The School Committees Report
Special education update
School Committee members recently received an update from director of students services, Ruth Grube, on the special education programs and efforts underway in both districts. There are more than 800 students who live and attend Concord Public Schools and Concord Carlisle High School who have individual educational plans. Most students are in full or partial inclusion, with access to both the general education curriculum and general education peers.
Since conducting a comprehensive review of the special education approach in both districts in 2017, district leaders have added many programs to support students who require significant differentiation of the curriculum and additional assistance for them to access the curriculum. These programs have allowed more students to remain in the district to receive the services to support their individualized learning plan as opposed to attending out of district schools and programs. The pr
Wicked Local
During the public comment portion of the May 11 virtual joint school committee meeting, a Concord resident pushed members to establish a committee consisting of teachers, administrators, parents students and community members to examine issues related to special education.
Specifically, Colleen Walston wants this special committee to look at dyslexia, professional development, and evidence-based literacy practices in all tiers of instruction. Her reason why was direct.
“This district routinely denies children have learning disabilities until the gaps are so vast that parents pay thousands of dollars for independent neuropsychological evaluations,” Walston said. “But please don’t take my word for it. As School Committee members, it’s important to read and understand the laws the government writes for our children, and our schools obligation to our students.”
COURTESY OF CONCORD POLICE DEPARTMENT
Chief Joseph O’Connor announced that the Concord Police Department participated in a bicycle rodeo for children May 1 at Cousins Field and featured a variety of activities and courses that children, parents and officers took part in together. Children won prizes, including backpacks and reflective stripes.
Officer Anthony Salvucci, Detective Tia Manchuso and Inspector Ronald Holsinger were on hand to help participants of all ages learn new skills, including the rules of the road, in order to help children safely ride their bikes to school. The bicycle rodeo is a great way for our officers to connect with families in our community and ensure all students know how they can safely walk or ride their bikes to school, O Connor said. I want to thank everyone who joined us for this event, as well as the Concord Public Schools for helping students develop these important skills.
Wicked Local
Last fall, a group of Concord parents created a bike-to-school initiative to encourage kids to walk or ride their bikes, consistent with the School Department’s efforts to minimize the number of students riding buses due to the pandemic.
The adults tracked the number of bikes parked at the schools for several months to help the School Department know about the trend. The initiative was deemed successful, according to Phil Posner, a member of the town’s Transportation Advisory Committee who spoke to the Concord Journal as a private resident. So, the group of adults is bringing the initiative back for the spring.
Among those include:
Article 8: Vote to transfer from free cash the sum of $1,000,000, or any other sum, to be used by the Board of Assessors to reduce the tax levy for the FY22.
Article 10: Vote on the sum of $48,779,887 for the recommended town budget for FY22.
Article 13: Vote on the FY22 Capital Improvement and Debt Plan, which totals $6,173,879.
Article 18: Vote on the Senior Means-Tested Property Tax Exemption, which can reduce the applicant’s property tax by as much as 50% or until the net tax burden is 10% of the applicant’s income.
Article 27: Vote on the sum of $1,289,284 for the Minuteman Regional Technical High School District budget.