Worcester agrees to change method of electing school committee after lawsuit alleges current practice dilutes voice of Latino, Black voters
Updated Apr 14, 2021;
The city of Worcester has agreed to change the way it elects members to the school committee after a lawsuit alleged the current practice dilutes the vote of Latino and Black residents.
Officials have announced that the city will not fight the lawsuit and instead will change to a system that is viewed as more equitable, according to a news release. Currently, school committee members are elected via an “at large” method.
Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty announced the city would change its method Tuesday night after a discussion of the lawsuit by the City Council in executive session, according to Lawyers for Civil Rights.
Weekly coronavirus cases among public school students hit record high, surpassing 1,000 for first time
Staff members accounted for 184 cases in latest state report
By Felicia Gans Globe Staff,Updated April 15, 2021, 5:59 p.m.
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Local school officials in Massachusetts reported to the state 1,095
new coronavirus cases among students and 184 among school staff members for the week that ended Wednesday.
The combined total of new cases â 1,279 â was the highest weekly total since the start of the academic year, and the number of student cases reported in a single week was also by far the highest weekly total yet.
Officials estimate that about 650,000 students across the state are attending some form of in-person learning, and about 125,000 staff members are working in buildings â up from an estimated 610,000 students and 115,000 staff last week.
A closer look at Worcester’s 2020 payroll: 90 of 100 top earners are police officers
Updated 10:07 AM;
Members of the Worcester Police Department represented 90 of the city’s top 100 earners in 2020, according to payroll records.
City Manager Edward Augustus Jr. took home the highest paycheck, making a total of $279,770 in 2020, keeping on trend with payroll records from previous years. Police Chief Steven Sargent received the city’s second-largest salary, taking home $239,130, records indicate.
Aside from police officers, a handful of other employees are among the highest-paid workers, including the city’s assistant city manager, administrators at the Worcester Public Schools, the city solicitor and the late DPW head.
Worcester committee votes to send breach of contract notice to schools' bus provider Durham services telegram.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from telegram.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Fewer English Language Learners dropped out in Worcester in 2020, possibly because of MCAS flexibilities
Updated Apr 09, 2021;
Members of the Worcester School Committee are examining whether MCAS may be a graduation barrier for English Language Learners based on new graduation and dropout rate data.
In 2020, the city saw a decrease in the number of ELL students who dropped out, which happened during the COVID-19 pandemic led the state to offer flexibilities regarding MCAS and competency determinations to graduate.
In general, Worcester has a lower dropout rate compared to other urban cities in Massachusetts. However, Worcester Public Schools officials in explaining the data during a school committee meeting on Thursday night noted that it’s hard to compare 2020 graduation and dropout data to years prior because the pandemic caused major academic disruptions.