001Good evening. The Mthuan School Committee budget workshop session of April 16, 2025 will now come to order. This meeting is being recorded and will be made available for viewing on the Mthuan Public Schools website. Secretary, would you please call the role? Member Daglio here. Member Dunovan here. Member Keegan here. Member Maxwell here. Member Shabilia here. Member Wlette here. Mayor Boragod here. All members are present. We need a motion and a second to accept the amended agenda as presented for tonight. So moved. Motion is from the vice chair. The second is remembered Daglio. Any discussion? There's no discussion. Will vote. All those in favor say I. I. Opposed. The eyes have it and our agenda has been accepted. We'll now rise for the flags. To the flag of the United States of America and to the
002stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. We're going to begin tonight's meeting with uh public participation. Uh we have of course a long list of folks who have signed up. Typically we hold uh members of the public to five minutes for speaking time, but uh given the importance of what we're dealing with tonight, uh I'm going to be uh a bit liberal with that and give folks time to say their piece. Uh so we'll begin with uh folks who are in the audience and then we'll have some uh written uh comments read into the record. Uh we'll begin with John Drew. Good evening, members of the city council, uh, school committee, uh, Mayor Borard, Dr. Kuang. My name is John Drew. I live at six Spring Valley Road. I'm here
003tonight to speak in strong support of the Methan public school staff and in opposition to the proposed budget cuts and reductions in staffing. I moved and bought my home in Methuan in June of 2021. my wife who was six months pregnant at the time with our seven-year-old son or with him too. Uh we came here for a better life. We moved from Salsbury Beach. So we moved here for a bigger yard, quieter neighborhood, and the hopes of a stronger public school system. Our son started at the CGS in the fall of 21. And it was a tough transition. It was a new town, a new school. He had a new little sister and no familiar faces. He struggled with serious behavioral issues and was falling behind academically. But with the staff of the CGS did
004not give up on him or us. We worked as a team. My wife, the principal, the teachers, the school counselors, we all collaborated to support him. By the end of the year, we barely made it through it. But we did together. We formulated a plan to help to help my son moving forward. Based on those conversations, and they were tough conversations, my son transferred to the choices program at the Timn for the next two school years. There we received daily personalized updates, not just canned emails, but real thoughtful reflections on his progress, his challenges, and his successes. We learned coping mechanisms for his outbursts, strategies for studying, and how to build relationships. The growth he experienced was nothing short of incredible. And as a parent, it really filled my heart to see his growth. I'm
005thankful to the staff for all of their hard work. Thankfully, my son was able to progress from the choices program. And this year, he returned to the CGS to the fifth grade. At a recent parent teacher conference, we mentioned the behavioral challenges he had three years ago. The teachers were stunned. They couldn't believe the kind, polite, thoughtful young man was the same student. He has friends. He loves school most days. He's 11. Um, but most importantly, he's thriving. That transformation was made possible by the educators and staff of the MDUN public schools. I know my son's story is not unique and there are many children in this city who struggle every day. And the people in our schools are the ones that will help them find their way. That's why these proposed cuts are so
006upsetting. I understand the budgets are difficult and I'm not asking the school committee or the city council or the mayor to blindly approve anything. What I'm asking you as a parent, a taxpayer, a homeowner, and a voter to get creative, do the hard work, and find a way to protect the services and the staff that support our kids. The fourth grade teacher on the layoff list might be the person who inspires a child to love science and stay engaged. The PE teacher facing the unemployment line might be the one who coaches a child towards confidence and success. The bilingual parent liaison might be the bridge that helps a new family feel welcome in a community. and that choices teacher. They might be the one who help a scared, struggling child feel seen, understood, and supported
007just like they did for my son. I was always taught that elections have consequences, and I know that this budget season will have consequences. And I urge you to fund our schools properly, invest in our kids, and please do the right thing for the future of Mthun. Thank you. [Applause] Next we have Melissa Menend, excuse me, Melissa Melendez. Good evening board members. The third person on the list is my daughter, so I'll be reading a statement for her as well. Um, tonight I speak not only as a former MPS parent, but also as a fellow public school administrator who has witnessed firsthand the transformative power of the arts in schools. The fine arts are not extras. They are essentials. Time and time again, we see students who may struggle in traditional classrooms come alive in
008art, music, dance, and drama. The arts ignite engagement, boost confidence, and give students the reason to show up every day, especially those who may feel unseen in other spaces. My daughter came alive on stage, radiating confidence and passion. Her growth as a performer has blossomed through her involvment in theater and stage door 22, which have played a powerful role in shaping her voice and presence. This transformation was made possible by the dedication of the high school staff, teachers, and administrators, especially former principal Mr. Barton, Miss Dumont, Miss V, and the incredible, loving, and supportive Miss Walsh. My daughter, excuse me. My daughter is who she is today in large part because of these amazing individuals who helped shaped her journey at MHS. Oh, I'm sorry. The arts don't live in isolation. They enhance learning across
009content areas like geometry and visual arts, literacy through theater and poetry, physics and music. Our children are making interdisip interdisciplinary connections that deepen their understanding and prepare them for a world that values creativity and innovation. But perhaps most importantly, arts classrooms are often where the strongest relationships are built. Your arts educators know their students deeply. They create safe spaces where students can express themselves, process emotions, and find belonging. and they did and they maintain relationships with students long after graduation. When we talk about equity, mental health, and engagement, cutting the arts works against those very goals. These programs are lifelines for so many of our students. And once they're gone, the ripple effects are deep and lasting. Let's be clear, budget decisions are values decisions. Let's show our students that we value their full humanity,
010heart, mind, and spirit by protecting the fine arts programs that help them thrive. Thank [Applause] you. I'm going to now read a statement for my daughter. Dear school committee, my name is Kalissa Alba. I am a graduate of the Mthuan High School class of 2024 and currently involved as a freshman at Emerson College made possible, I will add, by Mthuan High. I am a product of the arts programs of Methuan public schools. In middle school, I was an active member of the tennis choir and drama club. In high school, I was president of Stage Door 22, performed with women's choir, and had a photography independent study with Miss V. My senior year that helped me build my portfolio that granted my ad my admittance my admission to Emerson College. Without these arts programs, I would
011not be the person I am today. The reason we are here today is because of the proposed FY2026 budget that will effectively cut the director of fine arts and theater teacher positions and cut all school day theater. theater pro programming for high school students. This will be detrimental to Methuan High School's mission, which he quoted, providing a safe and secure learning environment that allows our students to explore a range of interests through a variety of programs and array of facilities. By removing the director of fine arts position, you are leaving the fine arts programs both in and out of school hours, vulnerable and without direct administrative support. Every other department for the district has a director, so how could you equitably determine which one to dismiss? Furthermore, theater is integral to student culture at Mthuan
012High. Stage door 22 sees upward of 80 students involved every year. The students who don't have access to our afterchool club due to commitments to sports teams, afterchool jobs, or lack of transportation will suffer the most from not having access to creative exploration by this budgeting decision. Cutting the theater program from school day programming is fully cutting off a potential curriculum that quote inspires curiosity and creativity unquote. These words are direct from your mission statement. Please reconsider your budget proposal to preserve the integrity of our arts programs and students. You cannot create an exclus an inclusive inspiring and involving learning environment by not valuing all ed educational endeavors. Thank you for your time. [Applause] Next we'll hear from Hayden Coffee. Oh, hello everyone. I am Hayden Elizabeth Coffee from 8th grade from the Marsh Grammar
013School. Today I want to talk to you about something that is very important within our school and our community. The upcoming school budget cuts in Mthu in Massachusetts. I understand that some people care deeply for our budget and for and are completely outraged by these acts. I'm not outraged, I'm furious. For these numbers aren't just numbers on a page. They represent real lives, real changes that will affect our community. Let's face it, budget costs are serious and they will hurt our schools. I mean, everyone goes to school to learn, make friends, join clubs, join sports, and strive to receive the best education we can get. Sorry, but with these budget cuts coming about the city, those comforting experience are in grave danger. It's hard to think that we could face a situation in which our
014classroom numbers will be greater than our resources. I am ashamed. Let's imagine your child goes to school next year and you see that their favorite music or art program just poofed out of existence. Think about sorry think about the after school programs that our students love. The ones where our students aren't required to master their true selves. Inch and learn and equip new skills and make new friends. You're seriously telling me that this could happen to us. This is unfair. Mthun students work every single day and we deserve to have the chance to explore interest and posit. I am ashamed. Also consider our texts. Also consider our teachers. The people who deserve and sorry the people who deserve to be paid way more than they get. The people who dedicate their very lives into educating
015us and making sure we succeed. Some, if not most, teachers will lose their jobs because of these acts. Nothing angers me more than the fact I might lose the people I look up to most. We need them and it feels downright wrong to think that they could be let go because of budget cuts beyond our control. We are ashamed. And what about our daily resources? Will those be taken away, too? Well, I now have to share textbooks or laptops between my comrades. Most schools can barely get inked in their printers. The community is ashamed. In conclusion, the budget cuts aren't just numbers. They represent the future that we all care about. They threaten our education, our students, our teachers, and our opportunities to strive. I urge all of you to feel the embarrassment and shame
016I feel. To channel the anger I feel. To channel our combined anger into action. Together, we must show we care about our schools, our youth, and our future as Mthuan citizens. Thank you for your time. [Applause] Next we have Allison Sullivan. Members of the school committee, my name is Allison Sullivan. I'm the Junctions teacher for grades K to 8 at the CGS. In case you're unaware, Junctions is a medically fragile program in our district, serving our students with the most medical intensive needs within our district. I'm speaking here tonight to express my deep concern and strong opposition to the recent decision to potentially eliminate the position of the LPN for the Junctions program at CGS. This decision, if carried forward, will not only dismantle a vital support system for our students, but also jeopardize the
017safety, health, and effectiveness of the entire program as a whole. The presence of a dedicated nurse is not a luxury. It's an essential component of ensuring students safety, health, and access to equitable education. Removing this rule sends a terrible message about pri message uh about our priorities as a district and raises serious questions about how students need needs will be met moving forward. The impact of this decision will be detrimental in many ways. The program nurse plays a critical role in managing complex medical needs. Many students in the program rely on our LPN for daily care, medication administration, emergency interventions that can be del that can't be delegated to unlicensed staff. Currently, the program nurse runs five G ttube feeds. Three of those G tube feeds are done manually and have time constraints as well
018as our time consuming. Things such as vomiting, suctioning, O2 readings, temperature checks, and seizures just to name a few of the additional needs. Without our LPN in our program, these needs may go unmet or unattended to in a timely manner manner, putting our most vulnerable students at risk. Providing essential support for students with IEPs for students whose individualized plans include health related services, removing the nurse may constitute a failure to uphold legally mandated accommodations. Supporting staff and families. Our program nurse serves as a vital liaison between our school staff, our administration, our families and medical professionals, ensuring accurate communication and coordinated care between all parties. Eliminating this position will leave our program unsupported, left with increased liability risks and most certainly most importantly compromise the care and the dignity of the students who already face
019complex and unique challenges. I urge you to reconsider this decision and to prioritize funding that reflects our shared responsibilities to all students, especially those who depend on essential services like nursing to access their education and education safely and fully. Cuts like this do not reflect a lack of need. They reflect a lack of investment. If we truly value equity, inclusion, and student well-being, we must fund our schools accordingly. I strongly to urge I strongly urge the committee to take immediate action to preserve the LPN position in the Junctions program. Eliminating this critical role undermines the district's obligation to provide safe, equity, equitable, and supportive education environments within our district. Budget decisions must reflect the fundamental needs of our students. And this position is not optional. It is essential. Thank you. State Representative Hamilton. Good evening,
020mayor, school committee members, superintendent. Come on, guys. Smile. We're going to get this done. Um, my name is Ryan Hamilton. I'm one of the state representatives here in Methuan as well as a proud Methan public school alum graduating from the Marsh as well as Methuan High School. And I come um with kind of a mixed bag here tonight. Um I definitely have some good news on some funding fronts with I'm going to share. um our house budget got released today, but I also I do have to correct um a little something first because it's kind of been spread um by you know members of the committee a couple and as well as you know in the community and that is um that all of our issues surrounding school funding are at the fault of the
021state and although I am on I think every single piece of legislation trying to fix and tinker with the chapter 70 funding formula because frankly it needs to be fixed. I mean nobody at the time I wasn't even a state rep at the time but no one at the time expected this inflation and other things beyond our control that happened because we had a worldwide pandemic. Um but that being said since FY22 the state has contributed on average about $4.83 83 million to the city of Methuan increase in chapter 70. And in that same amount of time, um the city of Methuan has only chipped in around $217,000. Um and and and and frankly, you know, I I want to say for one, u mayor, this is obviously not your fault because this is your
022first budget. So, I just want to get that out there that this has nothing to do um with the current administration. This is frankly due to administrations that have come and gone over the years in Methuan. And um that's a decision we all made. That's a decision some of us all voted for and supporting these people. But I did just want to correct that record because frankly um instead I think of all of us, you know, trying to assess blame, I I really believe that all of us need to get together and that includes me too. I'm I'm in this with you. I'm not trying to say I'm not. Um and find a solution and and work together to make sure that um we fully fund our public schools here in Methuan because I be
023the first one to say it that I would not be in the position I am if not for some of the teachers that I had while I was at Mthuan public schools. So for that, I just wanted to come up and say, "Guys, I'm here for you. I want to be a resource for you. I want to work with you um to get this done." And um with that being said, the good news now I'll end on a happy note. Um, so to close out the FY25 books, which we will be doing, um, the state last week, or I shouldn't say the state, the House of Representatives last week just took up a supplemental budget that, um, I was able to secure, uh, $100,000 in for our special ed um, line item here in Methuan,
024as well as there was $190 million appropriated um, to get the FY25 circuit breaker percentage up to 100%. So, those numbers have not yet been released due to the Senate having to take it up as well as the governor signing the bill. So, that will be coming in the next several weeks, but that should supply um us with some funds from the circuit breaker perspective as well as special ed that we need to use for FY25. And then on the FY26 perspective, um us in the House, we will be taking up our budget procedures next week. Um but our budget came out today and as part of that budget we have a couple things. So, the state is going to be picking up the bill to ensure that we continue with universal school meals here
025in the Commonwealth. Um, which was cut um the federal funding was cut by this current um administration as well as um we have taken in the governor's budget that came out in January um she um appropriated $70 in per pupil minimum spending uh per student. So the House of Representatives has has increased that to $150. Last year it ended at about $104. So again, are these the millions we're looking for? Unfortunately, the answer is no. But I've the way I look at it is every dollar counts and we still have our budget to do and then the Senate still has their budget to do. So we're going to keep on fighting. Um and then lastly, another thing that we will continue to do, um just like we just did with FY25, um the plan right
026now, barring a total collapse of federal funding to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, um is to make sure that the circuit breaker will once again be funded at a 100% in FY26. So, um I'm hoping these make some serious differences. Um, amendments have not come out for the House budget. They will come out, I want to say, Monday. Um, and I will be on every single amendment that provides more funding for our gateway cities, of which Methuan is one of them, as well as Methan Public Schools. Um, and I know that myself and the legislative delegation will be down there fighting for every single dollar we can get to bring back here. Um and in my conversations with um the chair of ways and means um he has told us that come the end of the
027um student opportunity act which will be fully funded in FY27 will be the year it is finally fully funded. um the House um will be taking a much more refined look at going in there and and fixing some of the issues that have arisen at no fault of frankly anyone. So, um that is the news I wanted to deliver. Um I believe all of you have my phone number. So, feel free to take me up on that offer. I'm happy to work with whomever. I'm happy to help in whatever way I can information. Um and good luck to all of you. who I know it will be a very um difficult budget season, but um we're all here to get this done. So, thank you guys. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] fun [Music] ours. Next, we'll hear
028from Elisha Baker. Alicia, excuse me. Good evening. My name is Alicia Baker. I currently have four children in the Mthuan schools. I have two that have already graduated from Mthuan High School. Um I also have been active on the Timin PTO. So I have firsthand seen the amazing staff that we have in our schools. Um I'm here tonight to talk about the fine arts program. I have worked with Mr. Abrazi and helping him with some things and just there's some really incredible teachers. My daughter has been in band for two years now and came home last Thursday devastated. She said, "Mom, I was told that there may not be band next year." And she said, "I don't know what I'll do. I'm just going to cry and my friends are just going to cry." This
029has been an amazing opportunity for her. It has helped her socially. It has helped her have more confidence. It has helped her with self-discipline. I don't even have to ask her this year to practice her trombone. She just does it. It has been amazing. Our fine arts program is a really bright light in Mthuan schools and needs to be preserved. My oldest daughter is currently in college studying interior architecture and design. And I spoke to her the other night and she said, "Mom, share my story. I would not have found this path if it weren't for the arts program at Methuan High School." She took several art um courses there including AP studio art. She also was in high school. She graduated in 2023 and was in high school after the during and after the
030COVID pandemic. And she said, quote, "Keeping the arts program kept her sane and got her through high school after the upheaval from the COVID pandemic. She like myself believes that to cut this program would be a major disservice to the students and the entire district. There are many studies who that have shown the benefits to having an arts program not only to the student, not only to the school but also to the community, to the city. For students, it shows improved academic performance, better school attendance, positive social and emotional development, improved behavioral and attitude issues, improved self-efficacy, students being able to see themselves that they can overcome challenges in life, and it helps with those stresses and frustrations. This is just one study done by the Murray State University and only some of the benefits
031of these programs. Also well documented is school performance and programs on the how they affect the entire community. A school without the arts is less attractive to potential buyers and leads to less robust local economy, less community engagement, and less connection between schools and their community. I understand that budget cuts are necessary. I understand that that there are things happening that are beyond any of our control that are coming down from other places. But to eliminate this program is shortsighted and unwise. Budget cuts should be made carefully and precisely fully on fully understanding the consequences of those cuts. My request tonight is that you request more money from city council. Don't let them dictate. Ask for more. Look to the full budget. Other programs that might be able to be scaled back a bit. My
032son does track and in talking to my husband, we would be more than happy to spend a little bit of money, more money to help with busing or jerseys or whatever. There are other ways to do this rather than cutting important key staff and programs from the schools. This cutting this program is not equitable. Cutting an entire director position is not equitable. Cutting staff that is vital to the most to the programs that service our most vulnerable students is not equitable. Please do better. Ask city council to do better. Thank you. Sarah Govin Ready? Stand up straight. Hi everyone. My name is Sarah Govin. I'm a resident here in Methuan. I'm a school counselor at the Marsh. Most importantly, I'm a parent of three children in the Mthuan school system. I have two kids at
033the Marsh and I have one at the Little Rangers program at Mthuan High. Today, I'm here speaking to you as a parent on behalf of these three kids. Last week, I learned about the proposed elimination of several key teaching positions at the Marsh. The biggest concern I have is the elimination of the reading specialist. I'm curious to know what happens to targeted reading intervention if the reading specialist is eliminated. Our reading specialist is the only tier 2 targeted intervention available at the Marsh for literacy. I would like to know the detailed plan of addressing the literacy gap for our students with significant risk factors and the details of what I'm sure was an evidence-based decision to eliminate this position. Will the onus be on the classroom teacher to absorb these students into additional small groupoup
034instruction? And if so, what can we expect the other majority of the class to be doing during this time? According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, we can understand that almost 20% of the school age population is neurode divergent. So we can safely assume. So can we safely assume that it is feasible for one teacher to be doing small groupoup targeted instruction along with the progress monitoring while she also supports each student's accommodations maybe under a 504 plan or an IEP while also making sure she's implementing appropriate universal design techniques to support the whole classroom. And I suppose now is also a good time to mention that the proposed cuts also include up to a 20% reduction in teachers at certain grade levels. So now in terms of literacy instruction, not only are we expecting
035one teacher to do all to do all of these interventions simultaneously, we are also likely increasing the class sizes by 20%. If this budget plays out, we can imagine that we will have eliminated the minimal tiered intervention and that we we will have increased the class sizes. So then we can expect an increase in students that struggle, which I'm sure you can imagine leads to an increase in special education referrals because students won't be able to make effective progress. Do we even have the resources to evaluate these students? Maybe it's the parents that need to step up and fill in the gap left by eliminating these positions. Except reading now is taught in a way that utilizes the newest information on brain development and scaffolding of instruction to get students on target. And I don't
036know about you, but I cannot differentiate between a diagraph and a glued sound. And I certainly cannot annotate words the way that my first grader can. I'm definitely not qualified to teach my own child how to read. I think it's important that we keep in mind that the most recent report available, Desi states that Mthuan's making moderate progress towards the appropriate targets. Is moderate what we're striving for? Is moderate the goal? With current staffing levels, we're moderate. What happens with the elimination of these positions? Thanks, [Applause] Nicole Pereira. Hi everyone. My name is Nicole Pereira. I have three boys that are currently attending the Marsh Grammar School. I'm writing to express my deep disappointment regarding the state of the school budget. Our children, families, and staff are vital members of our community. It is time
037to end the cycle of doing more with less. We should not have to choose between laying off teachers, increasing class sizes, and eliminating reading support. A grave concern when many students are struggling to read at their grade level. These choices are unfair but unavoidable under the current budget constraints. I strongly urge you to reconsider the proposed budget. This budget issue may seem like simple math, but we must remember that it directly impacts our children's education. All students deserve a well-rounded educational experience that supports their growth. At what point is enough enough? We need to look at our funding and realize that what the schools are asking for is not just a wish. It is what they need. We need to truly support the future of our schools. I want to specifically talk about the wellness
038position that is also being proposed to be eliminated. This is where our K through4 students are learning to be good little human beings. they are learning their social emotional curriculum. Does this just fall on the teachers who are also needing to educate our students on all of the other things that on top of all of the other things that they're needing to instruct them on, we are also putting that on the teachers. It has to go to someone. A culture audit aims to assess the current environment and practices within our schools, identifying strengths and weaknesses. However, the real impact comes from using that information to implement meaningful changes. If we aren't willing to make changes to prioritize our schools and meet their needs, the audit just becomes an academic exercise rather than an genuine effort
039to improve. We need to show our commitment to education by translating the audits findings into actionable steps. This means we invest in the resources to maintain our schools, support our teachers, and ensure that every student has access to the opportunities they deserve. Without a willingness to adapt and make those necessary changes, we risk perpetuating a cycle of issues that ultimately harm our students in their educational experience. Lastly, parents, even when you feel like your voice it doesn't matter, you feel like nobody's listening, what's the point? That is when you need to speak up. This is when your voice needs to be the loudest and what is happening in our schools is just not right. Good schools are fundamental to any thriving community. While I understand that financial decisions are complex and challenging, the children and
040our dedicated staff always suffer the most when expected to do more with less. Thank you. [Applause] Ben Thompson. Good evening, Mayor Mayor Borard, MFUN school committee of residents MFUN. I first want to congratulating and thanking you for all your hard work in helping us get a fair contract for all teachers and per assistance. This will not only help improve us, help us attain and attract educators, but it also creates life-changing salary increases of program assistance. However, I am very concerned about the proposed budget cuts for this upcoming school year that would result in the loss of 48 positions across the district that would affect the areas including nursing, general education teachers, special education teachers, wellness teachers at all the grammar schools, and our school would teach gym teacher at all the grammar schools. the fine
041arts director and the theater program at the high school. These in the marsh alone, we are slated to lose a kindergarten teacher, a first grade teacher, a third grade teacher, a fourth grade teacher, and two eighth grade teachers. If these results, if these cuts were to come into effect, they would result in larger class sizes and students not receiving the attention they need attention to need. As a program assistant at the marsh working with autistic middle schoolers, I see the hard as one of my jobs is to go into specials and help support students and see the hard work that every day these specialist leaders put into effect and as the marsh we were at risk of losing our upper school PE teacher Brian Zatella who has known the district for over 10 years and
042is a dedicated member of the Marsh team. On many days the gym classes have upwards of over 50 students. Having one only one gym teacher is not only makes it that gym teacher's job harder but makes the environment less safe for the students as they are not going to get the attention attention and care they need because it's hard for one teacher to look at 50 kids and not manage all the equipment at the same time. In addition, because the only remaining gym teacher is a woman, there'd be nobody that be able to manage and monitor the boys locker room, which is another safety concern. On a related note that with the loss the potential risk of losing their wellness program we students in younger grades will no longer get the nut education and nutrition,
043physical exercise, social emotional learning and make good decision-m that is critical to to foster at a young age. Another area I'm very concerned about is the potential loss of our dedicated fine arts director Cheryl Mancini who has been the district for over 20 years and has served in that role for eight years. Her role includes managing the funding the budget for on the entire finance department across all the grammar schools all and the high school. This and in addition to hiring in addition to hiring and training all the staff for art including for art and music and the theater programs. She also has created more opportunities for students such as field trips uh to Disney even when it's last minute. and she's added she's she's fostered and further developed the band jamboree and she's added
044a chorus jamboree to create more opportunities for students to perform because of her hard work my students a lot are able to go in and join band and chorus become part of a team part of the community and learn and grow alongside their peers and one of the favorite things to do is to go and watch those watch those attend those concerts and see the hard work they put in pay off every semester a few years ago I had a student who happened to had his calling books featured in the art show at the Neans Library. Um, which was really which a lot of people enjoyed seeing and I and that's a great opportunity for students to have their work displayed and see their hard work paid off and without her advocacy and her araging
045that that that program is also a risk of going of being not being an opportunity. In addition, The Marsh has a very active and thriving drama club, and I also enjoy attending those performances, and it makes me saddened to think that students may not have those same opportunities when they move on to the high school if the theater program would end up being eliminated. Since joining the district, I have attended many school committee meetings where improving our district literacy rate was a huge topic. We have and we the data has shown that we've made significant progress in working towards that towards that goal. This is large in large part due to the hard work of our literacy instructors. Unfortunately, the mar we with the current budget proposal, we could lose the literacy instructor our literacy
046instructors at the marsh and the CGS. This would would rever create a reversal of the progress of we worked so hard to gain and have a devastating impact on our students. In addition, when the FY26 budget was proposed on March 24th, we we know that our population of students who are English language learners and who have received special education services is going to continue to increase. Therefore, it is very concerning and detrimental that there this current budget proposal includes reductions in staffing in those areas. This would result not only result in draining teachers having higher case loads, this will also make it make it harder for those students to get that individualized care and attention that they need as part of the special education and English language learner process which is key parts of her
047development and success in society. In conclusion, I am asking the mayor Borard within the school committee and city council to work together to ensure that this that our public schools get the funding they need to keep them fully staffed. Thank you. Have a great evening. I want to apologize if I mispronounce any names on the list tonight. Next is uh Paul De Bruer. I'm Paul Dabrier. I grew up in Methuan. I proudly live in Methuan. And I've been teaching band and music at the Marsh Grammar School for seven years. I'm grateful for this opportunity to address the proposal to eliminate the supervisor of fine arts position. For decades, the supervisor of fine arts has overseen the district-wide art, music, band, chorus, and theater programs. This position manages budgets for art supplies, musical instruments, instructional materials,
048and transportation to rehearsals and performances. The supervisor also collaborates with local donors to secure additional funding and grow community involvement. Many beloved Methuan events such as the district art show, Methuan art month display, Methuan band and chorus jamberees, treelighting ceremony, marching band competitions, football games, parades, and field trips to perform at Disney World are made possible through this administrative effort and vision. Just this year, the supervisor of fine arts began a partnership with the Methuan village, bringing students and teachers to share music and art with senior residents. The fine arts department currently includes 31 teachers across all five Methun public schools in all grades K through 12. Each of these educators was interviewed and selected by the supervisor of fine arts who continues to evaluate and support their professional development as individuals and coordination as
049a team. Perhaps the most important contribution of the supervisor of fine arts has been to ensure the quality of arts education in Mthuan. Under the supervisor's expert leadership, Methuan public school teachers guide students social development through collaborative learning and performance. By engaging in visual, musical, and narrative arts, students develop the emotional sensitivity, confidence of expression, and cultural understanding to respond to and shape the world around them. These programs teach students to connect with others, think critically, and prepare for success in every field, not just in the arts. Let me be clear, eliminating this position would permanently compromise the quality and continuity of Mthuan's arts education. The cost savings would be minimal and the damage to students education experience would be immeasurable. I urge the school committee to recognize the unique and profound value that this
050position provides to the community and thousands of students lives. If it takes a village to raise a child, surely Mthuan can invest in our children's future for the cost of a single salary. Thank you. [Applause] Tracy Swinarski. Good evening, school committee. Dr. Kuang, Mayor Boragard. I stand here before you tonight to express my thoughts and concerns with the proposed budget cuts. I am a proud product of the Mthuan public schools and staff member for 28 years. I've held a number of positions during my tenure here in Methuan. I currently teach at the Donald P. Timingly Tim formerly known as the Mthuan East Middle School from which I graduated in 1986. Yes, I'm old. Um, we are all aware the budget as proposed is abysmal. We can point fingers back and forth to the lack of
051funding and the dissolving ESSER funds. However, this is a far bigger problem. Through no fault of any of you members that are sitting here today, Mthuan has notoriously underfunded our school system. These are not positions. These are people. People that I respect and value. More importantly, people that our students respect and value. People with names. Kayla, Stephanie, Christine, Kathleen to name a few from my building alone. One is a crisis interventionist with 20 years of social work experience that responds to any and all students crisises in the building. Another is a choices program liaison case manager the gentleman had spoken about earlier this evening and the impact it had on his son's life. people whose impact is far beyond their teaching responsibilities. Additionally, we have a person in my building, a 10-year veteran, a coach
052of the year who won the MVC two years in a row. How do you measure that impact? I'll answer. You cannot. STEM, excuse me, students need an education that is rich in the arts. For some students, art, PE, STEM or technology, music and wellness and health are a respit and a long academic day and an opportunity for them to feel successful in another area. Cutting the support of guidance and potentially some BB BCBAS is another area of grave concern. We simply will not be able to sustain the programs that are mandated by state potentially causing outplacements that could cost the district far more in non-compliance and potential litigation. We are not overspending when 42% of our budget is the special education portion. This is not negotiable. It's time for the city council and the city
053side to shoulder some of these shared expenses. Thank [Applause] you. Melissa Kubasa Good evening everyone. My name is Melissa Kilbasa and I am honored to serve as the reading specialist at the Marsh Grammar School where I have had the pleasure of teaching for the past four years. Before this role, I spent two decades as a classroom teacher in another district. When it was time for a change, I made the heart-wrenching decision to leave the only district I had ever known in order to embrace the opportunity to work as a reading specialist here in Methuan. Although it was one of the toughest choices I've ever faced, it has undeniably been the right one for me. This transition has re rekindled my passion for teaching and I feel like I am making a meaningful difference every day.
054I truly love my my current position, but recently it was announced that this one and only reading specialist position at the Marsh Grammar School is on the list to be cut next year. I wanted to speak to you tonight to highlight what this position provides for our children. It offers a fourth grade student who came to us last year without knowing all of her letter sounds the instruction she needs to now confidently tackle fourth grade reading material after just a year and a half of focused teaching. It supports my third grade English language learner who requires intensive and explicit instruction in phmic awareness and phonics to begin unlocking the beauty of reading in his new language. It helps my second grade student who joined us late in the year with little knowledge of phonics and
055no strategies for decoding words. She has gained so much confidence and made commendable strides in her reading journey and I am honored to support her in this process. Reading intervention provides my first grade students who missed my first grade student who missed the kindergarten experience with intensive instruction in letter sounds and the fundamentals of decoding words. I am grateful to offer this personalized instruction, meeting him right where he is, something his classroom teacher simply cannot do given the range of needs and abilities in her own classroom. It allows my selectively mute kindergarten student to thrive in the warmth of my small group environment where she feels safe and comfortable to actually participate in the lessons which is essential in learning how to read. It benefits two of my kindergarten students who both struggle with focus
056during the whole class lessons. The small group environment limits distractions for them so they can more easily attend to lessons. They are both making remarkable progress in their reading after only a couple of short months with me. Finally, let's not forget about a former student who is now in upper school. She stops me in the hallway to share how well she is doing and to thank me for teaching her how to read. Reading intervention provided her with the opportunity to become a literate and successful student. This reading specialist position is about these children and many others with their own unique stories who would have fallen through the cracks without access to tier 2 instruction. This position allows me to provide targeted small groupoup phonics instruction for almost 50 students at any given time who are
057not making progress in their classroom. Throughout the year, as students become successful, they are rotated out of my group and the spots are filled with other students in need. By keeping track of student progress or lack thereof, we gain a better understanding of which students may have a learning disability and should be referred for academic testing as opposed to those who just need a little extra support. The position almost pays for itself by eliminating unnecessary referrals that will inevitably pour out of the general education classrooms for students who are not learning disabled but who simply need additional instruction. And I feel like it is important to note that no one is immune to having reading difficulties. If your child happened to be struggling with learning to read, I imagine you would want the supports that
058this position provides to be available. Without providing reading intervention, what will happen to these students? Where will they receive the targeted instruction that goes beyond what is provided in the classroom? I understand that there are many difficult decisions to be made regarding the upcoming school budget. However, our students literacy is not something we can afford to cut. Thank you for your time. Kate Capadagi. Thank you. Good evening, school committee members. My name is Kate Capedagley and I have been honored to teach here in Mthuan for 15 years. I'm also a resident, a voter, and a mother of two MPS students. I was in front of you in January as a very angry resident and mother, upset with the neglectful actions of our city leaders for not prioritizing our children and their education, allowing for them
059to be educated in a mice and moldinfested buildings. I am truly grateful for the serious concern proactive measures that were t that were taken to remedy these issues. I am even more thrilled and thankful to hear the mayor's pledge to continue to invest in the muchneeded upkeep of our school buildings. However, these problems were voiced for many years. It took Methuan being front page news for something to finally be done about it. So, what what is it now that our community needs to do for the city to truly make education a priority? Again, here we are during budget season and it's back to business as usual. School budgets are recklessly slashed, unsupported by our city council with negligent disregard. The education department is left to deal with the fallout and repercussions while given a box
060of band-aids and pink slips. Again, we have been misled by the people who stood in our homes asking for our vote as they pledged to make our children, your children, and my children a priority in this city. How many meetings have we listened to to hearing the echoes of support from our city leaders and Mthun's education mayor only to realize that once again it was all smoke and mirrors. As a teacher, proposed budget cuts and layoffs are unfathomably detrimental to the progress we have made as a school district. We have made such great strides in the past few years and I have seen the positive effects that it has that it has had on my students. MPS has put mental health and seal in the forefront to help our children who have seen much more
061and carry more weight in their emotional backpacks than any of us ever did as kids. We finally have behavioral and literacy supports that we so desperately need. We and we have been able to hire amazingly talented and certified teachers to fill our vacancies. Teachers that I trust with my children. teachers who are responsible for the for the positive growth and development of our students and our school district. Teachers whom we fought so hard in our contract to retain only to let them go a month later. I am proud and humbled by the excellence of my team whose jobs and livelihoods are unjustly on the line. Sadly, in the teaching world, Mthun is notoriously known for its underfunding and layoffs. so widely known that it has been brought up by interviewees hesitant to take our offer
062knowing it would be a potential risk. How sad, embarrassed, and ashamed we should feel knowing that they were right. As stated in the 2025 to 2027 MPS strategy for improvement, Mthuan public school students will achieve academic, social, emotional, and civic success. They will attain technological, cultural, and social knowledge to allow them to succeed in college and careers. Students will inspire the community through citizenship, leadership, and their commitment to lifelong learning. How is this goal going to be accomplished without funding its needs? How will my children meet these goals and succeed in the way that I, as their mother, dream for them? How are we going to hold our city accountable for the goals they have expected and approved? I encourage all of you to continue to stand up for what you were elected to do.
063Remember the pillars of what MPS stands for, integrity, honesty, and respect. It is time for us to come together stronger than ever. And I encourage residents, teachers, school officials, school committee, and parents to tell our city council that we have had enough. Enough of the misleading statements and broken campaign promises. Enough of using our children, your children, my children as pawns in the classic methooan game of chess. I have had enough. As residents and voters, we are owed answers as to why our city officials are taking a victory lap, proudly boasting an abundant stabilization fund and unprecedented free cash fund while once again neglecting to fulfill their legal and moral obligations to our children. I am extremely concerned for my boys and their future for staying in this district. However, I'm cautiously optimistic and keep
064hoping that things will continue to improve. We finally have a school committee that sees our students and hears our concerns as teachers and as parents. For the first time in the 15 years that I have worked here, we have a mayor who I have been told is also willing to listen and work together. We need to keep this collaboration, mutual respect, and understanding going forward. We need to stand together and remind our city council who their constituents are and remind them of what integrity, honesty, and respect truly means to this community. Thank you. [Applause] Caroblat. and Sue and I and I don't know how to follow that up because Kate I have had the I've been so lucky to work with Kate in our ASD programs that have been willing to take on some the
065most challenging classrooms in the district and make sure that our kids get what they deserve. and is heartfelt that I can say over the last two years of trying to get a contract and working collaboratively with the school committee and with all of our community here that we know we can make change happen. We know we can make positive change happen and we need to stop the cycle. It is not okay for this continuous cycle to happen. I've been laid off in my tenure here and I know what it feels like and it's not okay. We need to do our jobs and we have we're in charge of children. Taking away level two tiered support is not okay. Other districts take one to two kids for reading specialists. Our reading specialists are taking 10. How
066are we going to make effort now that those 10 kids every hour 45 minutes six to 10 kids and 10 more and 10 more and 10 more. Those kids that are in need are not going to get what they need. They're not going to be able to read. they're not going to be feeling successful. The emotion and these high school kids that are here now saw the positive results that we did with our contract and they're standing up for what they believe in and it is truly amazing. We have amazing students in our community and they deserve the funding. They deserve the electives for these guys to go to college. They want those electives on there so they are marketable to colleges. it is hard to get into college and we're going to take away
067what they deserve to get for a better education and that's not okay. We as a community there is money to be had. We have done our research and we're going to go to city council. We are looking to you to help us help our kids. Our kids cannot be doing this cycle. I went from five kids when I first started as a co-taught kindergarten class. a model program. I commute 45 minutes because I knew this program was what it was. It's not anymore. It's not because now I have 20 kids on my case load. 20. And I am not one great bill. I am nine. We are not servicing our kids based on need anymore. It is service because people aren't funding our schools. And when smoke and mirrors 2% over net school spending, that's
068not okay. That's insulting because we are the ones that are cracked and fractured over the years. It's not about pennywise and pound foolish right now because our kids are going to suffer even more. We need to send the message very clear to city hall that if other departments aren't getting cut and other departments haven't done what we've done, school is not a punching ground. It is not okay when there is more staff in city hall than there is in the schools to fix computers, secretaries, DP, everybody else is getting funded, but not us. Just because we are a large number, but look at everybody. We have people down the halls on both ends. We have found out that collaboration works and we're willing to work with you, but we're going to continue to fight because
069this is going to stop. We deserve funding. None of these cuts are okay. They are detrimental to every single student in our building and it's a story that needs to be rewritten. It needs a happy ending. So, please fund our schools. [Applause] Cassandra Pratt. [Applause] Good evening, committee members. My name is Cassandra Pratt. I'm a current senior at Methuan High. Over these past few days, my team and I have seen an outpouring of support from the Methuan community. We have gained over 2,300 signatures on our petition, have received messages from numerous alumni who support us in our initiative to stop harmful budget cuts to the fine arts department. In the new proposed FY26 budget, 40 members of the district staff are being dismissed. In addition to that, in a section titled additional potential staff reductions
070from polit preliminary budget budget, I can speak uh an additional 47 positions are in danger, including the position of performing arts teacher Joanie Walsh and fine arts director Cheryl Man Cheryl Mancini. Eliminating these positions will cause immense damage to the fine arts department and the district as a whole. Every student at Methuan High in the district at large is required to take art classes. According to DESI data from the 2425 school year, we have 6,464 students currently enrolled in this district. The fine arts director plays an integral role in the district ecosystem. This position is necessary for the department to run smoothly. Mrs. Mancini assists in advocating from our students and the various organizations they're involved in. Stage door 22, DHI, jazz band, marching band, color guard, choir, NHS, and photography club have upwards of
071200 members. She assists teachers with administrative and clerical actions that would be pushed to other administrators or the teachers themselves, adding to their already full plates. With the help of Mrs. Mancini, NHS has traveled to the Methuan village to teach the elderly the art of finger weaving, creating deeper bonds between the older and younger populations of the city. The photography club with the assistance of Mrs. Mancini has also put up multiple art installations throughout our community. I have worked with Mrs. Walsh for the past four years and I can say with absolute certainty that there are few people who care about their students or the arts more than she does. Her work as theater teacher has brought numerous talented students out of their shells and imbued them with confidence. She helped me along with other
072teachers here tonight make me into the person I am today. Cutting her classes would be a detriment to Stage 22, our drama club, as her classes act as a support for the group, which contains roughly 89 students. As you've heard, stage door 22 acts for a home for many students, including myself. I have met friends I consider family through this club. While we understand that these budget cuts do not necessarily mean that stage door 22 and other fine arts organizations are being dissolved, the elimination of fine arts directors positions and theater teachers positions will undoubtedly have a negative impact on student well-being and our community. Thank you for your time. [Applause] We'll hear next from Rafie. [Applause] Good evening, members of the school committee, administrators, teachers, and fellow community members. I'm Rafael Henna, and I
073am a proud current sophomore at Mun High School. I'm here tonight not just as a student, but as a passionate member of our of our school's band program and as someone whose life has been shaped in extraordinary ways by the arts over the past 5 years. When I first picked up my instrument, I never imagined how deeply music would impact me. Band band has been more than just a class. It's been a place of growth, discipline, friendship, and identity. Every rehearsal has taught me how to listen not just to music but to others. And every performance has taught me how to be brave in front of a crowd. How to handle pressure and how to strive for excellence. The strength of our program throughout all of Methuan and all the fine arts programs at Methuan
074High is the result of coordination, vision, and support by our fine arts director, Miss Mancini. Cutting that position would create a ripple effect of disorganization, lack of advocacy, and reduce opportunities for students like me to have access to a structured and supported arts education. Theater is just as important. Although I'm not in drama club, I've seen how the stage 22 stage door 22 program uplifts its members. For many students, it's a safe place, kind of like a second family. It teaches collaboration, self-expression, and leadership. And yes, it also improves academic performance. Fine arts programs are essential. Cutting theater and the fine arts director position tells students that their creativity, expression, and passions are less important than test scores. But that's not the message we should be sending. More than 2,000 people in our community have
075already signed a petition asking you to protect the arts. That's not a coincidence. It's a call for action. Because cutting the arts doesn't just affect students like me today. It affects the legacy of our entire district. We don't become who we are just through textbooks and tests. We become who we are through rhythm, harmony, emotion, and storytelling. Please don't take that away from us. Thank you. [Applause] Alex Ramos. [Applause] Good evening, members of the school committee and city council. My name is Alex Ramos and I'm currently attending student of Mthuna High School. The arts as a whole have been incredibly important to me my entire life. Whether that be my middle school choir or a show I had gone to see at my school theater, I had always seen it as a form of self-expression
076of my creativity. When I had first entered Mthuan public schools, I had taken my first ever theater class. It was something that was extremely out of my comfort zone, but still felt like such an important part of shaping who I have become today. Throughout the next four years at MHS, I have grown into someone I have never thought I would be able to shape into. Thanks to our amazing theater director and teacher, Joanie Walsh, as well as Stage Door 22. I am more outgoing, empathetic, and more than anything, extremely grateful for the family I have received through either theater, band, or the choir program. I believe our communities have supported each other in encouraging us to express our emotions through the arts and are immensely appreciative of founding a space to have done so. We
077try our hardest to make the arts a place for people to feel immediately safe, seen, and welcomed. And will gladly continue to keep it a space for students who need to find a way to express themselves as comfortably as they see fit. We admire how incredibly hard both our student body and other individuals have fought and will continue to fight for a space that makes us feel seen and heard. Thank you. [Applause] Ale [Applause] Denol. Good evening. My name is Malik Hadol. I'm a junior at Methun High School and a dedicated member of the school's club stage door 22 and other groups under its umbrella. When I first arrived at MHS, I was unsure of where I belonged. I was constantly torn between different groups who fit into different areas. And despite how badly I
078wanted to join the theater club, I didn't when I first arrived. No one I knew from my school had joined Stage Door 22 that year. And I was worried about finding a way to fit in with an entirely new group of people. a group of the most talented people I'd seen up to this point in my life. Eventually, I found a friend to join with, and I've never been able to feel more comfortable and accepted in a group faster than I was with the set crew of the theater club. I made numerous friends who I still remain friends with today, and became accepted not only in crews, but by cast members who had no clue who I was. Now, as I talk today, sorry. Now, as I talk today as one of the members of
079Stage Door 22's council, I get the opportunity to do that same thing to the younger members of the club. Through this club, I've been able to learn so many valuable skills and grow as a person. And now, as I near my senior year of high school, I'm grateful to be in a leadership position where I can now help even more people grow into better people. Our club is more than just the kids who put on the musical. People become part of a family and form extremely close bonds with others. The unity needed to perform and the lasting friendships that result from it are extremely powerful and have brought me and many others to tears numerous times. Whether it be from the pre-show excitement and energy or the realization that our seniors are leaving after that
080year. This club is so much more than just performing. It's finding a place to belong for people who don't fit anywhere else. People trying to find a way to get their minds off personal issues. People finding a way to get away from problems at home. Without these outlet students will suffer deeply. Some of my closest friendships have been built by this club, and it would be deeply disheartening to see others not be able to use this club to learn how to become themselves. In recent years, Mthun has made an extreme push to recognize the importance of mental health through social social and emotional learning lessons. If you're able to recognize the importance of mental health, we also ask you please recognize how important the fine arts are to some kids' mental health. Art is a
081way to express yourself in a way you cannot with words. And beyond art, you're able to find a place to fit in. If we want to pri pri to prioritize mental health, we need to make sure we are aware of what is actually benefiting kids mental health. We are a club that has fought through so much adversity and have done so without funding for years despite continuously attempting to gain it. Now with the possibility of the fine arts being on the hot seat, we will not be as quiet and ensure that we are heard. We are club that prioritizes respect and teaches younger students to be able to properly respect others. We assure you that we will continue to use this respect today despite us often feeling disrespected, disregarded, and undervalued. While the budget plans
082don't directly eliminate stage door, theater classes in the position of the fine arts director will be lost. So many so many benefit from the classes I taught during the day by Miss Walsh. Might I say as a student of hers and an active member of Stage Door, I can say there's no teacher who has impacted the person I am today, supported my growth more than she has, and I guarantee many other Stage Door members would agree. Without her and her classes, I doubt I would be able to stand in front of you all today and make this statement. With her classes, students who may not feel confident enough to audition for our shows get an opportunity to hone their talents and learn while forming connections with other students interested in acting in theater. As a
083student who has taken acting too and is currently in her scene study course, both of these classes have made it clear to me how much the after-school program benefits from these day classes. Getting opportunities to learn things I don't have time to in rehearsal, getting time to prepare for crew meetings and rehearsals, and exposing other kids to what goes on in our after school club. Without these classes, the club and the students in it would be harmed. Without the designated role of a theater teacher, no one will be able to dedicate the time that is actually needed to put on productions. While these classes offer support to stage door, the classes are also fundamental to having a culture of theater in the school. A culture that has remained strong for years because of the hard
084work done by the students and the teachers who have assisted us. Without theater classes and integral roles in the fine arts department, this culture of arts in the high school will soon be lost. When this culture fades, it is inevitable that these clubs will fade, too. I've heard from many people close to me that they've tried hard to get into these classes, and there seems to be a preconceived and false notion that these classes have low interest or value. Well, some may see the say these classes don't have enough theater kids in them. It also must be understood that people passionate about these classes struggle to get into them. These classes seem to be deemed invaluable, which as stated many times throughout this is extremely untrue. A direct part of our message tonight is that
085that is false. These possible cuts will create a slippery slope that devalue the arts and lead to even more damage to them. Without a fine arts director, clubs will quickly become messy and struggle to manage. This includes a school band, choir, stage door, and many other clubs. Without a person to represent all of these clubs as a whole, our voice will grow even quieter. While I've mentioned various teaching positions, let us not forget who this is truly about for the future. The students and those who dedicate hours upon hours upon hours to the culture of the arts at Mthun High School. Our message tonight is direct and is that we want to be heard. We want to be valued and we want the respect we deserve. We understand city council is also a group that
086needs to receive our message as they are also key to budget decisions. So, we ask to please see how much this means to us and relay our passion. Thank you for your time today and I hope along with many of my peers, teachers, and parents that you consider the words we speak today and think about us when making decisions regarding cuts in the budget. [Applause] Alejandro Roach. [Applause] My name is Alejandro Klein Rochce. I live at 52 Wuburn Street and I'm a soon to be graduating senior at Mthuan High School. I've been an avid member of stage door 22, the choir program, the national art honor society, and I'm here to speak to the committee members in regards to the proposed budget cuts and relocations of staff members and courses within the fine arts department.
087According to the Massachusetts education and research to according to the Massachusetts education to research and data hub in the 2023 to 24 school year, the chronic absenteeism rates were 43.7% for Mthuan High School students. This means almost one in every five students missed at least 10% of their school year. There's a variety of reasons and factors that cause this, but the concerning part is the groups it affects the most. English language learners and students with disabilities are the most disproportionately affected group with the former having a 40% absenteeism rate and the latter being well over 50%. But those same students are the ones that can sculpt plates out of clay and ceramics. They can learn the guitar. They can sing with the choir. Those with learning disabilities can take unified music and learn percussion and
088rhythm. and they can learn how to channel their self-expression into acting. The sense of community that these activities promote will make them want to come back. It will make them want to be there and be present. Methu and I have taken important initiatives to combat this, but the problem persists and I'm here to warn you that taking away integral parts of the fine arts department, such as the fine arts director and theater teacher, will be detrimental to their efforts. The arts are a universal language. The choir director's unified music class is a great outlet and shows how pivotal music is to the human experience. And they have an incredible ability to amplify the voices of those who create. My mother, the strongest woman I know, who is an immigrant and veteran, came to Massachusetts from
089Venezuela when she was 9 years old and didn't know any English. School was a nightmare for her. She was one of the students who had to deal with lack of transportation, low family income, and the language barrier. But four years later in high school, she joined the choir and she acted in the plays. She sang in the musicals. She joined the all girls ensemble and went to choir competitions. She took visual arts and illustration classes and she graduated high school and then attended UMass Amherst for architectural design. And that outlet was so important in helping her find her place in a foreign environment. Acting and putting on shows is an ancient human tradition and learning about it, the work that gets put into it, why they're still so important today, how they bring people together
090and how to excel in them is equally as important as having a club to organize the shows. It is a foundation that the club is built upon. If you remove a critical foundation of the per of the performing arts, you jeopardize all of them. You diminish the bonds that form around them and you rob students of all kinds of the opportunity to discover themselves. If you cut the arts, you allow chronic absenteeism to continue and you cut community. I urge you to do your best to make the right choices and let the students keep finding their voices. Thank you. [Applause] Doro [Applause] Cesar. Good evening, members of the school committee, the community, teachers, and staff. My name is Doro Caesar and I am a senior at I'm at I'm Athun High School. I'm here tonight
091to tell you how the arts have affected me personally and how important they are for all the students at MHS. As the vice president of our theater club, Stage Door 22, and the president of our choir organization, the arts mean a lot to me. I have been involved in choir since middle school at the Timony, and it has made such an impact on my life. Singing with my peers has taught me leadership, discipline, and self-confidence. My love for choir has shaped who I am as a person, a peer, and a friend. Since freshman year, I have been involved with a play in the musical. My first show being a steampunk Christmas Carol. Ever since then, theater has been an of a an incredible passion of mine. Along with my involvement in the after school program,
092I began to take Miss Walsh's acting classes. Not not only did these classes teach me more about theater, they taught me about public speaking, how to use my voice powerfully, and how to work with my peers. I was incredibly shy freshman year and would not talk to anyone other than my friends. After taking Miss Walsh's acting one class, I went from being too scared to talk to anyone to making new friends and acquaintances within one semester. And the same applied for acting too and scene study. In all my four years at M at MHS, I have never been in a class where students were able to connect with each other. so quickly. As a freshman, I never thought I would be so outgoing and friendly my senior year. And it is only because of what
093Miss Walsh and her classes have taught me. In those classes, she teaches more than just acting, but how to build a community and how to be vulnerable with each other. Even though it's difficult for me even now, I'm able to get up in front of my peers and speak to them, perform for them. I'm able to focus, analyze, listen, and communicate. I've grown into the person who I wanted to be. built a community of friends that I will forever cherish and be comfortable and proud of my identity and who I am today. This is not only true for me, but for the many students at MHS involved in the fine arts department. Without Mrs. Walsh's classes, students next year would miss out on all she has taught me and my peers. The arts are an
094integral part of learning at MHS, and the school would not be the same without them. [Applause] Angelo [Applause] Pakoli. These students are so incredible. I am so honored to be following them this evening. Good evening. My name is Angelo Pakoli. I'm a graduate of the Mthuan public schools and a current math teacher at Mthuan High School. I'm not the only teacher there that went to the school. I think we've known for a while now that there must be something special that draws us back because it is a pattern that's been observed for a very long time. I decided to start my teaching career at Mthuan for a variety of reasons, but one of them was definitely to give back to a community that has given so much to me. One of the most important things
095being an appreciation for the arts and all of the impactful residuals that come with that appreciation. During my time at Mthuan High, I took part in the Stage War 22 theater club as vice president, the marching band as drum major, the concert band, the jazz band, Dirty Hands, Inc., the chamber choir, and as a founding member of the ac capella club. I shared the stage with my friends in so many different capacities, but always with a common goal of entertaining the school and town community and showing them how much the students at Methoo and High Rock. Now, over the last two years, I've had the immense honor of being the fall play director, an honor that I was so excited to take on once it was offered to me because it meant so much to
096me back then. So, the idea that I could have that kind of impact myself on students was something I had to take up. Working with this new generation of dedicated and independent fine arts students has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life. I and all of these students, some of whom you've seen speak today, understand that we might not see any proposed cuts impacting the afterchool programs that we love and that I've referenced. However, the fact of the matter is that the arts have long taken a backseat in budget discussions. To eliminate daytime theater classes is to put a direct stop to the only way that there currently is to introduce theater to a larger population of the student body that marketing alone does not reach. To eliminate the director of the
097fine arts is to interrupt initiatives that connect the arts of all schools in the district to build a strong network of success and love for the arts. But now I want to put to theside for a second the arts specific benefits that we lose if we lose positions like those that I've referenced. Instead, we must understand that this is so much bigger than the arts and is tied significantly more to social emotional learning, inclusivity, and resilience. Theater is a community just as much as it is an opportunity to perform. It teaches you how to accept others and how to be in someone else's shoes. It teaches you that no task is insurmountable with the right work ethics and the right support system around you. We need theater and the arts for this. And we don't
098only need them to stay, we need them to grow. I recently saw a musical. It was it was called The Prom. It was performed by a community theater company in Derry, New Hampshire, and it was incredible. Um, I want to close by quoting some dialogue from that musical. So, there was one character who was singing to a group of high school students about his time at the esteemed school of the arts, Giuliard, at which point he says, "I'm sure your drama teacher has told you of that institution." A student responds, "We don't have a drama program." The character then responds to that student, "Ah, that explains your general lack of empathy. Thank you for your time and please don't let these cuts affect the growing and strong theater and fine arts department we have in
099our [Applause] district." Ashley Parent Good evening, school committee. My name is Ashley Parent. I am a proud Methuan resident, a mother of two children, one at the Timn who does join those reading success small group programs and a daughter at the high school who has thrived through music and art. I'm also a small business owner here in the Marramac Valley. I'm here tonight not just as a parent, but as someone who understands the very real challenges of managing a budget during uncertain times. In my line of work, I live in spreadsheets and financial statements. I know how hard it is to stretch every dollar, to make tough decisions, and to find a balance between what we want to do and what we can afford to do. But what I also know is that the decisions
100that reflect our values are the ones that matter most. Public education is not just another cost center. It is the heart of our city. When times are tough, education should be the last place we cut. Every year, Mthuan relies heavily on state aid to fund our schools, but the current formula falls short, leaving gateway cities like ours struggling to provide even basic services. We are not asking for luxuries. We are asking for a fair investment from not just the state, but from our town, our city government. Our schools have been underfunded for years. We have been operating in survival mode, asking our teachers, staff, and students to do more with less for far too long. And now, because state funding has not kept pace with actual actual district need district needs, and the city has
101not made the necessary local investment to close the gap, our district is being asked to find savings in places that directly touch the lives of our children. I have reviewed the proposed cuts. I know the budget gap is real, but removing fine arts programming, increasing class sizes beyond 30 students, and reducing support staff is just not balancing a budget. It is compromising the quality of the education we provide. These are the programs and services that help our students thrive emotionally and academically. They are not extras, they are essentials. As a business owner, I would never try to grow or stabilize a company by cutting the departments that deliver value, build relationships, and support long-term success. Yet, that yet that that is what these proposed cuts are doing. The fine arts programs, health classes, and small
102group learning environments are the very places where many students find their voice, build their identity, and stay engaged in school. Before we accept these cuts as unavoidable, I have to ask, have we truly examined every option across the entire city budget? Have we audited all departments funded by the city to identify areas of overspending, redundancy, or inefficiency that could be redirected to support our schools? Have we looked closely at whether certain capital projects, consultant contracts, or administrative costs can be delayed or scaled back? I'm not suggesting we strip essential services. I'm asking that all departments be held to the same standard of scrutiny. We are asking of our schools. Our students should not be the only ones asked to sacrifice. A well-funded school system does not just benefit students and families. It benefits the entire
103city of Methuan. Strong schools protect and increase property values. They attract businesses looking for skilled and educated workforce. They help reduce crime, support public health, and build a sense of community pride. Families want to live in cities where their children will thrive. And that starts with how we invest in education. We fund our schools well. When or when we fund our schools well, we are not just making a choice for this year's budget. We are making a choice about the kind of city we want to be. Investing in education is one of the smartest and most strategic moves any city can make. I understand that the school committee is facing an impossible task, trying to work within the numbers given. But before you vote to approve cuts that will take away from our classrooms, I
104urge you to stand united and make it clear to the city what our school truly needs. Ask for what you need before making decisions that will deeply affect the students, teachers, and families in this district. Demand the funding required to provide the education our children deserve. Be bold in advocating for Mthuan's kids. Do not accept a budget that balances on their backs. Our students should not bear the burden of a broken formula and budget politics. You are their voice. Please use it to fight for them. My two children and every child in this city deserves more than a budget that gets us through the year. They deserve an investment in their potential, their creativity, and their promise. Thank you for your [Applause] time. Riley Raina. Good afternoon, Mayor, school committee meeting members. Dr. Pong bomb.
105Um, my name is Riley Reena. I am here in support of the staff of the Mthuan public schools and the arts program/teers at the high school. I graduated from Mthuan High in 2022. And I was involved in the arts program for all four years of high school. I moved to Mthuan the summer before 9th grade, so I knew no one. And I went to the first drama club meeting that they had that year. And I never left. That's where I met all of my friends. I made the transition to not only a new school, but from a being in middle school in Florida and coming up here, it made it so much easier to transition. I do have a physical disability, which means that I can't play sports. That has always been difficult for me
106because that is the easiest way for kids to make friends when they're younger. Um, theater and later choir gave me and other kids in my position a place to go and feel like they're a part of something to be a part of a community that ended up being more like a second family. I have also had many mental health struggles including anxiety and depression and the arts program gave me a place to go when I felt hopeless. It gave me an outlet for my feelings and a way to leave my problems at the door and be someone else for a couple hours. I was involved in four shows acting wise while I was at the high school. Um, I did costumes crew all four years and I was involved in the club overall again for
107all four years. Walsh was the best acting teacher and director that you could possibly have. She put so much effort and time into every single show we did and she cared about all of our her students individually. Without her, the arts program would not be the same. The choir/theater room was always a safe place for all of us due to the amazing teachers in it. The arts program, including the choir and theater clubs, have taught us so many skills that I have learned that translate so well into the normal outside world. I would not be able to stand in front of you today and speak like this if I did not have the acting club, acting classes and theater club that I did in high school. It helps the improv exercises that we learned during
108theater helped you learn how to think on your feet, which I use often in my job because I work with kids, but it is applicable in any job that you can have. You have to be able to think on your feet. And I know you all know that it helps with your social skills. I was able to walk up to people when I was in college and at work and be able to start conversations solely based off of the fact that we both liked musical theater, we both liked singing or even just being able to say hello because I had the confidence in myself to do that which I did not have before these pro this program. I am worried for the kids coming into this school that don't have the same opportunities. I have
109two younger siblings, one of which shares my love and passion for singing and acting. When she was deciding which high school to go to in the future, she was really worried because Methoo and High was the only one with classes and clubs like acting, theater, choir, keyboarding, and so many other classes that this program has to offer. That was a huge factor in her decision-making, and it is incredibly disheartening seeing so many children come here today just to speak on this matter. They should not have to do that. They are kids. Without the arts program, there would be a very different person here in front of you. Being in theater and choir is what got me through high school. And in so many ways, it did save my life. To get rid of the arts
110program at Mthuan High School, or any one person that makes this program what it is, would be an enormous mistake. I urge you to think about the future students of the school who are in the position I was when I enrolled there. And believe me when I say they will be worse off for not being able to experience what I did. I've been trying to think of a way to end this in the correct way that gets my point across. Only two statements repeatedly come to mind, so I'm going to say both. The first pe being to my fellow theater kids, art students, and to the staff of Mthuman Public Schools, I love you. I respect you, and I got your back. [Applause] And the last and final thing that I would like to add
111is one that is an ongoing joke in my family. However, in this context, it seems only fitting, and I say this far from joking. I implore you, do better. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Kenna Murphy. Good evening everyone. I'm here to speak on behalf of the Mthuan public schools and the arts programs. I graduated from Mthuan High in 2024 and I graduated a four-year member of choir throughout the high school. I did acting with Mrs. Walsh and I was unable to do the theater program because of my schedule. But had I not done choir and acting with Mrs. Walsh, I would not be able to do any of this today and I would not have the skills that I have learned. Mrs. Walsh teaches us everything in acting that she teaches us during theater. During my sophomore
112year of high school, I lost my dad. And without having the choir program or the theater and acting programs, I would not have been able to express how I truly felt. I use music and acting and pretty much anything with the arts to express how I feel. And cutting that program from not just the high school, but all schools in Methuan would negatively affect everybody here. Choir and theater have given me so many family members that are not by blood, but because we share a love for our programs. There are so many people who I left this past year that I still am in contact with, teachers and students, because of the arts programs. And I know if I had not had them, I still would have been in a shell when I started high
113school that I am no longer in. I ask that you please listen to everybody here telling you how negatively they would be affected if you cut the arts and theater programs. Cutting these programs would silence us. Not just people who have already graduated, but people who are currently in the programs and people who are looking forward to joining them when they reach high school. I know that had I not had these programs, I wouldn't have felt in like I'd fit in anywhere in school. And I am so thankful for having Joan Walsh and Benjamin Woodard and everybody who is a member of the arts staff. I'm thankful for everything that they have done to me. And please do not make the mistake of cutting any of these programs because they do save kids like myself
114and many others in this room. Thank you. [Applause] Riley Lions. [Applause] Good evening. My name is Riley Lions. I'm a recent graduate of Maduan High and currently studying theater at Plymouth State University. Plymouth State is facing the same issue where budget cuts with no support lead to the removal of the arts and humanities. To see that it is happening in my own hometown as well as the town where I participated in the arts for eight years, a town that I believed the arts were valued in is disheartening. I was a member of the band both at the Timony and Mthun High where I fell in love with music, eventually joining the jazz band and DHI where I felt welcomed. These programs would not exist without the support of fine arts director Cheryl Mancini. She allows
115for students to pursue to pursue their passions both during and after school. You cannot let that be taken away from them. During my time at Mthun High School, I also became a member of stage door 22 where I fell in love with theater. So much so that I decided to pursue it in college due only to Miss Walsh and her dedication to her students and the program. To watch theater be tossed aside instead of figuring out how to support every program amidst these cuts is heinous. The program that Miss Walsh leads contains more students that most sports teams have with less funding and less support from other staff. She has spearheaded that program to put on two amazing shows every year. These shows allow students to find themselves through the arts. The countless students that
116I worked with and that are here now are the product of that. You cannot leave them without what they love just because you lost money. They deserve better. And to say that I'm disappointed that the first position proposed to go are the theater and fine arts positions is an understatement. You are doing a disservice to the children you present. On top of that, my father, Mr. Lions, is one of the strongest men I know. He's an eighth grade teacher at the Donald P. Timiny Grammar School and has gone above and beyond for that job. Some of my earliest memories are of waking up in the middle of the night and going downstairs to find him writing papers to further his own education and in turn those of the children he teaches. When my brother and
117I weren't in college, we would see him come home every day, sometimes later than the usual time that teachers leave their jobs of 2:45, with a smile on his face. He would joke and laugh with us and then go on to his second job as a father. With the proposed increases to class sizes, I worried that not only would my father become more stressed, but teachers who have children at home will face this stress. These educators do not deserve this. For the sake of your educators, students, and the community, please do better. Thank you, [Applause] Jennifer Loyel. Good evening. Um to the school committee, mayor, uh to everybody in this room really. Most of the people in this room know me. You know that I've been a tireless advocate for the arts in Methuan from
118the moment I arrived in the city nearly a decade ago. I've painted, organized, fundraised, led public projects, and championed access to arts for all. I've never shied away from speaking up and definitely can't now. Tonight, I'm standing here with a full heart and a heavy one. Because although I've been told that the fine arts department may not officially be dismantled, the fact that the director, who has poured her heart and soul into building, sustaining, and advocating for this program is being let go sends a loud and clear message that the arts are not a priority. And that's just not acceptable. But tonight, I'm not just speaking as an arts advocate. I'm also speaking as a mom. a mom of an incredible young artist and a mom of a special needs child who is in many
119ways his own kind of art. Both of these roles have taught me something very important and that's that every child deserves the space and support to be fully seen, fully heard and fully themselves. For one of my children, that's through paint and music. For the other, it's through the unique ways that he navigates the world. And to me, funding programs that support either of them, that support both of them, support all of them, whether it's the fine arts or special needs, anything else holds equal weight. They are all lifelines. Both of these right now, however, are on fragile ground. We cannot pit one essential support against another. Both the arts and special education provide stability, identity, and opportunity for our most vulnerable learners. And both deserve consistent leadership and funding. Art is not an extra.
120It is an essential. I get emotional because art is not an extra. It is an essential. In hard times, art is what gets us through. It is how we understand each other. It is how we process, how we hope, how we remember, look through history, what survives, what speaks to us, what he heals us. It's the arts. Letting go of the fine arts director may seem like a line item on paper, but it's a warning shot. It's a first crack in a wall that holds up the creative and emotional well-being of our kids. is a signal that those programs can be picked apart quietly, piece by piece, under the guise of budget necessity. But let's be honest, arts education is linked to better attendance, higher test scores, and increase graduation rates. The arts help children
121regulate emotions, help build confidence, and find purpose, especially critically now as we face a youth mental health crisis. Special education services do the same. They offer structure, dignity, access, and belonging. And yet those programs too are often treated as a burden rather than vital backbones that they are. Not every child plays sports. Not every child can. Not every family can afford private music and art or therapeutic services. For many, what they receive and all that they can receive is during the school day. This is not about nostalgia. It's about equity and it's about humanity. And it's about what kind of community we want to be. I understand that we're facing financial hardship. I understand that we're facing financial decisions. But cutting fine arts or underfunding special education should never be the solution. These programs are
122not the extra. They are the essential. They support academic success, mental health, community pride, and future careers. My daughter Liberty, it's her career, her future that I'm out here advocating for. and my sons. We should be investing more in them, not less. So, let's protect the programs and the leadership that make them thrive. Let's protect the futures that they help shape. Thank you so much for listening to all of us. Abby Lacroy. Good evening. My name is Abby Lacroy and I'm a proud member of the MHS class of 2019 and a founding member of Stage Door 22. I am speaking tonight in support of the theater classes and the theater teacher position at Mthuan High School. My high school experience was molded by my time as a student in the MHS theater classes. When walking
123into my first audition freshman year before Stage Door 22 had a name or a true identity, I remember being greeted warmly not only by my peers in the audition space, but by Mrs. Walsh. As a kid who felt like an outsider before high school, the theater program gave me a home and people to foster real friendships with. The connections I made in my time in Stage Door 22 and in the MHS theater classes have lasted far beyond my time at MHS. Just last weekend, I officiated the wedding of one of my best friends that I met doing Shrek at MHS in 2019 in 2016. you know, um, without the theater classes and the theater program, I would not have met half the people that I still to this day call my closest friends. And I
124know many of my former classmates and theater program alumni have similar stories. It would be unconscionable to discuss Methoo High's theater program without Mrs. Walsh. She took a struggling theater troop and transformed it into one of the largest extracurricular activities at MHS and one of the most thriving arts programs within the school. Not only that, her classes were a safe space for myself and my friends to dive into a craft that meant the world to us, guided by someone who understands the theatrical world well. I know that there are students currently at MHS with that same passion for theater who deserve that same experience. And without this program, there is little opportunity to learn about theater arts accessibly or for free. Many of the people I who I knew from MHS theater are now working
125in the theater world, whether performing on a stage or working in technical theater. I am proud to say that I am now an educator finishing up my second year of teaching. Thank you. Appreciate it. I know firsthand the struggles that we are facing in the world of education today. Even with my short experience and especially with our middle and high school students, there are high levels of disengagement and detachment from educational responsibility. But I can also tell you as the coordinator of my school's drama program, which I would not have been able to do without the education I received from Mrs. Walsh, I'd like to say um the only time of day that some of them look forward to is rehearsal. Students who have known academic or behavioral difficulties in the classroom setting, light up
126when they have a script in hand or when they have their Q list for the technical theater. Why, in times where we can barely get students to school, let alone participate in class, do we want to remove one of the class programs that get students excited about coming to school each day? Why do we want to remove the position of an educator who is responsible not only for the theater class programs, but a huge after-school program that has fostered the artistic growth of hundreds of students. In 2016, in the middle of my freshman year, we had to go to a school committee meeting to fight the removal of the theater program. In 2018, just two years later, my friends and I once again spoke at a school committee meeting just like these courageous students did
127today. And here I am again in 2025, dawning my six-year-old CAST t-shirt and speaking in support of the program that built me and so many other students. I am here again because I care about arts access for our children. And as a proud resident of Mthuan who was raised in its school system, a proud Marsh School graduate and Mthuan High School graduate, I believe that every student should be provided the opportunity to expand their artistic and cultural capabilities, not have any chances for equitable arts access taken away from them. Thank you for your time. [Applause] That's the end of the list of people who signed up for public participation. Is there anyone else in the room who didn't sign up? Please approach Please approach the podium. Thank you. [Applause] My name is Naomi Castello. I'm
128in seventh grade and go to the Timony Grammar School. I'm here to address the potential cuts to the fine arts program for next year, including the fine arts supervisor and the high school theater teacher. These cuts would threaten theater programming throughout the district. Drama club helps lot a lot of people find their people and we get a sense of belonging including me. Drama club is a creative outlet for a lot of students. I've made a lot of friends in other grades that I would have never met without drama club. I've had really good experience and it's really emotional. They all cry over each other every day that and it forms very close bonds with each other. Without this school program, many students in our district wouldn't have access to participate in live theater. other programs
129are too expensive or too far for many families. I'm asking you to vote no on cutting these important programs from the budget next year. Thank you. [Applause] Hi, sorry I know I didn't sign up for this. Um, thank you guys for giving us time to speak. Uh, I'm a physical education teacher over at the Tenny for fifth to eighth grade. My name is Josh Papis. Um, but I find myself in a cool position because I've actually held a couple of positions that are up for elimination. Uh, I was a wellness teacher for three years before this job that I luckily got that I've been waiting for for a long time. Um, and as a PE teacher now, knowing that I might be working by myself next year with many students, um, scares me. going forward.
130I know having a director changes my life completely knowing that our director got eliminated last year. We do have two people that took the position, but it's a little bit different. He did warn us as soon as we start losing stuff at the top, then it starts coming down, which it clearly has. Um, as a wellness teacher, it was really, really cool actually because I didn't even know what the job was. No one really does actually when I talk to anyone. Um, but a wellness for a health class is different for K to fourth. I'm not really teaching them about puberty, which everyone thought I was. Um, but it was cool because once you found your footing in it, you realize you were teaching these kids how to interact with each other, communicate, some local
131hygiene kind of stuff. But when I realized during co it really turned into more trying to teach these kids how to talk to each other because they didn't even know their own feelings or how to identify them. It was actually extremely honoring um working with students, watching them grow and it's really too bad that even some of the kids in the back who have done an unbelievable job who clearly didn't need my help. Um great speaking by the way. Um, it's too bad because we're not actually seeing where the kids that have had the wellness for those five years because it was such a new position actually going to go. We don't know where the statistics are going to bring them. Maybe their ability to identify anger or anxiety or depression would help them in
132high school. I remember when I was in my third year, I asked the kids because I always told them like what's going on at the high school and I was hoping that they were going to say anxiety and depression and one of the kids said stabics. there was a lot of things kind of going on. Um, and I know that there's a lot of positions that need to be held to be able to hold the safety of all of our students. And that brings me to PE. Um, I was in a position a couple times where I had to work for an extended amount of time by myself with a substitute, but they didn't have the PE background that was needed to kind of hold the class. So took upon us and the other admin
133to eliminate the locker room changing obviously for fifth to eighth graders which made sense easy to switch but we did get complaints all day about hygiene um and smelling in class for the seventh graders that were just slitting in their clothes the rest of the day sweating and then participation because no one wants to sit in the sweat or anything like that. And when I was told my first day to try to work there, I was like, "All right, like here's the curriculum. What are we going to work on?" Going over the skills, which I had a great supervisor at the time. But one of the things he said as like kind of a joke was survive and keep them out of the hospital. I survived, kept some of the kids out of the hospital.
134Um, nothing crazy, but something if it will go wrong will go wrong, right? Something if it can, it will. um made the best of what we could, but I knew when I got into my position at the tenny, it was more like a dream. I had the teacher next to me that was going to be working with me for the rest of my life. We ended like our fourth day of work and she looked at me, she's like, "Hey, you're retiring here, right?" And I knew I found someone that also was going to invest their time into working with students and kids of the community. And I could have cried in that moment. But we also started realizing that PE isn't just a gym teacher. It's not just someone to hold on to recess. It's
135not someone to just take over our area. Be like, "Hey, can we use your space? I know it's empty. You just want to let the kids get some energy up." We are teaching them more about skills and how to actually work with each other. Obviously, kind of like the wellness department was. But when I realized that I couldn't do this by myself was because I couldn't reach some of the kids that my co-teer can. I can do all I can to try to help these students out, but I can only reach handfuls and I try to reach everyone. But when she comes in with something else that I don't have where it's either a different idea or different idea of lifelong wellness or how to talk to different kids that I don't really get along
136with that well or way to reach somebody, it turned my focus and it's been awesome. So, when I hear that the position might get eliminated, it's really too bad. But I know that budgets got tapped. Um, I was in the tech position for about six months before and I know that position got eliminated. I don't know who the department head was, but I'm guessing they don't have one now. And speaking for Mancini's position as the fine arts department, I know that they've already made cuts, too, knowing that the art classes don't see everyone because they have to make room for band kids uh taking other classes during those times. And it's really too bad because if I was a kid in school right now, I would have to choose. If I wanted to do band,
137then I couldn't do art, which I love art, knowing that in high school I would never get the chance to do theater, which I never actually took it up on, but I took one class and I absolutely loved it, but I did other things because I was in the sports realm. It's really too bad that we're at the point. I know budgets are budgets, but please spend time, think about what you're doing, and invest in us because we are dedicating our lives to you and the community. And I apologize. Thank you. Um, I apologize also to the ones I did not speak about that are also might be losing their jobs or eliminating positions. Um, those are just the ones that affect me and I can speak upon, but I really appreciate everyone showing up
138and thank you guys. Would anybody else like to [Applause] speak? Good evening. Sorry. Good evening everyone. My name is Emily Harkkins. I am a 2020 Methian High School graduate. I am now a first year teacher at the Tenny Grammar School teaching K through four music. It is I think it's very very important to have fine arts in schools and to have a position of the fine arts director. Without Cheryl Mancini here, I don't think I'd be very good at my job. Honestly, she has been very helpful in supplying everything I need for my classroom. Whether it's material for lesson plans for songs that I can do with different with my students or if it's setting up for recorders with my fourth graders. I was not a very athletic child in school. I have tried sports
139were never my thing. When I eventually got into upper school, I was I was a student at the CGS. Same thing with my sister. Both of us chose to do band. I play trumpet. She plays saxophone. Both of us still use our instruments. and she's a college student at Nor Eastern University right now. Um, through band and continuing to do band through high school, I was able to make so many meaningful connections that I have to this day. I still talk to so many people that I did band with and I have found so much confidence now with within myself. I don't think I would have been able to do this six years ago to come up and talk to you all. Same thing with my sister. She was a band student. She also did
140theater. She was involved with acting, involved with all the theater productions, and she still does it to this day at Nor Eastern. We both have so much confidence in what we can do now and who we are and what we want to do with our futures. I think it is so important to have these programs because you have so many people who were not th that those confident children because they were not the athletes. They were not the star football player. They were not the star soccer player. They were not the star softball player. Instead, you have these kids who don't quite fit in with those social groups who struggle and find those connections that you would get when you're playing those sports through theater, through choir, through band. We would not be the people
141we are today if we did not have access to these programs. Please keep this in consideration. Thank you. Would anyone else like to speak? No. Go ahead. No, go ahead. That's right. Hello, my name is Devon Rosario. I am a class of 2025 senior at the high school and I am also fortunate enough to work at the CGS as at the Rangers Club. Throughout these past four years at the high school, I've met so many people at through the theater program and while I may not be a part of it, I've gotten to see just how happy they get through it. I've gotten to see how they can come out of the day so drained from school, all their classes, worrying about their future, their college, everything. And yet theater and stage door 22 has
142been able to just make their day perfect. They've been able to turn their troubles into joy and memories that they can adore for the rest of their lives. And even at the middle schools, they'll that time and energy that they spend into school where they come out drained and tired and wanting to just go home and rest. The second they mention their art classes, for instance, I have a kid who loves doing band, the second that I bring up anything about band, the smile that you see on his face is something you can't quite ever match. the passion and pure love he has for that class, for that curricul uh for that um extracurricular is something that truly I don't think you can ever find in anything else. And I think cutting away from that
143funding would be just a gigantic disservice and would demotivate so many kids from not only their classes but also their future. We as a school should be encouraging all types of futures. Every type and any career path is what we should be encouraging. But to take that away and cut a potential extracurricular that might be an interesting or an interested future for that child would just be a gigantic slap in their face. And I think that would be one of the biggest crimes that we as a school and as a community could do. Thank you. [Applause] Good evening. My name is Adriana Jordano and I've had the joy and the honor of teaching chorus and music at the Marsh Grammar School for the past 5 years. So, when I had first heard that the fine
144arts supervisor position is potentially being cut, my mind immediately went to all that we have accomplished in the time that I've been here. When I started off five years ago, it was during the pandemic and I was entirely unprepared for teaching kids how to sing it through Google Meets. But through Cheryl Samini support, I was able to make it work. Districtwide, we put on a virtual concert and in the time that I've been here, we've been able to grow the program at the Marsh. My numbers have increased. The passion of my students have increased. They're more excited. They're having their friends join. They find their place in our program. And we've been able to branch into the community more as well. We've had an increase in our instructional time which has helped us to deliver
145more highquality lessons. We've had uh materials for piano keyboards brought into all four grammar schools which has led to the development of new programs in our general music program. Um we've had the chorus chamberee added a district-wide program for our community. And seeing all these things come about has really made me nervous and angry for what our future might hold, what the program might look like for the future, what my student opportunities might look like because it is her support that has brought together our department. And it's her expertise that's helped me to grow as a musician and as a musical teacher because she's able to be an expert in the field and show me exactly what I need to do to help support students in a performing arts or in a musical environment. So
146as you can continue with your budget proceeding, I hope that you consider the value that not only again as people have said before me that it's not just a position, it's also a person and the work that she has done, the value that she has for our teachers, the value she has for our students and for our community. And consider all the steps forward that we have taken and who really benefits from us taking a step backwards. Thank you for your time. Good evening. My name is Lauren Gagnon. I am a 5 through8 Marsh Grammar School art teacher. Last year I was teaching lower school. This year I transitioned to middle school. Surprisingly though I am the art teacher. I am not speaking on behalf of the arts. Today I'm speaking on behalf of my
147sister. My sister's position is endangered by these budget cuts. We are both young educators. We grew up in Methuan. I went to Methuan public schools K through 8 K through 12, excuse me. I met my fiance at Methuan High School. We are Methuan born and we bleed blue. My sister and I have been trained by Methuan teachers to do this job. And there is no one better to teach our Methuan kids than Methuan residents, people who were taught in Methuan, and people who welcome other people, students, teachers, educators, staff from other districts to our school system. This budget cut not only affects our school as a whole, but it detracts from young educators trying to enter into the public school system. And I think that's the most disheartening thing. And I also don't want to
148stop teaching three doors down from my sister next year. So, I I beg you to please consider the lives that are being affected by budget cuts tonight. Thank you. [Applause] Hi, my name is Emily Miko and I'm a sophomore at Mthoon High School. If I'm being completely honest right now, I was not um completely up to coming up here, but my um friends who came up here before me um encouraged me to come up here. Um I was not into joining theater in middle school. Um, a lot of teachers that I had would not have thought that I would have joined it, but when I got to high school, I decided that I was going to become a little more creative. And so, I decided that I was going to join the theater. And part
149of the reason why I went to Mthuan High School was because I wanted to join choir cuz I was in choir in middle school and GLTS didn't have that. And so I came to Mthoon High School and there were so many classes that I wanted to take that I didn't have enough time to put choir on my schedule. But then I found out that we had after school choir and I ended up taking that this year and but I also ended up joining Stage Door and that was probably one of the best decisions I ever made. I made so many new friends. I've became really close to all my teachers and I gained a lot more confidence as I went through it. Not to mention, I'm I don't act, but I am in tech theater
150and I in the lights crew and I I work really hard to put on those shows as much as I'm not an actor in the shows. And I just know that if the fine arts get cut, it will affect stage door a lot and it the kids who are in it may not be able to do it as much and they don't have the time in their schedule like I didn't have time to do it and as like I didn't have time to do choir for them to do theater and I just want you guys to think about all the kids who are in theater and why they do it before you guys think about cutting them. [Applause] Um, hold on. I'll break it on. There you go. Thank you. Um, so I'm sorry I'm
151losing my voice a little bit. Um, my name is Chloe Sanpio. Um, I'm a sophomore at Mthuan High School and I did the full 10 years at the Tim Grammar School. Um, and uh, the entire time I was there, I participated in band and I participated in the Timony Drama Club and now Stage Door 22. And these clubs and band really just completely changed my life. Um, really um, broadened my love for music, for acting, for everything under that umbrella. And honestly, I've made a lot a in almost all my friends are in the same things that I am. And honestly, this whole thing is quite scary to me. I was um getting ready for prom when I found out about all this. And um nearly burnt myself with the curling iron, but that's okay.
152Um I am ready to fight like the Dickens and get this thing situated because I know um this impacts so many lives. Um and just in general even before I was in upper school um I went to Stage Door 22 Productions specifically Mamma Mia and um that really started my love for theater. Um I'm sorry. Um, this is one of my favorite things in the entire world and I don't know what I could do without it. Thank you. Hello, my name is Jasper Pratt and I am a current freshman at Methun High School and I am a graduate of the Marsh Grammar School and for within like the last five or six years or so, I have been dreaming of joining Stationer 22 and the theater program. Back at the marsh, I was too scared
153and too overwhelmed to join the drama club there. But after seeing my sister and her fellow members of Staser 22 and how much effort they put into every single show that they do, not only with the acting, the songs, but with the tech, I knew this was a place I wanted to be. And I've been a part of set crew. I've helped out with both the shows that we've done this year. And it's phenomenal what everyone in this club does. Not only the individual students, but Walsh herself. I don't think there has ever been a teacher who has been more passionate and on what she does than Walsh. I'm part of her acting block I'm part of her acting block seven class. It's truly one of the classes that I look forward to come look
154forward to being in every single day. I've yeah I don't I don't know how to put all the feelings I have for the love of theater stage door and the arts as a whole but with the potential with the cutings of fine art supervisor and theater is going to dramatically change everything about stage door 22 like it's going to decrease the quality of it and if the quality decreases not everyone's going to want to join it and then there's going to be no drama productions at So, I'm asking every single one of you to please consider keeping this club, this positions, literally everything involving with the fine arts because I know budget cuts are inevitable when it comes to schools, but I know there is some way that the people in this town and all
155of you can do to keep the to keep the fine arts programs here. Thank you. [Applause] Good evening uh to the school committee, Mayor Borgard, Dr. Kuang, um and my fellow Methuan public schools staff. My name is Amanda Asis and like many of the people who have spoken tonight, I'm a proud product of Methuan public schools um and a proud uh returner to come back to teach. Um sorry, I lost my spot. My my phone's dimming. Um I returned so that I could pass on um the wonderful experience and education I received in my K through2 education to future Rangers. Um, and I wasn't planning on speaking tonight, but after seeing multiple of my own students get up here, I was feeling inspired. So, I wrote this up in the hall outside just now. Um,
156and I want to start by saying that I got my PhD in political science. So, I understand the challenges that are before this committee and our city's government in this season. And I really want to thank you for the time, the commitment, the attention, and the dedication that you're giving to this matter. Um, and I mostly just wanted to add on to the sentiments that have been expressed tonight. Um, as a 10th grade English teacher, I have seen firsthand the enrichment that an arts education brings to education more broadly. Every January, the English department hosts a poetry out loud competition. Um, oh, I'm so sorry. um where students select poems to memorize and recite in front of their class and the best recitation advances to represent their class to compete among the different English classes
157in each block. And those seven winners compete against each other in the finals. And as I attended the school musical this past weekend, I couldn't help but notice that so many of the members of stage door 22 were students who represented their class not only in the semifinals but in the finals as well. Uh clearly their arts education has enriched their learning beyond the stage and theater classes into a core class. I don't think that this stops um at English. I can imagine that memorizing the music or the choreography of a song would enrich their ability to perform in math. I can imagine their education and learning how to annunciate in acting classes um would enrich their world language performance. I can imagine that performing in front of hundreds of people during productions would enrich
158their performance in high pressure situations like AP exams. Based on what we have seen tonight, I know their arts education is preparing them and enriching them to be engaged and vocal citizens. I'm currently teaching. I have the privilege to teach AP language, which was one of my favorite classes in high school. And when we do rhetorical analysis, uh we're supposed to analyze the speaker's call to action. So, I'd be remiss to not end my speech with such a device. Um, I want to call on you to please consider and fight for and collaborate for not only what is essential versus extra, which is what a lot of the conversations have focused on tonight, but for what is enriching uh, as all of the programs discussed here tonight are to our students. Thank you so much
159for your time. [Applause] Hello, I'm Miles Cormier. I'm a 2023 graduate graduate of MHS. I apologize if I'm very very nervous. I don't do well with public speaking. Um, I moved to Methuan for my junior year um from Manchester, New Hampshire. I was previously homeschooled up until my junior year. Um, where I didn't really get a proper education. Um, coming to Methuan High School helped me get that. Uh, I was always a very shy kid. I'm physically disabled and was unable to do sports despite wanting to. Um, and I found my home within the arts. Um, I did personal studies with ceramics and I was involved with the last performance my senior year um with a theater group. I did props. Um, I met friends through this. I made connections and I gained personal skills
160that I use to this day. I make my own art and I sell it online. Um, I'm very grateful for the teachers that I had that supported me through this. Um, I didn't have much support at home and so that was very helpful. Um, yeah, I'm also extremely nervous. Uh, my my name is Cooper Ireland. I'm a current junior at uh, Mthuan High and I have been in choir for all three years that I've been here. I've been a part of theater since freshman year and these programs have immensely helped me. I came from I come from Lawrence, so I was born and raised there, but I went to a very small school that had about 100 kids in my grade and in this current school I have about 500 and it was a big
161challenge for me to um to navigate it socially. Uh I'm still not very good with public speaking, but I grew throughout the theater program as the photographer and I started out because I reached out to Miss Walsh and asked if she would be interested in that and through Miss V and through all the other art teachers such as Mr. Woodard and everyone else that has helped me, including Mancini, you know, organizing all of these things. And this these programs have helped me more than anything else in my life. They have provided an area for me to feel comfortable speaking about the things I'm interested in. They provided areas for me to feel safe talking about any mental issues I have, and they have helped me develop in socially in a way that I don't think
162I could have if I wasn't here. Um, one of the main reasons that I moved to Mthuan over the summer right before 9th grade was specifically for the arts program. It's why I avoided going to Catholic school and why I avoided going to LHS because I wanted to go to Mthuan High because I knew of its arts programs and my cousins had gone here and were talked very highly of it. Without Walsh and without Mancini, I do not think I would be where I am today. I do not think I would be a part of photo club, NHS, stage door 22 and the lights crew of stage door 22. And I don't think I would be where I am academically, socially and in anywhere else in my life. Thank you. [Applause] Hi all, my name
163is Karina Garcia. Um, I've been a resident of Mthuan my entire life. Um, and I'm currently looking to buy a house and move out of my parents house and I would love to continue living within. However, you know, to raise a I'm currently married, um but to continue um to continue looking Mthuan, I wouldn't see a best fit um without arts programs and special needs programs um some of the things that are on the list to be cut right now like title um and all that. Um I'm a guardian for my uh godfather who um has u mental retardation. Um, and he did not get any of these classes or any of this support when he was growing up. Um, and to see now all these young kids while I used to walk through the
164halls of MHS and the marsh um that they feel accepted and you see uh kids in other classrooms run by and give them all high fives um to feel accepted in these programs. Um, but not only that, um, I struggled feeling accepted, um, my entirety of Methua High School. Um, I had become a member of Stage Roar 22, just like all these children have. Um, but, um, during my sophomore year, I had fallen. Um, I suffered a major brain bleed. Um and you know without Joanie Walsh I wouldn't be here today. Um I had dipped so many points. I was one of the highest um students in my grade uh at grade point average and I had taken a severe um drop in my grades and I no longer felt accepted. I no longer felt
165like I had selfworth. Um, but seeing, you know, Miss Walsh, um, she encouraged me every day to keep going. Um, and the same with Cheryl Mancini. Um, every production, every time there was anything to do with fine arts, she would be one of the first ones there, whether she would drag her two little ones or drag her husband. Um, but, um, these are people who matter. you know, no student would come up here if, you know, these people didn't matter to them. Um, and lastly, I would like to talk about um, Miss Alyssa Fluitt, who had um, tragically passed away. Um, she would be the first person who would come up here. She would have been here right on time. She would have been talking up here for 30 minutes um, about the arts programs.
166um and she would be the number one person here um to talk on Mrs. Walsh's behalf or Miss Mancini's behalf or on anybody's behalf. Um she was caring soul and she cares so much about those two. Um and um a family member of mine who passed two years ago, uh Devin Millia, um he tragically committed suicide. And um you know, he cared so much for sports and to get rid of physical education teachers. No one physical education teacher in the lower schools can take care of two full classrooms, 60 children by themselves. You know, anybody who's a parent here has a hard time taking care of maybe two or three children, let alone somebody taking care of 60 people. I mean, 60 people who, you know, would contribute later like myself that I contribute to
167Mthuan and these 60 people you would hope to see contribute continuously contribute to um Methuan public schools. Um, and I just wanted to say that, you know, everybody in this room cares so much, including you folks, about Mthuan, and I appreciate you taking the time to hear us all out. So, thank [Applause] you. Hello, my name is Camden Deleno and I am an eighth grader at the Marsh Grammar School. I'd say my two favorite parts about school is the band and the drama club. Joining band has taught me discipline among many other important life skills. Joining the drama club has taught me how to speak in front of people, perform, and how to be myself. In high school, I would love to participate in the marching band and in stage door 22. I ask you
168to please consider how these cuts will affect the students and the community. Thank you. [Applause] Hello, my name is Casey Deleno and I'm a freshman at Mthuan High School. I just wanted to say something on behalf of the fine arts program because I know for me that theater and band and marching band have grown my confidence um greatly. 6 months ago, I don't think I'd be able to stand up here and talk. But because of the theater programs at the grammar schools and at the um high school, I've grown the confidence to be able to do this. Um it's also taught me many life skills like knowing learning how to analyze like the sets and stuff like that. Um I grew up seeing all of the stage door 22 shows and I knew that that's
169what I wanted to do. Um, I know that many of my peers um came to Methuan High for theater and my favorite part of the day is going to band class and going to theater rehearsal. Uh, thank you. [Applause] We're going to keep going until every voice has been heard. Would you like to speak? And feel free to keep speaking. Hello, my name is Sophia Pi. I'm a sophomore at Mthan High School. um seeking on behalf of the fine arts program and this was not well prepared so I hope you're not sick of the art kids yet. Um um but I started um theater in um middle school. I started as an actor and I moved on to continue it in um high school because that's something I was really interested in. Um I didn't
170know of any theater classes in my freshman year. it wasn't something that was talked about. And so I joined the after school program. I auditioned for my first play um almost main. Um and I think that was the first really big experience I had during theater. Um it taught me perseverance. I didn't get past the auditions and but I knew I wanted to be involved. Um I sent um Walsh and Mr. Vakoli a very kind message saying, "Hey, like I would love to come back. I love this community. I want to be a part of whatever it is. Um, and I'm up here right now, um, for my family. Um, I have two older siblings that have graduated from Metro in high school. Um, and they had they really struggled academically. They didn't um, participate
171in um, extracurriculars and so I wanted to be that voice for them. Um I am currently in my second year of stage managing um for stage door 22. So uh I'm or for the musicals in the place so I get to yell at people for fun. Um um and through that experience as a stage manager, I've learned um leadership. I've learned how special having a community can be. And um I just wanted I wanted you guys to like hear voices and um I wanted to be a part of all this. This is the first time I've been here in this building. This is the first time that I'm speaking in this in such a great audience of people. Um and I want to I want to send out a message so I can be an
172educator for the future of Mthuan and for the future children of Mthuan High School. Thank you. [Applause] My name is Lauri Amo. I work for Mthuan Public Schools and I'm also the mom of two children that attend Mthuan Public Schools. I've worked beside many of you. I've had some of your children. Um, my children have between my two children, we've toured every school here in Mthoan. We've attended every single one and they've all been wonderful. My children have been loved by so many of these people. My children, not just my children, but the children I work with every single day, deserve more than what they're getting right now. If we don't fix this by acknowledging that there's a problem and fixing it from the higher ups all the way down, my little preschoolers are going
173to suffer. The special needs are going to continue to grow. I think we can all admit we weren't very good at co and teaching our kids remotely. They have a lot of needs and without the specialists, those needs are going to continue to grow and it's going to cost us more more money in the city if we don't fix it. And if the children have difficulties, that's going to impact their social and emotional and it's going to put more of a burden on the teachers. It's going to cost more money in um therapists like within the schools. The choices program is amazing. All of our programs that target specific needs are amazing. Um, there are so many children in this community that need services and social and emotional is a huge one. Without the choices
174um program, who are we going to call when a child is having a um is disregulated and is threatening to harm themselves? Who's going to give us their cell phone number for us to call? who's going to be there to help us to help that child. Kathleen Dhy is. She is the one that helps these children every single day. Without theater and fine arts, some of these children have no other outlet to feel included. without special ed, they can't learn and write, and that's going to impact them. We we need to find ways to not make cuts, but to make changes. Our children deserve a change. These poor children have been through so much in their lives. We take these um professional development classes where you show us the little um iceberg and it's got
175the top where it's just a triangle and it's this is how much we see and then you've got the huge iceberg below it. These kids are carrying emotional backpacks that none of us have somebody said earlier and I liked the quote and I'm going to reuse it. I can't give to credit to because I don't know who said it but that these kids are carrying emotional backpacks that we never even dreamed of. So let's make let's not make cuts. Let's make changes. Thank you. [Applause] Hi, my name is My name is Daffhne Caner. I'm a freshman this year at Methuan High School and I have a lot of interestes in the fine arts and theater has been the most important one for me this year. Um, I've taken Mrs. Wash's intro to theater class. And
176I think that that class was so important for me because I saw other kids that weren't originally very into the fine arts who like grew such a nice interest in it and I saw people like learn about it and that was just really really great. And honestly, theater this year has been my best outlet for my emotions and my mental health. It's such a supportive environment for everyone in it. Like anyone can attest to that. It's such a beautiful community and it means a lot to so many people. And I know the budget cuts are a tough decision, but I'm asking please keep the fine arts flourishing. Thank you. Is there anyone else who wishes to speak? Um, I would like to speak, please. Um, my name is Kimberly Andalt. Malachi is my son. He's
177in stage door 22. Um, so I'm not exactly sure who is the responsible party. I thought it was the school committee, then I guess it's the city council, so my comments are directed towards them. Um, I think it's outrageous and disgusting that children and teachers and parents h have to beg for an education. Like that to me is obscene. Um, and to save these extras. I don't think they're extras to to help children learn to read. I don't think that's an extra. Um to appreciate art, I don't think that's an extra because uh one of the speakers um said about how you know art is what is lasting and that was perfectly put. It's so true. And um you know they talk about mental health. Well, what type of impact does it have on these
178children's mental health to be told basically, oh, these things that are so important to you and and that you love so much that they're not important. Therefore, you're not important because that's the message that's being sent to children, whether people want to admit it or not, that they're it's not important. [Applause] And um and as far as uh Joan Walsh is concerned um my son Mal I've personally seen the transformation from him being in stage door 22 the confidence that it has brought to him and and literally like public speaking can literally be in any type of job you know it's it's not just limited to if you want to be an actor and Joan Walsh like it's not a coincidence that all of these children are here when they could be home speaking on
179her behalf. That's not a coincidence. And she should be nominated for teacher of the award year award instead of taking away her position. [Applause] like so you know I don't know whoever the responsible ones are or anything anyone can do but definitely it should be done because I'm sure there's somewhere that money can be taken that's being wasted like children education literally should be last on the list. Thank you. [Applause] Hello, my name is Kaden Pauling and I'm a freshman. And to put it um quite well, being here and being present and seeing all these amazing people who are truly amazing and they're inspiring and they're truly amazing people has not has been nothing more than wonderful. I was so nervous to to even be here because I felt like that it was I was
180just one person. What did it matter that I was here? What did my opinion matter? But it was seeing these people, these people who I've known for years, people I've known and truly grown to hold so dear speak has truly opened my eyes. To tell to say that theater has been an amazing thing would be an understatement. To say that it has truly been a lifecher would be better. Being in this department and being with these amazing and truly inspiring people has been wonderful. And I it's been trying to self-discovery of my own self, self-discovery of my own interest, of what I want to do when I'm old when I'm older. I'm just a f and I'm just a freshman. I have three more I have three more years of my life to decide that.
181And yet now because of this club, I feel like I not only do I fit in, but I feel like I am truly I I feel like I've decided something that like I shouldn't have been I shouldn't have decided I should decide in like three years. But I feel like being in this group and being with these amazing people has truly been eye-ing to every aspect of my life. And it's been a truly wonderful and amazing experience. That is all. [Applause] Is there anyone else who wishes to [Music] speak? If not, we have some written comments that have been submitted. This is from Amanda Smith, 27 Sycamore Road. Good evening. Thank you for the opportunity to send in my written testimony. As a mom of two amazing boys in the Mthuan public schools special education
182programs, I am writing to strongly advocate for consideration to increase the proposed budget for special education for the upcoming school year. At the heart of this conversation is a simple but powerful belief. All students, whether in general education or special education, deserve the opportunity to reach their full potential. That means more than just checking boxes and meeting minimum legal requirements. It means investing in their growth, their well-being, and their future, which I know we're all committed to. Unfortunately, I am concerned that with the current budget, we fall short of addressing even the most basic needs of our students with and without disabilities. And that should concern every one of us. When we talk about equity and access to in education, we cannot leave behind the students who often require the most support. The number of
183students with disabilities alone does not tell the full story. Each child has unique needs, challenges, and strengths. And meeting those individual needs requires more than a one-sizefits-all approach. It requires adequate and sustainable funding. We are risking serious and long-term consequences. Students may experience regression, not just academically, but socially and emotionally. Mental health challenges will intensify. Teachers and support stra staff, already stretched thin, will continue to burn out at an alarming rate. Turnover will increase. Qualified professionals will leave and we will be forced to rely on contracted employees who may not have the same connection or commitment to our school community. We may also see a rise in costly outofd district placements and outsourced services expenses that could be mitigated by investing wisely. Now we need more than just academic support. We need appropriately staffed classrooms.
184We need programs that address social, emotional, and behavioral development. We need consistent and comprehensive training for our staff because the better prepared our educators are, the better outcomes we'll see for all students. The dollars we put into early and effective intervention today will prevent higher costs tomorrow. Our students deserve more the system that asks them to scrape by. They deserve a system that empowers them to thrive. I ask that you on behalf of every student, teacher, and family impacted consider increasing funding from Athan public schools. Let's give every child the chance to succeed. Thank you for your time, consideration, and commitment to our community. [Applause] Stephanie Sorz men, 30 Marjgery uh Street. Dear city council members, my name is Stephanie Sorz Men and I am the medical assistant at the Marsh Grammar School. I unfortunately
185could not attend tonight's meeting as I am coaching one of my daughter's soccer teams tonight. I am writing to you tonight to express my sincere desire to continue in my role. This is my fourth year working as an MA for the Marsh. I am a Methuan resident and my children attend Mthuan public schools. I am an involved member of the community. As I stated earlier, I volunteer and coach for Mthuan youth soccer. I volunteer at any school event that my children are part of as well. In my years working there, I have committed wholeheartedly to my position, working with the safety of the staff and students of the Marsh in mind. As I take great pride in what I do, I have built many relationships over the years with staff, parents, and especially students. I
186have many students at the Marsh that will come into the nurse's office just to see me. I was even asked to be a mentor for one of the students who visit the office regularly. In the last couple years, there has been a lot of staff turnover at the Marsh as far as nurses, but I have remained a constant. I understand that difficult decisions sometimes have to be made regarding staffing and budgeting. However, I hope my contributions, work ethic, and commitment to the school and students can be considered as you deliberate my future employment. My goal is to continue to make a positive difference in our schools and community. I respectfully ask for your consideration and support in preserving my job so that I can continue doing what I love doing, helping and caring for our
187students. Thank you for your time. [Applause] Allison Herald, 33 Westwind Drive. To whom it may concern, my name is Allison Herald and I am the nurse at the marsh along with Christine Thurberge. I have lived my entire adult life in Mthuan. I also have three kids in MPS. Christine was born and raised in Methuan and went to the Marsh. As you can see, we both have a personal connection with Mthuan, the marsh in particular. It is not only disappointing to hear of all the budget cuts that will be occurring in the schools, but also very dangerous as the cuts are looking to get rid of our MA position. Our MA is a vital part of our nursing office, just like that of a PA, being the vital part of a teaching staff. Our MA is
188a Mthun resident and has students in the school system. She is active in the community and unfortunately could not attend this meeting as she volunteers coaching for Mthuan youth soccer. As you can see, the three of us in the nurse's office have only the best interest of our community in mind. Our MA is the face of the office. She greets our students, triages our students, and in many instances, she is the familiar face that the students seek out. Our nursing team fought for an MA for years prior to me starting this position. And since I've worked here, I have said that I could not do my job without my MA. I would not be able to complete my responsibilities without her taking on the roles that she takes on. I feel like removing the MA
189position will for the second time be putting our nursing licenses on the line. We already started the school year with poor staffing before stepping foot into the schools. I am I and I am sure other nurses are not willing to do that again. Not only will be we be losing wonderful and hardworking employees, we are losing mas or staff members who have shown their dedication and work longevity during times such as co. I know that if these changes are implemented, other staff will also be looking to move on from MPS to avoid working in these conditions. There seems to be a disconnect with methoo and retaining good staff. Once it is realized that this was a mistake and it will be realized after all these employees are employed elsewhere and that our schools are not
190safe, who are we going to employ? Contractors who don't know our kids, don't live in our community and cost the city even more funding. Maybe that is being taken. What happens when there are students in the nurse's office and an emergency occurs somewhere and another at the same time? It happens. Do we just leave the kids in the office? Do we ignore the emergency? I have another concern as I have been hearing that some of the classes at Branch Street will be moving to the Marsh next year. This is additional students added to our census. We currently have 1,64 students at the Marsh. We need one staff member in the nursur's office per 500 students. We already went over that this fall. We need two plus staff to be in compliance with our contract. Adding
191more students doesn't warrant few warrant fewer staff. We see anywhere from 65 to 90 students, sometimes up to 100 a day. These kids are becoming more medically fragile in the school setting and deserve the proper medical treatment in the school. I do not feel that the city council fully understands that these budget cuts mean to our students and our future. These students are the future residents and employees of Methuan who will eventually leave Mthuan to go to towns and cities that put their children's needs and safety first. That is not what we are doing here in Methuan. Do better, Mthuan. [Applause] Lin Raza, 14 Campbell Street. Good evening. I am unable to attend tonight's meeting due to a prior engagement. However, I am writing out of support for Mrs. Kamar, one of the Donald P.
192Timiny Grammar lower school gym teachers. It was brought to my attention last week that there is a strong possibility that Mrs. Kamar may be bumped to another school due to budgeting issues. So, I'm asking the school committee to please find room in the budget to keep her at our school having three children attend this school. I have observed Mrs. Kamar over the over years several times. She treats both the children and parents all with respect. It is not uncommon to witness Kayla being greeted with hugs or high fives from multiple children during parent drop off. Tim certainly has had its fair share of issues. However, one thing I have always bragged about is how amazing all the teachers are at this school. They are so passionate, caring, and attentive. The children who attend the Timony
193Grammar School may not have the cleanest or newest building, but they have great dedicated teachers. Kayla is the perfect example of this. Just the other day, my son came home extremely upset that his older brother had lost an item of clothing during gym. The next day, not only did Mrs. Kamar recognized that my child was upset. She took the time to look and found it for him. I would also like to add that one gym teacher overlooking two classes simultaneously is not only impossible, but it is also a safety concern. Even though Mr. D is also a great teacher, he will not be able to keep engaged and pay attention to approximately 40 children at the same time. They need another gym teacher. They need Mrs. Kamar. Please find some room in the budget to
194allow Kayla to stay at the Timony Grammar School. I can promise she will be highly missed by the staff, children, and parents alike. Thank [Applause] you. Sarah Cordderero, 12 Observatory Road. Dear Methuan School committee members, as a multilingual learner, teacher and a mother of two students currently enrolled in Methuan public schools, I was disheartened to hear of the numerous proposed personnel cuts being made at our schools. I find these cuts both alarming and detrimental to the quality of education and support of our students our future deserve. Cutting staff is not a sustainable answer to our current budget crisis. With a proposal that includes more than 48 people being cut and almost 80 positions, we are setting schools up for failure. The choice to cut positions sends a message to our community that our students, teachers,
195and other school personnel are not a priority. These cuts will inevitably lead to larger class sizes and fewer resources, widening the learning gaps our schools are working so hard to close. The proposed cuts would cover a variety of specialties and content areas. However, I will focus on three categories of cuts that are being made in our school that are aligned with the district priorities. Reading specialists, English language education personnel in the arts. Before continuing, I think it's important to restate and remind those listening to the reading of this letter of the district's strategic objectives and priorities for district improvement, which can be found on the MPS website. The first is to accelerate literacy development and language acquisition across all subject areas. The second is to reduce opportunity and achievement gaps between student groups to improve
196outcomes. And finally, to enhance partnerships with students and families to increase connectivity, engagement, and belonging. Reading specialists are not a luxury for our schools. They are essential. Literacy is the cornerstone of all learning, and without targeted support, struggling readers are at risk of falling behind further. By cutting reading specialists, we are narrowing futures and limiting opportunities for our children before they've even begun. Is this in alignment with our district's goal to accelerate literacy development and language acquisition across all subjects? Will this help the district reduce opportunity and achievement gaps between student groups to improve outcomes? I don't think so. The elimination of multilingual learner staff sends a clear message to our multilingual students and families that their voices and identities are not a priority. According to the accountability data provided on the DOE website, multilingual
197learners students make up 19.4% of Methuan student population and students whose first language is not English makes up 33.7%. Multilingual learners, educators are vital in ensuring equity, access, and inclusion for a growing population of learners who deserve every opportunity to thrive. Will this enhance our students our district's partnership with students and families to increase connectivity, engagement, and belonging? I don't think so. Equally distressing is the reduction of arts programming. The arts aren't something extra. They are expression, exploration, and emotional growth. For many students, the arts are a lifeline and a vital way for them to establish their identities and belong. Studies have shown that numerous benefits that music, visual arts, and theater have on academic achievement, mental health, and social emotional development. How is that for increasing engagement and belonging? Exactly. As Nelson Mandela once
198said, there can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children. Right now, our children are watching. Our children are on the receiving end of the effects of your decisions. We must invest in our children, not in just in words, but in [Applause] action. We are running up against the 900 p.m. time limit for tonight's meeting. So, we need a motion and a second to continue the meeting past 9. Second. Motion from member Wlette, second from member Shabilia. All those in favor? I opposed. Okay. Pass to Mayor Board and the members of the school committee. My name is Kevin Labour and I'm a seventh grade math teacher, math and science teacher at the Marsh Grammar School. I also I'm also a two 2009 Methuan High graduate and
199went to receive a bachelor's degree in finance and later a master's degree in finance. I chose to enter college as a business major because of one class I took in my senior year in Mthuan, personal finance and money management. This class introduced me to financial topics which I was immediately interested in. I was elated to see the proposed addition of the additional CTE marketing teacher as it would introduce more of our students to business concepts and expose them to more potential careers and opportunities. I have seen posts on Facebook regarding the growth and popularity of CTE business programs currently being offered to our students. More recently, I've heard discussions at the school committee meetings highlighting the success of our students at the DECA competition in which five of our students earned the opportunity to compete
200at the national level. I was disheartened to see that the proposed marketing position was on the list of positions to be reduced next year. Every year I introduce my students to the concept of investing and the stock market and every year I get genuine engagement in the topic. What 12 and 13year-old doesn't dream of becoming rich when they're older? I believe giving more students the opportunity to take business courses at Methuan High would only be a net benefit to them. A recent school committee meeting showed that the addition that adding two CTE teachers would increase the chapter 74 funding that Mthuan would receive for fiscal year 27 budget by more than $1 million. A small investment in those programs now would pay huge dividends in the future. This money could help fund other positions in
201the future and would be a boon to Methuan seemingly annual budget issues. I understand these budget decisions are dis difficult and allocating funds for new positions is even more difficult. However, I see the decision to keep the proposed marketing teacher as a win-win. Mthuan secures more funds for a future budget and more of our students have the opportunity to take a course that could influence the direction of the rest of their lives. Respectfully submitted, Kevin [Applause] Labour, Kayla Kamara, Tim Lower School physical education teacher. Good evening, members of the school committee. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak with you tonight. I come before you not just as a concerned community member, but as someone who deeply believes in the well-being and future of our students. I understand that difficult budget decisions are
202on the table. However, I must express my strong opposition to any proposal that would involve cutting physical education teachers from our schools. Doing so would not only diminish the quality of education we provide, it would also have serious and lasting impacts on the health, development, and academic success of our students. Physical education is not just about exercise. It's about teaching kids how to care for their bodies, manage stress, work as a team, build and build resilience. It's where many students discover the value of discipline, the thrill of achievement, and sometimes even their first sense of confidence. PE classes are often one of the few times during the day when students get to move, breathe fresh air, and reset mentally. This is not a luxury. This is a necessity. Study after study has shown that regular
203physical activity improves cognitive performance. Students who are physically active tend to have better concentration, improved behavior, and stronger academic performance. Cutting PE would be cutting into of the very core of what helps our students succeed in the classroom. Let's not forget the health crisis in our c our country is facing. Rising rates of childhood obesity, anxiety, and depression. PE teachers are on the front lines of fighting these issues. They're not just teaching students how to do jumping jacks. They're teaching them how to live healthier, happier lives. I ask you, what message does it send if we tell our students that physical health and wellness are not priorities? That in the face of financial difficulty, the first things to go is the teacher who encourages them to move, to play, and to grow. Cutting PE teachers
204may look like a cost-saving measure on paper, but it comes at a much greater cost to our students, one that we will all bear in the long term. I urge you to find another way. Let's protect the people who help shape strong bodies, confident minds, and healthy futures. Let's stand up for our students, every part of them. Thank [Applause] you. The choices team, Tim Grammar School, to Dr. Kong, the members of the school committee, and city leadership, we appreciate the opportunity to speak on behalf of the choices program. We are writing to express deep concerns over the potential remover of the choices program teacher and to urge you to reconsider this decision for the well-being of our students, staff, and community. The choices teacher plays a critical role in supporting our students with social, emotional,
205and behavioral needs. These students require targeted interventions, consistent emotional support, and specialized behavioral strategies to succeed not only academically, but socially and emotionally as well. This role is essential. Removing a choices teacher would have profound negative impact on our school and district. It could potentially present concerns related to overall student well-being, compliance with state and federal mandates, and the long-term financial efficiency of our district. Without sufficient staff, we will see slower response times and urgent situations potentially affecting the well-being of students and staff. increased difficulty meeting IEP services, putting the district at risk of being out of compliance with legal requirements, especially during crisis interventions or necessary timeouts. Fewer trained professionals are available to deescalate situations and respond in real time to students needs. Increase in spending due to out of district placements. With a
206with the appropriate interventions and guidance, many of these students are able to succeed within the general education environment. This approach not only benefits students by keeping them in familiar and inclusive setting, but it is also far more cost-effective. On average, outofd district placements cost approximately $63,000 per student per year, which does not include transportation. Taking away a special education teacher on the top of the crisis interventionist will it strain our capacity to manage behavioral incidents effectively. That will further undermine our ability to serve students in high demand. While student numbers may fluctuate from month to month, there is always a steady pipeline of students entering the choices program. It is not uncommon for us to lose one or two students only to gain three or four within the same period. The student teacher ratio does
207not always reflect how much time a student needs beyond their IEP minutes each day or how many staff members are needed to support their success. The Choices program is a lifeline for students with significant emotional and behavioral needs. With the right supports, many of these students are able to remain in district and successfully participate in general education settings. Without adequate staffing, we feel that it would put the district in a position to limit the number of students we can accept into the program, which has not been the case in the past. We are also dangerously close to being out of compliance with IEP services during this crisis. When students are escalated, they often require additional staff to assist with regulation strategies, timeouts, and behavior plan inter implementation. Without the appropriate staff in place, we risk
208violating federal and state special education law, opening the district to legal action in costly compensatory services. The Choices team includes some of the district's most highly trained CPI staff. But when short staffed, they can always respond in time, turning manageable issues into potential crisis. Their support extends beyond the classroom, helping families navigate communication with schools and medical providers, ensuring consistent care and strong family partnerships. Removing a teacher from this program would not only undermine the progress our students have made, it would risk reversing it. It would stretch the remaining staff beyond their capacity, reducing the effectiveness of interventions and jeopardize the very sustainability that allows our students to grow and succeed. Special education is in high demand, and our program is the largest and most effective social, emotional, and behavioral support program in the district.
209Investing in this program is not only a matter of compliance or cost savings. It's a matter of doing what's right for our students, our school, and our future. Thank you for your time and consideration. I urge you to prioritize the needs of our students and retain choices teacher position that is so vital to our district's [Applause] success. This is from Hillary Steel. Members of the school committee, I am writing as a concerned parent and proud member of the Mthuan community to express my deep opposition to the proposed cuts to the fine arts program in our schools, as well as the alarming reduction of staff that will inevitably result in larger class sizes. These measures are not just budget decisions. They are decisions that will have long lasting impact on our children's educational experience, emotional well-being,
210and future opportunities. Cutting vital programs such as theater, band, chorus, art, and even essential classes like wellness is not only short-sighted but detrimental. These disciplines are more than electives. They are lifelines for many students. Fine arts programming engages diverse learners. Many students who struggle in traditional academic settings find inspiration, motivation, and success through the arts. Improves academic performance. Numerous studies confirm that students involved in the arts score higher on standardized tests than perform and perform better in core subjects. Provides creative and emotional outlets. These programs allow students to process their emotions, manage stress and express themselves constructively. Prepares for the future opportunities. Careers in arts and entertainment begin with foundational education in schools. By removing these pathways, we limit our students futures. fosters cultural awareness and innovation. The arts teach the arts teach students to
211think critically, respect diverse perspectives and innovate skills essential in rapidly evolving world. Additionally, increasing classroom sizes by cutting staff is not an effective or compassionate solution. Larger classrooms do not equal better outcomes. In fact, they exacerbate inequalities and hinder learning, especially for students still struggling to catch up from the effects of CO 19 pandemic. Using the pandemic as continued excuse for learning gaps while simultaneously removing the programs that help close those gaps is not only contradictory, it's irresponsible. I must also strongly question the repeated comparison between Mthuan and Malden. These comparisons are not only invalid but also misleading. Maldin benefits from multiple brand new elementary school facilities, while many of Mthuan's buildings are in deplorable condition. Furthermore, Maldin's upper administration salaries are significantly lower than ours. Their superintendent earns approximately $20,000 less than MLAN's despite
212having better infrastructure and resources. We are not comparable, and it's time we stop pretending we are. We need to do better for our children. They deserve access to a complete, equitable, and enriching education, not one that is diminished by short-term budget fixes. The long-term cost of these cuts will be far greater than any financial savings they claim to offer. I urge you to reconsider these cuts. Our children's futures depend on it. That's [Applause] it. At this time, I will close public participation. If you cannot make a meeting in person for public participation, you can send an email to Martha Soy at masir ois mthuan.k12.mma us before 3 p.m. on the day of a school committee meeting. Next on the agenda is uh superintendent the uh presentation or I guess the review uh this is going
213back to Monday night's meeting regarding uh the uh financial impact of the contracts. As part of that discussion, uh there was the point made about simply posting them on the website for the sake of transparency. I'm not sure if you have anything else to add. We do. I I have the figures that I can read into the record for the impact for the uh four years of each of the contracts, which I think is what we're we want to do, right? [Music] So for uh unit A first for FY25, we had already accounted for steps uh at the beginning of the school year. So it was a cola increase of 1.3 uh 1,34,877. FY26 for COLA would be1,662 uh,251.32. FY27 COLA is $2,38,2012. FY28 the COLA is 1,689,1549. And then we also have steps and
214longevity as part of that impact. So I'll just go through those. Um steps in longevity for FY25 again were already assumed uh at the onset of the school year. FY26 uh the steps increase was 1 1,824,2144. The step increase for FY27 is 2,30,853. Uh I I'm like seeing numbers and tired. I'm sorry. 48. Uh FY281,853,27.15. And then the longevity increase for unit A FY26 is $348,650. FY27 $233,500. FY28283 283,000. I know that was a lot of detail, but okay. So, uh, unit C, uh, I could do the same thing. Is that So, um, FY, uh, 25 for a COLA increase wasund I'm trying to read that. That's a different 1,77,000354. Uh FY263 $361,161 FY27364 Thank you $292. FY28 is $364, $292 for step increases. Uh there was no uh additional increases for this year. Uh
215next year it was $67,500. FY27 would be 131,000 correct sorry 131,443 for FY28 $99,349 and then lastly we have longevity increases for FY26 for unit C it's 46,200 FY27 is 4,000 and FY28 is 000. They do have totals. Does that make sense to read the totals or not? Do we have any questions? I have the totals for unit A and C. I should have read the totals. Okay. What do you I think on Monday night the the goal was to simply disclose uh that information. So, okay. Um I think that will suffice for this part of the agenda. Uh next we're going to move on to uh continued discussion regarding uh the fiscal year 26 preliminary budget. Uh I just want to share at the outset to guide the discussion um some background as it
216relates to process. Uh so um as part of the budget process, the school department requested of the city a preliminary target number for fiscal year 26 which the city provided to the school department and on the basis of uh that target number which is subject to certainly change. Um the uh school department then uh the central administration I should say uh produced this rundown of potential uh reductions that uh could potentially be on the table. Uh however um I want to just state as well that the city council is not involved in the process yet. Uh they will be uh down the road. Uh but nevertheless, I think there's been an issue uh with uh messaging as it relates to uh the potential reductions. The school committee hasn't taken a single vote yet. I just
217want everybody to keep that in mind that no official actions have been taken by uh this committee and this is all quite preliminary and I have additional commentary that I'll share just from my perspective but I at least wanted to guide the discussion by uh sharing that uh update as it relates to process just so everybody's on the same page. uh discussion questions from the committee regarding the budget. Member will I I think we all had concerns about the timeline of the release of information and the the horse had left the barn and I know that the superintendent had sent an email to the population apologizing for that part of the process. Um I'm not going to criticize her because I think her heart is in the right direction. I want to just compliment the
218students here tonight, the parents and the teachers for the speeches that they gave. I want to commend you personally because this was very healthy to have all these parties be given an opportunity to speak freely about something that's very passionate to them in terms of the budget. I just want to emphasize that this is a very early stage of the budget. We will go through multiple conversations. We will have separate proposals, scenarios, and options. We will still get feedback from the state. And I want to commend Representative Ryan Hamilton for being present here tonight. I think he did receive the message that on two fronts. On chapter 70, we are grossly underfunded. Um, if you look at Mass Budget, and I recommend anybody going on to that website, $465 million just to fully account for
219inflation for chapter 70. That impacts our district and neighboring districts. And also, Representative Hamilton, he represents Mthoran and Haveril as gateway communities. I know he's going to be on the forefront of uh supporting amendments to that process. The other element and hopefully we'll receive information and updates is that the supplemental budget with the circuit breaker is going to be a lifeline to us not only for the transportation but also for the back fill through the supplemental budget through the fair share uh process the house budget. So those are two things that I believe are very positive. I think collectively, regardless of party, we all support the universal meals program. We have to provide meals for these children to go to school, breakfast, and lunch. So, I think this was very healthy tonight. I think we
220will continue to have um good collaboration with the mayor's office and with the cafo and the superintendent on an individual basis. I welcome emails and conversations. I will meet separately at Heavenly Donuts or any location with any parent, teacher, student regarding this process. Um, there's options for me to explore. We have two surplus buildings that potentially could be sold, but I represent one voice, one vote. We have the possibility again I might talk about the user fees and that's something we might want to approach with the uh the parents and the students that are impacted by these services. We're talking about the transportation. We'll have a separate discussion on that. I am open to meeting any time. You know again we're going into school vacation week. I am open to meeting any time. I want
221to commend you. um you put a lot onto your shoulders going into the mayor's office, okay? There was a lot of deficiencies and I'm not going to blame the prior school committees. I'm not going to blame the prior school administration or the current one. It's something that we have to tackle as a community. And it's a fluid situation. There will be compromises. There will be sacrifices. There'll be tough decisions, but that's what we do in this country. And this was very healthy tonight. So, I just want to say that for the record. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Mr. uh Mr. Chair. I don't know why I got pointed to. I I Oh, okay. I was just joking. It's calm down, Mr. Wlette. Um I want to talk about the custodial staff off the the
222highlighted. Okay. Right off the bat when I looked at the budget and I looked at these first cuts, the first two I saw again was the custodian staff and we just if the yellow highlighted right that Yeah. And if I'm correct, that is from me reading. I tell my students all the time to make sure they read the directions. Um the yellow is like the first primary cuts that you think I just I'm not I'm not sure but is it helpful if I just go through the few slides that we've prepared for today? We do that first so then I can make Yeah, I think there there's context behind all of this. I think that's important and important for all of us is if that's Yeah. Okay. Um so uh the slides that you have
223that have been posted have information current information and again the mayor has already stated uh the allocation that's been given could potentially change. I think we are um I I said it to my staff. I'll say it in record today. We are going to have a little bit of a marathon uh session tomorrow afternoon. Uh Miss McCarthy, Mr. Goslin, the mayor and the cafo and I um to again continue the work that we're doing to be creative to look at different options. Uh we will continue to do that uh as much as we need to in the coming weeks. Um one of the things that is a challenge uh and I just it it the timeline is a challenge, right? We we don't have uh weeks and months. we're not going to have a state
224budget complete until uh after the course of our completing a a budget together. So, uh we all recognize that and again we've all said that we will continue to work together with these discussions here at the school committee and then with the mayor and the cafo. Um, so that's uh information in a little bit of a different way than uh was given to us just because it there was more information that was given to us from the mayor's office. Uh, but this puts it in a little bit of a simpler um presentation and understanding. So, I don't know if there's any questions about just the numbers in general or any comments about the numbers. Um just based again like you said based on the house numbers because I've said in prior meetings we have a
225house budget then a forthcoming Senate budget. They're going to have to reconcile that differences in the conference budget. Then the governor has the final say and could do a line item veto and we could have overrided either house or senate. So it's still a fluid situation. Based on tenatively the House numbers, could we get within the next few days a report of the minimal school aid, the circuit breaker, how the supplemental budget is going, how that would impact us? I think those are major issues we talked about during prior meetings. Yeah. So, uh, we will get, uh, usually our, uh, MASS association, Roger Hatch from DESIE, will do a breakdown of the house budget and if it changes anything from the governor's budget. So, I will certainly forward that along once we get that. He
226does the whole breakdown. Okay. And I I we should He does it pretty quickly. So, if the House budget came in, I imagine we'll have it in the next day or two. Okay. To see if there's an impact for us, which it sounds like there may be. So, that's helpful. Other questions just about the numbers. Um, so one of the the surprising things to me on this one is the non-net school spending um that affects transportation. I have never seen um in the past few years and I I don't know when was the last time that the city number came in below our net spending to cover transportation because I've I haven't seen that. So I'm just wondering when the last time that has happened. I haven't seen it in my 10 years here. So,
227so in the past 10 years, you've never seen the non-net spending not be what we need from the city. Okay. I just wanted to be sure of that. Thanks. Uh, two questions piggybacking first off of member Keegan. Looking at this, we are over non-net by about $2.4 million. However, we are shy 2.2 2 million on our non-net, which means we're going to have to essentially steal from Peter to pay Paul. So steal from our net school spending allocations to to put into buses, right? So we're not truly 2.4 million over on net school spending because I mean we got to balance that somehow or we have to cut busing somehow. So we are it it does get again this is so look at the bottom uh graph if you would. The net school spending includes
228our operating numbers, right? The budget that we present to you, plus the chargebacks, which include things like health insurance, uh any services from the city that uh is applied to the school department. That's going to be my second school spending. By the way, um if for our next packet or even for just general distribution, this $23.4 $4 million of chargeback. Do you have that broken down? Um, we we got uh the CAFO has one from FY25 uh that we did receive. I I assume the 1.7 is an increase in health insurance because that right based on the size of the right about 16 million I think of that is health insurance. 16 million of the 23 at this point is health insurance. The rest is services. Yeah. I would I would love to be able
229to see what the chargebacks are. Yep. Does that Did I answer your question though? So net school spending is our operating budget plus the chargebacks which include spending from the school department under health insurance services from the city, right? The school service officers. But then there's our non-net which you you folks are anticipating is going to cost us 11.7 and that's that's busing. That's what that is. That's both regular ed and special education. all of our busing. But with the city's proposed budget of 9.4, we're 2,293,542 off of that number, which means if if we as a committee choose to keep busing as is for the community, we need to kind of move some of this money around. So essentially, our our net school spending is going to decrease. So, so I don't see it
230like that. I see it as we have to think of them as two different things, which is why we have to talk about busing and how do we decrease that amount and that's what the additional handout I gave you, which has been a question of what are we going to do when the walkouts and the safety. Uh so I do have that as an additional handout that if there was time tonight, we would talk about um and then net school spending. I don't I don't think um it won't be cross over. I mean there is uh the CAFO and the mayor made it very clear like here's the money you can go you know like we can move it in between um but I don't think that is in the best interest of what we're
231trying to do agree because I don't want to go farther uh reduce uh our net school spending any further that's where this is all happening right so we want to look at two different sort of what is happening in our operating budget here together and then what is happening with our transportation over here. Just my concern with that becomes now we're looking at a reduction in busing which is more than likely going to have an impact on absentee rates. So it's it's just a another complicated unfortunate situation we are now being forced to tackle. It is and we're we're um the this excuse me the the handout I gave you uh I do have slides to show again if we get to that tonight if if not it would be on the 28th um that
232we would go through it and at that point have more information even at the 28th about busing and so we could save that more detailed conversation for then um but but yeah it's it's really complicated in the sense of which we've already talked about here it's not just a mile walk out or a mile and half walk out because now Mr. Goslin actually has to sit in a room uninterrupted and go street by street, right? Because the folks at Dispatch at NRT don't know our individual streets. We do. So, they have to go street by street and say, "Is it safe? Is it safe for kids to even though it's a mile from the marsh, walk on Forest Street?" I think we'd all agree no. Right. And so, take that off the list. Right. So
233that's what we have to go through right now which is pretty painstaking. Um so like that mile walk out mile and a half walk out what that legal requirement is is not just a blanket this is how it's done. Um so there is some detail that he's working with the um bus company folks on right now what that walk out is how many kids are in there uh within that sort of range to look at uh to see what our options are. So I do I mean by the by the 28th I do expect to have at least how many buses are we talking and is it is it significant if we do X if we do Y keeping in mind the safety factor that we're not going to have kids walking on certain streets
234without the sidewalks those are also now we're talking Forest Street Palm Street Pleasanton Valley Street High Street Milk street. Less street. Yeah. I mean, we put our schools in the most inconvenient places around all of the dangerous roads. We need to move them all. Sorry. Again, there's there's kids that live in lots of different places within that mile. So, it's again, it's just looking through sort of that individual, their address, what's is there sidewalks on both, and do we want them crossing certain streets? Because depending on where they are as well, we don't want them crossing certain streets to get to the other side to pick up the bus either, right? So there's all of those factors. Okay. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Quick question. The $16 million for like health insurance, did I hear that
235correctly? The six for the chargebacks. Yeah. Is that included retirees? Yeah. Quick question, and I and I'm just hearing this. Um, it only allows teachers 10 years into the district and then if they were to retire at 55, they get 10 years 80% of their insurance covered. Is that the current HR director's behind you? Maybe she can help. I'm not sure exactly what you're asking. So any any staff member that enters um into either the mass teachers retirement or the city retirement is eligible to carry forward our health insurance from their retirement allowance. And that could be at any time like how long do they have to be in the district? There's no requirement at that at this time. Okay. Thank you. Okay, keep going. Other questions, discussion? We are going to have several more
236meetings. So, keep going. Are we good? So, um the next slide is information that you already have and have already seen. Uh this is where we started and again I will repeat and I've repeated it several times at the school committee uh meetings publicly. I reiterated in the email I sent today to to our staff. My my role is to advocate for what the schools need and to present that to you every year fully understanding that there are some things of that budget that are not going to be feasible to fund. I've said that at every budget workshop we've had. I am not looking to bankrupt the city. I am looking to work together and find a better way to do this. So, so while we started here, we knew that this was going to
237be high and we had we didn't have information even about our federal funding, right? There was a lot of unknowns on March 24th, even to where we are today. Uh that has changed pretty dramatically. that is uh part of what we are looking at here in tonight's um slides and information. So again, this isn't anything new. I basically just copied this as a a starting point. This is where we started. This is where we are now. So uh here are some of the steps that uh we've taken thus far potential to um reduce that gap, right? And so this is another chart that is also not new to you. This is something that I shared on March 24th to look at it and say what would it be if we were zero net right so
238zero uh net increase of staff what would it look like our leadership team the principles that are here tonight uh the administration that's here tonight did the same thing we have grueling meetings about what is it that we would we're we're asking for things we know would are going to make our schools uh shine and better and academics and focus and social emotional all those things. Nobody wants to sit in that room and talk about reducing things that we truly believe in our careers and our dedication and our passion for education and students that we want to put on a list. Nobody wants to do that. I can I can those meetings are grueling. So this is the one that we presented at the first uh workshop. The yellow highlighted after we sat the second
239time those yellow positions were changed and for good reason because different conversations were happening. One impacted the other. Um there were uh very productive conversations. There was a lot of emotion. There was a lot of data being looked at. uh to figure out case loads uh for different uh programming that we were looking at. Some positions were new requests. Again, new requests sometimes take the forefront because we're not talking about the people we currently have. Uh which also is a challenge, right? And then uh you know, keeping the people we have is certainly our priority um is certainly our priority. So there are some changes. I think member Daglio, this is the chart that you were just referring to. So I'd be happy to answer questions there. And they replaced something. So I would say
240there was something there. We didn't add a new um position to this chart. We just replaced it. So um Dr. So you when the yellow highlighted because again I I thought the next list was just additional cuts if we had made it. So with this y the yellow highlight though we are planning if if was to vote on this would be the first thing you would request right to cut is custodian staff is what's on this chart. Yes. So that's where I have an issue with especially with we just cleaned up the schools and Mr. Mr. Mayor if you mind you you sent the email from the health inspector if I'm correct he said on number 10 I raised the concern that our current custodian staff levels are approximately 20 positions lower than they were
241than our student population was 15% smaller. I believe this staffing reduction has been a key factor contributing to the current conditions in our schools and has placed an unsustainable burden on the custodial team leading to the feelings of being overwhelmed and underappreciated. Rather than focusing on assigning blame, I believe it is important to examine the root causes of these challenges. I am encouraging the school district to actively engage in our contract negotiations that prioritize increasing custodial staff levels. Doing so would be a meaningful step forward towards supporting our facilities and the staff who maintain them. If I'm correct, that was from the health inspector. So right off the bat when our health inspectors are telling us that we need custodian staff, I think it's kind of irresponsible for that to be considered the first considered
242cut when we just did all these cleanings and the city side that has been very well working with us is saying we need to increase that. So that I believe like we always say it's a want and a need. Well, I'm going to go off from the city side of this now that has been doing the schools. This is a need. Not a want. This is a need for our schools to make sure our teachers are in clean environments and that our children is in clean environments. So, I'm going to say right off the bat, and again, we'll be going around to talk about this. I don't think this would be considered responsible of us to even consider cutting the first steps. That should be the last time, the last thing we cut moving forward.
243That's all I have to say about that. And I would certainly say, member Dagley, I don't disagree with you, but what takes its place, that's the difficult conversation, right? It's the this is the when we sit in a room and look at numbers and process I I and people right the people who are who are you know in our buildings I don't disagree with you it it's the decisions and the conversation that we're going to have of what takes its place then instead uh to get to to close this gap and get closer to what where we need to be. Maxwell Um, so I all of these positions are needed, right? They're all needed. Every single one of them, even on the additional potential staff reductions, I would like to see more positions that would
244not directly affect the kids. If it makes the adults jobs a little bit harder, so be it. It's not going to affect the kids. the custodians. We need the custodians. The special ed teachers, we need the special ed teachers. Fine arts, we need fine arts. I I don't know where the cuts need to be made, but I do know that other districts that we compare ourselves to with the same amount of students, with the same amount of special ed, with the same amount of transportation, with the same amount of everything are $30 million less than the budget we are proposing. So, other school districts are doing it with us, which makes me concerned with what we're doing with our money. Um, none of these positions are executive positions. Um, I mean, I know that some
245of them say new, new, vacant, new, new, retirement, but none are directly taking someone's job as the rest of these positions are. Um, I don't think that there needs to be three, four executive s assistants at Central. I don't think that there needs to be four executive positions at the high school. And I know I I know I'm just a no one, so I don't really know what positions to cut, but I do know that the positions that are being proposed to cut are dramatically going to affect our kids in every in every which way. No kid is gonna be able to succeed in a class with 27 kids. It's just not going to happen. Could you potentially succeed without an assistant? Maybe. Could you potentially succeed without a secretary? Probably. And we're cutting gym
246teachers instead of secretaries. It's going to make your job harder. Or that on the list though. No, no, I know. I'm just saying like I'm I'm using you as an example cuz you're like the top tier, but like those positions aren't even being considered and the No, it isn't. The only reason it's considered is cuz she's retiring. It doesn't count. She's not taking jobs. She's taking jobs from people that are that are active with the kids. Those are the positions that we're looking at. Malden, which we say is our most comparable district with size and all of that, does it for $90 million. Why do we need $127 million? I I would love to see the audit results because I I I don't think that this is a contribution problem. I think that this is
247a spending problem. I think that we are allocating the money in the wrong departments. That's where I stand. I support the teachers. I support the parents. I do not support this budget. And I did not support last year's budget because there were cuts being made to. So we got to change this. All 48 of these positions need to be reconsidered. So who who are you talking about? Principles and APS and in what when you're saying who else we cut? I I'm just unclear of who else are we cutting? I I mean I don't I don't know who else we're cutting. I know that you know it's not a necessity to have world language in middle school. I know that um Maldin has one K through8 humanities supervisor for their entire district. I know that they
248also have one STEM supervisor for their entire district. We have four. We don't need four. So, I think that we have positions that we don't we don't have a STEM yet. It's on this pres proposed list. We don't need it. Other districts do it without it. We need to put responsibility. We have a we have a you know investigation bullying um I don't know what their position is. I don't know what it's actually called but we have less than 47 cases of bullying that are founded unfounded or not founded or whatever. We have 7,000 kids in the district. We're paying $68,000 on a salary that only hands us 50 kids. That's a problem. We need we need to we need to focus on those positions. That's I don't know if that's me as a mom
249speaking. I don't know if that's me as a person speaking or me as a school committee speaking, but these aren't good enough. These aren't going to do it. These are going to affect the kids. Huge. I'm not I'm not on board for that. So, that's that's all I have to say. I just wanted to make it very clear that I I don't support this budget at all. The 40 that are on this page, these are all from the original proposal that were all net new. Correct. Not all, but many. I mean, it says new next to that. Those were all some of the ones that were new. And then we have some vacant positions here. We're just not going to fill. So, like, I'm looking at the media teachers, which say new, but like I
250know there are media teachers at the Marsh and the Tenny right now because those are the two schools I'm most familiar with. Those are tech teachers. We're talking about the library. We put those in the That was something that was asked for us to present. Oh, so when you say media teacher, you mean media? Yeah. Okay. Not the Not the K4 tech teachers. Yeah, we call them tech teachers. Oh, kids call them media teachers. Okay. Well, yeah, that's that's how it's on the schedule, unfortunately, for us anyways. Yeah. Um, but I mean like there's a a kindergarten teacher in yellow at the marsh and I know we've talked about it in the past with Miss Bozac at previous meetings that there are a whole bunch of kids coming up from Branch Street that are going
251to the marsh next year. Is that is that accurate or am I is that has that changed? Am I misremembering? for the substantially separate program. Is it is it going to be substantially separate or is it going to be it's the substantially separate program that we talk about when we talk about the kinder the preschool students currently that are transitioning over to kindergarten pathways? Yes. So, does this mean we're we're losing a kindergarten teacher or we don't need one? that if if we reduced by another kindergarten teacher, it would be I think we're still under 20 in kindergarten at the Marsh like 19.5 if I remember correctly. The the CTE supervisor, is that required under chapter 74? Is that going to have an impact on our ability to bring in revenue? Yeah, I think for
252that one, Dr. and I have been talking about uh we would have to have a CTE supervisor uh to bring in a fifth program which we're at the final stages of the broadcasting uh program being certified as chapter 74. Uh so we're trying to look at a creative way to do that because that that position generates what's something like a million bucks. Yeah, it's certainly not going to cost us a million bucks. So like for me that one is something I would like to see focused on because in the very near term it revenue generates for the department. Like I I get I don't want to cut I don't I don't want to cut anything. Nor do we I mean no nobody does like you know what I mean but right it's it's tough. I
253mean and I I agree with the comment made that maybe we don't focus on language in the upper schools uh foreign language. Maybe we have to explore the option of having district focus supervisors for humanities for STEM and maybe that way we can have one for each or maybe it's two. One covers two schools, one covers the other two. You know, it's it's these these creative ways because we're we're looking at cutting a lot of things. We're we're talking about putting 50 kids in a gym class. Yeah. Can you hold that thought though? Cuz I want to that's not quite the case, but And then I mean we're we're looking at lower school health, which it looked like across the board if I remember correctly. And I mean, we're talking about how our kids are
254disregulated and we're short and that's the class that's teaching them how to do it. I mean, I could literally go through this entire list and justify every single one, which I know you can, too, and so can everyone else at this table, right? And I I I think it's tough because no matter what we do, we're going to send a budget to the city council and whether they accept it or take it back to us, it's what the school requested. This is not what the school requested. This is what the school is being forced into. And I I haven't quite been able to rationalize that in my mind yet. But I just I want to make sure that before we cut any classroom teachers, we get a clear depiction of what those classroom sizes will
255be. And I I'll hold the rest for later. So I can go through this list and I can cherrypick every single position on here and I can tell you how important Cheryl Mancini is to this district. And I can tell you that she shouldn't be cut. And I can tell you that having two kids in the choices program through the years, how could you possibly even consider cutting those positions? Because I know how disregulated those kids get and I know how many staff members one crisis can take. I mean, I've walked into a school with my kid and there's at least eight staff members trying to manage my child. So, I understand what those positions mean and I understand the impact of how disregulated kids can get. How can we how can we do that?
256So, I can go through every single one of these positions and tell you why we shouldn't be cutting them, but I want to hear from the principles and who came up with this list and why they think they can do without these positions in their buildings because I I can go through every single one of them and make a a case for it, but I'm not the one living in that building and having to manage that building without these positions. And so I want to know why, you know, Mr. Reeve thinks that he can do without the choices people. I want to know why um Mr. Caret thinks that he can do without the the fine arts people, you know, like I I want to hear from them because I I can come up with
257a reason not to cut any of these kids I mean any of these positions. And I don't want to affect any kid that said we've hit the secretaries enough every single year. We can't get people to to answer the phones when parents are calling. We can't cut secretaries anymore. We can't cut the custodians anymore. It has to come from somewhere and we're $13 million over. That's not just one or two salaries. These aren't small cuts that we have to make. We're facing huge cuts and they've got to come from somewhere. And I mean, this is this is the reality that we're facing is we can't lose any of these positions, but we also can't afford to pay them. So, where are we cutting? And how are we doing it? And how are how are we
258managing the buildings with these cuts? Um I I don't know how we get there and it's going to be devastating to get to cut $13 million from this budget. So, and this these cuts only get us six. We're still $6 million over that city number even with these cuts. And so, we have to double these cuts to get to our number. So, how do we how do we even get here? And I just want to hear from the principles and and explain to us how they picked these positions. So, we we've jumped ahead a few slides, I think, which I'm happy to do if that's what everybody would like to do at this point. Nobody's shaking their head, so because there are other steps in here that we did to reduce the gap very quickly.
259The federal funds did come back. So, we have uh we filled those positions who were on the title and IDA grants back in the budget workbook. So, that's good news. Um we removed 700,000 from extraordinary maintenance uh with uh support from the CAFO and the mayor that we can look to other funding sources to help um support uh those those needs. So, I feel very confident about that. working with the city. Um, and the fourth thing that we did uh is remove the 2.4 million uh contracted service for constellations that would be working with our pathways program. Uh, but in order to do that, I had to put back the 12 PA salaries back into the budget. So, you'll see that there. Uh, again, not right. We're just helping to move that program forward. I
260would like to say I think um to member Maxwell's point of comparing the dollars of different cities, one of the things that is incredibly different city to city uh and I don't know what Maldin's numbers are or other districts numbers are um but our special education costs in district because we have so many in district programs and transportation for those programs is a very high cost of our budget. A third of our budget is special education for in district out of district and busing. And again, I'm not going to comment. I don't know what their other costs are or aren't um for schools and structures. Um but that is something when you're looking at how our budgets are. And this is this is where we talk about the state and the foundation budget formula not
261being supportive in the additional needs of our kids uh because they don't recognize the indist programming that we have with buses that would typically be those out of district placements for a lot of other districts. Um so those are the things that we did. Um so this here is the context to the chart that member Keegan just brought up. Um I think a couple of things I want to make really clear, sort of a broad statement and then there are definitely specifics that the principles uh can certainly speak to. Um the first one is uh you know looking at class size was our one of our number one pieces to this. So you're looking at and the and you have to look at class size differently at all four schools because class size for a
262specialist is very different at the CGS and the Marsh than it is for the Tenny and the Timony. So eliminating a specialist across the board doesn't always equal. Um but we were looking at the PE uh reduction didn't come from we'll have only one teacher. It now looks at a completely different scheduling system for K through 8, not having PE teachers do as much lunch duty. How do we have them bridge that K4 58? Uh the principles and the APS looked at that to see if that would be doable to make sure that we had teachers for every class. It's not going to be one teachers now covering two classes. It's completely redoing the schedule. Um the health we added health into lower school um maybe six years ago. Um and it was an addition
263right it was an addition to the lower school specialists. Um so removing that we're not looking at um the level of class sizes at the tenny and the timony. The largest class would be 27 28 and that might only be one grade level four specials. I'm just I mean I put that on the chart and I put the class size CS meant class size in parenthesis, right? Um because that is a topic of conversation for us and that was something we looked at very deeply when we were doing this. Superintendent, we're getting close to 10:00. Uh we still have a couple other items on the agenda. Um, I I would be willing to entertain a motion to go past 10. I there I think there has to be something added to that because it's a
264school committee policy to end the meetings at 10. So you all might have to agree to amend the policy waving the policy uh one time. So move second. Right. Motion for member Dagio, the second for member Shabilia. Uh roll call to go past 10. Member Daglio. Yes. Member Dunovan. Yes. Member Keegan. Yes. Member Maxwell. No. Member Shabilia. Yes. Member Wlette. No. Mayor Borai. Yes. Five. Yes. Two. No. Passes. So when we talk about um to member Shibilia's point of Spanish and definitely that was part of our conversation the efficacy of the program is it doing what we wanted it to do Spanish would be a complete rem uh it replaced something so removing Spanish from the building now you're looking at there's no other place to put kids or specialists and now all those specialist
265classes are increasing uh likely over 30 Right. So that so it wasn't an add-on. It was a replace when we added Spanish. It replaced middle school tech classes. So it's just a different concept of removing it. You can remove it. Uh but every specialist class in the upper school is now going to be upwards of 30. If you removed that and you replaced tech with that middle school tech, if you removed that, could you take I'm going to get a little kickback for this, but could you take the technology class that we currently have out of the budget and now replace Spanish with a tech program instead of having it for am I making sense? So we move it from lower school and put it back into upper school. Right? So now it's just a
266now it's just a special whereas it doesn't need to be for like lower school doesn't need necessarily technology. Definitely don't need language. Could we replace technology with just a middle school tech class? Um, we could certainly put that on the table. I I would be concerned. We removed the tech class at the middle school because kids were so far savvy with technology. The course at the time that it was the most uh efficient was when we weren't on Chromebooks and kids didn't know Google and things like that. Now it's they know that through their everyday work. Um so it wouldn't be like a a even split. Okay. I mean definitely good fact. Um, so there are admin reductions uh on the list, an L supervisor, a reduction of a humanities supervisor, and the fine arts
267director. Uh, that that is somewhat um, you know, typical. What we're losing from that are definitely going to be department oversightes, evaluations, observations of teachers, community programming, um consistency between buildings. So, you do lose some of that which we just started to gain and I think that's the hard part. Uh I would just remind everybody to uh keep their eye on that 2019 DESIE report. we have not been able to get uh to what that report recommends in six years and we've we're we we're making some headway. Uh so again, we're like taking some steps and we're now taking steps backwards. Uh they absolutely recommended that we had curriculum oversight in all grammar schools just like we had at the high school because there was none. Um and so we find that it is incredibly
268effective. So uh some of these other so I did put on the chart uh the new potential staff uh in the parentheses next to it. If it was a new request that means there's not somebody a person in that position at this point. Um I would say that Miss Bozac reviewed again with all the seas and principles the special education um needs and uh although I would agree with member Keegan we can go through all of these this was probably one of the more challenging uh workshops we had as a leadership team um to talk about reading specialists but we're trying to balance are we talking about class sizes all day? Are we talking about uh pullouts? Uh these are all the things that nobody wanted to put any of this on here, but those
269are the conversations we're having, right? What is the sort of the best of those worst situations that we feel might have lesser of a of a not a great impact, right? So, um CS I just said is class size. So, for example, right, those reductions, those are the class sizes. They were on those slides that I provided you at the last workshop, right? With the how many teachers we have, have the class sizes. Um, I put it here just for easy viewing and we could see it um in action. Um, I think there uh the theater teacher at the high school, which I know is I have to agree with everybody here. It was incredibly uh empowering to listen to all of the voices tonight heard on all levels. uh very proud of the students
270to come and speak. Uh it was a very important I think civics's night for us and the the students and the staff that came to speak on behalf of all of these and then if there's a different group of positions we're going to be talking about. We're going to be in the same place cuz we're all we all want to advocate for all of it. Um so it is going to be really really um challenging and I heard I think everybody that spoke tonight there was passion whether it was for positions for uh departments for people uh it was passion um uh I believe and Mr. Caret can certainly come up to the podium, but I believe the theater teacher uh was selected because of the uh number of course requests was the lowest at
271the high school. And so again, we're just looking at what is the impact, right? You have arts classes, FCS, PE, I think he has all of those numbers. Um and the theater requests, right? Because that's happening right now. Does everybody get that? So the high school students are doing course requests and I think at this point the theater classes for the day program has maybe 80 to 82 course requests total. Um that is that's not a full five you know uh five courses um full courses I should say. Um, and yes, a lot of the students who spoke, a lot of the people who spoke about the program, stage door 22, the theater productions, those are all additional, those are all stipided positions. I get they're connected. Uh, we all get there connected. So again,
272nobody wants to pick any of these, but there was a reason behind that one. I don't know if there are specific questions about that one or if Mr. Caret, you guys have questions for Mr. Caret about that or the high school. member Shabilia, member, member Maxwell. Go ahead. Okay. Um I'm just hearing this and um I have my opinion about the junctions. Um I know Allison very well and she's been advocating um we need those medical pe uh people in there. She told me I she wrote a whole list which I could read off which we don't have the time but they do more than like sometimes they do like like helping with breathing and stuff like that. All these other things that include in that that program um and getting rid of her will
273be just overbearing in that classroom. She told me she was like I need I need my medical assistant. I need my my nurse. I think it it's included right? It's like a nurse. It is a nurse. LPN. Yeah, LPN. Okay. Licensed practical nurse, not an R, but yeah, she's a Yeah, she she needs her in that room. She has made it very clear. And the most impact I see in this list is the students being impacted, which should be our first line of defense. All right. We should be cut not cutting positions where it's directly going to affect our students. We have we just sat here the other night and watch the benchmarks of kids reading on and we all know like teachers here know this more than anything. We'll have a sixth grader reading.
27448% of our sixth graders are below. Don't get me wrong, don't quote me. I don't have the percentages in front of me. Please don't quote me on it. But we all know those kids are probably reading in like a third, fourth grade level possibility. They're reading below level, but they're also reading probably two, three grades below level. So we getting rid of the reading specialists that are helping them to improve their reading. We're expecting getting rid of them is going to increase our reading. I So I guess I would just continue to ask like what is it that you want us to look at to cut then? What do we what do we not what do we not what are we missing here in this would be helpful for me to know the direction of
275what I'm looking at next we can't but at the end of the day that's what I'm saying my job is to tell what we should be looking at and then you guys go back to your principles and then you go and look at different positions that you could bring to us and say okay maybe if we keep the nurse that's supposed to be helping these students that we heard the teacher say I can't do my job without my nurse. That that to me is a serious thing unless we're going to plan on out like out I'm not going to say that we're outsourc like I'm not doing that. I'm not going to out like district them, right? We're not going to outdistrict them or like how are we going to take care of those students?
276I would let Miss Bozac answer that. She was involved in that conversation. So I I think it's important to know, right? We're all we're all looking at what our students need and there we all agree principles administration at central office all agree that all of these are impactful directly to students specifically the LPN in the junctions program when we have to look at different positions and case loads and everything if we're looking at trying to um look at places where we can make adjustments from From a compliance standpoint, we can still meet those students needs. So, they can still be met with the school health office in that building. Is it ideal? No, it's not ideal, but these are some of the decisions that we have to make right now given the situation that we're
277in. So, can the needs be met? That's the part that I'm charged with looking at. Same with I would say with the choices program. Those are all pieces that we looked at in these discussions that can we still meet the level of needs? Yes. Is it ideal? No, it's not ideal. But can we meet the needs as they are outlined in the students IEPs? We can. Member Donovan hasn't had I'm sorry laid out. Member Donovan hasn't had a chance to speak yet. Thank you, Mayor. I'm just wondering if we can make what time we have together tonight purposeful and meaningful. Um, and that, you know, I'm looking I have a straight shot at the principles and other people who have stayed. Thank you. But I how are we going to make whatever time are we
278going to make? Could we make a decision? We got 45 minutes or an hour because I think you know the laws of how effective we are at this point is diminishing. Could we agree just to ask questions now and keep our opinions as we ga because we need to gather information, right? I have a lot of questions. I'm sure you all do for the principles and for the central office. Could we organize how we're going to spend our next 45 minutes or half hour or six hours together and use productively the personnel that we have in the off in this building in this See, I'm not even making sense in this room. Is it I and I'm sorry everyone's muttering around behind me. I really think we need to ask questions before we have opinions
279and gather information. So I think you know if it's next on the agenda I think it's good for us to start looking at some additional dates so that we can begin to prepare as long as we're to do that. We we do have principles who have been here with us all night for hours. Um do we have questions? We can certainly obtain questions for the principles. That's that's fine. Okay. Um the reading specialists being on here, I'm curious, aren't those title one funded? They were. Yes. So they are not anymore. So they would we would we can actually fund any positions with title one. So if that's not if those positions aren't funded by our budget, they're funded by title one. Mhm. How are we reducing them? Why? Because we're reducing them and adding two
280different staff to title one like two classroom teachers to title one instead like reg like gen ed classrooms. Correct. Yeah, we're we're schoolwide for title one so it can support any level of staffing. You're welcome. Memberia, if you could flip this to the the final slide since we're uh we're kind of spinning sideways here. Oh, nope. Sorry. going back. So, hypothetically speaking, those two slides with all of those positions listed, if they were if we voted right now, we approved this as is and we cut it. This gets us to this 106224. Correct. And that puts us at the place we need to be. No, no, that's still $6 million in cuts, right? We're still Yeah, the gap. We're trying to close that gap. We're still We still have a gap. So that that was
281that was kind of a leading question. Okay. Um at what point do we I mean as a committee like I don't know about you guys, but like I know I've got two kids in school. You've got two kids left in school. Your daughter's going to be here. You've got them. You've got them. I I mean I don't I don't relatives. Relatives. Yeah. Uh I mean this this is scary as it is. This is this is bleak and I don't I don't even want to vote on this because I think it's insulting to the community. And that's that's not a shot at the mayor because he has done more for the schools than any mayor who has sat in that office before him. But I I mean we extended our meeting twice tonight and we've accomplished
282nothing. Zero. And no matter what we do, and member Daglio has said it a few times, member Maxwell has said it a few times. We can't cut positions that impact the children. That's a beautiful concept, but it is complete and utter nonsense because with all of these positions, we still have $6 million left to cut. This whole page, and Ian, keep me honest, but this whole page is only what? 2 $2.7 million, which means we have to cut 40 more positions. This is not a school district anymore. It's I don't even I don't even want to continue the meeting because that's that we we're not going to get there. The public school is the only department in this city, in any city, that has to deal with what comes to the door. The DPW can
283defer maintenance. The fire department is not out there starting fires. The police department has in this city has been, except for when they went to war with Joe Solomon, pretty much given whatever they've wanted. This school district has been cut. As a parent, at what point do I have to say, are we okay here? Is this the city we want? Is this the city we deserve? Because this is the city we've built. We the royal we, not us. We just got here. I guys, I don't even want to vote on this. This is insulting and ridiculous. Well, but we are going to have to eventually. And there's there's 80 40 on one page and what? There's another 27 on here and we're going to need 40 more positions. We're going to have to volunteer at
284our own damn schools to go babysit our kids because there's going to be no one there to teach them anything. This is This is ridiculous. I don't this I the conversation is is not even plausible. We can go around this table and debate what we want to cut until 11 and then we can vote again to extend if we want to. I'll stay here all night, but we're never going to get to this number. And I can get all the angry text messages from the city council telling me we're putting this on them and quite frankly I'm not. But this is going to have to get to them eventually and they're going to be just as culpable in this disaster as we are. What What What do we do? Does anybody have any brilliant ideas?
285Cuz I'm fresh out. I have one light shining light cuz Ian just calculated if indeed the circuit breaker goes through just to have an understanding of what that number would be. 2.7 million if it goes to 100%. That's significant. Now we're talking. I know. But so if that goes through, that is going to be a a pretty significant help to us. Well, that's he just calculated that. I mean, he just But I'm still at 106 million. Yeah. So going off to member Shabilia, um just saying um coming from someone that came from this district that grew up here since I was in first grade, went through the whole public schools. Um I wish she didn't leave Mrs. Mancini. I knew her before she was Mrs. Manzini. Um, but I went to school with the Shagru
286uh brothers as is back there still hanging in there. Um, I grew up with all these kids. We all went through Mthuman public schools. The only reason why I'm not working and being sitting in a red shirt with them is because I'm here sitting on the school committee. That's why I had to go to a different district. I would have loved to work for Mthun, but I can't do both. Um, and you know, membershill makes a point. It's like being in this town for years, it always seemed like the schools were always fighting at city hall. Um, and that's why no matter what and and again, uh, Representative Hamilton, you know, made a few points about city contribution, but, you know, the states also neglected our schools for the longest time, and now they're trying
287to catch up. they've been neglecting way before before us they even got to this point. Um, but yeah, I'm not I'm not going to vote on this budget. I'm not going to put out principles and I've been saying this very openly and I'll sit here to do the best I can at this job, but as a former Mthuan public school student that knows how these teachers impact our lives, um, theater for example, and I'll say it again at our next meeting, I had need to do an extra credit to graduate because I was a goofball through high school and I was put in Miss McMahon's theater class and eventually I ended up performing in Cinderella. So I know how that impacts theater. Um my brother was in theater public schools, my sister was in theater
288public schools. So I understand that impacts. So, I'm going to try and end it on that note in the sense I will be voting no on this budget no matter what unless we get to a fair advocate that could put our students first cuz as I did last year I voted no because it I knew and I sat there with Neil Perry and I said I don't think this is going to help us next year and a year later we're still here back again. So, I will be voting no on this budget. point of information. Um, you mentioned that we need to set up some dates. Would that be something appropriate now? I think that would be fantastic. May I ask one question? So, I think part of what is a struggle uh is that
289my me and my team are required to present to you a budget uh budget options. And I guess I'm looking for d are we are we just leaving it as is right now and we'll work with the mayor and the capital with what I have cuz I'm not getting d I just need some direction from the school committee on is there are there certain aspects different departments people like what is it that you want me to look at or again status quo work with the mayor and capital and come back on the 28th with where we are. That's what we're going to have to do and we're going to get very creative in order to preserve as many positions as we can. All right, we will do uh we will do that. I'm going to
290keep an open mind. I I have some options that I don't want to volunteer an open session that I might want to approach that's been done in other communities, but I want to have that maybe potentially studied and gathering information on it. Um, again, you know, we have two schools that should be declared surplus that would revert back to the city in order to help us with extraordinary maintenance. Yeah, we met as a subcommittee tonight. So, we have a plan. Okay. I have a you're you're you're getting ahead of me. I've been talking about this for years. I know we are. I will be sharing with the mayor and Maggie what the subcommittee uh sort of wants to move forward with tomorrow when we meet to be part of this larger plan. So that is
291that is moving at this point. Okay. Because we do we do have options out there and different uh things to talk about. Yeah. Agreed. So let's move on to the next part of the agenda. We need to select some additional dates. Next week's the break. I I'm not going anywhere. Um we we can we can come back. Um so what we'll do is uh superintendent will get together and set uh some additional dates for next week. Yep. Just not Monday. Okay. All right. So, um, we we do we we we will need that. So, we'll we'll figure that out. Um, so at this point, uh, what we'll do is la last commentary I'll share. I, in my opinion, we're going to have to have this conversation. I think I think we're identifying cuts in some
292of the wrong places, but I'll leave that there and we're going to get creative. Um, so at this point, uh, we, uh, need a motion to journ. So move. Second. Motion's from member Shabilia, the second from member Daglia. All those in favor? Opposed. The time is 10:21 p.m. and we're journ