Last month, district residents were frustrated by the Regional School Committee’s unwillingness to discuss an issue raised during Audience Sharing.
Sharing a petition signed by residents of Northborough and Southborough, parents asked members to hold and attend a pro/con forum on the Common Core. At the time, Kathleen Harrigan, Chair of the committee said that they couldn’t discuss the issue since it wasn’t on the agenda. She didn’t disclose whether she would put it on the agenda for the June meeting as urged.
The June agenda was posted yesterday. On it, there is no reference to the Common Core or any curriculum discussion. However, an agenda for a meeting that includes the committee earlier the same evening may allow discussion.
Prior to the Regional committee meeting a Combined School Committee meeting will be held. That meeting includes the Regional School Committee, along with the K-8 school committees for both towns and the Superintency Union.
The agenda for the combined meeting includes and update from Superintendent Christine Johnson on the Superintendent’s Curriculum Advisory Committee.
Presumably, an update on curriculum work could open a window for discussion of Common Core. Especially since Harrigan informed the public that the regional committee had delegated Common Core issues to the Curriculum committee.
Both meetings take place in the Algonquin School Library tomorrow evening. The Combined meeting opens with Audience Sharing at 6:00 pm. The Regional meeting is scheduled to begin at 7:00 pm.
As Harrigan warned last month, the last Combined meetings of the school year has a packed agenda. So if there is any discussion, I would expect the committees to try to keep it short.
Other items to be covered by the Combined meeting include appointment of a new Director of Student Support Services, the summative evaluation of the Superintendent, a presentation by the Northborough Southborough Special Education Parents Advisory Council, and presentation on the Technology Plan. There will also be a Closed Executive Session midway through the meeting.
A pro/con forum on Common Core sponsored by Common Core Forum is scheduled for this Saturday at Northborough Library. However, as I previously shared, the organizers have yet to line up a speaker to advocate Common Core “pros”. (Click here to read more on that.)
