001Okay, good evening. It is Monday, June 1st, 2026. Um, welcome to the Greenfield Public Schools subcommittee meeting for community engagement. This meeting is being recorded for the Greenfield Public Schools. If any other person or bot is recording this meeting, please notify the chair at this time. I don't see any anyone. That's major. At this time, we're open for public comment. I don't see any public. I apologize for him. He'll stop maybe. Um, we need to because we are virtual, we need to take a roll call. >> So, um, member Dykeman >> here. >> Member Disorder, >> I'm here. >> And member Goodwin, I'm here. >> So, our agenda tonight has um really discussions of our goals. So, I seek a motion to um suspend Robert's rules of order so we can have a discussion about
002our goals. >> So moved. >> Second. >> All in favor say I. >> I. >> Do I have to do a roll call? >> Uh you're supposed to. >> Yeah. >> Okay. So, member Dyman? >> Uh yes. >> Member Disorder. >> Yes. >> Member Goodwin. Yes. So, we were asked by the chair to look at our goals and the these were made um last year and there was sort of a different I think a separate vision for community engagement. It really had um the goal seemed to be collaboration with our city council and so I think we can look at it and you've had it for a while so I look for input for our goals. I want to make sure I'm looking at the most current version. I'm looking in Greenfield School Committee subcommittee
003descriptions 2026. Is that the file? >> I sent to you was the one that Stacy sent to me. >> Yeah. >> Um, >> so the duties include developing and overseeing strategies to promote public awareness of district initiatives, priorities, and decisions. That's the wording in yours. >> I'm looking. >> Yeah. Well, let's just go with what you have. >> Yeah. I I assume that this it says 2026. I just uh I'm new to this, so I'm trying to make sure. >> Yeah. No. So, what the first one was the read it again because there's a part of it I didn't. >> Mhm. >> Sounds good. >> Okay. The the text says, "The subcommittee's duties include developing and overseeing strategies to promote public awareness of district initiatives, priorities, and decisions. >> Okay. Do you want me to
004read them all?" Um, >> no. I I think let's take one at a time. Are we all okay with that one? >> I'm okay with that. >> Yes. >> Yep. So, let's leave that one alone unless we want to come back to it. >> All right, go ahead and read the second one. >> Facilitating opportunities for family and community members to engage in school affairs in a meaningful and accessible manner. >> Sounds good to me. >> Yes. >> And we've had issues there. So, >> well, it's it's sort of in sort of a collaboration like with PTO and >> Mhm. >> Um Okay, good with that. It's hard with these because things come up >> that don't quite fit. >> But maybe we need an other category. >> Yeah. So what this one makes me
005think of is the recent issue with volunteers and volunteers finding it difficult to for it to be accessible for them. >> Um the this uh you know this would put this in the purview of of school committee at least I mean of of this subcommittee at least in some way. Um >> okay but then it goes back to policy. >> Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. And um I can report on that um from policy uh in this committee uh if you like, but we should stick to what we're doing now. But yeah, that would be an example I think of the kinds of things >> that they agree. That's what I was thinking about and I have a little input on that as well when I said there's an issue there. That's exactly what I was thinking
006of. >> Agree. Go ahead. Oh, >> she's so cute. Thanks, >> sweetie. >> Beautiful. Beautiful. >> There's Florence. >> Hi, Florence. >> Nice to see you. >> Florence goes to Four Corners. >> Hi. >> This is the mayor of our city and the other person is Melody. Good. >> Hi. >> You got to go to bed now. >> I don't want to go to bed. >> Okay. Well, you you can sit over there. >> I want to be with you. >> You can sit over there. >> No, I want to be right Well, let us focus. Okay, next one. Um, let's move on. Cultivating and strengthening partnerships with local organizations and community stakeholders in support of the district's educational mission. >> Okay. Um, >> that's good. >> That was good. >> Moving on. >> Uh,
007next one. Advising the full school committee on matters relating to community relations and public communications. That seems quite important. Okay. >> And lastly, encouraging and facilitating members attendance and participation in district and school events. So, yeah, letting people know. Um, I suppose letting it doesn't when it says members, I assume that means all school committee members, but it could just mean the three of us. That's >> unclear. Last year we made a chart >> and with all the different things that were going on in the district and then people just kind of signed up so that we sort of tried to cover as many different activities that were happening >> so that somebody was there and we weren't always successful because life happens. Um but we worked hard on that and I think we because
008we had the dates and I don't mind doing that talking to Becky about getting a calendar with all of the things that are happening. I think now things are winding down, but I think in the fall >> Yeah. >> or even in August, um, with the new superintendent and the open houses and the kindergarten registration and all of that, we could have tables do different things. >> Yeah, I like spending time in public. Uh, I like talking to the public. Um, so, uh, yeah, when there's opportunities for, uh, public direct public engagement at events, um, I I would love to do that. >> um, first day of summer eats is coming up. >> What is that? >> I don't Wait a minute. I have to go to the other calendar. I hope that that's on
009my other calendar. >> I was really proud today. I went to meet the new principal at Newton and that had just been out like 24 hours on Facebook and I bet there was 10 or 12 people there and I thought that was good. >> Mhm. >> Bunch of kids. >> They had cookies. >> Yeah. So my only suggestion and from what I see here would be to clarify on that last point that it means encouraging and facilitating school committee members attendance and participation >> so that there's no ambiguity of what kind of members we're talking about. >> Okay. >> So that's the only wording we really think should be changed. >> Yeah. Um I I would say that and you know when I think about the purview of this subcommittee and um some of the
010other goals that we have for this year especially thinking about the uh hopefully having an ad hoc literacy committee. Um, I think that there really needs to be a public face, a public side to that. And so, um, you know, this committee, this subcommittee, um, could have some input in defining the scope of what the ad hoc subcommittee should do in its public facing element, you know, especially in terms of, you know, in some sort of literacy program. Um, I mean, like a literacy awareness program. And I know that these things happen from time to time um but uh you know there's no there never seems to be enough um >> no there is >> literacy campaigns right and so that seems like an angle that we would want to work on um and considering
011that I think that developing and overseeing strategies to promote public awareness of district initiatives priorities and decisions you know that gives us that purview. Um, so it's there. There's no changes that need to be made in order for us to like launch a literacy campaign, for example. >> Correct. I'm with you. Yeah. I knew we were going to hear the word purview, so that's okay. >> It is. >> That was your first >> thousand word. >> You just learn to ignore it. That's all that's all I'm saying. >> Um, you just keep going. Yeah. and it's an opportunity to work with um the literacy project, the library, um a lot of people in town who are doing some good literacy work and bringing them forward as well with us. >> So, I think that's a
012big piece of connecting with the community. And the other group would be the Greenfield Educational Foundation >> because they're kind of >> I don't know them. What do they do? >> So, the Greenfield Educational Foundation was started when Susan Hollands was superintendent. um she and Robbie Conn from Cone Realy and they raise about $80,000 a year for the school district and so teachers in the district can write a project and they submit it and they fund specific projects um for the school district. >> Wonderful. >> Yep. And >> and it's still active. That's that's great. >> Um still active. Um, Robbie has um, you know, gone to Florida and he's kind of semi-retired, but um, the woman who's in charge of it, I went to go meet with them last year and I was told
013it was not my purview. So, um, I think this year it'll be my purview um, to go meet with them. I have some Kathy Blanchard is on it. There's some really good people. She's a retired teacher from Greenfield. Um, and they can always use help raising funds, but those funds can also help us move forward with different things that we may want to do. Um, they may be more than happy to have a um an issue to get behind. >> So, >> wonderful, >> you know. So, um I'll find out when they're meeting. I think they meet once a month. Um and okay so I think we're moving right along and the other um topic we were asked to talk about was social media or to address and I know that member um god why
014am I just web I'm liking her first member web has like done massive amounts of um investigation into our social media and according to her I'm the only person on Facebook who likes our um posts. She says I'm the only person who ever responds to them and I'm the only one following them. Um so she is concerned about the cost the $3,000. >> So I guess I you know how do we want to handle this? I know that um from the subcommittee for budget and finance, we're concerned about the money invested in something we don't seem to feel like we're getting our money's worth out of. >> But what would we like to see happen from a community engagement perspective? And who do we feel should be responsible for that? Um is the other question.
015>> Okay. Yeah, that's a tricky question because uh it it can be very difficult to gain traction as uh I any kind of public entity if if you don't have exciting posts that I mean and by exciting I mean controversial you know it's it's so easy for stuff that is you know perfectly interesting and perfectly valid announcements to just get completely ignored on social media. Uh I see this with the publishers that I work with all the time. Very good publishers announcing things about good books and just getting no attention. So it clearly uh the person who's doing the social media um is not giving us bang for our buck. I don't know if anyone would be able to. I mean >> if you look at other districts, you know, you would probably see similar
016numbers for a lot of those things. Um, which makes me think, you know, uh, that's probably not a great use of money. >> I don't know. Mayor, you have a pretty good social media footprint. You got any advice? >> We do. And they look at >> It's not something that I do though. I know >> Jonathan does it and they do all of the things and the numbers and I would say he has a little gift for making things interesting. >> Okay. >> Um I don't know exactly. He'll take like pictures from things and be like a little animated something or other. Um but >> recycling interesting. >> Oh, he did. I'm telling you I >> we all stopped to watch >> like Jonathan I said you're like the star of stage and screen and
017I think that was interesting because it was a different um methodology of showing something that was happening in Greenfield and I actually had comments from people I had a private message from somebody you know like wow so um but I don't look at the school ones much I I ask somebody to tell me when there's important things that I should be at like a school card or something. >> Our PTO's have a really great footprint. So, I've liked all the PTO sites >> and they seem to have more I guess the word is pizzazz or >> you know, you want to read it because you want to know what's going on. Um, and I think U member web is just feeling that the people we're paying just are taking stuff straight from the PTO sites
018and reposting it. >> Um, >> I guess in my head I think it's kind of a waste of an opportunity. I would love to see like book talks and kids books or you know kids authors or something promoting something like literacy. You know Newton school read so many books today. Join us in reading this or a principal reading a book. You know there was a principal um who read every night. She got in her pajamas and read every night to her school and all the kids got on Facebook to watch. it was their principle, >> you know, something >> that promotes like literacy. >> Um >> maybe a change instead of just copying what the PTO's are doing. >> Yeah. I mean, part one of the issues that I I would think would come up
019there is uh that the really young kids don't really use Facebook anymore, >> right? um they they they're on other stuff and so I think that you know >> YouTube >> the main people we're going to be reaching with a Facebook profile is going to be parents. >> Um >> but that's not to say that ideas like that couldn't work. I just don't know what platforms kids in our schools are actually using these days. I don't think it's >> because I want to know. >> Yeah, exactly. I think it's a lot of Tik Tok and and Snapchat and a few others that we don't even know about. There's Discord. I >> don't know that much. >> It's all bad. And especially these days, we don't really want kids online. Um >> Yeah. Yeah. I don't
020let my kids go online really at all. Um my daughter's seven and I'm not going to let her for a few more years. >> No. >> Yeah. It's just too >> more than two hours is really detrimental to their health. Um, so do we just do away with it and let the PTO's do their thing or do we maintain it? I mean, it's $3,000 a month. I guess that's the question. >> Is this um being done by an outside service provider? >> It's part of Andy Pquette's company, TMS. >> Okay. TMS is doing it. Okay. >> I forget what the guy's name is, but that's what he does. He's their communication person. Uh, >> we met him. He was at one school committee meeting, >> you know. Um, we could also before going straight to
021dropping it, we could communicate with them and ask him to try to come up with new ideas for how to make it more engaging. Uh, troubleshoot it a little bit. Uh, because $3,000, you know, for a year if we were getting a lot of engagement, that really would be worth it. But >> it's a month. 3,000. >> Oh, it's a month. Oh, that's an awful lot of money. >> That's $36,000. >> Oh, no. It's $3,000 a month. That's That's like >> 36,000 >> employee. Yeah. 36,000 >> Yeah. Oh, dear. I I didn't realize it was that much. Oh, no. No. Yeah. We should not be spending that much on that. >> No. I talked with um Jonathan about this and he's like, "No, you could get somebody that was, you know, a younger person that
022was interested in like interning or something, but you you do have to have somebody watching that." >> Yeah, >> we had >> So, it's not my area of expertise, but they also should be >> they can tell you the numbers of like their engagement. There's ways that you can do that. You you two probably know about that. they can see whether it's increasing or not >> and and Jonathan and Matt be prior to Jonathan both watched that and I would you know Jonathan really has his hands full doing just the city things or or I would say you know hi to offer >> I would think we should be able to ask schools what's his name Ian the tech guy >> he seems very together >> ask So, >> um, he may have some ideas
023that we, if I don't know if anybody's ever asked him, is there a better way? I mean, that's his job. He's the director of technology for the school district. >> I mean, he may have some ideas for that kind of money. He might be willing to say, I can hire somebody cheaper and keep an eye on them, you know. Yeah, you know, hiring a recent graduate who is currently attending GCC. >> Yes, like that. >> That seems perfect to me uh for for this kind of a position. A young person who um understands what is going to drive engagement um but who can also spell. That would be good. Um >> yes. Yes, it is. >> You can find both. Yeah, we're not doing well with spelling, >> Jeff. I like that. >> Reading, writing,
024those things. Okay. All right. So, maybe the first thing is to ask Ian what he thinks. >> I can do that and then and Roland maybe can get involved with that. >> Yeah, such a part-time position could fall under the IT department and >> uh seems like it could work. >> Uh could definitely save money there. I would think so because that's a lot of money. >> That's a lot. That's a lot. This is something somebody should be able to do in 10 hours a month max. >> Yeah. Social media guy cut the grass at the high school or the same. H weird. >> Yeah. It's all 3,000 seems to be a magic number. >> All right. So, I will talk to Ian and talk to Roland. All right. So, dates. So, we're going to
025stick to Mondays at 8. Does that work for everybody? This worked. And once Zoom was taken care of, it was >> Yes. >> good. >> Um, >> Mondays at 8 are are generally good for me. Um, and then I just have to make sure that it doesn't conflict with um policy because we're also meeting on Mondays, but we've got that a week from today. and I can be the one who make sure that that doesn't conflict because I'm the one who's serving on both. >> Okay. >> Thank you. >> If you know the dates, we'll make sure that we don't bump into them because that that was a Zoom glitch, we believe. >> Okay. And I'll try to find out when the Greenfield Educational Foundation is their next meeting. And if we can go, I
026don't know. Can we all go or is that a a problem? because >> um you well I think you can be at the same thing but you're not to be discussing anything that has to do with your subcommittee. >> Okay. >> Um depending that would be depending on who you would be talking with. >> Um but if you're not talking anything about it, I don't see a reason why you couldn't be the same thing. We all could have been at graduation. We all could have been at a concert. So, and the just as an FYI, the Summer Eats opening has not been announced yet. Okay. >> It's usually last year it was like June 22nd. >> I think they do a good job advertising that. >> Yeah. It's just an opportunity to to to sort
027of be present, I would say, when there's a lot of parents that are there. >> Was down at Green River last year with a food truck, right? >> Yep. And um because we have a new food person. So, >> you know, that individual may not know >> exactly what >> I said that out loud today for the first time to a new principal and I realized a new facilities person, a new superintendent, a new foods person. I said to her, "If an alarm goes off at Newton, here's my cell number because I'm probably the only person who knows how to shut it off." >> Right. Well, it it is we had the same thing in city hall. It is very hard when you have all >> we had like a brand new accounting department, >>
028right? >> I didn't mean to scare her. I was actually offering her help. You know, it was like there's a lot of buttons, there's a lot of alarms, and there's a lot of codes and um they don't change them. And you know, if you get stuck, you know, and the police are standing there going, you're in charge and you don't know what to do. Dial >> dial a friend. >> Right. Um, >> can I just say one thing about the fingerprinting thing? Um >> right after that came up um Anna at the library was approached by somebody um about the fingerprinting program. Um it actually is quite uh time consuming. I guess when it was being done here before they were over a hundred a month. >> Oh wow. >> And um >> at Staples
029>> I guess that's where it was being done. >> Yeah. that wasn't stapled. >> The place that's doing it, you know, whoever's doing it gets $4 per person and it takes about 45 minutes. So Anna did not feel that it was something that was worthwhile or I mean I left her with all the staff that she had because they have so much that actually has gone on there this year including some said great things but they've also had a few you know um incidents. So I've left them with all that they had but she didn't feel that she could dedicate somebody to that. So, I'm going to reach out as well to um Hope McCary um >> to see >> maybe there they've made some reductions in force as well. So, I'm not sure about
030that, but we do have we frequently have a lineup of people for senior tax work off. So that was a >> well I just look at you know you're paying somebody to do fingerprinting what $4 a person and we're paying $3,000 for somebody to a month for somebody to do social media. I'm just >> maybe he could do social media and fingerprinting. >> I'm just >> I feel like maybe they have a calling in fingerprinting that they don't know about. >> Who knows? >> I know. I mean, it seems to be um quite a spread there. >> Yeah. >> Um Okay. $4 a person. >> But I I just want to go back to that because >> I um think as a parent that's a really tough issue here. We have a load of folks
031who are economically challenged that can't be driving to Westfield. And when we talk about community engagement, to me that seems like something that it would be very important for for us to solve. So >> So how hard is it to be trained to do it? >> Well, I don't know. I don't know. And um you know, Erin just briefly talked with uh Anna about it. I did not. And I heard it was just not like all that economically feasible. But I thought we have to figure this out >> because we've got 17,000 people that live here and if you want to volunteer in a school, that's what I did when my kids were little many, many, many moons ago. >> Um, you know, then you're a part of that school and that's making it too
032hard for people to have to go all the way to Westfield. >> So, >> well, it can't just be us. It must be, you know, Charlemont Mohawk, >> right? >> This is a It's almost like there should be a fingerprinting bookmobile that drives around, >> right? Um >> they used to be at the hotel two days a week when they first started. >> Yes. If they could do something, that's what I was thinking. If they could be dedicated a couple of days a week, then people people can be, you know, they can learn that those are the days that we do that here >> and, you know, and move on. Yeah, that would be a really useful public service if there could be a public service that would do it and if they could find
033a way to do it uh that is you know yeah cost effective I guess you because it would the thing about about Staples is it worked sort of I it seemed like I I got my fingerprints done there and the reason it seemed like it's something that um could kind of work in that environment is because the employee who's doing it can do other things at the same time. You know, they >> the fingerprints, they put them into the system and then they go and do their other job, you know. So, it's the kind of job that can be seems like folded into another position somehow. somebody like a librarian, you know, who's sitting there not doing well or librarians do things, but they have lots of different kinds of things to do and they
034have potential downtime and public service, public facing, right? Is I even at our library, I wonder if our library could would be a place where people could do that. >> Well, she didn't like Anna, she's the library director. She did not feel that they could handle that. >> Okay. The library said they couldn't. >> I'm sorry. You said that earlier. um >> they see an enormous number of folks and she said >> knowing that it's 150 a month which is actually say three a day 45 minutes that's half of somebody's salary. >> Yeah. >> You know what I'm saying? >> So I was my next thought was going to senior tax work off and as I'm sitting here I'm thinking I think we'd have to just give specific hours like there's going to be somebody
035that does this on Mondays and Wednesdays or Mhm. >> I would volunteer to do it if somebody trained me. But don't you have to have the machine? >> You do have to have the machine. >> One would have to buy the machine. >> Pretty sure. Or rent it. >> I wonder if we, you know, if we became the hub of it, other districts maybe would kick in some money to help us buy the machine. >> Yeah. >> You know. >> Yeah. Because you're right that other districts must be struggling with this. >> Yeah. Mohawk, Shelburn. I mean, that's even further for them, unless their police departments are doing it. Um, I mean, that's another question. >> I don't I mean, I've been fingerprinted, I mean, for a long time. I mean, I get it. If
036they don't show up, you spritz them with water. I always have to be spritzed. So, um, yeah, the woman at the police station, she's really good. I wonder did she have the ability to train other people? >> I don't know. >> I mean, she does the fingerprinting at the police station. >> I wonder if does she have the ability to train others would be my question. with the machine. It's pretty straightforward. >> It's like an overhead projector almost. >> Yeah. I I I I don't see how it should be too terribly difficult for somebody to do it with fairly minimal training. >> That's how you roll the finger. And >> Yeah. And if it's a good print or a bad print, that must come with time. >> Mhm. >> Okay. So I mean it's a
037big deal. Um our teachers as well because we have to do it so many years. >> Oh you do. You have to repeat it. >> Do you have just the Corey? I don't know about fingerprinting. I thought they changed fingerprinting to every seven years. M >> I'm going to find out because it was we were only going to be that's what they told us but that you know we were also licensed for life in Massachusetts change is the real they told us when we all had to be get fingerprinted it was only once but then somebody said that changed and now it's every seven years so I don't and I think it was somebody who think it was a superintendent. So, I'm going to find out >> because we get cried every 3 years. >>
038H cuz you can commit a crime, but it's the same thing. I mean, in my head, it's every seven years for find out because that would be >> I was trying to remember what year we all got fingerprinted. >> Mhm. >> They actually sent somebody when all the teachers um that's something, excuse me, this department of edge should be paying for. Um, >> oh, I know. I was going to bring it up with our the next time that we have a meeting with our delegation. I was going to bring it up to them because >> um I think it's >> a safety issue >> outrageous as a county, you know, Franklin County that there is not one here for, you know, we're >> or within 30 minutes um county in Massachusetts. And I'm like, are
039you kidding me? We know the number of people >> don't have vehicles. >> I wonder what Turners is doing. >> They probably send it if if there was anybody that they had there. I think we'd know about it. >> I know. But what are they doing for the people that they because they have a lot of people in and out of their schools if are they just sending people to Springfield? It's a good job for a tech kid is what I'm saying >> to learn to fingerprint. >> Yeah. Okay. Well, I'm I'll sending an email about that and we'll see if we have anything new by the time we meet again >> that >> so that we can get people in there um to help, >> you know. Because you know, we used to have
040room parents, but I'm sure it's all different. >> Well, even once they do it, don't they go to the police? It goes straight to the police department. >> I don't I have no idea. >> Yeah, because just not anybody it because it's hooked up to the to make sure you haven't committed a crime. >> Yeah. Okay. >> Okay. All right. >> Alrighty. Um, >> do we have any other topics? >> Let's see. >> We don't want to have anything on the next agenda. >> Um, >> we can't discuss it, but we can make sure it gets on the next agenda. >> So, I think we should put that back on till that's solved. >> Fingerprint >> and um, >> social media. >> That's great. Very good. >> Anything else? >> Um, and I will text
041you when I hear what that other date is for the summer eats in case anybody wants to be at that. I'll text Mel and she can because we're not all supposed to talk to each other. I'll tell her and then she can tell you. >> I'll try to get dates from Becky for a calendar. >> Okay. >> Um, and like meetings like for the Greenfield Educational Foundation and then we can decide who does what. Um, anything else? >> Not that I can think of right now. >> And if you think of something, send it to me. >> And do we want to look at dates now if you already know what your next policy meeting is? >> Uh, my next one is a week from today. So, I don't know what the next one will
042be in >> in July. Uh, but we can set ours first and work that one around it. >> Um, >> okay. Wait a minute. >> July. >> Yeah, >> not feel like June. I'm sorry. >> It's It really is June. Rabbit. Rabbit. Um, >> I I did that, too. I'm >> I'm away for the first week of July. I'm gonna be in New York until the 4th or the 5th. And then I'm available on Monday the 6th of July. >> Okay. >> Or the 13th. Yeah. Um, wait a minute. I'm just >> 13th would also work. >> Save the date. No, I can't do the 13th. Okay. Wait a minute. So, let me go back to the sixth. Sixth. I'm just um I'm okay on the 6th. I I could do the sixth. >> Okay.
043The 6 8 o'clock. >> Sounds good. >> Okay. Very good. Thank you. >> Thank you for your time. >> Well, we were very dedicated. We came We came a couple of times. there was logging in issues. I used to I've never been the IT wizard and when I had to do this during COVID, >> it was so stressed. >> So I >> I'm the one who taught what's frustrating is I'm the one who taught the other principles how to do the Google Meets. So I'm like but I think Ian figured it out. Um because Stacy sat here with me and she's like Mel, you did everything right. And I'm like but I it wouldn't let me in. And Ian thinks because another meeting was taking place, we were locked out. So >> he said they
044were only the codes were only designed for one meeting at a time. >> So the code we all use is the same. >> So >> all right, I'm sending an email now on this other thing and and um yeah, we'll see what happens. All right. We need to have a motion to go back into Robert's rules of order. >> Okay. All right. I move that we go back into Robert's rules of order. >> Second. >> Okay. All in favor say I. >> I. >> And a motion to adjurnn. >> So moved. >> Second. >> All in favor. >> I >> have a good night. >> Good night and thank you very much. See if I can stop the recording.