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Home My WebLink About2025-05-29 School Committee MinutesTown of Reading A ��RK Meeting Minutes H,E( EIVED IUIA ',I �A . Board -Committee -Commission -Council: iu2a School Committee JUN -9 AM 7: 51 Date: 2025-05-29 Time: 9:00 PM Building: School - Memorial High Location: School Library Address: 62 Oakland Road Session: Open Session Purpose: Open Session Version: Final Attendees: Members - Present: Tom Wise, Carla Nazzaro, Erin Gallen, Shawn Brandt, Sarah McLaughlin and Lara Durgavich Members - Not Present: Others Present: Assistant Superintendent for Student Services and Superintendent Dr. Thomas Milaschewski Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Olivia Lejeune on behalf of the chairperson. Topics of Discussion: A. Call to Order— Mr. Wise called the meeting to order at 7:00pm and reviewed the agenda for the meeting. B. Public Comment —None Focus on Excellence Project 351 Ambassadors — Dr. Milaschewski introduced Project 351 Ambassadors Esme Moss (Coolidge) and Lucas Dorfman (Parker), who spoke about their work as ambassadors and shared their service projects. Consent Agenda 1. Minutes(05-22-2025) 2. Request to Surplus Property — ML Department 3. Women's League of Reading Donation Accounts Payable Warrant Reports 1. 05-22-2025 Mrs. Gaffen motioned to approve the consent agenda, seconded by Mr. Brandt. The vote passed 6-0. Page 1 1 New Roles 1. 1.0 FTE Middle School METCO Site Coordinator/SAC — Dr. Milaschewski highlighted the addition of a new role in the consent agenda, in accordance with School Committee policy. Per this policy, any time a new role is added in the district, the job description must be shared publicly with the committee. The new position is a 1.0 METCO Student Activity Coordinator (SAC), made possible by the fact that an additional kindergarten teacher will not be needed for the upcoming school year. Dr. Milaschewski also reviewed the METCO staffing model; with this addition, the team will consist of nine full-time staff members. As outlined in the policy, this role requires approval by the School Committee. Mrs. Goffen motioned to approve the creation of a 1.0 FTE Middle School METCO Site Coordinator/School Adjustment Counselor, seconded by Mr. Brandt. The vote passed 6-0. Reports 1. Assistant Superintendent for Student Services — Dr. Stys shared information about the upcoming Unified Sports Day, which will take place on June 6th. Families and community members are welcome to attend. This district -wide event is a wonderful opportunity to bring everyone together in celebration and support. The event will begin at 9:30 a.m. on the turf field at RMHS. 2. Superintendent — Dr. Milaschewski noted that we are currently in the state tournament season, with four teams ranked in the top 10. He encouraged everyone to get out and support the teams. 3. He also shared that next Thursday will be the Distinguished Staff and Teacher Ceremony, with the names of those being honored to be shared over the next few weeks. In addition, next week's focus on excellence will highlight nine students who have reached agreements with ARC Core for the rights to publish their original writings. These students will receive compensation ranging from $200 to $1,000 for their work. Representatives from ARC Core will attend the meeting, and writing samples of the published work will be shared. 4. Liaison/Sub-Committee a. Ms. McLaughlin —The Coalition met yesterday and celebrated four seniors who served as Rocket Ambassadors this year. In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, several workshops and trainings are being held throughout May to support student well-being. The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) will be administered next month in June. Additionally, funds from the opioid settlement will provide for an additional 0.4 full-time equivalent health teacher, as well as a part-time clinician to support student mental health through the Coalition. b. Mrs. Gaffen — No Report c. Mr. Brandt —The Audit Committee meeting has been rescheduled. d. Mrs. Durgavich — No Report e. Mrs. Nazzaro—The Killam Project is in full swing, with monthly meetings resuming. Contract negotiations are currently underway and are scheduled Page 1 2 to be voted on next Monday. Meetings are being scheduled strategically to avoid conflicts with the other building project. f. Mr. Wise —Congratulations to Timia Jones for being selected as this year's School Committee Book Club winner) E. New Business 1. Reading Education Foundation Grant Update Mr. Wise welcomed the Reading Education Foundation (REF) board members, who presented their formal update to the committee on this year's grant recipients. Each board member introduced themselves and provided a brief overview of the foundation's mission and work. This year, five grant recipients were awarded a total of $29,334. A heartfelt thank you was extended to the Reading teachers and the broader community for their continued support of REF. 2. Joshua Eaton Name Removal Request Submission Mr. Wise explained the logistics of the naming policy, noting that this is an unnamed request. If the request is successful, a formal naming process will follow. Tonight, the justification for the request will be presented. The committee asked clarifying questions, but did not deliberate during this session. At the next meeting, there will be an opportunity for questions, deliberations, and possibly the formation of a. committee to further consider the matter. The group Students of Color and Allies for Equity, Justice, and Inclusion (SOC4E11) shared their proposal to rename Joshua Eaton Elementary School. They noted that the association between Joshua Eaton Jr. and Joshua Eaton Sr. is unclear, as Mr. Eaton Sr. did not leave a will, and it is uncertain which family member owned Cato after his passing. The proposal recommends renaming the school to Cato Eaton Elementary School to more accurately reflect the full historical narrative. 3. SEPAC FY2S End -of -Year Update SEPAC board members presented an end -of -year update to the committee. A full copy of the presentation is included in the meeting packet. The update covered a review of the SEPAC mission statement, a year in review highlighting events and workshops, annual survey results, outreach efforts, and upcoming plans for the next year. The presentation concluded with a question -and -answer session. 4. Student Services End -of -Year Update Dr. Stys provided a Student Services end -of -year update, highlighting key successes aligned with three pillars from the district strategic plan: 1) Safe Learning Environments, 2) Instructional Systems, and 3) Family & Community Engagement. A full copy of the presentation is included in the meeting packet. While centered around the strategic plan, the presentation specifically addressed initiatives that were high priorities, important to the community, and had measurable impact. Page 1 3 Dr. Stys reviewed the results of the district -wide safety survey, discussing key themes that emerged and outlining next steps to implement changes based on the findings. She also shared updates from the Special Education Literacy Implementation Team, focusing on the development of lead literacy teachers to support assessments, data interpretation, matching student skill needs to targeted instructional practices, and progress monitoring. Finally, she described ongoing efforts to build and understand a sense of belonging in the community through youth listening sessions. S. District Strategic Plan Update Dr. Milaschewski oriented the committee to the document included in the packet, providing an update on the district strategic plan and highlighting some high-level progress. The column on the right offers a comparison between last years information and this year's updates. The committee will have additional time to review and reflect on the document before discussing it further this summer. 6. Director of Finance and Operations Interim Role Update Dr. Milaschewski shared an update regarding the interim Director of Finance and Operations position, noting that Mr. Phil Littlehale has held the role since October, with his current contract ending in July 2025. The recommendation is to extend his contract for one additional year. Since Mr. Littlehale has been in the position for only seven months, the one-year extension is preferred over offering a permanent role at this time, allowing him more time to fully learn and adapt to the responsibilities of the position. Mr. Wise motioned to accept Dr. MilaschewskPs recommendation to renew Phil Littlehole's contract as Director of Finance and Operations for one year, seconded by Mrs. Gaffen. The vote passed 6-0. Motion to adjourn, seconded by Mrs. Nazzaro. The vote passed 6-0. httos://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SAskmWil Meeting Adjourned from regular session at approximately 9:02 pm. Page 14