COMMUNICATING INFORMATION FROM THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE

To: Cambridge City Council From: Sumbul Siddiqui, Mayor Date: February 26, 2026 Subject: Communicating Information from the School Committee OFFICE OF THE MAYOR Sumbul Siddiqui Mayor (2020-21, 2022-23, 2026-27) To the Honorable, the City Council: I write to provide a summary of recent and upcoming Cambridge School Committee activity. School Committee Meetings, Budget, and Calendar The School Committee last met at its regular meeting on Tuesday, February 3, 2026. Due to the February school vacation week, the Committee has not met since that time. The Joint Roundtable on the FY27 school budget, originally scheduled for Monday, February 23, was postponed due to the snow emergency and resulting closures of municipal buildings and schools. We are currently working to identify a new date for this roundtable and may need to hold it virtually to accommodate participants’ schedules. A Proposed Budget Presentation will be delivered to the School Committee on Wednesday, March 11. The current budget timeline and supporting materials are available online. Due to snow days on January 26–27 and February 23–24, the last day of school is now Monday, June 29. District administrators will review the school calendar to determine any possible changes that should be made. Should a decision to alter the schedule be made, that will be communicated with urgency. Governance Subcommittee I chaired my first Governance Subcommittee meeting on Wednesday, February 25, from 5:30–7:00 PM. During this meeting, we reviewed proposed revisions to the 2026–2027 School Committee Rules, including recommendations from the prior committee and the School Committee Executive Secretary. We also discussed two motions referred to the subcommittee: • Public Comment Flexibility (Motion #26-014): This motion asks that public comment may be made on agenda items and any matter within the Committee’s jurisdiction. It keeps the default at three minutes per speaker but allows the Chair to increase time to up to five minutes when there are 10 or fewer speakers, or reduce time to no less

than two minutes when necessary. Any change must be announced at the start of public comment and applied uniformly to all speakers. • Educator & Stakeholder Engagement (Motion #26-017): This motion recognizes that educators and key stakeholders need more structured opportunities to engage beyond standard public comment. It directs the Governance Subcommittee to research options such as designated educator presentations, non-voting membership, or other mechanisms, and to consider structured parent and caregiver input. We also heard initial feedback from the Superintendent. Additional hearings will be scheduled to gather input and examine best practices from other districts, particularly in relation to Motion #26-017. Summer Programming Opportunities There are several opportunities for families to plan ahead for and learn about summer programming. The city’s Department of Human Service Programs (DHSP) has a variety of Summer Camps and Programs available to students in grades K-8. The DHSP Summer Camps and Programs lottery applications are due Monday, March 9. Additionally, the Rollin’ and Summer Resources fair is back on Saturday, March 7 from 1 -4PM at the Cambridge Street/ King Open Complex to get connected with various K-8 community partners. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or requests for additional information. Sincerely, Sumbul Siddiqui Mayor of Cambridge (2020-21, 2022-23, 2026-27)