The meeting began with a discussion on the final budget for the fiscal year 2023-2024. The initial budget allocated $46 million for salaries and $9.75 million for non-salary expenses, totaling $56.175 million. Notably, there was a strategic reclassification of funds, moving employee salaries previously covered by grants to the main budget. This shift increased the salary line by $850,000 while reducing non-salary expenses correspondingly. The aim was to centralize funding under the main budget, simplifying the district’s budgeting practices. This reclassification sparked some confusion among committee members, prompting clarification that while certain expenses were funded by grants, the salaries would now be directly covered by the district’s budget.

Additionally, an increase of $153,000 was approved at the April town meeting to cover the Lawrence elevator project, bringing the total budget to $56.328 million. Year-end expenses revealed actual salaries at approximately $47.1 million and non-salary expenses at around $9.121 million, resulting in a surplus of about $441,000. The stabilization fund, starting the year with $825,000, was projected to decrease to approximately $640,000, underscoring its importance for unexpected expenses, particularly in special education.

The committee then reviewed updates from the Tiered Focus Monitoring reports on special education and civil rights compliance. The review letter highlighted two areas of concern from the previous year. The first issue concerned the timely provision of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) to parents, which was delayed due to special education administrators being on medical leave. To address this, a corrective action plan involving new procedures, monitoring tools, and staff training was developed to ensure future compliance with IEP timelines.

The second concern focused on preschool instruction, specifically class sizes and student-to-staff ratios. Challenges in maintaining these ratios were attributed to insufficient enrollment of typical peers in half-day programs. In response, the district reduced the number of half-day programs from five to three and introduced two full-day preschool classrooms, which currently have a waiting list of 12 students. Efforts to enhance outreach and advertising are underway, alongside the hiring of a special education administrator for the preschool program.

The committee also approved an upcoming educational field trip to New York City, scheduled for October 30th. The trip is intended for students enrolled in AP Literature, AP Art, and AP Biology and will include visits to the American Museum of Natural History, a Broadway show, and the New York City Public Library. This cross-curricular experience aims to culminate in Steam Fair projects to be presented in March. The approval of this trip was unanimous.

The agenda proceeded with a discussion on the 2024-2025 superintendent evaluation timeline. It was noted that the structure for the evaluation process largely follows the previous year’s format. The committee had already progressed to step three, having met with the superintendent during the summer. Superintendent Dr. Lori Duerr’s goals for the year, developed in collaboration with the subcommittee, were set to be shared later in the meeting. The timeline for the evaluation process was clarified, with key milestones including a mid-cycle evaluation in October, a self-assessment presentation by the superintendent in January, and the final summative evaluation in April.

The committee also addressed the approval of FF mini-grants for the 2024-2025 school year. The policy update now requires school committee approval for all educational grants, regardless of the amount. To streamline the process, a blanket vote for all FF mini-grants was proposed and unanimously supported. These grants, typically ranging from $25 to $350, are essential for teachers to access funding quickly for timely projects.

Next, the reappointment of Dr. Parkinson as the school physician was discussed. Lori recommended Dr. Parkinson for a three-year appointment, noting his long-standing service and value in consulting with administration, nurses, and counselors. The committee voted to approve his reappointment, adhering to state law requirements for having a physician on staff.

The meeting also featured an update on the district’s goals for the year, which emphasized sustainability, equity, and communication. Superintendent Duerr provided an update on the successful start of the school year and introduced a new School Resource Officer, Steve Senior, set to begin in October. Positive feedback from high school seniors about the school environment was shared, highlighting a supportive community atmosphere and a variety of programs.

In other business, the committee discussed the recent dedication of new tennis courts at the high school, which was well-received by the community. Routine business included the approval of minutes from a previous meeting, which was tabled due to a typo, and updates on various subcommittees.