[0:00] Meaning it's not regularly scheduled.
[0:03] the time is 524 in the afternoon.
[0:07] we are in room 500, the council chambers of the johny wilson
[0:11] building. I'm phil mendelson, chair of the
[0:14] council. We always begin our legislative
[0:16] meetings with a moment of silence for reflection.
[0:19] if we could have silence in the chamber and on the dais.
[0:39] madam secretary, would you please determine whether we have
[0:42] a quorum? Council member allen still here.
[0:47] wonderful to see you. Councilmember bonds,
[0:51] councilmember bonds, councilmember crawford here.
[0:55] councilmember felder. Present.
[0:58] councilmember frumin present. Councilmember henderson still
[1:01] here. Councilmember louis.
[1:03] george here. Chairman mendelson present.
[1:07] councilmember nadeau here. Councilmember parker here.
[1:10] council member pinto present. Councilmember robert white
[1:14] present. Councilmember trayon white, sr.
[1:16] present. Mr. Chairman, you have a quorum.
[1:20] thank you, madam secretary. We have a consent agenda and the
[1:26] consent agenda has three ceremonial resolutions on it,
[1:30] which have to be adopted anyway by unanimous consent.
[1:33] are there any changes to the consent agenda?
[1:38] mr. Chairman? What's that?
[1:45] councilmember parker, it's just a point of clarification.
[1:49] so it is my understanding. Councilmember trayon white, sr.
[1:53] sought to control but missed the deadline.
[1:56] so he is co-sponsoring the lgbtq plus resolution.
[2:00] so for the public, I just wanted I we had a discussion.
[2:04] I said we would make sure it was public, but I wanted to make
[2:08] sure as it's not represented on the agenda that way.
[2:17] so no change. It's just a point of information
[2:19] for the public. Okay.
[2:24] I'm hearing yes, I would just like to.
[2:31] reflect my concern of this. On all of our deliveries for the
[2:39] bsa. But I'm not moving off consent.
[2:42] I'm just I didn't mention it the last time.
[2:43] and I just wanted to add it to the record.
[2:46] there are three measures on the consent agenda.
[2:49] there are ceremonial resolutions.
[2:50] the only discussion with regard to the consent agenda is whether
[2:54] something is removed from the consent agenda.
[2:57] hearing that nothing is being removed from the consent agenda,
[3:00] the vote will be on the consent agenda.
[3:03] all those in favor of the consent agenda say aye I.
[3:07] are there any opposed, madam secretary, you will note,
[3:12] councilmember bonds is present. We have the non consent agenda.
[3:17] the first measure is bill 26-659.
[3:20] the fiscal year 2027 local budget act of 2026.
[3:26] councilmember pinto, did you want to say something?
[3:31] I want to express my unease about adding a an additional fee
[3:37] to people ordering groceries and food at a time when costs are
[3:44] skyrocketing across the district.
[3:46] I'm not going to vote against the bsa or the lda today, but I
[3:53] do have outstanding concerns about that.
[3:57] okay. Further discussion on bill
[4:01] 26-659. Councilmember felder I'll be
[4:04] brief and echo my sentiments of my ward two colleague on this
[4:07] delivery fee. Just thinking about how it's
[4:10] going to impact drivers as well as the restaurant industry.
[4:17] I don't I won't speak against I know it's already in the bsa,
[4:21] but I wanted to go on record just sharing my concerns as
[4:25] well. Further on the local budget act,
[4:30] we have bill 26-659 before us. All those in favor say I, I, I.
[4:37] are there any opposed? Hearing none.
[4:40] the bill is approved. First reading unanimously.
[4:46] bill 26-661. Fiscal year 2027 budget support
[4:49] act of 2026. So moved.
[4:51] is there a discussion? The vote will be on the bill.
[4:57] all those in favor say I. I, I.
[5:00] are there any opposed hearing none.
[5:03] the ayes have it unanimously. We have excuse me on page two of
[5:11] the agenda. Proposed contract number.
[5:19] gag2026c0049 with curriculum associates llc.
[5:22] disapproval resolution of 2026. Council member henderson.
[5:27] I wanted to move this. Yes.
[5:29] thank you, mr. Chairman. This disapproval resolution is
[5:35] for contract with curriculum associates, but for those who
[5:41] might have children in the k-12 space is commonly known as
[5:46] I-ready. My office has received countless
[5:49] calls and emails from families, educators, state board of
[5:52] education members frustrated by the use of ai by the use of
[5:56] I-ready in classrooms, and concerned about the growing
[5:59] reliance of gamified learning in our curriculum.
[6:02] as a parent of two daughters in elementary school, I understand
[6:06] the frustration. Dcps first entered the contract
[6:09] for I-ready in 2014 as a tool to support math, diagnostics and
[6:14] some personalized learning, but expanded its use to include
[6:18] literacy, math, diagnostics, and personal learning.
[6:21] in 2021, meaning that there are some elementary school students,
[6:25] my daughters included, who have known I-ready for their entire
[6:30] elementary school experience. I acknowledge that I-ready is
[6:33] also used in the middle grades, but it is not used to the extent
[6:36] that it is used in elementary schools.
[6:39] so I think as legislators, it's important that we listen to
[6:42] families and educators when they express concerns.
[6:46] I had a conversation with the chief of technology, excuse me,
[6:50] the teach the chief learning on friday to discuss dcps response
[6:56] to concerns raised by school communities to better understand
[6:59] the data surrounding the platform's use and
[7:01] effectiveness. One thing is clear kids are
[7:04] spending a lot of time on devices during the school week,
[7:08] and parents are asking whether or not we are striking the right
[7:11] balance, especially given external research and data on
[7:15] screen time. Dcps recommends that students
[7:20] spend 30 to 45 minutes per week on the platform.
[7:22] however, there are schools throughout the district that are
[7:25] using the platform almost double the recommended time, year to
[7:29] date data shows that 17 schools exceed dcps recommended I-ready
[7:34] usage levels. 49 schools are using the
[7:37] platform more than the base recommendation of 30 minutes per
[7:40] week. In math, 40 are using the
[7:43] platform beyond the 30 minutes per week in literacy.
[7:46] some school campuses, like lasalle, backus, thomas
[7:50] elementary, john jay wilson, drew elementary, mlk elementary
[7:54] and beres elementary are using the platform for over an hour
[7:58] per week as part of their literacy and math instruction.
[8:01] yet when I spoke to dcps, there were no clear guardrails on for
[8:05] how to address schools that were overusing the platform or clear
[8:08] data to support that usage beyond the recommendation of
[8:12] whether it was more effective for student outcomes.
[8:15] there's also a lack of credible, peer reviewed research
[8:19] supporting its effectiveness. This, coupled with litigation
[8:22] regarding data privacy and collection, warrants intentional
[8:25] deliberation of the contract. I filed this notice to agendize
[8:32] in part because when we filed the notice of disapproval to
[8:35] extend the review timeline. Mr. Chairman, if I have one more
[8:40] minute, I requested a meeting with dcps.
[8:43] now, interestingly enough, no one at dcps was available to
[8:46] have a conversation with me until june 15th, which would
[8:48] have been after, well, two days before the contract would have
[8:51] been deemed approved. So I put this on the agenda and
[8:54] lo and behold, I got a meeting. And also, lo and behold, we got
[8:58] a letter from the chancellor finally addressing some of the
[9:01] issues that families have been raising.
[9:03] now, I don't think it's necessarily specifically around
[9:06] iready. I think it's around there is a
[9:08] mounting frustration around the use of technology altogether in
[9:11] our schools, which is interesting because a couple of
[9:13] years ago, everybody wanted every kid to have a a laptop and
[9:17] a device and all those other things.
[9:18] and yet it feels like the pendulum has swung in a
[9:23] direction, particularly in our k to two space that is making some
[9:28] families feel very uncomfortable around the usage, not just
[9:32] iready, but also youtube and not just youtube during the school
[9:36] day, but definitely in the wild wild west of aftercare.
[9:41] I, mr. Chairman, I'm going to stop here.
[9:44] I know that there are some colleagues who have some
[9:45] thoughts about this as well. We have had some conversations
[9:49] too. I do want to acknowledge that.
[9:52] I do believe the votes are here, but I understand that the
[9:57] central office also is concerned about where things land in terms
[10:02] of next school year. The chancellor made a number of.
[10:09] or I wouldn't even call them promises because he won't
[10:12] necessarily be here to fulfill them.
[10:13] but I guess plans of what dcps plans to implement prior to
[10:17] school year 2627 around providing some specific guidance
[10:21] to schools that, frankly, they should have been doing for the
[10:24] last five years, but nonetheless, here we are.
[10:29] so I'll stop there. Mr. Chairman.
[10:31] thank you. Council.
[10:33] george, do you want to be. And then council member allen,
[10:35] then council member. Robert white and then frumin and
[10:39] then me. Councilmember lewis.
[10:43] thank you. I understand that this
[10:46] disapproval resolution will be withdrawn, but I appreciate the
[10:49] important conversation that it has raised.
[10:52] our youngest learners deserve a classroom centered on human
[10:56] connection and strong instruction.
[10:59] reading, creativity and engagement with teachers, and
[11:02] not excessive screen time. My experience and belief is that
[11:07] to achieve the best student outcomes, our public schools
[11:09] should set clear limits on screen time.
[11:12] in the early years and reduce overreliance on edtech for test
[11:16] preparation, and develop guidance with teachers for
[11:19] appropriate technoogy use by grade, with transparency for
[11:22] parents on what tools are being used and why.
[11:25] I also remain concerned about renewing the iready contract
[11:28] with curriculum associates. While the platform faces the
[11:32] ongoing federal class action litigation related to student
[11:35] data privacy and security, dcc families deserve confidence that
[11:39] student information is being protected and handled
[11:42] responsibly, even without moving forward on this resolution
[11:45] today, I hope this moment creates an opportunity for dcps
[11:49] to reassess whether continued reliance on this platform or any
[11:53] other aligns with healthy child development, student well-being,
[11:57] data protection, and the best interests of children and
[11:59] families. And I look forward to hearing
[12:02] more discussion at the hearing that you will be hosting.
[12:04] chairman. Thank you.
[12:06] thank you, councilmember. Councilmember allen, thank you.
[12:12] with an eighth grader about to have her promotion celebration
[12:18] next monday night and headed to high school.
[12:21] I've gone through the dcps. I'm not my pre-k years anymore,
[12:25] but I certainly remember with my fourth grader, I already is
[12:29] something that we heard lots of complaints about.
[12:32] but as a parent, not just a council member, when we dig in,
[12:35] we'd see and hear about not just 5 minutes or 8 minutes a day.
[12:39] we would hear about long periods of time on a lot of these
[12:42] platforms. And so as a parent, I also share
[12:44] these concerns. I really appreciate the
[12:47] resolution that's in front of us and the conversation and
[12:49] hopefully the action, more importantly, that it prompts.
[12:53] I'm also not here not just hearing, though, from parents.
[12:56] I also want to be clear, I've actually heard from a lot of
[12:58] educators with concerns around I-ready and an overreliance on
[13:01] it, both what it can do and what it doesn't do.
[13:04] as an educator, I've heard from teachers who have talked about
[13:08] how the tool actually hides the questions and the answers that a
[13:13] student would get wrong from the teacher and educator.
[13:17] so the frustration that I hear from the educator is, if the
[13:20] goal is to help me figure out what skill is this kid missing,
[13:24] this test does not help me with that.
[13:26] it will provide some kind of vague kind of responses.
[13:31] back on common core standards, but it doesn't allow a teacher
[13:35] educator to be specific to that student, to that student's
[13:37] needs, or the skills they're trying to be working on.
[13:40] and so that tells me that this tool from the educator side is
[13:44] also not hitting what it is that it needs.
[13:49] I, as often with our school year and contracts that feel almost
[13:53] always timed for late spring, early summer, be it a food
[13:56] contract or anything else, it puts us in a very difficult
[14:00] position where if we were to disapprove, a contract, what
[14:05] would dcps have ready for the fall?
[14:08] and so I've heard from teachers who are both sharing
[14:11] frustrations with I-ready, but also saying, how would dcps be
[14:14] able to actually find a new tool this summer, getting folks
[14:17] trained up and ready and educated, and then be able to
[14:20] implement this for the first day back in the year.
[14:22] at some point, we've got to get so many of our school contracts
[14:26] off of this schedule that it all is coming in june and july.
[14:30] I remember just a couple of years ago with the food services
[14:32] contract that was in july, and the options were just extend the
[14:36] contract that had problems or kids don't eat, which is not a
[14:39] position we're going to put ourselves in.
[14:41] so I think that's that's an overall frustration I will add
[14:44] to the technology. And counselor henderson talked
[14:47] about this as well. What I see and hear in addition
[14:49] to this, and it should prompt the larger conversation, is kids
[14:55] who in after care, youtube is just turned on and not the ad
[15:01] free version, but the students are just watching lots and lots
[15:05] of youtube with lots and lots of ads.
[15:08] for everybody who's put a political ad out there, pretty
[15:10] much your dcps students have seen those things, but I don't
[15:14] know why we can't have dcps move to just ad free youtube
[15:18] subscriptions to help work with aftercare.
[15:20] I think there's more guidance needed.
[15:22] I think that I want to be careful that we do not swing a
[15:25] pendulum too far back the other way as well, because I do think
[15:28] technology is incredibly important for our students.
[15:31] and the equity of that technology and equipping
[15:33] students with those tools is really important.
[15:35] so I want us to be thoughtful and careful, but I'm really
[15:38] grateful for the resolution that prompted conversation and action
[15:41] that needed to happen, and I appreciate it.
[15:44] thank you. Thank you, councilmember
[15:47] councilmember robert white thank you, chairman, I have I'm also a
[15:53] dcps parent whose kids use I-ready.
[15:56] and the concerns are, are, are not just the technology, but
[16:01] whether I-ready is actually helping them grow.
[16:03] I got stopped at a school event this morning by a parent who,
[16:09] who said, you know, it is repetitive and then asked me to
[16:12] look at the data showing that there really is not evidence
[16:16] that this is helping. There are other ways to do
[16:20] testing. So I'd be concerned about
[16:24] overreliance on that as a reason to continue this.
[16:27] but I do recognize that at this point, it seems dcps can't get
[16:33] an alternative contract or program in place for next year.
[16:38] but my understanding is that dcps has committed to re that
[16:42] this contract is only for next school year, and that dcps is
[16:46] committed to reevaluating it. Is that.
[16:48] does anybody else have that same.
[16:50] yes, yes. Okay.
[16:52] so so that is something I see as good news.
[16:55] and we'll we'll have to hold their feet to the fire through
[16:58] the committee of the whole. Thank you.
[17:02] chairman. The education or, or the or the
[17:04] standalone education committee. We gotta try.
[17:08] are you picking a fight right now?
[17:12] council member frumin. Thank you very much.
[17:16] chairman mendelson thank you, council member henderson for
[17:18] bringing forward this resolution and and pushing forward this
[17:23] conversation. We have been hearing from a lot
[17:25] of people also about a number of different issues in questions
[17:30] about the role of ai in schools, questions about how much time
[17:35] kids spend on screens in schools, questions about I-ready
[17:39] and its role in the classroom, but also questions about how do
[17:45] we stay true to getting to digital equity so that
[17:50] everybody, to the extent that technology is a benefit to
[17:53] learning, that everyone gets to enjoy the benefit to to learning
[17:58] that it can provide. This has been a chapter in a
[18:04] conversation. My hope and maybe somebody
[18:07] suggested that maybe the chairman had already agreed, but
[18:10] I think we need to have a hearing in the fall.
[18:14] on the subject of technology in schools and hear from lots of
[18:20] people about what the issues are, what's the science, what
[18:23] are the what are the best practices in other
[18:28] jurisdictions? Because the pendulum does seem
[18:31] to be swinging and there is a fair amount of concern that we
[18:36] may be putting too much weight on these tools, and it's worth
[18:39] it for us as a body to step back and hear from a cross-section of
[18:45] people on this topic and think about policy recommendations
[18:49] going forward. So while I share, I understand
[18:56] that the abrupt termination of the termination of this contract
[19:01] would leave us without tools for the coming year, and that the
[19:06] contract will be rebid, as I understand it, next year.
[19:09] in any case, I think letting it go forward, but moving towards a
[19:15] better approach in this area is the right, right solution.
[19:19] so I thank you for bringing it forward.
[19:21] and I thank you for withdrawing it hasn't been withdrawn quite
[19:28] yet. Councilmember.
[19:29] nadeau. Thanks.
[19:32] echoing the concerns of some of the other parents here about
[19:35] technology and screen time, but also acknowledging that, you
[19:40] know, technology can be a good tool in the classroom if it's
[19:44] used properly and there are proper guidelines.
[19:47] my hope is that through this exercise, dcps has understood
[19:53] that we want them to be more thoughtful and purposeful in
[19:56] their rollout of tech, in schools and in the contracts we
[20:01] sign. We spoke to teachers and
[20:03] advocates, and they echoed these sentiments.
[20:05] but when the discussion shifted to whether I-ready should be
[20:09] canceled immediately, the response from teachers was
[20:11] largely no. Many educators indicated that if
[20:14] I-ready is going to be phased out, a replacement plan should
[20:16] be developed first, so my concern with moving forward is
[20:21] that we'd be removing a tool that schools are currently
[20:24] using, without clear guidance on what comes next.
[20:27] that said, it's crucial that we use the remainder of the current
[20:30] contract period to evaluate I-ready and review broader
[20:33] technology to use in classrooms and develop alternative
[20:36] strategies with meaningful teacher input.
[20:39] tech in schools should be used as a way to increase equity in
[20:42] bridge gap gaps in resources, but not without adequate
[20:46] safeguards and regulations. So I support the chairman
[20:51] holding a a hearing this fall so dcps can present a plan and
[20:55] stakeholders, including educators, parents and school
[20:57] communities can weigh in. We definitely need more voices
[21:00] to be part of this discussion. Thanks to my.
[21:06] co movers of the disapproval resolution for getting this
[21:10] conversation going, and I support council member
[21:14] henderson's plans to withdraw today.
[21:16] thank you. Thank you, councilmember nadeau.
[21:20] so, as has been intimated, the disapproval resolution was
[21:24] introduced by myself and councilmembers henderson and
[21:29] nadeau. And it was introduced because we
[21:32] have heard for months, if not years, a complaint about too
[21:36] much testing in schools and more recently, more specifically,
[21:42] complaints about the I-ready testing.
[21:46] I would say this year we heard demands that our oversight
[21:51] hearing and budget hearing that the I-ready contract be
[21:55] canceled. It is interesting.
[21:58] empower ed represents a lot of teachers or speaks for a lot of
[22:03] teachers. Had.
[22:06] had, I believe, initially advocated that the contract be
[22:10] canceled, but they sent a an email more recently saying that
[22:15] the opinion is mixed and that. In fact, I'm reading from this
[22:20] to preferences to cancel the I-ready math delay.
[22:22] the cancellation of I-ready reading for one year, which is
[22:25] not an option we have. It's a yes or no on the
[22:29] contract. I do think that, and this is
[22:32] echoing what actually others have said, that by having the
[22:36] disapproval. And then council member
[22:38] henderson, you putting it on the agenda has actually forced the
[22:43] executive to take the criticism or complaints more seriously.
[22:49] and I want to read into the record a piece of the
[22:54] chancellor's letter that we received last week.
[22:57] dcps is taking several steps to respond to families feedback on
[23:01] students screen time. First, before the start of the
[23:06] 2026 2027 school year, central services will provide schools
[23:10] with clear grade level specific guidance about technology usage
[23:14] during instructional and non-instructional times,
[23:17] including time limits for I-ready instruction.
[23:20] second, starting with the new school year, students will use
[23:23] new, shorter diagnostic assessments provided by
[23:27] curriculum associates. Third central services will
[23:30] closely monitor schools I-ready usage and respond when usage is
[23:34] approaching the recommended levels.
[23:37] fourth, before the start of the new school year, central
[23:40] services will provide teachers with recommended and approved
[23:43] alternatives to I-ready personalized instruction.
[23:46] fifth, during the 2020 627 school year, central services
[23:51] will issue guidance on the expectation of I-ready usage
[23:55] outside of school time. Six at the beginning of the new
[23:58] school year, the office of external affairs will hold a
[24:01] parent university for interested parents to provide information
[24:04] and solicit feedback about dcps approach to education
[24:09] technology. There are actually four more.
[24:11] I won't read all of them, but they are.
[24:12] in this letter dated june 6th from the chancellor to.
[24:18] council members, all council members.
[24:21] so the committee of the whole will have a hearing this fall
[24:25] on. It won't be specifically or
[24:27] solely on I-ready contract, but on technology and I-ready
[24:31] contract will be part of that hearing with pressing dcps on
[24:38] the need to evaluate and consider an alternative to
[24:44] I-ready. With a year from now, I thought
[24:49] I was the last one on line. Councilmember parker I'm sorry,
[24:54] councilmember louis george was distracting me.
[24:58] I, I plan to support this measure and I know it's being
[25:03] withdrawn. I appreciate the sensitivity to
[25:05] the matter. I just would also acknowledge a
[25:09] while ago we cut the a net contract.
[25:12] I actually thought annette was a superior product to I-ready, but
[25:16] I digress. And so all that to say, as we're
[25:20] having hearings, I hope we can just think globally about the
[25:25] impact of various contract decisions on the agency.
[25:30] and it's worth noting dcps has been making progress, and they
[25:35] continue to grow. And I just think that shouldn't
[25:38] be lost. Yes, changes are necessary.
[25:40] I think we're prudent to lean in here and technology use.
[25:45] when I read the chancellor's letter, about 30 minutes a day,
[25:48] I kind of chuckled because I know for a fact, and we probably
[25:52] all have evidence of students on computers and I-ready in
[25:56] particular much longer than that.
[25:58] so I know that's a little bit all over the place, but I just
[26:00] wanted to register, as you're having that hearing, mr.
[26:03] chairman, I think it's worth thinking globally about the
[26:07] agencies assessment strategy and the consequences of decisions
[26:10] like this. So thank you.
[26:14] thank you, councilmember henderson.
[26:16] thank you, mr. Chairman. I just want to say for the
[26:21] record, there are some people who have suggested that
[26:25] opposition to I-ready means that we're somehow not in favor of
[26:29] accountability or checking in. Actually I am we used to have
[26:32] these things called textbooks, and once you got to the end of
[26:34] the unit, there was a quiz, and then you could check your
[26:37] answers. But we don't do textbooks
[26:38] anymore in the same way. Which, you know, we can have a
[26:43] conversation about what we need to bring that back.
[26:44] but nonetheless, I do think overall, we need to be more
[26:48] thoughtful about how we integrate technology so that it
[26:51] remains a tool to enhance. Not supplant.
[26:58] core instruction. I appreciate, mr. Chairman, your
[27:02] commitment to convening a hearing on this topic in the
[27:04] fall. If I think through, though, all.
[27:07] everyone who has said, I'm going to work on this in the fall, the
[27:10] fall is going to be busy. I hope everybody coming to work
[27:15] come september, but I hope that when we return to this issue,
[27:20] we'll be discussing concrete changes.
[27:23] you know, there is proposed legislation.
[27:25] it hasn't been introduced, but that's an avenue as well.
[27:28] so I don't want dcps to think that my withdrawing this today
[27:31] ends the conversation, nor that we will forget.
[27:35] I hope that the interim leadership of dcps takes it very
[27:39] seriously over the summer and hopefully sets up students and
[27:43] teachers and our contractors that we're working with in our
[27:45] schools up for success for the beginning of school year 2627.
[27:50] and so with that, mr. Chairman, I withdraw.
[27:53] the measure has been withdrawn. That's going to conclude the
[27:58] business before people jump up. So I was very, very poorly
[28:03] behaved at the end of the committee.
[28:04] the whole meeting, I was thanking folks and I forgot to
[28:08] turn the page. And so I didn't think anybody in
[28:10] my office. So I'll take this occasion to
[28:13] thank the committee, the whole staff.
[28:15] blaine storm, evan cash, john verlin, aaliyah mcneely.
[28:22] hannah kozak and christian tea, all of whom I'm not quite sure
[28:25] if they were working for me or working for the budget office
[28:29] the last couple of weeks, but a lot of they put in a lot of
[28:33] time, a lot of hours. And so I regret that I
[28:36] overlooked them at the committee of the whole.
[28:38] but maybe the legislative meeting is a more important
[28:40] venue to thank them. There being no further business,
[28:45] the council will meet in an additional meeting on june 23rd
[28:48] and the regular meeting on june 30th.
[28:51] the time is 5:53 p.m. This meeting is adjourned.