I’m rounding up some news items related to the Northborough-Southborough public schools.
In messages from the Superintendent, the public was given an update on work being done by the Neary School Committee and informed of changes coming to the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process. I’m also highlighting that the public comment period is open on new/revised policies to be adopted by the Southborough, Regional, and Northborough school committees at a future meeting.
Neary Building Project Update
On Sunday, the Superintendent and the Chair of the Neary Building Committee issued an update on the committee’s work to “Southborough Community Members”. As I shared in the spring, the committee entered the Feasibility phase of their work this summer. And, as I shared this summer, the committee is exploring the possibility that a project to renovate Neary could entail consolidating schools by closing Finn School.
Currently, the committee and subcommittees are working to pursue a design concept and the Community Exploration Committee is exploring possibilities for using the Finn building. Here is the official update:
Over the summer and fall, the Neary Building Committee (NBC) continued its work in partnership with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA). The NBC is pleased to share that it completed the Eligibility Phase requirements, which resulted in MSBA moving the Town of Southborough to the Feasibility Phase. The Feasibility Phase includes procuring an Owner’s Project Manager (OPM) and a designer.
As the NBC entered the Feasibility Phase this summer, it began securing an OPM. The work resulted in the NBC hiring Skanska as the Owner’s Project Manager (OPM). Skanska is responsible for overseeing the project and ensuring it stays on track while steering it through the MSBA stages; Setting and managing expectations; Assessing risks and making changes when necessary; Ensuring the NBC has what it needs to complete assigned tasks; and ensuring all stakeholders have clear expectations.
The NBC is currently working with Skanska to move through the Designer Selection Process. NBC anticipates that it will select a designer by mid-December. The designer will then lead the Committee and the community in designing a facility, which is about an eighteen to twenty-four-month process. Once the designer is on board, we expect multiple community engagement sessions to chart the path forward for this project. Our current expectation is that a proposal will go to Town Meeting in the first half of 2025.
Currently, the NBC is organized into three subcommittees: Financial, Communication, and Designer Selection. Each subcommittee will meet regularly throughout the year, ensuring that goals are being met. The Designer Selection Subcommittee will disband once a designer is selected.
The NBC is committed to being fully transparent throughout the process and will launch an informational website in early 2024 where there will be a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section and opportunities for stakeholder feedback and input. Additionally, the community is encouraged to view the NBC meetings, which are live-streamed via Zoom and recorded. For more information, please visit the Town of Southborough’s website at https://www.southboroughma.gov/674/Virtual-Meetings.
Concurrent with the NBC work, although working through an independent process, the Community Center Exploration Committee has been meeting regularly to determine potential re-use options for the Finn School should this Neary project allow for the consolidation of schools. They will be making a report to the Select Board in early 2024 and will release a similar update shortly.
In the meantime, if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to direct them to our attention at the e-mail addresses listed below.
Respectfully,
Greg Martineau, Superintendent of Schools
gmartineau@nsboro.k12.ma.usJason Malinowski, Chair, Neary Building Committee
jmalinowski@southboroughma.com
You can find the committee and subcommittee minutes and agendas, and links to the meeting videos on the Town’s website here. (If the video links are missing, you can also find most of the videos from the past meetings here, except for the 11/29/23 Designer Selection Subcommittee meeting which is here.) On the website, you can also sign up to receive notifications from selected committees to be alerted to future agendas, news, etc.
IEP Process
This morning’s newsletter included the following message from NSBORO’s Student Support Services Team:
Earlier this year, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released a new Individualized Education Program (IEP) process to be used in schools and districts across the state beginning sometime over the next two years. The Public Schools of Northborough and Southborough will begin using the new IEP in the fall of 2024.
This new statewide IEP process helps teams to more effectively address the needs of students eligible for special education services. The revised process focuses attention on gathering complete information about students’ strengths, challenges, and individualized goals to develop a more personalized education plan.
Advantages of the new process include:
Enhanced Collaboration: The form promotes better communication and collaboration between parents, educators, and the IEP team. It encourages a better understanding of students’ unique needs, allowing for improved support strategies.
More Clarity and Consistency: The revised process is designed to ensure clarity and consistency in the IEP process and in the implementation of state and federal requirements. This consistency will facilitate smoother transitions between grade levels, and it is particularly designed to help students with disabilities transition to post-high school life.
Comprehensive Documentation of the Program: The new IEP process offers a more detailed framework for documenting students’ progress, accommodations, and services. This will support better tracking of students’ achievements and provide valuable information for future evaluations and assessments.
Over the course of the 2023-2024 school year, the District’s Student Support Services Team will be providing opportunities for parents and guardians to learn about the changes, ask questions, and understand what it means for their children. In the meantime, for more information about the new statewide IEP process, please visit the state webpage at: https://www.doe.mass.edu/sped/improveiep
For general special education parent information, please visit: https://www.doe.mass.edu/sped/parents.html
If that’s a topic that impacts your family, you’ll want to make sure a certain NSPAC (Northborough-Southborough Special Education Parent Advisory Council) event is in your calendar.
Every year, NSPAC holds a session on the topic “Basic Rights: Understanding the IEP“. This year’s session will be presented by the Federation for Children with Special Needs. It is scheduled to be held over zoom on Thursday, January 25th, 6:30 – 8:30 pm. The event is promoted to “parents and professionals”. To register to attend click here.
School Committees’ Policies
This month, the combined school committees voted to accept the”first reading” of three policies. The policies actually weren’t (and generally never are) read allowed. But they are now publicly available for the public to read. The “reading” triggered the public comment period before the policies can be adopted upon a “second reading” at a future meeting(s). (Unless they have reason to discuss/debate the language, policies won’t be read then either.)
The policies appear to me to be intended to reflect updated laws. They are:
- School Immunization Requirements – J-120
- Child Abuse and Neglect – J-250
- Substance Use Prevention and Education Policy/Teaching About Alcohol, Tobacco, and Drugs – J-350
You can read them and submit any feedback here. The letters & numbers refer to where they will be listed within the committees’ policy manuals. You can find their full, current policy manuals on the individual school committees’ pages here.
