##VIDEO ID:KaHqqLkKgs0## e e e e okay ready when you are okay am I on okay uh good evening uh I call to order the meeting of the Hamilton one Regional school committee on Thursday September 19th 2024 at 7 p.m. and I invite you to join us in the Pledge of Allegiance flag of United States of America and to the Republic for it stands naisy justice for all my God like a weon okay um just a reminder that this meeting is um being live streamed and recorded by HW cam um Mr Tracy do we it looks like we don't have any citizens comments here in the room none on Zoom is there anyone on Zoom no nobody on Zoom just me okay all right then we will we go ahead and close citizens comments closing comments all right uh next up we have a review of uh the a portion of our school committee protocols Jen would you be willing to read that as elected members of the Hamilton Wenham Regional school committee we including the superintendent accept the high honor and trust that has been placed in us to ensure that the students of the district receive the best education possible to that end we hereby commit to the following in the conduct of our business the school committee will establish a vision create policy approve a budget and assure accountability to sustain continuous Improvement in teaching learning and Facilities members agree to leave the day-to-day operations including business TR transactions to the superintendent and staff members of the school committee recognize that Authority rests only with the majority in its decisions thank you um so next up uh if you look at your agenda it says a review of the school committee mission statement um Eric would you mind putting that up on the yep coming up so um I don't know if you all noticed but we didn't put we didn't have we had been all through last year we had been reading portions of the mission statement at the beginning of every meeting um and then at the first meeting this year I didn't do that and the reason I didn't put it on at the beginning of this year was because um you'll see this exhibit actually says 242 2024 2025 but in reality the mission statement that we had voted on was from last year um and so um I so I guess what this conver quick convers I'm hoping it's a quick conversation is twofold one do we as a committee are we interested in this Contin keeping this mission statement with just the updated years is sort of the first question and then and we can discuss that and then um my second question to you is does the committee feel like there's value in keeping um the you know that as kind of part of the routine of the meeting of keeping a portion of it at the beginning so obviously the first question would be I'm looking to the committee to have a quick conversation about whether we feel like this mission statement is something we'd like to continue to have for this year I don't know if we want to start off with an actual motion or do we want to just discuss Jen really our mission statement is also Incorporated although not directly word for word in the protocols so it's interesting and I will just tell it's interesting that um the one that you just read is very interesting I will say I go in order it was purely coincidental like that was I um but yes I did notice that and I thought about that a little bit so today I mean I like having them the goals posted um yeah but I don't think it's necessary to read the same thing twice but that's me well so that's kind of addressing the second question about reading it but I guess first we need to talk about do we want this to continue to be our mission statement because we adopted it la like in other words the numbers I think Janelle changed for the exist bit that it used to say 23 23 24 so she changed that we didn't actually vote on that so we would need to actually vote to reopt it I guess um but I hear you about the second part about do we need to read it at the beginning I mean I keep it but I wouldn't read it but that's me other thoughts I think we should keep it because it's it's an ongoing it make sense that it's ongoing I do like that we read a piece of it every meeting just so that it stays in front of our minds while we're working but I'm open to doing either yeah I think we could I think we should just keep adopting it David and I I think I'd like um to see it tabled and everybody who's got any suggested edits for it s them to you and then maybe the next meeting see if there's a a revision that makes sense so what I'm hearing well we would have to make a motion but what I'm hearing you say is that you like to just bring this back at the next meeting after giving everyone an opportunity to to yeah to reflect on it I mean for example I mean to me a overarching mission is to engender a passion for learning which is part of our core I don't know where that is in the core values or whatever but so that would be a something I would I me but I think i' just like time to reflect on it rather than just yeah no I I appreciate that and I I actually think that's a good example like if if you're thinking about for you a pass inspiring a passion so I don't want to misquote you but a passion for learning like to take some time to look at this and does any of that sort of feel feel to you like it meets that need or not to take time um um I mean I don't know what other people think I'm certainly willing to do that everyone understands they can't we can't do a shared document people can't be making you know it would have to be the kind of thing where everyone reviewed it um and then we came back at the next meeting to discuss um I think that's I I will I will just say I do think that's fair I didn't really give you a warning that that's really what I was going to say so um okay um and just to let you know um the um the protocols I'm just making myself a note here um the protocols um we do review annually and it typically is in I believe November um and I don't know exactly how we originally got on that schedule but seems fine to do it annually in November so that will happen naturally um so um all right does anyone feel like they need to make a motion or we comfortable with just bringing this back yeah we can just bring it back also I feel like it might be nicer to discuss it when everybody's here more more committee members are here I know all right um I guess maybe technically I think maybe we should have a motion because it was I would would you make that motion David sure um I I move that the committee um give consideration to the to possible revisions uh of the the mission statement um with a view to tbling and uh tabling of the next meeting is that second all right uh any further discussion all right all those in favor okay and that is unanimous to the four members present and the motion passes um and I will bring that back at the next I'll send out an email just to remind everyone to review it and then we'll um we'll take it at the next meeting okay thank you um and then and and just to be aware I guess that just to be aware that I also will be asking about whether we want to keep it at the top of the agenda at the next meeting um okay uh next up we have our student representative Whitney Fitz skimz hi everyone I'm here today to talk about some of the events currently going on within the district uh first at the high school things are just getting started uh St government elections for the freshman class for this past Tuesday so you all will likely see a new face here within the next few months there was an accord food pantry Drive held from September 4th to September 12th which was very successful curriculum night at the high school was last Wednesday the fall musical the 25th Annual putam County Spelling be recently had auditions and his beginning rehearsals for their performances on November 8th student government and then science club Spanish Culture Club Robotics and environmental Club are all set to have their first few meetings of the year throughout these next few weeks next at the middle school there are multiple inter mural Sports uh volleyball golf cross country and girls and boys basketball there's also Art Club student council National Junior Honor Society and coral next at winup they just had their ice cream social yesterday and they have planned a Halloween happenings for October 25th at school they had an ice cream social on Monday of this past week and have planned a family movie night for October 18th and lastly at buer school they had their curriculum night this past Tuesday and they have a fundr run planned for October 18th thank you all and I'm happy to answer any questions that you all might have thank you very much sounds like it was been a busy start to school anyone have questions no Eric I don't have a question but I do want to publicly thank Whitney for her opening day speech she uh braved the entire staff and did a great job at on the opening day of school doing a speech so I appreciate it thank you very much it was excellent awesome thank you for doing that Whitney I've had to stand up in front of that and it's intimidating so I'm impressed that you did um all right um unless there's there's anything else um Whitney you are of course invited to stay but you also um absolutely welcome to head home and do whatever it is that you might need to do this evening I'm guessing you might have homework thank you thank you thank you for your work thank you um okay uh next up is the consent agenda does anyone have any items that they want to hold from the consent agenda okay um I don't know who's doing Jen are you doing our motions can you sure can you make a motion I move that we accept the consent agenda as written second second by Amy kumberg um there is no discussion all those in favor and that is unanimous and the motion passes all right um next up is uh the Ed fund donation and that's to you Mr Tracy thank you um some point last year I was I think it was in the fall we started uh having some conversations about naming rights and for uh donations uh for the field project that's underway and it became really a big selling point to the community as an opportunity to reduce the the cost of the taxpayers um and while also um really making sure that we funded everything that needed to be funded so this is the first of several us that uh the committee will see and as you know the HW apic group who is the uh the volunteer nonprofit that has been really managing the donations and soliciting donations um trying to get kind of all the ducks in a row for us to help uh align funds and outside funding and I think their final number was a little over $1.7 million um and this represents this mou is for the first piece of naming rights for the main Athletic Field that would be the field that that's encompassed by the track um and it would be the the donation is from the Ed fund and their request is to name that field the Ed fund field um Their donation for that that um naming right is uh $500,000 and this this is a contract that was drawn up by our attorneys um we had just kind of added in the elements that we needed uh like the Donate who donated how much they donated when they were going to do it um and we' we've gotten everything U organized and set and realistically I'm asking the um committee to accept the donation and there's actually two things to accept the donation and to accept um the memo theou as uh the the uh accepting it to name the the main field the Ed fund field okay um [Music] so couple questions so um so you would be uh we do need you think it needs two separate to accept the donation I I would do them separately okay so okay so I guess I would what I would say is it yeah okay you could you could combine them I I I was going to say it makes sense to accept the donation first because if you're not going to accept the donation you can't um um but I was my question was sort of I my question was then I think because I'm thinking about moving forward that there are going to be lots of these so I want to make sure we do it in sort of a formula kind of way and what I'm thinking about is I I wonder if I I'm looking to everyone I I'm really just thinking about does it need to be all one thing because the the donation was given with the understanding that they would be it's tied to the ti they're tied together I guess that's what I'm saying um well if I was going to make a motion that Encompass both of these I would say something like I move that we accept the donation from the Ed fund with the stated agreement in theou yeah I think the reference to I think the reference to theou is critical yeah I think sense that makes sense um all right so shall we start off with motion sure try to say that again I move that we accept the donation from the Ed fund and accept the memorandum of agreement as presented second second by Amy kumur um all right so discussion questions so when did the field project like group that was taking care of donations get pulled into the Ed fund which is a separate donation right yeah they the the Ed fund actually uh originally was approached by the HW afic group um and at that time we nobody was ready to take that amount of a donation including AIC they set it up and we agreed with the Ed fund to just wait until we got to the point of making the donation and for them it helped them to gain interest on the half a million so they held on to it in their accounts and continued to invest it for the last 10 months um so that was helpful kind of for everybody so okay the other the other donations will um will come directly through the a apic group but the M will be between the committee and the individual who made the donation thank you um other questions I don't really have any other questions it is a little hard to say Ed fund field but it's an amazing it'll get shortened somehow it's an amazing gift Ed Ed edfield edfield um and what will happen is we we would just the scoreboard has a an actual advertising band at the bottom and we just put Ed font field on that that's great that's quite a gift um so David do you I do have something to say but I want to make sure you get a chance if you have something to say oh on the Ed fund thing huh to comment on the Ed fund if you have any comment on this no no no it seems like for half a they can have the name yeah no and I so I guess I I want to bring something up which I um I have no no concerns about this I think the Ed fund is a fantastic part of our community and I'm thrilled that they've made this donation and I'm totally comfortable with it being the Ed fund field 100% I am going to say something though that may throw a little monkey wrench into this for the future I'm really reviewing our naming facilities policy here and I'm sorry to say that I'm just looking I have looked at it before but I'm just thinking about it now at the bottom of the policy it does say the school committee will the school committee chair will specify a consideration period that allows for public comment following the committee we'll Dev vote on we'll vote on the name oh yeah so like I I have to admit that in my own mind I always thought well it's on the agenda citizens could have come and po commented today um and that I I guess what I'm I'm sort of what I wanted to say is that in the future it is possible that a naming mou could come forward that might be more the public might have thoughts about and so I just want to make sure we are really thoughtful about making sure what the process is about the process like this was a good one I think I well I don't want to speak for the group I'm guessing someone is not super controversial um but um I don't know does anyone have thoughts on that I feel like I'm not really articulating what I understand what you're saying um I guess it's kind of an unusual process right like we don't really have anything that we other than posting an agenda we don't really have anything that we say like we're going to be talking about this let us know your thoughts so well Eric could could put it in his Weekly Newsletter looking looking for feedback or comments or something like that that that would be not on unreasonable thing to yeah I mean I guess that's I guess like I feel like I feel like we met this policy technically to the letter bit not the spirit yeah that's I I feel like we did like it's posted there's a public comment people could have come like but but I do want yeah I want moving forward I do want to be really open with the public so that they could have an opportunity to come and speak if they wanted um so the the fail safe is the paragraph in the middle here um this is one of the conversations I had with our attorney um this is on the um on the on theou uh reserves the right to resend naming rights or recognitions of in the unlikely event that the benefactor honory reputation changes substantially yeah you know in this case like you said it's a little more bulletproof than than if somebody brings a particular name forward we really have to take the time to bet it right and and again our policy also reiterates that that we have the right to rename something so like we have all of that I just um I just want to be um and and my apologies to Eric for not bringing that up prior when we were um making this agenda that I just want to be moving forward we're going to do several of these and I want to make sure we have a really solid Pol procedure um so um anyway does anyone have any else other thoughts well interestingly in the policy it says when the school committee will be considering whether to name or dedicate a new school or School related property structure or facility it will establish an orderly procedure for making a decision right now to name a school of property structure facility so I read that as we could we can make up what the procedure is but it's not necessarily written yes yet correct right and that's I think that's all I'm trying to say is I really would like to be make sure that we're doing the same procedure for all of them so that it's fair and um okay um so that all being said I think we do have a motion on the table um I again I feel like we did meet the policy to the you know so I guess I wanted feedback or comments on whether people feel like we want to vote on this this evening well is there timing urgency on this because of some mechanics of signage or anything like that or only my only wonder is that and Eric you'll know is that I do know we do want we did want to do more of these correct yeah I don't know in other words does this timing if we weren't to decide tonight does that push it back no we would do it two weeks from now yeah yeah like could you put it in your newsletter tomorrow in the uh yeah we could put in the newsletter the donations made you know if you have issues or comments reach out to me and then we can just say we'll finalize the the vote on foret the date on the top of my head but the next meeting do something like that yeah they could email the school too right I mean who's going to object who's going to object to it I mean but anyway but nevertheless and that was sort of my point is that like this one doesn't feel but but again one one wants to create a policy for everything yeah you know um so um okay um so that being said we have a motion on the table um maybe amend the motion to say um that we move to well I don't know the rest of the motion one could move table you might want to move your mic because yeah sorry so the amendment would be something along the lines of uh that we move to table this till the next meetings so uh and that in the meantime Eric the superintendent is to post the um the proposal within his newsletter this week second sorry and I and there's a second one coming between now and then so I probably put them both on there on the on the newsletter so that was the most elegant motion practical we'll get it figured out no I think that was okay um all right so there's a motion to table with the with within the interim that Eric will provide the public with some notice um does anyone have discussion on that uh I have a question related about policy okay do we want to update this policy to be more specific about that process or is it specifically just for the athletic fa well I have an OP I have an opinion so but other people could say yeah it I mean you could name something in a in the building or a stone or and would we want to do this same process for that sort of thing or is this a special case I guess I'm going ad J my my personal feeling is that I I like the the policy being not super specific um because it a lot like if we were to change the policy to say that has to be in the superintendent's newsletter and 3 years from now the superintendent no longer has a newsletter but instead has a whatever weekly interpretive dance um that's a good idea okay um probably don't want to see that okay um that's my thought okay so sorry that was a little bit of a no that's fine um all right so the motion on the table though is to table um does anyone have any discussion on that and that doesn't doesn't mess up any no timing okay no no no I just started I I wanted to start these rolling there may only be three because some people are yeah willing to just say I'm just donating you know so can is there a way I mean I don't want to speak for the groups I'm only speaking for myself but I will say I did not hear here anyone concerned about this particular donation I heard concerns about process and procedure we could convey that if anyone were to ask at the absolutely um I'll reach out to them tomorrow in just this was y my only question is how busy are the next meetings because we've tabled two things now I know well they at busier as we I'm trying to get all these things done through October because as you know November we'll start the budget process and yeah so I was and and I and I appreciate that and I will yeah I think we'll be okay I think I'm just I just need to figure out how to manage the Apec donation on top of like who's connected to some of it because they're holding a fairly substantial chunk of money that they would basically wire to us but there are individual donations in there that have naming rights so I have to sort that out too so and uh I mean My Hope Is that I think this I actually I I hear you and I agree with you and I have that anxiety um that's my only concern at the same time I actually feel like both of these were really thoughtful conversations um yeah and I you know I think there are reasons um and we haven't voted yet so um all right so um you want to have more to say about the tabling because you could we haven't voted on tabling yet have we made the motion yes yes that's what I thought I mean I think we've followed the letter of the law at least for this one which is not controversial I would just vote on it and move forward just so we don't get a backlog of things okay any other further discussion okay um so the motion on the table is to table all those in favor of tabling that is three in favor those opposed one um and the motion passes three to one um okay um and that'll be on the next agenda possibly with another donation as well um next up is the masc delegate um it's really a question I am not attending the masc conference this year I've attended in the past um are you planning on attending David I would like to but there's there's issues at home related to it that may get away because it looks very interesting yeah I've really enjoyed it in the past it just doesn't work with my schedule this year is anyone else planning on attending I can't I work on Fridays so I guess um I know and I as far as I know the only person that had shared with me that they were interested in attending was was David Frankle um or I shouldn't say interested available to my circumstance may change but um but I so I guess we do and I I don't we do need to appoint a delegate um if so at the conference there are all these resolutions that the masc puts forward and it's like a it's kind of like a giant school committee meeting um you go and each district if you send a representative if you send a delegate then you get to vote um and there are all these policy positions you can look them up right now their resolutions you can look them up and um you do have to tell them in advance so I guess my thought is if there's any chance that someone is going we should appoint a delegate I see um because there's certainly no penalty for not showing up but if you don't appoint a delegate then you can't vote um so given that does anyone have any nominations for the delegate can I ask a question sir um Eric are you planning on going I technically I'm not sure it's going to depend on the budget process okay and Eric could not and that was my second question can he comme member yeah that was my question um so um I guess I would we can my thoughts are this if there's a chance that David is going to go we might want to consider nominating him to be the delegate and then at a separate meeting if that if you are going we will do what we've done in the past which is to review the resolutions and discuss them right if it becomes if you're not going anyway then there won't be really much point in us doing that right yeah I don't mind you doing that um and and I and I and it I again I don't there's no harm in not like I think I made it clear we have to say ahead of time who the delegate is so what what's the venue for it by the way I didn't look carefully where it it's um it's on the cape on the cap and it's uh I can't remember the name of the place a hotel right it's a hotel but it's a conference center Seas SE it had a different name like it changed names in the three years that I've gone it was called some was all the same place but used to be the seest but um I went years ago so it know look that up um okay because I did get a fly today or something I recently what did you say I did get a yeah yeah there yeah and you can go on the website and you probably did get a flyer um recently about it yes in the mail um so so you're not registered already no no okay um okay um does anyone have a nomination for a potential delegate I nominate David Frankle to be a delegate at the masc conference this fall uh David uh do we have a second second second David do you accept that would you accept that nomination yes I will um all right uh is there discussion all right all those in favor that is for in favor um uh and I will um submit the paperwork just you as our delegate and that is at the emerald Resort in hyanis oh I would never have come up with that what is it the vard emerald oh Emerald H is hyas on the I know the cape um okay um all right next up uh finance and operations no nothing uh committee reports Capital uh Capital Finance has a meeting next or this upcoming Monday at 23 230 2:30 all right remind me who's on Capital uh me Trent and Julia okay um policy um we met on Monday oh and we um chose roles okay Julia is the chair I am the secretary um made some progress on um like a one pager for voting rules and we're meeting again on October 21st great all right so um yep I'm sorry we had a question for the full committee okay which was how often what are we supposed to do a full review of the entire alphabet um I do not know the answer to that committee question does anybody else in the committee know um I would say that you should contact Alicia okay and ask her that um I believe though it's not soon I think you're but I think it's a great question to ask but I think we're in okay shape yeah um thank you for that um and I look forward to seeing what you all uh come up with on that one pager be fun um negotiations um our um most recent meeting which was supposed to be on Monday was um canceled there was um an illness on the association side and they needed to cancel the meeting um and and we are in the process of getting the next meeting SCH and yeah that's it um we do not have a secretary report because we don't have our secretary here this evening um superintendent report Eric yep just uh reporting out really quickly about finally being in the classroom this week I was able to get into the classrooms in every school and um great to see everybody up and running it's been fascinating to watch uh the kind of ramping up of the new math program Eureka Math and really actually participating several teachers invited us to participate in their classes to um learn and understand about it and the the approach is much more of a you know you don't only have to find the answer you really have to explain how you got to the answer and explain the process along the way so so far so good good lots of good feedback from the teachers um it's also great to just be in the classrooms and see the things the different things that our uh teachers have put together for our kids um one of the groups I watched was you know looking at pond water under microscopes and imagine what they saw it was uh not pretty but you know just just good opportunities like that to get kids engaged and excited about school so I'm excited to finally be back in the classrooms and and um you know get having a good opportunity to see uh how things are progressing um also the um as last over the last two weeks we've been able to go to the open houses at uh each of the schools I didn't get to all of them had my own kids open house to go to but uh the the open hous have been really well attended uh as reported by everybody we were also able to bring our architectural team and our OPM team there to give out uh flyers and thank you for the committee members that jumped in to help out too and um got a lot of good information we gave out 600 Flyers uh with the most upto-date information and the and the QR code so that they can get to the website we met with a lot of great people answered tons of questions and uh we look forward to setting up our new uh our next uh public forum which we believe is going to be November 6 we're just trying to make sure that there's nothing else in the in the way with the other with the towns what I'm sorry November 6th yes okay and that's it questions okay um I don't have much on the chair's report um I did get to go to a couple of the open houses um I just the I mean stunning how many people were there it was really great to see um a lot of fun um got to stand uh next to the Friends of the Arts table both nights which was fun to hang out with them that was cool um I did just from the committee I did um I had put out a scheduling email to everybody regarding um any if anyone's available on this coming Saturday to help out at the League of Women Voters um table um did you get any takers uh no okay because I can I can move what I was doing so um I'm happy to be there um I don't uh but we I don't know Eric we're going to have the same um visuals that we had at the open houses is that correct y okay yeah I have a set yep at it's at central office and I I feel good about having been at the open house I feel good about the knowing the drill yeah have that um okay and we we'll have we'll have some flyers ready too okay great um all right and um and maybe well we'll think about it what else we want to bring whether we want to bring Flyers maybe with our goals or something I think that's what we did last time we had some goals yeah and um I'll chat with you about timing okay it's time yeah no we can work out the timing it doesn't have to be and if anybody else has time I think it's 10 to one be great um all right uh does anybody have anything topics for future meetings I'm a bit confused I think I ended up with three different versions of the agenda for today oh really this this one says 805 we're going to adj for an executive session is that still yeah we're going to get to an executive session but the other ones didn't no that one they anyway well the one that's want to make sure I'm on the right yeah no you are you're correct yes we are going to we're we're going to just yes we will do that at the end um all right looks like nobody has anything okay so I am going to do exactly that now um I move to adjourn into executive session for purpose number three to to discuss strategy with respect to um litigation where an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the litigating position of the public party of the public body and the chair so declares and not to return to open session second second by J Carr um and it is a roll call vote David yes Ben yes Amy yes and Dana's yes and we are turned into executive session but this this letter that we