Committees appoint policy subcommittee, adopt review timeline

School Committee · Meeting of October 7, 2026

Concord-Carlisle schools reported major equity gains in advanced coursework access as parents pushed for a faster cell phone crackdown. Math chair Stephanie Olivono said Black students' AP math enrollment rose from 2 percent four years ago to 23 percent this year after the district cut math levels from five tracks to two. Metco director Melinda Fernando reported Metco students' honors enrollment climbed from 14 percent in 2024 to 58 percent this year.

Parent Kathleen Gasparin asked the committee to "finish the work" on a bell-to-bell phone ban, citing roughly 30 states with such policies, while Intentional Tech Coalition founder Emily Lines, representing about 230 families, asked the district to disable generative AI on student devices by default. Finance staff forecast a 3.1 percent regional assessment increase for fiscal 2028, while out-of-district special education costs fell $1.4 million since fiscal 2021. The committees also voted to appoint Michael Williams, Tracy Morano and Lynette Kelleher to a new Policy Subcommittee and entered executive session on CTA and ESP contract bargaining strategy.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
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Source: the School Committee meeting of October 7, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.