School Committee: August 4, 2025

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

0:01 We move on to goal time. So, » yes, goal two. » I just go back to goal one for a moment. Um, » so I guess I I just want to So, Jen, do you It sounds like you think that we’re done with goal one. » No. Uh, I don’t know. I don’t think we’re done with it. I’m not sure it is at the point it needs at the level that it should be one of our main goals for the year, but I’m just one person. I mean, in other words, we started the process. The process was to make sure we’re updated and have a process for the updated policies as they come through. Um, not necessarily to go through every policy, but I think that’s probably not a bad idea. Um, but I’m not sure that it’s at the level

0:47 that it need. I mean, I guess fine to stay as a

0:53 » protocols. Um, so I just don’t know whether there are other more pressing things, but it I mean we could always have more than three goals. » So I know Alicia, you’re asking about like next year’s goals. Yes. » So it sounds to me like » we’re not sure this will be a goal yet for next year. » Yes. » Right. And that we, you know, feel that we’ve met » or the policy subcommittee feels that they’ve kind of met what we had for a goal this year. Whether it’s a goal next year sounds like it still needs to be determined. » Yes. So the idea behind reviewing last year’s goals is that all good goal setting starts with reviewing where you are now and the progress that you’ve made. So what we’re doing right now is we’re going through last year’s goals and then we’ll come back to what do we think next year’s goals. » Okay, good. Thanks. » Also like wouldn’t this one need to be

1:40 rewritten because the the goal is to review all school committee policies. So either we need to rewrite it or or do a new one, but it might make sense to actually do all the analysis. » I might suggest, and I’m jumping ahead to forming next year’s goals, but that’s okay. Um, I might suggest that what happens is this actually becomes a charge of the policy subcommittee that the full committee says to the policy subcommittee, okay, you need to go in and you need to develop protocols for the policy subcommittee. You have your policies, policies on policies. You have your policies that talk about policy adoption. What are your protocols for how things get updated? What are your protocols for the story, the data storage online and the accessibility? So, this may not be a school committee

2:25 goal. This may be the school committee telling the policy subcommittee. This is what your charge should be for the year. Develop those protocols. » I have a question. The these are all dated » so we know when they were reviewed and approved. Do you have like a standard amount of time that you suggest reviewing like older policies or is it just » So what we would suggest is one um we always send out policy um bulletins. We always send out policy updates. So make it part of the protocol for the policy committee that whenever one of those comes out you review everything that’s in it and make sure those are up to date. Beyond that, I would say most committees what they do is they’ll start

3:10 at a and they’ll take once your pol once you have a full your coding is in place and all of that. So you should be able to do it this way. Some committees can but because your NEP and coding is all in place and you’re mostly just making sure things are updated. I would say take it maybe one or two sections at a time and go through it. One, how often does your policy subcommittee meet? Do you have a standing meeting? » There’s an the committee voted la at a meeting last week to set standard standing meeting schedules for subcommittees, but they haven’t been established. » So when that happens, usually policy subcommittees will meet about once a month or once every other month. What I would say is as a policy subcommittee, a good way to review your manual is to take maybe two sections at a time. And

3:56 because you’re a two member subcommittee, assign each person a section and say, “Please go through and just make sure that there isn’t anything that looks, you know, out of date.” Um, you can cross reference it with the MASC policy bulletins, but also what you’re reviewing for is um updated language. Say your strategic plan changes. you want to make sure that if that needs to be reflected in any of the policies around like financial goals, things like that, that that gets um addressed. So, I would say it’s up to the policy subcommittee every like two years. I would say you should make it all the way through your entire manual just to be sure that there isn’t anything else that you want to update. So with a smaller subcommittee, two people, take two sections at a time

4:42 and just go through two sections at a time and make sure that you’re up to date. And then if you have to pause that while you do other immediate things, I know we have a bunch of policy um recommendations that are going to be coming out in our next policy bulletin. Um competency determination policies in there. There’s another policy about the the nurses. There’s a whole bunch of policies coming out. Um, so when those things take over, you can pause the review, but then pick it back up in the next set of meetings. So, usually every one to two years, you should be reviewing the entire manual. » With all due respect, how many schools actually do that? That is a ton of work. » It is a ton of work, but I can tell you mine is doing it. » I It’s just It It sounds fine, but it’s a lot of work.

5:29 » Yes. It’s what I’m saying is not don’t think of it like the massive policy manual review that MASC does where you’re not sitting in every meeting and redlinining every single policy. You’re assigning a member of the policy subcommittee a section. » So you just review it like » to review it. Okay. Yes. It’s a it’s a high level » through a policy manual review. » Yes. This is not a policy manual review. This is housekeeping at this point. This is hey we just updated the strategic plan and there are new fiscal goals in the strategic plan. Let’s go into section D and make sure that our fiscal goals policy reflects the new um strategic plan language. It’s not the entire manual. » Okay, make sense. » But then if when MASC sends out the bulletin of these are the 14 policies

6:16 that we need to review. » Yep. » That I mean take a deeper dive. » Yeah, like that. » That’s the deeper dive, right? » And you say there’s one coming out. » Yes, there’s one. Um, we are currently I am working on the compet competency determination policy language right now and I know Liz Lefon is working on another there’s a bunch of policies in the pipeline um that we are talking with Jesse right now to finalize the language on and then that will come out I believe by the end of August. Don’t quote me on that. It will definitely be before you all need to turn in your CD policies in November etc. But they’re currently working on that. Yes. » Okay. So, I guess I have a follow- on question to that because I went through

7:01 and since like March of 2023, MASC has recommended changes to 137 policies and some of them are like commas and some are substantive. » So, I guess I would ask what your thoughts are on whether we should start this like each person takes a section and we’re just going through or do we take those policies and the recommendations that are coming in August because that’s the focus for this year to get » I would update the ones you absolutely 100% need to update right now » um because some of those are MGL language some of those are you know guidance directly from DESIE and there’s dates attached to them so I would start with what we’ve put out as policy updates and then once you feel like you’ve you’ve got a handle on that

7:46 you’re caught up on that then you start the you know think of it like you’re not you’re mowing a lawn at that point. You just want to keep everything level. » When you need to address things, address things, but then everything else is sort of just maintenance. So, don’t do the the multiple section review until you feel like you’ve got a handle on all the updates. » Okay. I think we we did the eyes, which is the big one, and the J next big one. I think the others are pretty kind of scot changes like actual changes. » Yes. Yes. 100%. » Yeah, we still have one hanging out there. So, » the problem is it still takes time. Like you got to go through, you got to compare, you got to run it by the superintendent. I mean, it it honestly

8:33 whether it’s a sub substantive change or it’s a typo, it’s almost like the same amount of time. » Yeah. » Without a doubt. So, » so here’s the thing, too, is you can also ask your field director to join a policy subcommittee meeting. If I would be at all helpful by all means just you know » yeah I think it’s rediscovered » it is a lot of work » you know how many coming are coming at the end of August » um no I do not because there were multiple things multiple um » section » guidances that came from Dusty to us and we’re working with Dusty now I just checked my email there was an update on the draft that I sent this morning so » and and the competency determination is going to be in there » y » so that might have a little separate but I mean

9:18 because that’s probably something we need to discuss or that’s going to be that’s » knew that was coming we just so » that’s just not a matter of adopting that might be a recommend I don’t know what it’s going to say » so it’s mostly I can tell you the preview of the competency deter competency determination policy I either need more coffee or less um probably more of what you’re going to get from us for the framework is the framework that Desessie recommended. What you’re going to have to do is you’re going to have to go into your handbooks and your um course requirements and pull that information into the policy. We generally as a rule of thumb we tell you not to add detail to policies that should actually be in handbooks and

10:04 procedures and things like that, but DESIE is requiring that level of detail in this policy. So, we’re going to give you a framework, but you should already be looking at um what the graduation requirements, the course completion requirements, excuse me, what the course completion requirements are for those core competencies that used to be covered by MCCAST that now you need to put into this competency determination policy. You don’t have to rewrite this. You just need to move the language over so it’s clear in the policy what they are

10:38 » which sounds easier than it probably won’t be but » we got it pretty well spread away already. » Most districts already have the information. It’s just a matter of moving it over in the format that testing. » That’s the issue. It’s whether we’d want to » Yeah, we got the frame we got the framework for that straight away. » Yeah, » I should have chose my words wisely. Some of the terms are interchangeable, » right? So, end of August, maybe » end of August, beginning of September because you guys are going to have to pass something by the end of October. » Oh, » end of o uh » November. It’s due in October. » It’s due in October. Yeah. » So, » but yes, it right now I literally have a draft email. I’m talking with Desi um just got back an email about my draft. So, it will be single.

11:27 Okay. So, your goal number two, let’s talk about communications. Um, you have a series of bullet points here. Um, your what bullet points do you feel like were enacted this year? Do you feel like some of them are carryover? Let’s talk about what the actual goal number two, what got accomplished, and what you would like to accomplish moving forward. » So, we did create a subcommittee. » Okay. We do have a template for a monthly newsletter. » Um we have when we when we have seen uh changes on the website that we felt were necessary. Um the process we were using uh superintendent was to alert him. So

12:12 John, I’m just bringing this up. I just want to make sure if it’s not appropriate, but you know, if there was something that came to us or we noticed, » we would then let John know of the uh needed edits to the website and then he would task that to the appropriate folks in his organization. » Excellent. » So, is that » Yes. » Okay. Um » that worked out well. Actually, » I think the the meeting minutes there’s improvement needed. Uh we did just pass a bunch of meeting minutes at our last meeting. Um, but we have a new secretary who’s Henry and so, uh, you know, he knows that it’s his task to really improve on our ability to get minutes out in a more timely fashion. Um,

12:59 so the management of public comment, um, you know, we’ve been following the policy, trying to adhere more maybe to the policy that’s in place. Uh, we didn’t talk about editing that at all. » Okay. Um, I’m sorry. I don’t mean to laugh, but uh, Brian Brian was the chair of this committee. Um, and what he wanted was a kind of a time clock because one thing we do have an issue with is people adhering to the threeinut » Yes. » Uh, rule. So, um, I think we we’ve done, you know, and with our previous chair, we were doing a good job of that. Um, but he was he wanted a time clock that was visible. So he thought it might make that more help people adhere to it more than perhaps me have saying you know listen you know you have 15 seconds or you’re at three minutes please stop. So it’s

13:45 really just helping people know where they are as they’re making public comment within that three minute. So we have not enacted that. Um I know that you know Brian and I felt strongly around a teamwork building uh component for this. We we thought about that for the retreat, but then we it was changed just given what else we were doing and and you know, you tailored your component with everything else we were trying to do at this meeting and that was fine. So, I do think that may be something we want to think about going forward. Um,

14:19 in terms of surveys, I I’m not sure where we were. I think Brian was in the in the throws of creating another survey to be sent out. I’ll have to follow up with him around where we are with that. Um, and I we didn’t really talk about a specific plan to improve relationship with the local media media, but um I’ve been trying to be very uh responsive to to Lee’s requests as needed. Um, so, you know, that’ll be something we’ll need to engage the local media on to see where we are and if needed improvements are are need still needed. » Okay. So when you say you have your public comment policy, are you also reading that at the beginning of public comment? » No. And that was suggested at a pre one of the previous meetings. And I think that’s an important thing that we’ll we’ll do.

15:05 » So having I find it very helpful both on my committee and for the committees that I work with um to have a public comment statement when you open public comment. And it’s honestly it’s not something you need to write out of, you know, you don’t need to pull it out of the air. It’s literally your public comment policy. Public comment is um 20 minutes. I’m just saying these are this just » 20 minutes. Every person gets three minutes. Please state your name and your relationship to the district etc. and read it at the beginning of public comment which may also help people with um understanding the time frame that they have both as a whole and individually. Do when do you have public comment on your agenda? Is it the beginning? Is it » the beginning? » Okay, » fantastic. That’s great. Um, so reading that public comment statement at the beginning of public comment can be very helpful. And then

15:51 » yeah, that’s that’s a good point. We have the last couple of meetings we have mentioned the time y » commitment around three minutes, but I do think that we can probably elaborate a little bit more around that. » So I think that’s that’s good advice.

16:10 Does anyone else have anything else uh for this section that they might want to that they feel like maybe the only thing we didn’t really I don’t know if there’s also work is we do whether we want to do anything with social media and that was discussed but um it’s really getting » yeah I don’t see it that’s a good point Jim Maybe we need to as we’re talking about » I thought it was it maybe it is on here. I’m just not » I see it. » But if it’s not Jen, maybe that’s for when we’re talking about next year’s objectives. That might be something » the subcommittee was talking. » Yeah. Oh, yeah. We definitely the subcommittee was was addressing it. » Okay. So, I’ve put that on I’m taking

16:56 notes. Um I put that on that list and then we’ll come back to that when we talk about next year’s goals. So, then let’s jump to last year’s goal number three. improving the documentation communication which sort of sounds like it also is help uh is partially uh related to the previous goal. Did you what has been achieved as far as developing the outline of the budget process and the communication around that?

17:24 I think this goal was pretty much met. I mean we did we had an outline in terms of the timeline for our budget. We had a clear um subcommittee meetings about, you know, what was happening with the timeline on the budget. Um, and you know, it was a pretty robust » Yeah. » workshop and then the workshop um document was then I think as I recall sort of dating. » So we took steps » workshop to the hearing. » Yeah. and then yeah like to the school committee did some committee workshop » public hearing by committee yeah we did all the steps and it actually worked out really well um

18:09 » and we were approved well in advance of town meeting well in advance of fincom hearing which was the first time ever that he approved our budget before fin did or or at least didn’t force fin to have to wait for us um which is you know as it should be so » I thought it went very well » thought it went well and I think you know just moving move forward we’ll have further conversations because I think I have some thought is necessary place but I have some thoughts about the workshop and how it can look a little bit different than other than that I think the process went I think pretty smoothly overall » excellent » especially my first year not not knowing what to expect from » I don’t know if we did a one page cheat sheet

18:54 » now I did it I don’t it said it said develop a onepage cheat sheet for better. I’m not sure which or that that the subcommittee did that but I I could be » well did you what did you present did you have a budget book that you presented the narrative budget book and then the secondary just the numbers » it was all one book » okay so the cheat sheet could just be by the numbers here’s just you know the changes um it does the cheat sheet doesn’t that I I’m not sure what you meant by cheat sheet. » Well, it says identify gaps in additional available data points. So, » okay. » All right. » Yeah. » But it sounds like everything else went really well. So,

19:40 » yeah, I think this is one of those goal. I mean, this is a goal. It’s a school committee goal, but it’s also I mean, I’ve been asked to myself and our finance officer. So, you know, the way we did it, you know, when we did the second part, I guess » it was more of a boiled down, you know, first was like here’s the whole budget, here’s a boil down. So, maybe that’s kind of the way the cheap cheat sheet kind of thing would be. I don’t know if we did necessarily like a you know postmortem on the opportunities to update process though I suppose that’s sort of » Do you have a finance subcommittee? » Uh we have a budget sub » budget subcommittee. Excellent. So I would say move the postmortem to the budget subcommittee. Um because it sounds like the majority of your goal the majority of the portions of this goal were met this year. So maybe the

20:25 budget subcommittee should take on what additional improvements should be made, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be an additional goal for next year. » Any other was sub? » Yeah. Yeah. » Was was there a uh I’ll start by saying, you know, the amount of data that was shared and uh was much better. Um you know, so you know, kudos to those involved in that. Um did we actually document a timetable though required? I know that we have an idea of when things happen but » that is documented okay where is that at » it was in the budget » I think the first part of the workshop first part » is it in the book or is it just » I believe so it’s in the slides

21:10 » or I think maybe it’s the beginning part of I have to look at it if I yeah know the dates and everything because we have you know we have final calendar but Does it do we have it for like going forward like what it’ll be for fiscal year? » No. » Okay. So, we have that. » Yeah. I just Okay. All right. » So, let me ask where does that live? That document » on our website on the website. » Is there a tab on the website that the public could just find it? Fantastic. Because that would be excuse me that would be my next suggestion is to now that you’ve done all that work, make sure that it’s as public facing as possible and as accessible as possible. Excellent. Okay, so we’re going to hold there for a second and stop sharing. And before we

21:57 talk about next year’s goals, just a quick review of

22:04 Sorry about that. Thought I had it pulled up and I didn’t. Just a very quick review of goal setting. So, one second.

22:32 And I’m going to Nope, I’m not sharing any water.

22:55 Okay. So, Okay. So, when we talk about goal setting, um, all of you have taken chart in the course, so you’ve heard me say, um, the reason we set goals, why do we set goals? That’s an easy, that’s an easy question. Anyone who’s ever gone grocery shopping hungry knows why you set goals. Um, we want to make sure we keep the committee on track. These are all things you’ve heard before. We want to align the committee with the superintendent. We want to make sure that the school committee goals are not a way to give the superintendent more work. We want the school committee goals to support the district and the superintendent. Um, it also lets stakeholders know how functional the district is. Are you setting goals for yourself? Right? Is there continuous improvement happening or are we just checking boxes along the way? And then

23:40 if you don’t set goals, someone or something else will. Um any number of events can happen in your district, funding questions, building issues, um competency determination policies from the state, any number of things will take over if you don’t set goals for yourselves. So we want to make sure I don’t know why that shifted like that. Technology, it’s wonderful. Uh we want to make sure our goals are smart goals, specific, strategic, measurable, actionoriented, rigorous, realistic, and results focused and timed and tracked. When you set your goals, we want to make sure that they are measurable. There are outputs, actions, processes, and then there’s outcomes, which are your results, and benchmarks. And we want to think really

24:26 um carefully about what our data looks like. what does the not only what does the achievement of the goal look like, but what does um what is the information that we’re going to use to get that goal achieved to to understand whether or not that goal was achieved. And sometimes that’s quantitative data. Sometimes it’s literal um test scores and budget books and things like that. Sometimes it’s qualitative and it’s less um easy to pin down when it’s um a qualitative data. You don’t necessarily have numbers to tell you how student well-being is going, but you have reports from guidance counselors. You have events happening in your schools. Um, quantitative versus qualitative data. Be really clear about what you’re looking for as far as what does it look like if this goal is achieved and how are we

25:14 going to know that. Um, smart goals, which you guys have some really good smart goals from last year. I like how you put them together. It is a way that I would recommend to many of my other committees. Um, this is an example of a set of smart goals. I think this is Danverse and I really should label that. Um, they have a goal and then they have their action steps right underneath it. You guys did that really well with last year’s goals where you had the goal and you had the action step and you even had the checkpoint. So, I think the way you’re doing this is great. Um, and you should continue doing so. So, now that we’ve very briefly run back over how we set goals, let’s talk about your goals for next week. So, one second. Let me go back to where I was.

26:00 Sorry about I just want to make sure that I I’m broadcasting for the people at home.

26:09 Um, so let’s talk about your goals for next year. Um, as far as the goals from last year carrying over, I’m going to share again.

26:27 Goal number one. Um, this sounds like it’s time to move this goal to the policy subcommittee. um so that the school committee can now charge the policy subcommittee with developing protocols um or how you update the online manual and maybe looking into how you get it to a more searchable PDF format. So that sounds like the full committee is mostly done with that. It’s time for the subcommittee to take over. Does anyone else have any thoughts on that one?

26:59 Okay. Um goal number two. So, we’ll move goal number one to the subcommittee.

27:10 Um, goal number two, enhancing last year’s goal number two, enhancing and improving school committee communications. Um, do you feel like you want to carry this over to this year’s » Yes. » goal. Okay. What are some of the things you would like to see under? So, right now I from the previous conversation I have, you want to have a public comment statement. Um, you want to have a plan for public relations and you want to talk about social media. » I think I think there’s some work to do with the newsletter. » Okay. » We do have a a template, but I don’t it could probably use a review and to be um used a little bit more. Um, » that’s the subcommittee. » Yeah,

27:56 » that’s not a spoken committee. Well, do are a lot of these moved to the communication subcommittee, similar to what we did with the policy subcommittee. » So, I would say some of them are, some of them could be, but you’re going to want um public comment statement should stay with the full committee. Um a public relations plan. The subcommittee can work on it, but it does need to come back to the full committee. And because it’s not like a maintenance goal, I would say I would keep it as a school committee goal. » Okay. So school committee through the subcommittee would and then these things. So tell me about social media. What is it that you guys were talking about as far as social media per goal? » So I I think that uh part of it was just using that as a medium, a one-way medium

28:44 to kind of push information out to the the community. Um but there was a little bit of debate to be quite honest around you know there was some myself mostly who just didn’t want to create a second you know to me it might make sense to do that but it has to be additive to our school committee website. » Okay. » Right. Because I just I don’t want to maintain the same you know information in both places because that’ll become stale very quickly. uh and and I think my view of what uh like a a Facebook or social media is it’s it’s an interactive form and just posting information on a Facebook page for example to me isn’t really meets the guidelines of what I’d call social media that’s just really kind of a stat you know a way to present

29:31 information out um so I think we were struggling a little bit with you know do we have a redundant way to kind of push communication or if we do let’s just make sure that it’s additive and that we’re not, you know, kind of having two now two places to maintain that information. There was also a component of some of some of us thought that no, let’s if we’re going to use social media, let’s use it as intended and allow it to be kind of a two end a back and you know with the with the community, you know, that’s that has to be managed. Uh, and that’s kind of where we were just we were at that point. Um and so I think one of the goals going forward would be around social media is determining what we mean by that, how it would be helpful, uh how it would be

30:17 additive, uh where it might make sense and where it might not make sense. And then we’d have to provide I know I know districts that do this provide very specific guidelines. » Yes. » Around its management and how school committee members should use it. » So we were that’s kind of where we were. Uh, and so we just need to kind of and I think where where Brian and I were is we needed to come back to the school committee to get a little bit more guidance from them so that we were kind of then following the will of the committee when we were discussing this as a subcommittee. » Okay. So, let me back up and say I would exercise extreme caution about using social media as a conversation point for the committee and the public. Mhm. » Um, every day we are inventing new and exciting ways to violate open meeting law through whatever platform comes up

31:04 next. You have to be very careful that you’re not having discussions in a way that is deliberative on social media that is then to the exclusion of a meeting in the room at the properly posted meeting according to open meeting law. So I would recommend that your that social media used by committee members and we do have a handout that I can send through all um is very one way informative. The chair speaks to the committee the way the superintendent speaks for the district. It is informational. It is not a discussion because the discussion should only be happening in the room at the posted meetings according to the not discussion deliberation. And I wouldn’t want you to run a foul of that. So any choices you do make, I want to recommend we always recommend you run them by your district

31:49 legal council to make sure that your district legal council says yes, that’s that that is how that should be being used. And I know Liz Valerio is going to be here later today to talk to you all about open meeting law, etc. So that would be a really good conversation to have with her. As far as repeating the information, it’s not necessarily a bad thing to just repeat the information in a second place because there are plenty of people who have say Facebook who are not subscribed to your email list. There are plenty of people who are subscribed to your email list who don’t have Facebook. If you don’t have a kid in the district, you’re not getting those blast updates from the superintendent, from principles, etc. So, sharing things on social media can be very effective. I do want to back up again though and remind you guys that um as you know the superintendent is the only person that can speak for the district and the chair

32:35 is the spokesperson for the school committee. So we want to make sure that information that’s being shared is coming out of the correct office so to speak um so that it’s the appropriate lines of communication. » Yeah. So having said that, let’s talk about what you see as um what the school committee would like to guide the communication subcommittee on as far as how to communicate with the public. Are there any thoughts there?

33:03 There are no wrong answers. Well, there are let’s be this is a discussion. This is a workshop. So what are there things that you guys think would be helpful as far as communications moving forward? I think um to the point you just made about people who don’t have students in the district, I think it would be worthwhile to explore whether there’s a mechanism by which the committee can actually build an email distribution list for those people. You know, so if your children have all graduated and you’re still interested in understanding what’s going on with the schools, is a way is there a way you can opt in on our website to receive the school committee newsletter or to receive, you know, the

33:48 updates that the superintendent sends out. Um, that’s something that I think might be worth exploring if there’s a way that we can do it. So I wonder do is there a town manager newsletter from the town of like there’s no Marblehead town managers newsletter? No. » Okay. Very often what you’ll see is there’ll be a town manager newsletter that comes out like every month or every other month and there’ll be a superintendent column. Uh I can tell you that that is what my town does. Um and the superintendent shares an update to the town manager. So that could be on the town website is potentially a way to do that. So you wouldn’t necessarily have to excuse me create a whole other subscription list that needs to be

34:34 managed. Um using the town website for notices etc could be a way to do that. But I think that’s so let’s put that under

34:54 Uh, okay. Anything else? » Yeah, I mean I think that’s a good point. We don’t have an a sort of op or or opt out. I mean, we do have to wonder whether or compliant with opt out laws for these newsletters. I think most newsletters have moved that as an option. If you’re getting forwarded this letter, uh, you know, from someone who actually gets it, uh, you could you could opt into that. We could use social media together well to opt in to a subscribed list. » U

35:30 might be too detailed a question but like we we always say Facebook when we talk social media but that’s becoming somewhat so yesterday. Uh I’m just curious how districts manage like all the the different you know who’s using you know what one is the preferred one. Do you have to maintain it across several social media sites? » Yes. And there are some that talk to each other. So there’s some that um especially if you’re talking about the meta products um » they do tend to crossost. Um I would say when you’re talking about a social media um when you’re talking about the district sharing information, you should have in your policy manual a policy that talks about how information is shared publicly. um because it’s less about what the information being shared is and

36:18 more about there will be someone in the district who is responsible for the websites who have that someone who’s making sure that students privacy is being protected when things are being posted etc. So that that part of it at least would be um the leadership team, the administration would need to make sure that what’s being shared on the website. And then um if the district is maintaining social media sites, so in my town, I can tell you that each elementary school, each middle school, and the high school, they all have Facebook pages. It’s run by the principal and the district has access to it and that’s all in that policy. um and it is only informational and it is very careful not to violate any student or staff privacy as they go. So I would say that’s one piece of it. The other piece

37:06 would be yeah there’s like 50 there’s a new platform every day. I mean if you want blue sky or you want Twitter or you want Instagram you guys want to have a Tik Tok. No you don’t. But that’s funny. Um there are multiple ways to do it. I think most districts I see them sharing on Twitter. I see them sharing more so on blue sky now. um a little bit more on the sky now. Um but mostly it’s Facebook and then their own um their own website and then email blasts. So don’t think you have to be on every platform, but make sure that it is is it is at least consistent and that it’s paying attention to student and staff privacy um which are in your policies. And and then really for the committee, one thing I I don’t think I see on here is um we also talked about like coffee type

37:53 meetings with with the community. So maybe we could put that on there. And again, I think the communication subcommittee uh needs to consult with the school committee on what their will is around that particular type of uh form. We did one of them. So you know that uh we did one that went fairly well, but we haven’t set up a any subsequent meetings yet. Well, I think we can there’s surveys mentioned on here and Al, you said that you didn’t know how where that got left off, but I think we can easily pick that back up. » Y » and part of that survey could be finding out which platforms people » are using because the platforms that we want to be on are the ones that all readers are going to be on. So, I you

38:39 know, I think we could gather some feedback on that. » Okay.

38:47 So, So, I’m just making notes here. It sounds like the full committee will be working on developing a public comment statement which should be uh based on your public comment policy. Um the full committee wants to look into well the sub the communication subcommittee on behalf of the full committee will look into surveying the public um and come up coming up with a plan for public relations.

39:19 Oop sorry Oop sorry never edit in public.

39:35 subcommittee will talk about uh the subcommittee will start looking into surveying the public. Um

39:44 um as far as a plan for public relations, social media, newsletter, communication with the town. Um so but that I would view it as a full committee role because even though the subcommittee is going to work on it, the full committee will be part of it. So I would leave that as So beyond that, is there anything else as far as school committee goals that you would like to talk about developing for next year? So you have you’re updating the policies, you’re going to move that to the subcommittee because now it’s a maintenance. Um the budget process, you’re moving that to the subcommittee because that’s now in its maintenance phase as well. So is there anything else as far as the school committee itself that you would like to create a go around? I would like to see us and I think it would potentially be a joint goal with the administration

40:31 the administration the administration um but set a goal around relationship repair or rebuilding um with our teachers and staff.

40:54 Oh. Oh. » Um, you have on on slide nine your packet, you mentioned portrait of a graduate. » Ah, yes. » Yeah. Uh, that’s something I’ I’d like to develop even if it’s, you know, maybe it’s a a set of graduates, you know, to cover sort of a diverse needs of the district. But I I would love to know what people expect a graduate of our schools to to look like. » Do you Does Marblehead not currently have a portrait of a graduate? » I believe that is part of the high school’s reacredititation process. They’re » working on that, but it’s not something

41:41 that has been brought forward to technical people. No one knows » it might be a joint goal. So generally a portrait of McGra if you guys are going through the ask um the um accreditation process. Yes, that usually does happen through the ask and it is this the administration begins it. It’s sort of like strategic planning where it begins with the um administration and then it comes to the committee for review and discussion etc. Um but I would say maybe your goal would be support the development. Um » not sure that’s enough for a » um and then well I would also ask have you developed the superintendent’s goals for the upcoming year? » Well he’s in a he’s in it. » He’s okay » through October.

42:26 » Oh through October right? Okay. » Um and I would say it it is it is a goal but you would need to think about what your actual action items would be. And I think that might be something that comes after the accreditation process. I can tell you that aligning to the portion of a graduate is more of a school committee goal than developing the school comm the portrait of a graduate. Um, on my committee, and this predates me and I brag on them all the time about this, um, our portrait of a graduate is five words. Resilient, resourceful, respectful, responsible, ready, because that’s what we want our graduates to be. And our superintendent goals actually align to those five things. And when those superintendent goals are reflected on an

43:13 agenda item, it says the superintendent goal with it. And then what of the four what of the five eyes it relates to. So developing the portrait for graduate, you can support the development, but then I would say making sure that your goals and your processes align with so your operating protocols, things like that. That would be more of a school goal. So is it maybe more of a goal for next year develop especially when is the NEAS um process slated to finish » the people who knew last year? » Yeah. » Okay. So that’s okay. We don’t have to leave today with a completely developed set of goals. The point of this is to talk about your um thoughts for the upcoming year and you know how you want to develop it. So we’ll leave it on the

43:59 list. I’m going to return all these notes to you as well after this meeting. I will send back a more complete It won’t look like that. It will be a little bit more fleshed out. I will send back a more complete list of what we discussed and the possibilities for your goals for next year. Is there anything else you want to add to this list and talk about? » So, um this might be getting into the how a little bit too much, but you know, I think Kate talked about better interaction representation with other entities. Um I think some other school districts have like teacher representation on their school committee. » Is that » not necessarily? Um so you as a school committee you can invite as many exopiciary people to the room to talk with you as you want. Um

44:45 anyone who was not elected can’t vote but you can certainly have there are districts that have um a union representative that sits with them. There are districts that have a CPAC representative. you very often see representatives from metco at the table as part of the discussion. You just need to make sure that you’re not um that only the people who were technically elected get to vote because they everyone else is what’s called exeicio. They don’t have executive session privileges and they can’t vote. So, it is entirely possible to add people to the conversation. Yes, not every district does it that way. Um not every district would necessarily have a multitude of exeicial people at the table, but there are some that do. So if you wanted to do that, you absolutely could. » Yeah. So to me the goal would be not to say we we you know we’re going to do it. To me is I think it’s it would be good

45:31 for us to evaluate whether some exeicio uh membership would be helpful to our goals to towards our mission and that and I think student representation can be done a little bit. Well, I’d like that to be evaluated by the school committee. You know, our student rep comes in kind of makes a short presentation and then leaves. Um, so I’m just looking I’m just curious if there’s maybe a better way to have student representation on this committee » and it is every district does it differently. » Yeah. We may keep it as as is, but I just I think it’s a a good goal to think about is there a better way to do it and how it might help us as a committee. So maybe it is a goal around

46:16 school committee exploring the use of exeicial members, » you know, not specifically limited to students or educators, but just sort of broadly » looking at that. » Yes, that’s enough » who’s participating in the discussions. » Yes. » Okay.

46:33 » Could you send some examples of of not right now, you know, in time? Could you set some examples of districts who maybe have more of that going on? » Absolutely. I can off the top of my head I can think of Graten Unstable has the CPAC sitting at the table. Um » Everick Chelsea, they have metco representatives sit at the table. Melos has a met representative sits at the table. So yes, I will send you examples of » Thank you. and also um repres uh I’ll send some examples of students sitting at the table. So student government has an organization like us like the superintendents have theirs, school communities have theirs, student government has theirs as well and they

47:20 may actually be a really good resource that that’s the goal I for us. for us. » Okay, » I will send that as well. Okay. » So, another one. Um, and this is kind of high level, but one thing I’m a little concerned about, you know, if we improve our communications, we, you know, review our policies and update them, etc., etc., does that really result in better student outcomes, however we might mention that. So, so when I think about goals for us, I you know, part part of what I try to answer is who is supposed to answer to this town whether we are a good great school district. » Right. And if and if the school

48:05 committee and obviously the superintendent have some responsibility for that, what specific things were you doing around that? » Right. So when school committees develop policies, you develop policies and you hand them to the leadership team and the leadership team does the development of the procedures and the handbooks and the day-to-day boots on the ground. This is what’s happening in our buildings. But yes, understanding what metrics you’re looking for from the community. Um what does that look like in your district? Unfortunately really help that. the NEAS accreditation that you guys are going through. Um, that can give you a lot of data as to what student achievement looks like. Um, it may or may not give you some good data on what student well-being looks

48:50 like. If you’re looking at what the success metrics are for Marblehead as a whole, understanding what the community feels like success means could be part of that as well. So, I would say that’s a good goal to have, but I would wait until after the NEAS accreditation and then talk about what does it look like to say we have successful students. What does that mean for Marblehead public schools? Because it can mean any number of things. It can mean test scores. It can mean positive placement. It can mean um lower emergency mental health referral numbers. It can mean um greater

49:30 I’ll Oh, stop it. I won’t It’s going to mean different things to different towns. So, I would say after the NIAS accreditation and the information you get back from that really going through what information you got from there because there will be a lot of statistics that come out of that. Um, so » I guess we want might include some of that in any surveys we send out because we we want to know if » how we’re doing as a committee. But if we have an opportunity for communication and for feedback and gathering data, that might be a good » piece to add into that as well, especially if we could make it concise. I don’t want to send out like 30 questions. » Do you guys have a current strategic plan? Yeah, I mean yes, but it’s being

50:17 developed as part of school as well. » That will also be a really good data point for you all because the strategic plan should point the district in a direction. And uh we do recommend that they’re three years now. It used to be five years. We try and recommend that they’re three years now and that they have the same goal structure as you would and the superintendent would. Smart goals, achievable things. What do the metrics look like? What does it look like around success? So I think between the NEAS um accreditation and the strategic plan that is a good place to start talking about what a success look like in what future but I don’t think they’re going to be done. I mean I know the strategic plan my understanding is will be approved for 26 27. So I I don’t I don’t know when the deliverable is and same with the ask I mean it won’t be

51:03 » right that it would be a future goal. It would not be it would not be the goal for this year. um it would be a future goal, but it’s a good thing to have in mind when you’re putting your goals together that continuous improvement is always on the table and when you’re developing this year’s goals, you’re always looking back at last year’s and thinking about what it looks like in the future. So having it as part of the conversation, » one thing I think I don’t know how this would come as a way to go, but one of the things I think I have struggled with is not having enough data um on a whole bunch of different things. Staff accountability has been I don’t know five years I’ve been asking for staff accountability report um a needsbased budget a true needsbased budget all is dependent on

51:50 data so I don’t know how we you know I don’t know how to phrase like or um that we we’ve never really had sort of a comprehensive

52:05 way to ask for and receive receive data in order to make decisions that » so what do you mean by staff accountability? Um staff accountability to me is that every staff member is accounted for in terms of you know classroom size, case load, you know um number of hours of services. We don’t have that. » Okay. » Um » so that’s why I try to understand from that’s why we don’t have a needs space budget because in order to build a needs space budget you need to say okay here are the needs in my school building. I need x number of teachers and x number of you know otaas PTA whatever and how how can you do that if you don’t have the data on what your needs are » from your student of your student body

52:52 » so I would say the needs based budget conversation should definitely go to the budget survey » okay » um and talk about how the budget gets built there » um as far as excuse me staff accountability on the one hand Yes, you need to understand staffing in the buildings to talk about a needsbased budget. On the other hand, we need to be very careful about the separation of the school committee supervises the superintendent and the superintendent supervises everyone else. » Well, it’s the super the goal was for the superintendent to do that report to then build help build the build the needs bas. » So, is it part of the current goals? Um, it was » okay. » We didn’t exactly get the level of

53:39 detail. I didn’t see the level of detail I was on. » Okay. Well, that and your process should come to a conclusion in October, right? » No, the process would um it is part of the budget process. So, it didn’t happen for this year’s budget. So, you know, the goal would be for it to work for this this coming fiscal year. » I’m sorry. I thought it was part of the superintendent’s goals this year to do » it was and we got a partial report. » Okay. » Um but the purpose of the report in a more robust fashion would be to drive the budget process. That’s really what it’s based on. So that’s really what it’s intended for. » Are you doing your summitive in October? » Yes. that you have. » Well, if that’s a cycle you’re on, then yeah, that would be part of that conversation then. If it if that was one

54:25 of the goals, it would be part of that summitative um discussion at that point. » Okay. » And then it could become a future goal to continue it. And then I would say also the » that’s only one example of data of data. That’s all. We don’t necess you know we get a lot of narratives and we get a lot of narratives » um we don’t get I don’t see a lot of data » okay so what other kinds of data are you guys looking for » standardized tests and MCAST um uh » how we’re doing relative budget wise » yeah but that’s another yeah that is true too budget budget recordings » it’s almost like a dash this sounds a little bit like to me like a dashboard Y

55:11 » but with more detail. » Yeah. With the metrics that we want to monitor » significant detail. » Yeah. » Usually dashboard sort of » top line. » But is it maybe the school committee’s role or goal to figure out what the metrics we want on that dashboard to be? » I’m not looking for a dashboard. I’m looking for the data. And so I don’t know how to make this a goal. I’m just saying that I have struggled to get the data I need. » So this wouldn’t be your goal. This would be a goal you would propose to the superintendent. » So bringing back to the committee more information that would be around um say a professional practice goal or um that we already have the goal set. I guess we can

55:57 can can » well if you’re coming to the summitative in October then you’re getting ready to reset the goals for the next round. So I would say it will be part of that conversation » and Jen just you know » I just don’t want time to spend like an » Yeah. Just when I’m saying dashboard it also includes all that detail that rolls up. So I’m not saying you know just a that you know the highlight has to be all the data but then you know depending on who’s viewing it for what reasons you’d see a different slice of that data perhaps. No. » So I would also say that as far as budget reporting, you have you should have policies in your manual that talk about when you get certain reports um surround certain fiscal reports and that should be I don’t » Okay. So say

56:49 » I would say check your manual um and your financial policies, your fiscal policies in section D um because there should be policies in there about fiscal reporting and audits and things like that. Um and that can help bolster the request for the data. So and if you don’t have them, check our online policy manual for our model policies. Yeah, one of the things we hear which I do think is is legitimate, we had a system that was not conducive to um easily reporting » during the year and that has we did change our system effective last month. So I think it be easy, you know, I think it would be easier for our finance folks to do to be able to be. So that’s good. Okay.

57:35 Okay. Okay. » Some districts have like the school district has like what I would call an operational analyst that has the responsibility for for doing this. » So, not necessarily an operational analyst. Um, within each department, there’s usually someone who’s responsible for like in the business office, it is your business manager who would make sure that all the reports are being filed on time, that they’re going out to um they are accessible for the school committee because you have to have certain reports based on statute. um depending on which um department it was, there would be someone in there that that would be part of their job, » their responsibility. » So very often when we’re talking about like MCCAST very um I can tell you most districts MCCAST scores are

58:21 um mo most scores um are funneled through the curriculum. Whoever is in charge of curriculum usually that’s an assistant superintendent. Um, so depending on which good ones, » are we I just want to say when we close this part, can we take a break real quick? I Or if not, I need to take one. » I would love to take a break. Yeah, fine. So, yes. » Now, now’s okay. Or you want more? » No, let’s take a break now and then we’ll come back and talk about operating protocols. » Great. » Thank you. » Absolutely.

1:10:01 Okay. So, I had next up on my list of things that we had discussed um talking about your operating protocols. It does look like your operating protocols were just updated. Sorry, that was the wrong thing. Um I’m going to share screen in just a second. I have that your operating protocols were just updated in June. Um, but operating protocols is on the list of things that were potentially going to be discussed today. So, thought I would open it to the committee and say, are there things about your operating protocols that you would like to discuss? Um, or is there anything else from sort of the governance world that you would like to go over?

1:10:48 I’d be curious for the operating protocols. I think it it says I believe it says in here that the committee will hold members sort of accountable for abiding by them and I’m wondering » sort of I take that sorry » best practices for how to do that. Yeah. » Right. So um in some districts it just means that the operating protocols are reviewed in the way that the goals are reviewed um and that if someone is getting off track members usually the chair um because the chair of the is the servant of the body. So usually if someone is very off track as far as the operating protocols go it would be a conversation with the chair. Chair would s talk to the member about listen this is what our operating this is what you

1:11:34 agreed to this is what our operating protocols are. This is why we do this. Best practices for the district are this. Um there are other districts when you have someone who is um very much farfield of the operating protocols. There are some districts that will go as far as censure. Um but if you don’t have a policy about that, I would not recommend that unless you have a policy. So, for the most part, when someone’s, you know, kind of out of line as far as the operating protocols go, it’s conversation with the chair to start with. Um, because that is sort of in the roles and responsibilities of the chair. Keeping members on track, keeping the meeting functioning, making sure the business of the district is getting done is a function of the chair. » Thank you.

1:12:22 So do you suggest that school committee members if they do have a concern about that that they go to the chair? » Absolutely. Your chair is the as the servant of the body the chair is the person responsible for making sure that the committee is functioning that the business is getting done. So if you had like with any other concern, if you had a concern about um budget not getting to you on time, documents, something not getting posted, you would bring concerns like that to your chair and then the chair would have a conversation with you or the member or whatever else. So yes, always bring your concerns to your chair first. So I would say also I know you guys accepted these operating protocols in June but I would like to suggest that you add as part of your

1:13:09 operating protocol process that when you guys all vote on it have everyone vote on it together in a meeting to adopt your operating protocols and then have everyone including the superintendent sign it because it holds everyone accountable for the you know level playing field of this is how we’re going to work with one another. If you have not only adopted it by a vote but also everyone acknowledges it gives a little bit more uh a little bit more teeth to when the chair would have to have a conversation about something you know that was not working stuff. » So sorry. » Are you then suggesting that these be voted by the committee on an annual? » Absolutely. » Yes. Okay. » Absolutely. And you can do it right after your election, which appears to be what happened here is like this looks like it was adopted shortly after your

1:13:56 election. Um, but I don’t actually remember when your election was. Your election in May. » The election was in June and after the date on this doc. » Oh, after that. » Here’s what I would suggest. Your first full meeting in the fall, vote on your operating protocols as a group and then everyone sign them. It’s a good way to kick off the year reminding everyone, you know, these are the rules of the road. These are our rules of engagement. Um, it’s a good way to reinforce that respect for the process, respect for the roles. Um, and it’s a good reminder to not just you, but to the community, what your actual roles are. Um, we at MAC, we get a couple bites of the apple training you guys. You have to come shutting course at some point, but most of the public will never really know what your roles

1:14:42 and responsibilities are. So your operating protocols are one of those documents that when you adopt them, it’s a good way to tell the public this is how we function. These are the standards we hold ourselves to. These are the things that we are accountable for. So I would recommend yes, once a year. Um most committees will have something over the summer where they go over their operating protocols and goals like this and then their first full meeting at the beginning of the year, adopt your goals for the year, adopt your operating. It’s a good best practice. and having your legal counsel come in and do a training over the summer is also a good best practice. So, are there any other thoughts on your operating protocols or anything else governance-wise you would love to go over?

1:15:28 » I have a question around policies. » You have a field director here. Have that. » So, we have a a pretty big uh construction project with putting a new roof on our high school. And uh we’re I’m cur I’ll just speak for myself uh but I think there may be others on the committee that I’m just curious about when we would use a subcommittee to help with that project or an advisory committee to help with that project. Um and part of the question would also be like subcommittees are they predominantly school committee members only? That would help with the understanding the difference between the two. » So here’s what I would say about that. If it belongs to the school committee, it’s a subcommittee of the school

1:16:15 committee and is therefore um you can add members of the public but it’s a little bit more it’s bound by OML etc. If you’re going to have a school building committee, that should really be an advisory. And I would say that the superintendent should create that so that the superintendent can populate it with the relevant members of the leadership team and the public and then also one or two school committee members always under quorum. But a school building um advisory committee is more appropriately populated initially by the superintendent because remember your role in that is through the budget and through policies and through approving things but the superintendent is really going to be more about bringing the stakeholders together to talk about all

1:17:01 of the facets of the building project including if you’re going to go for MSBA funding etc. That would mostly fall under the lead initiative. » But remember, a building committee under MSBA is a subcommittee. » Yes. » Yeah. » But originating it with the superintendent » as an advisory committee. » If you have is it typical to have a school committee on an advisory? » Depends on what it is. But yes, all the time. » And if you have two, that doesn’t make it a deacto. So you don’t have a law. » No, it does not. If the if the superintendent originates it, it’s a superintendent’s advisory committee. Um but I would also say I would caution you to check your policy manual section B talks about advisory committees to committee etc. Um just putting school committee members on it doesn’t automatically subcommittee » make sure you stay under quorum for your subcommittees.

1:17:48 subcommittees. subcommittees. » So if your quorum for subcommittees is two » don’t send two people send one » to the advisory committee. That’s that’s what I was thinking. I thought then it might become subcommittee. always stay under the quorum for the subcommittee » of the school committee » and then report back because the way you would want to do it is more like a leazison like you would send a leon to a town committee have that person report back to the board

1:18:18 » I mean we don’t know if John necessarily agrees with this I don’t know if he does or not but » um um you know it’s just one more but yeah I do believe The school committee voted last year to make the facility subcommittee the roof project subcommittee but that can be I guess with someone from the affirmative I don’t know whatever could change that » I think our policy talked about an uh has to be uh revoted on or the membership and chair have to be » revoted on every year annually » and committee assignments are usually done annually as well. So again, I would say check your policy manual section B about how subcommittees are formed and not

1:19:04 » right. But the fact that it was going to be that’s I just didn’t know if we need to undo that or not. But » well, if it’s it depends on what your policy says, » I don’t So if your policy says that subcommittees are reformed and recharged annually, then you wouldn’t have to. But if you’re going to change the charge, I would say yes. I not that there’s word those particular words are in our policy but » yeah know I think the policy speaks to members of the committee for the year and not responsibilities so much yeah » it depends it does vary from district to district » so then would you need someone in the affirming to vote to reverse that » no because you’re not reversing it

1:19:49 you’re changing it » okay » you’re not undoing it. You’re » okay. » Editing. » Well, you’re changing it from the committee possibly to an advisory. Yeah, I guess that’s » Yeah, you wouldn’t need someone else, » right? It’s not the two-thirds reconsideration vote. It’s just changing the charge, » right? » Yeah. For the advisory committee, there’s a tenure of one year unless otherwise. » Unless otherwise noted. » Specified. Yeah. » Yeah. I was just going into your policy to see where I could find it. B and BN or something.

1:20:25 Ah, yeah. I see what you mean about it’s sorting strangely because the file names are not quite in the form. » Okay, that makes sense.

1:20:42 Any burning questions? So just to go back to the the teamwork if that’s something we wanted to do that is something that MASC offers. » Absolutely. » And what is the like what’s the amount of hours that you typically would need to do that? » It depends entirely on you guys. I would say workshops more than two hours people start the brain gets fuzzy. It’s not effective anymore. So if we wanted to do a team building workshop I would say two hours max. » Two hours. Okay. two hours max. » Okay. » And bring » that’s something we’ll still consider, but it would also we I’d want to wait until after our » I was gonna say members appointed. » Yeah. When you have your new member on board, by all means, bring me out. We’ll get a team a teamwork workshop, team

1:21:28 building workshop put together. » And as soon as you have them on board, send them our way. Um, we have two charting courses coming up in the fall and then we’re actually looking at adding a charting course in December um because we have a little bit of space in the schedule. So,

1:21:48 if you guys don’t have anything else, it’s up to you. You know where to find me. Have my email address. That means my cell phone number is » all right. » Great. and I will send you all of my notes from our um goals discussion this morning and then yeah when you’re ready when you get your new member on goal let me know. » Sounds good. Yeah. Thank you for your time this morning. » Thank you. Thank you. » Absolutely. » Very nice. » You ready?

1:22:26 » And again, there’s fruit, muffins, and coffee. » Frank left.

1:22:46 This is just a tree. So if you want to do it the other way, you could also um because it’s not subject to the open meeting, you could also finish the rest of your business if it’s quick enough. And » we had no other agenda items. » Yeah, we were so training something. We’re not going to do any deliberations about business. » We I we weren’t sure about the the first component. » Well, the first component is absolutely. Yeah. But um if you want to adjourn your meeting, you can. This is a training. Trainings are generic and they are not um there will be no deliberation. So you cannot during a meeting if you want to then you don’t have to do this. Just going to give you the exercises in » Thank you. » We need large print.

1:23:38 » You want one member? Uh » yes. » And John’s not coming. » Yeah, he will be returning. You have a 10:00 commitment.

1:23:50 » Yeah. » Yeah. » So, you let me know what you want to do. off.

1:25:14 right. So, let me get on here. You’re on your five minute break. I have to figure out how to text. Feel free to Okay. » So, I need to She connected. I need to promote her. I’ll I’ll move here.

1:36:05 » Okay. » Okay. All right. » There’s a whole » You need to mute your hand. » Good now. » Let me try this better. Yes. Yes. I’m muting my laptop in clicking it under two places. Okay. Uh so again, as I mentioned earlier, if this is training not subject to the open, meanwhile, we’re not going to do any deliberations. Although I see you did post it anyway, so it’s okay. If you need copies of the slides afterwards, we can do that. But um all I gave you was copies of the actual exercises so that you didn’t have to read them off the screen. Some of us find out the little bits here. disclaimer which I’m going to tell you this is not legal advice. It’s provided for training purposes because I don’t

1:36:51 give legal advice in the session. We’re going to talk about conflict of interest and free profession which this is one of the How much do you all get paid? I spent six years on my school committee. I didn’t get paid anything. In fact, I used to pay my babysitter. So, it cost me money for all of the meetings and subcommittee meetings. Um and if you violate the conflict of interest law, you will be paying fines and that is really bad. Uh open me law. We’re going to talk about executive session three covering on the public records uh school committee roles and responsibilities and communications fin. So we have a lot to get through but we’re starting early. So this is good. So we’re going to start with conflict of interest. It is in chapter 268A of the mass general laws. You all should have a

1:37:36 copy of the NAS general laws from MASC. They give you the selected general laws during the useful um it’s under 268A if you feel like reading it. It covers it governs public employees and public officials. So everybody who’s employed by the school district and everybody who’s on the school committee is covered by it and it ensures that your financial situation and your interests and relationships don’t conflict with your official responsibilities. Um, school committee members cannot use public resources such as secretarial services, copy, equipment, paper, and postage for your personal or political purposes. And you can’t use your position to get any unwarranted privileges, any privileges that another member of the public couldn’t have because remember, they’re just another member of the public when they’re not actually sitting.

1:38:26 School committee members can take cannot take any type of official action that will affect the member’s financial interest or the financial interests of your business partner, your prospective employer if you’re negotiating negot to work for someone, your business associate, any business organization for which you are an officer, a director, a trustee or an employee and any member of your immediate family. They have not redefined immediate family in a long time or any member of your spouse’s immediate family. But the definition of immediate family is your spouse, your children, your parents, and your siblings. It’s also your spouse’s children, parents and siblings.

1:39:12 All of those people are part of this. So if you have a family member who works for the district, you can’t take any action on any matter that would affect them. So if you have a family member who’s a custodian here and that family member is, let’s say, your brother, you cannot vote on the collective bargaining agreement, you have to impuse yourself from any deliberations about that because it would affect your your brother’s um financial situation. So Liz just um that’s just the custodial component of collective bargaining or okay just so that that particular component. Okay. » But if your committee were to be talking generally about collective bargaining for example for all of the units let’s say we wanted to make a change across the board which you did years ago on

1:40:00 health insurance uh and it’s a change you were proposing for all of them. If someone’s brother was custodian, they would have had to recuse themselves from that entire discussion. And they can also not vote on it. » Okay. » School committee members are prohibited from hiring, promoting, supervising, or otherwise participating in the employment of any person in your immediate family or the immediate family of your spouse. Again, that’s not your spouse’s, you know, third cousin once removed. of you in the DNA. I guess we’re all related somewhere along the line, but the the ones that they’ve listed. I would also note that, you know, we have new kinds of families now that don’t always have spouses, right? People have been partners and coingled their finances. You might not be a

1:40:45 spouse, but if if your life resembles a spouse, you want to do a disclosure about that because you you can still be held uh accountable for that. The law prohibits school committee members from requesting or accepting anything without regard to its value in exchange for doing something that’s part of your performance for not doing something voting one way or not voting one way. It also um and they haven’t changed this in years since I was on the school committee back in the 90s. It has not changed it requesting or accepting anything of substantial value which is uh $50 a break for the performance of any official act. um or not performance at the end, right? You just can’t take $50 gift. Gifts of substantial value do not include

1:41:31 anything worth less than $50, but if someone gives you something less than $50 every week, you would aggregate them. You add them up. Ceremonial gifts. So, after my six years on the school committee and many years as chair, they gave me a plaque. I think it costs more than $50, but it’s a ceremonial gift that has absolutely no value to anybody else. And I’m sure when I’m dead, my kids will just throw it in the bin, right? That’s just what’s gonna happen to it. So, I tell you this because that doesn’t count. And gifts for family to friendship. If you know, you’ve always exchanged gifts with someone before you were on the school committee. Doesn’t have to stop start stop doing that when they are on school committee. When you are on the school committee, but if that friendship is for you to do something or not do something, then you can’t accept it.

1:42:19 Confidentiality um is certainly one of those things that you have to remember. U school committee members cannot disclose or use any confidential non-public information. So examples of that executive session minutes before the committee votes to release them or the content of an executive session um student record information. You wouldn’t have it but if you did couldn’t do it. collective bargaining strategy deliberations, personnel records, medical records, proposal of bid documents, mentioned a roof earlier, that kind of thing. Bid documents on the roof. You cannot once until it’s public, you cannot disclose it to anyone. Not to your spouse, not to your kids, not to your dog. All right? Actual conflict versus appearance of a conflict. You have actual conflict. You have to

1:43:05 disclose that conflict. And what does that mean? That means you have to file a written disclosure. Uh, and that gets filed with the town clerk. That it’s not it’s not you haven’t disclosed until you’ve actually filed it with the town clerk. Uh, I also think you should disclose it at a school committee meeting because then everybody knows because nobody goes to the town court to say, “Oh, gee, Liz, how many disclosures have you filed?” Right? Makes sense to also do it here so the whole world knows about it. um may not participate in any official business where the conflict exists and you should leave the meeting during the deliberations and voting on it. And I’ve had school committee members asking me, well, you can’t just sit there and say nothing. Well, no, your face says things and your presence says something, right? No, you should leave the meeting. Um come back for the

1:43:51 rest of the meeting, but for that portion of the meeting, if you have an appearance of a conflict, you can file a disclosure. uh disclose again with the town clerk and if you disclose you can participate in the matter because it’s not an actual conflict but it might have the appearance of conflict. » Is that required? » There are disclosure forms that if there’s an appearance you should. Are you going to get fined for not doing it? Probably not. If you don’t file and actually puse yourself on the actual conflict, you could get fined. And some of the fines are, you know, $10,000. So, you know, nobody signed up to do that. You all signed up to, you know, do what’s right, what’s best for kids, but not to spend $10,000 in fines. So, we have to be careful about this one. That’s why I put it first because it’s

1:44:36 the one that cost you money. There’s something called the rule of necessity. And this is important because the committee wants to deliberate and vote on a matter, but four out of the five members are disqualified because of conflicts. Let me give you an example of that. Um, let’s say you wanted to raise athletic fees and every one of you had students participating in athletics. That would impact impact your personal finances. You’re disqualified. But then you could never raise athletic fees if we always had too many people who on a committee who couldn’t vote on it. So then you have to disclose it. And the rule of necessity and you should never do this on your own. You should check with the ethics committee or with us. Make sure that is truly a necessity. then you can vote on

1:45:22 it. Uh you cannot use it uh it only uses a last resort. You cannot use it if for example it’s a tie vote and you want to break a tie. You cannot use it uh because somebody’s not available traveling or sick or whatever. That doesn’t count. Um so it has to be truly a necessity where you couldn’t take any action which is interesting because usually you’re voting to increase the fees. So it’s not like a positive impact on your finances but still it if if you have a conflict you have a conflict. So this is something I always remind people you need to ask before you act because if you call the state ethics commission has a person they are they say 9 to5 but I would say more like 9

1:46:08 to4 if you want to answer uh you call and you say I’m on a school committee I need some guidance on this this can I do this what do I have to do what and they do this for free they will answer you uh but if you call them and say last week I did this was that Okay. If it was not okay, you could have just made an admission that may cost you $10,000. So, I remind you, always ask before you ask. If in doubt, ask. Even if there’s like maybe I should, shouldn’t ask. » Excuse me. » Yes. » The previous slide. Can we go back to this one, please? Um, » one before this one. » No, no, this one. Thank you. Um what about something like curriculum where you know members have you know we’re

1:46:56 voting on a K through6 curriculum and perhaps even you know funding for textbooks for example and someone has a K through six student » that that’s different because it’s no financial situation unless you’re part of the company that’s producing. » Okay. So it has to be individually effective » financial situation curriculum is yours. could possibly. » Okay, thank you. » And that would not require rule of necessity, but you would have to recuse yourself if you had anything to do with developing the curriculum, working for the company that has the curriculum or the textbooks or any any financial situation you or any member of your family or your spouse’s family. All right. So, you would always seek guidance before acting there. committee.

1:47:42 Our disclosure forms are online at the state ethics commission’s website. There are lots of them. It is a whole lot easier uh for you to call them and ask which one because otherwise you’re going to spend an hour going through and trying to figure out which one. You can also call us, but I’m just letting you know it is free and we do represent the committee as a whole, not individuals. So, it is important to remember that as well. Liz, what if what it’s requirement if other committee members they think there’s a conflict with another committee member is there’s no raise it with the other committee member. Um you could certainly uh so the state ethics commission investigates allegations of violations and they don’t

1:48:29 make those allegations anonymously as well. So, uh, and sometimes they do a just a private, I would call it educational letter. It’s basically a private slap on the wrist that says don’t do that any. Sometimes they do a public one where everybody knows. Sometimes that’s not enough and they bind. And then, of course, if you remember, there have been state legislators who have gone to prison. Uh, so, you know, it goes all the way from, you know, a confidential letter saying, “You shouldn’t have done that. don’t do this then take the state ethics training again all the way up to you’re incarcerated right there are lots of depending on how big the problem is and how big the violation is so we have some

1:49:15 exercises with let’s see I’m going to put you in teams so Al and Kate are going to do exercise three and seven and Um 2, four, six, and eight are going to be Henry and Jen. We’re going to take a few minutes. You’re going to read them and then we’re going to go through them. So every other one and that’s why you have the large cages so you can

1:50:33 » This one was first cousin on the list of » No,

1:50:42 » I thought No, I mean your brother. Your wife’s brother is » your wife. wife or brotherhood.

1:50:51 Spouses, children, spouses. » But that was his session.

1:51:12 clos. clos. Okay.

1:51:49 » Yeah, » Yeah, » I would agree. Right. Yes. » But it makes it easier. » Yeah. » Yeah. » Well, I guess the question is I’ll ask Yeah. Does earthwire later? So, as long as

1:52:36 This would be session cuz there’s a potential » for criminal charges to tell us all if everything’s been filed in. So it asked what should the school command me to do in Karen and called » I will refer them to » and I do not know who should not be an executive work charges um super » choose to tell me but it’ll still be negotiating I

1:53:17 Right. But I think I mean there were legal

1:53:59 Apple theme question. » Yes.

1:54:07 I go to New York. New York, » which is no longer there » something Excel needs. I’m not exactly sure what that means.

1:54:26 we were discussing your state license plates. » I don’t know. You are allowed to have » Kate was was appreciating the the theme, the apple » the apple theme. I appreciate it.

1:54:46 » Yeah, that’s good. » It’s a good one.

1:54:52 » Whatever the segue was, Empire. Okay. Empire makes me go to New York State. » It does. Interesting. the Empire State. Will you all chat on this side? » Uh yes, we’re doing them through. » Okay, » I think. » So number one, the best school has been in negotiations with bargaining unit uh best association of teachers, also known as FET, for seven months on a new collective bargaining agreement. Andrew Courtland committee’s bargaining team back has reviewed contracts with town employees and is asking for longevity to match the town clerk sickly to match the police and personal days to match the town custodians agreement. Portland wants copies of the town contract and Portland asks the town for copies of the contract contracts. » Yes. » Yeah. Public records.

1:55:38 » Courtland tell employees why she is requesting the contracts or what Pat has said during negotiations. Very good. Think that would be breach of the executive session. Right. Two. Empire is a member of the best school committee which has been considering the purchase of a piece of property that invites the middle school. The property belongs to the first cause of the Empire. The committee has been meeting in executive session to discuss an offer for the property. The members have been unable to agree on an initial offer, but they have agreed not to pay more than 499,000 of land. Empire goes home after meeting and lets his spouse know that the committee wants to buy her cousin’s land and he’s going to be all set because they will pay half a million dollars to get it so bad and softball field. The

1:56:24 next day, Empire goes to the town assessors and asks for the assessment for the property and says the committee is considering purchasing it and he just wants to know what the value is. So, what are the issues with Empire’s conduct? um an executive session violation, » right? Violated a whole bunch of stuff on executive session. Uh any any conflict of interest with the cousin? » No. » Is there an appearance of a conflict of interest? » Sure. » Yeah. » So they might empire might want to file a disclosure about the appearance of a conflict of interest. Cannot tell spouse. Cannot tell anyone. And in fact, by even telling the people in the town of sensor’s office why he wanted that information, he may have just raised the price of it because there may be others interested in that land. Right.

1:57:14 Miss John Gold is a school committee member on the best school committee. Her husband, Mr. John, owns a construction business in town. Mr. John Gold’s construction business has submitted a bid to renovate one of the town’s elementary school buildings. The committee is considering the bids for the renovation in tonight’s meeting. What should Mrs. John Gold do » she should disclose the conflict and she should recuse herself from » discloses it. She’s going to file with town clerk and recuse herself. What does that mean? What is she going to do? » Leave the meeting. Not vote on it. Not talk to anybody else about it on the committee. Not share her disclose. If you’re going to recuse, » you still disclose. You do. » Yeah. You have to disclose question. So you just can’t recuse yourself. You » Well, you should. Let’s say you forgot to disclose. I mean file it you still

1:58:01 recuse yourself but definitely should disclose » and that’s why and then you recuse yourself and the disclosure needs to be filed with the town clerk also think it’s important to sort of mention it at the school committee because nobody’s going to » I know that there have been times in the past when people have recused and not disclosed » they should file a disclosure it protects you » yeah the high school carnival every spring students at best high school organize a carnival to raise money for senior week activities the carnival takes place in a local park and includes rides, games, music, and cookout. Empire, a member of the best school committee, lives in a house directly behind the park. He has never been a fan of the noise, smell, or traffic created by the carnival each year. Can p asked the best high school principal to require students to find a new venue to host their carnival this year?

1:58:48 year? year? » I think so. » Yeah. » Can he use his position as a school committee member to do so? » Cannot cannot. He cannot suggest it. I mean, I suppose all the neighbors could complain about it, but um he cannot use his position as a school committee member to try and influence that, » but he can ask, but you can say, “Yeah, you’re » can’t ask with the I’m on the school committee.” » No. » Require Yes. » cannot require them. All right. Courtland is the chair of the school. The committee is voting next week on a proposal to change the high school start time from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Based on a prior meeting and statements from committee members, two members appear to be in favor of change and two members

1:59:33 appear to be against the change. Courtland is undecided. Courtland receives a card in the mail from Ed Neighbor, a parent of three children in the district who has been aggressively advocating for the new start time. Inside the card are two theater tickets valued at $45 each and a note that says, “Keep up the good work.” Can Courtland accept the tickets? that and they’re under $50, but there’s two of them, so you have to aggregate them. And I will remind you, everybody remember when like the Red Sox went to the World Series? Remember way back when? Seems like ancient history now when they broke the and the tickets might have said $40 up and the the stands for um but then they were selling for $4,000 on the street. The value of the ticket is the

2:00:19 actual sort of market value at the time. So if it says $40 but it’s being sold for $4,000, it’s going to be $4,000. We cannot accept it. » So Liz, even if it was under, let’s say it was one ticket, it was under $50, would it still be inappropriate because of the » appearance, but also because he’s asking you to do something, right? He’s asking Courtland to vote in favor of this. » I mean, any value. » Yeah, he didn’t ask specifically. » He didn’t ask specifically. Keep up the good work, which could be barely. It could be, but Portland should not accept the tickets. Alice Al’s a middle school teacher, frequently bought the cookies and water bottles for students in her class. Also has her own water bottle with her every day. Sam’s student grabbed Alice’s water bottle instead of his own when he started choking on a cookie. Sam took a

2:01:05 large gulp of water and discovered that Al’s bottle contained alcohol instead of water. Sam fell ill and went to the nurse where he reported what had happened. After an investigation, Al was discharged. The reason for her discharge was not known to the public. The superintendent informed each school committee member that Al had been discharged for consuming alcohol at work and that there was the potential that criminal charges may be brought against Al for distribution of alcohol to a minor. After El’s discharge, Norman Nosy, a parent of the student in Al’s class, called Miss Courtland on the school committee to ask what was the real reason for Al’s discharge. What should Courtland do? » Refer them to the superintendent. Yeah, I can’t answer that question, right? You cannot answer those questions

2:01:52 » and there would be no further action by the school committee on this. » There’s no action by the school committee » unless or until there were some potential » even the reason the superintendent would inform you on this is because there could be criminal charges against that. There could have been some obviously there could be charge against the school committee for having left the child student. Now, if it’s mentioned at an an executive session, » it wouldn’t be mentioned at an executive session except unless there was litigation. The parent had already threatened litigation. It could be there. If it was just to talk about Alice Ale, she’d have a right under purpose one to be present to record it and to speak on her own behalf. » Well, not if she was terminated. » Anybody who you’re going to talk about in executive session has the right to be present. » Oh,

2:02:37 » Oh, » Oh, » yeah. So, we’re going to do that under the open meeting law section. Let’s go. All right. Carol’s condo. Carol’s a teacher in the best public schools and is the sister of Empire’s wife. Empire’s on the best school committee. Best school committee has had a number of executive sessions related to ongoing negotiations with bargaining unit back association of teachers. Carol is considering the purchase of the condo, but with the current interest rates, she is concerned that her salary increase will not be enough. The perfect condo is on the market. She calls Empire and asks Empire what the likely percentage wage increase she will get when the contract is settled. How should Empire respond if » well she can’t answer the question because it’s executive session information and also she has a conflict

2:03:25 of interest because it’s the sister of » information because that is one of the immediate family members. Exactly. And the last one in this one is breakfast with unice. John Gold is on the best school committee. Her neighbor Ununice Ununice Union is on the best association of teachers bargaining team. For more than 10 years, John Gold and Ununice have breakfast together the first Saturday of each month. Negotiations between this committee and that have been going on for months and neither side appears to be moving. During an executive session with the best school committee, the committee considered offering an additional half a percent in the third year of the contract, but wasn’t ready to make that offer until dairy business costed up the additional half a percent. Johnny Gold and Ununice had their

2:04:10 breakfast scheduled for two days after the committee’s meeting and before the next bargaining session. John tells Jim Ununice that the school committee has another half a percent in the last year of the contract and asks Unis, do you think that will then get the negotiations done? Unus doesn’t respond and change the subject. Are there any issues with Johnny continuing to meet with Unice for breakfast? Now, she can do that. She’s always done that. Any issues? Excuse me. Issues um with what John said about the half a percent.

2:04:43 » Well, the only issue is typically you would say no would not be appropriate, » right? She’s not authorized to do it by the school committee. If the school committee authorized her said hey » do an off the record conversation » conversation because only because J is also on the bargaining team if she was not do that » but would well » and only authorized by the school committee if it’s not authorized she can’t go out there and disclose it and first of all it could never have been authorized because they hadn’t even out yet » right » but even then would there be a conflict with it being of » oh no they’re not family members they’re just » No there’s not a conflict » so there could Just a neighbor and a friend that they’ve been having before they were on the for years they’ve been having breakfast together. All right. And before we leave of the conflict of

2:05:29 interest, any questions of conflict of interest? Everybody’s going to ask ask before you act always and disclose. And » so my to my other question if it what is the responsibility of another committee member if you feel that someone else has a conflict? There’s no is there a responsibility in terms of continuing the vote for the committee member with the conflict? There is no there was no absolute obligation. However, we act as a committee and it is certainly doesn’t us interest that people inadvertently u engage in. So, it makes sense if you have a conflict of interest or if you perceive one from someone else to remind them to contact the state ethics commission, get an opinion. And

2:06:15 remember, the opinions you get are based on the facts. So, don’t hide the facts from the state ethics commission when you’re asking them whether or not you can do something because if you hide some of the facts, you’re going to the facts are a little bit different, you’re going to get a different answer. And this one, you know, you can get fined $10,000 for each violation sometimes. So it makes absolutely no sense to do this like no violations of con interest. All right, we’re going to go open meeting one executive sessions. Open meeting law applies to all means of the school committee and every one of its subcommittees.

2:06:52 So it only applies to deliberations and that’s oral written communications through any medium that includes email, texting, social media on public business within the school committee or subcommittee’s jurisdiction and it’s between or among a quorum of the school committee or subcommittee. So a quorum is a majority of the members majority of a subcommittee of two is two. So can’t talk to the other person except you have a state of policy subcommittee of two members. You cannot have a conversation privately about policies that you’re going to be discussing. You have to do it in open session because a forum of two is due. Um and never any multiple member committee is going to be subject to this. One way communications with the

2:07:37 committee can be a deliberation even if nobody else responds. I want to tell you my opinion on starting high school at 9:00. I send it to all of you. I violated the open law even if no response. A meeting is deliberation by a public body with respect to any matter within a body’s jurisdiction. Not necessarily anything that you’re looking at now, but anything that you might look at that’s within your jurisdiction. You don’t do I’m just going to make this up. Uh you don’t give permits for boats in the harbor. So if you all want to talk about that, feel free. it’s not within your jurisdiction. But if it comes up that has something to do with anything to do with the schools,

2:08:25 then it’s within your jurisdiction require so meetings have to require a form of a committee or a subcommittee. you have you should follow adopted rules of order and I don’t know always do but it makes sense to follow Robert’s rules whichever version you want to accept because when you have difficult conversations to have if you’re always following Robert’s rules it keep things on board and nice and clean if you only do it when you have a difficult conversation it’s it’s not always the most effective sort of implement the rules I just have a quick question so I’m still getting through all my literature to to read. But is there any possibility where Robert’s rules would say one thing and uh Commonwealth uh open meeting laws would be a little different and if so

2:09:13 does one over override like is there a hierarchy that you need to follow? No. If there’s any conflict » law is about hosting a meeting in in a notice of the meeting the agenda that’s going to be there. Robert’s rules is about what happens once you open the meeting. Okay. and how to adjourn. But it’s not about um it’s not about how you get to that part of the meeting. Robert Schools is really about how you are operating during the meeting versus getting properly posted, the agenda posted, um opening it. So » So then maybe policy might be a little bit more of an issue perhaps if we had a policy. » That’s right. But then you follow your policy. You don’t have to follow Robert’s rules. That’s not a law. It’s just an easier way. Most most of our town meetings are followed by Robert’s rules. Nice to follow the same procedure.

2:09:59 procedure. procedure. Um » but we’re not legally obligated, you’re saying, to do that. » You are not. » Okay. » But we do have a policy to follow records. It is. Yeah. » Right. » And most people don’t want to develop a whole rule of operation. So it makes sense to follow rules. uh you need to public comment comes up a lot and you need to comply with policy on public comment and you need to make sure that it is consistent with the law. Uh we’ll talk about that. Posting is required for all meetings including all subcommittee meetings. They have to be posted at least 48 hours in advance excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays. You cannot count those in that 48 hours. You have to have the name of the committee or the subcommittee, the

2:10:44 date, time of the meeting, the location of the meeting, including the street address, even though everybody knows like maybe the high school. Everybody knows where the high school is, but you still have to have the street address in there, the room number or name, auditorium, library, 401, 2011, whatever. And if the meeting is virtual, the link, and then the agenda for the meeting. I think that’s pretty clear. And you clerk again is responsible for making sure those are posted. Um, a gathering is not a meeting. Members do not deliberate. And the gathering is an on-site inspection. So, for example, if you were going to go up on the roof of the high school to take a look at the roof, that is not you’re not deliberating up there. You’re going to deliberate in a meeting whether or not it needs to be replaced. But if you wanted to look at it or during the construction of a school building, you

2:11:31 would be looking at that, you know, and that’s not an open meeting. Uh, it’s not an open meeting if you’re at a public or private gathering, holiday party. um Fourth of July celebration, they’re all together. Um so long as you don’t deliberate. Training programs like what we’re doing right now are not subject to the open meeting law. Uh the attendance of a court at a meeting with another public body such as our meeting, right? Um public comment during open meetings. So » wait, can you back that up? Um so we usually post our a meeting at count meeting » because you might actually deliberate. » So if the visiting members communicate only by open Oh okay. So if we needed that’s for that purpose

2:12:18 » that’s that’s just a safety in case you needed to deliver it. » So that last sentence if the visiting members communicate only by open participation in the meeting on those matters discussed by the host body. So if you’re for example not you don’t have an agenda you’re not doing anything town meeting and they’re asking about your budget and three of you speak about the budget you already approve the budget you’re just explaining it is already posted you’re okay » without posting however if at time meeting you also need to have a school committee meeting because you needed to take action before town meeting you needed to you you were given an extra I’m going to make it up50 $50,000 and you wanted to add it to your budget request or you wanted to amend your request. Those kinds of things would

2:13:05 have to be you have to have a meeting at town meeting to have that deliberation. » Can we go back to the slide on agendas?

2:13:18 Wait, no, this the posting is required. » Oh, posting. » Yeah, sorry. Can you speak a little bit about the guidelines for amending agendas within that 48 hour period and what the criteria are to do? » Don’t amend agenda 48 hours. However, sometimes an item that you didn’t anticipate. So it might be oh you didn’t think that the custodians were going to ratify their contract. we’d like to get it going because sooner we approve it, then they make up the race, right? Or let’s say we didn’t know that the HBA HBAC system was going to break yesterday or that um the superintendent decided to

2:14:05 resign. Uh you know, things that happened within that 48 hours that the chair could not have reasonably no can be added. Um but if it can wait till the next meeting the better practice would be to to wait till the following meeting but some things can’t wait. But » so for those things that can’t wait, do you is there a process where you have to I’ve seen where you could suspend you do you have to suspend Robert’s rules? I’ve seen that some of the policy you don’t have to do something like that posted this. So let’s say » well I’m saying you’re in a meeting a meeting has come up you have an agenda post that agenda even if you posted it five hours before the meeting you had to send it to the town clerk who had to amend your agenda. then

2:14:51 you could talk about that topic item. But if you didn’t amend your agenda, you shouldn’t talk about anything that’s not on your agenda at your meeting. Now, you could talk about putting it on a future meeting, but you shouldn’t be delivering. » And there’s no emergency. » There are very few true emergencies, right? Building floods, that’s an emergency. There’s a shooter emergency. Um but » so in our case perhap you know like if a a member resigns for example » not an emergency okay » no because you have 30 days to notify the town of that member residing » and you do want to make sure you do it before that 30 days otherwise the town will make without you » I know and I know there’s one member

2:15:37 » you can you can bring up new business in new business » but it would not be deliberated put on the next agenda Okay. Or a future agenda might not always be the next one. » So, but just hypothetically, let’s say yesterday the superintendent presented and we had this happening this morning. We would need to amend the agenda the town clerk when they opened at 8:00 a.m. so that we could properly deliberate » about next steps. Sure. in this meeting. » Okay. » If they post it in time, you should get it. » If not, I think under new business, we will be addressing this at our next meeting, » right? Don’t let people know. » Yes. » So, we already went through a meeting if

2:16:23 it’s a training or public comment during concession. » You are not required to have public comment at let’s um at every meeting unless your policy requires it. Um, every policy should limit the overall period of time for it because those committees who don’t sometimes have two hours of redundant communications and that means that you start your business sometimes at, you know, 9:30 at night. If you’re tired, you you have other jobs and things to do. So, it it makes sense to limit it. Um, require speakers. I usually sign in some way so there’s an orderly way for the chair to recognize them and have them come in order. Encourage but not

2:17:09 require speakers present the remarks in a respectful manner. You cannot control people want to be disrespectful or use profanity unless they’re making a threat, a real threat. You got to let them be who they are. Uh limit the time allowed for speaker. usually not three minutes is usually sort of the norm everywhere. But that means you enforce it. You don’t give everyone three minutes and 15 seconds and you don’t because you like what they’re saying and you don’t give somebody 2 minutes and 45 seconds because you don’t like what they’re saying. Um you can limit topics to those items within within your authority because it doesn’t otherwise somebody’s going to come and you know read their pizza menu to you as advertisement.

2:17:55 uh reserve the right of the chair to terminate speech that’s not constitutionally protected. Well, that’s very little is not first amendment protected. All right. So, unless someone is saying, you know, I brought a gun here and I’m going to shoot you other than, you know, a serious legitimate threat. No, the committee may welcome written comments in lie or in addition to the speaker’s threeminut presentation. So there’s another way for people to get their vacations to you. And I always want to remind you, it’s from my years, it’s not legal, it’s but it’s just experience. Sometimes the loudest voices come to your school committee meetings, but they’re not the majority. Um, and all of

2:18:41 you were not elected to buy with the loudest voices or the people or the most people who show up at a meeting. you were elected to use your judgment and make decisions based on your best judgment of what you think is best for your school district. And that’s what you should do. It’s fine to get all of the inputs from different stakeholders, of course, but at the end of the day, the number of people who show up for one particular issue doesn’t necessarily mean there aren’t 10 times as many at home who are afraid to come and speak on the other side of that issue. So I just want to remind you of that because the public comment sometimes makes it seem like everybody’s agreeing with this public comment but it’s sometimes very much orchestrated by the viewpoint of the people we’re speaking. » I thought if you go back for a second

2:19:27 but obscenities I thought we couldn’t » you can’t unless they’re I mean look a lot ofities are not necessarily profanity and it’s really hard to find that. So it you can reserve the right to do it, but obviously the chair it’s it’s three minutes. Let them say their piece and get out. It’s I I think it’s easier that way. Also, there’s no such thing as I’m going this is not like this. I’m going to or someplace else. I’m going to give you my three minutes and you’re going to take someone else’s three minutes and you get 30 minutes. No, you got three minutes. That’s it. You’re done. The only time, and this has never come up, but the only time that you might need to have more than three minutes to make it fair would be if someone needed an interpreter such as a sign language interpreter. So, they were signing and

2:20:13 someone had to speak. So, they there’s a little bit more of a delay, but that’s not that’s very rare. » If someone is speaking during public comment and sharing private information, you know, is that about another person? Is that something where the committee should be saying this isn’t appropriate? You can’t talk about a personnel matter in front of the committee. » No, let them say whatever they want to say. » Yeah. And and I know that that you will get less the person they’re talking about will be unhappy. » Yeah. » But you know that’s what happens. Like if it’s about schools » and it’s within your jurisdiction as opposed to I want to talk to you about the Lynn public schools. No, you’re in

2:21:00 the right place. But um within our jurisdiction, that’s it. I could say and then sometimes people come and they disclose the most intimate information about their child’s IDPS 504 plans which is now available for the whole world to see forever. And I feel bad that they’re disclosing it, not us. We just move on and you shouldn’t engage because if you start engaging, then you’re deliberating and that wasn’t on the agenda. So there’s no deliberations. You just go from next next speaker and it’s not thank you so much for coming Liz and then the next speaker okay you’re done go like none of that it’s the same thing next speaker next speaker your time is up next speaker okay now finish public comment that way there’s no oh sort of I like what you said I didn’t like what

2:21:47 you said inference » what if someone approaches the committee members specifically » if they make a threat then you have them they get a warning. The chair will give a warning and after the second, you know, the first warning, if they’re not, tell them to be seated or to be silent if they interrupt. And if they don’t, then you have to have them removed. You might have to pause the meeting while you get a police officer to remove them. Um, I would say that where are you? When I was on the school committee, there were times where I would say we had some hot button items. So we had for example a first run and a second run bus schedule same bus first run second. You talk about changing first run versus second run there’s

2:22:32 standing remote. So if we’re going to talk about that instead of putting a public comment hold a separate meeting like like almost like you do for the budget like have a separate meeting. Let’s hear it all from everybody right and everybody gets to speak and I didn’t limit it to like three minutes. she might have a little bit more time just to talk and then we heard all the pros and cons if oh before Labor Day after Labor Day started back in the 90s that was a big deal not so much anymore but it was then um apparently I could change math and and English language arts curriculum was plenty of empty seats but not the bus schedule so I would tell you that because if you have a hot item it almost makes sense to have a separate meeting and just hear about it because if you don’t you’re just you’re trying to cram it into a little public comment. It makes everybody frustrated and it’s not I mean it’s not your job to

2:23:18 frustrate the community either. You’re serving the community. So hear what they have to say, think about it and then move on. But at least devote a meeting to it or a good part of a meeting to it because you’re never going to get through that kind of thing in public. Every community has its own pop.

2:23:36 Watch out for serial communications. Communication among fewer than a quorum, but as you keep going, they usually call it the game of telephone. So, you know, El calls Kate and then Kate calls Henry and says what El said and then Henry calls Jen. You have now violated the law. Even though neither none of you talk to a foreign. Uh, you can’t circumvent it by having someone else by private messaging them electronically, email, text message, all of that. All right. So, we have 9 through 13. So you guys, Shen and Henry are going to do 9 10 and two will do 11 12. We’ll do virtual.

2:24:39 » Yeah, » Yeah, sure.

2:25:08 I hope that was enjoying these scenarios.

2:25:44 in the meeting. » Yep. Just bring it out there which you do. » Yes. » Chair Courtland has the chair of the best school committee. Three days before that we lost a couple letters. We have the next school committee meeting. Sher Cordland sends materials to all of the school community members related to the budget and summary documents regarding a new math curriculum being proposed by the assistant superintendent for teaching and learning. The chair includes the following in communication. The attached documents are for our meeting on June 24th and will be discussed at that meeting. You are reminded that to comply with the open meeting law, you cannot do a reply all through this email and you do not

2:26:30 communicate with me or each other about these matters until we are at our meeting. Any open meeting law violations with this? No, she’s just sending you the information. In the old days, we actually got it in an envelope packet, so we had to open up and read it. Now, we’ve sent it by email, but it’s it’s for the meeting. There’s no no opinions about it, nothing. Empire is a member of the best school committee and is an avid social media user. Empire frequently posts about school committee matters. Empire posted that Fuji, another member of the school committee, and Empire are going to make a motion to add 20 minutes per day to recess for students in the lower grades because kids don’t get enough exercise and free time anymore. The other three members of the best school committee are followers of Empire’s social media and read Empire’s post. Member Fuji gave

2:27:15 Empire’s post a thumbs up. Member Gala posts a large thumbs down and says, “Are we a violation of the open meeting law?” LOL lol. And that’s laugh out loud, I believe. Although the first time I saw it, I asked my kids. I thought it sent it to me. I thought it was lots of love, but it was LOL. Laugh out loud. Yeah. So, there were some other ones they sent me and then I found out what they were. I said, “Send that to you.” Love it. Member John Gold post a heart. Chair Courtland has been the post response. I don’t know, but probably G’s question about the open meeting. Is there an open meeting issue with these communications? » Yes. Yeah. Yeah. They have have been found that just emoji symbols they they count. » Well, the post itself is the violation. I think » the post. » Yeah.

2:28:02 » You have to be really careful about the idea of posting and then having followers that are all on the same committee. » You have a quorum deliberation on topics for future agendas. Member Empire wants to put the 20 minutes per day on additional recess for students in elementary school on the agenda for the next meeting of the best public schools. During new business, Member Empire moves to add this topic till the next meeting. Member Fucci seconds the motion. The chair asked if there is any discussion on the motion to add this topic to the next school committee meeting. Member John is recognized by the chair says she totally agrees with Empire and Fuji and supports more recess time. Member Galla is recognized by the chair and says that without lengthening the school day for students the 20 minutes will need to come out of academics and this will have an impact on learning time. So member

2:28:49 Galla does not support increasing recess time. Is there an open meeting law violation here? » Yes. Because it’s not posted. They are talking about their opinions and deliberating on it. » Thank you. » So this is pretty much the same. Member Empire reports as a lison on to the district’s CPAP. Oh, wait. I do 12 here. Okay. Member Empire wants to put 20 minutes on. Same kind of thing. Moves to add a topic to the next meeting. The chair asked if there’s any discussion on the motion to add the topic to the next school committee meeting. Member Galla is recognized. Chair states it would be better to have it at a later meeting so that the administration can provide the committee with information. Member John Gold is recognized by the chair and says that she cannot attend the next meeting and ask that they be placed on a

2:29:36 different date. The motion is amended and the committee votes to place the topic on the agenda for the second meeting in September. Any violation? » No, that’s scheduling. Scheduling is not the opening law and they can talk about that. Didn’t give their opinions. They just said, “Hey, I want to move it up.” 13. We’re going to do this one together. Member and buyers report as leazison to the district CPAC group. You all know what CPAC is, right? Okay. Member Empire said that some parents on the CF suggested that special education teachers could have paid release time from their teaching duties to attend CPAC meetings during their workday. Member Fuji hears this and makes a motion to provide paid release time to all educators who want to attend CPAC meetings that occur during their workday. Before the chair could say anything, Member Empire second the

2:30:21 motion. What should the chair do and what? What do you all think? » Well, it’s subject to bargaining. It is subject to collective bargaining. Absolutely. And was it on the agenda? No. » He was giving a report leaison report. You can’t all of a sudden talk about that. Not to mention you want that administrator input under the IPO. Who’s going to be with the children if all these people get to go to a meeting during their workday? » So what should the chair I mean did the time? We not taking that motion. We can you know that’s for another day. Not on the agenda. We can’t talk about it. Hold on. » Yeah. It doesn’t matter if it’s seconded. It’s just this campaign. » Okay. » And people should sort of pause a moment before making a motion and second making sure it is on the agenda. Not on the

2:31:09 posted agenda. Let’s not go there. Executive session meets uh is required to convene in open session prior to meeting in executive session. Even if the only thing you’re going to do is take a vote to go into executive session. While you’re in the session, the committee votes to meet in executive session and must state the purpose for the executive session and the vote has to be taken by roll call vote and the votes of each member have even if it’s unanimous, each member’s vote has to be recorded. Um, prior to meeting in executive session, the chair has to announce the vote and the reason for going into reason sometimes reasons because it can be plural for going into executive session and um whether or not the committee will be reconvening in open session. That’s important to remember because people don’t want to hang around only to find out you aren’t coming back.

2:31:56 Especially prior to doing the hybrid meetings where people were actually sitting here and then they wait for you to go interceptive and then for hours and then you didn’t come back. So purpose one, this is when the committee is going to discuss an individual which could be an employee, could be a public officer, could be staff member, reputation, character, physical condition, mental health, discipline or dismissal, complaints or charges against them. That can be an executive session. Open session, you’re talking about professional competence. That’s why you always do the superintendent’s evaluation in open session because it’s about professional competence but executive session for reputation, character, physical or mental health.

2:32:42 Um, at the individual’s request, however, even if you go into go into executive session, the individual can require that you hold the session. If they if you hold an executive session, that person has the right to have written notice at least 48 hours prior to the executive session. Posting it doesn’t account. They get individual notice. I’m going to talk about you. So therefore, I get written notice about it. To be present during the conversations that involve this person to have their counsel there or a representative for advising. We call that the ped person. They get to sit there and whisper in the person’s ear, but they don’t get to speak to you. to speak on their own behalf and to create an independent record. They can record it or have a court recorder transcript.

2:33:28 They can their phone out and record it. Those are their rights. Um purposes two and three are the ones you use probably most often. Strategy sessions and preparation for negotiations with non-un personnel. So when you’re talking about negotiations with the superintendence contract or to conduct collective bargaining the unions. Uh, also purpose uh three is strategy with respect to collective bargaining. I don’t know why they just didn’t put it all in the same one, but they didn’t. Um, or litigation. So, if an open meeting will have a detrimental effect on your bargaining or litigation and the chair, if you ever go in for purpose three, the chair must state in open session and it’s needs recorded that um you’re going to go into executive session to discuss strategy and preparation for let’s say litigation.

2:34:13 litigation. litigation. it because an open session may have a detrimental effect on being litigation position of the of the committee. you need to say that not help session have to record that. There are other uh number of other ones. Security for example, if you’re going to deploy security, you’re not going to open session, everybody will be able to go around them. But one of the ones they use should be using a lot is purpose seven. Purpose seven is for um any general special law that requires you to executive session. You go into purpose seven seven to approve to review approve and to disclose or not disclose depending on when you want to release them the executive

2:34:58 session minutes. So you should keep those up to date, right? And you should review the minutes in executive session to determine if you can disclose them.

2:35:13 Every set of minutes, if you have executive session and open session, every there should be two sets of minutes. The open session minutes, which are always disclosable. There’s nothing in open session that doesn’t get disclosed in the minutes. and the executive session. They all have to have the date, time, place, the members present or absent um and anyone participating remotely if somebody’s remote. List all the documents used at the meeting. Discuss the summary of each and every topic. Now, sometimes we don’t get to everything. It gets late or we don’t have the information or somebody is was going to give us a presentation on something. But the agenda listed, one of the things that I’ve noticed is that people sometimes go back and say, “Oh, your minutes aren’t good.” Because look, the agenda had five items and you only have four items. You might list that other item as this

2:35:59 item was on the agenda, but there’s no collaboration on it. So that way everything matches. It’s not like you did something you weren’t supposed to do or you left something out of your minutes. Um, and because as we all remember, you have to go back and watch it. Someone was and now you have. But if you want to watch the whole meeting again, you could just look the minute. No, we didn’t discuss this city. We did every motion. I found out the other day that one of my committee members of the district thought that um if it the motion didn’t pass, it didn’t need to be in the minutes. All motions made and voted on need to be recorded in the minutes even if they failed. Just to

2:36:45 confirm, if we say we had a meeting that was basically entirely executive session, there would be two sets of minutes. One reflecting the open session vote to enter executive session, right? » And those are publicly available minutes and then we have a set of executive session minutes that remain protected until » and the session would have the roll call vote, the motion to go in. They have the st if if it was u to talk about litigation for example strategy then the chair statement that said you know um that open session might have a detrimental effect on the litigation position of the committee it would say whether or not you are coming in or out back into open session not would say that most of the time we don’t just because public we try to do all the other business first and then the executive session at the end or we do

2:37:32 executive session very much at the very beginning earlier and then start the open session later Um but it always has to have a discussion in your minutes of every topic and every motion made of those motions. That school committee went into executive session at its April 3rd meeting for the following purposes. Purpose three to discuss strategy with respect to litigation neighbor with quickest pick fence and flag hole on school grounds just outside of property line and purpose two to conduct collective bargaining with that the best association of teachers. The litigation with n neighbor concluded with a settlement where neighbor signed an agreement as part of the agreement town of best removed the flag pole and fence from the school grounds. Nate

2:38:18 relocated the fence can on property and the flag pole well within his backyard. Nate wrote the town a check for $3,45245 the cost the town incurred in relief events and flagpole of the school grounds. Negotiations with that are ongoing and it seems they will not be resolved soon but after the negotiations with that conclude the committee will still have negotiations with other bargaining units. Should the committee release the executive special minutes from April 3rd and if so which parts

2:38:50 can anything come out? agreement with the neighbor. » Yeah, exactly. Neighbor, it’s done. There’s nothing that’s over with, right? He put his flag pole and his fence outside of his property land. We took a look and said, “Hey, get off my school grounds.” And they and he paid to have it move because we’re not letting him go on school grounds to remove something. That’s fine. The stuff of that not yet requests for open session minutes. You have » a question on that. So would the um minutes that that would be approved and released be redacted? » Yes. » So you’d have the full minutes to just redact. » Yeah. » And you need to make sure it’s redacted in the way they can’t be unredacted » or physically. » Physically. » Yeah.

2:39:35 » Yeah. » Yeah. » I say the redaction should be the actual in the do in the digitally in the document not manually. » Yeah. And one of the other ways you can do it is you can always your minutes just start them on a new page for so that the reds are a whole lot easier. » Yeah. » Um requests for minutes. This I always want to bring this up because you have to provide copies to the requester within 10 calendar dates. who think that when they did the public records law, they looked at the open meeting law, they might have made like 10 business days. Public records 10 business days and minutes are public records. But open session minutes have to be given within

2:40:21 10 calendar days, which is not the same as 10 business days. Very annoying, very confusing, and I don’t know why they didn’t do that, but I think they just forgot about uh so and they whether or not they’ve been approved. in draft form too. I don’t know that there’s as many requests anymore only because they can just go watch it on on the video. But uh requests for executive session committee has not recently reviewed them. They have to plan to review them at the next meeting. So they have to add that to the agenda for the seven. Uh and when you do the purpose seven, you have to list all of the meetings minutes. Just list the dates that you’re going to be reviewing. Notify the requester within 10 days of the request that the committee needs to review them and after the review notify the requester of the outcome. Oh yes,

2:41:07 you can have them at papers or no you because it’s texting and email. » Excuse me. And I it was interesting. I was reviewing some of the policies. I believe these requests go through the superintendent. » They should » not the » they should actually go through your records access officer, but I’m not sure that she actually knows. Most people just think it’s 10 business days even the requesters and well 10 business days calendar days it’s a few long two days earlier but yes they should go that texting and emailing during the meeting so you’re all on camera all the time everybody sees you if you start texting on your phone or emailing on your phone people see that and guess what they ask for copies of some things please don’t um during a meeting don’t want to do it looks like they have your private

2:41:53 meeting like, “Oh, I’m going to text you and then you’re going to text in before you know you’re having an executive session within the opening session.” Don’t do it. You need to text your spouse or your kids or something. Step out of the meeting, do your text, come back in. Um, it’s advisable not to engage in text, email, or other electronic communications during meetings as they people do ask for them. Information can be distributed committee members by email prior to a committee meeting. If comply with the older meeting law, you’re going to

2:42:29 go back. You’re going to make sure that you say don’t do a reply all people do that. You don’t need to say received. You don’t need to say thank you. If you’re just distributing the package like we picked up the oldfashioned yellow envelope that had full of paper that you had to read. I always in the 90s spoken not so but I used to see some as a chair I used to see some of my members just opening the packet first time it broke my heart there’s no way they could be prepared um so you want to be prepared for the meetings you want to read it all but you don’t need to do a reply all recording recording meeting law allows anybody to record the meeting so long as it’s not disruptive uh during an open session so they video audio record it on and they can transmit

2:43:15 it. You know, they can have Facebook live or whatever they want while the meeting is going on. The chair has to inform attendees of any recordings being made at the meeting and that includes recordings by cable TV or whoever else recording it. And I can’t imagine that people are not recording it, but they’re supposed to tell you. So they should be in the back recording it without having first told you so that you can say this meeting is being recorded social media communications among school committee members on social media are subject to open law. So posts and comments on social media may be deliberations. We talked about that example with a thumbs up thumbs down and the heart. Uh remember posts on social media by the committee on matters within the jurisdiction may be subject to retention and disclosure under the public records law.

2:44:06 All right. Um we got 14 and 15. So you we’re going to do 14 and Jen and H are going to do number 15.

2:44:25 just give you a couple false slides for the for the exercises. » Just 15. » Oh, 15. Sorry.

2:45:03 yeah, doing it during the meeting is definitely another You’re right. But so doing this afterwards. » Yeah, if you did it. » Yeah. Although I would I think the better way to the inquiry should be what are their thoughts around?

2:45:25 » Okay. 14. During an open session meeting of the five member best school committee, members Fuji, Gala, and Empire are texting each other about how they plan to vote on an upcoming agenda item. Additionally, member Empire text the president of a local group who is attending the meeting asking how the group wants Empire to vote. What are the open meeting law issues here? » Well, the first the first sentence is a violation of open meeting law because it’s a private deliberation. » Private deliberation during an open session and the second one also is a private deliberation. So, not not a deliberation but a communication that’s supposed to be open. No secret communications during a meeting. And even when you’re not doing it, it looks like you’re doing it. A couple of you are texting home saying, “Oh, meeting’s

2:46:10 running late.” or I forgot to get milk or the kids have, you know, don’t forget to sign the permission slip for the kids. They don’t know. The audience doesn’t know what you’re texting and it looks like you’re texting each other. Don’t do it. And hires a member of the best school committee. He was at home scrolling through social media and saw that the superintendent of the best public school is a finalist for a position in the good district. The good school committee is meeting at the end of the week to make a decision. The best school committee is not scheduled to meet for another two weeks. He texts the other school committee members on the best school committee and says super is a finalist in good. Do we want to counter goods offer to keep super? What are the open meeting law issues with Empire’s text message? » First thing is your superintendent didn’t tell you.

2:46:55 » I couldn’t hear. » The first problem is your superintendent didn’t tell your any any of you that he was a or she was a finalist. » True. » Before it was announced. So, » but yes, this is an open meeting by » open meeting by Right. » And is this an emergency? » No, but you could ask the chair to to request to schedule » one question. It is not an emergency. As I said, emergency can’t hold a school in this building because it’s flooded. » Um that’s an emergency. Could not plan for it. You’ll deal deal with it. Fire in a school building. emergency. Uh, you know, this not an emergency, but 48

2:47:42 hours is not that long. All right, any questions about the opening while the before with public records, and this is going to be quick because this is an easy one. You don’t respond to public records requests. Not your job. You have enough to do. Do not respond to them. Don’t provide it even if you have it. send people to the records access officer. So, Massachusetts law as a public records law, you know, government in the sunshine here, we will let everybody see all of our documents, photographs, videos, emails, text messages, by the way, anything a district employee or committee member is part of at work, unless it’s fits into one of the exceptions, and that includes those text messaging emails I’ve been telling you about. So, don’t use your personal accounts either.

2:48:28 accounts either. accounts either. I’m going to have to search those to respond. I really don’t want to. Public records law also applies to only applies to existing records. We do not have to create a record. Someone says, “I want this in, you know, in this continuum format. If we have it in that format, fine, they can have it that way. We don’t they’re getting whatever format we have.” Um, everything is presumed to be a public record unless a specific exemption applies. There are 21 stated exemptions. just the district records access officer. I think it’s Lisa in the district here, » uh, responds to public records requests. And even if you have something, let’s say they just want a copy of say the high school student handbook, public record, we have it, you have it. You

2:49:14 could send it. But here’s the problem with doing that. The records access officer has no record of when she gets a request, she has to know when the request came in, what the request was for, when she responded to it. We don’t want you to do this. That’s the records access officer’s job. So, you receive a request for documents or information informing the requester that all requests need to go through the records access officer. This comes up a lot. Now, that’s different than, you know, the chair being asked something from the reporter that you might give them information about last night’s meeting. um open meeting of course, but you should and also committee members can submit requests for public records. If the committee wants some information, the committee as a whole asks for it. If

2:50:00 individuals want it, then you have to submit your public records request. The district can issue a response to request on 10 business days, but that doesn’t mean they provide information in 10 business days. Um it might be that they’re telling them there’s a fee and people have to pay for that. Um I I’m a great believer when we can charge a fee to charge the fee because otherwise people are just asking for stuff over and over again. Sometimes it’s like right there. Some of the stuff’s on the website so it’s easy. Um if we just deny your request for one of those 21 reasons, which I’m not going to bore you with today because you’re not going to be responding to them. Um we have to tell them how that exemption applies. We can’t just say it’s it’s exempt. We have to say which exemption and how it

2:50:47 applies to that particular record or that part of the best practices. Be aware that sending and receiving information may mean that the information becomes a public record and so only put writing information that you would not mind being included in a response to requests for public records. Don’t use your school committee email address to conduct any personal business because there’s no expectation of privacy in any of your emails school uh that the district’s email and remember there’s no expectation of privacy absolutely not and the records officer may have it search all of your emails district emails because they have to respond and they’re not going to ask you to go searching one of them. And the

2:51:32 flip side to number two is that I mean I very on occasion will get someone emailing me personally question and I usually forward it to my school committee and respond from that. » Y » so there’s no trail and no need to go back to my personal » Exactly. Exactly. You don’t want people in your personal Gmail or whatever. I mean, people do because it’s, you know, we’re a small town like people, you know, they have » I have one particular person who always » because that’s what pops up when you’re autofill. » All right, we have we’ll do this one together. Ralph reporter has an online local newspaper and frequently covers school committee issues. Ralph observed two members of the best school committee sending text messages and emails during a recent pit session school committee meeting. Ralph sends Gallup, a member of the best school committee, an email

2:52:19 reflecting the text messages and email communications from members Fuji and Empire on June 19th, 2025 between the hours of 7 and 9:14 p.m., which is the date and time of the open session meeting. How should Galla respond?

2:52:35 » Do you send a request to the the officer or do you ask » the request first to go to the RAO? Yeah. like you’re not going to because if you start doing the sending it then you’re doing their work. » Okay. » Public records go through the records access officer her her contact information but her website. Oh, here it is. I will give them I wouldn’t mind giving you the records access officer request. I don’t think you should be having to submit it to the job. Um and what will the RAO have to do? » Her job. » Yes. whatever that is, » ask for those emails and text messages during that period of time. So, you know, you really don’t want ours having to read things, private things between you and your spouse because you decided to do it during a meeting. Uh, or worse

2:53:22 yet, it’s not about that. » What if it isn’t just during a meeting? What if you get a request that I want to see all emails between school committee X and her spouse? » Her spouse? No. No. School committee and the spouse? No. But you could get between all the school committee members. » What about a school committee member and » all the other school committee members? I’ve had that » done or » you might get those » um another person in public. » You might get those requests and you might so that’s why I’m telling you like you just need if you don’t want to see it in newspaper or on the you know all over the social media phones still work. They’re so much better. a record of said, but people say things. I mean, sometimes meetings go on

2:54:07 and people say things, they they text things, but let’s say unflattering comments about people or presenters, they don’t get them. But is that releasable? I don’t I mean, the only thing that should be released is anything that is gerine to » correct. So, I have a presenter coming here to the school committee and some school committee member texts another school committee member this is BS or oh this is you know whatever » but if you say I don’t like you know she’s got an ugly scarf on um which you don’t » if you have she had she has an ugly scarf on like that would not be released which by the way » if it was during a school committee member about a presenter » because I thought it was only about what is specific to what you’re deliberating or potentially

2:54:54 » if you make a bend to uh Hey, what is this scarf that’s really ugly? » It is not. » I love your scarf. » Cuz it’s cold. » I don’t know whether it was going to be 100° in the room or 50° in the room. So, I brought a scarf. So, yes, if you want to write that, someone could make that request because you’re at a meeting, it’s posted, and anything you do at the meeting is posted can be like that. » But what if she texts me that this afternoon? text between the two of you can be » still between us. Yeah, » between us. Yeah. » I mean, if she texts you, hey, um if your kids have played soccer together, I’ll pick up that. » Yeah. » But » yeah, about something that happen. » Yeah. What about if um you’re in a

2:55:42 meeting and like say like um you know, Henry writes a note passes over to Al. That’s that’s the same public record. Please don’t. If you need to say something like, “Hey, can we have a brief bio break or whatever you want to call them here, that’s fine. We need to have a little break for five minutes.” That’s fine to ask. Um, but if you pass a note, oh, everybody everybody wants not. It’s kind of like when you’re in school and kids pass notes. They want everybody » no notes. All right. School committee roles and responsibilities. You may have covered some of this with MASD. You have lots of responsibilities. Why? Why? You’re not going to take on the RAO’s job either, right? You hire, you evaluate, to terminate the

2:56:27 superintendent of schools, and you have certain other positions that you appoint. You adopt the curriculum. You establish policies and you set goals. You review and approve the school budget. You engage in collective bargaining. You accept gifts and grants for educational purposes. You establish your policies. And those can be in lots of different places. People think of policies, it’s just in their policy yet. Um, it’s the policy manual, which by the way was for viewers looks like MASC’s, which is kind of like when I say it’s a one-sizefits-all dress. Doesn’t fit everybody very well, but covers you up, but like sometimes you need to tweak it a little for your own picture. You have one size fits all dress. Yes. Um, student handbooks

2:57:13 include collective bargaining agreements and past practices, your budget, your strategic plans, your mission of vision statements, your minutes from school committee. You can find your policies. That’s everywhere.

2:57:27 You your actions though only occur at properly posted meetings. They can’t occur anywhere else. And so the school committee members cannot deliberate outside the meeting and act express authorization or vote or policy. The school committee individuals members are not authorized to speak on behalf of the committee. So if you have a policy that says the chair is the spokesperson or the chair of the subcommittee is the spokesperson, that’s who speaks. And let’s say that chair has a voted no on something that passed. So four of the five members voted yes, chair voted no. When the chair speaks on it, chair has to give the a spokesperson of the committee the committee’s view even if it’s not the chair’s personal view. But committee members can speak for themselves. » You could speak for yourself and just make it clear. All right, we’re going to

2:58:15 do uh let’s do this one. Change it up a do 17 on your own. Hey, and Henry are going to do 18 and Jen and John are going to do 19. » Wait, we’re doing 19? » I left you on your own. That’s good luck. » I don’t know if I’d recommend that normally, but I got this.

3:00:22 requirements and you submitted it through part the certificate or do they does that » said they they do that part for you? » Yes. » Okay. » That all right. Committee member Galler wants to add a second recess for all elementary students, not just those in the lower grades. She had the chair add the topic to the open session agenda. Although Galla got a second general motion to add a second daily list. When it came time for a vote, Galla was the only member voting in favor of adding a second recess. The other members voted no because the best elementary school was just meeting the 900 hours of structured learning time required by law and the second daily recess would have reduced the learning time to below the required 900 hours. Ga’s motion failed. After the meeting, Galla requested the chair put

3:01:08 the topic of a second recess on the agenda for the next meeting so that members could reconsider their position and vote again. what should the chair do? » So, it’s interesting. My first reaction was if someone requests something like that that I would accommodate it, but then upon further introspection, I think this would fall under the the role of the chair and his or her discretion to whether they do it or not. In this particular case, I would say no. » You know, maybe we visit sometime in the future, but » you know, within one meeting, no, that’s not » members voted no. And the only member who voted yes asked for it with the Robert’s rules. You’d actually have to have one of the members who voted no, » but they could. » One of the the prevailing members could at a future date, » right? They could. But but the one who

3:01:55 lost should and and really can’t if you follow Robert’s rules. If you don’t, you could just say no because we just voted that. We don’t need to spend time. If you have to reconsider every single motion for a disappointing member, » you don’t have to get any business done. You got to move on. It’s the will of the committee. » What if there’s like significant turnover on the committee? » Well, that’s a different story, right? But again, you just things have to be settled. It’s hard for a community, a school community to have a lot of flip-flopping, right? » No, it makes sense. I understand that. » Right. Even curriculum, if you adopt curriculum A and new school committee members come on, they want curriculum B instead. Well, the teachers have just and if you change it back to B and then a new committee comes out and then you

3:02:40 got to have something different. No one’s going to get invested in these changes and these initiatives. It’s not a it’s not good for the district as a whole to have a lot of disruption, right? Uh but there there is no obligation for the chair to put this on there. That’s why you got this one on the level

3:03:01 finance is the chair of the town of best finance committee. He is a CPA by profession and a believer in planning ahead for all contingencies, including reductions in state and federal funds for the town and the schools. He believes that the best school committee budget is loaded and should be trimmed and the budget should include an amount set aside each year for unanticipated expenses and contingencies. He attends every meeting of the best school committee where the budget is discussed and in between meetings he contacts the best school district school business administrator your place that would be Mike um to give the school business administrator direction on what to reduce in the budget the best school committee chair hears about this what should the chair do » so » so » yeah wow so because it doesn’t really

3:03:47 involve the school committee except as a member of the public I would just inform superintendent that these conversations are going » right. Um and would one might be obligated to follow what the um finance wants them to do. No, it can » the chair should call chair of finance committee and say don’t do this » or the or the town » administrator and say listen » or the select board chair » stay in your lane. We this and besides budget reductions are made by school committee not by anybody else. » The best school committee has had some difficulties recruiting and retaining a human resources director. They frequently get candidates from the private sector but they have no

3:04:32 experience with school law. Best school committee member Gala approaches Manuela manager the best town manager and suggests that the town take over the school of human resources function. The town manager likes this idea and intends the next best school committee meeting with a proposal to take over HR, IT, and facilities. The proposal also includes a reduction to the school committee’s budget to correspond that the employees at the town will supervise the pay under this plan. The best school committee is surprised by the proposal and the town manager is furious that she spent hours preparing a proposal that the school committee didn’t request and apparently she’s not interested in. What should Gala have done different? Oh. Um, not don’t do that. No, » but but let’s say she we can’t get an HR. » Put it on the agenda. How

3:05:20 » Well, talk to superintendent. » There’s there’s a section of the law uh chapter 71 section 37 and is in my um that people don’t usually look at very often, but it does allow us to consolidate certain things with the town. Some some districts do it with it, some districts do it with HR, some districts do it with um with facilities. Um but that’s a decision of the school committee, not any one individual member. So if an individual member wants to make changes, they need to convince the committee this is the way to go. The committee needs to be on board. They shouldn’t be like the maverick that goes out and tries to do it on their own. All it does is upset everybody because the time lies this scenario that the school community didn’t want it.

3:06:07 All right. Second goal and I know talked about that with MASC today. You have to focus the district and it focuses our administrators. What what are our goals? informs the community and employees about changes the district will be making over time and enables us to identify changes in the collective bargaining agreement that present barriers or speed bucks to achieving those goals. Right? We need to know where you’re headed, what you want to do in order to figure out how to get there and to eliminate some of the barriers that might exist.

3:06:39 You appoint personnel. Um, you appoint the superintendent, the school business administrator. That’s Mike’s job. The administrator of special education. That one, uh, you do not need the superintendent’s recommendation for, although it is very best practices to get it. The law does not require it. They forgot when they did one to grab that one because it was not in chapter 71. It was chapter 71B. So the legislators just that’s my you appoint legal counsel the school physicians and the registered nurses although the nurses are really covered by collective bargaining agreement now but when you sign that agreement you’re supposed to appoint them supervisor attendance that’s the person who takes care of truency and all of your assistant or associate superintendent upon the

3:07:25 recommendation of superintendent. So those all of those other assistant superintendents you cannot appoint without the superintendent’s recommendation. And if you if you decline to appoint someone he’s recommended he can ask for the reasons why. But remember even for the positions the first three um on the list you can appoint them but superintendent like business administrator and the administrator special ed. The superintendent can fire anybody in the district. anybody who’s appointed the district. So let’s all do this in cooperative way. So for the committee you appoint those three members three positions superintendent school business administrator administrative special ed. Uh when you do that the committee

3:08:10 determines the wages and other terms and conditions of employment and you actually sign the contracts. Um if you your deliberation regarding that those those compensation packages happens in executive session. Principles and other administrators are appointed by the superintendent. You have no role in those. Um and the superintendent will determine the benefits and compensation and those have to be consistent with policy. So if you have no policy, China is a free-for-all. No limits. And you have policies that say, you know, schools of this size, you know, here’s a range. I wouldn’t have specific amounts, but ranges or, you know, this many days of vacation,

3:08:55 something like that. You can have you can have policies that also make it a little bit easier for um for John to negotiate with the principles. All right. So, we’re going to do uh again John, you’re going to get 20 all by yourself. Um 21 is going to be um 10 and Henry. 22 is going to be take by yourself and 23 is going to be uh all by yourself.

3:10:31 » No, seriously. » Well, that’s what I understood about. I didn’t know if that was unique to Marblehead.

3:10:40 » All right. You ready for 20? M Courtland, the chair of the best school committee and longtime member of NAD Mothers Against Drunk Driving, believes that every school administrator should be a role model for students. She heard that Amy, administrator, an assistant principal in the Venice public school, was stopped on Cape Cod last Saturday night driving 85 miles per hour and may have been charged with driving under the influence of alcohol. Miss Courtland wants to take action. What can’t she do? And what can’t she do? Well, I know she’s going to want action, but um I mean she could let the superintendent know anyway. » Exactly. That’s what she should. » But that’s that’s where they sent him the superintendent to follow follow up with any possible repercussions. » That’s right. It’s the superintendent’s job to discipline. That’s that. But if she heard about

3:11:26 this, it makes sense for her to tell the superintendent. So when the local media calls the superintendent and says, “Hey, we heard that the assistant principal was stopped going 85 miles per hour at on Cape Cod drunk driving.” The superintendent is now blindsided. So important for us. » What are the requirements of the superintendent? I mean, if someone has been charged with a crime, » the superintendent will call counsel usually. We’ll discuss what options the superintendent has. Sometimes it’s paid administrative leave until we can find out what’s actually happened. Sometimes it’s um depending on what it is. Um you know I would say it’s often paid administrative leave and some kind of discipline.

3:12:12 » Of course this might be offduty conduct. It might be a different a different person like we don’t always know. people hear things not always accurate but we would check it out and we and we and the superintendent not the school addresses the discipline

3:12:33 Barry Sar is the chair of the best selector he has not been pleased with the resources required to fund the schools and his partner was Finn finance the chair of the best finance committee Barry and Finn proposed that the select board adopt a policy requiring the school committee submitted its line item budget for the following fiscal year to the select board for approval prior to placing it on the warrant for Tom meeting. The select board adopted the policy and formed the best school committee select board will now be treating the school committee budget like any other town budget that it needs select board approval. What should can the school committee do? » Technically school committee doesn’t have to do anything » except but what would you like to do? probably have the chair and the

3:13:18 superintendent, the chair probably speak to the chair of the selectable city. » And if that doesn’t work, maybe have your council write a letter that says, uh, stay in your lane. » That would be the next step. » Stay in your lane. You do not have the authority to do this. And in fact, while the town’s budgets, including their collective bargaining agreements individually, have to be approved at town meeting. You get bottom line. the only thing that they prove. They might ask questions about how you got to that bottom line and they can make recommendations on how you use your money, but it’s not binding. Bottom line is yours and you choose how to spend it. Empire is a member of the best school committ yesterday at a local grocery store. He heard from Peggy Herren that there have been lots of kids injured at the best elementary playground and that one student left in an ambulance. Empire

3:14:04 was upset, left a cart of groceries and got the car and drove to the best elementary school. Empire walked around the playground which was empty because of the rain. Then went into the school and demanded to talk to the principal. What should the principal do? » The principal should involve the superintendent because that’s where the conversation should be. » Well, the principal should say you don’t have an appointment. Uh you’re you’re not here if you’re here as a school committee member. No, because school committee members have no role at all except when they’re sitting at a meeting, right? They don’t get to or a subcommittee that they can’t just come in and man speak to the principal. What should Empire have done? » Should the school committee should never reach out to a principal, right? » They should not reach out to the

3:14:49 principal. They should not do that. They should Empire should have said, “I’d like to put playground safety and injuries on the agenda. give the superintendent time to get the data. How many kids were injured? If kids get hurt um especially some of the new ones I did the member could speak to the superintendent. » Yeah, he could tell her about it. I’m concerned about it. Right. » Absolutely. Um but you know, kids break arms and wrists and things on playgrounds all the time. Um in fact, I took my grandchildren to a to my daughter she went elementary school. I was expected to see it in playground was the one I helped build as a parent. There was this climbing thing was like like uh like a spiderweb going all the

3:15:35 way around. It’s like two and a half stories high and nobody had any helmets on or anything and my stomach was up in my throat and I was but everybody got up and down like it was nothing. It was the most amazing thing. The kids had so much fun. Scared me like anything. But anyway, yes, playgrounds have changed. That’s what I could say. » U before anyone panics, the woman put in that glover is much short. » Same thing. A lot shorter. » Twotory spider webs in high. » Are you supposed to get one of those? » Yeah. What? » I don’t know. I don’t know if they have a specific name. » There’s one. » There’s one out there. » Yeah, there’s one out here, too. » Short one. You get them like you’re They’re supposed to be like age appropriate. » Like appropriate. They climbed up like

3:16:22 nothing but I just couldn’t believe it. All right. So we address playground issues, safety issues at school community meeting and then you know these are normal. It’s not abnormal to have kids fall off of piece of equipment and break something. And all right Mr. Fuji, a school committee member was raing his leaves when his neighbor Paul Parent told him that his daughter was upset because she would not be able to take music appreciation and calculus one. Paul said he heard that the superintendent was changing the high school schedule and that the art and music classes were offering at the same time as the physics and calculus classes, making it impossible for students to take music and art as well as physics to higher level math classes. Paul said he and other parents were very upset about this change. How should Mr. Fuji respond?

3:17:08 Uh I think by first stating this is not within the purview of the school committee uh and then maybe suggest that many talks to the high school principal about this matter. » You do not that’s fine. I mean you select the curriculum but you don’t decide what time of day it’s all offered. And if anyone’s ever looked at how they manage to do a high school schedule it is it is uh it I don’t know how they do it. is amazing to me how they manage to get every kid in enough classes and it’s it’s amazing but um there are always going to be some classes that conflict with others but and that happens all right communications by the committee this one with administrators council and community members so school committee’s position is determined by a

3:17:54 vote at a properly posted meeting you can’t infer what the committee is thinking you can’t say I I really think that you know Henry Kate agenda support this. No, if it didn’t happen at a school committee meeting, if there wasn’t a vote or a consensus taken there, we don’t know how the school committee was the spokesperson communicates the official committee positions in compliance with the committee or the district policy. So, you have a policy that says the chair I think that is the policy here is not the chair uh is the spokesperson for the committee. that person and as I said before reports out the committee’s view on something even if it’s not the chair’s personal view other committee members should note that they are not speaking » can I make another ask a question about that » that that’s the role of the chair it

3:18:41 that is our policy but the chair has to have knowledge of that » the knowledge come from the vote at the meeting » right so if there hadn’t been in other words if a chair is asked a question about something that had not been delivered operated on the chair is in is not able to comment. » Now, unable to comment on the committee’s official position because they don’t have one. Easy enough. It’s not no comment I want to tell you. It’s I cannot respond because the committee has not taken a position on that by vote yet. Um you can say your own personal view, but I’m not speaking on behalf of the committee. All of you have don’t give up your rights to have a view. So if a committee member could be viewed as speaking on behalf of the committee, remember to inform the audience wherever you’re speaking. I’m speaking as an

3:19:27 individual and not on behalf of the committee. The committee speaks by vote. It’s important when you especially if your view is not in sync with the committee’s

3:19:39 communication with administrators. So school committee communicates its policies and directives to the superintendent and the business manager. the superintendent business manager report and receive direction from you as a whole, not from individuals but as a whole. And the superintendent can also give direction to the business manager. Other administrators take their direction from the superintendent. So let’s be clear about that. You don’t go talking to the other administrators and telling them what you want them to do. » So just interesting. It’s it’s interesting that we hire you know the special education person but that role is not covered is not talked about here. » No because because you the budget one I mean you you would give direction to the budget person because that that’s all of

3:20:26 your money is there right? Um but even that the superintendent can give that person direction too. Uh but the others you hire the superintendent you let the superintendent do their job. When I left after six years, one of the reporters asked me what was the most important thing I did on my school and I think he was thinking well weition on this building and renovated his school and I said I hired the right superintendent let him do his job right because even if I have an education background we ought to hire experts to do the job that we want them to do if you’re not happy with the job then you replace them but you don’t try to do the job especially since sometimes we can five people to agree on anything. So having a superintendent has to have the direction from the committee as a whole because we tried to take

3:21:13 direction from each of you. It would be different directions sometimes. So communication with legal counsel. Now, this is important because if my experience with far head and many of my other districts is that you want the request for legal advice to come from the committee to come through the chair because if each of you call me then that raises your cost and we don’t need to raise your cost. I paid the legal fees when I was on my school committee. I try not to increase fees by that. Right? So you may be asking a question, especially as a new member, that may have been addressed by a prior legal opinion that the chair would have and could share with you, right? So it makes sense to always go through the chair. Um, if the chair authorizes you to call, that’s

3:22:00 okay, too. But I always ask that question. So if Kate calls me and says, “Liz, I need to know this. Is this legal?” I would say, “Hey, did you get authorization from L?” because otherwise we have everybody calling and then you his bills and say what’s this all about? Not a good idea. Um the superintendent has the authority always to call because we help the superintendent on on personnel matters usually and some other matters sometimes. Um so but remember we legal council represents you as a whole committee as a whole not individual members which is why I told you about the state ethics commission because they will help individual members at no cost but you can call me and ask me which disclosure are you supposed to use and I

3:22:45 can find that for you or you can call them and they can give it to you for free. Communications with community members or from members you follow the district policies and procedures. Remember, the community only takes action by a vote and if the information is properly a matter of administration, inform the superintendent, right? I don’t like my superintendent blindsided. We’re all a team here. So, if you know about something or you know someone’s going to come and ask you something or there’s a parent group upset about something, give him a heads up. Don’t have it’s his decision how to deal with it, but at least give him a heads up. And I would imagine you want those heads up, John. » Yeah, I think everyone’s actually been really good about that. So, I I appreciate those phone calls. Um, and then always follow the chain of command. Sometimes, especially in small communities. I live in a small

3:23:32 community, too. And one of the things is everybody knows everyone, right? So, they know me. They might come up and help me fix their problem. No, no. Like, I even had an art teacher once stopped me in the middle of the grocery store. I’m like, “No, this is not the place for this, right?” No, there’s a chain of command. You got an issue. Talk to your principal. Talk to the superintendent. Don’t talking to me. Like, there’s a chain of command. Follow it. Same thing like what I said when they ask you for information on public records, records access officer, follow the chain of command, follow the individual rules. It’s a whole lot better. You don’t need more work to do. And remember, you cannot disclose any confidential information from executive sessions. All right? So, you’re going to follow your policies in your chain of command. You’re going to direct employees to their supervisors if they come to talk to you because we’re in a small

3:24:18 community and people see you and they could fix this. All right. Uh let’s see. 24 25 26. So you two are going to be Alan K 24 um 25 by itself and 26 is Jen and John. We’re going to run over a little bit of the two hours because I know we started a little but still the front right. Okay. » Yeah, I think that’s that’s fine.

3:25:49 Okay. Okay. All right. 24. A school committee member Empire wants budget information for a very business. The business manager, the person in Mike’s job, Empire wants the information sorted differently, requests a different format for the budget information, and wants to schedule a 2-hour meeting with Barry at 4 p.m. on the last Friday of each month to review the budget and expenses debate. Barry has been producing the information in the format directed by the school. The format that Empire is requesting would require many hours of additional time to prepare and the purchase of an expensive new software license. Barry calls the chair of the committee and asks, “What should we do?” » Who had that one? » So, I I think we did. Um I think it

3:26:34 could be put on an agenda item at a next meeting to see if you know perhaps what Barry is asking for is a very appropriate thing that everybody’s asking for. Right. » I’m sorry. Yeah, the wrong person asking. Um, and if so, that’s fine. It’s a, you know, something the committee is asking for. If not, then, uh, I would instruct the person not to do the work. The finance committee, the finance person can’t go to Barry and say, I want you to do this differently. » Barry has the only way Barry’s going to do it different is if the committee tells them to do it differently as a whole. And the committee has to decide, do I have the money for the software? Do I need training to use the software? How much additional time is gonna come in? What is it? What value added is gonna give me? Because if it’s not, it’s just because Empire is used to looking at it spreadsheets that way as opposed to this

3:27:23 way. Too bad, right? So, none of you have the right to tell my individually to do something or the superintendent to do something differently. It’s the committee that cuts that as a whole. Miss Galla, a school committee member, is upset that principal fair did not assign her child to Wendy Wonderful’s classroom for this upcoming school year. I can tell you this happens every single year. Galla went to Fair’s office in the best elementary school and demanded to meet with Fair. She did not have an appointment, but said in the loud voice, “I’m his boss. I’m on the school committee.” Fair told Galla that she should make an appointment if she wants to talk to him about her child’s placement. Galla called the superintendent and said she wanted the superintendent to fire fair. What should the superintendent do?

3:28:09 » Not that » not that. » Yeah. Um I would probably talk to the school committee member. I would reaffirm with the with the um with the principal that that superintendent supports. » And is this a violation of the state ethics law? » Yeah, » it absolutely is. You can’t just flash your super I’m on the school committee so I get my money. Wonderful. » Yeah. Well, she’s not the boss of the principal. She is not wait. » She is nobody right now. She’s a parent. » That’s true. Yeah. Not yet. » She can follow the same procedures any other parent can follow with respect to the assignment. And I noticed that um assignments don’t maybe here it’s different. I don’t know. But my grandchildren have yet to find out who they’re getting next year. I think that’s a really wise thing. They don’t tell the kids to like 10 seconds before

3:28:55 they’re going to meet the teacher. So there’s no complaining all summer long. But be okay. » A quick question. This goes back to an earlier one, but I it’s still No, no, no. Similar to this 25. Yeah. For for conflict of interest. If you had a back to that thing about the the budget going through the select board, if a select board member or another elected board member comes to a school committee member and says, I want you to vote for this or vote a certain way. Is that » But they’re no different than any » But that’s not a conflict for them. » No. And it’s not a conflict here. No different than any other. It’s not a conflict for them to do that try to affect that. Okay, got it.

3:29:37 » Mland is spokesperson for the best public schools. She is the chair of the committee. On Tuesday, the committee had to follow the procedure for reason elementary schools voted to change the district lines. The local newspaper called Courtland on Wednesday morning to get information and comments on the new district lines. What say? » Share whatever the um committee said. Exactly. Whatever the vote was, she’s authorized to speak. She can tell them what the vote was. She can explain the new committee lines with new logistic lines. And that’s that’s it. All right. Communications by the committee with unionized employees in avoiding these are unfair labor practice charges and direct dealing. We do not want to cost you money to defend these takes year and a half, two years to get

3:30:23 them out of the Department of Labor Relations. We just don’t want to have violations of this. And believe me, if you do this, the union will not forgive you then at least file charges. So let’s not What is an unfair labor request charge? It’s retaliation for engaging in union activity. So protecting things like informationational picketing, having a union meeting for wearing their pants, interfering, restrain or courage in the union and its rights, failure to bargain in good faith. Well, they always say that. uh failure to meet and negotiate with respect to terms and conditions of employment and failure to provide relevant and reasonable information. I have had school committee members say the union wants information about our budget and I say mom could have information about your budget like it it’s you can have that you should you should share all of that information

3:31:08 because frankly they need to know where you’re coming from. So, and direct dealing going around the union leadership directly to employees. Those are all the kinds of charges that they can file. Remember, when you speak, especially to a unionized employee, you even though you might be speaking as a parent, you might think of yourself as a parent or community member, they see you speaking as a member of the school. And it doesn’t matter that you’re not a quorum. Doesn’t matter that you say it’s your personal view. They will file a charge. So don’t negotiate with individual employees represented by a union. Don’t promise things that you can do. Don’t take actions or make statements that chill. That’s the legal word that they use. Chill them in the exercise of their rights protected by

3:31:53 law. And our state has lots of union protected friends. All right. We have 27 and 28. So we’re going to do Henry Kale for 27 and Jen and John for 28. And we’re almost done. So we’ll finish two hours which is a few minutes over

3:32:56 it it » Yeah. Is that function? » Well, all of these are like just the names, not the scenarios. » Oh, yeah. Yeah. » It’s scary, isn’t it? » Yeah. Yeah. Although I I’m honestly not surprised by that these aren’t made up, you know. » I’m not that great. I’ll just change the name. » All right. Empire is on the best school committee. The empire is not pleased that teachers have decided not to take classes on the traditional overnight field trip in term clever because the best association of teachers bath is engaged in work to rule which is I only do what’s my contract or my job description

3:33:41 description description supposedly past practice but we’ll see about that over contract negotiations. Empire has been friends with Tom teachers since they were children. Tom is not a bat officer and doesn’t sit at the bargaining table for bat. Tom is popular and well respected among teachers in the best public health schools. Empire asked Tom to talk to teachers about taking students to Camp Clever and ignoring the union’s directives not to volunteer for any overnight fields. Why or why not? » He can’t. » You can’t. No, because it will be seen as go direct dealing, right? I’m going around the union leadership to individual employees and asking them to do that. Empire that school committee member used a private email to send a message to all school department employees including Gina Griev the high school teacher who

3:34:28 is leading the campaign not to go to Camp Clever. Empire’s email said I support all of our teachers who are putting our students first. Bravo to those teachers who take students to Camp Clever this year. For those of you who don’t go, we have you on our list. Empire stated, “I’m not speaking for the best school committee, but when the local newspaper printed Empire’s email, the paper noted that Empire is a school committee member.” Any issues with Empire’s email? » Everything. He was doing what? » Chilling. Chilling. » What if that last sentence were not there? » The last sentence, » second, » those teachers who take students, they still » No, I’m sorry. The third sentence, the last sentence. » And for those of you who don’t go, have you on your list? Well, it would be better not to have that, but I still think it’s chilling to say I support all

3:35:14 the teachers who are putting their our students first because it implies that the unions aren’t putting their student other members on the students first and bravo to those. It’s still going to sound chilling. The Department of Labor Relations will find that chilling, especially coming from a school committee member. Could it come from a individual in the public? Absolutely. People, parents could say that, but not school committee members who say it. There’s going to be litigation about it and we are going to be found to have engaged in Chile. » I don’t know how to email all statistic there. Anyway, » okay. Any hypothetical questions or hypothetical answers for training purposes? » Um, back to executive session, I think it

3:36:00 was purpose one. So if an individual brings litigation against a school committee and the school committee is meeting in executive it’s been maybe advised you know you need to meet an executive session to discuss this » were you saying that that person who filed has to also » No so purpose one is if I’m going to discipline someone or maybe maybe we have a contract that says people get this much leave but somebody has an extraordinary situ the litigation strategy No, they don’t get to be there. » Okay. » Absolutely not. Any other questions? You guys have sitting here for a really long time. Thank you. » Yes. » Thank you. » All right. There.

3:36:46 » You have to remember if you’re done, this is the last item on your agenda to make sure you take your vote to » Yes. Um, so we do have new business and correspondence on the agenda. Does anyone have any items for that? All right. Uh, I’ll entertain a motion to adjurnn. » So moved. » Second. » All right. Um, Jen » favor. Henry » favor. Kate » in favor. » Al in favor. Motion passes unanimously. » We are adjourned. I » think we have to vote to adjurnn. » You always have to unless it was in executive session. No, we were

3:37:33 » we are No, we are still on. I’ll uh let me just