Committee vs. City Council? A list tilts to the schools

Presented without (much) comment …

A parent (and obvious School Committee partisan) has sent along the below list of committee accomplishments as compared with City Council accomplishments in the past few months — in fact, since October.

Why October? A look in the council column notes the notorious Wyman Street curb cut issue, which came before the council then. It’s debatable if it’s fair to blame the council for not having settled this issue within the past five months, since it’s been the property owner and his agitated neighbors who’ve been alternating asking the council not to take action on the issue, or to give no credit for the many policy orders councillors have sent off to the city manager in the past five months. And some may sniff at the significance of items on list of committee accomplishments, too.

Finally, even the e-mailer notes that the list “does not include the many votes taken to keep the schools and city running.”

But that’s enough qualifications and comment for something presented without comment. Here’s the list:

City Council actions (partial list):

• Debated Wyman Street curb cut
• Still no mayor

School Committee actions (partial list):

• Elected Fred Fantini vice chairman
• Upper school campus implementation policy
• Approval of budget guidelines
• Academic challenge roundtable
• Passed academic challenge policy
• Expanded-learning-time contract amendment with Cambridge Teachers Association
• Kindergarten assignment policy for two-way immersion programs
• Approval of procedures for preventing and managing head injuries
• Approval of Cambridge Public Schools rights and responsibilities handbook
• Approval of organization of instruction policy
• Revisions to School Council policy
• Revisions to Criminal Offender Record Information policy
• Approval of changes to school start and end times
• Revisions to student transportation policy