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Home My WebLink About2025-07-10 School Committee MinutesOrq ��;ga ��. Town of Reading RECEIVED ,� it Meeting Minutes TOWN CLERK TJY.IN(OPYUP� READING, MA.G%,C— Board - committee - Commission - council: 2025 SEP -8 PM 4: 55 School Committee Date: 2025-07-10 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: Shawn Brandt, Carla Nazzaro, Erin Gallen, Tom Wise, Sarah McLaughlin and Lara Durgavich Members - Not Present: Others Present: Director of Finance and Operations Mr. 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. Brandt called the meeting to order at 7:04pm and reviewed the agenda for the meeting. B. Public Comment —None Focus on Excellence The Show Must Go On— Documentary by Ben Goldlust: Dr. Milaschewski introduced RMHS student Ben Goldlust, who recently created a documentary highlighting the impact of the arts on both current students and alumni. The committee viewed a shortened version of the film. Consent Agenda 1. Minutes(06-05-2025) 2. Request to Surplus Property — Parker 3. Request to Surplus Property — Coolidge 4. Request to Surplus Property — RISE 5. Request to Surplus Property —RMHS 6. RMHS Track Meet Field Trip Request 7. Quebec Field Trip Request 8. Boys Lacrosse Donation 9. Marching Band Donation 10. Science Olympiad Donation 11. Request to Surplus Property— Wood End Page 1 1 Accounts Payable Warrant Reports 1. 06-05-2025 2. 06-10-2025 3. 06-18-2025 4. 06-26-2025 5. 06-30-2025 Mrs. Nazzaro motioned to approve the consent agenda, seconded by Mrs. Durgavich. It was noted in the June 5 minutes that Mrs. Nazzaro's last name was not fully spelled out during the nomination for the vice chair. This will be corrected in the final minutes. The vote passed 6-0. Reports 1. Superintendent — Dr. Milaschewski thanked local state legislators —Senator Jason Lewis and Representatives Bradley Jones and Rich Haggerty —who helped secure $225,000 in state earmarks. These funds will go toward a van for the LIFT program, with the remainder allocated to capital improvements pending the release of funds. 2. Liaison/Sub-Committee a. Mrs. Durgavich — No report b. Ms. McLaughlin —No report c. Mr. Wise —No report d. Mrs. Nazzaro—The Killam School Building Committee will meet on Monday, and over the next few weeks geothermal testing will take place. e. Mrs. Gaffen — No report f. Mr. Brandt — No report E. New Business 1. ACE Update ACE Committee representatives Ryan Johnstone and London Nichols shared an update about Friends and Family Day and Juneteenth. Themes included low community awareness of Bill Russell's legacy and strong interest in programming and outreach going forward. The committee is seeking standing funding for long-term programming and will be making recommendations to the Select Board for a sustained program. 2. SY 25-26 Calendar Update (A) Dr. Milaschewski discussed the vote to amend the SY 2025-2026 calendar to include an early dismissal at the high school on Friday, September 26, 2025. On that day, the high school will dismiss at 12:30 p.m. instead of 1:05 p.m. to accommodate a joint professional development event for middle and high school staff. Mrs. Nazzaro motioned to amend the school year 2025-2016 calendar to reflect an early release time change on Friday, September 26, seconded by Mr. Wise. Page 1 2 The vote passed 6-0. Mrs. Nazzaro motioned to take item ES and E6 out of order, seconded by Mr. Wise. The vote passed 6-0. 3. Review & Approve Increase of Adult Meal Prices (A) Mr. Littlehale discussed a recommendation to increase adult meal prices from $5.00 to $5.25 effective September 1, 2025, to ensure compliance with USDA requirements. Mrs. Nazzaro motioned to increase the adult meal price from $5.00 to $5.25, seconded by Mr. Wise. The vote passed 6-0 4. Pre Q4 Financial Update (A) Mr. Littlehale reviewed the preliminary Q4 finances. Current highlights include the ability to prepay $1.2 million in special education tuition, set aside $350,000 for the IT refresh, transfer $225,000 to the special education reserve, and return approximately $75,000 to the town. S. RMHS Student Handbook Review & Approval (A) Dr. Milaschewski noted that the RMHS and District -Wide Student Handbooks were included in the packets and thanked Principal Callanan for prioritizing the role of the school council in updating the handbook and for partnering with the council. Principal Callanan shared highlights of the updates, which include a fully reformatted handbook, added policy links to reduce redundancy, clarified language, and a full review by legal counsel. The committee discussed edits and clarifications to the handbook. Mrs. Nazzaro motioned to approve the 2025-2026 RMHS student handbook as discussed and amended, seconded by Mr. Wise. The vote passed 6-0. 6. District -Wide Student Handbook Review & Approval (A) Dr. Milaschewski discussed updates to the District -Wide Student Handbook, which include the correct definition of sexual harassment, general formatting clean-up, and updated links to the revised Title IX grievance procedures. Mrs. Nazzaro motioned to approve the 2025-2026 District -Wide Student Handbook, seconded by Ms. McLaughlin. The vote passed 6-0 Page 13 7. Vote on Appointment of Superintendent to Collaborative Boards (A) a. SEEM Collaborative Mrs. Nazzaro motioned to appoint the Superintendent to the SEEM Collaborative Board, seconded by Mr. Wise. The vote passed 6-0. b. Northshore Education Consortium Mrs. Nazzaro motioned to appoint the Superintendent to the Northshore Education Consortium Board, seconded by Mr. Wise. The vote passed 6-0. 8. Review and Adjust Liaison and Subcommittee Appointments The committee reviewed liaison and subcommittee appointments and made the following updates: • Ms. Durgavich was appointed to the Recreation Committee and PAIR • Mr. Wise was appointed to SEPAC • Mrs. Gaffen was appointed to the Student Advisory Committee • Ms. McLaughlin was appointed to the Celebration Committee • Mr. Brandt was appointed to the Charter Review Committee and will also serve as backup to the Policy Subcommittee 9. Letter to Select Board re: PEG Services to RIPS (A) The committee discussed endorsing a letter to the Select Board regarding the PEG services that the Reading Public Schools receive from RCN. These services provide ongoing educational media support from RCN, and the committee feels it is important to advocate for their continuation. Mrs. Nazzaro motioned to approve sending the proposed letter regarding PEG services to RPS to the Select Board, seconded by Mrs. Gaffen. The committee made minor edits to the letter. It will be printed, signed by each committee member, and then sent to the Select Board. The vote passed 6-0. 10. Discuss Continued MASC Membership The committee discussed the continuation of MASC membership. While there were reservations about the cost, the committee agreed on the value this membership provides and ultimately decided to continue with it. Mrs. Nazzaro motioned to adjourn to executive session in preparation for negotiations with non -unit personnel, or to conduct collective bargaining sessions or contract negotiations with non -unit personnel with the Superintendent, and to not return to open session, seconded by Ms. McLaughlin Page 1 4 Roll Call Vote —Ms. McLaughlin —yes, Mrs. Gaffen—yes, Mr. Wise —yes, Mr. Brandt —yes, Mrs. Nazzaro — yes, Mrs. Durgavich — yes Motion to adjourn, seconded by Mrs. Durgavich. The vote passed 6-0. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JL35chnYEvk Meeting Adjourned from regular session at approximately 6:23 pm. Page 1 5