School Committee: November 10, 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.

0:15 Okay. Um, I’ll call us to order at 11:30. And um, well, we only have one attendee online, so Lee, if you have a comment or a public comment, please raise your hand. Um, otherwise I I mean the first item on the agenda is the monthly newsletter. » Yeah. So, um, I’ve been thinking about this a bit more and felt like we should just kind of jump in and start doing something. And so, I put together basically a draft of what I’m envisioning could be a monthly newsletter that we kind of send out. Um, I can share my screen in a second to talk a little bit about kind of this first draft, but with the intention of just letting folks know like what we’ve been up to, kind of key upcoming dates

1:02 and give like highlevel summaries for what’s going on with the subcommittees. I was thinking I just sent a request to share my screen if

1:20 zoom in on this too. That’s too small. But what I was thinking we could approach this like uh two ways. One is basically pushing like this community update monthly newsletter out um through John and like um some more so we can I know that was seen as like it’s free. We can put that in multiple different languages. So like that could be one um way that we distribute it. But then also hoping that we could work um with some of the local newspapers to also get like I’ve I’ve linked in some stuff here. So like it may be hard to get like this in the newspaper but get this kind of published broadly so that the full community can see it and then just be a bit more engaged. Um so I don’t know like do you want me to read through it?

2:05 So because I know you’re seeing this live for the first time. There’s like a couple of things in here that I so like quick links, school calendar, YouTube channel, meeting minutes, um how to reach us, roles and responsibilities, um basically what’s different between the school committee and uh the superintendent, who the committee is comprised of since a lot of us are new. » Yep. » Subcommittee, and then like liaison in place. Um there’s like a couple of open points in here for like links and things that we still need. But then kind of jumping into progress to date on some of the stuff that overall the committee has done. So we have meeting dates for the year. They’re on the town calendar. We have our year-long agenda of topics. Um

2:52 we’ve agreed on basically the charters of the subcommittees and what the priorities are of those subcommittees. Um we obviously have delivered the superintendent eval and then um voted on our goals which we can link to once those are posted to the school website. And then jumping into the basically each of the subcommittees and giving just kind of highlights as to what’s been going on. Um I think intent here is like you could obviously give feedback on facilities and anything that like we’re thinking about or we’re missing. I could obviously cover the budget um kind of what’s going on on the policy. I was hoping to get from Kate the number of policies that we’ve been reviewed and revised and like what we’re that’s just

3:38 going to be kind of an ongoing continual thing. And then the communication subcommittee obviously um kind of what we what we’ve been up to more or less. Um, and then just anything else that like would be upcoming relative to when we push this particular newsletter out. So, it’s nothing really, I’d say, like earthshattering, more like aggregating all the information and various updates that we’ve been making over the last 6 months or so since you guys have been on board. Um, and like sharing those more broadly with with the community. » Yeah, great. I mean, I think it’s great. I don’t want to [clears throat] You’re right. Like I don’t want to get paralyzed by » it’s like progress versus perfection. » Yeah, absolutely. » I think I I’m I’m [snorts] trying to

4:24 figure out like I think I’m I don’t need to make a lot of edits to this. I think we should » do what you proposed and and we can make changes later like in the next one. I mean » y » um you know and I think it’s important to see what’s working. I think that we’ll probably need to um like write this. I guess what I’m wondering is like how do we get » do we need to bring this back to the committee to get like more of a So I actually I reached out to Alicia from MASC last week to ask that exact question like do we need to be bringing back these to the formal committee and she basically said if the subcommittee

5:10 is tasked with being responsible for external and internal communications for like building trust and whatnot like we don’t need to get formal sign off from the broader committee to be able to push these things out. She said if we were expressing opinions of some sort, it would probably be best practice to like have everybody the broader committee have a chance to weigh in on those opinions. That said, my intention is not for this to have any opinions. This is just like facts of what has been done and sharing things that have already been discussed in other meetings. Um, » so I agree with you by the way. » Yeah. Yeah. I don’t think we and I and I I just my concern is it would slow us down. Um and I just want to start be more a little bit more biased towards action. I think

5:58 » I also noticed that you um address or you signed this letter from the comm subcommittee. So it’s not right. So » so we’re not actually speaking for the committee except in our roles as as the communication. » Correct. Y » I think I So I think you’re absolutely right. I think like drafting this and then waiting for a school committee meeting and bringing it up at that meeting and reviewing it and voting on it » like a month behind. » Yeah, it’s the timelines just don’t they’re not really reasonable. I what we probably want to do from now on is is just like we’ll bring this up in the next business meeting, but like if you have something that you want to be sure gets included, please let us know. But

6:44 other than that, we’re just going to » we’re going to summarize the information we have from the minutes and the other committee committee updates that we have already and I think just include those. » Yeah. Um Okay. I think and I guess for now I mean we’re » I think we can sort of blend our two here, right? Because they’re relevant to each other. » Um because I guess for right now we’ll just see if we can use the district’s list. » Yep. I think if I would like to include a link in this newsletter and also in whatever student

7:29 services or any other newsletter that the district is sending out asking people to join our mailing list. Um » yeah, » because I think we need to build it. I think everybody recognizes that it’s a little bit different. So I don’t think that that anybody’s going to push back. Um we’ve already discussed it. We could absolutely add something in the intro paragraph like » and then I think » I’m just not the sure the mechanics of like where who what are they subscribing to? » I mean I think what they’re subscribing to is is that newslet » that update. Yeah. Fair. » You know and and other things but primarily like they’re just trying to get in the loop you know. Um, I think it’s going to take a little bit

8:18 of time to build that list. Um, but we we need to build it. We don’t have it. I guess the question is like Julia um recommended S’more. It looks like you use S’more for this. » Yeah. I was exploring sort of the licenses in S’more and like it seems like in order to build a list in S’more, » maybe you need the the license. » That’s what I was wondering cuz this is just a free s’more account and I wasn’t sure. I was going to ask John like if the school has an account that we may » I think they definitely do and I was going to contact I was going to ask if we could piggyback on their plan but I think I think when I looked at it

9:05 » it was it was short money right » and I don’t want to be cavalier about spending town money but um but sorry I’m I’m looking at I want to have this number. Um,

9:23 right. It’s it’s $99 a year. » Oh, » you know, so I think it would be good to work that into the school committee’s budget. » Yeah. and and sort of maybe the district manage the manages the account the same way that they manage sort of our main school. » Yeah, maybe they could just add us as I wonder if they could add us as users to the school district account and we could be included in the one that they already have unless it maxes out if unless it’s like a user. Um, » so I think we’d have to look into it, but » the unless we’re going to sign up for like a Teams account, which sounds like an enterprise account where the » pricing is a little, » you know, depends on what you want to

10:10 do. It’s one user per account. » Oh, got it. Okay. Okay. » So, we’d have to have our own I think we’d have to have our own account. I don’t mind if you know I think that the district administers that MPS like sort of not our individual accounts but the the one that we use to like post Zoom meetings and and you know » so maybe that could be the account I think anybody on the school committee who asks can get the password to that account. It’s » Stephen shares it. So » yeah. So, I think we need to come back and ask if we can sign up for this. And again, I’m trying to think about what the next school committee,

10:56 you know, or or a school committee in six years is going to be doing and hope that, you know, I don’t want to tell them what to do pre right like [snorts] » it’s not really appropriate. But I think I would like to give them the option to just continue the way » roll forward with what’s been Yeah. » Yeah. And I mean I think that that tools like providing tools for future school committees is is a lot different than sort of determining how they run their business, right? » Yeah. Yeah. Um, so I think for now it looks like there’s a couple gaps in the newsletter like like just like dates or numbers. » Yeah, like dates and then like a couple of links depending on when things get

11:43 posted. Um, but my intention was like would love for you to actually like read it and see if you have » feedback. Um, and then, » well, I don’t want to I’m trying to be like I don’t want to provide feedback. » Yeah, you can’t give feedback. » Uh, outside of an open meeting, but we could say like I I was reading it and you read it. So, » yeah, » I think we could say like we you and I vote to send that out. » Okay. » With the like » dates filled in. » Yeah, because I saw like the the roof committee dates. » We’d add those in. And um and so and then we I guess we take it to John and said » that was my plan. Yeah.

12:30 » Take it to John and then Lee I just saw it um Lee had a a question in the chat but then also we could take it » um » broadly out to like a new a news a local newspaper and hopefully get it published there and then um » yeah let’s do it » from there. Um, yeah, I’d love to do that. I think getting it in the in the newspaper would be great. I know uh Thomaso is doing that. Um, » yeah. » Um, but by the way, Lee and Kate, if you h have any questions or anything, I’m happy to to recognize, you know, so we can have a sort of collaborative meeting. Um, so I think yeah, we can send out this

13:20 this newsletter with the addition of of the um, join our newsletter text and I can share that with you. I was going to I I » Okay. Yeah, I » I haven’t drafted it yet because I wanted to get your feedback on, you know, uh, sorry. So, your feedback on if it was the right thing to do. I was pretty sure we were aligned on that. Um, and so I I’ll put that together. I want it to be short and then and then I’ll I can start sending that out as well. I was thinking Oh, I didn’t get to complete that thought. Okay. So, I was thinking put it in the district newsletters. That’s that’s sort of an obvious one. » Yep. And then um maybe send something to the current as well to to sort of um you know

14:07 maybe with a QR code or something cuz I know like or something. Um, and then I wanted to contact some of the sort of the larger social accounts as well, like um, » we could push this to like the Facebook account and like not allow comments at all andor » we So I I want to do that. I think we should do that eventually. I just like to be honest, » let’s crawl. » I don’t know where I mean Jen says she has the login for that. I think that there are maybe four followers on that account. » Okay. » So, » we’re not reaching anybody » there, but it’s really it’s it’s not gonna be too much more than a ripple.

14:55 » I would like to build that up, though. » You know, having a social account that’s really sort of a one-way communication rather than something where people are adding comments and stuff is better. The other the other ones that I thought of were the P uh the PTO’s » ask if they would include um a list. I think the groups that I’m struggling to figure out how to access are I mean it’s kind of people like Jen, right? Like people who » Yeah. that don’t have kids in schools. » They no longer have kids in the schools. So they don’t get PTO like communications. They don’t get district communications. There isn’t really a great townwide distribution system besides, you know, I

15:41 think it’s called Code Red, but it’s really meant for sort of emergencies. » Yeah. Um, but I think that that I think that leveraging some of the independent social accounts like all Marblehead Hood may social accounts like all Marblehead may get us and the papers may get us sort of started with that broader audience and then » I think once we’re sending from that » um from that s’more account or like whatever newsletter list we we build, it might be good to have a section in that newsletter that encourages people to like forward this to people » who they know who might be interested in knowing more so that they can sign up, you know. » Yep.

16:28 » Um and then we just need to be sure that you know whatever we sign up for and however that list is built and whatever tools we’re using or if there’s a template or whatever. I’m trying to think like we don’t have to develop all this to launch but I think in time it would be good to have all that documented and » sort of to again make it as streamlined as possible so that you know future school committees can use this tool really easily and they don’t have to rebuild like like we need to do. » Yep. Makes a lot of sense. Um, I don’t I mean I don’t know that we need to vote on this, but maybe we do any

17:14 » just for formality sake. [laughter] So, um I’ll make a motion to to pass this um school committee monthly newsletter uh over to John to send out to his, you know, district distribution list with the changes that you’ve identified in the document, including a section about, well, actually, scratch that. We’re not including a section about signing up for newsletters yet because we don’t have that. » We don’t have a means for capturing them. So, we’ll just go with this for now and then we can » we’ll go with this for now. And then so a motion to pass the the uh the monthly newsletter content to John

18:00 for distribution on his list. Um » second. » Okay. And uh so uh » I’m in favor passes two to zero. Um and then I think for the sec I think I’ll make another motion to contact um PTO’s and um social media accounts in town and sort of start to spread the word or no we can’t do this yet because we all right so before we do anything with our email list we really I think we do need to go to the main the to the school committee meeting the next one. » Yeah. Next Thursday. » Ask for the budget for this. » Yeah.

18:45 » Yeah. » Yeah. » I like the idea of using some more like even though we may be able to find a cheaper tool, but if it’s what’s the district if it’s what the district uses and they’re recommending like » it means that again future school committees can go to the district and say, “Hey, I’m having some trouble with my S’more account.” And they don’t have to learn something. Right. » Yeah. Yeah. Yep. Do you want to reach out to Al about getting just I don’t know if we need an agenda item for this for next Thursday? » I I’ll I’ll ask him to add it. » Okay. » I think if we’re going to discuss it, I’ll I’ll add it. Um and hopefully uh I think we’ll have support from Julia, you know. » Yeah.

19:31 » There because she’ll be able to explain sort of the benefits of this tool. It does sound like it’s really geared toward school districts. So it’s it seems appropriate for us. » Yeah. » Um so we don’t need to make a motion for that. » Okay. » I think I’ll just ask to add that to the agenda, but I will make a motion to adjurnn. » Second. » Okay. Um I’ll Oh, wait. I don’t know if we do a roll call. Melissa Clucas » in favor in favor. The motion passes two to zero and we are adjourned at 11:50. See you. » Have a good day. Bye.