001begin. Welcome everyone to the North Middle Sex Regional School District School Committee meeting June 18th, 2025. The time is currently 6:03 p.m. We have present Carrie Batterdsby, Patrick McFillips, Randy Rous, Kim Craraven, Kenan Francois, and Lisa Martin. Um do I have a motion for consent agenda today? First, um the minutes in there on the agenda are listed as 612. The meeting was 613. >> Okay. >> Uh the minutes in the packet say 613. Um I'm not sure because it's not on the agenda if we need to pull those and just vote them the next time. >> Okay, let's just pull them and vote them the next time. So, let's just pull those. Um let's just do >> um Lisa Bloom just showed up in the participants. All right, I'll go over and get her in.
002All right, there we go. [Music] Lisa Bloom, you need to accept the panelist. Lisa Bloom, can I have you join and rejoin because it's saying you are declining changing your role to a panelist. Okay, Lisa, I have you as allowed to talk. Can you hear me, >> Lisa? Yeah. >> Okay. I'm going to promote you to panelist. It keeps saying that you're declining. >> Oh, I'm not doing anything. That's weird. >> Okay. >> No, she's on her phone. Does it make a difference on uh if you dial in by phone or join by Zoom? >> It shouldn't, but It wouldn't let me join even by the zoom for some reason. Somehow I got >> Yeah. I was going to say I see her here and she can speak. So we can probably continue just like
003this. >> Okay. So okay. All right. And Lisa Bloom is present as well. All right. So, we're going to remove the minutes from the consent agenda. So, I'll look for a motion to accept the warrants as listed and the disposal of the surplus of the English literature books. >> Um, I will move to approve um there are no warrants on the uh consent agenda. It's just the don uh the disposal of surplus approval. So, I will move that we approve the consent agenda with the disposal of surplus approval of various outdated English literature books um as presented. >> Second. >> Okay, that was Randy with the motion and Patrick with the second. Any discussion? All right, then I'm going to move to vote or we're going to vote. Patrick, >> yes. >> Randy, >> yes.
004Kim, whoops, you're on mute, Kim. >> Um, yes. >> Carrie, >> yes. >> Keenan, >> yes. >> Lisa Bloom, >> yes. >> And myself, yes. All right. Now, we're moving on to the superintendence contract. This is a um we have a motion to um uh uh give Superintendent Morgan 5 days of vacation buyback in addition to what he has currently on his contract for the year. Um, would somebody like to make the motion and then we can go into discussion if anyone has discussion? >> So, I would move to grant the superintendent five additional vacation buyback days between now and the end of the year. This would be for his current contract year. >> Second. >> That was Kim Craraven and Patrick McFillips. Any discussion? Randy, >> um I would just like to uh put
005it on the record um that I am not for this. Um not because I don't think that uh Brad has had a chance to take his vacation. Um but we are in a bit we're in a budget crisis. We closed the building this year. We raised fees on families. We uh cut staff and supplies in the district. Um he signed up and uh very nicely nicely but um with good intent and good execution. He um we did an amendment so that he helped us at the high school with the administrative uh with being down an administrator there and I really appreciate him doing that. But we did give him a $30,000 stipend um taking on two jobs for the year. that was the time to negotiate that he may not be able to take all
006of his vacation time um after the fact at the end of the year is not the right time to be doing this especially with the financial concerns of the district. >> All right. Thank you, Randy. Anyone else? Uh Patrick McFillips, >> you're on mute. Patrick >> Brad stepped up. Um he did get a stipens of $30,000. I believe the the vice principal got a stipen of $20,000 and that saved us um hiring a principal for the year. The cost of a principal is well over $50,000. Um the the minor increase is justified based on the workload he took on. Um maybe at the time he didn't realize he would be taking all that leave or not have the ability to take that leave, but now it's the end of the year. Do we really want
007to not have him here working while we're closing a school? Just wrapped a budget when when he hasn't had time to take leave and we still need him to do things. I mean, Randy, I know you've kept him busy too with emails and and changes to the budget, changes to which schools are closing. Like, we've kept him busy. So, I so I agree that um he he was paid it. His time's his time. And if we're gonna and if we're not going to pay him for it, then he could take it. And if he takes it and we're back three weeks, he's going to come back to a bigger mess than when he left. It's it's a lose-lose for him if we don't do this. And I sympathize with the teachers. I know they just
008had their contract increases. You know, they get their 3%. Um it's not the same as a superintendent. Understand that, but that's how it goes. That's CEOs make more than employees. It's it's just business 101. Thank you, Patrick. Uh Kim Craraven, >> thank you. So, I think everybody is aware that I am very um fiscally uh conscious and looking at um lots of ways to cut funding. In this scenario though, I have to take this at face value. We are at the end of the year and I am expecting the superintendent to be present for meetings from now until the end of the year. Um, I have been talking with him almost daily and expecting him to follow up on things that are really important. Um, and that need some things that need to be done
009before July. So, I am not in a position to ask him to work if he's on vacation. So, I'm in favor it in the big picture. It's a small amount when we're asking him to work when technically he should be off. Right. Thank you, Kim. Anyone else? Carrie Batterdsby. >> I just want to go on record and say I don't love it, but I um I do have other upcoming meetings with Brad to discuss Ashby Elementary. So, in this instance, I think he is doing he is trying to work with us on things that are coming up. And although it doesn't make me feel good, um I think at this point I am going to say yes just because um we do we are throwing kind of a lot at him at the moment. So
010I mean at this point I think that's what's going to have to happen. >> Thank you Carrie. Is there any other comments? Randy >> uh just saying that this is part of his job on managing time, managing his own time, his own vacation. Um and if he chooses, if we don't give this to him and he chooses to take the vacation time, then it's uh reflective on what gets done and doesn't get done is on him. He is the leader of the district. Um, so just saying that he's going to take his vacation time and leave the district in a lurch, that reflects very poorly on him. Um, so that's not an excuse um or a reason in my book, but again, I I hear what you were all saying. I just um with everything
011going on, I I can't possibly vote for this. Thank you. >> Thank you, Randy. Any other discuss? >> Yeah, I can't raise my hand. Okay, >> I um totally agree with Randy and I believe everybody needs to take their vacation time just to I know we've been working um over time doing helping out with Lorie Smith and everything um at the high school, but um he it's his responsibility to take the vacation time before the end of the year before the end of the school year. And I do not agree with it. Thank you, Lisa. >> Thank you, >> Carrie. Battersby. >> Just real quick, I don't disagree with Randy or Lisa Bloom on this. I do feel like it is his responsibility to take vacation. And I'm not trying to tell a person when
012he should or should not take vacation. However, um as much as like everything in my fiber wants to say no, I also have already set up meetings with him to discuss various things going on not only with Ashby but you know in towns as well. And I for my town and for our school, I do want to get them I do want to get moving on a lot of this stuff because we are about to be super busy coming up this coming school year with more budget problems. So, as much as it pains me, I do agree with you, Randy. Um, and I do agree with you, Lisa, but I mean, at the same time, I also am trying to look out for Ashby and Thompson, too. So, >> thank you, Carrie. >> Randy, >>
013we're talking about one week here. I just want to put that in perspective. If what we what you guys are trying to meet with him can't wait one week, then we have bigger problems because no decisions could be made without this body voting on anything. And if one week puts things behind, there's a lot of problems and maybe those conversations shouldn't be individual. >> All right. Any more discussion? I >> had to, but I'm trying to raise my hand. Sorry. Go Patrick. >> So yeah, I I agree. It is just a week, which which a isn't a lot of funding, but b there's a snowball effect to that. That puts him a week behind, and he's been working two jobs for a full year. I'm sure he's very behind on a lot of things. In
014a normal year, Randy, I'd probably agree with you. If he wasn't working a job and a half this year, I would probably agree with you. The optics on this look awful, but it doesn't mean that it's not the right thing to do. >> All right. Anyone else? All right, my turn to comment. I do believe that Brad is owed his time. I know that he didn't have time during the year to take his time, but I think it's important that he does get paid for his time. He did save the money for our district last year by taking on this position. I know that there will be people upset in the community that we or that I am voting in favor of this, but I think it's important that he remain working the end to
015the end of this school year as there's important tasks to be done. Um, and that's all I have to say. Anyone else? Randy, >> I'm just wondering if there's any other administrators that are year round uh like the principles who are moving their entire buildings and needed to do this at the end of the year. Um my guess is if they had any vacation planned for June, they're not taking it. Are we going to be looking at paying everybody out because of things that happened at the end of the year and they're working hard for the district trying to get things in order uh for next year? Keenan. >> Keenan. >> Yes. Um I would just quote Randy on that one that everybody has their own contract and nobody is uh be used to anybody
016else uh based on their benefits. So I think this um discussion has been you know we've heard all point of views at this point. So I'm comfortable if I have a second to move the question to vote. >> Second. Okay, Kenan moved the question and Patrick seconded. All right, to move the question. All right, we'll go to a vote. Uh, Randy, >> I'll say yes. I've had my say. >> Kim, >> yes. >> Patrick, >> yes. >> Carrie, this is just to move question. Kenan, >> yep. >> Yes. >> Lisa Bloom. >> Yeah. and myself. Yes, that was the motion to just move the question. Now, we're going to vote on the motion. Kim, can you reiterate what the motion was that you made? >> Yes. Is to grant the superintendent five additional vacation buyback
017days in this uh contract year um for the FY25 contract. >> All right. Thank you. All right, Randy. No >> Kim. >> Yes. >> Patrick. >> Yes. >> Carrie. >> Yes. >> Keenan. >> Yes. >> Lisa Bloom. >> No. >> And myself. Yes. So that is four yeses, two nos. Um he will be superintendent will be granted the five by back days for this current contract year. >> All right. chair. >> Yes. >> Um I I think you had five and two. >> Oh, five and Oh, it was five and two. Sorry. One, two. Sorry, I didn't count myself. Five and two. Sorry. Thank you. All right. Do I have a motion to adjurnn? >> So moved. >> Second by >> Keenan and Randy. All right. Keenan, >> yes. Patrick, >> yes. >> Randy, >>
018yes. >> Him, >> yes. >> Carrie, >> yes. >> Lisa Bloom, >> yes. >> And myself, yes. Good night, everyone. Have a good night. Byebye.