001Yeah, I hear you. In fact, >> [clears throat] >> I have two jobs and my boss is like, "Well, let's do more of some of that." >> Yeah, I jumped to that first. So much. Right. I will call to order the Masconomet Regional School District School Committee meeting 7:03 p.m. on March 11. I'm going to do things a little out of order tonight. I would like to welcome our student advisory board to the table um and allow him to speak first on behalf of the student advisory board and then we'll go back to the top of the agenda and work our way down. So, if you want to introduce yourself and share your thoughts tonight. >> Yeah, so hi, I'm Luke James. I'm the sophomore SAB, so class of 2028. And just looking forward to
002give you an update on the student body. Um so, the whole high school is going through course selection right now. So, that'll be wrapping up at the end of the week and then um sophomores and juniors, current sophomores and juniors are submitting applications for peer leading, which is a cool program. Um that gives us a chance for upperclassmen to come alongside freshmen, incoming freshmen as they make the transition into high school. Um which I think really helped me. It's good to just have somebody um to come alongside you and it's it's a bigger transition sometimes than than you realize. So, just so just have like a reference um um somebody who's been through the motions before. Um and then we have um seniors are starting their internships soon, so which is allowing them to find
003some areas of passion. And senior prom ticket sales are upcoming. So, if you know any seniors, um let them know to um stay in the loop on that. Um, so for uh sports update, um, I think I'm going to probably most of you've heard that the basketball team had a big win in the final four last night. They'll be playing in the state championship. I think it'll be at UMass Lowell um on Friday at 8:00 p.m. Um, so it's really I think it'll be a really good opportunity to um, support the students in in a chance to make history for Masco on Friday. Um, and then so all other sports are done. Uh, spring sports will be starting up in the next few weeks. Um, in terms of other news, we had uh a speaker
004come in uh uh within the last few days, Mr. Anthony Severi, who spoke about his journey with substance abuse and addiction, which was I think a very powerful messages message no matter where you are, like if if you're struggling with that or not because um it was cool to see somebody who who's told us he hit rock bottom and uh and now is, you know, very successful and happy and with a um, great family and I think it's just it's always encouraging to see a story of redemption like that. Um, and then uh student council is in the middle of their open projects right now. So, those are projects that are designed to benefit the school uh community and then the outside community and those are longer term until the end of the year. Um,
005so the blood drive was postponed to a later date due to snow. Uh we will have a St. Patrick's Day scavenger hunt next Tuesday for students to look for gold coins in the school. And then there'll be a uh uh dinner for senior citizens next Thursday. Um, and then the food drive is ongoing. It's um go it's ending on Friday and I just wanted to speak a little bit more on that since that's the one I was the uh open project I was assigned to. Um, so people are dropping off donations right outside those doors uh and we don't have a ton of donations yet, but I I had the opportunity to speak um with a volunteer at the Boxford Food Pantry at First Congregational Church in Boxford. And it's that that food pantry is
006only one room, probably four or five rows of shelves. But um last year alone they had 488 visits and they served 71 families including 29 children. So uh people you're connected to within the school, please let them know about this um 2 days left in the food drive. And um one of the biggest takeaways I have when I was talking to this volunteer is that um you never know who could be in need and maybe it's a person sitting right next to you. And so um taking the time out of our own lives to maybe have a chance to make an impact in the lives of others even if it's small small donation uh can make a really big impact. Um so that's about all for my summary and if there's anything I can clarify
007just let me know. >> Lisa. >> Are you just looking for canned goods or you looking for dry >> Yeah yeah so any non-perishables. >> Non-perishable? >> Yeah. Anything else? All right, thank you for your time. >> Thank you. >> Okay, I'm actually going to save my remarks uh till a little bit later and so I will open it up uh for comments in the audience. Can I have a show of hands on who's going to make a comment? >> One, two. >> Six. >> Seven. >> Eight. Eightish. >> One back there. >> Nine. >> I think we have a visual count. >> It keeps >> A nine. Okay. >> All right. Um >> We have spots for >> April >> 10 >> you, >> All right, So, we're going to we'll do um I
008need about a minute and a half tonight. Um only because again we we have some work we have to get done tonight. We also have an executive session we have to get into. Um so, please put in sign-in sheets. Stick to a minute and a half. And I do want to remind everybody um the school committee here isn't isn't it's on the agenda to deliberate on the budget tonight. We're going to vote on a budget tonight. Um so, I just want to remind everybody that. But, stick to your minute and a half and um I welcome the first one up to to just please uh share your name and your city you're from. Sign in from. >> Sign in sheet over there, too. >> You should sign in here. >> There's a sign-in sheet. >>
009Piece of paper to sign in, too, please. If you haven't yet. >> Yeah, so if if you guys don't mind lining up cuz we do have a a reasonable amount. Um you can just along the bookshelf and there's a sign-in sheet at the front of the line. >> Brief fast. My name is Heidi Fox. I'm speaking as the Topsfield and Cummington liaison to the Masco School Committee. You are continuing your deliberations this evening with the intention of approving the fiscal year 2027 budget. I can speak on behalf of the Topsfield um when I say we appreciate your efforts to complete the budget process in accordance with our requested March 11th deadline. The remainder of my comments are my own, not on behalf of the Finance Committee since we have not deliberated on an approved budget.
010I appreciate the difficult operational cuts and the administrate that you and the administration have proposed to comply with the Tri-Towns guidelines. The guidelines were created to respect Prop 2 and 1/2 constraints. Our committees each have a different focus. There will always be a need to identify the cost required to achieve the best possible education for our students and to balance the reality of funding those costs. You changed your policy to find available funds in E&D to reduce the overall assessments to the Tri-Town. While your proposed a fiscal year 2027 overall assessment may be within the coordinated guideline. Topsfield assessment will require an override. At our FinCom meeting on Monday 3/9, Dr. Harvey and our Topsfield School Committee reps heard our belief that these one-time funds should be applied to the miscellaneous capital requests rather than
011to the operating budget. Doing so may require a larger override in Topsfield. I cannot opine on the outcome of the Topsfield's deliberate FinCom's deliberations on the approved budget, but at our meeting on 3/9, we did informally discuss our preference for an operational override that reflects that Prop 2 and 1/2 increases are unrealistic. We are all facing the realities of increasing health insurance premiums, uh personnel and energy costs. Our taxpayers can relate. We can also relate to the fact that there are people behind all these numbers. As one of you commented on Monday, you are looking at the budget that reflects listening to all stakeholders. This has been more than a math exercise. Our job includes communicating the impact these budgets have on our communities. I appreciate the communication, the improved transparency, and the collaboration. Our
012work continues. Thank you. >> Hello. I'm Brian Moran. Believe you approved twice for my son Colin, who is a graduating senior and he's uh uh six-year participant in the Chinese language program. I'm going to shoot for about 40 seconds here. Uh I All of those past and present participants in the Chinese program, I think have done a better job than I ever could have telling you how that uh program has benefited them. I just want to uh note that I really think that programs like that, the Chinese program, kind of elevate the reputational status of an already excellent school system. I I know Colin has told you that's why we moved here because of the excellent school system. In the past year, we've been to a couple of college fairs and we hear a regularly
013from all sorts of we'd love to work with Masco students because they're aware of the reputation. And I'm a kind of a rising tide lifts all boats sort of a guy on things like this. It's precisely that this type of program, the Chinese language program, that gives weight to the performance that leave here, whether the students have participated in the Chinese program or not. So anyway, I understand that you have a lot of work to do and I wish you well in your decision-making process. >> [clears throat] >> And I want to thank you for your time. That's all. Thanks. >> Mr. Sir? >> I did. Okay, thank you. >> Good evening. My name is Natasha Bhatia and I'm a senior at Masconomet. And so first, I wanted to thank you all for taking this
014time to hear us speak and listening to the comments that we've made. I've been up here twice now to talk about the Chinese program and the importance it has to my community and my education and my future education. And then also to urge you to consider different possibilities to increase enrollment in the Chinese language department instead of cutting it. So, I strongly still believe in those ideas and want to reiterate them, but I want to briefly just thank you for the time that you've spent and that you've heard our comments. I want to thank you for creating a new proposed budget that doesn't include cutting Chinese from the program and listening to the comments and our pleas. At this point, we're a very close to a solution that preserves the opportunities that matter to us.
015And I once again want to respectfully urge the committee to vote in favor of adopting the bid budget as it currently stands in scenario four, where we preserve the Chinese program in Masconomet. Doing so will allow us to move forward with stability while continuing to support the programs that contribute to our education and community. Thank you all for your time and again, I please urge you to consider keeping the Chinese program in our community. >> Hi, my name is Dita Broussard. I'm a French teacher at the high school and I just wanted to talk briefly about the Chinese program and world languages in general. Um, I don't think there's been a lot of teachers speaking about it. The students, you know, we could never um, equal what they've been saying about the program, but I've
016been at Masco for 20 years and throughout the 20 years I have watched our beloved Chinese teacher Idli uh, build the program from nothing. She started with just one class at the middle school, one at the high school and she's built it into what it is today. Um, and as you know, like languages have always been a really integral part of Masco's fabric. Um, we used to have German, Latin, Russian, Italian and so keeping Chinese just would reflect um, that tradition of languages. I also think it um, directly aligns with our district's um, inclusion, diversity, equity and anti-racism policy which emphasizes the importance of diverse perspectives in a student's educational experience. Um, I cut certain things out kind of just cuz for time, but um, Uh, I I did a research project last year on
017Masco's global competency diploma program and as part of my research I surveyed 30 Masco alums about their experiences with the program and just their global engagement overall beyond high school. And there was one phrase that came up repeatedly and it was the Masco bubble or the tri-town bubble. And we've talked about they've it's been talked about here in meetings as well. Um, and it could be, you know, something that shows that students feel this is a place where they're safe and supported, but it can also point to an insularity. And I think that, you know, language learning is one of the most powerful tools that we have to introduce students to other cultures and perspectives in the Tri-Town. Um, so I would just argue that within today's geopolitical landscape that we really prioritize language learning.
018I could go on for reasons about why all three of our languages are important, um, but, um, I'll do that at another time. But, uh, basically, please support the Chinese program. It's an investment in our students and in future. Yep. Hi, my name is Heather Cote. I'm a high school English teacher here. Um, I know that my speaking tonight might not really change the course of the evening or how you vote, but as an English teacher, I'd be remiss if I didn't use my voice to stand up for what I believe is right. One of the most important things that I try to teach my students is that silence in the face of something wrong helps no one. I teach them to speak up, to advocate for themselves and for others, and to understand that
019change never comes from staying quiet. So, tonight I'm trying to model that lesson. I'm nearing the end of my fifth year at Masco, and before coming here, I worked at a school where I was truly unhappy, where leadership was weak, and teachers rarely stayed long. And at times I genuinely thought I'd made a mistake becoming a teacher. And then I met Masco. And from the moment I arrived, I felt something different here. The energy was refreshing, the community was strong, and I quickly quickly realized the problem had never been teaching itself, it had been the place. And at Masco, I have felt proud and honored to be a part of this school. >> [clears throat] >> But, in each of my five years here, my position has been uncertain. Every year, teachers have waited to
020see whether their jobs will it still exist, and year after year, I've watched the things that make Masco special be slowly chipped away. What you're considering tonight feels different. It doesn't feel like another difficult year. It feels like a breaking point. And you asked for creative solutions and many were provided, yet the majority of what's being considered still falls on teachers. The proposal in front of you would dismantle core parts of the English and history departments, departments that serve every single student that walk in through these doors from middle school through graduation. And it also removes advisors who mentor students during some of the most important in their lives. These are not just positions on a spreadsheet. They're people who build relationships with students to guide them and help make the school what it is.
021So, tonight I ask you to think carefully about what matters most. Is it cutting dozens of positions at the cost of the school's foundation, or is it preserving the community that makes Masco a place where students can truly thrive? Because at the end of the day, the decision you make is not just about a budget. It is about what kind of school Masco will be for the students who walk through these doors tomorrow. >> [clears throat] >> Hi everyone. My name is Nick Rozzi, uh teacher's union union president. I have uh two comments, but I'd like to make a point of order. And I would appreciate it if it doesn't count against my time, so I think it's important to say this point of order. Um there's been talk around the table recently, and I
022don't think it's everyone, but I think it's important to know, um and also to say out loud what the fundamental role of the school committee is in these budget meetings and these decisions. This public comment is a [clears throat] fundamental foundational piece of the budget to give the public and those affected by the the the budget the opportunity to speak and to question and to have concern over it. There's been discussion recently about coming up with a number for the budget and then abdicating that responsibility to the executive leadership team to do that job. And that is fundamentally against what this process is. To give the public a chance to hear from you and understand what your decisions are, as it is your responsibility. And I I to say out loud as a point of
023order that any change to that would be met fiercely by our membership as we believe it abandons your fundamental purpose here, which is to have public open discussion about what this budget looks like. Thank you. >> [clears throat] >> To my point. Um I'm going to be a bit more curt. I probably already have been a bit more curt than I typically am, but we're at the end, so I have to be. Um I've worked at Masco for 22 years. It's been the pleasure of my life to do so. Masco is a good school. There is a certain point where it will no longer be a good school, and I fear that we are at that point. If I start pulling bricks out of my foundation, eventually my house will collapse. Seven teachers represents a
024foundational shift in this school, and I do not envy your position much like you don't envy mine. I don't want to switch with you, and you probably don't want to switch with me, either. But we are at a foundational point in this school, and I don't know what school looks like next week. >> [clears throat] >> I can promise you if you go through with this, it will not be good. Um I recognize that there is money in the budget, and I'm going to belabor this point, and I apologize, and you and you may not like it, but I'm going to say it. There's money in uh the funds to buy computers. It is probably not advisable to move that from capital into operating, and I'm sure the FinComs would be upset with you for
025doing it. But you could do it if you wanted to. That is a thing you can do. If you want to save teachers' jobs, you can do that. You could also, and I strongly advocate for this, and I appreciate Matthew giving me a chance to speak last week. You did not need to do that, and I appreciate that. But Adrienne's point about going to the towns, I get that the FinCom has done a very good job, probably better than I have, of striking fear into you about what it looks like if you have another override. So let me try to match that. If there is not an override, and we go through with this cut, the worst-case scenario that the FinComs are outlining for the towns is equal in this building. Losing a team in
026the middle school and two teachers in the high school represents a loss of championship winning coaches. It represents the loss of uh title one services. It represents a a tremendous wealth of knowledge lost and people who worked here for decade plus gone. Please reconsider. Pull a lever. Do something to meet us somewhere on this. Seven is too much. I recognize the fact that I will not be able to save everyone and that makes me upset. But please meet us somewhere. Please. And the last note I would make is just for the middle school. Considering losing a principal and losing a team would leave a tremendous vacuum of responsibility in the middle school. And while I do believe that we could survive not having a principal, I would encourage you to consider reinstating uh team leaders
027in the middle school. They are a budgeted position in our contract. It would cost around $35,000. It would be a worthwhile endeavor. We can certainly talk about that more. That is not pressing right this moment, but I just want to say that out loud. Thank you. >> All right. Good evening, school committee. My name is Roseanne and first of all, I want to thank you all for uh considering scenario for budget where to keep Chinese. I'm so thankful that you have taken to heart all our comments through our speeches, through our emails, from our teachers, from our students, and our parents. I truly do appreciate you guys taking out of your time out of your busy schedules to really think about it. So, I really hope you guys vote for that. And for all of
028those who are on the fence about keeping Chinese or not, I just want to emphasize how vital Chinese classes not just as a program, but also to the community. As we mentioned before, we started a petition and so far 706 people I think so far has signed. So, that alone in numbers has shown how much this means to the community, those who take Chinese, and those who don't even take it, but know somebody who does, and knows the great benefits it has. Also, as colleges have been getting harder to get into, it's turning towards higher level of education, world language does does help people get into better colleges, as shown about or as shown by a lot of the seniors third class getting into prestigious schools. And as Miss Adrienne said last meeting, what really
029resonated with me is how Chinese class is like an investment for you all. And I think we can make good on your investment if you keep Chinese, cuz I know my classmates and I, along with Liu Laoshi, will work together to build interest from the elementary schools I personally contacted to one of my teen one of my old teachers from sixth grade, and she's more than excited to possibly working with us and getting her principal to work with us, so we can go to the schools and gain interest in rise uh enrollment numbers. you all for listening to us these last three meetings and this one. So, I hope you make a choice to keep Chinese. Thank you. >> Good evening, Masco School Committee. Um my name's Ella Laos, I live in Middleton, and I'm
030here to make my final stand on the Chinese class. First off, I just want to thank you for hearing our voices and reading our speeches and emails, and um proposing to keep Chinese class. I really appreciate that. So, today I'm urging you to approve this budget in scenario four where the Chinese class is kept. I'm sure you're aware how important this class is all to all of us. Miss Liu has been teaching Chinese for 18 or 19 years and spending so much effort and time building this amazing program that I and many of my classmates enjoy so much. I can't stress enough how much it stands out to me as a class. It's just an amazing program, and we don't take it for granted. Um like my classmate said, we have a petition where there's
031now 706 people who have signed the Chinese. I sent over the full list of people who signed. So many people do want to keep this program and we'll work harder to promote it as soon as we're sure it's kept. We're making plans to extra motion in the elementary schools, get people to join Chinese. So I promise if you keep this class, we won't disappoint you. So please vote to keep Chinese class. >> Hi, I'm Amy Pasley from Middleton. Trevor, I want to publicly thank you for your thoughtful responses to my email and I want to express my gratitude to each of you. I realize you are giving up hours and hours of your lives doing this and the stress, I can't fathom. So I deeply appreciate that commitment. Um I also want to thank you
032for your willingness to listen to the community and reconsider decisions as new information and perspectives have come up. I think that um your willingness to revisit those decisions demonstrates your commitment to thoughtful governance and it's really nice to see that. Um I do want to help a little bit with to just think about eliminating an entire academic program for a savings of under $150,000 has the short-term effect of getting us through this spot, but the long-term consequences are huge. Rebuilding a program like that would take years. You would be hard-pressed to find a teacher that would be able to start that program from the ground up, somebody who's qualified, um effective. We have proven effectiveness in this program. Um [clears throat] so that's one thing. Redesigning a curriculum, getting people on board, that's unlikely. That
033could take That would likely take years. Um and also another level of that um it's not just the kids who are here now, it's the kids who are coming. Those kids in the future that wouldn't have that option, especially in the global um world that we're living in. And I don't think that looking at enrollment numbers, which I know was something that's been tricky because people want to support the most kids possible. I get that. Um those enrollment numbers I don't think we can judge a program based on enrollment numbers where kids are picking a language with no exposure. This is a predominantly white European descended community. People are going to pick what they're most comfortable with. We have to give kids a chance to at least learn about the language and the culture before
034making that choice. Thank you. >> I'm John Meyer again from Boxford. I am on the elementary school committee, but I'm not here in that capacity. I'm here as an individual. I'm here as a parent to speak in opposition to the reduction of the middle school team. We've heard Nico mention it will push class sizes higher than allowed by your guidance. I think families are unfortunately mostly unaware of this plan and once they find out at town meeting over the summer um you will probably hear more. Um I know we hear anecdotes about serving seniors in in a town that voluntarily declined to enact zoning fully knowing it would increase their taxes. The schools are being asked to foot that bill. At the same time the poverty rate of our students is a quarter of the
035state average. Our student teacher ratios are only average. If we further cut we will put ourselves in the bottom half, the unfavorable half of student teacher ratios when we have a quarter of the poverty rate of other districts. I would advocate for passing a budget that you feel gives the quality of education that your res- residents expect, even if that means an override and giving the residents the ability to have a say at town meeting instead of unilaterally making that decision for them. Um and lastly, keep the Chinese program for engineering, uh manufacturing, international business. There's a lot of good reasons to keep it. Thank you. >> Good evening, members of school committee. I want to begin My name is Eileen, the high school Chinese teacher. I want to begin by thanking you for listening
036to the voice of the students and the families who spoke about how much the Chinese program means to them, their learning, their heritage, their future opportunities. I also want to thank you for recog- recognizing the importance and the value this program brings to our students and family and the world language department of the school district as well as the Tri-Town community. I understand and truly appreciate the responsibility you carry in making incredibly difficult decisions during these financial crisis and always with the students' best interest at I'm sorry, always with the best interest of the students in mind. So tonight, once again, I'm standing here with my students, respect- respectfully urging you to cast your vote serve a program that provides important academic, career, and cultural opportunities for our students. So thank you for your time.
037I'm sorry. >> Good evening. I'm Dr. Christian LeBlanc and I teach seventh grade English here at Masconomet. I've been teaching here for 19 years. I do not envy the position the school committee. I recognize the immense responsibility you face. In light of that responsibility, I wanted to come up here and ask that you reconsider the massive cuts to student-facing positions you will discuss and vote on later this evening. I urge you to look at the other options that I know have been shared with you. I urge you to consider the long-term impact your choices will have here tonight. That impact will be felt for years. I doubt any of you expected to be faced with a decision like this. But the decision made tonight will affect the school district long after people in this very
038room may have moved on to different positions. Tonight, you have the power to shape the reputation and the future of this district. All I ask is that you shape it in a positive manner. Thank you. >> All right, I'll I'll share a couple comments from the chair and then we'll move into the budget adoption. Um I'll say my comments. Um Mike, can we go into the budget option, please? Sure. >> [clears throat] >> And I would like to just make a motion that the Masconomet Regional School Committee approves an FY27 total grant fund expenditures budget of $44,951,409. This amount includes general fund operating expenses in the amount of $44,603,358 and general fund capital costs including debt service expense in the amount of 300 $48,050. >> I second. >> Second. >> Discussion? I'll take a roll
039call. Melissa. >> Yes. >> Oh. >> Yes. >> No. >> Andrea. >> No. >> Bill. >> Yes. >> Lisa. >> Yes. >> Me. >> No. >> Barbara. >> Yes. >> Adrian. >> Yes. >> And I am a yes. Um I'll like I'd like to make another motion. The Masconomet Regional School Committee votes to assess the towns of Boxford, Middleton, and Topsfield a combined total of $36,907,691 as the amount necessary to operate and maintain the district inclusive of capital costs, debt service expense for FY27. The district's assistant superintendent has determined the amounts appropriated to each member town and presented them herein on the previous slide titled assessment by town. The district's treasurer shall shall certify and transfer the budget and assessments to each member town within 30 days of School Committee approval. >> Second. >> Roll
040call. >> Lisa. >> Yes. >> Joe. >> Yes. >> Andrea. >> Yes. >> Bill. >> Yes. >> Lisa. >> Yes. >> Maggie. >> Yes. >> Trevor. >> Yes. >> Adrian. >> Yes. >> I'm yes. >> I want to thank all the students who spoke uh over the last few weeks. Um your words meant a lot. I want to thank the community who spoke. I want to thank for I want to I want to thank everybody for all their emails, their inputs. I read every email that was sent to me. I know my colleagues also read their emails. Um we don't take this lightly. Um We know that this has real life implications on both students as well as our valued teachers. Our valued administrators, our valued principals, everybody across the board here is going to
041be impacted. I am sorry that we have to make these decisions. Um The school committee, I appreciate your partnership. Um it's hard making these kinds of decisions. >> [clears throat] >> Uh but making them with 10 other people at the table that I have a lot of respect for, it doesn't bring me comfort, but it brings me confidence that we can navigate any of the challenges ahead of us. So, I thank you. And I want to thank um central office for their their help in the process. >> [clears throat] >> Um principles for their help. All the assistant superintendents, and again, teachers and administrators who have provided inputs in this process. So, uh that will be the end of my public comment tonight. My my uh remarks from the chair. >> [clears throat] >> Uh
042with that, do we have I have to make the motion. >> Yeah, it's your motion. >> I'll make a motion to enter into executive session for the purpose of discussing strategy relative to negotiations with non-union personnel, superintendent-elect Harvey Galante, uh executive session purpose number two, the school committee will not return to open session. >> Second. >> a second? >> Second. >> Nicole Alyssa. >> Yes. >> Joe. >> Yes. >> Chris. >> Yes. >> Jeff. >> Yes. >> Jonathan. >> Yes. >> Lisa. >> Yes. >> Maddie. >> Yes. >> Reverend. >> Yes. >> Adrian. >> Yes. >> Amica. Tuesday hearing on the request. We'll vote on the request. >> Okay. >> Mhm.