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Pre-Meeting Informal Discussion (Link: 00:00:00 – 00:01:00)
The meeting began with informal conversation among attendees discussing Giants tickets, with one speaker mentioning that Giants tickets were priced around $200 and describing some seats as horrible but still providing a good experience. A speaker asked if Frank was ready, and Frank confirmed he was prepared.
At 6:01 PM, a speaker called the meeting to order, noting some audio echo issues. The group recited the Pledge of Allegiance to the United States of America. The speaker then asked if there were any commendations for the evening, and seeing none, moved to public comment, asking if anyone had signed up to speak during the public comment period.
Meeting Opening and Public Comment (Link: 00:01:00 – 00:04:00)
A speaker thanked the school committee for working well together and avoiding chaos that would require their attendance at every meeting. The speaker praised all teachers in town, describing them as amazing and noting tremendous improvement from last year to this year. They mentioned having the privilege of knowing teachers and principals at Village School and now the middle school, and expressed missing Village School due to volunteer opportunities there.
The speaker shared observations from visiting Collins Middle School the previous night for play practice. In the cafeteria, they noticed flags from every country in the world, what they believed was a Martin Luther King display, a Latina princess display, and white doves flying imagery. The speaker described this as something missing in their town and noted the beauty of the cafeteria decorations. They mentioned taking pictures and planning to send them to the committee, and noted that their husband found the squash room. The speaker concluded by thanking everyone and stating that things were going well so far this year.
A committee member thanked the speaker and invited anyone online to make public comment by raising their hand. Seeing no additional public comment, they closed the public comment period and moved to the student representative portion of the meeting. There was mention of an echo issue, and the committee member indicated that Will would begin the student representative report.
Student Representative Report (Link: 00:04:00 – 00:06:00)
A student representative began by noting there had been a lot of activity during the week and that the following week would be a short Thanksgiving week. The representative announced that Powderpuff would take place on Saturday at 10 AM at Swampscott Field, encouraging support for the girls as they compete against Swampscott in the annual classic game. The halls had been filled with color from spirit days as students dressed up, which the representative described as fun to see with everyone being very engaged.
The representative provided updates on fall sports, noting that football was eliminated in the round of eight the previous week, and girls soccer also lost in the round of eight. For cross country, the boys team placed eighth in division two and the girls team got second in D2A, with MHS fall sports overall placing seventh in division two. The representative praised all athletes for their successful seasons.
Several upcoming events were announced. Senior brunch was scheduled for Sunday from 9 to 11 AM in the cafeteria, hopefully following a Powderpuff win, with a sign-up genius sent out featuring a lot of food. Senior registration for winter athletics was currently available online, with reminders to ensure physicals were recent. The Fall MHS Acapella Concert was scheduled for the following Tuesday at 7 PM, featuring all three school acapella groups: Luminescence, Jewel Tones, and Grizzlies. Additionally, the MHS Cabaret showcase was taking place that evening at 7 PM in the auditorium, featuring many of the school’s vocalists.
Committee members thanked the student representative, and a committee member announced that the meeting would move to the superintendent update.
Superintendent Update (Link: 00:06:00 – 00:15:00)
A committee member explained that Al Williams was out of town and would be joining the meeting at some point but was delayed in logging in. The superintendent began by encouraging people to follow principal newsletters for school and grade-specific events and to check the digital backpack for community information.
The superintendent shared information about substance abuse education that had been collected and discussed by Regina Hart, Julia Ferreira, Lisa Maria Polito, Christine Szykovsky, Michele Carlson, Matthew LeVangie and himself. He explained that Marblehead Public Schools makes every effort to listen to students and understand effective ways to engage them in conversations about decision making and substance use. All substance use education is designed to match students’ developmental readiness and grade level, with the district committed to providing trauma-informed, student-centered learning experiences. The programming includes featured speakers, focus groups, curricular lessons in grades 4 through 12, data collection, diversion programs, and counselor meetings. High school students have expressed a preference for learning and discussing substance use in small groups within regular classes rather than large assemblies to allow for more comfortable, meaningful discussions. The district plans to use student feedback and recent data to expand current programming and will regularly update the school committee.
The superintendent reported meeting with 16 high school students and Met co-director K. Johnson the previous day for candid discussions about shifting school culture and ensuring all students have a sense of belonging. Students shared their concerns and initial ideas, with plans to continue these discussions and connect them with anti-discrimination committee dialogue and the MAGIC coalition that students have established. He emphasized the importance of elevating student voice as the most important way to affect positive culture shifts.
The superintendent then shared several recognition announcements from administrators. Scott Williams from Village School recognized counselors Kate Dulac, Kevin Merrigan, and Jeff Newsom for their work with students, including problem-solving, lunch groups, teamwork and collaboration skills, running grade level community meetings, the peer leaders program, and Village clubs. They also welcome new students and families and serve on the child study team.
Mary Maxfield from Brown Elementary School recognized second grade teacher Beth Johnson for coordinating a fall food drive for over 15 years, expanding it this year to three weeks due to increased need and working with community members to ensure families get what they need while helping students understand community support.
Matthew LeVangie from Veterans Middle School recognized his English department, especially Dr. Ryan Judkins, Jim Shaffnet, Rajit Karnes, and Caroline Todd, for guiding students through reading and preparing questions for an Alice Hoffman assembly in partnership with the Jewish Community Center. He also recognized custodial staff including Marilyn Willard, Rafael Santana Tavares, Lauren Rodriguez Batista, and the entire custodial team for their hard work maintaining a clean, welcoming environment.
Frank Kowalski from Glover Elementary School recognized nurse Jessica Chu for her talent, knowledge, empathy, and care for students and families, noting her support during school opening and dismissal. He also recognized custodian Jim Rackey for ensuring Glover is clean, helping during lunch, and maintaining safe, clean workspaces.
Lisa Maria Polito, Assistant Superintendent of Student Services, recognized BCBAs Kate Trakomowitz and Kate Hersom for presenting de-escalation strategies to district professionals during a professional development day. The strategies use a three-option approach with common language: help (active listening and empathy), prompt (clear simple instructions), and wait (giving space and time to de-escalate). The principles include staying calm, respecting personal space, using non-threatening body language, and focusing on feelings behind behavior.
Julia Ferreira, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning, expressed gratitude to students as quarter one concluded at middle and high school levels, with elementary trimester concluding in early December. She praised students for showing up ready to work hard, learn, and grow. The superintendent also thanked Gilberto Hernandez, Todd Bloodgood, and Lisa Manning for helping Ferreira with a flat tire.
The superintendent concluded by thanking the Marblehead community for the opportunity to serve as superintendent and for ongoing support. He wished the community a happy, healthy Thanksgiving, encouraging safe travel and reminding everyone to “remember who you are and make good choices,” advice he attributed to his wife.
Consent Action Items (Link: 00:15:00 – 00:16:00)
A committee member thanked John and moved to the consent, action and agenda items. They requested a motion to approve the identified schedules of bills totaling $835,535.81 and the meeting minutes from November 6, 2025. Henry Gwazda made the motion, which was seconded by Melissa Clucas.
During discussion of the minutes, a committee member pointed out to Gwazda that he might want to look at something under the subcommittee section referencing the Bell School process. Gwazda acknowledged that he would take a look at that item.
With no other discussion, the committee voted on the motion by Gwazda, seconded by Clucas, to approve the identified schedule of bills and the meeting minutes. The motion carried 4 to 0 with all members in favor and none opposed.
The committee member then announced that they had a number of school committee communication and discussion items for the evening, beginning with two field trips that needed approval, and indicated that John would present these items.
Field Trip Approvals (Link: 00:16:00 – 00:24:00)
The superintendent presented two field trip requests for committee approval. The first was for the MET Pathway program trip to Maine, with Connor Ryan, an English teacher at the high school and program director of Innovation Career Pathways, present to explain the request. Ryan described running a manufacturing engineering technology pathway at the high school with a focus on postgraduate opportunities. He explained that several seniors were interested in the marine industry, and The Landing School in Arundel, Maine, offers unique programs including degrees in marine systems and diesel technologies, wooden boat building, composite boat building, and yacht design in conjunction with York University in England. The school was hosting an open house and also offered gap year studies and small-scale workshops that could serve as potential summer internships.
The superintendent praised Ryan’s work as first-year program director and expressed support for experiential learning opportunities that allow students to see, touch, and engage hands-on with potential career paths. He noted that such field trips are educational, meaningful, and atypical, providing students with opportunities to explore internships or future employment. Gwazda made a motion to approve the pathway program trip to Maine, which was seconded by Clucas. The motion carried 4 to 0.
The second field trip request was for a speech and debate club event, presented by Michele Carlson and a student. Carlson explained that the student was new to Marblehead High School, having transferred from Alabama, and was nationally ranked in speech and debate. Her previous school had a speech and debate club, which Marblehead did not have, so she found two staff members willing to volunteer as advisors to start the club. While new students would be learning about the activity, this student was requesting to attend an out-of-state competition with one advisor accompanying her.
The student introduced herself as a sophomore and explained she was requesting to attend the Barkley Forum tournament at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. She described it as a national circuit tournament where states from across the country send participants. She had been doing speech and debate since seventh grade and considered it formative to who she had become, emphasizing that public speaking is an important skill everyone should learn. The tournament held sentimental value as her first national circuit tournament, and the previous year she became the first freshman and first student from her school to advance to a certain level. She wanted to attend to explore opportunities for the club and hoped that next year she would not be the only Marblehead student attending.
The superintendent thanked the student for presenting and practicing public speaking, noting it was a great way to spearhead developing the program. He praised her accomplishments at such a young age in speech and debate. A committee member asked for clarification about costs, confirming it was for the student and one chaperone, with the chaperone’s costs being covered by the high school budget. Gwazda made a motion to approve the speech and debate club trip to Emory, which was seconded by Clucas. The motion carried 4 to 0.
MHS Roof Contract Discussion and Approval (Link: 00:24:00 – 00:54:00)
A committee member introduced the MHS roof contract agenda item, with Ryan Seraphim present and Mark Liebman participating online, along with other subcommittee members Gene Raymond and Ralph Wallace. Gwazda presented information from a subcommittee meeting held on Tuesday the 18th, explaining that the group had been meeting for several months to review project specifications, create bid documents, and work on the timeline. The subcommittee had to decide between restore versus recover options, comparing a traditional roof versus a liquid applied roof option.
Gwazda explained that the subcommittee received six bids from general contractors, with Homer Contracting’s bid of $8,970,000 being the lowest, coming in $2,120,000 under budget at nearly 20% below the budgeted amount of $11,090,000. All bidders used the same subcontractors: Kate Wood roofing, Robert Irving for plumbing, Amante for HVAC, and System for electrical. The variation in bids came from the general contractors’ markup and whether to use liquid applied roofing. The subcommittee voted unanimously against the liquid applied roofing option, not seeing justification for the additional $2 million cost, and recommended accepting the low bid from Homer Contracting as required.
A committee member asked about the significant cost difference, noting that the liquid applied roof was originally discussed as a potential $2 million cost savings at town meeting. Seraphim explained that legally they could not reach out to bidders to ask about their pricing until after the contract was awarded. Gwazda noted that contractors apparently saw the liquid applied roof as an additional complication rather than a material savings, preferring to use PVC roofing instead.
Mark Liebman provided additional context, explaining that liquid applied restoration is traditionally less expensive than a new roof, but this particular roof already suffered extensive material damage in various locations. The amount of work required to remove old roofing, repair insulation and decking, reroof with PVC in damaged areas, and then apply liquid coating created additional complications. He noted that liquid applied systems work best on older roofs nearing end of life but in generally good condition.
Ralph Wallace joined the discussion, explaining that the three qualified roofing subcontractors had widely varying bids for the liquid applied alternate. Capeway bid an additional $1.8 million, Greenwood bid $983,000 extra, and Gibson Roofing actually proposed a $157,000 credit for the liquid applied option. This wide range indicated the market was divided on comfort level with liquid applied roofing for this installation. Wallace noted that about 70% of the contract value was for HVAC equipment and 30% for roofing, and praised the procurement process for getting good participation from pre-qualified contractors.
A committee member asked about the continuation of the subcommittee through construction completion. Gwazda confirmed the committee would remain active, with all members interested in continuing their participation. The superintendent praised the subject matter experts and noted that Mark Liebman and others had offered to provide ongoing oversight during construction. Discussion ensued about open meeting law compliance, with clarification that as long as fewer than four voting committee members were present during site visits, there would be no quorum issues.
A committee member suggested the need for regular updates to the full school committee and clarification of the subcommittee’s ongoing role and deliverables. The timeline goal was to have the project completed by October of the 2026-27 school year, with HVAC work driving the schedule. Gwazda recognized the community volunteers on the subcommittee: Mark Liebman, Brian Seraphim, Ralph Wallace, Karima Maloney, Sam Altroger, and Mike Belgy for their expertise and contributions.
Mark Liebman offered to provide detailed oversight during construction, particularly for roofing application quality, and volunteered to conduct quarterly maintenance meetings after project completion to help protect the investment through proper maintenance. He noted that many HVAC issues documented in the project were due to lack of basic maintenance like filter changes. A committee member suggested this maintenance oversight should be formalized through the facilities subcommittee.
Discussion turned to financial questions about bonding and borrowing for the project. Seraphim had spoken with Finance Director Aleesha Benjamin about whether the full amount had been bonded versus borrowed, and how the $2 million savings would be handled. The committee agreed to follow up on these financial details to provide answers to the community.
A committee member made a motion to award the contract for the Marblehead High School roof HVAC project to Homer Contracting Inc. of Arlington, Massachusetts, in the amount of $8,970,000. The motion was seconded and carried 4 to 0. The committee thanked all subcommittee members for their work on the project.
FY27 Capital Requests (Link: 00:54:00 – 01:02:00)
Michael Pfifferling presented the FY27 capital requests to the school committee, explaining that the previous year these requests were submitted directly to the town without school committee review. He noted that the administration had ranked the items by priority and requested committee feedback on priorities, particularly asking for 1A, 1B, 1C designations since he anticipated being asked to choose only one item when meeting with town officials.
Pfifferling outlined the Tier 1 priority items. The first was bus cameras to upgrade from the current hard drive system that requires manual tape pulling and has failing hard drives to a more efficient, state-of-the-art system. The second priority was the Glover playground, where jagged rocks and boulders from the original construction posed safety concerns for younger students and needed removal.
Three field house items at the high school were included in Tier 1 priorities, all requested by Mr. Wheeler. These included repainting and refreshing the field house walls ($300,000), replacing safety cushions and padding on walls ($28,000), and flooring work ($200,000). Pfifferling noted that Wheeler also wanted banner replacement but suggested this should be handled by PTO or booster groups rather than requesting town capital funds. A committee member asked about acoustic paneling issues, and Pfifferling confirmed some panels were not staying secured to walls and would be addressed as part of the painting project.
The remaining Tier 1 items were the Veterans Middle School clock and bell system, which works in tandem with the PA system and had reached the end of its useful life, and fencing around Hopkins field at Village School, where chain link fencing had sustained damage with dents, disconnected top rail piping, and general deterioration.
Pfifferling then described Tier 2 priorities, beginning with shade structures for the Brown School playground to create outdoor classroom space, as the current playground lacked any shade coverage. At Veterans Middle School, expansion joints throughout the school, particularly in the cafeteria, had been tiled over and were cracking as the joints moved naturally. Additionally, second floor areas with plywood flooring installed during renovation were audibly noticeable when walked on and had tiles that were cracking and splitting.
The final item mentioned was refreshing the gymnasium floors at Veterans Middle School for both the large and small gyms. While floors received annual polish and finish coats, this project would involve sanding down, redoing lines, and complete refinishing.
School Capital Improvement Priorities Discussion (Link: 01:02:00 – 01:15:00)
Pfifferling continued describing the capital requests, explaining that gymnasium floor refinishing at Veterans Middle School would involve sanding down and applying fresh coats rather than touching the hardwood itself. He noted that both Veterans and Village schools needed gymnasium lighting upgrades, as the current systems were neither efficient nor bright enough.
At Veterans Middle School, there was a concrete staircase coming off the D wing that went partway down toward Pleasant Street, which students used to get to and from school. Todd Bloodgood had estimated $75,000 to extend the stairs, but Pfifferling expressed concern about potential ADA compliance requirements that could necessitate a ramp and far exceed the estimated cost. He emphasized the need to consult industry experts to ensure any solution would be accessible to all students.
At the performing arts center, the district had painted and reupholstered all seats the previous year but could not complete lighting upgrades for wall sconces or replace carpeting in the rows between seats. For Seaside Park, where the baseball team plays, there were drainage issues that the Recreation and Parks Department had identified funds to address, requesting matching funds from the school district. Pfifferling noted this was primarily maintained by Recreation and Parks.
A committee member asked about using the athletics revolving fund for the Seaside Park project, but Pfifferling explained that fund primarily covered coaches’ salaries and officials’ fees, with coaches receiving a 3% salary increase next year. Without adjusting user fees, the fund would not have sufficient revenue to cover increased costs. He suggested exploring private donors, similar to those who had contributed to Piper Field improvements.
Pfifferling described a request from Bloodgood for new snow equipment – not a plow truck but a snow blower/mover track system that could access areas between trees where plow trucks could not reach and move snow piles created by plows. They had attempted to purchase similar equipment the previous year with surplus funds but could not get delivery by June 30.
At Village School, the field structure containing stands, press box, restrooms, and equipment rooms needed refreshing. Pfifferling noted these spaces were primarily used by youth organizations rather than the public school, suggesting potential collaboration on fundraising for improvements.
For technology, the district needed to replace wireless access points that were on a five-year program. After five years, while the access points would continue working, the district would lose licensing for controlling features like blocking or redirecting content. Pfifferling had previously discussed adding money to the technology budget line for three consecutive years to sustain three-year leases and achieve self-sufficiency, but acknowledged this might not be feasible given level-funded budget constraints.
The rolling stock requests included two aging buses – a 2013 fourteen-passenger bus (nearly 13 years old) and a 2015 bus (10-11 years old) – both nearing the end of their useful life. All district buses were required to have handicap ramps for full inclusivity on field trips and athletic events, which required custom ordering and planning.
Pfifferling provided cost totals: Priority 1 items totaled $935,000, Priority 2 totaled $629,000, and Priority 3 totaled $93,000. He had removed four or five items under $20,000 that could be supported within the operating budget, including a $7,000 handicap door mechanism at Glover School that was wired but never installed.
The superintendent emphasized that bus cameras, Glover playground rocks, Veterans bell/clock system, and technology were all safety-related Priority 1 items that were very pressing. A committee member noted they had discussed the option of a debt exclusion override to fund items beyond what town meeting might recommend, but acknowledged uncertainty about available funding amounts. The committee member made a motion to approve the priority list as presented, with the understanding that specific prioritization within categories would come later based on funding recommendations. The motion was seconded and carried 4 to 0.
Donation Acceptance and Community Safety Initiative Update (Link: 01:15:00 – 01:29:00)
A committee member made a motion to accept a donation of $2,500 from the Marblehead Female Humane Society to the Marblehead Metco donation fund. Gwazda made the motion, which was seconded, and it carried 4 to 0.
Schaeffner provided an update on community safety initiatives that began after a tragic incident and student loss during the summer. She had reached out to leaders from other elected boards in town with connections to students, children, or community health, including the Board of Health, Recreation and Parks Department, and Select Board. She met with Chris Kennedy from Recreation and Parks, Tom McMahon from the Board of Health, Erin Luna from the Select Board, and Alexa Singer, who would continue working with the group going forward.
The discussions focused on community concerns about young people’s health, safety, and welfare, particularly regarding substance use and abuse as well as impaired driving. Schaeffner reported learning about town bylaws and state laws, noting some uncertainty about exact bylaws and their enforcement. Tom McMahon had shared information showing the town does have bylaws around serving alcohol to minors, with $25 fines that appeared outdated. According to the town clerk, there were five citations issued for house parties or locations serving minors from 2009 to 2016, but no citations since 2017.
Schaeffner mentioned reaching out to the district attorney’s office for resources and discussed potentially reinstating an annual spring meeting for parents of seniors that had been held pre-COVID. These meetings would include information from police or the DA’s office about keeping students safe, bylaws, and general vigilance. She emphasized this was a long-range issue requiring ongoing commitment from community leaders.
Gwazda noted he had also spoken with community members including Tom Bizarro from the Board of Health and Mike Elkin from the Rotary Club, who had experience with addiction and substance abuse counseling and could provide training resources for school counselors. He praised the collaborative work happening across town.
The superintendent acknowledged the collaborative efforts and indicated plans to provide more detailed information about existing school programs around substance abuse and student health. He emphasized the importance of proactive rather than reactive conversations, noting the tendency for community passion to fade after tragedies. He mentioned meeting with the ministerial association, including pastors, rabbis, and priests who wanted to contribute resources and support, as they have different levels of conversation with students and families.
Schaeffner raised concerns about enforcement of MIAA rules regarding student athletes, and the superintendent confirmed confidence in discussions with the athletic director about obligations to enforce consequences. He noted that MIAA rules are specific and must be followed regardless of parent or student upset, and suggested exploring whether similar standards should apply to students in other activities like drama or music. Gwazda suggested using the committee’s platform to make public announcements and invite community members to present on these issues.
Superintendent Goals Approval (Link: 01:29:00 – 01:31:00)
A committee member provided a recap of the superintendent goals process, explaining that the superintendent had presented the goals at a November 3rd workshop, took committee comments and feedback, revised them for the November 6th meeting, and made additional edits based on that discussion for tonight’s consideration and vote.
The superintendent explained that he had made what he believed were the improvements and edits the committee was looking for, highlighting them and placing them in the Dropbox for committee review. He indicated he did not think it was necessary to go through the goals again but was open to further tweaks or discussions if needed. He described the goals as robust and noted he would provide ongoing updates showing his progress, areas where he was falling short, and areas where he was exceeding expectations.
The superintendent clarified that all goals were created as 18-month goals to establish a consistent schedule going forward. He noted that some goals would be completed before the 18-month timeframe while others might expand beyond it, and emphasized that goals could be adjusted as progress unfolded.
Gwazda made a motion to approve the superintendent goals, which was seconded by Clucas. The motion carried 4 to 0. The superintendent indicated he would remove watermarks from the goals and send them to Lisa Manning to work with Stephen Kwiatek to post them in the proper location on the website.
School Committee Goals Revision (Link: 01:31:00 – 01:38:00)
A committee member explained that when the committee voted on their goals the previous week, they had included a goal to elevate educator voices that had been in the initial draft but had not been refined further. The committee member had taken the initiative to flesh out this goal ahead of the meeting, hoping the committee could revise it to be more consistent with the substance of their other goals. The revised goal focused on working with the superintendent to hold productive and forward-looking sessions with educators, and appointing a member or ad hoc subcommittee to research how other school committees increase participation at their meetings, with a report back to the committee at the end of the school year.
A committee member noted that the revised goal had not been posted in the Google drive, making it difficult to review before voting. The superintendent asked for clarification about the second part of the goal regarding exploring additional non-voting representatives to the school committee, as he had missed that part of the earlier conversation.
The committee member explained that there had been earlier discussion in a workshop with Alicia Mallon about options such as having an educator sit as a non-voting member of the school committee to participate in discussions. Mallon had shared that other districts have CPAC representatives, METCO representatives, or enhanced student representative roles in similar capacities.
The superintendent expressed support for having more perspectives but noted that school committees generally do not have union leadership sitting as members for various reasons, to avoid the appearance of someone pushing an agenda. He suggested it might be an educator willing to participate, potentially rotating based on the topics being discussed, rather than the same person all the time.
The committee member clarified that the goal was to explore and research options rather than definitively move forward with any specific approach. The committee might conclude that such changes would not be right for their district, or find that another district’s approach would better serve their needs. A committee member asked about the action required to meet the goal, and it was confirmed that appointing a member or creating a subcommittee would be the first step.
A committee member questioned whether a school committee could have an ad hoc subcommittee, suggesting that might be more appropriate for the superintendent. The committee member noted that one member was not prepared to vote since the document had not been available for review. Gwazda made a motion to accept the school committee goal for elevating educator voices, which was seconded by Clucas. The motion carried 3 to 0 with one abstention. The committee member agreed to send the revised goal to Lisa Manning for proper posting.
Subcommittee Updates and Newsletter Platform Discussion (Link: 01:38:00 – 01:56:00)
A committee member noted there was a request to approve a Smore basic plan, which appeared to be coming from Gwazda and Clucas. Gwazda explained that Smore is the newsletter tool the district uses, and the communication subcommittee wanted to develop their own email list to reach people not included in district or PTO updates, particularly community members without children in school who are invested in the schools. He noted they would need a vendor tool rather than manually managing a list.
Clucas explained that they needed to approve the Smore basic plan to send out community newsletters, as there is a maximum of three newsletters before payment is required. They had sent out their first community newsletter the previous Friday. A committee member questioned what they had done the previous year for newsletters, suggesting Stephen Kwiatek had set up an account, and wondered if they could connect to the existing school account rather than paying separately.
Schaeffner expressed strong opposition to school committee members having access to a database of people, stating it should only be through the school district. Gwazda clarified he was thinking of setting up a new email account that would be continuous regardless of committee membership changes, not personal accounts. The superintendent suggested creating a specific school committee email address for Smore that would be separate from the main school committee email.
Clucas clarified that the communication subcommittee would not be speaking for the school committee but rather sharing information the committee had discussed, noting that Alicia at MASC had confirmed this was within their purview. She reported positive feedback from the previous newsletter, including from non-school community members who wanted to subscribe after having it forwarded to them.
The discussion continued about managing separate lists – one for the school district and another for community members who wanted to opt in. Schaeffner emphasized that individual committee members should not have access to databases and that future subcommittee members should inherit access through the district, not through departing members. She expressed concern about potential database abuse.
Julia Ferreira offered to assist with the technical setup, suggesting they could send to everyone in the school district while the subcommittee could manage a separate opt-in list for other community members. Gwazda noted that the basic plan costs $99 per year, while the pro plan with translation services costs $179. Schaeffner suggested the subcommittee meet with Kwiatek to explore options before proceeding.
The superintendent raised concerns about asking the director of technology to manage a non-district database of potentially thousands of people, noting this might not be appropriate for district staff. The committee agreed to have the communication subcommittee discuss options with Kwiatek before bringing the matter back to the full committee.
Schaeffner provided a budget subcommittee update, reporting they met on Monday for a second round of discussion analyzing existing budget and staffing in individual buildings by categories. The next step would involve Pfifferling and the superintendent talking with building administrators, followed by a joint meeting with the finance committee subcommittee on December 1st to get input from FinCom. She noted they had a calendar of presentations culminating in spring that would aid communication.
A committee member reported on the policy subcommittee meeting that morning, where the superintendent and Ferreira presented the first draft of a competency determination policy. A second draft would be presented after Thanksgiving, and they would work on the naming policy. The subcommittee approved several policy revisions and new policies that would come before the full committee in December meetings.
The superintendent provided updates on several committees. The wellness committee held its second meeting to work on revising the wellness policy, which must be updated every three years. He planned to revise the policy based on input and bring it back to the next meeting. The anti-discrimination committee would meet in December, and the safety committee with union and administrators was scheduled for December 11th, with a report back to the community in spring. The quarterly safety committee with the town would meet again soon, likely in January.
Executive Session Motion (Link: 01:56:00 – 01:58:00)
A committee member made a motion to meet in executive session pursuant to Chapter 30A Section 21A3 Purpose 3 to discuss two litigation matters. The first was Marblehead School Committee and Marblehead Teachers Association, MUP 2511555, and the second was Boyd Perry versus Marblehead Public Schools et al., Docket number 124cv-10606 in the District of Massachusetts. The chair declared that an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the litigating position of the school committee for both matters and stated there was no intent to return to open session.
Gwazda made the motion, which was seconded by Schaeffner. A roll call vote was conducted with Schaeffner, Clucas, and Gwazda all voting in favor. The motion carried 4 to 0. The committee then entered executive session to discuss the two litigation matters without intent to return to open session.
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