AUBURN — The School Committee has rejected a recommendation from the superintendent to increase daily instruction for struggling students.

The committee voted 4-4 on Wednesday night after a passionate debate on the proposal. Tie votes mean a motion fails.

Superintendent Connie Brown’s recommendation came in response to low math and reading scores on elementary school progress reports and news that as many as 100 freshmen are failing at least one class.

“I cannot have the committee tell me to raise graduation rates and improve test scores and do nothing about it,” Brown said in response to a motion to table the issue.

“It’s not a perfect solution, but the alternative is to maintain the status quo,” she said.

Her proposed changes, to take effect Feb. 1, included identifying elementary school pupils who are struggling academically and asking them to attend in-person classes four days per week.

Middle school students, grades seven and eight, would participate in synchronous learning four days a week. That would have required teachers to give simultaneous in-person and remote instruction.

High school students would have been expected to participate in synchronous instruction four days a week. Freshmen who are struggling in math or English or both would attend in-person classes four days a week.

An issue for some committee members was the risk of putting more children in classrooms during a surging pandemic.

Brown said she had talked to each school principal and had been assured they could maintain the state’s guideline of keeping students 6 feet apart.

At that point, Chairwoman Karen Mathieu withdrew her motion to table and called for a vote on the original motion to approve the recommendation. Members Pam Hart, Korin McGuigan, Dan Poisson and City Council representative Brian Carrier voted against the motion.

The City Council last month passed a resolution to urge the School Committee to fully reopen schools.

Carrier spoke angrily Wednesday night about the committee’s lack of action.

“I have bit my tongue on several occasions,” he said. “The people I’ve heard from have told me they are unhappy with the system we have.”

He noted that the district has surveyed parents twice since the beginning of the school year and has twice ignored the results. A majority of parents have been in favor of reopening schools full time.

“I understand COVID is bad and getting worse,” Carrier said. “If we are that concerned about COVID, we shouldn’t be talking about even one student at school. But if they can do sports and extracurricular, they can go to school.”

He added, “For us to keep going back and forth with this, it’s ridiculous. People are polarized about this.”

Member Faith Fontaine spoke forcefully in favor of the recommendation.

“If Dr. Brown can say to me we can get kids who are struggling into classrooms and maintain 6 feet, we need to do it and do it now,” she said.

She said parents would have the choice of whether to send their children to school four days a week.

“If they don’t feel comfortable, nobody would be forced to go,” Fontaine said. “I 100% want kids back in school.”

Fontaine, Mathieu, Vice Chairman David Simpson and Brian Belknap voted in favor of the superintendent’s proposal.

Mathieu chided those who voted against it.

“Please keep that in mind when Dr. Brown comes back to talk to you about graduation rates and test scores,” she said.

« Previous

Lisbon schools ease into more in-person learning

Next »

William Zabka. Broccoli casserole. Things left to love about January.