School Committee
School Committee: April 16, 2020
The superintendent outlined a revised budget schedule working backward from a June 29 Town Meeting date, projecting a public hearing the week of May 18, a Finance Committee meeting the week of May 25, and a final School Committee budget vote on June 4. Guidance from the Massachusetts Association of School Committees indicated the committee's primary role in remote learning oversight involves collective bargaining implications, privacy, and equity policy. Discussion of spring senior events, including prom and graduation, was noted as ongoing with more information expected after May 4.
Budget calendar reconfigured around June 29 Town Meeting date
Working back from the postponed Town Meeting, the superintendent projected a Finance Committee session the week of May 25, a public hearing the week of May 18, and a final School Committee budget vote at its June 4 meeting.
The original Finance Committee meeting had been scheduled for March 30; the five-week gap to May 4 prompted a full recalibration of the budget timeline. The superintendent noted the Finance Committee had not yet made scheduling decisions, so the projected dates could shift by a week in either direction. Key milestones:
| Milestone | Projected Date |
|---|---|
| Public hearing on budget | Week of May 18 |
| Final Finance Committee meeting | Week of May 25 |
| School Committee budget vote | June 4 |
| Town Meeting | June 29 |
Superintendent
Also on the agenda
Spring senior events in limbo pending post-May 4 guidance
The superintendent described daily discussions with staff about which activities — prom, senior banquet, graduation, rafting trip — can continue, be modified, or must be canceled or postponed to fall.
The superintendent reported ongoing daily coordination with staff and class advisors regarding traditional senior and underclassman events. A clearer picture of what is permissible after May 4 was expected the following week, at which point decisions about continuing, canceling, or postponing events — or finding alternative engagement opportunities for graduation — could be made.
Superintendent · Dan Bauer (staff)
MASC guidance flags collective bargaining as primary committee role in remote learning oversight
The superintendent read from Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) counsel Dorothy Presser, who identified MOUs, privacy policy, and equity as the key areas where the School Committee has oversight responsibility over remote learning plans.
MASC guidance conveyed by Dorothy Presser noted that superintendents are following DESE guidance in developing and implementing remote learning plans. The School Committee’s oversight role is broad but centers on policy and collective bargaining implications. Presser specifically stated that any memorandum of understanding must be approved by the School Committee as employer of record. Additional MASC guidance on learning expectations was anticipated if closures extended beyond May 4.
Superintendent · Dorothy Presser (MASC counsel, quoted)
Public directed to remote learning website contact form for feedback
The superintendent indicated the preferred channel for community feedback on remote learning is the contact form on the remote learning website.
The superintendent closed by reiterating that the remote learning website contact form is the recommended avenue for public feedback, providing a structured way to collect community input as the plan continues to evolve.
Superintendent
Tonight's record
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0:09 We just have to stay the course, review what’s going on, look at the feedback we’re getting, and we’ll continue to work hard and do the best we can to make this the best experience for our kids as possible. But, you know, we will be talking about, you know, figuring out some kind of communication protocol that we can share some of the, you know, or all of the adjustments as we go forward, so that school committee and parents are aware of that. We’ll have a lot more information for you on May 7th. Mr. Bauer and I have just been talking about this on a daily basis, you know, and as everybody knows, there’s just a plethora of activities and events. Certainly a lot focused on seniors, but, you know, there are other annual traditional events for juniors and underclassmen as well. You know, certainly the proms, things like the senior banquet, NHS induction, graduation, of course, many, many more. There’s the traditional senior rafting trip. So we’ve been, you know, had ongoing discussions. Dan has engaged with class advisors and others. He’s reached out to the student officers and we feel after we talked about three
1:50 times today, we think we’re going to have more information certainly next week about what’s happening post-May 4th. And when we get that information, it will allow Dan and his staff working with parents, working with class officers and other students to get a better sense of what we’ll be able to continue with in some form, some activities which we’ll just have to cancel or postpone to the fall and then start talking about what opportunities are there to perhaps still engage with students and parents in the community for graduation. When I looked at what the original schedule for the school committee’s public hearing on the budget, followed by the final meeting with the finance committee, and then the school committee meeting after that to vote the budget before going into town meeting, I’ve really just kind of done a back of the envelope reconfiguration of the dates based on the town meeting being moved back to June 29th. So one of the key dates in that May 4th time frame was that our meeting with the finance committee
3:22 was had been scheduled for March 30th. So the difference between March 30th and May 4th is five weeks. So and the finance committee has not made any scheduling decisions yet. They’re still looking at this. So I’m just projecting and again I’m going to share this with the subcommittee tomorrow, but utilizing the time, the same time frame moving backwards from June 29th, I would expect that we might have our final meeting with the CINCON the week of May 25th. And so what that would mean is that we would at least we’ll talk tomorrow about scheduling a public hearing the week of May 18th, so the week before we might meet with the finance committee. And then if that holds, for example, if that’s the way it ends up being, then we can schedule the school committee to take a final vote on their budget June 4th school committee meeting. Now, you know, depending on what the finance committee decides in terms of its own schedule, you know, that could be pushed back a week, it could be pushed ahead a week, maybe more. Based on, you know, some requests for sort of, you know, on the public comment front and how we’re sort of soliciting advice. So I reached out to Dorothy
4:59 Presser on this just to kind of ask her what the at this point, what is the Massachusetts School Committee Association’s guidance, how we oversee any remote learning pieces. So I’m just going to read what she has said, I may skip a couple little, you know, sentences here and there. So so that she can give me at least a partial answer, and that she anticipates more guidance will be coming as they continue to examine the policy implications of remote learning. First of all, it would be within the purview of the committee to review the plan with the superintendent. Dessie provided guidance of what should be in the plan. So superintendents are following that guidance as they develop and implement the plans. As you know, there’s a lot of work happening extremely quickly. So there may be some element of ready fire aim in the plans, as they’re adjusting to address unforeseen issues. Should the school closures go beyond May 4th, it is likely that more guidance will come from Dessie about learning expectations to incorporate into the plan. The review of the plan from the committee’s viewpoint would be quite broad. Obviously, there’s much in any plan that involves logistics and administrative components left in the hands of the educators. However, in the big picture, the school committee would look at any policy or collective bargaining implications. If there is a memorandum of understanding, it should be approved by the school committee as employer of the record. The committee may also want to be particularly attuned to policy issues such as privacy and equity and how they are
6:31 being addressed in the plan. As Dorothy has indicated, MASC is taking a close look at any policy implications of remote learning plans and should have more guidance soon. For the time being, the collective bargaining implications are the most obvious place where the committee would be involved. So that was Dorothy’s thoughts. And I just kind of wanted to reiterate to everyone in the public that from my point of view, I think the best way that people can funnel their feedback is through the contact form from the remote learning website.