SPRINGFIELD — In a summer session on June 22 that lasted almost four hours, the Springfield School Committee voted on a wide variety of issues from approving diplomas for adult learners to a progress report from the Springfield Empowerment Zone Partnership and to establishing the School Committee subcommittees will be seen on social media.

School Superintendent Daniel Warwick explained that every several years the boundaries for the schools shift according to population changes and to meet with school enrollment expectations. This year the changes include:

• Extending the DeBerry boundary around the Springfield Cemetery to shift students from Milton Bradley to DeBerry. 142 students from Milton Bradley will be reassigned to DeBerry.
• Shifting Washington School boundary in South End to Milton Bradley with 29 students reassigned to Milton Bradley.
• Shifting addresses from Marble Street to Rutledge Avenue from Brunton to Milton Bradley. Twenty-three students at Brunton will be reassigned to Milton Bradley.
• There has been a decline of enrollment at Bowles and 73 students enrolled at Pottenger will be reassigned to Bowles.
• Due to the enrollment expectations of the new Swan School, the boundary near Five Mile Pond will shift to Swan from Brunton. Boundary in the Upper Hill neighborhood near Wesson Park will shift to Swan from Brunton. Forty-seven students enrolled at Bruton will be enrolled at Swan.
• To provide a safer walking route, the boundary will shift to Johnson from Homer with four students enrolled at Homer to be allowed to retain legacy assignment at Swan.
• For Kiley Academy and Kiley Prep the boundary will be adjusted to balance incoming sixth grade students with a total shift of 19 students from Kiley Academy to Kiley Prep.

In response to an invitation from committee member Latonia Monroe-Nayor, Co-Executive Director Matt Brunelle of Springfield Empowerment Zone Partnership reported in a presentation to the committee that 4,900 students are enrolled in the schools in the SZEP; the graduation rate has risen 40% over the past five years; three new dual language middle schools have been launched; an increase of 160 percent in the number of school leaders of color; and a 54 percent increase in educators of color.

As described by its website, “Unlike traditional schools in the city, our schools are run by SEZP — a partnership between the district, state and teachers union — and governed by an independent board of directors. As a result, they have wide autonomy to make their own operational decisions, and they have strong accountability for their results. This unique approach empowers educators to design schools to meet the specific needs of their individual students. And through continual performance measurement and improvement, SEZP works diligently to advance equity and excellence in education.”

The schools in the zone include the Academy at Kiley, Chestnut TAG Middle School, Discovery High School, Duggan Academy, Emergence Academy, Forest Park Middle School, High School of Commerce, Impact Prep, John F. Kennedy Middle School, Kiley Prep, Rise Academy/Rise Prep, Springfield Honors Academy, Springfield Legacy Academy, Springfield Realization Academy and Van Sickle Academy.

Brunelle said the challenges facing the SZEP include increasing family empowerment, dealing with literacy/ELA rates following the pandemic and creating small middle school/high school cohorts as the “new normal.”

The School Committee approved the expenditure of $100,000 from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, fiscal year 2023: Student Opportunity Act-Evidence-Based Practice Grant for the SZEP. Brunelle explained the funding will go specifically to support stronger co-teaching and would create a new position specialized instructional coach.

In other action, the committee approved the implementation of the Yondr Cell Phone Program at Conservatory of the Arts School, High School of Science and Technology and Renaissance. Warwick said it has been a “big, big success” at Central. Other schools wanted it. “It has been popular and very effective as well,” Mayor Domenic Sarno said.

The committee approved the expenditure of $40,000 from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, FY23: Middle School Career Connected Learning Partnership Grant that will fund the purchase of educational materials to brings more career exploration for the city’s middle school students “setting them on a firm direct path to a living wage.”

The expenditure of $210,000 from The Massachusetts Clean Water Trust, FY23-24 School Water Improvement Grant was approved. Jon Carigan, the city’s assistant director of facilities, explained there has been continual testing of drinking water for students in the last 10 years and seven locations with minor issues have been identified. Existing water fountains will be replaced with modern drinking fountains with bottle refiling stations with the grant money, he said.

A new middle school curriculum, StudySync by McGraw Hill, was approved. Brian Dickey, director of Secondary ELA and Libraries, told the committee the curriculum supports equity, diversity, inclusion, and encourages student engagement current world views.

He added, “The selection process was arduous and long.”

He added a description of the curriculum, “Children need mirrors, windows and sliding glass doors. Mirrors to see themselves, Windows to see how other people live, Sliding glass doors to have vicarious experiences that will make them think more broadly about the world.

“I truly believe it is the right of every student in Springfield to see themselves in the literature they read,” he noted.

The committee OKed the transfer of $300,000 from Business and Financial Services (Carryover Funds) to Safety and Security to complete Phase 1 of a radio project. Warwick explained the district doesn’t need additional equipment to place a base radio in every school, providing the office staff direct connection to police dispatch in case of an emergency. The base radio is the first phase of the project.
Approve the expenditure of $210,000 from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for MassSTEP ABE and E SOL grant. The funds will be used, as Chief of Student Services Yolanda Johnson explained to adopt and have an adult diploma program in Springfield housed in alternative school campus, Springfield Success Academy.

She said the program is for “young adults who may not have had success in our comprehensive high schools” to earn their high school diploma.

The committee also approved the new school resource officer memorandum of understanding between the Springfield School Committee and the Springfield Police Department. School Committee Attorney Melinda Phelps explained the MOU defined the financial arrangements between the two departments and made changes to “tightening up” of confidentially of student records.

Warwick was recognized for receiving Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents 2023 President’s Award Recipient. Sarno said the award was from Warwick’s fellow superintendents statewide.

“It’s the ultimate compliment. It’s from his peers,” Sarno said.

The committee approved diplomas to adult learners Cyreah James, Dyasiah Mize, Lanaisha Taliba, Nayleece Diaz, Niaja Baez and Taitiyana Griffiths