School Committee: February 16, 2023

Transcript captured from MHTV’s Vimeo auto-captioning. No speaker labels; proper names and dollar figures occasionally misheard. Click any timecode to jump to that moment in the source video.

0:00 Or custom-made snowflakes that each child has done and it was just really really well thought out and put on I understand the Glover school has one coming up in March and I look forward to attending that one also. Thank you, and I also probably not accommodation. But I do want to wish everybody good luck in the state Lambert’s tournament. Today this weekend. I should say most of them left left tonight for Canada. Thank you very much. Anybody else? I’ll pop in with a commendation. I will commend our all of our high school students for making it through their first set of midterms in a very very long time. So I’m sure everyone is very happy that that is over. And yes, and I think you’ll skip that in the

0:46 spring because seniors don’t have to take finals, correct. So just skip on those days. Yeah, so good job to the high school students. And I wanted to offer accommodation to our leadership team over the past several days. Our leadership team has had the very arduous task. Of working with our budget to get to the number we needed to reach and I want to sincerely offer my appreciation and gratitude to the entire leadership team for the performance performing this task with exemplary level of professionalism that defines them as leaders. I commend you all on working overtime to turn this information over to us so quickly and for the continued advocacy for the needs of our students. I look forward to seeing the next version of

1:33 the budget which will represent our override request so that then we can start moving forward to advocate for your needs as well.

1:45 So that brings us to our student representative. Yes, and so a little while ago, January 29th. Was senior show at the veterans Middle School Performing Arts Center the class of 2023 raised $3,000 for prom and other events, and I wanted to give a big thank you for everyone and coming out and supporting the class the show was great. As Sarah was mentioning we had midterms from January 23rd to the 27th. Glad those are over but only having 290 minutes tests.

2:25 The third quarter began January 30th and a report cards for Quarter Two came out on the 8th. On February 13th, the acapella groups at the high school competed at the international competition for a high school acapella in Wakefield. Once they congratulations to both groups. On the 14th, the eighth graders had elective day at the high school and they were given to presentations on the different offerings at the high school. And eighth grade curriculum night was last night as well. February 15th and towards were given by National Honor Society students The Freshman Class held fundraisers on February 8th with Chipotle and February 14th

3:10 with stowaway Suites. The sophomore class sold semi-formal tickets the week of February 6th, and that’s for their semi-formal on March 3rd that kernwood Country Club the sophomore and Junior classes also held a Valentine’s Day donut fundraiser as well. And senior project is getting underway seniors had meetings about senior project on February 6th, and all of the planning materials were due today and that will start April 10th. For Sports on February 8th Boys Hockey had their senior night six two victory over Swampscott and a couple nights ago the ski team had their senior night. So I have penis. Thank you. Thank you. Good to see you. You gotta quit having those kids with

3:58 the donut fundraiser coming to my house.

4:02 That’s kind of always come to the background you if anybody has a public comment, just please raise your hand in the chat are in the window. I see Jessica benedetto. Please state your name and address for the record.

4:17 Yes. Hi. Good evening. My name is Jessica benedetto, Bradley Road. I wanted to make a comment tonight about the article. I read in the Marblehead current about how Marblehead parents weigh in on school budget priorities Dr. Bucky. You were referring to the thought Exchange in which 340 residents took an online survey. That’s out of 2,622 students in our district. And you were quoted to say you think that people would have said that busing is very much a priority here, but they didn’t provide in transportation ranked 150 out of 172. Asked if the survey will help district leaders build the

5:05 next school budget Bucky answered a hundred percent. So I just wanted to point out that a the thought exchange survey was a very low sample size and it also contains a selection bias. A selection bias is a bias introduced by a selection of individuals groups or data for analysis in such a way that proper randomization is not achieved. A survey like this selectively excludes parents who are too busy. Busy working parents are not going to wait. Several hundred thoughts on a thought exchange and so you’re not really surveying the entire population and using conclusions

5:52 from this thought exchange survey. is I believe completely erroneous based on my Experience analyzing medical data, I mean that would be akin to relying on Twitter for medical information instead of speaking to a well-trained physician I have for those of you who are new to the school committee. I have asked for bossing. Um and four grade seven through 12 for three years now. I live in a neighborhood in which my children do not have a safe route to school. They cannot walk. I live 2.6 miles from the high school and this entire system

6:38 is based on the fact that there has to be a parent who’s not working who can drive your kid to school and pick them up. It does not help working parents. And I know that we are in a budget crunch, but I think we need to ask ourselves. Why does every other community on the North Shore have money in their budget to bust these students who live two miles or more from their schools? And why do we not have this money in our budget? And and I think that spending money on a thought exchange and then using that to determine budgetary priorities is really a erroneous use of data and for you those of you who don’t know I am a physician I have done, you know.

7:26 The school and learned how to analyze Medical Data. Thank you. Thank you, Jessica. I don’t see any other hands up. So I will move us along to our consent action agenda items. We all had minutes in our Dropbox. I’m going to ask for a motion to approve the minutes as presented from 12:15/22 and one five twenty three. So moved well second that you actually can’t my dipstein from this one because you weren’t on the committee then believe it or not. I can actually okay. Yes. Absolutely. True. Been through this before roll. Call Sarah gold. Yes. Tom I will abstain Allison Taylor Yes.

8:12 Megan Taylor, yes and Sarah Fox. Yes, the vote passes forward zero one abstention. Next. We have a presentation from Mandy Murphy at the Village School on the bourndale trip.

8:28 Hi everyone. Thank you for having me here. Um so are born Dale trip is our annual trip to Camp borndale, which is located in Plymouth, Massachusetts. It’s a trip that’s a tradition at Village school and has taken place for a long time many parents come to us and tell us about their memories of this trip this trip this year is set to take place from May 23rd to May 26th. So it’s three nights and four days students are immersed in science curriculum down there. We’re working on social studies curriculum to be implemented this year SEL you name it? It’s a full life experience down there. Yes, social emotional learning and we find that a lot of students that haven’t been away from home. Especially I would think within the past couple years. It’s a good experience for them.

9:16 Our counselors are on the trip. Our teachers are on the trip. Our teachers work really hard to make sure our students are very successful down there. They have teachers that are down there at this Camp Warrendale, but are all of our teachers go we make it a village experience because all of our teach Are invited to go so sometimes the sixth grade teachers may want to stay back in a fifth grade teacher goes down or a fourth grade teacher goes down. So it really becomes our culminating experience at Village School. So we’re looking for permission to take this trip again the week before Memorial Day May 23rd to the 26th. Any questions, what do you have any questions for me? I’m so glad it’s back. Yeah, so many people are gonna be so excited about this. I know it was really missed the last few years. So I’ll ask for a motion to approve the request

10:02 for an overnight trip to bourndale on 523-23 to 5:26 23 for the Village School sixth grade class. So moved there are gold. It’s all you told I’d like to second that I gotta be out of your mind going down. Well, they do need chaperone volunteers. Yep, that’s not going to happen. This is matters would kill me.

10:30 Roll call yes, of course.

10:33 And on this trip in sixth grade, it was the best. Yes. Allison, I’m sorry Megan Taylor. Yes and Sarah Fox. Yes motion carries. Five to Zero have fun. Thank you. Send this pictures we’ll do that brings us to our superintendent’s report Dr. Bucky is joining us remotely tonight from the superintendent’s conference. I believe in, Texas.

10:57 Audi

11:01 I expected a cowboy hat. I’m disappointed. Oh, I’m sorry. I believe is a dam. That’s up next. No, we have the Marblehead High School Greenhouse Eagle Scout project update with Tyler herb. Alright, Tyler take the center stage, please.

11:35 In full disclosure. I like to make a statement to the school Community. This young man is the smartest young boy at Marblehead high school. So, you know, thank you Tom.

11:46 So I’ll go ahead and get started. So for anyone who doesn’t know me, my name is Tyler ARP. I’m a 16 year old Junior at the high school and a life Scout with troop 11 in town. So I’m currently working on my Eagle Scout project which will be building a greenhouse new raised beds and doing some site conservation to The Outdoor Classroom area of the high school, which is kind of halfway between the tennis courts and kind of The left part of the high school you could say as a way of describing it. So I’ll kind of give you a brief update on those three aspects of the project and what’s coming forward. So first off over the summer I completed the conservation aspect of my project with the Marblehead Conservancy volunteers. So volunteers from the Conservancy high

12:31 schoolers and other volunteers from my troop. We were able to remove several species of invasive plants such as black locust. Well black technically not black glosis isn’t an invasive. But anyway, yeah, so multiple invasive plans overgrown plants really kind of cleared up the area enabling people to go through the area and use it to its full potential. The foundation for the greenhouse. I’m going to be working with groom construction and that will take place sometime in the spring again with volunteers from high school and kind of other areas next the greenhouse itself. It will be begin to

13:17 be manufactured within the next few weeks. The lead time for the greenhouse is around six months so it should arrive. August September time frame and be installed then. Okay, there we go slides. So regarding fundraising my goal is 75,000 for everything currently. I’ve raised a little over 43,000 which is around 60% I will be working to get more money from kind of donors and thank you again to all the businesses public donors grants and everyone who supported the project whether through volunteering or donating to the project so far next life, please. Also coming events for fundraising I will

14:02 be having a silent auction slash fundraising dinner at The Landing in March. So March 7th. So the silent auction will have gifts. Well, not sorry. I apologize items from local businesses in town such as shoobies surroundings Marblehead Mercantile and more as well as things like Red Sox tickets some sports merchandise and other things, so if you’re interested in that, please come to the landing on March 7th and reach out by calling the number for The Landing saying March 7th Tyler Arps Greenhouse event and reserve a table, and then if anyone has any questions, feel free to check out my website MHS greenhouse.org that has more information about the project or you can email me at Tyler at MHS greenhouse.org with any

14:49 questions. Thank you. Wonderful. I know you were looking for Manpower volunteers at one point. Are you not not to that point yet, or are you I’m currently not at that point. There are several groups. I can pull from volunteers from high school such as ngss which stands for National Green School Society. That’s kind of the environmental Club at the high school they have At least a hundred students, I would say. So that’s a good group of volunteers. I also have the kids in my Scout Troop. And if anyone’s interested in volunteering again, please reach out via email to Tyler at MHS greenhouse.org and all volunteer and donations are very helpful and appreciated. Thank you so much Tyler, you’re

15:34 the donations that you receive are those tax deductible? Yes donations our tax deductible. Where do they go to to your organization to the school? Is there a third party? Yes, so donations online are held by the mhsp CEO. So if you go to my website MHS greenhouse.org and hit donate Oh, there’s kind of a button that says donate right on the front page. That’ll take you to PayPal hosted by the mhsp co and we’ll say Tyler Arps Greenhouse Eagle Scout project something to that effect. And from there you can donate Doctor, is there other ways to donate that could be tax deductible. Do you have your EIN number available for the public to see on your website? Don’t believe I have my EIN number be really helpful if you put it right on the front page because it can invite donations in other ways than PayPal.

16:20 Yep. Because like old people like me don’t use PayPal. Yeah. Yeah. Thank you for the advice. Also another way to donate you can donate via check and send it to my home address at 41 Westshore drive and I will get deposited with the school. And those are made out to town of Marblehead or you can send it to the school with a note saying it’s for the project that also works.

16:46 Another but when you start construction, we would love to hear how that’s going if you want to. Yeah, I can come back in the spring with an update. Thank you. All right. Thank you very much. I’m gonna kick that back to you John. All right, next up. We have our Metro director Johnson giving an update on the program where we are some of the successes that we have had this year and some Visionary thought she has for the future of the program so welcome.

17:19 Thank you, Dr. Bucky.

17:24 Thanks for having me tonight in special thanks to John Nan and my entire team at Marblehead public schools for the opportunity to serve in this position. I’m grateful for the support of the school committee. And I look forward to regular meetings with whoever the new Macco liaison will be. I currently attend all leadership and admin meetings. I have weekly meetings with John as well as Nan bi-weekly meetings with the business office. Meetings with parents and families and the PCO executive board I go to all of the monthly mecco Directors Association and metco headquarter meetings regular Transportation meetings with a facilities Department athletic department meetings as

18:11 needed School building team meetings IP meetings monthly metco Directors Association meetings, and I’ve also been to other metco districts for shadowing. also professional development conferences And Community engagement. I’ve met with a wonderful organizations and the community such as spur and Marblehead counseling Terry McDonough. the Marblehead racial Justice team also making ends meet the PCOS at all of our school buildings. Community members and representative Jenny armini

18:58 and that’s all been really exciting. So I’m really happy to be here. I’d like to talk a little bit about enrollment. We currently have 43 students enrolled in our metco program here in Marblehead. I have submitted an enrollment expansion proposal to Desi that’s pending approval. I’m requesting 25 students for an enrollment expansion for the 23 to 24 school year. We currently have 43 minus eight that are expected to graduate this year that brings us to 35 students. Marblehead Public Schools would like to increase our enrollment to 60 students for the upcoming school year. And this request is not above our overall average and the last three to four years. Our average

19:44 enrollment has been 63 students compared to 75 students in years previous. Next I’d like to talk a little bit about Staffing. We have two part-time tutors one full-time tutor coordinator position. That was just expanded. We’re really excited about that. And I’ve applied for Salem State intern for the upcoming year. So excited for that and I’ll talk about some highlights and events. So we began a Soca Club at the high school of students of color Association and students are really excited about it. They’re bright and Brilliant bold and vocal and I really enjoy working with them.

20:31 We have solidified a Matco Affinity space at the high school here. Also a metco slash Affinity space at Village School. We had an MLK Day speaker come in Mr. Ron Jones, which was fabulous. We we have reinstated our family partner program, which is really exciting.

20:59 We began an online store through Marblehead sports shop. And this is all wonderful swag. I can send you the link and it’s all the prosely all the 20% of the proceeds go to the Tyrone metco scholarship. So we’re really excited to support that. We had our back to school event in August. Thank you to Spur for all of our backpacks that were donated. We also had a holiday party in December at Dave and Buster’s that was really fun. We have a family dinner at metco headquarters on the 26th of this month 4 pm to 6 pm and I’m not exactly sure of the Quorum requirements. But I really hope that one or two of you can attend Macco headquarters.

21:49 That is that is in Boston on 11 Roxbury Street. in Dorchester And I’m happy to send along the flyer. Yeah, should we reach out to you if you know for that information, if you could share it, that would be great. I would love to attend. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. It’s 4:00 pm to 6 pm.

22:15 We have a high school Retreat coming up April 14th and Norwood. We have a senior boat send off that is happening May 20th at 6 PM. We were working with the spirit of Boston to solidify the details for that. We have a middle school retreat at the Ron Burton training Village in Hubbardston, Massachusetts, Friday, June 9th. Culture feces tenonly tentatively scheduled for May 19th at 6pm at Marblehead High School. And this is led by three of our seniors for their senior project. We just had our metco headquarters Leadership Retreat at Gillette Stadium, which was awesome. Super fun next year.

23:02 I hope that one or two or whoever can attend would go because it’s really great and informative. We had a MDA Youth Forum in December that five of our high school students had the opportunity to attend and myself included. We also went to the metco Directors Association conference in Norwood myself and Dr. Bakke Mr. Grant who’s one of our tutors and Mara at the vet school, and that was really nice. So yeah, we’re looking forward to having a school committee meeting at metco headquarters. the areas of improvement that I would say are family engagement transportation is a consistent

23:50 area of improvement across all 31 Matco districts. So we’ll continue to strive for our best in that area.

24:01 That sponsor families here or is that families of the metco children themselves? talk about engagement I like to talk about our boston-based families being more involved in our community here and also collaborative work with Marblehead residents and Boston residents together. Gotcha. Okay. Yeah. Thank you.

24:29 And so one of the area of improvement has access to extra curricular activities and community events. And so I look forward to

24:41 to working on those things. Does anyone have any questions? I know but I I’m gonna open that up to the community or the committee, but I want to make sure that we connect about the meeting moving forward for the possible setting a date and time for that. Sure, absolutely. Does anybody in the community one? Um, so thank you so much for coming to present to us. It sounds like you have been very busy in your your time here. So that’s great to hear all the all the ways that you’ve been able to kind of work for, you know through Outreach and really engaging the family. So thank you for all that work. One of the things I just wanted some more information on is the enrollment piece because I

25:28 think you mentioned going from 75 a few years ago 43. Can you quantify I’m not quantify qualify that for us like, do you know what happened? What? What’s attributed to that a little bit more long-winded Tom? Yeah, so I think that there’s several variables that that have contributed. The first I think is just geographically where the furthest away from Boston and you know families now can choose which district they want to go to and I think that it is a long ride for families to especially when we think about our K through three age students sure. So has that process changed over the years?

26:16 Yes, so previously when families would apply they were assigned districts. So now families are able to select districts. Are you seeing a decline a similar decline in other districts or is this particular to Marblehead? Overall, the Met Cohen enrollment has been steady. We haven’t seen a high increase or decrease.

26:46 mentioned or the en rollmention Which is great. But what’s your kind of what’s the likelihood on filling those spots? So we have 19 student referrals that are in queue right now. So I’m in the process of building an admissions committee at each School building to be able to review those referrals. I’m assuming a lot of those come in at the younger grade. Is that a good assumption to make her now? No, actually, I think the majority of the referrals that we received are five through nine. Okay? And most of the K through for our siblings of

27:32 the five through nine families.

27:36 I’m sorry, just um

27:41 We do not have the mecco liaison position Phil. Yes, that’s later in the agenda that under liaison positions. We can do it. Now. I was actually going to ask you to step in and build that okay, I would love to I’d love to be I’m more involved. So agree. All right, great. That sounds one hour to do some more with you for it, but a strong thumbs. Yeah, you live down at b or you work at be you can bring some kids back and forth. Perfect. Perfect BMC right now, so yeah. All right. Just did you have questions here, please? No, I just wanted to thank you like all the stuff that you do just talked about is really impressive that you’ve been doing this year and and implementing and and it’s a huge Improvement as kind of what we’ve seen in the past and and where we’ve been so I’m really happy to hear that and I’m really glad

28:29 it was another one of my things that I wanted to put on the radar is to get that meeting scheduled because that was such a fun evening and I would encourage everybody last year John and I rode the bus together we sat Somebody’s seat at first and it was quite a situation but we found our seat at the front of the bus where we were told to go as the old people and you know and rode out the rest of the ride there, but it was such a fun night and that bus ride is really long, you know, I had an appreciation for what those kids do each day and it was really impressive that they get up at so early and they don’t get back. I mean we were almost late to dinner. I think well, we kind of actually wrote the bus a little bit too long as well. But we

29:15 we missed our stop but it was it was almost five o’clock. I think by the time we got off that bus, so it is a really long day for for the kids and it’s really impressive to the families that make that commitment and you know it just I think it enhances the Marblehead education to have to have our kids have these kids in the district. So thank you. Thank you so much John said just one question. Ask us to expand enrollment. What what are you what do we need from the committee or is there a deadline or when did what is the school system? I’m new to the committee. So I just don’t know how it works. So fascinated by the whole metco thing, by the way. So because we’re we’re not asking for more than our average we don’t

30:01 really need anything per se from the school committee. Just if you’re continued support and that’s great. If we were to go requested enrollment expansion above our average we would have to come and ask for approval. Thank you so much. The cultural Feast is done too. Yeah, my fifth grade was asking about it yesterday. He’s like is that is that going to happen again? Is that yeah, and we’re excited for it. We might not have as many food trucks. Whatever you have. You know, it’s always good. Yeah. Thank you very much. That’s been great. Thank you so much. Thank you. for the chair I just want to Echo some of the commendations that

30:48 people made for occasion in the mecco program. She’s been on the job for less than a year and you just got a Litany of things that she has done to kind of invigorate the program engaging with local organizations getting out in our community as well as going to the state and she’s shadowing in other districts. She’s taking our students to events. She’s engaging our teachers and staff and Regional Medical events. And so she’s really just doing a great job. And so I look forward to our continued work and the Expansion Project that we’re undertaking. Thank you very much Dr. Bucky. I will also ask you to introduce the next item on the agenda. I believe we have Mr. Bauer up with the annual program of

31:33 studies update for Marblehead High School for the 2324 Academic Year. Welcome. Go ahead. Tom. Just get it out right now Danvers. He’s nice to see you Danvers Dan. Thank you. We’re on the other side of the principal took you out now. We’re all gonna behave. Well, thank you for having us here. Michelle Carlson assistant principles with me because she is one of the primary schedulers in the building herself and Christine chakowskyo director of School counseling work hand in hand. So this is a long process to bring the program of studies to you. This is a point now where presenting tonight we’re looking for approval to continue with their course selection process.

32:19 We start the planning early in October as we work through the potential edits with their lead teachers and departments to look for courses that need to be any revisions to courses simple edits and also for looking to eliminate due to no enrollment lack of enrollment or change or adding courses depending on student interest as you know, our schedule as student driven by interest, that’s how we build our sections. So Michelle is done a ton of work with Christine in this area and helping finalize this product that we have before you tonight. So we’ve already submitted the the final edits to the committee certainly happy to give A quick overview and I think if we can go ahead and change that slide Frank the next one, please.

33:05 Okay, so I try to compress in to be honest with you there really are very few substitute changes one more frame. So and we always try to balance what we we have what we need and looking for down the road. So we’re very excited because we’re we’ve already submitted Part B of the manufacturing engineering pathway with the state. So we’re waiting for some feedback and approval so we can launch this for next year. And with that there are two courses you’ll see when I get to it for the new courses at it that will allow for that pathway to move forward. The second piece is the the state seal of by literacy, which is huge Michelle’s done a lot of work with the World Language Department in terms of bringing this because just being

33:50 able to provide that for a students. It’s just an awesome opportunity. The new course is Introduction to manufacturing and Engineering are those introductory courses that are required for the pathway the entry level where we allocating resources as well as Staffing that there’s already been working on the curriculum to launch for next year and anticipation of approval for the pathways. We’re very excited to bring forward. Another AP course, so that will bring us to 19 which is a high number in this area of AP courses AP English seminar, and that was brought to us by Robin finds our Lead Teacher very excited to offer an advanced accelerated course that may appeal to students in in other areas of the English language. So we’re excited about that the RTA biology we’re adding another

34:38 supportive class. We already have a RTI science, but as we were eliminating the cp2 level of biology, we want to add a supportive class there. We’re all so too Great Courses the 21st century skills and Life After High School or open elective courses, and then the last that the chamber orchestra, which we were going to launch last year. This really is an extension of the friends of strings that you may see at our concerts. This would be an after school course next slide Frank, please. So the program study updates the edits the courses are very basic in terms of the advanced wooden manufacturing. We’ve adjusted that because it was formally Advanced woodworking but we’re trying to add more the manufacturing to give us an advanced course in that pathway. The reading

35:24 and literature is just a simple name change engineering. We are changing the structure and adding Project Lead the Way content into that which allows more project-based approach because we’re introducing the introduction to engineering course. So Joe King has led that charge and then we’re moving the photography to semester-based courses the three and four that allows more options for students in scheduling as opposed to the full year, which is we’re always looking to be more inclusive and add options and then the program of studies existing courses that we have for El programming that are already here. We just wanted to formally put in the POS and Marvel at Academy is highlighted two. We created this after covid which allows us to service students for credit recovery and additional supports. We create that. Summer but we’ve extended that during the school year and then

36:12 the courses eliminated again is we mentioned earlier ones that just haven’t run and that’s a normal course as we go through this to look at areas that are not of interest and try to bring courses that are interested interesting for students. We are eliminating the cp2 level in math and science. It’s a two year rollout. So this year we will eliminate CP to an algebra 1 for freshman level and biology cp2, which is creating a more inclusive. We have co-teaching models to support that we’ve already eliminated CP two years ago in social studies before I arrived we have in World language and English. So we’re making a lot of progress there. So the course that I was sad to see go as History of Rock and Roll because I would love to take that but we have all sorts of guitar. I can roll drumming and you name it. So that’s the

37:00 program of studies as presented to you to the committee any questions, please up to the committee for questions. I just have a couple quick ones

37:11 by liter acy give a little more information on that, please. I’m gonna turn this over to miss Carlson. Yeah. Perfect. So it’s it’s a seal that will go actually on their diploma and it You have to you meet there’s a hundred and eighty schools in Massachusetts that are already enrolled in this most of the places. The town’s right around us are in it. You have to meet minimum criteria for the MCAS scores and on the world language test. So the AP students would take this, you know their senior year and there’s two different distinctions that you can get. I printed it out so I could properly say what they are you there’s

37:56 a There’s a seal of by literacy and then there’s a seal of by literacy with distinction. The nice thing about it is I just happen to pull up North Shore Community College. So they will offer nine credits for the sale of by literacy in 12 credits for the sealed by literacy with distinction. So students that take the AP classes, you know, if they if they score high enough they can get college credits at some colleges and then this also can give them college credits as well. And I’m assuming we’ll make some more marketable if you will in the college process. Yes. Yeah, and it’s it’s something that we will enroll with it in the state next year. There’s a flowchart on how we do it and when we do it and Then we have to do reporting out to the state too

38:42 about the data on how our kids are doing. Well, that’s really impressive. We did a lot of work this year and it’s continuing to updating our curriculum in World Language and we’re following the actual standards. And so the sale of by literacy is actually testing on how well the kids are reaching those standards.

39:03 The Marblehead Academy. Can you talk a little bit more about what that will look like next year. So the current model is we have three staff members that run it during the school year three days a week small stipend hourly curriculum rate one teacher Emily sohegan who actually is our teacher in the bright program. So she has a lot of she’s very skilled in terms of helping multiple different students in terms of their different levels of needs and that’s also integrated into our base platform of Ingenuity as well and current coursework if necessary to help students support them, if they if they for whatever reason fell behind a credit recovery, but also current support that may struggle. So it’s reference and referrals by

39:50 our school counseling department or admin team as needed. It’s worked very well and it has saved. I think the number of students in the summer particularly come out of covid. We’ve actually asked Emily and Casey have worked together Asia in terms of creating a an SEL Thomas social emotional learning sex failed that obviously you’ve got that now which is awesome that collaboration to provide another area of support after school within the program. So we’re very excited about this. Okay, so something that students can go in and out of Possible as they need. Yep. So it particularly with the online platform that utilized once they meet, you know, the certain modules once they complete that they can move on or particularly with the SEL component, you know, if they

40:38 need more or less will make the adjustments for that. All right. Thank you. Thank you. We just want to formalize we’ve had this for two years. It’s more informally get it into the program studies.

40:52 Yeah, that’s great. Hearing about the English seminar from my own students. So I have a couple for you Dan it I didn’t see it listed here. But I know that we were able to reintroduce dual enrollment with Salem State. I believe we have six. Possible seats for this semester. Is that something that would appear in the program of studies or how would we be pushing that up to students? Well, we’ll incorporate that within as well. I’ll have the wording the verbiage in there for that. Okay, and I’m are we continuing with the six spots or is that their growth potential for that? I feel whatever is allowed to us and allocated will follow that perfect. I love that and then these changes to the program of studies this new Staffing potential that we’re looking at. Are you able to achieve what you need to for

41:39 that for Staffing models for that? We I believe we are confident with that because again with anything else we always look for areas of remember student driven, right? So that’s part of the reason somebody left is fell off. They just weren’t receiving the interest. That’s why we tried to balance that piece. But in terms of the engineering and such we we have the staff in fact we’ve Prostrate a few of our teachers to be prepared to teach engineering as well in the intro piece. And remember we’re reallocating some of the cad possibly too into the pathways so we know that we can balance that. Thank you very much. And we’ve also going for a capital Grant fund as well that will support the pathways. So that letter of intent will go out over the break vacation. The application will go in mid March

42:26 and that’s a substantial amount of money. If we and generally speaking schools that do achieve the pathway status if they complete the Grant application will have some great success with that. So that’ll bring in funding to provide for that equipment that will be needed. So we’re hedging it on that. Perfect. We do like Sunday. Thank you. I’ll ask for a motion to approve the proposed program of study changes for the 23-24 school year as presented. So moved Sarah moved by Sarah gold. on the big second guy seconded by Thomas not just on referendums but on food, too. I’m gonna do a roll call vote Sarah gold. Yes. Tom Mathers, yes Allison Taylor

43:13 Megan Taylor Sarah Fox yes motion carries five to zero. Thank you both. Thank you.

43:21 And we’ll go back to Dr. Bucky for district updates. Yeah, before I jump into the updates, I’ll just give kind of a state of the district. I think you’ve heard tonight a lot that the committee and the community have to feel really good about what’s happening in our public school system from starting with yasin’s report on the successes of our student groups and clubs and activities. And then with the return of the Warrendale trip, which was a fan favorite coming back you had the great update on metco. You see exciting things happening at the high school in terms of programming and services to students and I know sometimes the news doesn’t always cover the great stuff that’s happening. But the state of the district very strong

44:07 and I think that we have a lot to celebrate and to be proud of so thank you. That’s my kind of quick update and then the substantive update is unfortunately the high school principal search. We published the timeline in the update last week. We will have our first search committee meeting on February 28th at three o’clock at Marblehead High School. I published the search committee as well. We have finalized the parent and the student representatives and I will say we had quadruple more than quadruple the number of parents interested in being on the search and we unfortunately have slots for and we

44:53 had more than triple the number of student interests as opposed to the number of slots we Have available. I want to thank Dan for helping me to look through those it was important to me that this committee is representative of all facets that the new principal will be in charge of working with students who are academically Advanced students who struggle students who are in athletics who are involved in the Arts and Leadership and so looking at the parent Representatives. We will have Carrie Francis born Melissa kaflewitch Cindy Shaffer and John White and our

45:39 student Representatives. We tried to get one from each grade level and again looking at their involvement in clubs and activities in athletics and the Arts and so Audrey Bathurst Jeremy Sorkin David Albert and Lucy Sabin will be the student reps our CPAC. Will be Jennifer Jackson and our metgo rep will be Nakia Bell. The application deadline will close next week. We’ll have that initial screening committee or the search committee meeting on February 28th. We’ll spend a week looking through applications. We’ll move into a selection of finalists. We’ll take a week to interview finalists semifinalists. Then

46:26 we will have a meeting on March 20th to select the finalists and that final week in March. We will have them visit the district and that will provide our community and opportunity to have forms with the finalists leadership team will have an opportunity to interview them. They will have a faculty meeting and a student panel so there will still be opportunities for people to participate in the process. Once the finalists are named and then on April 10th. We hope to have the final announcement of a new high school principal Thank you very much, Dr. Bucky. And as we know there will be a school Community. I apologize. Sorry, I didn’t mean to cut you off. We do have one school committee rep that will be on the search committee as

47:13 has been the practice in the past. Yes, and how effective is a search committee with 19 people just out of curiosity out of experience from you folks that are well. This is the largest search Tom and it is larger because by me a contract they have a set number of representatives and for a high school principal search by contract. It’s for and in my experience. I like to have parity on that. So I wanted for parent reps. I think it’s important to have students on a search and so I added for students. This is a larger group, but I think it will be a representative group and I look forward to working with them.

48:00 For the school committee representative. I will be representing the school committee as the chair on that and then we’ll be looking for some is that up for discussion or is that self-employment? It usually we talk about that a little and we have that’s absolutely fine. Our process in the past has been expensive to the discretion of the chair. But we absolutely can have discussion with that as well. And we might want to at the same time talk about who are rep for the assistant superintendent position is or we can we on talking about that if you prefer. Yeah, I’m not sure if I’ve seen anything that describes any prerogative or protocol for representation on any of these committees. So I would think it should be something subject to

48:45 deliberation. I’m not opposed but I just think that it would be from a governance perspective and the best interest of the committee in our functioning to have a discussion before we arrive. It’s yeah the last time we had one It had been reiterated that it would be to the discretion of the chair. I wasn’t the chair at the time but I’m happy. I’m absolutely happy to have that discussion. That’s absolutely fine. I kind of was just trying to follow past procedure on that. But if anybody else, you know feels differently we can absolutely discuss that well, maybe since you’ve thrown your name in the Hat to volunteer, I’d be I’d be happy to ask if anyone else wants to volunteer Allison or Sarah or Megan if you’d like to volunteer, then we can have a discussion. Actually wanted to volunteer you.

49:36 big one and I think not having a student cued up to go into the high school. This has been my big kind of thing before as well that I think it complicates things when the parent and the school committee piece sort of. Start to blend together. I certainly do not want to be on this search. I have a very vested interest in it as a parent and I don’t think it would be appropriate and I I think

50:08 just Optics wise I think you might be a good choice. because of my guy You know because I’m a guy because you are the only one with no students in the system. Okay? Hopefully we keep this person for some time and that would give most of us even Allison. I think you’re the one with the one of the younger ones to get there. Well, Sarah Fox has like 12 kids. But it’s on our coming right up. Here so far. This is the only school I don’t have a child in Ms. Taylor. How do you feel let’s say would you like to throw your name in that? Was going to throw my name in the Hat for the assistant. superintend ENT to that, but I think Sarah makes some really good points because I do think it is hard to separate the parent in the school Community role.

50:55 So I do think you’d be a great choice for Ms. Taylor on the on the horn Have I would prefer to be on the superintendent search? I assistant superintendent search. I I do like the idea of I like Sarah’s rationale on you helping out with the high school. I like the the notion of not having any children in the school system, you know, obviously my kid is I think this is age High School. Sarah beats me on that but That’s probably not what you are looking to hear. That is not.

51:39 Well, I just think from a governance perspective this committee. We need to function from a perspective of deliberation. I have no interest in having previously raised my hand, but I will do with the will of the committee is so it depends on how strong you feel about this. I yes. I will say what I have said in Prior school committee meetings. We enjoy having the school committee representative, but at the end of the day, this is a superintendent hire and so I wouldn’t want to cause consternation on the board by having a contested school committee on it

52:22 Okay, I I don’t think there’s anything contested. I do I will say that for the last year. We’ve had a year and a half. We’ve had multiple search committees. And at every turn when I asked to be part of them. The reason was that I had a child in the school, which is tough because I have the child everywhere and this was the one child at school. I don’t have a child in but I also am perfectly happy to go with the will of the committee. I know that historically the the chair has sat on this is being our Flagship school. So as we’ve gone through these searches in the past it the chair is always sat on on these but again, I’m perfectly happy

53:08 to divert to the will of the committee as well. So should we take a straw poll as to or should we? How do you guys want to play this? I don’t want there to be hurt feelings because I didn’t come into this. I didn’t want there to be.

53:25 I’m I’m absolutely fine. It sounds like Sarah and Megan. And also in would like to make a motion. Do we need to make a motion or I don’t really vote and record it or we can just I mean you can volunteer me. It’s up to you. If you would like to do it yourself. Do you have the bandwidth to do it?

53:50 When we can we move to the next agenda and we’ll come back just because yeah, it’s gonna check some dates.

53:59 Brings us to financial organizational support Finance organizational support Dr. Bucky. I just really want to ask you if it mostly we have leadership team here. And I know at a certain point you do send them on home, but do you want to talk about this memo this you typically talk about your memos under the Your update You released one today about the fy24 potential reductions to meet the preliminary Town appropriation. So, I don’t know if you wanted to walk us through that. Sure, I’m happy to do that. I believe Lisa put this in the shared file earlier this week and then it should have been part of the agenda packet

54:44 Sarah Fox records this this in the commendations. I let the administrative team through a pretty challenging process to identify potential areas where we could make reductions to get to an 800,000 roll forward or 1.8 increase over the fy23 budget. I presented it to the committee in terms of where we are in fy23 and then potential reductions in each bargaining unit. And we have the five bargaining units teachers custodians Paris tutors permanent subs and calf and then I added a category for administration and that just encompasses anyone that

55:31 is not currently covered under a bargaining unit for example administrators and clerks. And so you can see in the aggregate. That’s a 33.6 to reduction in Staffing across the bargaining units to get to that figure. I think it’s important. That some increases for fy24 needed to come forward for example, the third year of implementation for the math program. We can’t just say, oh we’re going to stop implementing the math programs. So that was a hundred and ten thousand dollars that needed to be added which meant that additional reduction those reductions of 33.62 include that

56:17 will forward. We also had to consider some what I would call Pennywise and pound foolish that we have heard regularly about the need for more counselors and support personnel, and we know that students that are struggling if we cannot provide them services in the district. We’re going to have to find an out placement which is going to be significantly more expensive in addition to not being able to maintain students in their home District school. So those some funding for two counselors was included and so I will say as I say every time I talk

57:03 about the budget the process is iterative that this will likely change as our budget development process moves forward with the budget subcommittee with the finance committee Liaisons and we do still have the fact that the town has not closed the books on fy22. So for tonight getting to an 800,000 increase over fy23 would mean a reduction of over 33 current staff in the district.

57:39 Thank you. Thank you very much for for getting this to us. This is a very quick turnaround and we do appreciate the work that went into it Allison. I see your hand. Yeah, I definitely thank you to you and your Administration for doing this understand the quick turnaround understand the challenging nature. of this work, so I have a couple of questions do when first do we or have we gotten any additional information on when the town might close their books? Is that unfortunately, right? I don’t think Michelle shaking her head. So yeah, okay and then Secondly, when and this is kind of just a process question for me being new not knowing

58:27 so I apologize for this if it’s something I should know. When we hire someone, of course, we have their salary and then we have their benefits of time at all of that, which is generally on the town side. What? What is the process? You know walking kind of through this when a position is cut. What is the process on? The monies that would have been earmarked for insurance that sort of thing. coming does that Come back to the town. I’m a student just the town. I’m assuming nothing back to the school there, right? I understand. We have to pay from an unemployment perspective. I do remember those rules. Is that do you want to speak to that? Yeah, as we

59:14 looked through the potential reductions we started with unfilled positions for this year that those would not incur in the of those unemployment costs. And then we looked at retirements or people that have indicated that they will retire with that be a position that could potentially not return thus not incurring the additional costs and we’re I have done that additional breakdown. So if that data is helpful to the committee, I’m happy to get them. Yeah, I would I would love to see that when when you’re back. Allison I think that’s a really great point though. I appreciate that point a lot especially in light of last year when we were

59:59 when we were when we had to within our ask put an additional I want to say it was like 400,000 into that ask to cover the benefits for the new employees that we had in that ask. So I I think it’s a really good wonder that would be you know a question for the town side that if we’re eliminating third over 33 and a half. staff What happens with those Savings in in their benefits if we were on the hook for it last year? Can we recoup some of that so that maybe you know, I can’t imagine that it’s I mean, maybe that’s kind of imagine that it’s a massive amount, but maybe it would help us recoup one of those positions. I mean because of that point every position

1:00:45 we would like to hold on to because this these are not these are not I mean, it does have the potential be a lot of money that’s about 20% of the load when you fire is not insignificant. Yeah. So Michelle cross, I’m sorry to speak out a term, but it might understand that. Our friends rate is around 20% plus or minus per an employee. It’s about 20,000 employee. Okay, it’s not a percentage. It’s a dollar a month. Okay, so it’s 20,000 per employee. So my mass a little fuzzy but we’re looking at like 600,000 and just 160 right but how is that accounted for on our kind of? It’s not a cardboard in ours because the town carries that cost. So the town would see this sort see the corresponding reduction

1:01:33 in their cost. But right now I know they do not have I see so you’re saying on their side of The Ledger they would take a 600,000 reduction in expense to be budgeted. And what we’re saying is Well, if that’s a savings on your side, we’d like to put it into the into our budget to capture a couple of employees if you will, right? Got it, especially, you know, it’s a very valid point especially last year any position. We add asked to add they told us we then had to draw from our budget. For the 20,000 per employee, which was a new precedent as well. Sure. I totally get it. I mean, I mean it’s understandable math and we might not like it but on the flip side, if you do it that way then it should go the other way too. Right? Absolutely. Right right. Now they have not received

1:02:21 their health insurance increase from the state yet. So they’re promised a date of March first, they don’t even know what their health insurance budget is going to be for next year at this time. It’s fair, but it’s anticipated to be a significant increase as well. So just using 600 is a round number. It’s easier. Is that something we should maybe earmark for further discussion with the town or I think you yes always ask because it’s a hundred percent know if we don’t ask So for you select and listening we’re coming for that 600,000 for the school committee. We can certainly have that discussion. Once the town has their books closed and they know what their free cash is, but right until that time, we’re using rough estimates. No, I think it’s I think it’s a fair point and all joking aside. I think that you know, it’s if you account for

1:03:09 Any increase head count that the district has to then bear the cost of Fringe if you will about if we were going to call it. Correspondingly if there’s a reduction then the district should benefit from that. my understanding at this point, I think it’s a good negotiating point and we should be pushing this my understanding is they’re already accounting for that savings on their side to get to the point. which we should Advocate our jobs to advocate for the school. Yes, that’s our job and we will continue to do that. I just My assumption is right now that that money is already. Given the situation given the accounting which is partially why the one one second the that’s the seat of the town the increase they

1:03:56 were looking at was 1.3 and they brought us 1.8. Which shows us that they’re giving us more than other departments, but I I’m always an advocate for asking for more from the town. So I think we should push and I think we should ask and explain but I agree that the number is where it is right now, and we just keep advocating for more awesome. No, I I didn’t mean to half interrupt you there Sarah. Absolutely. It’s weird being on this side. Nothing. I I just I definitely want to just throw it out there that I think that’s why and Sarah gold. Thank you for explaining it better than I did and thank you for understanding where my head was. I would absolutely

1:04:43 think that it’s a discussion that it should. Happen, you know and into the public and people should hear so that we understand so that when they do come back next time and say like you said Sarah gold that you know, if you’re adding position you need to account for that. You know, these are just things that I think we need to remember even if it’s a difficult conversation and a conversation that maybe people don’t want to have I don’t mean anybody in that room right there, but I definitely think it’s a conversation that we should have. That I appreciate. Sarah gold explaining it better and just so everyone understands. also they’ve the team has also worked to make this proposal inclusive of Any additions to our unemployment benefits,

1:05:31 so that won’t be a further cut on top of this isn’t included. So Dr. Bucky, can I? Just ask a question about the programmatic expenses that were on the operating line. So when we had kind of that aspirational presentation on the 30th of January, there was roughly one. I’m gonna call one and a half million dollars of kind of stuff. on programs and things that nature when you did this reduction not only an estimated headcount. Did you take that number all the way back to Prior years operate? Is that what you’re as intimating? Are in most instances? Yes, but you had to account for increases that we know for example paper. Oh sure. Yeah inflationary costs I get but and did you swap out

1:06:17 any kind of line items for new stuff for old stuff. That is you did okay, and you’ll be able to update it. So that later in the in the process great. Okay. I just also will have to say As a new Committee Member and relatively new to town. This is insanity talking about talking about reduction in force potentially of 33 people in the school district for somebody who does have children in the school system. I mean, I’ve been having served at Masco for three years. I’ve just never seen anything like this so I don’t. I mean this is gonna be tough work for you Dr. Bucky. You’ve done a great job and try to stabilize your your buildings. I can’t imagine how hard this is for

1:07:02 you and your leadership team, but this is insane. So this is the antithesis of why I moved into Marblehead. I think I’m very impressed with the professionalism that’s been used to get us to this number. The next step of this is to build a number that we built bring forward for an override because I

1:07:27 we have to give another option to the town and it will be to the will of the voters but this option in my mind is unbearable as a voter and as a parent in school Committee Member, so it’s it’s really going to be the work that we put into the next option that will hopefully get us to what the voters will support and what our students need. Are I’ll do I’ll use the the words of public comment earlier about selection bias. I did a little sample today heavy selection bias because it was all parents with no children. They’re all old people like me in the schools anymore. But when I socialize to them the notion of reducing headcount by 33 people in the district, they were out of their minds. Now. These are a lot of people who are also tax, like don’t raise my taxes.

1:08:15 But when I socialize with they can’t even wrap their heads around this so, you know, wherever we get to I’m building a budget that’s you know, thoughtful and you know within the confines of what the town can do and what’s politically viable. Because that’s going to be important. I’m hopeful that this will not be our final budget. That’s the bottom line because when you you look at what we had last year 33 in a I’d like to understand what 30 30.62 is but 33 people is more than 5% That’s right. So that’s significant. We’re going to need a lot of help from a lot of people to get us to the point where we don’t need to do this. through the chair

1:09:01 Yeah, so I can help answer that question on the voodoo math that Desi does it is a full person but if they’re working 18 and a half hours a week. It is not a full-time equivalency. So it becomes like a 0.62 or so when we submit our epims and Sims reports. They are right with numbers like that and it makes you scratch your head because it’s an individual student or an individual staff member but they’re not calculated as a one point. Oh, yeah. No, it was more of a Just a Sarah question. I guess I I knew exactly what not exactly. But you get what we should really just round up but through the chair again one additional comment these

1:09:47 people also represent programs and services and so not only are we going down 33.62 people we are also losing programs and Direct Services to Children less inclusion less support less tutors and in some instances the elimination of a program. And risking additional outplacements, which is the exact opposite of how the district is hoping to move and not helpful to bottom lines at all. I think one metric that I hear Dr. Bucky talked about by parents is student teacher ratio and

1:10:33 classrooms. How do you think this will impact kind of Fuzzy Math from your perspective? in the various Schools student teacher ratio Yeah, I think in the lower Elementary’s our Pre-K to three certainly there isn’t a lot of margin for movement at the brown school, but you could see at Glover if there’s a change in the number of sections. Classes going from 16 to 17 to 22 to 23 you’d see an increase in Village by four to five students in a grade level. It will have an impact at the middle school taking some sections to over what is beneficial average for those classes and then the high school.

1:11:21 There’s not anything about an average class size. But if you’re reducing personnel, there are fewer sections that will be available for students which ipso facto means that the remaining sections would have more students divided among. So I can say that I have been sitting in this. room for these meetings since long before any of us were on this committee never missing a meeting and through a lot of iterations if you will of budgets and

1:11:52 presentations and I have never seen a position like this where we’ve had to make this drastic of cuts. I cannot emphasize enough how much support we are pleading from from our community. To support education and Marblehead to to get work the word out. And just to help us on the what will be the next version of of these numbers which will keep us more to a level that our students deserve. So I just cannot emphasize enough. What a community project this is going to be and I encourage anybody that wants more information or wants to be involved more that all of us are open to that. I think every person in this

1:12:39 town has my phone number. If not, I can get it to you. But we’re we’re all looking for Community Partners in this because our students really need it your help and really deserve it. One of the questions Dr. Bucky certainly some of the the positions that have been proposed in the aspirational budget were discussed amongst multiple stakeholders in town. As we contemplate these potential headcount reductions. Are we still moving forward with some potential new positions Like A diversity coach or behavioral coach. I’m sorry. I didn’t hear you. No, okay. Thank you. The answer is no so those will not be part of an override request Allison. I see your hand up.

1:13:24 Yeah, I just wanted to clarify one point the for brown not having much wiggle room. I’m assuming and having a child there being more familiar with it that those class sizes are already at the 21 20 23 Mark, right? Okay, and we will. maybe next week we can have that break down of the staff on you know from your list break down of retirement unfilled positions Etc not I’m not detailing anything more than that. Yeah. I have that this evening. Okay, people want me to give specific in I have to give credit where credit is due. That

1:14:10 is not my work. That is Michelle in Emma from an email this morning. They turned that around today to get the specific in each bargaining unit that information on how many are retirement. How many are reduction in force or an elimination of the position? How many were unfilled position? Okay. And should Michelle take that that question. I’m happy to take out you have the question as to the bargaining unit. I would just like to see that same time. I mean my ass would be that same table just with the three columns, I think. Okay, I can put it on the screen if you like. There you go. Okay Power Zoom now receive. I’d say that and

1:14:58 While we’re waiting, I’ll just reiterate. You know, we if anybody’s looking for it. All our budget information is up on the website. If anything is not easily accessible. Let us know we’re working really hard to get information out to people.

1:15:15 awkward silence of Zoom single song Well, I was just gonna comment on the course offering we used to call a home economics when I was in school, but we don’t have homework anymore Danvers then.

1:15:30 I’m sorry, okay. If your little make something great. Yeah, it’s funny my 12 year old wants. Economics back because where we used to learn to balance a checkbook and all that there as well. I think a lot of these kids could really yeah learn some American Middle School at Village. It was a middle school then but we had whole match we learned to iron and basic cake. I’m sorry. I’m not going to be able to share on the computer that I have with me. But if you have a specific question, I’m happy. No, no absolutely not. I understand your way don’t even give another thought but I’m glad we have the numbers and we can get them that’s and we’ll get them out and we will also you received as as the need arises. Can I just yeah one comment. Um, roughly. I know a lot of people are probably panicking over this

1:16:17 33.62 number so roughly half of those positions are vacancies right now. Okay. All right. So we’re looking at roughly 17 to 18 possibly and then there’s a few retirements in there. So, yes, okay. So I just wanted the public to be aware of that number where we’re not sharing it on screen right now. Thank you. Thanks. That’s helpful. Thank you. So finally less sick. Yes, exactly. Encouraging but I wanted that moving along to financial organizational support. I don’t we all the schedule of bills that are Dropbox. I’ll ask for a motion to improve the enclosed schedule of bills totaling 887,543 in 44 cents. So moved on the second guy by Sarah gold second advice,

1:17:03 Tom. Roll call Sarah gold. Yes, Tom Mathers. yes elephant Taylor Yes. Megan Taylor, yes.

1:17:15 Yeah, Sarah Fox. Yes motion carries five to zero. Next we move along to the memorandum of understanding with Park and rack which was on our mlu John has been working with. Peter James and Jamie to kind of tweak things. It was a little loose the first time there’s been a few iterations that have gone back and forth and which landed on what we have here today. So I will ask for a motion to approve the amended version of the mou between the recreation and parks department in the Marblehead Public Schools as presented. so moved I’ll second but have a question. Okay, I’ll open it for discussion. And yeah, so just with regards to

1:18:00 all the highlights on the document are these new changes to the prior document or these areas of emphasis for the district? They’re changing their signaling tree. Oh, go ahead Michelle. All right. Sorry. Sorry you were there. Yeah, they’re just changes to the current document. Can we just get like us? Like to the high level because I was a little confused by the by both of them too. And I figured we’d just get a little bit of information because I’m I’m so glad this happened because you’re absolutely correct. The first version was pretty high level and it was great to have it in writing and sort of memorialize some of that. But I’m I hope that this would happen. So I’m really glad that it did in in the first version when it came online too. We didn’t have the Brown School online which as far as grounds go. It’s much more complex. So there’s a higher Reliance and

1:18:47 so I will kick it back to John to kind of go over where these changes came from. Yep, so Jamie Parker reckon Park and I proposed language back and forth. She took it she and Peter took it to their board and then they brought it back to me. We proposed some changes which are being brought to you. I think the next step is. Reckon Park would like to have school committee, maybe a joint meeting together. So that both boards are in unanimous consent of the proposed changes. Is there any when we spoke last time we talked about parent organizations providing services to some of these schools.

1:19:33 Does this obviate the need for parent organ so that will still be required by parent organization because so what this does is it MOS our Lawns but it doesn’t do any of the actual Landscaping which would be you know, bushes hard skiers like that, which we have no funding mechanism for currently in our budget. We’re very much so reliant on parent volunteers. So if it doesn’t if a parent doesn’t step up or an organization of the step up to do it who does it no, Just not an acceptable answer. So how much do we know what that aggregate number would be and in kind services that are provided that we would have to contract just out of curiosity. If we don’t know, it’s okay. I was just don’t we Todd was going to at one point put that out to bid, but then we’ve been working on the

1:20:20 capital last. We can continue to do that part of the issue is over the years when we’ve done that there’s been no local companies that even wanted bid it because they’re bandwidth with their clients sure. It’s so tight and Parks and Rec. We couldn’t we couldn’t adjust this at all the trim the bushes. No, so I went in attended their meeting just at the bystander to listen in their very much. So in the same crunchwren, if not a little tighter people that they don’t have enough staff to do, okay. Work this doesn’t even really give us very regular lawn mowing. If you will those of us who have kids here notice it the it gets pretty extensive at times. Got you. Okay. Thank you for the questions. So it’s been seconded.

1:21:06 If any more discussion and are we still putting that out going to put that out to bed for We Are? It seems so odd to me that there wouldn’t be. Given all the companies in town a local company that would want to step up. To you know bid on this reasonably, you know it mowing the grass could happen. It doesn’t have to happen, you know at a certain time on a certain day every week. It’s something they will be able to fit in more routinely or I don’t know it just we’re still doing that right? That’s why we will put it out to bed. It’ll have to it will be over the $20,000 Market would have to go through a certain amount of bid process and I don’t know if that triggers the point where it has to be at this the word is escaping me feeling prevailing

1:21:52 wage. Okay, but we certainly will be following through with that. If we get bits. We’ve had it several instances of just no interest. Even when the PTO is quite honestly try to do it just for their school.

1:22:08 So I will move.

1:22:13 Shark and Rec wanted a joint meeting for us to memorialize us. Yes. So we voting tonight because it’s not sounds like the vote. Yeah, I think it’s probably procedurally you’re probably right if we’re not empowered to bind this agreement. My understanding is they wanted to vote on this but wanted to talk about implementation correct me if I’m wrong that they were looking for a vote tonight. I’m looking at the screen like he’s gonna look back at me. I’m sorry. That’s actually good for what do we need? Because I prefer not to have another meeting. I would I was under the understanding that they needed a vote tonight. I think from our meeting Sarah with them that both. Were looking at options for just

1:22:58 like we’re talking about could we contract out the landscaping and if so, what is the impact for them? Because they use School fields and buildings for their programming and just to have a firmer understanding that if there were going to be any changes like that that both boards would have that conversation. So I’m Going to ask that we do vote on this given where we are with everything in in the number of meetings. We’re going to need to have one of the provisions in this is that they get information by a certain date for their programming. If we need to come back in a couple months and revise this I would rather do that. I’d like to vote on this. And from what John is saying it almost sounds like the next conversation isn’t so much.

1:23:46 About the nuts and bolts of this or like about the verbage around this but more almost like a budget conversation or straight and impacts. Yes. This has been very well that and Dr. Bucky and I sat down with their chair and Jamie at one point, Jeannie.

1:24:03 Has been working a lot with Dr. Bucky. As well as their Administration other administrator, so I I’m confident that we can vote this now. I will call for real and so who’s gonna do the horse trading eventually after this is memorialized. I’d like the administrators to work out the next steps, right? They need to come back to us. They can. For not have another board meeting. How was it? How were the requests to bids advertised? Through Michelle handles all I don’t think we’re there yet Allison. Yeah, it’s very prescribed process any bit any bids that Michelle. Handles. All right. I mean I can follow up with her. That’s fine. I’m just okay. I’m just curious. I still find it weird that none of the local places would want to um

1:24:49 so

1:24:51 terrible you guys stop making me laughing. It’s too late in the night their gold. Yes. Tom Jones in with the yes, Allison. Yes. Megan yes in Sarah Fox motion carry. Yes motion carries 5 to 0 that brings us to our budget planning discussion, which we kind of just jumped around and had our subcommittee and liaison updates. So in our Dropbox was added today the various. Can I ask one question? I’m just the budget planning. So we’re not gonna we don’t have the prioritized list this evening. I’m looking at John. Thank you doing that, right?

1:25:31 We don’t have the prioritize list or this like we’re not we’re not trimming anything from the current request or the current aspirational. That is the next. I believe the next leadership meeting will be focusing on that John, correct? We have done that work. We can bring that forward to the committee. I think we’re trying to get a sense of is where are we between a keep the lights on scenario of the five and the aspirational budget that was presented and what? Is kind of the will of the committee to is it seven seven five six seven five? I mean, I think it’s I think it’s hard to frame it like that. I would highly recommend that you and your team forward to

1:26:19 the committee kind of those things most important to leadership. And then I think a 12 14 whatever that number is and the aspirational budget. I think we all can assume based on the state of the town that that’s Dead on Arrival. But is there some sort of compromise in there that buys us some of those programming given some of the headcount reductions you’re talking about that we can figure out a way to get to some happy medium, but it’s impossible to give you guidance on a abstract number from my perspective until we know exactly what you guys prioritize is most important to be fair to other committee members. What I would like to see is from where we are right now. A prioritization list of what goes back

1:27:06 in because I think everything over where we are right now is a knife fight for lack of a better. It has to have it has to be an override anything else in years past we could dig deeper in free cash. The free cash is gone. So I would like to see from this point the prioritization. I wouldn’t assume that we’re just I personally am not assuming that you would want us to just put back everything that of these 33 there may be things that you ask for in your aspirational budget that may prioritize over. Those 33 possessions and whatever expenses because we also cut 500 and some Modern expenses so start personally. I’d like to see where we’re starting now at the 800 budget, which

1:27:51 is I know I’m gonna copyright austerity budget there that I would like to move from there and then start to see the prioritization list moving back up so that we and any number we bring forward is very well thought out and Justified and politically viable as much as none of us like that to be our driving force. That’s how we get. We we’re gonna get any money. It’s through a vote and we need to pass a book. So kind of the silver gold and platinum and maybe even the time we know what the diamond option is. And but you know, maybe a couple of choices like a Chinese menu would be helpful for me because I just don’t know everything well enough, but to have your priorities and your leadership would be really important really really

1:28:38 important. So it’s the sooner you can think about it that way and get it at least to me and at least maybe some of our counterparts who make our jobs a lot easier and supporting you on whichever number we get to we will have that to you. Yes, sir. Thank you, and it would be my recommendation because this is a more robust conversation around budget. Then we would typically have in a standard Thursday night meeting that we may be start to look at when necessary doing what we did on Monday where we have a meeting dedicated for the entire committee to talk about the budget. Yeah, so that these meetings I agree more another Workshop type style. Yes. Yes, so I’ll work with Dr. Buckeye to find out his timeline. I’m operator next week nowhere exciting but You know, they’re all mysterious. It’s

1:29:25 Okay, I have six kids. It’s not work release or anything like that. It feels like that it kind of actually that might be the best description.

1:29:36 And again, I I we all appreciate this hard work. We know it’s it’s been painful.

1:29:43 so the facilities property list as we went through the center facilities meeting. What really comes out is although all these are kind of obscure addresses. Almost every one of these is adjacent to our school in part of our school properties. For instance with the ones you see with Village. It’s the driveway. We can’t subdivide these and still get into our our buildings for lack of a better description. I don’t think we have to go through each one. I was just curious. This is what’s on the balance sheet for the school. If you will these are assets that we own Michelle. Were you able to talk to the assessor today and clear up some of those I was it’s just basically a bookkeeping item that needs to take place on their end. They still have Gary as being ours this a

1:30:31 few a few things on there. We know that we transferred feet and Street and Gary but the assessor still has it listed its own by us. But just just to clarify. more just For Tom, well, we slowly while we maintain them. We don’t own them. So I wish that to turn them back to the town on the town can choose to do what they want with them. So this would be some sort of negotiation to earmarked the proceeds from any disposition to come back to the district or into some sort of stabilization fund for the benefit of the district only that would be Be ideal just has not happened in the past that is you will not we’ve traveled they will not enter into any type of discussion and it’s been told to me whether it’s valid or not. I didn’t, you know go through legal to find out but that there’s no legal mechanism for even doing that. So

1:31:19 I guess just as I’m thinking through and at this is just for public record. I had asked Dr. Bucky about this at the state of the town meeting because I just don’t understand but we don’t I know we own like the old school over there off Atlantic Avenue and you know what happens if you sold that, you know, and I knew you’d said at the time there wasn’t consensus to do that Sarah. You educated me a little bit that it’s really Town property. It would have to go not sell it you we keep we can’t make the decision has to go to the town be delivered upon there’s obviously all kinds of issues. Like a lot of people would come in. There’s affordable housing and rent it. No understand for the benefit of the district. Yes, so that’s A little bit of a loop, but just for I thought for

1:32:05 my own education. It would then have to be discussed with the town if the proceeds of any disposition could be utilized for the school in any way shape or form. So the it’s not this this is not a quick fix for fy24. Probably not even fy25. This is a hot mess to be decided over a period of time. Yes, but one of the but the other piece of that is we’re currently maintaining them. So the coffin school, for example, we’re maintaining that and there’s liability associated with it. So something goes wrong in that building. We’re we have to pay for it. Right. So we’re maintaining that building and it’s not in great shape. So that would come out of our operating budget and do we get rent for the utilization that building it’s something you know, it’s not being utilized. It’s on it is not basically condemned at this point.

1:32:51 So we did actually I found this out just out in the community. We did just enter into an agreement. I did not know this and with the farm direct Co-op, we’ll be using the outside grounds this year the parking lot. Yes. Yes, we’re gonna collect enough rent payment I want to point out is What at the facility subcommittee what we did ask two meetings ago for for the leadership to do we when we brought Brown online and we moved that our 18 to 22 year old program. We at that point gave our word that we would find a home for these students that isn’t just transient that we would design a space that meets their needs. So what we asked Dr. Bucky to do is to to work with Dr.

1:33:37 Donnelly our directors of student services and get a list of programming. What would be appropriate programming space for that program. We also ask Dr. Buffy to come up with an appropriate programming list for our Central Administration right now. We are at Witcher Road at the Goodwill of the Town. However about three years ago. They came through with heat measures and told us to be moving us out in a couple months. It wound up falling off from that. But since then we’ve kind of been under the understanding that we do need to find a home for our Central Administration. The other place that we asked him to possibly look at getting a programminglist from Dr. Donnelly would be I called my word Was An Early Childhood Center. We continually have a wait list for our preschools. Our preschool is a revenue stream. And since

1:34:24 we are always sitting on a wait list for that and it’s a potential Revenue stream. What is the area for growth there? Therefore bringing in some extra money if we could while meeting the needs of our district and our students. So these are all items we ask for a programming list for which then we could take as a committee and look at what our properties are and to make an educated data-driven decision about the future. I would argue given where we are fiscally speaking with the challenges. We have our leadership team nor really. Can we as a committee embark on this work in the next two to three months, but I would say that Once we get through this budget cycle, this is something looking at that programming and then meeting our needs within what we have before we decide I don’t want to just give back

1:35:09 property until we know we don’t have a use for it. So I think you said a lot and I think that you know, the disposition of any assets theoretically that benefit the district is like sharing a toothbrush, right? So nobody wants to do it but sometimes you got to and so I absolutely agree that it’s not going to solve our problems for this year and I would absolutely concur a table this until after we get through budget town meeting potential vote Etc, but I do think What this town has shown at least again. Just stepping it from the outside is we don’t necessarily value all this additional programming in the way. We would hope and as such you have to make potentially hard

1:35:55 decisions in a town. That’s not You know that’s in a structural deficit for the period of time coming into collective bargaining years Etc. So I just think it has to be a real conversation as much as we don’t like it. Right but I think the other piece of that too is it’d be great. But none of these buildings are in the position to be able to actually safely house those programs. No, there’s a significant investment that would have to happen. And absolutely I mean so I will say we’re on opposite side of that conversation, right? Yeah, and that’s why I think and also not to overstate we don’t even have an open warrant. This is a mute conversation. Now, I think that we should start revisiting this in the fall with the programming and looking at it. Hopefully from a different Financial. I think we all agree to defer I’m not going to speak for you sir.

1:36:41 Yeah. I just want to thank you things. I I think you know, unfortunately it has to be deferred at this point. The coffin school is a liability and from everything that I have learned about it. I would encourage the next committee to get in touch with the Building Commissioner as well as the fire chief and go through that building because from everything that I understand it is not. There’s no hope for it in the future. One thing we’ve asked to do. I forgot as a Um facilities committee because we understand that the building’s a liability is getting the cost to raise the building. It could be nominal. It could be huge. I noticed. Yeah, right but to own the land. Yes

1:37:27 and not the building so we don’t have that data as soon as we do we’ll bring It Forward. Yeah, because from everything that I understand. I mean there’s asbestos everywhere. It is not 88 compliant and even just the Ada portion of that piece is multiple elevators ramps and it’s Millions into the next stage of this. We’ll have more information and all the variables to look at. We just we have nothing to go on right now. Um, okay, so other subcommittee in liaison updates when Are the resignation with tendered by Emily Barron? We were left with a vacancy on Mecca which we were able to fill tonight with Megan. Thank you as well as policy subcommittee. I talked to Tom briefly and asked him if

1:38:13 he’d be willing to step in to serve on policy with Sarah gold and he had agreed. Is there anyone else that wants that? Grenade, I mean that opportunity. Allison had that beautiful experience. I’d be happy to fulfill this if nobody else wants this for I love policy. So do why? And so then we’ll Point time to policy.

1:38:36 And then doing this committee. We keep our meetings to a minimum. I’ve been doing some. Work in the meantime. So we’ve got a few things in the queue. Do we still have a smoking dozen or designated smoking area in the high schools? Like I did in for now now okay. I think you can’t smoke within certainly of the problem that brings us to our the next step of our organizational structure. Emily was also the vice chair at the time in that role has been vacant. I would like to nominate Tom is vice chair, which will then open up to discussion. I don’t know that there’s a nomination. I’ll make a motion to a point. Okay, and then we can open it up for if there’s a first and

1:39:22 what was that else Allison save me I just realized what you I just I was slow there. I realize what you said Tom laughing a little bit more refined than text language. So there’s a motion the table to a point Tom matters as Vice chair. Is there is anybody gonna move that? Yeah, I’ll move it. I’ll second it by Allison Taylor seconded by Sarah gold discussion, Tom.

1:39:52 Really? The only thing that you would need to do is take over the chair position should Sarah not be in at a meeting. So sorry. I think you have to do that anyways. So, well, he does it. Well, I’m here right? It’s not just keeping you in line. There’s a difference any pokes me. Um, just going back to that though because we did talk about this month ago. And at that point you recommended that we didn’t have a vice chair. So can you just tell me kind of what’s changed and since that conversation I received a lot of feedback that people really felt strongly that we feel that role and committee from there some people in the public that they said that there was immediately following that that There was a need to follow the setup in

1:40:39 the protocol and the role existed and I was asked if I could once seat was filled do such and so I was just following that. Okay, just because that information hadn’t been passed on to any of us. So that’s news at this point.

1:40:55 This goal.

1:40:59 if you if you I don’t know if I want to say this.

1:41:04 I believe I could provide counterbalance amongst this fractions school committee. In a positive manner and hopefully keep us together in a honorary role of Vice chair. I have no idea what the position actually entails. It doesn’t entail a whole other than just if Sarah’s not here or to always have to sit next to Sarah to keep her. Well, that’s negotiable. Okay. depends on which side he send you might go to the principal’s office. I mean Dr. Bucky from a governance perspective and what you need from the school committee. do you think that a vice chair is necessary and if so Why? I do. I think it’s good governance to have a chair and a vice

1:41:50 chair when Emily was the vice chair Sarah and Emily would come in. We would develop the agenda collaboratively. I think that you know in the event that Sarah can’t be in a meeting. It’s readily known who will step in not filling it. I don’t think makes good sense. So whoever steps in to it and I mean the salaries great. I also think it’s it’s in one of our policies that we have to have it.

1:42:20 So without further Ado I will call for a roll call vote Sarah gold. That’s Tom Mathers, no

1:42:30 Alison Taylor. Yes. Megan Taylor I mean, I’m only gonna say no because I feel bad for but no yes, we should do it because we do need a vice chair, but what you said no in yes. Yeah both. Okay. Okay and Sarah Fox? Yes, the motion carries four to one you’re it. Okay, so you wanted to help out Tom? Jumped both Eden. I wanted to go to the problem with the prom queen and that’s wrong. So new we’re gonna raise his hand again. Have you business if anybody has any new business? I just want to Circle back to the high school Tom given the end of this meeting. Oh, yeah,

1:43:16 you’re your thoughts. So so the issue I have is on the interview week of March 13th. How does that how does that work Dr. Bucky? Yeah, I just pencil that week in we don’t know what the committee will select in terms of semifinalists. There may be four. There may be six and so I just like to have that week. It may only be one day that we but once the committee is together. That’s kind of the purpose behind the initial meeting is to look at the skeletal framework of the schedule and see if with 19 people they’re conflict. And so how many interviews would you anticipate conducting during that week or whichever week you pick for interviews?

1:44:01 Realistically how many candidates would actually come in for an interview?

1:44:08 The going number has been around five or six and those be that personal day and those okay, so it would be in person. Possibly in a day, okay. I think for the brown search we did. Six in one afternoon and they were you know, they we kept them on a time schedule and like half an hour 45 minutes each. No, it was less than that. Wasn’t it? That would be really long? Okay, so I’m happy to do it given those circumstances if the committee decides as such. so it looks like Tom will be the representative on the High School search committee Are the winner tonight?

1:44:50 So one item right? I don’t know. We should have done this under financial planning. The original date fin com head offered was March 27th. Um for the electrical before performed before them. They’re now pushing out the warrant hearing I believe to April 11th. And they’re hoping to hold their last date April 3rd. Did nothing has been finalized yet. We will need to post our budget hearing three weeks in advance. So we’re starting to encroach on that a little bit. We were wanted to make a concerted effort this year to have art. I think it’s really important this year tip our budget hearing prior to fin Comm time. Just so you

1:45:37 know. And all things Marblehead then com is always voted our budget before we have. Which is was our so we should have from a governance perspective some deliberation over the budget to advise fin confident advised town meeting. That would be nice. Yes. Gotcha. Okay, so it’s our committee’s work to work with Dr. Bucking and his staff to arrive at a budget we can all Yes, feel good about and sign up. So if anybody I don’t want to start pulling out calendars and have this link in this meeting now, but if looking at the last week. Michelle right Dr. Bakkie, right the last week of Mark March if you all can send me a list of no dates we can work back from there to potentially book our budget hearing because again the 27th the

1:46:22 week of the 27th a week before I’m John you can just be yeah. I know that our schedules are all very very tight. But if we could keep that March 27th. Finance committee date and back from there. Yeah. We just have to see if Alec is still offering that so maybe we can do this algebra offline. That’s what I’m sure just those last two weeks. If you can send me dates that do not work for you. We’ll do all the work and then come up with a comedy. So that’s all I need from everybody else.

1:46:56 correspondence we received in or Dr. Bucky received an email or a letter from Charles Gessner, which we were cc’d on and Lisa was supposed to got that in the Dropbox. Was it not in the Dropbox? I don’t remember seeing okay. I could I’ve ever resist the Metro. No So Lisa sent it to me and asked me if we wanted to put in the Dropbox. So and I I thought it would have gotten put in there. I’ll make sure it does get in there. He had sent it to Thatcher and Dr. Bucky and just at the back it was an actual formal like Written Letter not even an email. Um, so I’ll make sure everybody gets a copy of that as well. Can you summarize it was just asking us to talk about what we did tonight about the disbursement of properties. Oh, okay. Great. He’s about

1:47:42 con member that was gonna be about nominating Tom Mathers for every like committee. That was the post. Okay, so that was in there. And that brings us to adjournment at motion to adjourn 850 PM. You just do it, right?