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Tonight, the Lowell School Committee meets in Council Chambers, beginning at 7 p.m. and televised live on LTC cable station 10. The meeting will include a Spotlight on Excellence regarding the third year of the Summer Reading Program. Participating students read every day this summer and kept a reading journal, resulting in a total of 13,138 books read by Lowell students in grades K-8. The participating students at tonight’s meeting were chosen by raffle to represent their schools and receive a $25 gift certificate to Barnes & Noble. Tonight’s agenda also includes an update from the superintendent on plans to offer early release at elementary and middle schools for professional development, subcommittee reports, as well as two motions by me, one by John Leahy, and one by Jim Leary.

My motions are: 1. Request the Superintendent work with city youth providers to develop ways to collaborate and make use of the Rogers School as a community center. 2. Request the Superintendent make recommendations regarding the use of biodegradable throwaway materials in our school food program, rather than Styrofoam, as well as the potential benefits and drawbacks of switching back to reusable items wherever possible. John Leahy’s motion: “The Superintendent send a letter of appreciation to Brenda Costello from the Committee for all the work she has done over the past few years for the Lowell High School Scholarship Foundation.” And Jim Leary’s motion: “Request the Superintendent and the Curriculum Subcommittee review the School Committee’s policy as it relates to the age students start school. The focus reflects students from outside the Lowell Public School entering our system and are forced to repeat kindergarten or any other grade that have already successfully passed due strictly to the existing age policy.”