Cambridge Approves Changes to CRLS

The Cambridge School Committee last night unanimously approved a major restructuring of Cambridge Rindge and Latin School (CRLS), leaving broad latitude for the superintendent to implement the plan.

More than 100 teachers, parents and students attended the meeting. About one-third of them spoke during the two hours of public comments that preceded committee members' closing statements and the vote.

"This school needs to be different," said Les Kimbrough, an administrator in Leadership, a CRLS house. "This plan, though not perfect, is a step in the right direction."

The plan, which will be implemented this fall, will replace the high school's current system of "houses," which vary in size and use different teaching styles, with five "schools" of uniform size.

D'Alessandro said earlier in the week that her final recommendations, which were passed last night, would just add "clarifications" to her original proposal.

However, the points she unveiled last night included several major additions to address contentious issues that had been raised in public discussions.

She pledged to maintain diversity in the new CRLS administration, to provide "multicultural competency" training for teachers and to maintain high academic standards for all students.

Many parents had told committee members they felt racial issues has been poorly handled at the school. Some also said that many students were left to flounder because of low expectations.

The plan calls for the teams that will design each of the new schools to be representative of the school population, which is about 60 percent black and Latino.

D'Alessandro's recommendations also addressed objections the teachers union had raised earlier this week. For example, new language in the proposal indicates the school committee might be willing to extend an early retirement program it wants to establish at the high school to include the entire district.

After having opposed the plan at an earlier meeting, the Cambridge Teachers Association (CTA) last night offered its support for the plan.

The CTA reversed its position after the district agreed to finish negotiations on both the main teachers contract, which expired more than five months ago, and the effects of the school reform proposal that passed last night by Feb. 29. The district had initially opposed incorporating the restructuring issues into their ongoing talks with the CTA.

School Superintendent Bobbie J. D'Alessandro publicly announced the district's unexpected pledge early in the meeting, when she read her 26-point recommendation to the school committee.

Roger O'Sullivan, CTA president, said he thought the bargaining deadline of Feb. 29 will be reasonable for both parties.

O'Sullivan said the union still has "issues" with several of the provisions in the restructuring, especially the proposal to eliminate CRLS's current administration--some of whom the union represents--and hire new deans for each of the schools.

While the plan was expected to pass, it still encountered opposition at the meeting.

Members of the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People urged the committee to delay its vote on the proposal, saying too few minority parents and administrators had been consulted.

School Committee Member E. Denise Simmons gave a forceful final statement, initially refusing to vote, saying she was "disappointed in the way this all came together."

She later changed her vote to "yes," saying that she did not want to block reform.

Simmons, who said that minority parents had been left out of the decision-making process, told D'Alessandro that she hopes for more public involvement as the restructuring progresses.

Many provisions, including the way students will be redistributed from the houses into the schools, are left vague in the proposal adopted last night. The recommendation calls for D'Alessandro to detail this procedure by mid-April.