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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-02-27 Select Board Minuteso�H OFRr,� Town of Reading �, �k Meeting Minutes 'TOWN CLERK READING, MA. •COPo P Board - committee - commission - Council: 2025 MAR 17 PM 3: 58 School Committee Date: 2025-02-27 Time: 7:00 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, Shawn Brandt, Sarah McLaughlin (remote) and Carla Nazzaro Members - Not Present: Charles Robinson and Erin Gaffen Others Present: Interim Director of Finance and Operations Phil Littlehale 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 to review the agenda. Roll Call Attendance — Mrs. Nazzaro—here, Mr. Brandt — here, Ms. McLaughlin —here, Mr. Wise — here B. Public Comment — Chris Kowaleski of 14 Browning Terrace spoke about concerns regarding special education support at Wood End. He highlighted issues with teacher departures due to limited staffing and resources, leading to short-term solutions and a revolving door of support for students. He expressed concern that students are being viewed as units rather than individuals. Mr. Wise acknowledged these concerns and committed to listening and reviewing further. Geoffrey Coram of Ridge Road advocated for SOCA4EJI's request to rename Joshua Eaton. He noted that their email was included in the packet as correspondence but may not be discussed during the meeting. He also requested that their email be added to the safe senders list, as it is currently flagged as spam. Mr. Wise stated that this is the first request specifically to rename Joshua Eaton; previous requests focused on reviewing Policy FF, which is currently under review. He also acknowledged the need to look into the email filtering issues, noting that emails from anonymous sources present challenges regarding what can and should be responded to. Page 1 1 Focus on Excellence 1. Unified Bocce Dr. Milaschewski introduced Ms. Herlihy and the Unified Bocce team, who shared their enthusiasm for the sport and the opportunities it provides for student inclusion in athletics Consent Agenda 1. Minutes (01-30-2025) 2. Acceptance of the Jae S. Lim Foundation Grant Award 3. Acceptance of FY25 IDEA IEP Grant Award 4. RMHS Robotics Competition Field Trip Request (2) 5. Reading Track Donation 6. Pegasus Springs Donation Accounts Payable Warrant Reports 1. 01-30-2025 2. 02-06-2025 3. 02-11-2025 4. 02-20-2025 Mrs. Nazzaro motioned to approve the consent agenda, seconded by Mr. Brandt Roll Call Vote — Ms. McLaughlin — yes, Mr. Brandt — yes, Mrs. Nazzaro — yes, Mr. Wise —yes The vote passed 4-0. Reports 1. Students —Student representatives provided updates on the following items: a. Spanish immersion trip to Costa Rica b. DECA Competition c. Winter sports success and spring tryouts d. New AP courses for 2025-2026 e. Upcoming events; Ramadan support, drama club production, student council meeting, college fair, METCO Roller World trip, sophomore semi, MCAS for grade 10, PTO quarterly meeting with speaker Liz Faria, and junior prom 2. Interim Director of Finance and Operations— No report 3. Superintendent — Dr. Milaschewski gave a shoutout to student Sachi Selvakumar, whose gymnastics team will be competing in the state championship, and to Coach Stein for being recognized as the MIAA State Coach of the Year. 4. Liaison/Sub-Committee a. Ms. McLaughlin —No report b. Mr. Brandt —No report c. Mrs. Nazzaro —The Killam project is being shared at various PTO meetings through presentations and will be presented to the Finance Committee Page 1 2 next week. On April 2nd, a presentation will be held for all Town Meeting members on the Killam and RECALC projects. d. Mr. Wise —At the Finance Committee meeting last night, Dr. Milaschewski and Mr. Littlehale presented the budget, and a vote is expected in three weeks. All questions were sufficiently answered. The Policy Subcommittee is back in action, reviewing policies and making progress. D. Old Business 1. Discussion and Vote on FY26 School Calendar (A) Dr. Milaschewski noted that at the previous meeting, a draft calendar was presented, and several pieces of feedback emerged: 1. Shift the October In -Service Day to October 14 to create an extended weekend and minimize disruptions for families. 2. Move middle and high school early release days back to Fridays instead of Wednesdays to reduce scheduling interruptions for families. This change also aligns with the elementary schools' existing Friday early release schedule, benefiting families with students in multiple schools. 3. Consider extending winter break to include December 22-23. After discussions with the RTA and administration, the feedback regarding the October In -Service Day and the shift of early release days was incorporated. However, the extended December break was not included to avoid disruptions for students. Mr. Wise noted that the high school quarters were not added to the calendar and requested that they be included. Mr. Brandt motioned to approve the 2025-2026 school yearcalendar, seconded by Mrs. Nazzaro. Roll Call Vote — Ms. McLaughlin —yes, Mr. Brandt —yes, Mrs. Nazzaro—yes, Mr. Wise — yes The vote passed 4-0. E. New Business 1. FY25 Q2 Financial Report Mr. Littlehale provided the FY25 Q2 financial report, noting that salary lines have been reviewed and projections for the rest of the year have been forecasted. Non -personnel lines were also reviewed. The forecast accounts for typical year-end expenses, such as IT refresh and a special education placeholder. After factoring in these items, a remaining balance of $240,000 is projected, indicating strong financial standing. Additionally, less of the kindergarten fund was needed for offsets, resulting in a minor budget adjustment, but overall, finances are tracking well. Page 1 3 A question was raised about the budget book distributed to the Finance Committee which includes a revolving account for Parker extracurriculars. Initially, there were two separate revolving accounts —one for Parker after -school programs and another for Parker extracurriculars—but they have since been merged. The budget book will be revised to reflect this change in the PDF version. 2. FY26 Kindergarten Enrollment Update Dr. Milaschewski provided an update on FY26 kindergarten enrollment, reporting that current enrollment stands at 287 registrants, not including School Choice or METCO students. The priority registration deadline was February 1. Extensive efforts have been made to identify families who have not yet enrolled and to track down those eligible for kindergarten registration. While the initial projection was 340 students —a high -end estimate —the current number suggests enrollment will likely exceed 287. An additional teacher was allocated in the budget for Barrows, but with current trends, the hope is that this position will not be needed, as space constraints at Barrows would have posed a challenge. 3. Approve the awarding of the David B. Libby Scholarship (A) Dr. Milaschewski provided background on the David B. Libby Scholarship, outlining the awarding process. The scholarship distributes a total of $88,000 across awards for 22 students. Mr. Wise motioned to approve the David B. Libby Scholarship distribution in alignment with the scholarship intent for qualifying students residing in Reading, MA and graduating from Reading Memorial High School, seconded by Mrs. Nazzaro. It was noted this approval is to appropriate the funding. Mr. Brandt asked for an amendment to include the $88,000 in the motion. Roll Call Vote — Ms. McLaughlin — yes, Mr. Brandt — yes, Mrs. Nazzaro — yes, Mr. Wise —yes The vote passed 4-0. 4. Discussion and Potential Vote on a Town Meeting Warrant Article for School Bus Camera Enforcement Systems per Chapter 399 of the Acts of 2024 Dr. Milaschewski reviewed the bill passed by Governor Healey, which allows bus -monitored cameras to be used to issue fines for vehicles that pass stopped school buses. This legislation enables towns and cities to implement such programs, but the provisions of the law would need to be approved by town meeting. The committee was informed of this development and will be updated on the costs in the coming weeks. The committee expressed general support, noting that the cost would be a key factor. With the town meeting warrant closing soon, action would need to be taken quickly, though it may still be possible to include this on the November warrant. Page 14 S. Discussion on Cell Phone Policy Dr. Milaschewski reviewed a recently proposed state legislature bill and a toolkit provided by the Attorney General regarding a cell phone policy. These conversations have been raised before, and many voices are needed to move forward due to differing opinions, emphasizing the need for community engagement. The committee agreed that extensive community input is necessary on this issue, and a survey or forum process was proposed. There may be different policies at various grade levels. The Policy Subcommittee will not address this unless there is a hearing or presentation format. 6. Notification of Upcoming Policy Votes Mr. Wise provided notification of six policies that will be brought to the committee on March 13th for review and adoption: • Policy IKF— Graduation Requirements • Policy GBA— Equal Employment Opportunity • Policy GBEA — Staff Ethics Conflict of Interest • Policy GBEB — Staff Conduct • Policy GBEC— Drug -Free Workplace • Policy GBGB — Staff Personal Security and Safety Mrs. Nazzaro motioned to adjourn, seconded by Mr. Brandt. Roll Call Vote— Ms. McLaughlin — yes, Mr. Brandt — yes, Mrs. Nazzaro—yes, Mr. Wise — yes The vote passed 4-0. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrBzCV-RXWo Meeting Adjourned from regular session at approximately 8:24 pm. Page 1 5