2026-10-08 - School Committee

Okay. Good evening and welcome to the Thursday, October 8th school committee meeting. Can you please stand with me and do the pledge of allegiance? I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States

of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Okay. We'll start the meeting by um reviewing and approving the minutes from

the past September 24th meeting. Can I get a motion to approve? I'll make that motion. I'll second. All those in favor? I I. That's four 5-0. No, four. Sorry. Thank you. And next, we will send it over

to Mr. Meyers for the report of the M administration. Thank you very much, Madame Vice Chair. Um, I have one item on the report of the administration. However, I also have two um two recent

itemsformational for the committee's um information in the community, too. But first, this is the first I'd like to present the first of four quarterly reports from the Asabet Valley Collaborative for

the fiscal year 2027. Um, by law, each of our collaborives needs to submit a quarterly report along with an endofear finance report to member school school committees. This isformational only. You

don't need to vote to accept it. And I'm happy to answer any questions you may have. As you'll notice, if you click on the link, it's just a very general overview of the collaborative's mission. um

envision collaborative law and membership and also a few highlights from the different programs that they have at Aspet Valley Collaborative. And as you know, Milbury is a member of two

collaboratives, Aspet Valley and also the Southern Worcester County Education Collaborative. And we access um services at both collaborative collaboratives whenever we're unable to meet the specific

needs of students in district at a substantial savings. Any questions? Just Oh, I'm sorry. Any questions for the superintendent regarding the quarterly report? I'd also like to share um that this

morning we had a very very successful uh evacuation and relocation drill for the Shaw School. So grades three three through six had a progressive Alice exercise where they started with lockdown all

the way to um evacuation and relocation to Dick Sporting Goods and then the theater movie theater at the mall. And so each one of our students accompanied by our staff um thanks to officer Piscatelli

who did an amazing job of planning the entire drill and coordinating with EMS and fire to make sure that um there was safety on site and everything went very well and I cannot say how much I

appreciate um how well the students and the adults did this morning but also this was all really possible thanks to our strong partnership with the mall. The uh the manager at the movie theater, Mr.

Scott Temple was so easy to work with. He's so he totally gets it and he understands it and is so accommodating whenever we want to have any kind of a drill. As you recall, we did this last year with

Elmwood and he was very supportive. Um so with the committee's blessing, I'd love to send him on your behalf a thank you letter for everything that they've done. And uh and I also just I can't rave

enough about um school resource officer Piscatelli and everything that he's been doing to help us with these drills and just day-to-day work. So, it went very well. And finally, as you may know,

because I saw some of you there, we had a phenomenal homecoming weekend this past weekend where a lot of our sports teams played. Um, but also, you'll notice that we had a full day of homecoming

festivities, and I'd like to it took a lot of people to put it together, but it could not have happened without my executive assistant, Cara Stone. So, I really want to publicly thank her for all the

work that she did. She was full-time party planner for several weeks, months before the event to bring everyone together. I just said, "Whatever you do, make sure Coney Island is there." And she was

able to follow through with that. Cara, I don't know if you wanted to add a little bit more. Sure. So, I believe it was a very successful event um from we were trying to get a head count um but it's

very hard coming in from two different directions, but um the DJ did do his best for me to to get a headcount coming that way. We were at about 650 people when um he gave me his numbers. Um I had 29

vendors. I should have had 32, but there was a couple that didn't show up. Um everybody talked about how great it was. The vendors said they had an amazing day. They were able to make money. They

thought it was a great event. They hope that we put it on next year. Um the kids, the pumpkin painting was a huge success. Uh it it was just it was great. And the junior high class did face painting.

I don't know if anybody got to see it, but they really tried their hardest to make the face paintings very great on the kids. Um, some did really well. Others did not look like they should, but I

think all the kids were happy and that's all that mattered. But it was it was it was a really great day. So, we hope next next year can make it even bigger. I also attended that and I thought it was

you had such a variety of great vendors. you had Jerry's ice cream truck which is always a hit and obviously Corny Island and um big shout out to you and all the participants all the volunteers that

you had that helped you and um big shout out to also the Milbury booster club. Oh yeah because they did a great job with different coordinate I know they work very um efficiently with you as well. So

I think that's just a great partnership that you have. One other thing I will say too is um the the touch a truck. Yes. I never realiz how popular that was going to be. Yes. Um I was telling Greg that

we had a little boy. He would not get out of the excavator. 20 minutes it took to get him out of the excavator. It was that he shut the door. He would not get out. It was It was pretty crazy. But

yeah, the kids did not want to get out the And we even had a cow planned to arrive, but I guess it hadn't been born yet, so it was delayed. So next year it'll be ready. born two. It was supposed to um

so many cow the baby cows can the calves cannot be away from the mom for up to a week after they're born and she was born two days before the event. So she couldn't come. Well, that's understandable.

Better be on time next year. So this Thank you so much. Don't you normally have one in the spring as well? So we think we hope to not have one in the spring. Not have one in the spring and instead

make it one big event every fall with homecoming. Excellent. Yeah, good idea. Thank you. Um, just one thing going back to um, Superintendent Myers, going back to the evacuation and the relocation and

that was at Shaw. Are you is there one planned for Elmwood? We had one at Elmwood last last year. So, it's like so now I think we're in rotation for the junior senior high school which will be a

little bit different because we use the church downtown instead of the mall. So, it's a different kind of a protocol. Um, okay. We did that as you I I want to say we did do that three years ago. We

had the high school relocation. So we we try to do one a year. Excellent. Thank you. Any questions, comments? Okay. Thank you. So now we can discuss the report of the policy subcommittee in which Mr.

Taber will discuss those items. Sure. Um so for the first one, the bullying prevention and intervention plan, uh we're still working on extracting um and separating the policy from from procedures. So

we're going to uh table that until uh an upcoming meeting. Uh the other two policies, the um you have uh drafts of each of those linked in the uh meeting minutes. Um the main changes for both of

those, and it's fairly similar for each of them, but it has to do with political advertising. Um, and the the changes basically revolve around having uh Mr. Meyers work together or the superintendent

work together with the town clerk u to essentially establish uh guidelines that are in compliance with the law for that. Um, previously there was not any policy that carved out an exception for this

uh for any sort of political advertising. Uh, but this is specifically because the school is used as a polling location. Um, and so there has to be some uh allowance for uh political signage, but it

is restricted to the day of and um uh it does grant the superintendent the leeway to work with the uh town clerk on that. So uh all the language is in is linked to each of those documents. It's fairly

similar. Um there is a also a commentary there that because these two policies are related to each other and some of the verbiage is is identical between them. Um there is uh verbiage there that says

that check check this other policy so that in the future uh let's say five years 10 years down the road somebody looks at the policy wants to make a change to one of them there's a little note right

there so that they don't put hopefully they don't miss the other the language in the other one as well. Uh but that would be the this would be the first reading for each of those and we can vote on

them at the uh next school committee meeting. Excellent. Um quick question. Sure. So, when we're talking about sponsorship arrangements, are we looking at like for our fields like for the um soccer

fields and for the properties that we manage? So, like signage like for I don't know just to throw pizza chef out there like if they're a sponsor, would that be what we're looking? It would be under

that umbrella. Yes. Um that is not something that we talked about in terms of the changes these specific changes. these these changes were very limited in scope to just um revolving around basically

election days. Okay. Excellent. Thank you. And finance and operations that would be Mr. Patrick Mara. Thank you madam vice chair. Um so I just wanted to quickly go over uh the fiscal 27 grants. Um,

and just if you can recall last year about this time, we talked about our fiscal 26 grants and some ideas or thoughts around some cuts to the grants. Um, as I put in the in the notes today, uh, at

that time last October, we thought that there was about $128,000 of reduction coming in grants. Uh, and that was something that um both Miss Budette and Miss Warren uh were taking into consideration

to try to make sure that they kept services running uh without those potential funds. Uh we were hearing 27% reduction in title one and title 4, 100% reduction in title two and title three. Um happy

to report that we've just received our final round of funding uh for the grants and a reduction is uh $30,000 uh close to $31,000. So some of that worst case scenario talk about the reductions

especially in title 2a and title three uh did not come to f fruition. Uh so we just wanted to update the committee on what those grants were. We just recently um got our idea and our early childhood

grants in as well. So now we have a full kind of complex picture of what our grants look like. I just want to publicly thank Miss Budette and Miss Warren for their efforts in getting those grants in.

Um the good part about the grants for me is I don't have to write them. Um, so I'm able to just kind of get the the checks and and manage the money that way. Um, but they do a a very nice job in in

getting those funds and making sure that even with the slight reductions that we're seeing here, eight or 13% at the most, uh, we are not changing any services, any opportunities uh, that that is

directly tied to students, that money is coming from elsewhere. So, a supply um an item or something like that, but is not coming with any direct service um disruption at all. And I think that's due

to the fact that uh both of them have worked hard to make sure that those are are the case. Uh so, just kind of wanted to give an overall uh update there. Uh if you do want to learn a little bit more

about the grants, those are links on the left that kind of outline the grant and what it is, what it typically is is spent for or used for, uh what we got in 26, what we thought we were going to get

in 27 and then what we actually got in 27, uh which is significantly uh as you can see much better uh than than it was uh originated back in October of last year. So thankful to uh the legislation and

and making sure those grants were uh prioritized again, especially the entitlement grants uh to keep our situations and our our efforts moving forward. Um so just wanted to touch base on that really

quickly. Uh if you'll notice underneath the entitlement grants is the circuit breaker. Just a kind of a rough little breakdown from the last three or four years. Uh, Miss Warren put together a nice

chart just in terms of circuit breaker is one of those revolving funds that are a little um a little more challenging to to comprehend sometimes and I think it's good for me to also talk about it and

and explain it to get my my head around it. Um, these are students that uh individually cost more than four times what foundation is in terms of the state budget. So, it's a a student that has um some

some needs that require additional resources, whether it be placement at a um collaborative or uh one-on-one institution, one-on-one support uh during their school day. uh and those students uh

because they uh have that price tag associated with them, the state sets up a a revolving fund that supports reimbursement for those costs that are excessively over the foundation uh cost per pupil.

Uh so you can see here in fiscal 26 uh we had 18 students that will be reimbured this year our costs last year. Uh so it's a year lag. um which is kind of the the hard part to necessarily understand.

Um especially think thank to Miss Warren to explain that a little bit more to me. Um so we're getting the reimbursement from what we spent last year this year uh to be able to defay the costs of those

costs uh in this fiscal year in 27. So I think the thing for me that I'd like to point out in this particular chart is that you can see the students are going down the number of students that are

above that four times foundation but specifically the total claims are going down. Um, and that's something that we look for, right, is is to see that claim number. If that claim number goes down, the

grant funding also goes down slightly depending on the percentages. But that means that the amount that we're spending in that area is also going down. So that's thanks to Miss Warren and her team for

bringing students back into district to making sure that we're giving accommodations uh to students that are more in line um you know with what they need but also doing so in a fiscally responsible

way. So um just kind of wanted to give the committee a little update on those two funding sources now that uh we just recently just a week ago received our last line of uh our of funding. So, it's

kind of now we are in full spend mode um rather than in um apply in receive mode. So, if anyone has any questions on either the entitlement grants or the circuit breaker grants, I'd be happy to to

answer them. I have a question to share. Um you I think you said that the numbers are going down, but I see that it says fiscal year 26 students 18 um and then 25 it's 15. So just the cost um is

specifically what I was referencing. So in that total claim four times foundation $1.38 million in fiscal 25 and then 1.29. So yes it did go up but the total cost overall was reducing. Um so yes

certainly the the number of students that achieved or that um were four times foundation did increase but the total overall costs of the um to help educate those students was less. Okay. So that's

kind of the number we look at, not necessarily the number of of students, although that is certainly important. Um it's also how much that is costing over four times foundation. Okay. So that may

reflect a um a decrease in the intensity of the need of the students as well. Yeah. Right. So my my thought was is that attributing to the Milbury schools housing more support in buildings. Right.

Right. So, I think that's a really good important that's kudos to you ladies too and the whole administration is that you're trying to serve the students that are the the highest needs instead of, you

know, sending them out to a collaborative. We're trying to and I've seen it. you have a lot of, you know, instructional assistants paras that you've that you've that you've hired to work with students

that require some severe like medical, you know, needs. Um, so I think that's kudos and I see I can follow this and I think that's a really great um this is a great example. It really is. I like that

the charts. So, thank you Mr. Mara. You're welcome. And Mr. will also does that close your report for finance and operation. It does. Okay. And now we can discuss unfinished business. Yes. And that's

going right back to Mr. Mara who is going to give a report on the roof and HVAC. Thank you, Madam Vice Chair. Um, so happy to report that uh this unfinished business hopefully is uh becoming more

finished uh by the meeting. So hopefully we'll be able to get this off of uh the agenda soon enough here. Happy to report that over the past uh two weeks since we last discussed both uh Gage

Construction and Colantonio and Company have met substantial completion. Uh those have been certified by the architects which means our 30-year warranty on the roof has begun. Um so that's a a very

big milestone for us. Uh we still have punch list items and back punching to do uh to close out the project, but we had a um owner manual and operating meeting today uh on the roof with some of the

vendors to talk about filters and and how the systems work uh to be able to train our staff and and some of the uh vendors that we use on site. Uh so today was a big day for the high school to kind of

go through that to begin that process of actually being able to get up on the units to figure out how they operate and make sure that we can preventatively maintain them uh in the best of our ability

as well. So happy to report that the roof projects are both um chugging right along and um again we'll continue to to update the committee each meeting until we're we're completed with the project

which we hope to be uh quite soon. Yay. Any questions, comments? No. Thank you on that. You're welcome. So to roll right into the solar project if if you'd like. Um, so solar project is going to be

picking up right where the roof project left off. Uh, so right around the the 15th of October, we'll start to see some construction fencing for the solar equipment be erected. Uh, some of the

construction equipment or this the fencing will come down in other areas for the roof project. Uh, and it will go back up for solar. Uh, so that the items can be stored on site. They'll be brought up

to the roof uh via a a lull that opens uh so that they they can kind of wheel them out onto the roof uh each panel. So, the solar certified safe electric has been a really good partner, very

organized. Um their office manager Juel and their um site supervisor Patrick have really been good partners so far and we're really looking forward to working with them and getting them going. Uh once

we start uh in about a couple of weeks, we'll start first at the Elmwood Street School because that project's just a little bit uh ahead and it's also a little bit um it's really only kind of two

levels there here. There's many more levels of roof, different additions, different heights of different buildings. Uh so it's just an easier project over at Elwood. We'll start over there and then

we'll transition over to the high school. Um so excited to begin that project. Uh we have been in constant contact with National Grid and are still going through the approval process of getting our

our PV onto uh onto the grid and um hope that I can report that that takes less time than our previous uh experience. Should be ready any day now. Okay, thank you for that. Any questions on the solar

panel project from Mr. Mara? Okay. So then Mr. Mara is going to update the committee on the school gymnasium floor. We have a great little visual. Mr. Myers uh found the panoramic uh view on his

phone. So he got a nice shot. Um really really happy to report that the floor is um is down is painted is uh has been overcoated with the the polyurethane and and has uh begun the curing process.

Needs to be cleaned and and cannot be participated on yet uh just due to some curing and needs time to settle and to set. Um but as you can see um it it it looks very bright. It's a very It's a We're

excited, I guess, is the is the short short answer of this here. Uh couldn't thank New England Sports Floors enough for their efforts. Uh not only working with us to make sure the line painting and

striping was right, uh but even taking extra precautions in terms of the color, to make sure the color was right, the first color that they came back with was a little more brown than we anticipated.

Uh, so they worked with us to make sure that the gym was correct and that we would be happy with the result. So they went back to the paint store. They they made sure that the color was correct and

they put down the right paint. And as you can see just even from the picture, um, we're really excited to begin to open this up in a couple of weeks here. Uh, it does take some time to cure and I know

that some students and staff members and volleyball coaches have been peeking their head in trying to trying to get in there. Um, and we know that it's exciting to see and we're really excited to

share it. Need a need a few more weeks to be able to get that uh underway just to make sure that we're doing it the correct way. You know, typically this is done over the summer. So, you have a little

bit more wiggle room. You know, unfortunately, based on the circumstances, it it had to be done now. Um, and we we recognize that it looks finished, but it is not completely finished yet. Uh, that

doesn't take away from our excitement. We're really so so fired up about um you know being able to turn this back over to our students and to our teams uh and to our community uh in hopes of um you

know everyone enjoying it. Um, also, oh, oh, I'm sorry. I was just going to, um, add to that through the chair, vice chair. Um, I let the town hall know that we would be able to host elections, which

was I I think everyone was holding their breath about where we were going to have elections this November. And we did have a contingency plan to have it at Shaw, which would have required us to cancel

school for the day, but fortunately, we can come right back in. Um, and it's been seamless. The town hall, um, especially the town clerk, has been exceptionally flexible. um this was not on any of our

bingo cards. Um and so she's been very very flexible in terms of using the cafeteria for polling and being willing to go through all the the attorney general hoops to move the location if we had to.

But fortunately, we're going to have it right here at the high school. Excellent. Maybe that's not such good news for the students though, especially those seniors, right? Um I do just want to update.

Um sorry, just one more thing. Yes. Um, we did receive our first initial check from the insurance provider. Uh, so we've received 194,000 for the initial round. That's less deductible and less

depreciation. So they take the amounts that they've agreed to, they depreciate uh based on the how old each item is that they've agreed to pay and they've uh submitted a check that we have received

for 194,000. Uh so again now the process kind of continues to become that we submit uh our invoices to the insurance company. They continue to tell us whether they're going to cover that or not cover

it and they have a subregation pro process that they speak to the insurance carrier of the party that uh completed the damage so that they can you know essentially ask them to pay those invoices. So

that process will be ongoing. it will be much longer than uh it takes than to open the floor and to be able to participate on it. Uh but we're excited that we've received that initial round of funding

uh just so that we can make sure that we're continuing to progress through the insurance process uh so that you know we can update the community, update the school committee, update the board of

selectmen and the town's folks uh so that they know that we're still uh making sure that we can uh fund this project uh one way or another. So, I just wanted to mention that as well, which that in

conjunction with the the panoramic shot is um a good way to to end my report on the unfinished business and it's a big little relief that you get the first check, right, when you finally get some

reimbursement coming in or, you know, yeah, that that waiting period when you you're not sure exactly what it's going to look like or how much it's going to be is is certainly tough and I certain

certainly folks can relate to that and we're excited to see a good amount of that come in and that number is almost exact like a little bit less than what it costs to uh get in contract with the gym

with New England Sports Floors. So, the fact that we have almost a one for one with that particular cost is really a great start. Uh certainly not something that we're going to stop with, but excited

to begin that journey and to start with that number. I think that was a a win in that regard. Excellent. Thank you, Mr. Mara. Welcome. Any questions for Mr. Mara? No. Put a comment if I may. I'm just

overwhelmed. I'm just taken aback that this has moved in this manner. Yeah. And I just know there's so many people involved and um it's just a testament to our community of how dedicated people are to

our kids and I just so appreciate that and I want to just say publicly because there's I'm sure there's just so many pe moving parts but that is that's amazing. That's amazing. Shiny and new. Yeah, it

does. Our kids I I just was so worried about our seniors especially in basketball. I'm I'm just so happy for them. Thank you. When is when um when does basketball and volleyball start? So, volleyball

is competing now. Um they have home games next Wednesday at the Shaw School. Um you know, we're hoping to get them into the gym uh come playoff time. Uh to be able to have kind of a a final game here

uh on on home home court. Uh to be able to do that. Our unified basketball team is also participating this fall and we usually love to have the first responder game and maybe a game towards the end of

their season be on the new court as well. So definitely things that we're striving for and that we've always had in the back of our mind. We want to make sure that we don't rush it because we want to

make sure that we do it correctly and and we don't want to get on it too soon and then interrupt the the curing process. But those are dates that we have in our head that we're really trying to strive

for so that it's the space is ready for folks and can be participated on at the level that we're used to to doing. So now I'm assuming someone comes out to check the curating process. Like we can't

just wait two weeks and say, "Yeah, it's done." Right. I mean, you have to actually Yeah, it's been quite the process actually. So they they contact directly to the maple farm where the maple comes

from. It was in Ohio, this particular maple. Uh they give them the readings of the um of the wood ambient temperature, how um how hot it is in the gym, you know, the the humidity, and then they send

it to the maple farm, and then they tell them how much to space the wood. Uh it it really quite a process process. Uh also, they're coming back out, you know, in a week or so to help us with making

sure our cleaning regimen is correct. We're using different um different top coat. So, this is a water-based top coat. So then using chemicals on it to clean it is something that you want to try to

avoid. So they they've got a really good cleaning protocol that they come out and help us with just to make sure that we keep it up to up to snuff and to make sure that we're looking at this um and it

stays like this as long as we can. So we're excited. You know, basketball season starts the Monday after Thanksgiving and again usually typically we're we're seal coating it at that point. Obviously

we don't have to do that this year. So that will be less disruption to the gym classes during that week as well. So hopefully we can in a couple of weeks get everybody back in here and um begin to use

the facility as it's meant to be used. Excellent. Thank you. Thank you. Um before we discuss new business, I just want to check in with Superintendent. Um, we're all set for um, Miss Burch and myself

to um, be the negotiating appointees for the SEIU, which is the Service Employees International Union negotiations. Yes. Thank you both for your service, for being volunte. Thank you very much. You

know what? I did volunteer. So, you were kind of appointed, but I did volunteer. And right now, we're working with Tracy Wright to find some dates that will work for everyone. It looks like the

beginning of November is the next um window that we're looking at. All right. Okay. Excellent. Thank you. Any new business for our next meeting which will be October 22nd here at the school? Um I

thought maybe um I don't know we normally get a check-in with the school resource officer. Is that necessary or not sure where we want to do with go with that? I know that sometimes we have um the

school resource officer come in and just kind of give the comm the committee and the community update updates on that. So then hearing no new business. Um our next meeting is October 22nd. Um and then

we do have a town meeting on November 5th. So um those that are watching um feel free to come and attend the town meeting. and school committee will have a meeting on November 5th at 6:00 prior to

town meeting. With that said, there's no um no new business for our next meeting. Can I have a motion to adjourn the meeting? I'll make that motion. I'll second. All those in favor? I. That's 4 Z.

Thank you.