacy and the idea that third grade students must be proficient in reading by the time they complete 3rd grade. While it doesn't require the retention of 3rd grade students in third grade, it does provide parents that option. It does require the development of a plan. This is also legislation that would require pre-service teachers to pass the Massachusetts tests in reading instruction prior to earning a license. The component that would have required in-service instructors to pass the test within 3 years was stricken through amendment (good news).

That is probably enough for you today! A reminder that we have our regularly scheduled board meeting for Wednesday. When reviewing the agenda, you'll note a special meeting to discuss a student disciplinary issue. This issue is largely resolved at this point, however I have asked Mr. Dieken to brief you on the situation and get your feedback on how it was handled in the situation. It was an issue that we have not dealt with in the district and want to ensure that we are in alignment with board expectations.

Dr. Tony Voss
Superintendent