3.23.2026 Fall River School Committee - Special Education, Alternative Education & Early Childhood

Special ed alternative ed and early education early childhood coming March 23rd Mr. Mr. Das here Mr. Cory here.

Miss Stewart here. Please stand for the flag to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Pursuance to open meeting law, any person may make an audio or video recording of this public meeting or may trans the meeting through any medium. Attendees are therefore advised that such recordings or transmissions are being made whether perceived or unpreceived by those present and are deemed acknowledged and citizens in.

Yes.

Kendra Sors.

I am ready to express my support for re-imaging alternative education within Far Public Schools. First, I want to be clear that I do not celebrate the closure of any school. I recognize that Resiliency Preparatory Academy has been a meaningful home for many un under representative under reppresented students and a place where dedicated empathetic yeah staff and supported countless

successes stories that impact matters deeply. At the same time there is a clear and growing unmet need in our community. Many students do not feel supported in traditional settings and believe their options are limited. The demand for alternative pathways is evident. Evolve Academy has been receiving three to four applications daily from students seeking a different educational environment or hoping to

re-engage in their high school education.

These students are asking for flexibility, personalization, and a place where they feel they belong.

Unfortunately, Evolve is currently underresourced and does not have the staffing capacity to meet this increasing demand. This leaves many students without access to the support systems they are actively seeking. I believe we all share the same goal to ensure that every student in our community feels supported, cared for, and empowered in their education.

Expanding and reimaging alternative education options would allow the district to better meet students where they are provided more meaningful opportunities for success and help remove the stigma that alternative education has historically carried. This plan has the potential to grow into something truly impactful for far public schools, something that can serve generations of students to come. I

strongly encourage thoughtful consideration and support of this effort.

Thank you. Discussion has been a long discussion to both [clears throat] alternative pathways redesign. Dr.

Perfect. Thank you. Um so I am here today um as the assistant superintendent for student support um and strategic integration. Um, and I am joined by the current principal of RPA, Stacy Monet, as well as Drew Woodward, our director of counseling, and Jan Schwitzer, who is the lead of the current Evolved program at Dery.

We're [clears throat] going to we've shared with you a PowerPoint presentation that will also be shared with the community on the website for just data that really backs up where we've been over the last couple of years and looking at, you know, a series of data points and really looking at how we are currently meeting the needs of kids, but also some recommendations for how we feel we can move forward with some

different approaches to alternative pathways. Um there are three pathways, three schools that we're really looking to talk about today. Um but we'd like to start with the executive summary. We're going to review some of the pieces of the executive summary um and be able to speak to that for the public's edification and then we'll go program by program um or should I say school by school to talk about what we are

proposing um and what our hopes are in the end. So good afternoon and thank you to everybody for being here today. We are gathered here to share an important strategic vision for Fall River Public Schools alternative education pathways.

One that transforms current challenges into future opportunities.

For too long, our alternative education model has struggled with significant challenges. Declining enrollment, low graduation rates, decreasing staff retention, and a reputation that doesn't reflect the potential of our students or our educators.

But here's what's compelling. Our teachers, students, and families are telling us they are looking for change.

In fact, 100 in a survey that we put out to the stakeholders just in preparation to get a feel for satisfaction around current modeling, 100% of the RPA teachers surveyed believe that students would benefit from alternative program options. and 59% agreed that a single school model simply cannot meet the needs of all of our students.

As a reminder, there is some historical context that is also factoring into our recommendations. [snorts] During the 21-22 school year, the Fall River Public Schools was involved in an investigation with the Department of Justice that was critically assessing our alternative school programming, enrollment, and transfer criteria at the RLM RPA Middle School High School. As a result of this

investigation, Fall River Public Schools was provided with action steps to address these concerns, which included either the closing of RPA at large or a total redesign of the school to remain open in its current state.

After researching both options over the last two years, today we're excited to present a bold reimagining of alternative education, providing options that rewrite the narrative for students and families to find success through doing high school differently.

[snorts] We are here to recommend the closing of the RLM RPA alternative school in its current design. in its place. We are proposing three dis dist distinct, appealing, and researchbased school options in a new opportunity hub located at 290 Rock Street.

These aren't incremental adjustments.

They're bold options designed to expand upon existing successes, to re-engage students, reclaim enrollment, and make Fall River a leader in what alternative education could and should be for our young people.

Tonight we are here to share and walk you through the initial design models of Evolve Academyy's expansion, a proposal for the Ascend Single District Virtual School and Compass afternoon evening school development.

Together they represent Fall River's [snorts] commitment to meeting students where they are and fueling their futures. Through these three distinctly different models, we also believe that we will better be positioned to meet the everchanging needs, passions, and interests of our high school age students.

And so with that, we would like to start by speaking to the specifics around the Evolve Academy expansion. Jim, would you like to take the lead?

Sure. Um, Evolve Academy began its design journey in 2018 under the leadership of Rob Koreah when we partnered with the bar foundation and springpoint to redesign RPA. At that time, principal Korea at RPA was piloting some alternative pathways including online learning, hybrid learning, and evening options for kids similar to what the opportunity hub plan describes. In 2018, Evolve Academy has

embarked on a design journey to continue what was started with Principal Craya to create a project-based competency based pathway for offtrack students that literally has evolved into a successful pathway. [clears throat] What began on the first floor of 290 Rock Street in 2019 with 27 students is now a pathway option that serves 130 students at Dery High School and is in high demand. Since 2021, over 725

students have applied to Evolve. And this year alone, 142 FRPS students have applied, where we're currently placing students on a wait list. Unfortunately, due to space constraints at Derby High School, we cannot meet the growing demand of applicants. By relocating Evolve to the opportunity hub at 290 Rock Street, we can grow enrollment, reduce the wait list, and provide dedicated spaces for counseling,

collaboration, and specialized programming.

The move also grants access to shared resources like the gymnasium, culinary arts facility, and a student commons, enriching the experience for all students. Additionally, the initial plans for Evolve include keeping its current schedule as well as continuing Evolve students access to Derk Dery High School electives periods 1 and six and also access to CTE after dark. Ensuring that all students can still tap into

their passions and interests housed at Dery High School.

Independence as its own school means Evolve gets its own school code, allowing for data collection, targeted professional development, and a distinct identity that makes this powerful option visible and accessible to every student in Fall River and beyond. When Evolve began this journey in 2018, the goal was to become its own standalone school, [cough and clears throat] providing

[snorts] another option for students in our district. As enrollment and demand continue to arise, now is the time to fulfill that design mission to support our FRPS students with more options for success and access to choice-based pathways in Fall River.

And as you can see right in the one pages that we've developed, we tried to take a look at the growing evolve application status um as well as really highlighting the demand because of the weight list that has continued to exist up at Dery and location and space in the high school as Jan had noted has been tight. Um really limiting our abil our ability in the current facility. Um, it

should also be noted, just as another point, we did also begin this conversation last year. Um, but we were too late in the school year to be able to be informing students, really planning forward, and we were way deep in the budget process when all of these conversations really emerged. And so, we took the opportunity this year to begin really looking at these pieces of data earlier on in the year. And so a big

piece of this also that should be noted is that this is also in line with the current budget process. Um and we'll talk about how we really took a look at staffing and what those projections will look like, but this was all in line with the budget process as well. And as you guys all know, we're in that middle of that process right now. Um and so it only made sense for all of this to come

forward at the point of the budget process similarly. Okay.

And so the next the next um school that we would like to talk about which again has been two years in the investigation unless we want to ask questions on evolve first.

Yeah.

Yeah. Perfect. Okay. Yeah.

Jan, could you just give me uh just your own overview on what an evolved class looks like? I just want to know I'll kind of imagine it in my mind. [snorts] So we try to keep our class sizes right now capped at 20 students or less. Um the curriculum is what we call transform.

How many? I missed that. How many? 20 students.

20 or less.

Yeah. Right now the class sizes are about 23 um because we have limited teaching resources and space right now for students. So we're trying to do our best to accommodate as many kids as we can. Um the curriculum is what we call transformative learning experiences. And those are project based competency based courses that are really grounded in social justice themes and really allow

students to explore something that um they feel passionate about within their own community. and it and it measures up to the standards.

It does. So, all of our courses are competency based, but they're also aligned to uh power standards in the common core.

Thank you.

Thank you. So, this um staffing budget here, this is what we should expect seeing next week in the Yes.

in the budget.

Um for evolve the budget that's listed here, is this um what's what's the difference for this budget proposed from last year? Is there any additional increases in um teachers that that you're aware of?

The PE, the culinary, the art. You'll notice how those are shared with Compass. Right now, Evolve, and Jan, you can speak to how electives are sought after in Evolve currently. Do you want [snorts] to speak a little to that?

This year we were housed under [clears throat] Dery's operating budget.

Um [snorts] and we had two English teachers, one science teacher, one history teacher, and two math teachers.

So [clears throat] next year we're looking to and right now we just onboarded another uh science teacher. So really we're looking for an additional history teacher. Right now our students are accessing dery electives. So we don't have any of our in-house evolve staff that are teaching electives.

What about the special education?

But we do have a special education teacher and we're looking to also hire another special education teacher to meet the growing enrollment.

Sure. And I guess my my one question is and um fully on board with wine to expand the involved program. Do you think does everything that you want is in this budget or is there you think there's additional needs for educators um um support staff? So, I think that looks like appropriate staffing and then um if we do see an increase, especially in special education students as anticipated, we would um be coming back

to the committee to adjust, you know, ask for additional resources if needed.

Thank you. Thank you. [snorts] How many students are there right now?

130 students.

How many are you expecting? How many will you be able to have?

So, right now we're hoping to have 150 by the end of the school year. So by term four, we're onboarding students on a wait list right now for term four. Um we're hoping to have up to 200 students next year. Okay.

Will that mean hiring additional teachers if it goes up to 200?

So it would be another special ed teacher and another ma uh another history teacher which was in the budget already for next year.

What's the overall level of enthusiasm with the whole program with the kids and the teachers and all of that? What's that look like? So, I think a lot of our students really feel connected to our school community. It is a small tight-knit school community that a lot of students would describe as a family feel. [clears throat] Also, guardians too um feel that their their student is a part of a really unique school um

community. Um we operate like a school within a school. So, I think our school right now has its own identity within Dery. Um, students do have a lot of derpy pride, but they also have a lot of evolved pride, knowing that they're engaging in doing high school in a different way, in a in a way that's meeting their own unique needs and interests.

When I broke in in the mid 80s, I worked in a program that was a school within a school, and it worked really well because it was more intimate and more connected. Uh, we also had our own dedicated adjustment counselor just for our program. Is there dedicated counseling with these kids?

There is our own uh school adjustment counselor. We also have a wonderful um school counselor sitting in the corner behind me. Um and then we also are requesting another um student adjustment counselor in the budget as well. I be dedicated to Evolve.

Just dedicated to Evolve. Yes.

Thank you.

And that does support overall like care of students um that community feel where everyone knows everybody. The students have the same consistent step. That's the kind of fuel that keeps a kid connected, that keeps a kid in school to graduate. So, that's a real good thing.

Thank you.

Since we've just asked some of these budget questions, maybe to get a little bit ahead of that for a point of clarity as well, as we were building out each of the program recommendations, we [clears throat] identified a target number of students to be able to launch in with. So as we look at evolve that is already up and running and looking also to expand on our hybrid model that we

were able to get a waiver of seat time with the department of education last year 150 to 200 has been our goal. So by being able in this design to be able to take the current RPA budget and the current evolve budget put all of those positions together as one budget. We then took a look at what are the needs of these three different schools going to require and we broke out the

positions based on needs so that staff are not going to be expected to be teaching across schools. We are very intentional in this model in these three models to be able to create three distinctly different schools. everything about the schedule design, the frame of the schedule design. We really just had to put the the the frame together almost like you're building a house. We have

not picked the paint color. We have not picked all the fine details of the furniture and all of the amenities of the house, but the frame was built to be able to preserve the integrity of Evolve as a standalone school for the duration of a school day. When we get to the virtual school, what you'll also see is that the virtual school runs in its own time time frame for those teachers and

for the staff and students in that program. And then the afternoon evening school, our recommendations for that model are truly independent and individual staff for that program. The only place where there's a shared staff is in the evolve program and the early part of the afternoon evening school with the itinerants. So the art, the music and the culinary so that students will have

their electives as the first classes of the day if they come in the afternoon evening and then the cores would be in the after in the evening as well as in evolve that now those students will have access to itinerants. I want to also make note that in all elements of this frame design, we also have stayed in line with what we have read and what we believe to be very much in line or fully

in line with the FREA and FRAA contract.

We do need to come to the table as it relates to the hours of the teachers in the afternoon evening school because those are non-traditional. The proposal is a 12 o'lock until six o'clock at night. And so that is outside the current contract language and the frame of the day language in the teachers contract. And so in speaking with the union that is something we will need to come back to the table and renegotiate

with them. But we felt very very strongly about having staff live in a school and be connected to that school so that we can build community, build continuity and relationships both with kids and [snorts] students rather and families in each of those three and so that staff also are building community as staff members within their school.

What we've learned in the last year or so and some of the feedback from the virtual school, the virtual pathway through RPA is by pulling folks from the virtual then teaching in person back in the virtual, there was just too much dis too much inconsistency and really no place for teachers to feel like they belonged in a sense, right?

And so and as we also look at what it takes to instruct virtually, right?

We've done a lot of research and we'll get into this too, but we've done a lot of research around best practice models across the state because there are a number of single district virtual schools across the state. And so we've been fortunate over the last couple of years to really explore what's working and what's not working because we don't need to reinvent the wheel. How do we

take the best practices of what folks are saying is working um and really build upon that. Which is why we also did not want to try and create an afternoon evening school to stipen teachers who've already been there all day because what we've also learned in some of our other experiences, people get burnt out and the work is really hard. And so being able to really put people in a place to be successful and

for that to be their full-time experience, uh we feel that we will be able to better serve both teachers and students in in by taking that approach.

Okay, one [clears throat] question before you go. graduation rate. What's the graduation rate going to go?

Uh oh. I would have to get back to you on what that is.

That's fine. You can ask me because we do have a four-year and a fiveyear and based on the two different ones, I'd have to get back to you right away.

So, Dr. Brun, so getting back to what you just said. So, the three concepts are they each a school within a school concept?

They are.

Because you're not going to share teachers across lines.

Correct. So it is three distinctly different schools that we are proposing.

So the teachers working for evolve are going to work for evolve. Correct.

The teachers working for ascend are going to be tied to that program and and and the teachers involved in virtual will be in that program.

Teachers, support staff, vice principles, everybody who is part of of of that of that school's budget.

Tomorrow is you know I've even been in his office to see his work.

Y um how's FA looking? of uh are they enthusiastically behind these changes?

We've literally just started conversations because the school committee communication has been our priority. Again, all of this is in draft form. None of this is moving forward. It will need school committee support and we can talk about what our intentional next steps would be. Um assuming that this gets referred to full committee and that a vote is taken on April 1st, you know what our next steps would be from

there.

Okay.

Okay.

Just one quick followup. Um, are you concerned that any students at Evolve who miss out on um any extracurriculars or any programs that they would have easy access to at Dery?

Well, I think the location right now is ideal because it is directly on site with all of their electives. It would be a barrier for them to have to take transportation to access electives before or after school. However, I think it's a disservice for us to not serve all of these students who would not have access at all. So, I almost feel like the one kind of trumps the other where

we really need to relocate. Um, so more students can have access in general versus just weigh the six to eight students right now that are accessing a period 1 elective or a period 611 because it isn't the lion share of all of our students. It's a small number of students who are accessing electives right now. But I think the the the concept of having access to those electives is really um really powerful

for students because they feel like they're still included in in the larger Derpy community and also they can still access sports um after school clubs, the CTE after dark. Um so I don't think it would be that much of an impass.

So I think we would just add that. So I think um what we what we're trying to do and just like the shell is um to be intentional so that we can provide transportation through either courier vans or other vehicles or students who wanted to take advantage of uh period 6 elective, a period 1 elect at Dery or after school sports or CTE. Um we could provide transportation to them [snorts]

uh to get on site at Dery without um uh kind of interrupting their evolve schedule day.

Right. Right. And I I know the superintendent isn't here right now, but I would um if he's listening or if the message can get passed, if we can get somewhat of a one pager on how that will look like because it's not only the right thing to do to provide equal access and services for all these students. It's the law. So, it's really important especially now that we're moving from the easy access of Dery into

um a school which um structurally isn't 100% there yet. So, it's just important that we're on top of that. Um, and one question that we don't I don't need to answer now, but I'd like to know um with any evening teachers we have in the district, do we have an are we on top of hiring them any issues?

We don't have evening teachers in the district. Now, right now in the FREA contract, and I don't have the language explicitly in front of me, but there's a frame of the day, and there's language that says we could extend within 2 hours of that frame of the day. But everything typically that's after the school day is a stipended position for teachers, whether it's extracurricular, um, credit recovery, or any other

programming. So, are we having any issues [clears throat] filling those positions?

those types of positions like after school programs and different I think it depends on the school and it depends on the program. Um but asking teachers to stay and teach specifically additional core content classes and take on another case load um that does become a different lift than running an enrichment or a club or something social after school. Um, [snorts] and so, and I think it should also be noted is

that in the current, and we'll get there when we get to the afternoon evening school piece, but I believe it's it's four FTEES. Um, so it's not a large number of staff that we're looking to hire. Um, and when we look at what the proposed schedule would be, probably right around a 6-h hour day, somewhere around that 11 to 6 or 12 to 6. Um, and so it would have to be for the right

teacher who's looking for that flexibility in the morning depending upon what their morning schedules are.

So you think that that position at 116, you think it would be pretty relatively easy to fill?

I think it's Yeah, I think it's about marketing. I think some people that want to be part of something cutting edge, uh, folks that want to be part of brand new program redesign from the grassroots up. Um, because this will be like starting fresh and starting from the grassroot up. um both from a design perspective because as I mentioned earlier, right this this is just the frame. the details in the program of

study and all of those pieces will be the next part to be planned and a larger stakeholder and planning group between now and May um with a proposal in May to come forward before the committee with a formalized program of study for each of the three schools because then we would also be in line with the budget process and being able to get ahead of recruitment and being in the timeline

when educators are looking for new positions. So the timing of this is very important for us as well because we we cannot come to the table in June and July trying to do this work. We need to get get ahead of the hiring season. Um and if there are any staff across the district, whether it's staff who would be eligible as a displaced teacher at RPA or any other staff across the

district that might see this as an opportunity, we would want all of this.

This all has to be available for them as we get to May and June. Are you worried that you're going to lose any students because they don't want to leave Dery?

They liked the the aesthetics of Dery to go to RPA.

That's definitely been a concern all along. Um so we were looking for space closer to Dery. It just wasn't viable.

So um I think a lot of the conversations we have with kids are like what is working for you? What do you see for yourself going back to an environment that maybe wasn't the best fit for you?

And is this really something that you really want to invest in yourself? Is it about a location? Is it about um is it about the programming? What is it about a new space that is going to be getting in your way? And um one of our staff members told the students even last week, doesn't matter if we have to be in a cardboard box with you, we are so

happy to have you as our students. Uh we love you. We'll have the same exact awesome experience no matter where we are. It's just location. we're just really picking up our school and placing it somewhere else. And all of those same pieces of our school culture, our curriculum, all of that continuing to go with us and we will grow it no matter where we are. And I think that was

really inspiring for a lot of kids to have that messaging that really it's just a physical location. You also um I have a few follows, but Mr. Cory wants to go first.

Yeah. So, I was I was going to get back uh both to Drew and to Jen. Uh we do have a couple of vans that are going to be able to help kids you know get transported to the big campus. So Jen, how many kids are showing interest in sports and after school programs such as all the clubs that Dery has to offer?

I would say every sport we have about two to three students that are joining teams or actively pursuing them. It's a small number. I mean out of 130 students if we have like I [snorts] said around six to eight students taking electives it is a small about 10% I would say or less. So it would be very viable to have a courier van take students back and forth.

Good. Um and and as far as uh the educators moving forward for any one [cough] of these three concepts, um are you trying to search for educators with a specialized heart to try to enter into these programs and give somebody that really wants to be around this type of alternative setting?

That's what I'm asking.

I think that answer is yes [snorts] across every single school in our district, right? Every single school is district different. every single school, you know, offers something a little bit unique and different depending upon the communities that they serve. Um, and I would say that our current RPA staff and community is very similar to that as well. And so we will be looking certainly for the right folks, but I

would say that is no different than what we do and what we look for day in and day out across all our open positions.

But to your point, to teach in a virtual school, you have to have a desire for the virtual world and technology and understanding the blending of the two.

To work in an afternoon evening school, the schedule has to fit in your personal schedule because getting out at 6:00 at night is different.

But recognizing one size schedule doesn't fit all to begin with anyway because we've been doing that for years and we haven't really gotten the outcomes that we feel we we we could be able to achieve. And so it's really about finding and or keeping on board the same folks that want to be part of this transformative work.

Yeah, that's good. Thank you. I yield.

You let them go on to the next program.

Um very quick follow up on um I was going to ask about Bishop Connley. That was never considered.

We're not usually No, that's unfortunate because it's right next to there. It would have been a quick um transportation.

um we haven't really been kept in the loop that what what's the like the long-term strategy for there.

So hopefully um with um new leadership we'll be um caught up to date on that as well. Um feel like I might have some follow-up questions on just um special education when in terms of um students with related services just making sure they're um but maybe I'll just bring that over to Miss Overchain.

I [clears throat] think I can speak to that as well. Um we have um there are I don't even know total how many but we have staffed these current programs based on looking at current data as well as current student needs. And so being able to support students both in inclusion placements as well as substantially separate is also built into this plan.

Where and where students choose to land will be individual conversations with students and families. But all students IEPs, whether it's related services or whether it is just part of their IEP plan and placement um on the grid, we will be able to meet all of those needs and work with individual students and families to be able to meet those needs.

Um and that will take again individual conversations with every single student who's currently enrolled at RPA is part of the timeline from May moving forward.

But we need to be able to have the rest of the structures of the schools develop before we can sit down with kids and families to be able to share with them what those options look like. But the goal is that that we can be building in some choice for students and families within across these three models and then also being able to support students in substantially separate and inclusion

placements dependent upon the [snorts] needs of their IEPs.

Does that make sense?

No, it does. Um, I appreciate it.

Okay, that you can continue. [clears throat] So, we're going to move on to speak about our vision for the Ascend Single District Virtual School.

Thank you. Yeah. So, just some background on the development of the virtual school. Um, virtual learning is no longer a niche. Uh, it's an educa it's an educational design option that is in demand both nationally and here in Fall River. [snorts] So across the nation, more than 300,000 K to2 students are enrolled in full-time virtual schools. And in higher education, 54% of college students take at least one

online course each year. Fall River is experiencing the shift firsthand as well. Since uh 2018, as we were looking back at the data, virtual enrollment has more than quintupled. In between uh school year 24 and school year 25 alone, [snorts] public virtual school enrollment in the Tekk and greater Commonwealth increased 67%.

Additionally, the number of high school students leaving FRPS for homeschool has doubled over the last year. So, our trends are showing that our students are leaving FRPS for virtual learning environments at higher and higher rates.

But here's the good news. Our students in RPA's virtual pilot are making gains academically and through increased engagement and credit credit acquisation as well. According to our student survey from uh February 2026, 93% of our virtual pathway students agree that their in instruction meets their academic needs and interest. So establishing a single district virtual school model is the natural next step to

address our students needs and meet the national trend that isn't going away. In our virtual school proposal, Ascend would be Fall River's in-house virtual school model that would leverage HQIM curriculum delivered by a dedicated staff that would be able to receive professional development to ensure highquality, rigorous virtual instruction and while simultaneously building a school culture and sense of community.

We aspire to create a virtual school that is able to compete with our neighboring single district virtual schools with the goal to retain students in Fall River who we would most likely continue to lose if we do not invest our time. Over time, our plan will include expanding enrollment and providing underredited students an additional choice-based pathway to graduation through the virtual school option.

[clears throat] So Drew, I want to I want first of all great work for all of you because there's no doubt that the profiles in public education across the country are changing. There's no doubt about it especially in the postcoavid era po I think going during throughout co we learned that you know virtual learning is possible. However, I I don't know how impactful it is in relation to, you know, a teacher

standing right in front of you in class.

Uh I I'll still stand up for that classical model uh more than virtual, but I do recognize the need for a virtual component. That being said, for a kid enrolled in virtual, Dr. Bronnhard, would they be able to access part-time jobs? maybe maybe be part of some internships throughout the community. If we can get the business community involved in this model to hire some of our high school kids and place

them at work and maybe they have to report out, you know, to the the school-based folks as well about what they're doing in their part-time work.

if there could be a CTE component, if we can get um Universal Tech Institute and the like, schools like that involved in maybe um connecting with some of these kids and these kids maybe have some hope after graduation for a sense of direction in their own lives. That's I'm just thinking in general in those kind of terms.

Yeah. So I think those are amazing options and as we move uh forward uh the design or the planning team that meets to kind of discuss like the meat and the bones of what the virtual school would be like um in terms of community in terms of you know workforce development opportunities etc. That's something that the team would come forward with recommendations both on like the launch

at the beginning and also what we would aspire to grow to you know second semester as we move through the school year. And as you can see in the budget, there is [clears throat] a school adjust school guidance counselor built into each of the three schools for that specific planning and program design.

Yeah, we recognize that the enrollment in these three schools is lower than what typical case loads for those administrators would otherwise have. And as I, you know, and we recognize that there is a bit of an maybe overinvestment even with with what we're proposing, but we want to be able to give people the space and ability to build those relationships and create the structures that can re-engage with the

community because there is one thing we know here in Fall River is that when our community is strategically asked, they show up and they support us. But if we're not asking for those things that we need and understanding exactly what the schedules are and what the needs are of our kids and then offering our kids support with those experiences, that's where things fall short. So, we've

strategically built the administrative structure so that we can replicate some of those workforce development experiences that we've had in the past um but also to expand upon that as well.

So that is built into and will be built into um future design of the program of study that would include internships for credits and the like. To your point, has has um have you ever partnered with Bristol County Training Consortium?

Mhm.

Uh so if they could be involved, you know, they could be in a great position to help create pathways for internships that would probably fuel their learning.

Maybe they can even get jobs in areas that they're really interested in. Who knows, you know? I don't know. It's it's just such a blank picture right now. But but my mind is just racing with these ideas. For a number of years, Dr. Brian Hod, um after I left teaching and went into counseling, I worked for seven years in a co-contract with uh Bristol Training, uh Bristol County Training

Consortium and the For Public Schools.

They each paid half of my salary for a program that we ran called futures. And every one of these kids had a specialized plan and they were looked after. I was the counselor for that program. We had a director for the program. We had two counselors and a director and we oversaw kids at the high school and made sure that they lived up to certain standards and then we were placing them into part-time jobs all

throughout the community. So it was it was a great success.

The part that's really nice about or at least in my opinion the pieces that are really nice about both the Ascend virtual school as well as the Compass afternoon evening um is that they are both built on a 990 hour schedule. So we will have time on learning met correct. So, we will have the flexibility to be able to include internships in some of these work-based learning experiences that

you're describing because all of that counts in their schedule towards graduation for their time on learning as well.

That'd be great. Thank you. But you So, right now I see that there's 40 kids at TEK, correct? Are you planning on trying to bring them in or are you giving them up? Well, we're going to start our goal is to start with the current students that are registered in in the current Fall River public schools. So, that would obviously it accounts well we will be accounting for every single student at RPA and every

single student in Evolve within that transfer. In addition to that, um, we will continue to promote and market all of these programs for any student who is currently at Tekk at Greater Commonwealth, may or may not be having a great experience or looking for something more local with the goal of bringing [snorts] some kiddos back in district as well as um kids that are in homeschool. And really specifically our

kids that are in homeschool because we want to make sure that every student in the high school age range that is in a high school homeschool experience that they are in a diploma driven program because as you know homeschool is up to parents and they have all great elements of autonomy. But when you are approaching those high school years you need to be in a diploma [snorts] granting organization as a homeschool

student. And so we want to make sure that all of our se uh students that are in the high school age range are aware of these options so that if there is an opportunity for them to come and investigate and explore how these programs could meet their needs, those folks would be some of the first folks we look to bring back as well as any students that are not finding success

currently at Derpy but not looking to come to the current alternative model that we have to offer them. And so it really is about opening the doors but really going to capacity as it relates to our projected enrollment because we want to be able to do this right. This has to be done right from the beginning and so going slow to be able to go fast um would be our priority kind of through

those steps and those serving those populations I just referenced. So is it going to be so nine o'clock is math you're going to be on math and it's going to be a teacher there or is it you pop on do your work and know just a teacher when you want so all of those pieces will be part of the stakeholder planning groups that are going to be launched shortly thereafter any type of school committee support but

one thing we've also learned over the course of our exploration is that there needs to be live teaching during online and in virtual schools we've explored it a few ways here in Fall River through egeneuity and some of those online models and it's too much of a challenge for teachers if they're not the ones creating the lessons to be able to deliver someone else's curriculum. And

so it will be our goal to work with the district directors to be able to create competency based units micro credentiing as well. Um, and even, you know, some of the recommendations out the gate are to have semester-based cost courses, um, so that it does look boldly different than what they've otherwise experienced up at the high school. Um, so that we can recruit credits faster and then be able

to make schedule adjustments as kids needs change and opportunities change for them. So all of that will be part of the next phase of development.

Okay.

Go first and go.

Okay. Um, I guess I'll start off with um when I know you mentioned TEKA. I know the school committee um took a vote to place a cap on there.

I understand um where the administration was coming from at the time. However, parents that I hear from that have um their children are in those programs. I hear um great things or the programs are fit specifically for those for those students. So I think it's something we should reconsider in the future. Um that is what we're trying to bring in through this model.

I No, I understand that. It's just from just from a few parents that have told me like their um firsthand accounts from the program just the individual um I I never been through the program myself, but just from my hear third person that those programs have been um beneficial for those students.

Just um quick questions just more on the um the administration the um positions here the support staff I I don't see that any are shared like evolve academy you have um seal you have a behavioral therapist um I I don't think you need a par profofessional but I guess if there's um virtual classes and you might want to take a student out for a one one one-on-one instruction [snorts]

that was we wouldn't have um some sort of par support in the ascend virtual.

Yes.

So we have a virtual pathway specialist slotted as well as a school counselor, a school adjustment counselor and the department head position, right? And [snorts] so just um for example, if you have like um I don't know like what the individual instruction looks like in the program, but if you have some sort of math class, um you bring the um student in and they're working on like an assignment.

The teacher can only help so many students.

I I'm just thinking maybe for additional support support staff having a par professional.

We can bring that forward to the planning committee certainly.

And [clears throat] um I think I think I know the answer, but I'll ask anyway just because it's I'm assuming you don't have a VP position just a department head just cuz it's a smaller staff to the because keeping in mind also there won't be students physically on campus for that. So when we think about a vice principal um to be able to keep all things systems, operations, discipline,

you know, family communication, what we really felt is that the principal would be overseeing this program and the SAC, the school adjustment counselor and the guidance counselor would take the lead on the student connections and communication. But we do need an instructional lead in the virtual school to make sure that the virtual teaching experience is really elevated to the next level and that teachers are getting

the professional development and the support that they need. [snorts] Um and so knowing that there will be a principle of all three pathways, they will take the space of what some of those duties might be that a vice principal would need.

So So they would handle [clears throat] discipline if there is. Yeah. Whatever discipline comes up. Yeah. cuz you know there will be some no there will be some um but any because we know from co there was still some stuff we had to address right um and so there a vice principal of the principal rather would be the main point of contact for [snorts] the other two administrators and and department had to

be in touch with that was our thinking and um last question on um for IT support not sure what the data looks like or if you've run if the program's running any issues of like classes not working things not working. How do we communicate with um technology?

That school, the current RPA building has a tech facilitator and so we would still expect that the tech department would assign us tech facilitator to 290 Rock as an opportunity hub. Um but that's not called out in any of the programmings because that's like a district sponsored tech support position. But there would be a consistency with tech support as we currently have. And [clears throat] um

this is something we can definitely follow up on that. But that communication with the tech support is it enough or would you need someone more?

I think it would be all-encompassing for this person to get started certainly and working in conjunction with the department head who would be the first point of contact for teachers in the moment. Um, so we felt confident that by breaking it up in this model that that department head would really be the lead administrator for all things teaching and learning and all things managing on

that instructional side. That would include the technology.

Thank you.

Is our vision for that.

Mr. Gordon, uh, just to follow up, I want to I want to put my friend Kevin I want to put your your back against the wall. Could you just give me an impression of what your day looks like with virtual learning? [clears throat] The day it's a lot of because it's auity. It's a lot of checking on the students who are um how how much they're progressing with the agenuity. It's

making phone calls because a lot it's the RPA students some of them came in they're not really the greatest at doing the schoolwork and so it's just calling the parents calling the kids contacting them getting them in. I go into all the virtually the Google rooms to try to see who's in there if they're not the kids aren't in the rooms. Make some more phone calls, help out the teachers. I'm

very good with the tech stuff to help the tech people how to So in in in essence, uh you're a liazison of sorts connecting all the dots.

Correct. And uh and and that ensures that the process is in motion that kids are on point learning and parents are aware of what the learning is going on and and a teacher is on point so that they can grade the child accordingly.

Correct.

Yes.

Yes. Correct. Yes.

It's a lot of self discipline.

A lot of self-discipline on the child's part.

It is in itself is a lot of self-discipline.

So Dr. Are they are they at home when they're do learning virtually? So they they could be in their bedrooms, they could be in their living room or wherever, but as long as they're staying on point now on Google Classroom to all of the learning that's going on.

It's not Google Classroom. So they're they're jumping into Google Meets, but working along inuity.

So on Google Meet there that that's a virtual classroom with other students.

So it's almost like our Zoom meetings where we have all the different I'm trying I'm so old school that I'm trying to envision it you know and the new model that they're looking into it's that's isn't that successful the Google meets part of it because of the ingenuity and so the teachers aren't doing their own curriculum and it's tough to get them put they're drawn into it without the

teachers teaching the whole thing that one cuz they can actually get a lot of the work done without being in in the Google meet. So they it has its benefits where we where kids some kids take jobs and they only they go to do a lot of their work at night on [snorts] the engine but that's but they're accountable to their work and they're getting it done.

Yeah, those are things we'll have to work out when we have the the meetings on China the planning meetings.

So yeah, Dr. Mon, is there any way for us to even see this in action? How might I visit to see it in action?

If you went to go visit Mr. Varo when it's going on, it's going on throughout the day.

So, these classes are scheduled throughout the day, but it's a lot of checks and balances. It is it's uh it's it's there's not enough consistency because the teachers are visit the teachers are are teaching their own in person and then they're jumping into these egeneuity to check on students that they don't have in person. Um, I I really feel and I've said this all along, there needs to be a designated

virtual team of teachers just for fidelity purposes alone and it needs to be our own curriculum.

So the designated virtual teachers would be the school within a school idea, you know, so they're just answering to virtual ascend virtual learning. Yes.

Right.

So now Dr. Bronhard. So if there's a counseling, how does the counseling component? If a child is experiencing a crisis of sorts, how do we work with that?

We reach out to those students. We connect with those students and families. We do home visits. We bring those students in as needed. And so it really andor over Google meets connecting with students and families. I mean, keeping in mind we also currently sponsor cartwheel teleaalth services here in the district. So postcoid there are lots of ways with which virtual connections and virtual support is a

viable option for kids and for families and so we're really looking to leverage those supports through the virtual world and really the blessing is that we are proposing or one of the great I feel blessings is that each of these pro schools would live on its own floor in the 290 rock building. So even as an example, if I am a virtual student and I need in-person support, we would like to propose further in this model

development the VIP section where kids come virtually in person and we can schedule virtual in-person meetings where kids are coming into the building and rendering some sort of service. So even if we have students that are on IEPs and they need speech or OT, we're not going to be doing that virtually.

So, how do we bring those kids and families into the building during specific times that are built into their schedules so that they can receive those services? And I would say counseling and any type of support would be included in that. Um, as well as when we build it as an individual school, the goal is that we will be developing in-person community experiences because just because you're in a virtual school

doesn't mean you don't want to have social touch points with kids and teachers, right? Right. And so how do we then leverage that's my next question the touch point.

So are the kids uh required to come into school at least once a week or as of right now I mean all of that is yet to be determined. Um but what we've learned in our research um is there are certain elements of flexibility that folks are looking for when they choose a virtual school. And so certainly having a daily required check-in so that we get eyes on students every single day will

be a non-negotiable. And actually that is part of the application for a virtual school with the department of education.

They want to make sure that we have regularly scheduled daily turn your camera on let me see you that you look good and things are going good touch points with kids but separate to that some of the pieces of having a flexible model is what folks are looking for. So requiring them to physically come in a building I do not anticipate being a requirement but daily touch points and like I said um scheduled home rooms if

you would a morning home room or an afternoon or afternoon home room which one do you sign up for? Um but that would be your home room period where we get eyes on kids and we check for wellness.

So structurally what would be the enrollment uh just a rough ballpark figure of enrollment. So we are projecting in the ascend um to be 70 to 100 students and and in our current pilot we're currently servicing about 40 to 45 students. Correct? Yeah. Okay.

And so school within a school concept uh with 100 kids you'd have maybe four dedicated educators work in the program.

Uh, no. It ends up being um five teaching staff and three administrators for the ascend virtual school recommendation to start to launch.

Is is the council a part of the administrative team?

Yes. Yep.

Okay.

Yep. And the virtual pathway specialist as the third support staff and I appreciate Mr. Das bringing up a possible par profofessional to add to it just to support as like a Google meet.

Yeah. whatever breakout rooms, whatever is necessary.

Yep. Yeah, that's actually a good idea.

Uh with with the courier option, uh if a kid needed to have a touch point if they're going through a crisis and needed to come in or or the counselor would go to the home, right?

Well, we have our attendance cars and there is currently an attendance car that is assigned to the RPA. So, at any point, home visits at any of our schools and any of our programs are done. Yeah, we we do that work already. And so that would that would be part of the program design as well.

Thanks a lot. Yep.

I yield.

Okay. Okay. And so now we're going to look to just share with you um our vision for Compass afternoon and evening school.

Not every student thrives on a traditional 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. schedule.

National and local tardiness data tells a compelling story with tardiness increasing significantly as students progress through high school. This national trend suggests that as students take on more responsibilities, whether work, family obligations, or other commitments, they struggle to meet early morning start times. Our RPA student survey data confirms that most students agree that the current schedule doesn't

work for their life and responsibilities. One student articulated it perfectly. I work better later in the day because my brain can actually process what I'm learning.

Compass directly responds to this reality by offering flexible afternoon and evening hours, still meeting the 990 required structured learning hours with block scheduling designed for working students. Compass would modify district sponsored HQIM as the core curriculum in all primary areas focusing on power standards and personalized learning classrooms serving students on an individualized basis, not a traditional

grade level system. Students will be motivated through fast-paced microcredentiing, acquiring credits in shorter, more manageable course structures designed for students with interrupted learning. Compass isn't about lowering standards. It's about removing barriers to engagement and real learning so that students who work, manage family responsibilities, or learn better later in the day can actually

show up and succeed. For these students, Compass provides a schedule of flexibility that transforms potential into graduation.

And so, you know, in just recognizing the struggles that we've had with certain populations of students to be able to get to school by 8:30, 9:00 in the morning when they're up late, family responsibilities, getting siblings off to school and all of the pieces. Um, as well as kids that are older, aged, underredited, and really looking to work full-time. That's part of their priority. Um, and don't really see

themselves completing high school in the traditional model. as well as that.

We're really proposing this as a 990 hour opportunity to be able to service students from grades 9 to 12. Um, but also be flexible so that students can really have that personalized schedule.

So, if I don't come in until 2:00 because I'm working in the morning or I don't need the credits in the schedule until 2:00 in and and into the evening, then students would be able to do that.

One of the other pieces that we didn't mention is that we have also been in touch with nutrition to really kind of create like an open door opportunity to give dinner and provide dinner for students that are in this pathway at the end of their experience which would also coincide with our district tutoring center that has been very successful this year um in being able to meet the needs of students that are finding

themselves sort of removed from the educational process due to suspension, medical needs, anxiety and other u medical supports. Um, and so we are really excited just to be able to almost have like, you know, a 15 hour school day really, you know, available to kids, whether that's 8 to 8:30 in the morning, 9:00 in the morning, all the way till 6:00 at night. Um, and really being able to just schedule students for the

courses that they need.

And [snorts] so that you're only asking for one nurse. You're going to have one nurse there that whole time.

Um, where did we land with the nurse discussion? I only have one.

So I think in our initial in our initial discussions the nur the nurse would ser one nurse would serve during the school day and we would look to uh stipen the nurse similar to what we have for CT after dark um after 3:30 the later part of the afternoon evening so that um the afternoon evening would always be covered with the nurse.

Yes.

Yeah. [snorts] Any issues filling that nursing?

What's that?

Any issues filling that stipen? not for the CT after dark program. Um so um and I think a nursing position is just a different demand than being like in front of the classroom leading the charge managing and just carrying on on the teaching side, right? Um we've been able to find nurses luckily, right? Whether it's after school programs where a nurse is required and we need to make sure that

there's a nurse there for student needs.

And so we do feel com confident that we would be able to find even at a minimum a nurse on rotation so that there's a predictable schedule of nursing coverage from that end of day for the daytime nurse into the early evening exit of the program.

If I can continue um looking at [clears throat] the administration school counselors, how many school counselors are currently at RPA?

Counselor three.

Three.

There's three currently. And um how's the CA is there a heavy case load? How's the case load look with those?

Very light.

Very light.

Very light. [snorts] Based on enrollment, if we've only got 163 170 students, how many? Right. 163.

We hover between 160 170.

So that's the total number of students in the entire school for three guidance counselors.

So what's that day look like for that for that for those [clears throat] individuals right currently?

Yes. What does their day look like?

Yes. Like if it's I'm assuming it's like um Dr. Dr. Bronnhard just says a light case of what are they meeting um frequently with students?

They're meeting frequently with students. They're meeting as groups and they're also doing a lot of attendance monitoring.

So lots of check-ins with students.

Um for the attendance monitoring is it um we don't have any um truency offices or anything like that or Yep. Mhm.

I just don't see it in the U budget where they they would so that's also just like the tech facilitators the attendance officers are distributed at the district level and so the same attendance officer um right now is Maria Kennedy who covers RPA and covers the courts for us as our court liaison um she would be the person that would be assigned currently to this RPA unless we look to restructure that

we haven't really gotten to like those assignments for next year but the attendance officer would still be connected to these three schools within in 290 rock would be our intentions.

Correct. Y just want to see how that'll work in the in the um Well, we already have collective bargaining.

We already have two shifts of of custodians, right? We have the AM shift and then the PM shift. And so I don't any change.

I don't anticipate that there would be any changes. Um because even currently at Dery where we run after dark and whatnot that didn't have any like contractual changes for custodians because they're already assigned to those buildings for those first and second shifts.

Thank you.

Um Drew, um well first of all Dr.

Bronnhard or Dr. Mon, what is the enrollment of this uh what's the anticipated enrollment for Compass?

So we are starting uh projecting at 75 to 100. Okay. Um, uh, any of these kids candidates for Dery after dark?

Yeah. So, pending their schedule, so for the afternoon evening, they could, uh, take, uh, the first two periods at Compass the way we currently have it kind of outlaid and then, um, sorry, take the first two periods at um, Compass at 290 Rock Street and then for the later part of the afternoon, evening transition to CTE after dark pending their academic situation. How many, you know, there is a possibility to to make

that happen as well right is Dr. B is this also a school within a school concept for compass so with that um and I know that there have been attendance issues Dr. when a at anything new that's been that's been consistent for years now you know so is the attendance designation changed to each one of these concepts are the the designation for attendance numbers for desi it would change in the sense that this

would now be each of these three schools would be their own reporting school yes so you would so moving forward Our recommendation if we by moving in this approach you would see evolved as its own school. So all of the data not just attendance all of the data would be connected to just the virtual and then ascend.

So none of the other programs would suffer if one program is having a hard time correct in in a certain area. It wouldn't affect the other programs.

Correct. Correct. which really gives us a much more uh a better ability to assess the success and assess assess the areas for growth when we're able to look at it as its own school because we'll get the same reporting out information that we do for each of our individual schools currently. So technically speaking, the fact that we're designing this entirely new concept with three

programs, school within a school each, we're taking away the real the weakness of what we've been dealing with now, especially with attendance. I subbed at RPA in years past after I retired. I went back there and ran a group a couple of years ago.

I've seen the inside workings of the school many many times and I know what plagues the school and I have to boil it right down to attendance. Kids are so in attendance has been so inconsistent that it's really plagued the learning of that program, you know. So I I I I can't help but say that I'm in favor of all of this in these new ideas. It feels like a

breath of fresh air maybe coming in and trying to save the whole concept of alternative education in our school district. Um staff members, right? Could I ask any any general impressions? Any feelings that you may have?

I am a little bit concerned about one thing.

Yes. Um, is the afterdock program going to provide busing for students? Because the buses not are not working at six o'clock and I being a teacher there having worked with some of the students.

Um, their parents don't want to see them leaving at 6 p.m. in the dock without a ride.

Absolutely.

Is there something that's going to be provided? Again, the bus terminal is closed at that point.

So, have those ideas been broached in in in planning?

We are all in the planning phases of all of those pieces of it. Also, when you look at the schedule, which we did, you know, in sharing with the staff, we just didn't get into the the nitty-gritty of the details, but everything about that afternoon evening program can be flexible for kids on that last period of the program, which is where dinner and advisory in the PM part runs. And so,

there would be flexibility for younger students that need transportation and being able to communicate with families of those needs um would be part of the choosing the pathway that works for me modality. Could you give me an idea of how many how many students may be affected by the transportation issue?

Um, depending on how many 11th graders are, I think this is going to affect the 11th graders the most. Um, we we're talking about a small amount of kids. Um, but it's a large amount of kids. One kid is is enough, right? I'm more worried about safety. I in my classroom last year had a had one of my students shot. Okay. I've had two of my students stabbed. I've had

That's why I went back in there and ran groups.

You came into my room to run that man group. I appreciate that.

Yes.

Um I came from Bradley Hospital. So I have a backbone of safety.

Absolutely.

100% safety is where I come from. Okay.

I think we all want to honor that.

Exactly. So when we're the kids are leaving at night and even if they have that flexibility, the fact that she's already having those conversations about the stigma of coming here location building depending on where it is, right?

Yes.

So at night leaving there is even worse.

Okay. So that's why I do want to come up with a plan that we could safely transport these kids to where they need to go because a lot of them like you say, okay, yeah, they're older and but they don't make good choices and they definitely need that support.

Nothing good happens at night.

Sorry, but I come from caring. So well, I think we all come from caring, right? Like I think we're all coming from a place of trying to provide better. And when I think about what we've done in the past at different schools by having that bus that takes the trip around the city and drops kids at different locations that are in proximity, we've had those buses experiencing up at Dery in the past. I

remember when I was a VP up there, we had the late bus experience. And so by contracting with the district and coming up with a plan for a late bus andor working with SERTA um because the buses do run past 6:00, it's just a matter of where the the stops are and what that partnership could look like with SERTA.

So I do think it could be a combination of both um and then coming back before the committee to be able to invest in some of those areas. Um, but I think safety is a big piece of it for all. And then really being able to identify the kids that will utilize the transportation because we've also found ourselves in the last couple of years too providing transportation and kids don't take advantage of it because they

come out the door and they still just choose to go with a buddy, with a friend. My mom's picking me up, my aunt's picking me up. And so we don't want to waste resources. But if students are going to take advantage of resources and they can plan for that as a resource, um I think right now the the biggest piece of that piece specifically is not knowing who the kids are going to be

because at this point, you know, we we're not at that identification phase.

But I envision all of those details being part of the stakeholder group and then once we identify who the kids are that are enrolling in the program, then we're able to work it out. But that's not a foreign concept in this district to have the late bus model where one bus picks kids up and you know they can take the trip around the city and we often know really where kids have a hard time

getting back to is the south end and anything on the other side of 195.

You know typically around this neck of the woods and on this side of town kids have access to transportation and and friends and and rides but it's really getting to the the south end of town and to that I am super sensitive as a south ender myself. I appreciate I appreciate your concern on on safety and transportation. It's always been an impediment to some of our programming during the years throughout the years,

you know, especially in those nighttime hours and especially because location of Dery is so far north end and and really our city is like a a long triangle, you know, north end and the south end far apart. But that being said, uh Dr.

Bronhard um in the future planning strategy for transportation for for these programs. Is there a way that parents uh could you know uh sign off on a certain contract to make sure that their kids could be transported safely or if they could transport their kids safely on a daily basis for whatever it is you know is is there a way to involve the parents in this transportation?

I envision as part of an interest form.

So our vision for this would be to the bigger kind of vision of this is that kids would be referred to the opportunity hub once they meet specific criteria yet to be determined. Overaged, underredited, not showing up to school, having trouble when they do show up to school, criteria to be referred to the opportunity hub. Once kids get referred to the opportunity hub, they have three

options as part of that application to each of the three pathways or schools.

That would be a question we would need to have conversations with families about particularly for the afternoon evening. What is your transportation?

What are your needs? And how are your kids going to get home at night? And we would be able to generate an initial understanding of what that's going to look like just based on our communication with current RPA students, right? because we know there will be a number of those kids, not all because some of those kids will have an opportunity to either go back to Dery, enroll in the full virtual school that

will look different than the current virtual pathway, go to the Evolve program or be part of the afternoon evening. So once we identify the that initial cohort of students that will be taking advantage of this pathway, from there we can build transportation supports around those families based on needs. Good and then further explore with Mr.

Pachico through Serta and through transportation. What does this look like? How much will it cost? Um, and how do we make this happen?

Yeah, I realize there aren't any concrete answers yet, but as long as I'm going to place my faith in the vetting process and hopefully we come up with a really solid plan for these kids to transport safely to and from.

Thank you. I yield.

You just touched on the students that are there now. Can you explain to me exactly? parents are worried about where's my kid going to go so we have a timeline that you can see at the bottom of your executive summary and so if you notice come May in that executive summary again once the frame of [snorts] of these three programs of these three schools are developed the goal and the expectation will be that we meet with

every single student and a caregiver a guardian to be able to speak to what their needs are, what's their graduation timeline, and how do these three schools andor Dery, if if that's, you know, if that's in your vision. Um, how do those three schools help you achieve that graduation timeline? Um, and so it too far, you don't think May's too far to be having those conversations cuz

once this parents are going to be asking questions tomorrow.

So, here's the deal though. I don't have all the answers for parents and I don't want to bring families in to give partial answers because the programs have not been number one fully accepted by the school committee. So that needs to be the driving piece of it, right? Is that the vote to close in April so that we've got the month to complete a virtual school application which has a timeline for midappril with the

department of education. We would then move on to develop the frame and the program of studies for the afternoon evening school bring back to the school committee in May for adoption. And once that has been adopted, then we can move forward in meeting with students and families.

I'm gonna say if that was me, I would be a nervous wreck from the time that you tell me on April 1st when it gets to school committee till May when you shot to have that conversation. As a parent, I would be so nervous.

Well, so we do have a comm [clears throat] so we do have a communication plan to go out to students and involve and students at RPA for tomorrow to inform them of this timeline, but I also don't want to make empty promises because I'm not the only person developing this, right? And so it also needs to be adopted by the school committee. I could say one thing and I could get pushed back from committee to

make some changes and I don't want to be halfway down the road communicating with families to then have to go back and reverse the communication. So I think it's really about having a clear timeline and we're in school till June 26th.

Absolutely. So there's not a posit lot of positive about that except maybe this that we've now got some extended time that we're able to communicate with families and really make sure that folks, you know, are personally supported with facts and with programming we know we can deliver on. I don't want to be giving falsehoods and then have to go back and and turn around a conversation because we didn't really

have the full approval. And so just knowing those pieces, I think it's also about leveraging the school staff at RPA who have relationships with kids and families already to be able to communicate the framework. Right? We're going to share all of this with the staff at RPA. We've communicated just briefly with both the Evolve staff and the RPA staff last week because we did not want the agenda to come out for this

meeting and people to not know what was going on from at least an introduction to the concept. But the goal is to share this information in this way, the executive summaries to be able to share all of that out with the program design as it is at this most early stage and then be able to share out details even if it's every two weeks kind of details of planning and or [snorts] sharing out

summaries in preparation for that May school committee meeting which as you know is the first week of the month now.

So, it will give us a little bit more time um to be able to share out accurate information and make sure that kids when they are kids and families when they are subscribing to a school that they have as much information as possible at that early stage in May.

The staff is who I've gotten the most phone calls from, they worry they're not going to have a job. Explain that to me because I already saying I'm not going to have a job. Can you explain? So how I understand this and after speaking briefly with FREA and FRAA leadership last week, the closing of a school has a process through their contract. So there is already language in the contract that

speaks to if you are a certified professional status teacher, you would land on a displaced teacher list as you know andor administrator list. As you know, there are a number of shifts in the current budget coming forth in the next couple of weeks. So there will be a number of shifts that could potentially put folks on a displaced list. If they have seniority, if they have professional status and are licensed,

they would they would have first pick at any of the positions that are available within this program redesign as well as the other open positions that are yet to be announced through district budget process. And so this happens every year.

What I think is what I think is really I think a blessing is that Fall River has not seen budget cuts in the last five years. We have been heavily funded.

Student opportunity act has removed all of these conversations from the table.

Everything with the esser funds. We have not approached any of this contract language. Had to enact the language because we've been flooded with positions and you all know the open positions that still exist. And so this will certainly create some uneasiness, but there will be jobs for those folks.

And then anyone that does not fall into that protected criteria is still eligible to apply for these positions.

Again, the virtual school is going to require a specific teacher to want to be involved in. The same thing with the afternoon evening school. So, it also wouldn't be fair to just move people into positions just because they're part of a school if that school schedule and approach is not going to work for you knowing we will have other open positions just based on the budget. And then that doesn't even count the ones

that we that we know folks will leave for different personal reasons that we see every single year when it comes to staffing shifts across the district. So by in no means, you know, was there anything connected to us not trying to be sensitive to that, but there is contractual language that lays out a process that we also have to abide by.

And so that really has been the driving force based on the program design, the scheduling to make sure that case loads and teacher classroom size and all of that is built in to the current model.

and everything around staffing was taking the same approach based on the contract language for both AA and FRAA and FREA.

Yeah, I'm glad you asked that question, Madam Chairwoman.

Um, I'm concerned about um Facebook getting ahead of the story because I already saw a piece on Facebook this weekend uh that created a lot of concern in the community and it's not a black and white issue. It's definitely a gray matter issue and I don't think that the community understands um exactly the concepts being proposed here today at this subcommittee meeting which I think

went very well. By the way, I know that you guys have been working very hard. I want to make sure that staff is protected at at all. You know, any way that we can dignify and respect our staff is what I'm looking for. In any way that we can dignify the vetting of this process, I'm looking for and any way we can dignify the reveal of the whole new concept to the community is

what I'm looking for as well. We don't want to take a step forward and then take two steps back. We want we want to show the community that our current concept has been not so good. We've tried so many different ways to patch patch up uh RPA uh moving forward, but it just hasn't worked out extremely well. And I will argue, you know, for your hard work in creating this, I like

this. This to me represents modern learning. And it's not the classical piece that I'm so entrenched in in my own mind as a retired educator, but having an open mind moving forward and trying to reach out to to students to to build more student success is, I think, behind what you guys are working toward, you know. So, I hope that the staff at RPA understands this and in in all matters of honor and dignity to them.

And I've been in there so many times.

I've seen them sweat. I've seen them try to reach kids. How hard it is. And I know that kids in that school are really looking for that that connection and the way that they speak about certain people within the school is wonderful that oh, I really love that person. I really, you know, that's what I want to see continue. I'm worried about the social emotional concept of closing up closing

RPA as we know it. But yet, it's not really a closure. It's just a reawakening. It's putting it's like putting uh uh something to retire something, but then to create something in its place that's even better. And I think that's what you guys are trying to get at, [clears throat] make something even better moving into the future. You know, I hope the staff feels really good about these changes. I

do. I think that these changes right now in this day and age uh are very necessary. And I really hope that there's a strong CTE component and internship component to the future RPA kid to tie them into the community and into a strong sense of direction in their own individual lives which is incredibly important to me as an educator. Thanks.

Thank you. Some parents were asking why now?

Um why now when you just put out that graduation rates are going up and stuff there. So now you're going to lose some of that.

I think we're going to increase that.

When we talk about graduation rates going up and we're still at the 30%.

That to me is not success in the rate that we should be striving for. Um and so are there things that are working for certain kids? Without a doubt we would be fools to say that it's not. But when we look at all of the students who are at RPA currently and all of the students in Fall River who could benefit from alternative options, we are missing a much bigger and broader mark. Um, and so

I I firmly believe um, in all of my years of doing this work at different levels and in trying to be part of a school turnaround for the last two and a half years at RPA, working with leadership trying to to get that ball going, um, we've just been unsuccessful with a one-size school design. And so by really creating the three individual communities that truly are offering something that is not existing in our

current comprehensive high school. I feel that this is a duty that we have to our kids in our community at large.

Do we have a transition plan for all of the students that say like so I just I'm worried about any kids falling you know through the cracks of they don't fit into any of these models. Where do we do like where did they go? That's what my So I think every So I think some pieces that will emerge in some of this redesign. As an example, in one of a

meeting that we had last week, there was a request to say, why don't we look at bringing in GED prep and then work with youth connections and um some other organizations that can foster GED classes. Let's take a look at what that could look like for certain kids. Um but I think we'd be if we're really honest with ourselves, we are already not meeting the needs of every single kid.

And so I I'm not going to sit here and say that every single kid is [snorts] going to find their, you know, ticket to the stars.

That's why we're here right now.

But what what I am saying is that we are committed to understanding what's missing and how do we build upon that for the future. I think one thing that we also need to note that has not come up in this conversation. Um, as part of this redesign, we are proposing to close the middle school at the current RLM RPA. We have begun conversations with our current middle school principles to

talk about what that transition would look like for current seventh graders.

We have a very small number of seventh graders who are currently at RPA number. Do you have the exact number?

Seven, eight.

Oh, I think it's five.

Five even five.

So, five seventh graders who would be moving on to eighth grade next year. So, we will be working with those five students and their families to be able to determine the best place for eighth grade for those students. Um, but what we've learned too is that our middle school has been a constant challenge.

Um, and we have not been able to meet the developing needs of that age range of students for a number of years. And so by removing the middle school, giving us a fresh opportunity to be focused on these three school designs while simultaneously researching middle school alternative education going into next year. Um, we feel confident that we'll be able to come back to the committee

with a pathway or two for middle school students. Um, because that is also a population that we also need to begin servicing and looking at differently.

Are we looking at the least restrictive also?

Yep. Always.

[clears throat] Go ahead.

Oh, but one of that one thing I just want to say because I've said it, but I will say it again just in support of my middle school principal team. One of the proposals within this budget that will be part of Wednesday night's budget is the addition of anal liaison in each of the three middle schools. So that by [snorts] sending back right by sending back students in need and also to be

able to support kids that are currently in our middle schools with high needs so that we're not draining from the rest of the resources that are that are really meant to be distributed across the whole entire school. We all know it just takes a few kids to take the systems off off rotation in our middle schools and the climate and culture and academic supports and social emotional supports

in place. We can't have just a few students taking all of that support. So we do feel we need to backwards invest in our middle schools um to make sure that they do have a targeted individual from a social emotional lens focused on students in need of T3 supports at the middle schools. So you will see that on the budget as reppurposed positions or proposed reallocation. Um so that will

come up that will come up as a request of the budget.

Thank you. Um and just um bringing this all together um and following up on my colleagues questions about the timeline and um the staff displacement. Um I guess the my overall thoughts are the concepts themselves. They're um like I support many most of the concepts in here and I know these have been in the works for many years since I believe since the principal Bob Pere was there

as well. So I know these have been um thought about for a long time.

What I really am having um struggling with here is the timeline. Um, I just found out about this when do we have that budget hearing? 5 days ago that [snorts] this was even happening.

And we're in March 23rd and we're expected planning to open up a brand new school um starting next the beginning of the next year. So, can we walk can you just walk us through again how why this wasn't proposed earlier in the year?

No, I don't. This is all in line with our budget process to be completely honest with you. It was the budget process that got started in going through the budget process around all of our redesign um work and really working through some of the other challenges that we've been faced with district leadership and some of the pieces that we just were not ready to move forward with. Um the design piece, but really

the budget is what drove some of these opportunities to move along this timeline. Um, we also have been working with Desi folks around the virtual application process and knowing that is an April timeline as well. And so, right, the research that it took, the research that it took, the with other competing priorities similarly, um, we feel as though that we will be able to meet these timelines um, and that we will be

able to service the 160 170 students at RPA in the development of these timelines. And as we look at both returning staff currently from RPA and knowing what potential open positions would be, we feel we're also right in line with the hiring season for next school year, which would be very typical for any new positions and any new programs that we bring forth. Um, and to also keep the current school up and

running and and kind of moving forward because we also didn't want to send people off the edge 3 months ago worrying I'm going to lose my job, where am I going to fit, and then not having those answers either. Um, [snorts] and so I think we can always say sometimes timelines can be challenging.

That's why we paused a year ago, but we feel very confident knowing that many of our administrators will be working till the end of June. Many of them also have summer hours that they need to work. And if we need to stipen folks to come in and work additional hours to make sure that this gets off the ground, um, we're committed to come to we are committed to come forward to the committee to ask for

whatever additional resources we need to ensure that we're ready to go come August. start. Yeah, I understand some of that. I guess the issue is like not necessarily that we'll meet the timeline um and like meet the deadline with Desi and all that, but it's just more of um community morale and community relations. We're I'm sure we're going to have plenty of displaced staff [snorts]

and that's one thing I'd love to get um a number on how many staff will be displaced. And secondly, I understand they would have been worrying 3 to 6 months to go, but it would have give them more time to prepare and now they will be worrying with less than 3 months to go, 3 months to go until the end of the school year. And some of these st and there's going to be new positions

here that some of these staff members I'm sure won't be able or may not be interested in filling and it would have been better to give them more time to prepare. So that's one of my biggest concerns. My two concerns specifically with the um the program itself was one I still believe evolve should have been moved to Bishop Connley is right there. I think um the the administration should present the plan

of what their plans are with that building because I know with our current with our updated um um contract with the dascese even if we don't buy the building I know we're able to use all the both floors in the classroom. So I'd like to see I think I well I think there Mr. Das that's a prek focused school and I think we would have a hard cell to bring high school age students

in to join in a building with prek students and so I think that's also what paused us in recommending the Bishop Connley site. Um, I I really would have a hard cell press to be opening up these pathways of our students that need the most support in conjunction with our prek earliest learners that we're trying to really kick off to a a great, you know, a wholesome experience in that like early learning center approach

because prek [snorts] I don't believe has ever been talked about coming out and they occupy the whole entire first floor. And so I would not feel comfortable even recommending anything connected to these programs to be housed in the same building with our prek students. That I think is what drove our initial not even looking at Bishop Connley as the option.

Right. Again just more seeing the plans because I know this plan shifted on what we're going to do with Bishop Connley.

My um second concern which was brought up by staff members, I to vote for this, I'd like to see guarantees of transportation at in the after dock and for um individuals in the programs that are going to Dery High School for um after school curriculum.

So that is um something I'd like to see personally. Other than that, I think the overall plan I think is um we're moving in the right direction. So I think there's a lot of um [snorts] credit that needs to go there. Um, so I like I'll make a motion to refer with the caveat that the Hastings, we can make a motion to speak um with with the caveat that the administration presents a plan on the transportation

um for the after dark and the after after school programs.

Well, if I could if I could just weigh in.

Absolutely.

So um I I agree uh with you Dr. Bronha that it would not be prudent to have a high school kid in you know at Bishop Connley campus with preschool kids. It's not the right role modeling concept I want to see. It's also why I'm in favor of the closure of the middle school component at RPA because I I even think when you look scientifically at life stages, uh the

age group that a seventh grader is in is a very very difficult it's it's in between uh later childhood and early adolescence. And it's a period of great confusion for a young child in their developmental stages.

Amen.

It really is.

It really is. And and so and so for the seventh graders at RPA to be hanging out with with the 11th and 12th graders, you know, I it's just not a great role modeling concept. So I'm in favor of dispelling that completely. But what I in in in in thinking about the dignity of that child and the dignity of the instruction, um, is there a way that they could be

all in a separate program that might be housed at one of our middle schools or would they just be dispersed to our different middle schools?

Yeah, I think it's really about going back to the least restrictive environment for those kids as well. um not necessarily saying, you know, again, I don't know exactly where every student will land, but that will be individual conversations with each individual student and family. Yeah.

Um based on where they're at and you know, what their needs are currently, where they've come from, what middle school did they come from, what did that experience look like? Is it a place that you really want to go back to? Or do we need to look at a different setting and what does that look like?

And so again, it really becomes looking at each individual student [snorts] and family and their current status, their current needs, um, and how they can find success in eighth grade to ideally move forward and be on their own trajectory, whether it's Dery, Diamond, Bristol, Aggie, Chavez for the Future.

As long as they're not going back to a middle school and and and causing more disruption, you know, is is what got them landed at RPA in the first place.

Well, I think honestly it's not even just that they're causing disruption.

You know, kids are disengaged. They didn't have relationships with the adults that were there. They may or may not have had peer conflict because not every student who is referred to RPA is necessarily a student getting in trouble for for lack of better term. Right.

So, you're you're planning on putting the right scaffold situation. And so, um, could you report out to us like what that might look like in the next school year at one of these subcommittee meetings and and let us know what the scaffolding looks like for these kids that transitioned out of RPA back into the middle school?

I would anticipate having a school committee update in June on that. Um, which is part of our timeline, too, to be able to provide some updates to the school committee.

Yeah. on all of these pieces once we get the more developed program of studies and school structures developed through the stakeholder groups.

Thank you.

DOJ, [clears throat] what happens to the DOJ when you close school?

We follow up with our attorney to be able to communicate with the Department of Justice and what we have been communicated is that the DOJ expectations of following number one on the report which was close RPA. Um, I'm not sure what they do with DOJ reports once you follow through on the action steps, but what we have been told is that it essentially the complaint would go away and it would essentially be

closed as a result of the building and the program being closed.

Yeah, just um two quick followups. Um, well, I agree with you. I think we need to get an update specifically since um you and two other new members weren't there for um for that, but we that can be a separate item specifically on um just following up with the logic I'm hearing then um we should consider closing down our community schools. I think this that would be in the same line. Not suggesting that, but

what do you mean [clears throat] further? Can you further explain that?

Right. No. So if um if we have a program that would be separate from the prek there's the prek takes up just a few classrooms within um the like audit old auditorium having an evolved program on the second floor. I think there would be a I think we're using the second floor for prek Mr. Das though I don't think we can use prek on a second floory foury olds to go up

but Mr. Das, we are talking about our community schools, which Henry Lord does not have prek any longer. That has been taken out. And when Henry Lord did have prek, it had one, two, three classrooms of prek.

And we had 250 middle school students on the complete other side of the building that really never ever crossed paths. by what you were referring to bring these programs to Bishop Connley. We're talking about over 250 high school age students who need something very very different than the traditional setting to be mixed in with our current I I fully agree with you, Dr. Brun. My my my concern is moving the students

from Evolve when we have um and their state-of-the-art building into 290 Rock Street, which just speaking for myself is nowhere to be compared to Derby. And I don't think that's fair for those students. I think um and that that's not your fault, that's not the administration's fault. However, it's it comes to a larger conversation is if we're going to have an alternative program is that building in the long

term, what's best?

Well, I would love to further that conversation, but I would not put that in the same conversation as shut down our community schools because that sounds I'm sorry that just triggered me as the former principal of Henry Lord.

So, I'm sorry. I'm going to own that.

I'm just I'm just saying I would love to have another conversation with you though about a future facility. I think there's tons of merit in that conversation and I and I actually have a well thank you because so do I and I was sorry Mama Bea just came out a little on that but in honestly in really thinking about proximity to Dery I think there's pros and cons and I think once kids and I

don't want to speak I mean Jan is certainly the expert in this not myself but I can even in my years of being at Dery for as long as I was there when kids begin to not find success it goes far beyond just the brick and [clears throat] mortar of the building and Jan already mentioned that it's about the community and if we look across all of our buildings, all of our

buildings do not look like Dery High School. We don't offer that experience to every single kid. And it's not just about even Dery High School right now, the brickandmortar building. Is it nice?

Sure it is. Is it nicer than the old building? Without a doubt. None of us here would argue that. But I would also argue once kids stop finding success at Dery, what they really have just not wanted is I don't want to go to RPA for the fear of safety, the perception of alt ed in this community that has been long-standing way before I've even been around. This is an opportunity to do alt

ed differently by sure using the same brickandmortar building, but how do we as the adult and how do we as a school committee support that different doesn't mean bad? Different just means different.

And I just feel that is the message that we need to get out there that we just need to provide something different. And if we can provide that difference closer, again, there could be pros and cons, but there are also kids and community members that are in these programs that are trying to get away from what Dery High School did not provide for them. And that's no knock on Dery because they meet the needs of a

majority of their kids, but it does not meet the needs of all of our kids or we wouldn't be here. And so I just I'm very very passionate about all of those pieces because of the opportunities I've had to lead in this district in different places. So I I respect your passion. I think you guys have put a lot of effort into the design of this new concept. I just want to reiterate the messaging aspect because

of social media always gets ahead of the story and once people form an idea of what the story is it becomes a rigid and so I I love all of the efforts going on here because we are trying to reach kids really and to unlock their potentials that's what this is all about unlocking [clears throat] their potentials in different ways and new concepts. I support it. I'm worried about the

messaging because it's already, oh, they want to shut our PA down. You know what I mean? And it's going to leave everybody I I hope it doesn't leave anybody in the lurch.

Well, unfortunately, as we know, social media captures people's perceptions and opinions.

So, we bet the messaging super good.

But just hear me out on this. We have not shared formal documentation with anybody because this is not nothing has been approved yet and I did not want all of this to be shared out before we had a chance to come to subcommittee.

Right?

So very strategically we informed folks verbally. I can't control what people do with that narrative and what message they heard. But I feel very confident that I did not say anything here today that we haven't already said and I've got folks here that were there. The majority of the messaging was similarly shared but we were not able to share the documents. So they did not have access

to the narratives and the proposals in a more formal manner.

Yeah, we will share all of this out with staff tomorrow and we will post this for families to know so that we can begin to educate. That was what was communicated last Wednesday. I told folks what they could expect tomorrow.

Yes, I am sorry that no one shared that information. I can't control what people share. I can only control the thoughtful and very prescribed approach to ensuring school committee heard first so that you were all respected because none of this happens without school committee support. So I'm also not going to be forwarding as a committee. I'm saying I but as a team we weren't going to go

putting things out there without having school committee support behind it.

That's right.

Because I'm very grateful that you're forwarding it. But had this been tabled here because people weren't happy with the initial program design, why bother?

So I we are trying to be as respectful as possible with planned communication already kind of set to go tomorrow by by midday to evolve families to RPA families and documents to the staff at RPA evolve and the district tutoring center.

If you need anything from me uh as you do that, totally appreciate. I just want the and I want the community to know cuz I know this is a live streamed meeting that whatever they've heard on Facebook is truly it is what that is what it is.

Yeah.

But the the details and the data that speaks to why we're making these recommendations will be forthcoming for folks.

Get that message out. Correct. And if you need anything from me in support of that just let me know.

I need a second.

I'll second it. [snorts] So can you reiterate the motion?

Sure. to refer to the full committee with the caveat that the administration present a plan on transportation for after dark and after school events.

Correct. Okay.

Yes.

Second, Mr. D.

Yes.

Mr. Cart.

Yes. I'd like to Mr. Stewart.

Yes.

I'm new business.

New business. I'm sorry.

Um M.

Yes. Go ahead. Um, just just quickly off of the conversation we had, id like to make a motion we refer to the full committee and update on the DOJ investigation.

Second.

You can second this. Chair.

Oh, second. Yeah, I'll take that.

Mr. D.

Yes.

Mr. C.

No.

M. Dwart.

Yes.

Motion to adjourn.

Motion.

Second.

Mr. D.

Yes. Mr. C.

Yep. M.

Yes. Thank you everybody.

Thank you guys.

Thank you. Thank you so much. Ever.