We believe that public education, pre-kindergarten through college, is the foundation of our democracy. Public education must be protected and “cherished,” as our state Constitution demands.
Our work is rooted in the truth that communities most impacted by racial and class disparities need to be at the center of our movements for educational justice. We are committed to anti-racism in our district, community, and world recognizing that these spaces are permeated with racism.
Public Schools are Public Institutions: Schools must be transparent and accessible to the public, and be held to the standards that any other public institution would be held to.
Fully Funded Schools: Our schools must be fully funded for success and equity. Stronger schools sustain stronger communities.
Community Voice and Power: Our voices matter; students, parents, teachers and community residents must be valued and respected for their knowledge and contributions.
Inclusion and Safety: Schools must be welcoming and respectful places for all, regardless of income, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, legal status, birthplace or unique needs and abilities.
Racial Justice: District and school leadership must work to identify, acknowledge, and work to undo structural racism in curriculum, hiring, and discipline.
Well-Rounded Curriculum and Student Citizenship: A rich, varied, engaging, and culturally responsive curriculum is the key to student success. Schools should support students in their journey towards becoming creative and independent thinkers, questioners and conscientious citizens.
Public Schools are Public Institutions
Schools must be transparent and accessible to the public, and be held to the standards that any other public institution would be held to.
- Key decision making processes are transparent
- Public is consulted in a timely way on any agreement or partnership with private entities
- School and city leadership must put effort and resources into engaging the community, and make this engagement accessible in many ways, at different times, through different modes of communication
- Decisions to pilot test new initiatives, implement new curriculum or create new programs and projects in WPS need to be presented to the public well before the official decisions are made
- Any research, especially requiring IRB approval, should be presented to the community prior to approval
- The results of all research conducted in the WPS should be made available to the public
- All data gathered internally and externally on the district should be accessible to the public
- Systems for preventing nepotism and corruption should be developed, presented, and enforced
- Each school must establish a functioning School Site Council in compliance with state and federal law; the decisions and information from those meetings must be available to the general public from each school site
- Community schools need to be funded and the community schools and programming must be available to the public in a fair and equitable manner
- Schools and their recreational facilities should be made available for community use in a reasonable manner
Fully Funded Schools
Our schools must be fully funded for success and equity. Stronger schools sustain stronger communities.
- Schools need more funding in order to better serve students
- The state foundation formula needs to be updated to achieve equitable funding levels
- The City of Worcester should fund our schools above the minimum amount mandated by the foundation formula and the city should allow the indirect for the grants awarded to the schools to go directly to fund the schools
- Funding and budget records should be accessible to the public
- Students will have access to enrichment classes, after school and extracurricular activities
- Districts need adequate transportation to provide to students to get to and from school and afterschool programs
- Students and teachers need adequate amounts of updated materials, textbooks, and technology
- District will demonstrate a commitment to supporting English Language Learners through adequate funding
Community Voice and Power
Our voices matter; students, parents, teachers and community residents must be valued and respected for their knowledge and contributions.
- The district will regularly invite community voices during assessment, planning and evaluation of new projects/actions
- Student and community activism will be welcomed and encouraged
- Every school must have a functioning School Site Council in compliance with state and federal law reflecting the diverse array of voices from the school community
- The hiring and assessment of school teachers and administrators should include the voice of parents and students
- The administration should value, welcome and cooperate with local organizations serving specific communities within the city
Inclusion and Safety
Schools must be welcoming and respectful places for all, regardless of income, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, legal status, birthplace or unique needs and abilities.
- Students will feel safe in bathrooms, classrooms, hallways, busses and in the cafeteria
- Teachers and administration acknowledge and use the preferred pronouns of students
- All school facilities will be accessible for all students
- Students and parents will have an easily accessible and anonymous process by which to report incidents of bias, hate speech, harm, physical and verbal assault, abuse, and sexual misconduct. Perpetrators should be held accountable.
- Schools physical structures should be safe, free of environmental hazards, and contain the necessary materials for students to have clean and adequate bathrooms, water and other facilities.
- Disciplinary procedures should focus on the restoration of school and classroom communities and conflict should be used as an opportunity for learning and growth for all.
- District will discourage suspensions and expulsions unless it is an immediate safety issue and restorative and trauma-informed approaches to discipline will be encouraged
Racial Justice
District and school leadership must work to identify, acknowledge, and work to undo structural racism in curriculum, hiring, and discipline.
- School punishment disparities should be acknowledged
- Strategic initiatives to combat racial disparities in discipline must be developed, vetted, implemented and assessed.
- District will work with teacher certification programs and take legitimate action to increase educators of color/diversity of staff in the district
- District position will be dedicated to diversity and inclusion (Chief Diversity Officer)
- Teachers will receive training on structural racism and implicit bias and culturally relevant pedagogy
- District will maintain healthy open lines of communication with community organizations that serve different groups throughout the city and are actively combating racism outside the school system
- All students will have equal access to advanced placement classes, technology and extracurriculars
Well Rounded Curriculum and Student Citizenship
A rich, varied, engaging, and culturally responsive curriculum is the key to student success. Schools should support students in their journey towards becoming independent thinkers, questioners and conscientious citizens.
- Curriculum will reflect the diverse lived experiences of students and their family history.
- Students must receive a holistic education i.e. sexual health education, substance use education, the arts, financial literacy, and civics.
- District will recognize the limitations of standardized testing and other methods of measure student growth will be utilized; students will be given opportunities to demonstrate their learning in multiple ways
- Students will be free to explore and express their own political beliefs without recourse.
- Tech and vocational programs will be emphasized in addition to college-readiness