Meeting Recap: 6/10/24

Short meeting this week, but not the last. We’re still trying to find a day for that final budget vote, some time between city council approval of the budget and the end of the fiscal year. To schedule that, we need a quorum of school committee members, enough time after the city council’s vote for the administration to definitively prepare the detailed budget for the approved amount, and a long enough lead time to post the agenda in compliance with open meeting law. But on to last night’s meeting… (As always, observations [and commentary] are my own and do not represent any official views of the committee.)

1. Approval of contract with Medford Cafeteria Employees

2. Approval of consent agenda (including a $10,000 donation to the Robotics team)

3. Superintendent’s update - end of school, upcoming holidays, moving on events, and therapy dog interview

4. Appointment of Jennifer Silva as Interim Director of Health Services [congratulations!]

5. Recognition of former school committee member Melanie McLaughlin, outgoing Missituk Elementary principal Kathleen Kay, and outgoing Kids Corner director Linda Sellinger [thank you all!]

6. Report on Special Education and Civil Rights Tiered Focus Monitoring Results by Director of Student Services Joan Bowen - She presented an overview of the process, a summary of compliance ratings, and information about the four criteria deemed “partially implemented” (related to consistency and documentation) and steps to remedy. Questions/requests from the committee were around regular reporting, redundancy safeguards, and history.

7. Information about the Tobacco-Free Generation initiative as it relates to vaping, e-cigarettes, and nicotine patches, presented by Assistant Superintendent Peter Cushing - School committee authorized school leadership to speak at an upcoming Board of Health Meeting and look at district policy around tobacco (noting the connections to the discipline policy).

8. Summer Literacy Program update from Assistant Superintendent Suzanne Galusi - Dr. Galusi shared the plans for spending the DESE Vacation Acceleration Academic Grant to provide targeted literacy support for invited students in grades 1-5, 6, and 9. Questions from the committee were around invitations and outreach, as well as measures of success.

9. Approval of 2024-25 school committee regular meeting schedule - bi-weekly Tuesdays (for the most part) as presented by the Superintendent, with two Wednesdays added for potential budget hearings, and a third Tuesday in June for additional business or budget if needed. This will be reflected on the website as we enter the new school year.

10. Approval of second reading of policy DBC Budget Preparation and Schedule

11. Condolences

12. Adjournment