[You're welcome!]
So full disclosure, I watched this meeting at 2x speed which was glorious! Sue Charochak was the best - I could barely understand her she talks so fast. This is a compliment. I love a fast talker. I also earned a new appreciation for Betty Taylor's excellent diction. Hey, our administrators know elocution.
So they start out with an explanation of the new format.
[fast forward]
They then discuss the minutes from the last meeting.
[fast forward]
They briefly mention the contract. There will be a public meeting on September 9 and people can email questions at citizensconcerns@beverlyschools.org - send your concerns! The meeting might be hybrid, but I wouldn't hold your breath. Unless you are attending the meeting. Then I would definitely advise holding your breath.
There was some talk about school committee members' social media usage and I couldn't care less. Other than to point out this well-meaning quote, "Just as our digital literacy courses try to warn our students, we should not put anything online unless we would be comfortable seeing it on a billboard." To which I reply, with all due respect - WHAT DIGITAL LITERACY COURSES??? ARGH!! Do they think we have elementary school librarians too? This is nothing against the speaker, but this is a gaping hole that needs to be addressed and people don't seem to be aware that there is a hole. We have a first rate tech department, but they can't do EVERYTHING! They provide computer literacy. Digital literacy is an INFORMATION issue, not a technology issue. Good grief. Okay, fine...moving on...
There was a brief mention of the lawsuit about the accused behind the scenes chicanery. My personal opinion is that they have enough on their plate right now and this should be addressed after we get school going. But FREEDOM, I guess...
Then it's the Sue Show!
The agenda:
Cleaning - potties will be cleaned day and night. There will be lots of cleaning.
I was VERY excited to hear about BEVERLY PUBLIC SCHOOLS AFTER DARK! It sounds exciting! But first more health stuff...drat... Basically, we're not getting free testing because we are doing so well, virus-wise.
Sadly, BEVERLY PUBLIC SCHOOLS AFTER DARK is not a glorious educational rave, but rather the Essex Tech program. We have some kids doing it and it sounds great. Well done.
Athletics? Who cares?? Well, okay, some people. Not me. I screenshotted the slide and fast forwarded...
Then there is information on enrollment for those who are curious. I shan't say if I was curious.
And then Betty Taylor came on to answer questions about AP and electives and she is on top of it and assured the questioner that guidance will be on top of graduation requirements. And can I just say that I am so glad to work for a high school that understands that we are in a crazy time right now and we are not in the business of drawing lines in the sand, but rather making sure every student gets what they need in the format that they need it to the best of our ability? Thanks, Betty.
Then open session was quickly ended. They went to executive session to talk about collective bargaining and I hope pour a generous cocktail. They earned it for being in this meeting in real time!
