Dear Friends,

I hope your holiday season is beginning with health and joy.

The reelection of the former president concerns me greatly, including what it means for our school communities. With inspiration from Chicago and Watertown School Committee Members, I introduced a late order at our last meeting recommitting to the Cambridge Public Schools being safe and welcoming to all students, staff, and families, regardless of immigration status, race, religion, gender identity, and other currently-protected categories. Both Student School Committee Members Barua and Shimelis, Mayor Simmons, and Member Rojas co-sponsored this motion, acknowledging that now, more than ever, Cambridge needs to stand strong on our values.  (Here is Tuesday’s agenda, which includes the “late order from November 19, 2024.”)  

As the Committee and administration think through what is required at the school building, curricular, and district-wide policy levels, I hope you will weigh in by signing up for public comment or emailing the Committee ([email protected]).  For example, I will be asking my colleagues to consider creating two FY26 budgets, one that includes continued federal funding and one that does not, in case federal funding is withdrawn from any schools teaching accurate history, critical thinking, and respect.  While we would be challenged to cut roughly 8% of our budget (that comes through the state from the federal government), I believe that would be preferable to the harm done to our students if the district, hypothetically, allowed ICE into buildings, stopped using antiracist curricula, or prohibited students from using bathrooms that correspond to their gender identity. We Cantabrigians are fortunate not only to live in a city with progressive values, but also to have robust local funding for our schools.

(Super CPS staff with students at the Family Social at FMA)

While we face potential crises at the federal level, we continue to grapple with the very real, existing crisis of close to half of our students not meeting grade level expectations on MCAS, with Black students, multilingual students, students with disabilities, and high-needs students disproportionately suffering. It is hard to source some of these outcomes to anything other than institutional racism, as even NON-high needs Black and African American students are performing lower than expected. At the same time, we continue to see wide variation across our schools and classrooms.  I appreciate that Interim Superintendent Murphy’s team is analyzing the data with us over multiple meetings, including a meeting focused on schools that are excelling, district-wide trends, and schools that are struggling. I look forward to discussing more detailed plans for providing all our students with the education they deserve in the coming weeks.

In good news, the Tobin Montessori is one of the schools where 96% of students considered “high needs” are meeting or exceeding expectations in Math, and 98% of students considered “high needs” are meeting/exceeding expectations in English Language Arts (2% above their “non-high needs” peers)!  This is just one reason why the Committee was pleased to name the auditorium in the new Tobin-Darby Vassall Upper School after Dr. Carolyn L. Turk. Dr. Turk also was among the first students in the old Tobin building, taught there, and ultimately became an administrator. I look forward to seeing students graduate from the Dr. Turk Auditorium in the coming years, recognizing this remarkable local Black woman leader.

(Two of the insightful students at the School Climate Subcommittee meeting.)

This has become a wordy update, so I will close with some quick updates:

• The School Climate Subcommittee met last week and spent our time listening to upper school students.  Hear their thoughts on mental health, relationships with adults at school, and cell phone rules here. 
• The School Committee has adopted a timeline to hire a new Superintendent.  It puts us offering the job to a candidate in early fall 2025.
• The Committee is split on whether the CEA President should have six minutes (versus three, like other members of the public) to provide public comment at our meetings. Personally, I think it serves the Committee and district to hear more from our labor partners, particularly those elected to represent our workforce.  That said, it looks like I will be on the losing side of this issue.

I wish you and yours connection and much light in this dark season.

In collaboration,

Rachel