What should be the next big push by parents to improve Somerville schools?

Steps to improve communication between parents and teachers? More community volunteers in the classrooms? Academic program changes?

Parents and community members will tackle that question at a Community Congress on Sunday, May 20, from 3 to 5 pm, in the Duhamel Room at First Church Somerville, 89 College Avenue. Participants are invited to stay for a potluck supper from 5 to 6.

The Community Congress is sponsored by the parent organization Progress Together for Somerville.

“Somerville schools are strong and we can make them stronger,” said Progress Together activist Meghan Bouchard. She said the group has been surveying parents across the city for several months, asking what parents like best about their schools and what they would like to see changed. The Community Congress is the culmination of that effort, where the results will be shared and next steps mapped out.

The parents who responded to the surveys found more things to like about their schools than they wanted to change. Favorable comments ran the gamut from excellent teachers to good facilities and the benefits of Somerville’s diverse student community.

The changes parents wanted also spanned a wide range. Many had to do with better communication, but there were also proposals for earlier foreign language programs and other academic changes.

The survey results will be the basis of conversation at the Community Congress, ending with votes for the top two issues that participants want Progress Together to work on. Bouchard said there will be a follow-up public meeting to decide which of these two is the most practical for immediate action.

Progress Together came together last fall to fight the proposed new charter school, turning out 300 opponents for a public hearing and compiling a massive dossier of arguments against the proposal. When the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education rejected the charter application, Progress Together refocused on ways to strengthen the schools—to “progress together,” working with teachers, PTA, and other community members.

For more information, email progresstogethersomerville@gmail.com or find us on the web at https://sites.google.com/site/progresstogetherforsomerville/home, and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/progresstogetherforsomerville.