← School Committee · 2025-12-16 · School Committee Meeting
Vote: FY26 Supplemental Budget Request
Agenda original PDF
Minutes original PDF
e process for approving the supplemental funding from the override, emphasizing that this vote is for distribution across this year's budget categories and does not include approval for the FY27 budget, which has not yet begun. It was clarified that no changes would occur in the middle school principal position at this time, as Mr. Merrill and Mr. Corrigan are under contract until the end of the current school year. The leadership team will work to determine the best way to utilize these funds for the second half of the school year. Also, it was clarified that the Committee would be voting on Column 2 on the chart in the packet. MOTION: To Approve the District Wide Admin Supplemental Appropriation in the amount of $700,300.00 RESULT: ACCEPTED [UNANIMOUS] MOVER: Jennifer McAndrew SECONDER: Matt Hartman ABSENT: Dorie Withey AYES: Jennifer McAndrew, Jennifer Razi-Thomas, Jennifer Grigoraitis, Seamus Kelley, Margaret Raymond Driscoll, Matt Hartman MOTION: To Approve remaining supplemental appropriation lines: $97,000 for Franklin, $656,000 for elementary, $533,000 for the middle school, $363,000 for the high school, and $1,469,500 fo
Transcript
▶ 9:24 Speaker 4: Um, I think normally we vote to accept the budget report it, I think with the new, um, system, we've lost that. So, uh, the way it's listed. So let's do a vote to accept the, uh, monthly budget.
▶ 9:36 Speaker 5: Is there anybody motion to approve the Okay. Grant report.
▶ 9:39 Speaker 4: Motion. Motion to approve by Mr. Hartman. Seconded by Ms. Ozzie Thomas. All in favor being opposed. And that passes unanimously. So moving on to the, uh, supplemental budget requests. Last week we got a presentation from the district about this, and I think tonight, uh, all likelihood we will vote on it. So let's see if there are any follow up questions, uh, for the interim superintendent or Mr. Kelly,
▶ 10:08 Speaker 5: Mr. Mccr.
▶ 10:09 Jennifer McAndrew: Um, um, thank you, um, very helpful as always on the information in the packet. I, um, this is, it's, this is not really, it's a just a request for the superintendent to just go over one more time because, um, we, we got a couple of, um, really helpful emails this week about this, uh, from residents and, um, which I'm sure you've seen. And, and I, um, just wanted to sort of reflect back that what we are doing tonight is, uh, and I know we talked about this last time too, but we are, um, being asked to approve a proposal from you and the district to, um, apply the supplemental funding from the override across our budget categories. And for the position, the number of positions that's here. So, for example, middle school, high school is eight educators and one administrator. Correct. Um, but we are not being a asked to at this time, to, um, like approve a program of studies for next year, for example, or approve a leadership chart for next year. For example. We haven't actually made decisions necessarily about, for example, where that admin will be at the middle school or high school. Correct. I just wanted you to maybe talk a little more about that. 'cause I think there is some confusion of that and I get why. Yep,
▶ 11:29 Speaker 3: Yep. No, I understand why. So I think, um, it maybe being privy to some of those emails, maybe not all. Um, I know there are are some, um, feelings in, in many directions regarding, we'll just use the example of the middle school principal. Right. So, and I think we had said before and, um, shared before that, you know, Mr. Corrigan and Mr. Merrill are under contract until the end of this school year. So, um, this year we would not see any change in that position, meaning that we would not post to bring back a middle school principal, um, for that piece. Um, what we, what we are thinking are, are ways, again, that we can be creative. Um, we, we do have a lot of ideas. Once the money is allocated into these categories, we'll be working again with the leadership team and, and the principals to really determine for the second half of this year, what can we do and what does that look like. Um, and then as I had mentioned in the last meeting, and I think, you know, Mr. Kelly had as well, in an ideal world that dovetails in some way with what we do for FY 27, however, we haven't even started that budget process yet. Mm-hmm. Um, so I know everyone's anxiously awaiting that and, and we have a lot of ideas for that. Um, but I think given the additional resources that we have this year, that's gonna also help us think strategically about next year as we assess, um, again, our, our students' needs, our students' progress. Um, identify those areas, um, where we need more assistance and then, um, also ensure that we are working toward our goals and our strategic plan.
▶ 13:08 Jennifer McAndrew: Great. Thank you. So for fiscal 27, no decisions made in terms of, like, for example, that admin position or what even the program of studies might be up at the middle school, high school, or even, um, where some of those, um, those elementary school teachers will be. I know you're trying to hire them as soon as possible. Um, I would just point out that we had also an email from one of the chairs of cpac, um, among other things encouraging us the committee to look in fiscal 27 at hiring a full-time special ed director. Mm-hmm. I know we have two wonderful part-time folks filling that role right now. Um, so thank you for that. That's helpful. You're welcome. That's all.
▶ 13:51 Speaker 4: Anyone else? Okay, Ms. Zi Thomas, could you also pull your microphone in a little bit closer? Sure. And MTV's having a hard time picking up. Okay.
▶ 13:59 Speaker 6: What we're approving now is really just, uh, approving money to go in six out of the eight established school committee spending categories, and then we're gonna see where we can hire people strategically to get through this year. Correct. And so you've suggested that we put some money at the Franklin, put some positions at the elementary school, the middle school, the high school teaching and learning, um, and district-wide administration. And you've started to look at buying curriculum. Um, and then there's gonna be a lot of planning and talking about next year as we head into budget season. Correct. Okay. Thank you.
▶ 14:44 Speaker 4: Okay. Any other questions,
▶ 14:47 Margaret Raymond Driscoll: Mr. Still? Yeah, I just had a, a question. Um, I see that, um, um, the, in the, um, it's page 32, uh, there's this, the FY 26 approved column, the supplemental appropriation column, and the adjusted FY 26 school committee categories column. So tonight we are voting on column three or column two because the language underneath indicates, or it infers that we are, um, voting on column three. And I just, those are very different things than, than column two. So I don't know if that should go to the superintendent or to the, um, the chair or to Mr. Kelly.
▶ 15:31 Speaker 5: I don't, you go ahead. Sure. Thanks. And it's my understanding that, that that city council has appropriated the 3.8 million and then it would be the school committee to allocate that to the different categories that we proposed.
▶ 15:40 Margaret Raymond Driscoll: Right. So are we voting on column two? Yes. Or are we voting on column three two. Column two, the Additional, 'cause some of those funds have Already been approved. Correct. Okay. Very good. Thank you.
▶ 15:51 Speaker 4: Okay. And at our last meeting, um, I made a recommendation that maybe somebody could, uh, address districtwide admin separately, uh, Ms. McAndrew motion
▶ 16:01 Jennifer McAndrew: To approve the districtwide admin supplemental appropriation in the amount of $700,300.
▶ 16:08 Speaker 4: Okay. Is there any discussion? Second. Oh, second. I'm sorry. Any discussion? All in favor? Any that are Okay, then that passes unanimously. Alright. Um, any motions on the rest? Ms. Ms. McAndrew?
▶ 16:25 Jennifer McAndrew: Motion to approve the remaining supplemental appropriation lines, um, as follows, 97,000 for the Franklin 650, 6,000 for the elementary, 533,000 for the middle school, 363,000 for the high school, 1.4695 million for teaching and learning, and for a total of 3.1185 million.
▶ 16:49 Speaker 4: Okay. Is there a second? Okay. Seconded by Ms. Rozi Thomas. We have a motion to approve by Ms. McAndrews, second by Ms. Razi Thomas. All in favor? Any opposed? And that passes unanimously. Uh, that concludes finance and facilities.
▶ 17:04 Speaker 5: Thank you very much. Mr. Oh, I'm sorry. Sorry. Just Two quick things. Um, just yesterday I did receive the, um, the final report for FY 24 interview report. Everything is the same. You have that information in a prior packet. This is just the actual formality of the final report. And that will be, I will respectfully ask Ms. O'Connor to include that in the next meeting, just so you have that. Um, but again, that was, um, just procedural. We did have the information already. Cbis has been a little bit backed up, so we were, we were glad to get that. Also, just wanted to thank, uh, chair Withey and, um, vice chair McAndrew for all their help and guidance o over the past several years. Uh, it's been a pleasure working with both of them.