001Heat. Heat. Jump. Chle jumple. jump. Jack jump. Jump jump jump. Jack, hey. jump. We're still joined via here so that it will be able to actually do the recording. Um, but I've joined here so that I can actually see people. um and know to call on them. Um hopefully we will also be able to hear them, but if not, what I'll do is turn my volume up here and just put a mic real close. We'll hope that that works. Um All right. Can I get a little Can the folks on Zoom hear us? I know. >> Yes, we can. >> Great. >> Yes. Um, and you can see us. That's fantastic. So, just for you all's edification, we didn't get the screen and John's on to work, but I can still see you because I've
002joined from my laptop. And we are still going to be able to record everything um as per normal. So, we should be good proceeding. Thusly, thank you for bearing with us. Thank you for your patience. Um, all right. I'm going to pull up my agenda and first begin by saying this meeting is being recorded by the Greenfield Community Television GCTV. If any other persons present are doing the same, you must notify the chairperson at this time. I don't see anyone else recording. So, um, I would like to call us to order at 6:43 p.m. on Thursday, February 19th, 2026. Um, member Webb, can you do a roll call of members? >> Member Dyman >> here. >> Member Goodwin >> here. >> Chair Ston >> here. >> Member Webb, I am here. Vice Chair Childs >>
003here. >> Member Deniv >> here. >> Mayor Disorger >> here. >> All right. I think that that's all of us. Uh we are all present with one member on Zoom. Uh and so therefore we have a quorum. We will now open it up for public comment. Um members of the public will have three minutes to speak. You'll have to say your name and your address. Uh if you would like to get on stack um or join the list, uh please put your name in the chat. If you're on Zoom, there's no um members of the public in the room. So, if you're on Zoom and you wanna and you want to do public comment, now's the time. Okay, seeing none, no public comment, uh then we're going to close that for now and move along
004to our next item, which is our open meeting law presentation given by Liz Lefon from the Massachusetts Association of School Committees. Liz, Just remember to hold the microphone until the light turns green, please. >> Liz, can you hold the microphone until the light turns green? >> So, I'm not going to present this anywhere. Am I not going to present this anywhere? This isn't going to show up on the screen. Were I was just going to say, were you able to mail it to the other members? Email it. >> These are the pitfalls of living in a house with a metal roof and metal siding. Sometimes the emails just don't go. >> Well, Stacy got it right. There you go. Perfect. Thank you. So, the reason I wanted you to have it like this is there
005are some links in here that um as long as you have it, you can access some pretty good information pretty quickly. Thank you for having me, friends, in Greenfield. It's always nice to be back. >> Closer to you. >> Closer. >> There you go. >> I have a little microphone phobia, but that's okay. Um, it's always nice to come back here. It's a nice drive a little bit further now that I'm no longer in Hatfield, but uh, always pleasant to be with you all. So, thanks. Um, we're going to talk about the open meeting law. I know a lot of people are not fond of this, but it is one of my favorite things actually because once you do understand it is very clear what you need to do and very clear what you cannot
006do. I'm I'm a fan of the rules. You have to know the ones you must follow and the ones you should challenge and the ones you can just completely disregard. Open meeting law is not one you ever want to completely disregard. So the purpose of the open meeting law is to provide transparency, the balance between the need to get the work of the public done and transparency to members of the public who want to know as you as you know from having the online audience that you do um what you're doing in these meetings. It um provides for advanced notice, posting of the full agenda with all topics anticipated to be discussed um and deliberations that happen in open session unless they fit one of the 10 typically only nine reasons cover a school committee.
007But one of the 10 reasons listed in the executive session um purposes um and as you all know public access um must happen um in that because you are doing it virtually if your technology goes down like it did last week. You know you should spend about 20 or 30 minutes trying to get it up and going. And if not well here we are the following week. So, you followed that rule perfectly. I have been um elected and appointed myself um a few different times and we all go into the town town or city clerk um we get sworn in. We get some paperwork uh and we sign off on a sheet saying we received some open meeting law training documentation. It's usually a sheet of paper that says go to this website. Um, look
008at the training videos or training um, materials there. There's a handbook on the open meeting law there. Um, and look up any open meeting law violations for your committee for the past five years. Um, I would say probably 999 out of a thousand people don't follow all those steps. Um, and it's not surprising because it seems a bit overwhelming when you're first elected and you're trying to get up to speed on the work that your committee's doing, important work um, in the case of school committees uh, you know, around providing the best um, education possible and access to um, positive outcomes for the students in your communities. So, I did provide a link at the bottom of that page that will bring you to the Attorney General's website and we'll show you if you're ever
009interested in looking at it again, the certification that you um signed. Um, it also includes in that link, which I just opened, the open meeting log guide and educational materials. Very handy document. I always have that right. Um, it's in my drive so I don't ever lose it. Um, I have the most upto-date also right on my desktop so I can access it if I don't have um, wifi access. Very handy documents on that page if you ever have a question. Again, you have um, when you signed off on that sheet, you've said that you have looked at that training guide. not unusual that people don't um and that's why we're here. We're always happy to help. Um I did look at the open meeting law determinations for Greenfield and there have only been two
010with the last one in n 2019. I remember those days pretty well actually. I think I spent a lot of time up here talking to the committee about various things. Well, it was good getting to know people. So, you know, your agenda is posted uh nicely. It it certainly does meet with the requirements of the law with a full agenda. Um and you have access to the public both in person and online. Um and the minutes must be kept for all open meetings including subcommittees as you know and executive session. lots of violations over the past three to four years around minutes, which is why I wanted to bring that up. Uh people forget about getting minutes in or getting minutes in in a timely way, and many committees um were quite used to not
011creating subcommittee minutes. I know you say, "Hm, that's what I said." Well, how can any work get done if there's no subcommittee? Because the subcommittees are designed to have work sent to them by the full board to dive deeper and to bring recommendations back. So, how in the world do recommendations come back without minutes, right? Hm. So, the open meeting law is kind enough to include some definitions for us. And that is what a meeting is. A deliberation by a public body with respect to any matter within the body's jurisdiction. Um, and that gets a little trickier because the deliberation is any oral, written or electronic communications on the public business between or among a quorum of the public body. Um, I think that there's likely not a committee out there that hasn't one time
012or another unintentionally uh reached a quorum of the committee. So, what we tried to do um is really provide some caution. We all have someone on the committee that we trust or we want to talk to and we think we're gathering information and one thing leads to another and the next thing you know we've said I'm definitely voting X way on this particular topic. Um so you've shared your opinion on a matter before the board with one member. So far you're okay. we would caution you to never share that opinion. Um because here's where the unintentionality happens. You know, a couple weeks later, member A is talking to member C um and expressing what member B told them. Now, if you're on a five member committee, um you've just reached a quorum of your full
013body, which is three, and you've unintentionally violated the open meeting law. It's always good to talk to your colleagues to gather information, gain perspectives, particularly if you're new, right? You want to know what's the history here? What what are we looking at? Um and that's a good thing. just really try to the other reason I guess I caution you on this particularly is um as much as I knew about school committee work as a new school committee member there were a few times I went into a meeting thinking I knew exactly how I'd vote on something until I heard all of the information presented and I found that I had my mind changed for me by information I hadn't previously had Um, so just be be wary of that. The open meeting law tells us
014there are some are are some allowable exclusions um to this deliberation. You can do housekeeping kinds of work via email uh around dates, scheduling, agenda items so long as you are not providing your opinion on a particular item um that's coming before the committee, right? That includes uh distribution of reports and documents to be discussed. Again, there's where the trick comes in. Why are we doing this? I think we should just, you know, try to keep that out of out of any communication. And the best practice here is when even when doing housekeeping or scheduling matters, if the chair sends something out or if your executive secretary, the superintendent sends out, it's always best to never reply all. Sometimes we remember to put that on the bottom of an email because we understand there's something
015in there that can raise uh the desire of someone to express an opinion, something controversial or sensitive happening in the community. And sometimes we don't, but it's a good practice to be in. We know the public has a right to participate um and to be present whether we decide that it's only in person or whether we do it in a hybrid mode. Um and the reason that this has been extended to 2027 um is because we're seeing participation from the public like we have never seen before. We also see members who have children or have elderly parents or who travel for work um or a number of other things able to attend meetings when they are they would typically not be able to. So it's been a big big bonus I think um for public
016bodies. However you post it on your agenda as you know again from your last meeting is how you have to be available for the public to attend. So, if you allow it virtually and in person at the same time and internet goes down or tech fails on you, um you still have to reschedu the meeting. So, thank you for having that right. The public may while you likely, excuse me, offer um and you did tonight, public comment, it's not mandated that public comment be offered. It is a great idea that public comment be offered. Um certainly people want to have the opportunity to express their opinions to their elected um officials locally, but the public may not address the committee without the permission of the chair. I don't think I've ever seen here where people
017are just shouting out from the audience. They know the routine, they follow it, and it works well. as uh Stacy mentioned when she opened the um when they opened the meeting is if anyone else in the audience is recording, they should uh let the chair be aware of that so that other members of the public who may be in the audience um who have particular reasons for not wanting their identity shared on social media or anywhere else um have the opportunity to know that's happening and they can leave the room. Um, typically if it's just the committee um, recording the meeting, then the cameras are focused on the committee and the and the screen and whatever else is happening. And people in the audience will feel generally fairly safe sitting there, but may want to
018exclude themselves if there's someone in the audience taking a recording. Oh, the public. I want to say some more about the public um that is not in here. So we know from recent OML decisions and not so recent I guess uh the initially it goes back prior to 2010 um we can set some rules some reasonable rules around public participation or public comment right we can ask the public to keep their comments to items listed on the agenda we can ask the public to keep their comments to items under the committee's purview you. Um but at the end of the day, we cannot demand it. Um the public has a right to redress their grievances uh with their elected officials. Uh, and if um a member of the public happens to be the kind of
019person that just wants to get up and play the trumpet for their three minutes, which was uh actually the subject of the original determination that the person's rights had been violated, um, you have to allow them to have their three minutes. The only things that are out of bounds are someone who threatens violence or threatens to incite violence. Um, we get very sensitive around um, members of the public and I I'm sure you've seen this happen because almost everybody has who gets up and wants to mention another student's name. um we have to caution that person that that student has the right to privacy. Um under the student records law, it's always good to have a um a written ruling from your council as to whether you have to allow that to go on or
020not. Um, I'm not an attorney, so I'm not going to tell you what I think, but you must always caution the person that that student has the right um to to privacy. Likewise, if a parent wants to get up and identify their own child, it's still your responsibility to inform the parent that your child has a right to privacy. Now, under your rules, and you're allowed to do this, um you've asked people to provide their name and address, and now they've said they have a second grader or a kindergartener and they live at um and these are kinds of things we really want to caution people against doing because these meetings are then saved and they're um yours are on YouTube. Yeah. And so almost anybody can access those meetings and it's really a matter
021of safety and typically when people know that um they're more likely to comply. So executive session um never anybody's favorite place to be because we're usually in there um trying to do the best we can with what we have for our staff members through negotiations. Um, sometimes we're in there as a search committee conducting a search for the next superintendent and the candidates at that semi- finalist stage have the right to keep their names confidential. You know, no one wants to be the candidate that doesn't get brought forward, right? because it's clearly a person looking to further their uh work in the field of education and you don't want to be known as the one who hasn't made it forward in the past three searches because while Liz Lefon might not be right for Greenfield
022although I suspect I could work here um it doesn't mean I couldn't be right for South Hadley or for I don't think I'd be right for Graby but maybe I would be um there's a lot of places I would be a good fit for right and So, uh, often times it's a matter of fit when you come down to who the finalists are and not a matter of qualifications. Right? I've provided a link there um to the 10 exceptions which brings you right to the MGL and I've provided a link to exceptions with a quick motion guide. I get so many calls each week on I'm just posting the agenda. Can you take a look and see if my motion is worded right? Um, sure I can. And that's that's a pretty easy thing to
023do. Um, but if you have this reference guide, it's also very helpful going forward. You know that all executive sessions have to be opened in public session first. That's so the public can know who is present and the reason. um including as much information as you can provide without giving away the reason for for confidentiality um that you are going into executive session. We know that minutes must still be taken. There must still be a summary of discussion. typically not as lengthy um or as fullbodied as it would be for a public um open regular public meeting, but there still has to be a summary of the discussion. And all votes in executive session are by roll call. I think everybody's pretty familiar with that. I want to go back for a minute and talk
024about subcommittees again. I did hear you say you do subcommittee minutes and thank you so much for that. But when I bring this up um when we do charting the course trainings or when I'm sitting with a committee and I talk about um subcommittee meetings requiring minutes, I get so many blank stairs back um that it's all I can do not to kind of chuckle a little bit. Um yes, you're still an elected public body. you're still conducting the business of the public and you still must have meetings and they still must be brought back to the committee in a timely manner. Um I've heard all sorts of configurations with approving subcommittee minutes from oh the subcommittee approves their own minutes and then they go to full board. Oh no no no we just approve
025our own. Uh no because nothing you do takes place in that vacuum, right? The full board has final authority over all topics being discussed at subcommittee. It is a sub quorum in a subcommittee and it is only the quorum of the full body that um creates official action. Does this make sense? Any questions there? Yes. >> So, can you just go over one more time like what the standard process should be >> to keep it regularly churning? >> Well, I'll go a little bit past what it should be. Um, again, I've heard a lot of different things. Uh, the the subcommittees are created by the full board. Uh, you have an established set of subcommittees. You probably have a description of what the work is being done by that particular subcommittee. Yes, >> you should
026have a standard description that can you're not alone. This happens an awful lot. A standard description of the work that happens there. I would go another step further and say the reason you have a description of the work that gets there is because the work goes to subcommittees through the full board. Um for example, if you have a finance and budget um subcommittee, the budget always lives, you know, the budget always lives with that subcommittee. But if there's a new financial matter that comes up, like there's a concern about how we're going to fund the fix at the playground so we can get the NYAK certification. Um the subcommittee doesn't automatically say we're just going to discuss this. That has to be sent through the full board, right? Um because it's a new matter before
027the committee. So, uh policies policy lives with the full board. Um, but if a new policy comes in, typically they come in through MASC, you get the updates, they come in, they come to the full board, the full board refers them to subcommittee, they then have to come back, right? And there's a lot of reasons for this. It's uh it's it's the way that the board understands that the work subcommittees are doing complies with the description that they're provided with that's been approved by the committee. It's a way to know that the committee is not off creating their own work in areas that might or may not fit under their purview. And it's a way that the committee knows that the subcommittees are not taking on brand new work that the school committee is not
028aware they're working on. Right? it. This happens a lot in places where subcommittees sort of take on their own work and committees realize um the importance of having seen that work first and having made the determination like could they have just made a determination first at a full board meeting to act on something? Um, and then does it get delayed by going to subcommittee or do they really want it to go to subcommittee to have that deeper dive in a public setting? Anything else on subcommittees? Yes. >> Just this question. >> We're never wrong. We're training here. >> Just maybe I'm learning. Um, so the way subcommittees took place in the past was the chair wrote the little description. >> You probably have a policy that says that. Yeah. >> Okay. And then that went
029to the subcommittee for conversation and whether or not agreed or disagreed. Oh, so the subcommittee had an opportunity to perhaps widen the the depth of the Okay, >> and then that came back to the chair. >> Is that, >> you know, that's certainly a transparent way to do business. I don't think there's anything wrong with it. >> Just asking. >> Yeah. >> Well, subcommittee stuff. >> It's you do important work in subcommittees and you're tasked to bring recommendations back to the full board. Um, and don't ever have your feelings hurt if you spent two hours reviewing a topic and you bring back a recommendation and the full board is split on whether to move forward on it because that will eventually happen. Right? >> We're all here as a reminder because I am often not
030on the winning side. We're all here to be reminded that we, you know, we take out papers, we hold signs, we talk to people at the local Democratic committee, whatever the process is to get elected because this is really the good work of the district. Um, I believe, you know, this is where the magic happens. Our work is completely focused. We're not worried about uh where where the crosswalk goes in, what the lines look like, who needs a handicap sign. I know budget and other important stuff happens um at city council meetings, but all of our work is focused on what is best for the students attending our school. How can we create an environment where they have the best possibility of outcomes, right, that affect them every day and well into the future. That's
031the magic, I think. Anyway, um, any more on subcommittees? I didn't want to take up too much of your time, so I did I did pair this down a bit. So, please stop me with any questions. Okay. Social media is a place that we have to be very careful. Now, I use these words proceed with caution because these are the words used in the training materials created by the attorney general's office. Um, people love social media. Some people love social media more than other people and that's okay. We all have a right. Um I just want you to understand that there's a couple things. Um generally with social media um you always have your first amendment right to free speech. But I want you to be mindful that if a majority of school committees are
032are like your page or follow you and you've expressed an opinion, you could not saying you are, but you could violate the open meeting law. And when I say this, there's a couple things that have to happen. Um, Liz Lefon, on her Liz Lefon for school committee paid says, "I can't believe um, and I'm going to bring this up because we're going to get around to discussing it. Um, we're thinking about sharing services, consolidating or regionalizing with some neighbor districts. I I would never vote for this. This is wrong. We need our community. We need to keep funding our schools. If only we could." Um, and I would never I'm promising you now I would never vote no and whoever does, you know, I'll fight tooth and nail to the end. Um, I've voiced my
033opinion. I've made a decision. If somebody if if somebody knew that a a quorum of the committee was following me and saw that they could certainly file an open meeting law um violation on me and I would likely get a determination that even though no one liked or commented on it that you all saw it right. Um similarly um people like to write opinions uh to the newspaper letter to the editor. You have every right to do that. It's it's your first amendment right to freedom of expression. Um again I would just caution you that you sit at the table with a diverse group of people. people elected by citizens in the community for various reasons with their with their votes. Um, which are which is serious business to me. Um, we all if we
034all had the same thoughts and ideas, what a boring place the world would be, right? So, we all bring a different perspective, a different skill set, and a different reason for sitting on the board. So, the best thing you can do is uh live with your ears wide open. um listen to your fellow members. Um take their their concerns and their comments into thoughtful consideration. And if you find yourself on the losing end of a vote, I have more than once. Um remember that the body um has made an official action through this vote and as an elected member of this body, I don't have to like it. But I cannot try to undermine um or be negative about it because I mean I could I have freedom of expression but I'm going to come
035back to this table with my committee members and I'm going to come back with great ideas that I want my colleagues to support at some point in the future. Right? How much support am I going to get? Probably not a lot if I'm not a if I don't play well in the sandbox, so to speak. Um I guess that's the politician part of local politics um that we all have to work at. Yes. >> So jumping back a little bit. So letter to the editor oped is okay. Freedom of expression >> same content on Facebook or Twitter. Questionable qu >> be cautious. So, I guess my just question is >> what if you write the letter to the editor and then tweet out just the link to that letter to the editor? >> So, >>
036I'm not I'm not on Twitter. I'm just obnoxious. >> I'm not It's something else now, too. It's not Twitter anymore. Um, it's X. You can tell I'm not on it either. Uh, there's a blue sky now, too. I I have grandchildren. I'd rather spend time with them. The Attorney General's office tells us to proceed with caution. Yes, we never give up the right to free speech. We might want to be talk and and even if we're talking about it as Liz Leond resident, we're still seen first as Liz Lefon member of the school committee. Um, and I know sometimes um I've gotten upset, annoyed, passionate about things. Um, and I've gone home and taken a deep breath and I say, "Well, we're just going to have to come back to fight this another day. Do
037I want to spread it on social media?" Not today, Liz. You know, post a picture of your grandchild or your dog. People will smile. That's my opinion. That's not everybody's opinion. I'm just trying to ask you to proceed with caution uh to keep yourself and others out of trouble. You know that open the open meeting law says that um the complaint first comes to you. You create a resolution. Sometimes it's easy to create a resolution. You provide the resolution to the attorney general's office. they agree with you and they figure you've got a straight path to clarifying this and they may say yes you did violate the open meeting law but you've got a clear path to fixing it thank you. Um on the other hand you may not have created a clear path to
038fix it and then you get the other letter which says yes you have violated and here's what you must do to fix it. Right? So they so to a point um although I wouldn't want that spread in the newspaper about me um you get a pass from there until you continue to violate right because they always say here's what you have to do to fix the violation and you have to get training at a certain point um the attorney general's office has the ability to um although It doesn't happen often, but if you knowingly violate the open meeting law, there can be monetary consequences attached to that for an individual and for a committee. I'd be more afraid of having my name in the paper multiple times, but not everybody is. Um, anybody belong to
039the MASC list, sir? You don't mind if I get my water? So, I belong to the MASC school committee list serve. Um, and I belong to the MASC executive assistance list serve. And I I Tracy Novik and I both monitor that. Um, I will tell you that the executive assistance list serve is such a helpful place. They're not elected officials. Therefore, they're not compelled to offer their opinions on anything. But they share such good advice um with others, people who are new to the position, haven't done certain things. They help them to access Corey, sorry, fingerprinting, you name it. They provide policy advice. Um that kind of thing. Um, if the attorney general says, open meeting law says if you're on a list serve, and you would never know if a majority of your colleagues
040were on that because you don't maintain the list serve. So, if you're on a list serve, you should be asking for advice, best practices, um, how did you manage to xyz? Um, and you should not there um express your opinion on a topic under your board's purview because you would never know if there was a quorum there or not. And if you did, the attorney general's office says that would in fact be a violation of the open meeting law. They're they're more clear there than they are about social media. Although social media is is a place where they're getting to a point where they're going to be more clear. I think I think it looks like that's where it's going. Um I'm very happy to see no phones on the table. Not only are the
041public watching you, well, your phone's there. You probably have someone at home you want to pay attention to, right? I mean, I have grandchildren. I used to have children. Um, I still have children, but they used to be young and I worried about them all the time. What are they up to now? Are they cooking? Have they forgot the stoves on? You know, things like that. Um, when you're sitting in these meetings and folks are watching you online, they are watching you. They're watching if you're listening. They're watching if you're taking the information in or if you're sitting on your phone for threequarters of the meeting texting one. Number two, anyone who sees you texting during an open public meeting as a board member could request those text messages as public record. 2.1. The only
042text messages you would have to provide in such a request is text messages that happen to be on the topic you're discussing or any matter under your purview. So if you are texting your kids or your mom or your whomever you're texting um you would not have to provide that. But there have been a number of u of city officials um in some of the big cities and some school committee members who have been really badly embarrassed um by text messages they were sending to one another about other members about other people present at the meeting. Um, you probably all remember about four or five years ago, there was a big uh violation that occurred in the in Boston, the Boston public schools, when some folks were um disparaging the name of their student representatives.
043Um, and those things all got published in the Boston Globe because that's the kind of thing that sells well newspapers or online clicks or whatever it is we're looking for. So, just be thoughtful, please. I know you're all thoughtful people, and that's what I'm asking you to do. Also, it's happened to everybody. We're sitting in a meeting and we get an email from someone and we see the tagline and we say, "Oh, I better look at this. This is about what we're talking about." It happens a lot. If that happens to you, and I asked this question um at an in-person training I attended about five or six years ago, if you get information on a matter that the board is currently discussing from someone who decided to be a good citizen and email it
044to you, the best thing you can do is share it with the rest of the committee if it's pertinent information. Um, otherwise you do put yourself at greater risk for violating the open meeting law because you've had something shared with you that you're taking into consideration um that the rest of the committee doesn't have. It's best practice um and the best way to keep you out of trouble uh should anyone decide in the future to file some sort of an OML complaint about that kind of thing. Make sense? People always want to be so helpful to us and we trust people, right? If people have our phone number, we must trust them. Um, but sometimes they're not always accurate and the things they sent us is all I can say. Share it with your members.
045Have that conversation. Uh, talk about the pros and cons of it. And I've come to the end, but I'm here to answer any questions you have before you get into business. Yes. >> We had an OML violation in 2022. >> Okay. >> And the resolution that we came to was to have OML training. >> Yes. >> And now we finally have >> Yes. It only took us >> four years to do it. And I've seen >> May of 2022. So um saying we we've done it. We did it. >> And I've seen members at charting the course trainings uh where you've had the OML training. Um I also want to note that um under the law, the only public elected public body in Massachusetts that's required to have training on their job, their roles and
046responsibilities are school committees. So just understand that all the other elected public boards in the community are operating without having ethics. Well, they probably take the ethics online every two years, but but but when you're taking that online training, you don't have the opportunity to stop and ask questions, you know, set up scenarios. They don't have OML training. They don't have training on their roles and responsibilities, collective bargaining, um any of those other good things. superintendent evaluation we train you on uh it's a full day of training and you are the only elected body in the state of Massachusetts required to have that training in your first year. >> I have two questions about public comment. The first one's the simpler one. Um when you caution someone about student privacy, does the time you spend
047cautioning them uh need to be added back to their three minutes? >> Probably. Yes. Yeah. because in Greenfield people need those three >> probably. Yes. >> And the second one, um, you made mention about how you usually tell people not to do the asking for someone's name and address. Is that something that you would recommend we look into changing? >> So, this is totally up to the committee. There are some rules you may set. Um, asking a name and address is within your purview. Um, and I don't know if you want to do it or not, but you could ask uh for the name and the affiliation to the school district because it could be a parent of school choice. It could be a staff member that doesn't live in the district. It could be
048could be anything. Um, but it's almost better to know their affiliation because if I came in um from Graanby and gave you my address in Graanby, you couldn't say to me, "Well, you don't live here. You can't speak." But what's my affiliation? Sometimes better to know. It's really an individual decision made by local communities. >> So now that we completed the resolution from 2022, do we have to do anything with that? Do we have to say that we did it? I mean, is it the honor system that you do? >> It's the honor system. How do you like that? >> All right. So we don't have to tell the district attorney that we did it. And listen, I'm uh you have my email address now. Uh you have my phone number because I sent the
049email and it's on there if you ever have questions about open meeting law, ethics, almost anything school committee related. Um this is this is why we exist, right? So call me if I can't answer your question because you've called me about something financial. Sorry. I am not a numbers person and I do understand basic budgeting and I do know the answers to a lot of those questions. Um but I often refer to my colleague Tracy Novik who is the expert um not only in school budgeting um but school finance and chapter 70. She really has a great depth of knowledge. Um if if I or one of my colleagues, you don't even have to call me. You want to call one of my colleagues, call one of them. We're happy to give advice. Um, that's
050why we exist, to serve you. No other reason. >> I just want to check. Member Dman, do you have any questions? Want to make sure we're not forgetting about you. >> Uh, I just wanted to clarify about um writing letters to the editor. Um basically you're saying that your advice is just not to undermine the work of the committee but um there's no clear is there an OML guideline regarding that particular public statement? >> I wish that there were. No, there is not. uh you have a constitutional right to freedom of expression um both federally and supported strongly um in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Um I think your uh biggest risk is um undermining the work that you have to come back and do at the table with your colleagues uh because your first amendment
051right would kick in at some point. Um, usually, usually, but not always, these opinions to the editor are sent after a decision is made and somebody's unhappy with it, right? Um, not always. I want you just to be thoughtful when you're writing. Um, yes, we have the right to freedom of expression. We do. And yes, we are passionate enough uh to take the time to run for and get elected to this public body because we understand the importance of the work um not only today but into the future for our communities and for the families that live in these communities. Right. Again, to me, it's it's a significant work that I'm always quite proud to say I'm a school committee member. So just be thoughtful. >> Thank you. >> You're welcome. >> So I just
052started writing something for um just about chapter 70 that you know Joe Kmerford's like trying to get us all to write. >> So >> do I not do that? >> Well, you have no authority over chapter 70. >> Okay. Okay. So, I still go like, >> "Yes, >> you need to fix this." >> They need to fix it. Rural, suburban, and other districts that are just don't have the ability to fund the schools the way some districts do. Absolutely. We should be mad as hell. >> I'm there. >> I am too. And my kids are educated. You know, I have grandchildren. They'll also be educated. But not everybody has that luxury. Um, and we owe it to the the folks in our communities to stand up for them. Yes. Thank you. If you find those
053links helpful, and I'll tell you, I provided links that I use all the time. Um, I also get the newsletter from the Attorney General's Office of Open Government, which um comes out once a month and and highlights some of the OML determinations. But you can go in and look at OML determinations on your own through the Attorney General's website at any time. And you can search by topic, by community. There's a lot of different ways you can search. You can see I'm a school committee geek. >> Thank you. so much. >> Thank you. Thank you all. It's always a pleasure coming here. Thank you. Going to stop sharing my screen because it seems like we are approaching the end of this item. All right, I think we are ready to continue on. Um, our next
054item is a report of student representatives. Our student representatives couldn't be here tonight. So, my understanding is that Superintendent Doyle will be giving part giving the report in theirstead. Yes, I'll um I ran through I was fortunate enough to do some of it the last meeting just before we lost connectivity and a few of the other things that are mentioned for our students are the library club is doing a book to movie event on Friday February 27th after we return from our vacation next week. This is a co-hosting of a book to movie event with the Mosaic Club. They're going that collaboration will honor both Black History Month and the upcoming women's history month by showing the film Hidden Figures. Doors open at 5:30 for pizza and popcorn and the movie will start at six
055o'clock. This is a community event and all are welcome. Also, with digital wellness that's working out in January, both the health A and B classes at the high school visited the library for a week of lessons about digital citizenship. Among other topics, the students learned about our digital footprints and who is looking at them. And I think as we all know and we just heard some things, sometimes delete is never deleted, right? in life. Um, we all have to remember that. And our trivia team, also known as as schools match wits. Many of you may recall that from these days, had just filmed their final episode and that will be airing in mid to late mid to late April. We'll get you that date and we can't tell you how they did. You have to
056watch to find out as you know. So, it's that's going on and plans are coming up for a dodgeball tournament in April that has begun. Anybody who would like to participate can put together a team and do that. Um I don't know if I'm up for dodgeball. I I think some of us probably don't want to relive our youth anymore. Well, we do, but sometimes we want to come to work the next day as well. So that are that completes the some of the reports from our students. Thank you. >> All right. Um I would ask for any questions, but I'm not sure if Roland would be able to answer them for us. Um, okay. Reports from the administration. Um, I do not see our business manager online and I believe that he was doing
057a school visit. >> Yes. You know, being this being a um changed meeting from last week, it is school vacation week. So, our business manager and assistant superintendent are not with us tonight. I can briefly go over it. Um, you have the business report that was submitted over a week ago. They're showing our local budget as the normal practice, how they charge it, the numbers in front of you. Um, things are comfortable. The trends are still showing no cause for alarm and there is a recap on the back for how FY25 ended f focusing on the closeout and you have all that. I would not be the best person tonight to answer a lot of your questions. Um, I could try, but I would probably defer the majority of those. I mean, we may want
058to hold or you can reach out. Um, I know that Andy is always available via phone or email and we'll get back to you pretty quickly. >> Great. And then I will just also note for the record that um, members were forwarded from the city uh, information about the school revolving accounts and we do have Steve Deberau online if you want to ask about that. I did. Well, I guess I should say he's here. He didn't agree to answer questions necessarily, but I'm kind of putting him on the spot a little bit, but just to note that we have that. I might recommend that you take some more time to look that over and gather your questions for for the next meeting. Sound good? Okay. Thanks, Steve, for being here. Um, okay. With that, we
059can move along to the assistant superintendent report. And superintendent, >> you have a written report in front of you. Um, I will just briefly I'm going to really skim over it. Professional learning, we just had our last full day professional development June January 30th. And educators participated in grade banded sessions aligned to their district priorities and all educators also participated in restorative practice learning that day. There's a brief grants update there about the high dosage early learning tutor literacy turning tutoring reading proficiency by grade three is a critical benchmark for our students. High dosage early literacy tutoring focuses on strengthening foundational skills including funological awareness, phonetics and decoding to help students become independent fluent readers in their early grades. This is similar to the work that our teachers are already doing during core instruction and
060intervention blocks. So, we're looking to having conversations and applying for that. We have also, and I did include a letter in one of our folders there, just received with Greenfield Community College an early college planning grant of $25,000. You'll see that letter in there. And that is very nice. So, we'll be able to begin collaborating with Greenfield Community College to assess our readiness, identify opportunities, and determine next steps for our students to attend advanced coursework there, and also get students ready for college level learning. So, we're very excited about that. I'd like to thank everybody who helped with the winter carnival a few weeks ago. It was finally winter, right, for the winter carnival, which is actually a great thing. It might have been actually a little too winterish that day. It was pretty cold
061that weekend. Um, but one of the nice things that the schools did a lot of good things, but one of the things that we did sponsor was the Title One program sponsored the Mad Science Fire and Ice Show held on Saturday, February 7th at the Greenfield Middle School auditorium. And there was a nice crowd there to see that. So, we thank everybody who helped us out with that and all those who helped with the winter carnival that was put on by the park and recck department there. And February vacation academy, we are in the middle of February Vacation, right? It's not too often that we have a meeting during vacation in that sense. So here we are and we had this up and running this week. We had nearly 40 students attend Discovery School from
062all students from all schools going and this was not just for remediation. This was for enrichment and anybody could go. It was from 8:00 to 1:00. It almost doubled our size from last year. One more day tomorrow. And I stopped over there. Mr. Sullivan's been there every day. I spent a little time over there going through all the classrooms. Everybody's having a great time. I know that some of our own school committee members have a couple have some of their children over there. So, we thank all our teachers who are working over school vacation and everybody else who's involved with that. So, that is a nice opportunity for our students to continue enrichment and continue learning. So, that is assistant superintendent Selvin's report. >> I may Thank you. And I will roll briefly into a
063few things. Um I did attach our enrollment summary for the beginning of February 1343 students that is minus two students from the last month but when I students eb and flow people move and enroll and then we gain students we lose students so that is absolutely normal. Uh we were fortunate to have a last week Greenfield Middle School had a rock and readathon where they set up a nice area in their front hallway vestibule rocking chairs, tables, and this was an honor collaborating for Black History Month with reading about black authors and books to sign up. I was fortunate enough I signed up and had a time in the rocking chair. They're reading and I read a small book. I'm going to tell you about Rosa Parks. And one thing I learned in that book
064is I never knew that she was a seamstress. Some of you may have known that, but I did not know that detail of it. So you learn something new every day, right, when you do that. So thank you to Kim Hurley and all those at Greenfield Middle School who did that and kept students reading all week long, some with their teachers, some alone in those rocking chairs to learn about Black History Month. And we were fortunate today, it may come up later, to do a school facilities tour throughout our six schools. We had school committee members. We had city council, city council alerters there as well, too. Took quite a chunk of our day to do that, but to show people what was going on and answer any questions for anybody. So, there'll always be
065more on our facilities coming up. >> Any questions? Can you repeat the number of students enrolled currently? >> Yes. >> 13431343. >> I see member Goodwin. >> Just a thank you for taking the time to give us a tour today. And just a shout out to the custodians. The the buildings were sharp. >> Very sharp. >> Thank you. I'll pass that on through through our our director, Mr. Budro. >> Any other questions? Okay, seeing none, uh we'll move along to our consent agenda. Um so there are three items in the consent agenda. Approving the minutes of January 14th and February 11th. Maybe. Do we actually have those minutes? We do actually have those. Fantastic. >> No, February 11th, not 14. We have February 11th. >> Okay. Well, then approving the minutes of February 11th. January
06614th to be coming another time. >> Um, vote to approve the Greenfield High School Spanish class field trip to New York City on March 25th. Um, and doing a first read of the revised policy DB, empowered use digital empowered digital use policy. Um, and the revisions, just to note for folks, are around AI. Um members can ask for any of these items to be removed from the consent agenda. I see member Den and then member child. >> Okay. And is that the same one that you All right. So that is removed. We will discuss it separately. Um otherwise I'd look for a motion to approve items A and B from the consent agenda. >> So moved. >> All right. So we've got a motion from member Deniv. >> Seconded. So long as we're clear that
067we've struck January 14th from >> correct, we have struck January 14th from item A of the consent agenda. And so we have a second from member child. >> Um and because we are we have a member who's online, all of our votes need to be done by roll call. So we'll just do that. >> And you are ready. >> You're good. Member Dyman, >> yes. >> Member Goodwin, >> yes. >> Chair Ston, >> yes. >> Member Webb, I'm a yes. Vice Chair Childs, >> yes. >> Member Deniv, >> yes. >> Marriages or >> yes. >> All right. Items A and B with the exception of the January 14th uh minutes has been approved. Um okay. So now we can talk about item C for a minute. The first read of the reverse policy JNDB. Um
068I look for a motion to approve to be able to bring it to the table for discussion. Okay. I'm going to motion to approve this item and I'm looking for a discussion. Second. >> I've got a motion, a second. Jeeoff, can you mute yourself for just a minute? >> Thank you. Um, and now any discussion? All right. Member Childs, I would really prefer it if the policy subcommittee would look at this and have a hand in it so that it is indeed coming from the policy makers as elected. Also, I would change it personally, but we don't need my soap box. Yes. Oh, sorry. Did Were you raising your hand? >> No, I didn't. But I feel the same as Ann. >> Okay, great. Any other All right. Um, I withdraw my motion and I
069make a new motion to refer this policy to the policy subcommittee. >> Second. >> Okay. Trying to get my Roberts rules. Does my original seconder have to also be good with that? I'm pretty sure you're I see you're nodding disorder. So, you're good with that. >> With the withdrawal of the motion >> with the withdrawal of the earlier >> the original. >> I'll withdraw the second. >> Great. Um, okay. So, we've got the new motion to refer this policy to our policy subcommittee for review and recommendation has been you made it, member child's. No, I made it. I made it and member child second it seconded it. Any discussion on that? >> Seeing none, let's do a roll call vote. >> Member Dyman. >> Yes. >> Member Goodwin. >> Yes. Chair Sexton. >> Yep. >>
070Member Webb, I'm going to abstain. Vice Chair Childs, >> yes. >> Member Deniv, >> yes. >> Mayor Dorger, >> yes. >> Okay. So, the motion passes with one abstension. So, yes. >> Yeah. And if I just may, um, depending on the member, the makeup of that subcommittee. This was your input you would want to gather from assistant superintendent Steven Sullivan and Ian Edwards, our director of IT, had input on this so they could help you and explain some of their thoughts. >> Great. Thank you for that. Okay, moving on to school committee reports. Um, uh, starting with the chair's report, just a lot of these items are more FYIs than actual discussion points. So, this first update on policies voted during the 2025 calendar year, not reflected in the posted policy manual. I'm thinking in
071particular the one about warrants, which we'll be talk touching on later in this meeting. um our executive assistant Becky did do a full review just to see if there were any other policies that we sort of either had discussed in one way or another even if we hadn't voted on it or if we did vote on it making sure that that was getting reflected in the manual that lives online so that we're all operating from the same playbook. Um to our knowledge is the only one that actually we never really voted on it. We discussed it, came to a verbal agreement, but because it wasn't a vote, it never made it in. So now we're going to rectify that tonight. Um, but otherwise that that was the only one that we caught or that Becky
072caught. If in your own review you find something else, please let us know and we'll make sure that that gets updated ASAP. Um, this other item actually is null and void now since those school tours did happen today. Um, we did have four members of our school committee and three members of city council and a few kiddos uh join us on our building tours um to look at a lot of to look at a lot of stuff and to get some insights into some of our long-term planning. So, we've got some items that aren't major issues right now, but if we don't make action on them in the next year or two could become uh issues that that will be more costly in the future. thinking in particular of some um external window dressing that
073needs to get repainted because if it gets down to the bare wood, which it is in some places is already and will continue to be, then we run the risk of it getting rotted. So, it's just one of those things that we need to keep our eye on um and make sure we're incorporating into our budget. Um the organizational chart that was listed in new member materials has been updated to reflect the most current version of what that org chart looks like. Um so please if you've been uh if if that is of interest to you, please go go and look at it um and see what has been updated. Uh, next Monday, the community relations subcommittee of the city council will have an item related to uh, creating internships for Greenfield public school students.
074They haven't actually officially contacted us about this yet, but I wanted it to be on our radar because obviously anything that happens with our kids, we want to know about um, and we want to be part of helping make sure that that experience is educationally sound um, and useful for us and for them. Um, Massachusetts Association of School Committees Day on the Hill is happening Monday, March 30th. It is something that if you want to attend the breakfast, I think you have to register for it. Um, we haven't discussed this in past years. It's happened in May and I'm just really thankful that Mask actually listened to us and bumped the timeline up. So, it's happening before the budget actually is being wheeled down the hall uh printed. Um, so this is an item where
075we we can choose to be there. Um, if you'll remember from last week, we did maybe it was Yeah, I think it was last week, we had a member of the public comment, how worth it is it to go to Boston versus making all the stops in Western Mass and going to people's legislative offices directly? So, that's a question that we could have. There's no reason that says we couldn't do both. Um, but the real question that I have for us that we might spend some time just doing some open discussion about is what are our what are our key legislative priorities? If we had to ask for three things, what are our three things um that we might ask of our legislators? All right, that got member childs. >> Reopening the study into chapter
07670 in order to revamp it so that it reflects reality. >> Anybody else? Yeah, remember good one. >> Rural transportation costs pay them. child again. Yeah. >> The graduation requirements, uh, making sure that Greenfield has a seat at the table in determining what they will be. >> That reminds me, it didn't make it here, but there is, um, there is an online that the Morely's office is soliciting public comment on their proposal for the replacement for MCCAST. So, just so you know, if you have strong thoughts and opinions, which of course none of us do, um please go online. They're looking for for feedback. Um I could probably actually email that link out to folks tomorrow. No discussion. Just do your thing. Um anything else? U member Dykeman, I just want to acknowledge make sure
077that if you have something. >> Oh, I would um just concur that uh revisiting chapter 770. Um >> great. Thank you. Um yeah, mayor. um lobbying that the MSBA pay a larger share of the Franklin proposed tech school because that will have a an impact on on our schools as well and many students go there. 50% was low. >> Great. Thank you, member Goodwin. One of the things that different places are doing um is really looking at salaries >> and besides as well as healthcare >> looking at those two things um in the rural areas compared to the cities. >> Thank you. Um, and can I just get a sort of like informal poll sense right now of how many folks would want to go out to Boston to do some of this on the
078actual day of the hill. So, this is on Monday, March 30th. Uh, and trying to like make an effort to do that. In the past, uh, member Deniv has been excellent in spearheading our efforts to go out uh, with a bunch of other school committee members from across our region and sort of lobby collectively. Um, again, the other option is to do that, but here kind of do a road show up and down the Connecticut River Valley. Yeah. No, you don't have to commit one way or the other right now, but I'm just trying to get a sense of of what our effort should look like, what folks are thinking. >> You're going unless it snows. >> Okay. Out out to the out east or >> state house? I'd really like scheduling Zooms and doing
079it from the comfort of my own house rather than driving and parking in Boston and being stressed out by the traffic there. All right. Um it's kind of yeah we're it's kind of one of those things where if we're thinking that we would like to go and if we're thinking that we would like to have some more collective work um we are on a bit of a tight timeline to organize with the other school committees. Um however we have what we at least would like to communicate and I know that a lot of these are shared across the other school committees. Um, so we can we can touch base on this all again on our next meeting, March 11th. Um, because we'll still have a little bit of time. Um, all right. And then the
080last thing that I've got in my own report, thanks Liz. Bye. Uh, in the chair report is we some of you may have received an email from Joe Cmerford um, uh, talking about a rural and declining enrollment schools week of action. This week of action is uh slated to take place March 9th through 13th. A lot of this will be um digital stuff, sending like video snippets. The theme is SOS, save our schools. They're asking for people to do like kind of like media publicity stunts and and things to draw attention um to the issue and to create more of a ground swell of support. Um and so I would love to discuss, you know, what anything we would like to do here related to that? What kinds of activities could do we think we
081could undertake? Um I believe that there is a deadline to get any pictures or video snippets into Joe Commerford's team by March 3 um so that they can include it in all of their big media stuff that they've got going on. So would love to hear from folks. What are you thinking? What might you want to do? What's going Yeah. I reached out to um some of the other people involved in this and um reached out to Joe Kumifford and so they're looking for visuals because they feel like they've done all the talking that they can >> and so looking for strong visuals. So, um I was thinking of local photographers and you know, empty chairs, um spelling out SOS. I think every school district involved is using SOS. So, they're looking for pictures, you
082know, um that have that symbol. I really didn't want to use pictures of our children because that felt like but empty chairs. Um everything from it could be hockey sticks or basketballs or um teachers doing SOS. Um at the high school when we were walking around there's a place where you can go up high to take a photograph from down. So that's the big thing they're looking for. And then they're going to take them and put them all together. So, even if we all as we're walking around, but they are due March 3. So, but I really like like I was trying to think like what a powerful picture that's sort of um I have a bunch of pennies. I saved them. I thought like sort of a representation. You're only giving us pennies, not
083you know on a empty chair. um trying to make a point. So if anybody has great ideas, I mean, >> mayor, how about some pictures of the empty Green River School? >> I think that would be great. >> Okay, so >> with an IOU, >> in order for us to do things, because as you know, as we just learned, we only act as a collective. we need to vote to like officially want to participate and then designate the work to happen in somewhere or by somebody. Um, so I would entertain a a motion from someone about that. Yep. Member Goodman. >> I would move that you send it to the community engagement committee. >> Okay. Any seconds or >> I'll second that to open discussion because timeline is my concern there. >> Next week. >>
084All right. So, we had a motion from member Goodwin to refer this matter to the community engagement subcommittee. We had a second from member child's. Any discussion, questions? All right. I've got the mayor and then member child. So, I think that's a great idea, but we just heard about the subcommittee's role from Liz. Um, I think if that goes to subcommittee, if we need to submit something by March 3rd, we wouldn't be weighing in on that. So, if anybody has any thoughts on that. Yeah, that was my question as well whether or not it is possible with the timeline. >> Yes. >> With with the timeline, they would also need to bring it back for approval before submitting it like the subcommittee would or how would we handle that? Like I guess we're only talking
085about subcommittee right now. I'm just wondering how we'd handle that in general. Yeah, I I get the sense that if we are following the exact sort of letter of the thing, then we send work to be done by a subcommittee, they do work or come up with a draft of something, they bring it back to us and we either say try again or good job. Um or don't try that again. One of those one of those things. So, it does seem like maybe >> yeah, we are in a bit of a conundrum. member Den and then the mayor. >> There's an easy way to solve this. What we have to do as a committee is we have to designate a representative to do this work. Choose a person or have a person step forward who
086can do this work and then we empower them and then they go and they do it. That we don't have to go through subcommittees to do this kind of thing. We just designate a representative and empower them. >> Thank you for that. That's very helpful. Um >> I concur. That's what I was bringing up. That's what I was I was going to say the same thing as you. I've seen it done on other committees. You just designate someone. >> Okay. Then you all can choose to friendly amendment your motion if you would like or resend it and and bring a new one. >> I withdraw my motion. >> All right. Motion withdrawn. Do we have another motion to designate a representative? >> Oh, yeah. And >> if she is willing, I would move to designate
087member Goodwin to be our representative for SOS on the grounds of she's the one who came with all the ideas for it. >> Okay. >> Member Netman, I see you came off mute. Did you have >> uh Yeah, second. >> Okay, great. Uh any discussion? Yep. Take your time. >> The only thing I want to say is I really like the change or the pennies on a chair or like um I don't know if you have availability to find some like desks to do something like that, but maybe with some old outdated curriculum there. >> I was looking around today on our tour. Yeah. >> Okay. All right. So, we have a motion on the table. Thank you for the discussion. Are we ready for a vote? Looks like yes. When you're ready, member Webb,
088can you please call the role? Yep. >> Member Dyman. >> Yes. >> Member Goodwin, >> yes. >> Chair Ston, >> yes. >> Member Webb, I'm Yes. Vice Chair Childs, >> yes. >> Member Dene, >> yes. >> Mayor Disorger, >> yes. >> All right. Thank you. Member Goodwin, please go forth. Um, all right. Next item, budget and finance subcommittee report. >> So, we met on February 3rd. Uh, we received some preliminary figures for what we're projecting the level service cost for next year based on wage increases, what we're anticipating chapter 70 amounts will be, choice charter spending. These are the projected, not hard and, you know, engraved in stone. Uh this is a major plot twist, but we're expecting a rough financial year. I know no one saw that one coming. Um the biggest notable change
089was the budget development calendar. Um because the calendar was built and approved on using the way the city does its budget, but there has been a change at the city level that came down from the state that bumped everything back by roughly a month. meaning we had this beautiful document that is completely out ofd and it is not accurate. But thankfully the school department uh the school central administration has offered to update those dates so that we won't have this beautiful document that we can't do anything with and instead we'll have a more realistic picture of yes this is when the budgets are now actually due at this place and that place and the like. >> Thank you. Any questions for budget and finance? Yes, member Deniv, >> thank you for your report. I was
090curious, has the budget and finance subcommittee set any goals yet? And where are you at with your future budget book that was discussed last year? >> We have an upcoming meeting. Um, I got to find the calendar. I've got too many tabs. Um so what happened was when we met this month uh there the department head requests were still ongoing. Uh we have another meeting very soon in March let me see March 3rd. So we're going to be getting more into the upcoming budget. Um as far as the goals we did that I think was that at the December meeting. Does that sound right? >> Kate was here. >> Yes, because Kate was still here and we went through that. Um, we didn't go over the budget book this last meeting, but we did do
091that quite a bit on the December meeting. I'd have to pull up the minutes in order to see because I don't want to misremember something. >> We had different models. >> Yes. >> At the table. >> Uh, we had and what we went through. Yeah, that was a really good meeting actually because that was the one where we went through and we're talking about what all information we specifically wanted to see. And so, uh, something that thematically came up a lot was class size. And that also came up a lot at this, uh, most recent meeting because we want to make sure that when we're presenting the data, we're tying it in specifically to how this is impacting the actual classroom, the class size, keeping that in mind. And of course, another one of our
092priorities is saving our people's jobs because it's going to be a tough year. Um, did that get all of your questions or I'm just sort of mulling over a future new business item of when the subcommittees meet and have set their goals that they submit them to the full committee, not necessarily for approval, but just so that we know what the overarching plan is for the year. So that when you finish your year and you postmortem your goals and you find out if we you know if you achieved your plan or didn't or however that went there will be a body of work that can be passed to the next chair of the subcommittee if even if it's not that same person so that they can understand where the work has gone and where it
093is at. So that's why I'm kind of just starting to think about how the sub if the subcommittees have set the goals and of course we have to untangle that. But after we do all of that, that's just a hope that I have in my heart for the future. >> I think that's a great idea. I can go back to uh the previous meeting to find what those goals were and put that on the agenda for the upcoming one that will touch on those and that way it will be included in next month's report. Sound good? Excellent. Um, it's it's not necessarily on here, but I might entertain a motion to approve your subcommittee meeting minutes that we did receive. >> I'll second it. >> Okay. >> Are they not in there? They were not
094included. >> They're not written. >> This is more of a >> Well, no, it was separate. >> Oh, >> it was included in a different folder. >> Yeah. Yes. They're there. >> No, no, they're actual minutes. I thought >> the minutes are there. Perfect. I was looking at the generalized report. >> I appreciate you looking out for us, though. >> All right. So, we have a motion from member Goodwin. We have a second from member Child's. Any discussion before we approve these minutes? >> So, the only discussion I'll have is that the these are the minutes from the most recent meeting. The subcommittee has not actually voted yet. So, these are the draft. So, does the subcommittee need to vote on them? >> Should have asked Liz. >> Should have >> probably >> um because
095what the way that I understood what Liz was just saying is that most subcommittees don't vote on their own minutes. >> That they they come to us, we approved, and we say, "Good job, and now go make more minutes." >> Is that not how you all heard it? I think every subcommittee approves its own minutes and then they send the minutes to the full committee because that was something we discussed last year that came up in Hyannis where all the meeting subcommittee meeting minutes have to come to the full committee for awareness not to vote necessarily on the subcommittee votes on our minutes. >> Okay. >> Yes. If I can I would concur with member Deniva on that. And we do have the >> So these would be draft minutes just so you would know
096and they don't get lost. I don't say they get lo they don't get lost, but your knowledge doesn't get lost of what happened on February 3rd. We're going to meet on March 3rd again, but then those minutes won't get approved until March 3rd and then won't hit you until March 11th. So, the reason that came about last year was so everybody would have an idea, right, of what was going on in the meetings and we have those posted online in draft form as well too. >> Great. Then never mind. >> Sorry. Thanks for that. >> Tried. >> I thought I was doing it. Um, okay. All right. Now, we are moved on to new business. Um, first on the table, I would like to bring a motion for this group to pursue mediation for the
097school committee in an effort to increase productive collaboration and con collegiality among members. The motion would authorize the district to enter into an agreement with a mediation service provider. Um I will share that this is a request that is both coming from me and uh other members of the of this committee. Um, I don't want to get too much into it because mediation is a confidential process and so I'm trying to strike the balance between adhering to the open meeting law which says that we do have to advertise that there might be if we do an executive session with medi with mediation as the reason we have to talk a little bit at least about the reason um and I don't want to violate the confidentiality of both mediation as a tool and executive session.
098So, I don't want I'm not gonna I'm not going to air all of the dirty laundry right here right now. I'm just saying that right now. Don't ask. I won't tell you. Um, but this is something that has been brought up and I I would encourage strongly. I cannot compel any of you, but I would encourage you strongly um to participate in a process like this. But I am looking. Yes. So, I'm bringing this motion. >> I'll second. >> All right. So, we've got a motion from myself, a second from member child's. Any discussion on this? >> All right. I've got member Goodwin. >> Is there a cost? >> Yes. >> Do we know what that is? >> We know that the it would be for the provider that we've briefly started talking to, but
099have not signed anything with, of course. um they would offer us 150 an hour for actual like in session mediation and then any work that they do outside of that is 100 an hour and you know we are sort of free to set a cap on the cost like we can only do so many hours kind of a thing. Um but yes mediation is not free. >> Just checking. >> Yeah, I appreciate that. That's a it's an important question. Yes, Mayor Dorger. Um, what were you thinking on the like timing of this? I don't mean when it would start. I mean when during the day would you be thinking this is going to happen when we have a meeting at night or on a different night that we would be asked to come? That's I
100just wanted to bring that up maybe from a from my own personal perspective because to try to find a night a different night at this point is like an act of congress but I always like to be at things if they're happening. >> Yeah, I appreciate that. I mean I think that that's something that we can come to sort of an agreement on as a group about how we feel. I do think that like the path of least resistance is adding on an executive session to whatever meeting we might have. That being said, we're going to be tired. It's going to be hanging over our heads during our whole public meeting. Um it doesn't necessarily create the best container for that kind of conversation. Um and still if that is what gets most people to
101participate, that would be great for me. And also I'm just going to throw this out there. This is not a oneshot. So the way I understand it, the the service would talk to each person who wanted to participate individually and then we would have group sessions. Um that's my understanding right now of how this process would go. And so this is the kind of thing that is not a we're not just doing this in March. Um this is going to be a a month's sort of long endeavor, something that we actually do. Um I do think that it would be helpful. Um I have participated in other mediation processes, not with this group. Um, but I have found them to be really productive for helping folks be able to realign, um, do a little bit
102of reset and move forward in a in a in a productive and collegial fashion. Um, it helps people feel heard. It does. Any other discussion questions? Oh yeah, sorry. member Denife. >> I think that participating in this would be a great step of maturity considering that we have a new superintendent ready to come on board and I think that we should all have our very best foot forward if we want to have somebody here permanently if that is our desire then aligning our behaviors is the right step forward and so I support mediation. >> Thank you. Any other discussion or questions? All right, I think we're ready for a vote. Um, member web, will you call the role, please? >> Sure. Member Dyman, >> yes. >> Member Goodwin, yes. >> Chair Ston, >> yes. >>
103Member Webb, I'm abstaining. Vice Chair Childs, >> yes. >> Uh, member Deneive, >> yes. >> Mayor Disorger, >> I believe that the motion passes with two abstensions. Thank you all. I really appreciate you entertaining this motion. Um, okay. Next, we have a motion to appoint a member from the Greenfield School Committee to be on the business manager interview committee. >> So moved. >> Oh, sorry. We need I This is raising the thing. We actually need a name. We need a person. >> Oh, well, okay. I'll make a motion to appoint myself because I did the last ones. >> Okay. >> I did five of them, I believe, or four of them. So, uh, I make a motion to appoint myself and then I'll talk about in discussion if there's a second. >> Second. >> All
104right. Um, oh, and this is fun. Okay, I just I just recently watched if there are motions for multiple different people, they come together and then we it becomes like a this or that person. I actually just watched this in the last um collaborative for educational services hire uh executive director hiring meeting. So, just to note that. But we have a motion. Do we have a second? Is there any discussion? Yes. Member D. >> So when I did this last year, um, one of the things that I learned is that it's really important to be really clear with the candidates about what you're looking for and the types of changes that you want to make. and the candidates that I spoke with were all very um willing to make the changes that we're seeking that
105we have talked about as a committee. Um different types of budget presentations, different ways to digest the budget. They all felt like that was very easy. The part that we had diverging opinions on was not what I thought. I was surprised. But what it really comes down to is we have people in the central office that have to work with our business managers every day. And so there's a lot of interpersonal relationships that we're not involved with. We're just oversight. So them finding the right person that fits them that makes them feel comfortable and heard and and work along the same lines as they do via software, ideas, choices, educational experiences. All of that is really important and that's really where this lies. It's not so much us picking somebody for us really picking somebody
106for the whole district and there's a team of people that have to work with them and that is not something that I fully understood until I got into the interviews. So if I if I don't end up doing that work that's fine. But whoever does do that work, I just hope that they keep that in mind because there are people that really need to feel like they're letting a new person into their little family and they want to feel as comfortable as possible working with them. >> Thank you for that reflection. >> Any other discussion or questions? >> Yes, Mayor. Um, I was thinking it might be somebody from the Ways and Means or Finance Committee. That was where my head was going with that. >> Yes, member. Um I guess where my thoughts are
107going kind of were similar to Elizabeth that or member Dene is that um it's not just us who works but also people in the off in the office but also members of the budget subcommittee and I was thinking it might be beneficial to have someone from the budget committee also part of the process. Okay. Yes, member Goodwin. >> I think I was sort of in the same place. >> Um, but I truly appreciate your comment, Member Den, because I know that we lost a lot of people who were in our business office six years ago. Um, and it does make a difference. Um I believe I heard and I just wanted to confirm this that um superintendent and new superintendent would be part of the process. Is that correct? Um if I if I was
108to lead this and I would think I would be leading it even though the purview the ultimate decision right comes down to the school committee but leading the process not the decision-m um I would concur with member Deniv in that sense about having some people from the business department on that as well. um some others maybe senior leadership in central office and um not myself but the incoming superintendent because by the time this gets rolling I will have hoped to and I I do believe that the new superintendent would have um probably signed a contract at that point and would be able to sit in and have weigh in on some of that. >> I've got member Den and then the mayor. When I did it, the me the people that were uh present was
109the superintendent, the assistant superintendent, the director of pupil services, um two members of the accounting team from central office, and myself. Those are the people that were present. And at the time, I was part of the budget and finance subcommittee before I gave my seat to member Goodwin. So um I don't think that it needs to be a member of the budget and finance because ideally we are all revolving through our subcommittee so that everybody learns what everybody does. No one person should be stuck in anyone's subcommittee for more than a year or two. Really truly that's best practice. So I don't necessarily think that that's important but um of course it's all up to you. But those are the members of the interview team uh from last year. >> All right. And then I've
110got the mayor and then member Goodwin. And then I would hope that we can move this along. >> I don't have >> I'm not going to say anything else. >> Okay. Thank you, member. Good one. I was hoping this could happen as we develop our budget that this could happen quickly. I mean, is it fair to ask how many candidates we have right now? How many people have applied? >> That's not quite the topic of the motion at hand. Um, >> apologize. >> It's not We're not closed yet. >> Yeah. And we're not closed yet. So, yeah. Um, any other thing before we call the question? All right, let's call the question. Will you please call the role member web? And this, just so we're all clear, the motion is to appoint Mr. Lee to
111the business manager hiring interview committee. >> Member Dyman, >> yes. >> Member Goodwin, >> yes. >> Chair Ston, >> yes. Member Webb, I'm going to abstain. Vice Chair Childs, >> yes. >> Member Deniv, >> abstain. >> Mayor Disorger, >> abstain. >> Right. I think it passes with three abstensions. Thank you all. Okay, next motion. Um, setting them down. Setting them up, knocking them down. uh motion from member Deniv to add a non- voting student member to the Greenfield School Committee. And I would like to open the floor to to the member bringing the motion for a bit of an explanation or to help set it up. >> All right. So, this is something that um Do you want me to make the motion first and then have the second for discussion or do you want
112me to set it up with the rationale? >> This is the rationale and this is the rational portion. >> Understand the motion that we're making. So throughout the training with MASC, I kept running into school committees that had non- voting members. And this is something that is starting to uh wend through the legislation. In fact, I um added in my uh rationale the bill uh the House Bill 568 and I put the bill track there for you. But they're talking about that being something that is going to happen fairly soon. So, if we did it, we would be ahead of the curve. Um, or we may just end up having to do it when it's finally uh passed if it does pass. And the idea is that we would, and we'd have to figure this
113out as a group. I don't know how we would work the logistics, but the general best practice idea is that a student from the school council, they would choose whom would come and sit with us and be part of the deliberations and the discussions, but they would not be a voting member. Now, there's some things that go along with that as well. some districts have found a way to give these high school students um credits and also um civic leadership experience that they can use towards future college goals. So it would serve a purpose there as well. And hopefully if we wanted to do something like this, the school council would rotate somebody per year or even uh per season. I mean it really would be up to them. It wouldn't necessarily be the same
114person and we wouldn't necessarily have a say in who it was or, you know, how often they changed, but that would empower our kiddos to uh be involved in these decisions that shape their lives and their achievement levels. So, I'm hoping we can have a little bit of a discussion about that and see if it would even work for us. Um, but again, they would just be part of the discussion. They would ask questions. They would give their opinions and their feedback. They would not be voting members. >> Thanks. Do we have a second? >> Second. >> All right. Do we have any discussion, questions, thoughts, opinions? >> Yeah. Member Den, >> now that I'm speaking the words to you all about this, I'm wondering if this is something that should we be interested in
115doing it, it might be something to send to the policy subcommittee to craft a policy or a beginning policy, gathering the information from the districts that have done it to get an idea of how that would fit in to our committee because we'd be adding another another body. We'd want some rules and regulations around that, I would think. >> Okay. So, is that a slight amendment to the motion is to create this role and then refer >> Yes. Okay. And that has been approved also by the second. Um, okay. Hearing the motion as amended. >> Any more thoughts, discussion? What do we what do we think about this? member Goodwin. >> I've just been a a student council adviser for many years. There's also rules for student council. So, you might have to look more
116at honor societies versus student council. I mean, you would have to there are guidelines. Um they actually have their own policy. >> So, but I am concerned. I'm not sure we're ready for one more personality, one more voice at the table yet. We I mean, we've just talked about mediation. So, adding another person um send it to them. >> All right, I've got uh member child. >> I'm strongly in favor of this. We have some really really impressive kids at our high school who could probably walk onto a city council and a good chunk of cities and the state and country. So I think it will really enrich all of us to have their voice at the table. member what >> um I think this would end up in the policy, but I know that
117we have a lot of meetings who that run late and I will say as a parent of a teenage child, I would not want my child here likely past 9:00 at night knowing that I want them to have their best foot forward the next school day. So I think um if it does pass when it goes to policy we need to have guidelines around what time there to be done. >> Thank you. Yes. Member Deni. >> Sorry. The last thing I'd say is that the reason that I bring it up now is because I don't think that this would happen quickly. Like I I'm guessing that this would take like if we just decided today to like start exploring this. I can't imagine that we would be ready to implement it until like the beginning
118of the next school year, like September or even the following year after a break or something. I don't see this happening quickly. So, I thought if this is coming down the pipeline and if they're talking about this bill and if we want if we want to do this, then we best start the process of learning how it would fit in because it's going to take some some untangling and some thought and a lot of conversations with a lot of people that we maybe don't even have conversations with yet. >> Absolutely. Member Diamond, >> um I think it's a great idea. I think that um we need to hear more from students directly. Um and I I also agree with um those members who have pointed out that it might be something that needs to be
119phased in. Um not immediately. Uh but yeah, it does seem clear that it's going to take some time. Anyway, uh, one question that I have is, um, what kind of complications could we expect with having a student representative sitting in on executive session? And, um, it would it be possible to they would not be invited to executive session. Okay, that clarifies that for me. Okay, I think we're ready for a vote. We've heard from most folks. Member Webb, will you call the role? And just remember, this is a motion to create this position and refer it to the policy subcommittee for further elucidation and they'll bring that back to us. >> Member Dyman, >> yes. >> Member Goodwin, >> abstain. >> Chair Ston, >> yes. Member W. I'm going to abstain as well. Vice Chair
120Childs, >> yes. >> Uh, member Denive, >> yes. >> Mayor Dorer, >> yes. >> All right, it passes with two abstensions. Thank you. And at this time, we have just passed 8:30 and it is our practice to give ourselves a fivem minute break. So, please let us break for five minutes. Bang. Boom. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey. remember a good one. Come reel it in. Um, thank you. All right, so we return to new business. Our next motion, this is item D in the list. Motion from member Den to have the school committee meet every other month with the student advisory council as per Massachusetts general law. Member Den, would you like to provide the rationale for this? >> Okay,
121so this one is is it's a law. We're supposed to be doing this. Um, not everybody does, but MASC has said, you know, you should try, you should at least try see it because not everybody has a very functional um, advisory council um, or are in the process of making them functional. So, and I know that we have a functioning one now. So, we should try make an effort to to do this law. So, the law says and I put it here in the rationale so that you can all read it. It says, "School committees of cities, towns, and regional school districts shall meet at least once every other month during the month school is in session with a student advisory committee to consist of five members to be composed of students elected by the
122student body of the high school in each city, town, or regional school district. So, a school committee may designate a student outreach coordinator for the purpose of ensuring the establishment of a student advisory committee and regularly informing the advisory committee of the school committee's agenda. So basically, somebody needs to get appointed to be this outreach coordinator and go every other month and meet with them and hear what they have to say, let them know what the school committee is doing and what our year-long agenda is and where we are with that and bring their desires back to us and our desires to them. So it's a bridge and it's required by law and we have not done it, but maybe now we're in a position to do it. And um it was my understanding that
123as part of the motion you were putting yourself forward for this representative role. Yes, >> I'm willing to do it. If anybody else has the desire, great. >> Okay. >> But um I'm also now wondering if we maybe need to refer it to the policy subcommittee to create a policy around it now that I'm saying the words again. Um, but I would just say that whoever does it, part of this would be to make a calendar so that we know when you'll be meeting every other month and then bringing it back to us so that we know what is occurring and what we can expect, you know, when we when we can expect reports is what I'm trying to say. >> Okay. >> Yep. >> Okay. Um, so we have the motion >> and do
124we have a second? Second. >> Second. >> So, we have a motion for member Den. We have a second from member child's. Discussion time. Okay. I can contribute. I mean, I think in general, if it is my understanding that many school committees do not do this, whether they've tried and failed or not tried at all, I can't speak to that. But what I can speak to is that we get the choice to do what we want to do. And I have heard consistently over the years, even before I was a member of this committee, that student voice is an important part of what we want to be hearing. that it is it matters to us that we care about hearing what our students want and what they need more importantly um what they think how
125they're thinking about things and so I am inclined to support the motion um I maybe would amend it to refer it to policy to develop some more of this like how does this actually happen um is that something that the seconder would also be amend amendable to all Right. Okay. Yes. Member Webb, >> when looking at um the motion C that we did just pass and motion D, I'm just wondering um if maybe like the same student who was possibly on the advisory council would be a sitting member and they would be able to bring that back to us. like we like using the student as a facilitator if I'm making sense. >> Can I just ask for a clarification? Do you mean instead of us designating a representative? Although it seems like we >>
126Yes, because we would have the representative already as a sitting board school committee member from that student body. Member Den, do you have any thoughts on that as the bringer of these two motions and how you sort of envisioned them working together if at all based on the training that I received from Liz Leont who was just here. I wish she stayed because I was like I have more questions for you about other things. Um, I think it's supposed to be a school committee member, but then again, as she's told me many times, everybody needs to try. It's not necessarily going to work because it has to be our body's capable, their body is capable, and we make a bridge. Maybe they aren't. I don't know. But we have to try to walk across the
127bridge and see because maybe it's not for now. Maybe it's for later. But we don't know. So I guess I would say it should be a school committee member and maybe one of you want to do it. I don't know. But you go and look and find out where they're at and how they feel and what they want. And maybe maybe all you do is plant a seed about this law and tell them that there's a bridge opportunity and then see what happens. It could be next year. It could be the year. I don't know. But exploration onward. >> So we have high school students coming to school committee and reporting to us. Maybe the first step is to talk to them about this and what it how it would fit. They think it would
128fit. They're here like almost every month with a report. Um, I'm just thinking you need to do this slowly. So, you've already got sort of a beginning bridge, which is two children, sometimes one, who sit here and tell us um different things that are going on. I don't know. I I just think is how is that going to be different? Are we doing both? >> Member Childs, >> I think if we're going to them and talking to them on their home turf, they will perhaps say different things, maybe more things than they would up here on camera and on TV. So, I see it as a separate thing entirely. And I Yeah, I'm in favor. Any more discussion questions? Yes, member Denife. >> I think the law sort of intends it as a listening session.
129Like it's I'm you're not going to go there and tell them what to think or do or anything. You're really not there to be involved. you're just there to listen and maybe take some notes and maybe you learn something that you know you might want to bring back and head off at the past I don't know or maybe you get some good ideas but it's not it's not an interactive role is from is what I think anything Okay. And so just to clarify, the motion that's on the table as amended is to say yes to this and to refer it back to policy to figure out how it would work and have policy sub commmittee bring it back to us with a little bit more like this is this is what it is. This is
130the plan. Um, so that's that's what's on the table right now. How do folks feel about that? >> All right. >> Oh, sorry, Mayor. I didn't want to do it, but I just thought it's going to go back to the um like the whole idea of it's going to go back to the policy subcommittee, which I think is a great idea. I think maybe we designate a person when it comes back to us. Does that make sense? >> Yeah. Thanks for bringing that forward. Okay. >> Not at this time. motion policy around >> correct. >> Okay. All right. >> Ready for a roll call vote. >> Member Dyman. >> Yes. >> Member Goodwin. Pass. >> Chair Ston. >> Yes. Member Webb, I'm a yes. Vice Chair Childs, >> yes. >> Member Dene, >> yes. >>
131Member Dorger, >> yes. >> Member Goodwin, >> yes. >> Passes unanimously. Okay, moving on. We are on item E. Motion from member Deniv to have the Greenfield School Committee rescend the vote on subcommittee assignments from the January 14th, 2026 meeting. Member Den, would you like to provide the rationale at this time? >> I am thankful that Liz Leond was here because she explained the rationale. So any subcommittee that anybody brings forward the chair or otherwise has to be voted on by the full committee. So if anybody decides one day that they think we should have a whatever committee, then we all have to vote on whether or not we want that work to be done. So we have some things on the list that and this isn't a p this isn't personal to me. I'm
132just literally doing procedure. This is just procedure. So we have to res the process is we have to resend what we did just just because it wasn't correct because we didn't vote on everything. If we want to add the handbook work to the policy subcommittee, we just have to vote on that if we want that and discuss it. Same goes with the motion to add warrants to budget and finance. And that might also have to go to policy because warrants are a policy and we have a policy in place. So if we're changing the policy, we'd have to change it and then add it. So that's something we have to do. Um we also have chair ston wanted to do a facilities use subcommittee, but we don't know what that is. So we have to
133hear their rationale and what they think the charges should be for that subcommittee. and then we need to vote on that and discuss that. Um, we also have to figure out if we want the redistricting ad hoc subcommittee to continue or not. That's also something we have to vote on. So, in order to do all of these votes to make sure that everything is in line with our procedures, we have to rescend what we did the first time around. So, we could do that and then get right into this. That's the point of me bringing it forward is because we all have to have our voices heard about all of this because this is the work that you do for the year. So you should understand what your subcommittee's charge is, what your subcommittee is
134about so that you can go forward and do this work with the full blessing of the committee. Does that make sense? Did I explain it well enough? Then our policy BD um sorry uh BDE subcommittees of the school committee. Okay. Um the motion has been made. We need a second. >> I'll second for discussion. >> All right. Uh, opening it up for discussion. >> Yeah, mayor. >> I'll be voting no. Um, just for I think we allow some power to the chair of our committee and I thought they were done well. member child. >> What? So, a bunch of the motions that say need to happen are on the agenda. And the part that trips me up is why does this need to happen for those motions to happen rather than just going straight to
135those motions? because we never voted on whether or not we wanted those subcommittees in existence or whether we wanted to add those charges to the subcommittee if if we wanted to like bundle it together as a consent agenda. I mean, but I don't know. We have to discuss all of this. I mean, you can't let me put it to you this way. You can't serve on a subcommittee that none of us have voted on for it to exist and say that you didn't violate your oath of office cuz you agreed to uphold the policies and procedures of the school committee and the charter of the city. So if you go and you serve on a subcommittee that nobody agreed to have in existence that the body didn't agree on then that's a violation. and having
136all of these Robert's rules of of order and procedures in place, it exists to protect the minority voices here. So, I have seen chairs do procedural shenanigans both maliciously and also just because they didn't know. And so, I know that it can happen and that's fine, but there are ramifications down the road. So, I'm not I'm not saying that the outcome would be any different than what Chair Ston has already outlined. It could the chips could fall the same way, fine. But it's the procedure to get there that needs to be handled. Why would you vote to be on a on a committee that you don't know what it does that nobody has has described to you? And why wouldn't you stand up to to support your procedures? I mean, you can't you can't do
137oversight on your you can't refuse to do oversight in your procedures and then also stand up for the budget, for example. Like, this is part of your charge as a school committee member. It's just part of what you do is to follow these policies. So, it's kind of a no-brainer. I mean, we we have to do it if we want to be in line with our policies. And also, I'd love to know what I mean, I'm on apparently I'm on this facilities and youth subcommittee. I don't know what that is. So, I'd like to know what it is, you know, and I'm not saying that I wouldn't agree with it. I'm just saying I don't know. So, I can't agree with anything until I know and until I know what you all think and we
138have voted as a body. Even if I disagree, what Liz Leon said, you disagree, but you commit because you're committing to the will of the body. But if the will of the body hasn't happened, then none of this exists. Does that make sense? >> Okay. member Goodwin and then I would like to add my two cents. >> I'm listening to what you're saying and kind of chicken and the egg. Um but everything I've read um the chair um assigns subcommittees um and the subcommittees existed. Goals were given to us by a previous chair for those subcommittees. Um so I'm just looking for clarification. Are you thinking each time there's a new chair we should recreate or revote or on subcommittees or I'm just thinking >> only if the subcommittees have changed? So we don't have
139to revote on there being a policy subcommittee. We don't have to revote on there being budget and finance, ad hoc redistricting, community engagement. Those are our subcommittees. We've already established that they exist. We don't have to vote on them annually, but if we choose to add warrants to the budget and finance, we have to vote on that. If we choose to add handbook to policy and program, we have to vote on that. If we choose to create a new subcommittee called facilities and uses, we have to vote on that. The policy says the subcommittees will be established through action of the committee. >> Okay. The committee chair can appoint the subcommittee chairs and its members, but none of us can create a new subcommittee without the vote of everyone. That's just how it is. >>
140Makes sense. >> So, the only thing in place is the warrants. Do we want to add warrants to budget and finance? Do we want to add handbook to policy? Do we what are we going to do with the redistricting ad hoc subcommittee? And what are we doing with policy and and pro and program? I mean we I don't know who's I mean there are there are positions on here that I haven't agreed to do too. So like also I'd like to know what the charges are that of the work that we're supposed to be doing. So I tried to lay out all the motions in order. Uh Stacy has the motions that they would want to make to make their work happen. So, I tried to make it as easy as possible with the ration.
141So, I hope you all had a chance to look at them. >> So, I'd like to weigh in um for at least one of these the specifically the adding the handbook to the policy and program that was actually done under the previous chair. That was part of the previous setup. So, I didn't feel that that was me adding something new. Um, if we feel like we never voted on it the first time that it happened, I'm so happy to vote on it now at the in this meeting. As for adding warrants to budget and finance and the facilities use subcommittee, I am wondering does not taking the vote at the time that we put people in those committees and had those committees constitute an action of the body in order to say we say that
142they exist because we voted that they exist and we voted the people into them. Now, what I can admit to me having the Mayaopa here is that I did not provide you and I should have with the written descriptions of what each of these committees do. I've done some due diligence after the fact. One, that hasn't been past practice, but we can do better than what we've done in the past. two, we should actually have at least for the standing subcommittees written into our policy uh manual, those descriptions should exist as sort of an evergreen. We shouldn't need to recreate them. And so, um, you know, I think that that's something that I have committed to drafting and having for you for your eyeballs at the next meeting is the descriptions of all of those.
143Um, I don't believe that we actually do need to resend the vote in order to make make whole some of these other changes. I'm thinking about other times when we've amended policy. We don't have to resend a policy in order to enact a new policy. We just update the policy. Um, >> but it's not a policy to vote. >> I see what you're saying. >> It's just it's just sticky. It's just sticky icky language procedure. That's what it is. But yeah, to your point about the ad hoc subcommittee, I was the chair of the ad hoc subcommittee for pol for handbook that was separate. So, >> but okay, >> that was dissolved. So, you're saying that >> I'm saying >> through its dissolution, we took a vote to add it to the policy. I'm saying
144that when I looked at what Glenn presented at the beginning of 2025, that was the name of the committee that he had proposed at that time. And so I just copied that name. >> That's what I'm saying is so I didn't feel like I was creating something new. I felt like I was continuing the subcommittee as it was laid out at the time. I am admitting that >> because you and I and Kate were on it and Glenn wasn't on it. It was different than policy. that that that was not the paperwork that we had that I was going off of with the names and titles of how our committees are described. >> That could very well be it. >> Um, mayor, >> I think we just talked tonight about spending money on a mediator
145and I just found that a very difficult one to read to vote to resend the committee appointments. Um, I am I never wanted to be on the policy committee. I don't like writing, but I've read through them and I know that there are three subcommittees that were mentioned, I believe, to the best of my recollection and I I think there's a a way to accomplish things in a congenial manner. I agree on the um facilities one which has been named a couple of times and um you know at another juncture make a motion that we not tonight because it wasn't on the agenda to define that a little bit more but um I think any one of those things could have been could be accomplished in a different way if if we were so far
146away from following our own mandate. Any other? Yes, child. >> So, I did just go to the website to pull up the meeting materials from January 2025 and it does say policy program and school committee handbook subcommittee. Um, so that was just what I pulled up there. Uh but I guess the question I have is what is the consequence of not rescending and what is the consequence of rescending? So what's obvious to me consequence of rescending is needing to go back and do everything again and what does that mean for the subcommittees that are already in process working and then I'd like to know more about the ramifications and consequences for not rescending by just going by past president and making whole now. Well, I don't think there's anything wrong with rescending anything. Committees do
147it all the time, especially to backtrack just to fix things. Um, and I don't think there's any I mean, I don't think there's any ramifications for that. And also, I wasn't saying that we're scrapping appointees like or that any of the work that the subcommittees are doing is moot. Like, that's not what I'm saying. I'm just saying that we don't have them. We haven't voted on the things that we're supposed to be doing. So, we should vote on them and we should know what we're doing. >> I guess that's where I'm a little confused because if we resend the vote, that's the whole thing wiped and so we'd have to revote on the slate, right? >> Well, we'd have to I mean, the chair chooses who goes into the subcommittees. That's their purview. Okay. So,
148the only thing that we'd be changing, I mean, I'm sure that if we vote on making sure that the subcommittees are whole and that their charge is correct and that we all agree on what we're doing, the chair will just slot everybody back in and that's fine. That's the will of the group because you all already said you were fine with your appointments. But it's the question of the actual subcommittees that's the problem. Where is the redistricting ad hoc subcommittee? Are we even doing that anymore? if we're not, we should vote to have it have it dissolved. And when that came up last year, we had issues with that and somebody had to bring up that motion and we defeated that. So there's merit in talking about what we do with our subcommittees. So also,
149what is facilities use? What is that? What are we doing? What is that about? We need to find out and and talk about it. It's not about winning or losing or like getting what you want. That's not this is not a personal thing. This is just about the procedure. That's all. It's just about knowing what's happening. I mean, if if it said So, you pulled it up. So, if it we voted on having um handbook into policy. Great. Wonderful. Great. Okay. But now we got to figure out what to do with warrants. And that has its own policy. So, if we're putting that in budget and finance, guess what? But we have to change what the policy is because the policy says one person can sign. But I don't know what the vision is, what
150your motion is about having warrants in budget and finance. Do you want to change that? If you want to change that, then we have to send it back to policy. So it's just just like these steps that we have to do. And if we don't follow the steps, then later on things are going to suffer. So we just follow them. As boring as all of this is, it's just procedure. because I look at I look at the list and I'm like I don't know what I'm serving on or what I'm doing. >> Well, theoretically, say we tabled this motion and went through the other motions that addressed most of your concerns. If we satisfied those, then would there be a need to resend still if we just fixed those things first? That that's what I'm
151saying because it's a what comes first and what needs to come first. So the part that I'm not fully on board and convinced with is if we do need to resend versus we need to fix the problems >> because you can't go back to a motion that everybody has voted on and change it. You have to resend it and then make a new one. Like you can't like Robert's rules I believe does not allow you to be like oh remember that thing we voted on last week? Well we don't want to let's change something to what we voted on. Like once it's been voted on, it's voted on. You can resend. There's no rescending things isn't bad. It's just you're saying like, "Hey, this this thing that we did last week, it turns out we
152didn't do it right, so we're just going to like wipe it clean and do it again and do it right." I mean, that's what it's for. Member Webb. >> Um I know we just had a conversation briefly about we were going to say the subcommittees were going to come back to the committee with their goals and expectations for the year and what they believe the committee would expect from them. So, I mean, when I go on to our district website, nowhere does it say what the goals of any of the subcommittees are from previous years. Um, I do think it's good practice to have that listed so people do know, but it is not there. I think it's there's just some things that have been expected along with like policy and handbook. you know, it's
153kind of very to the point, so therefore it hasn't been there. But I just want to say, you know, I think it would be hard for um Chair Ston to tell us what this policy is for if we're asking policies or we're asking subcommittees to tell us what they think their expectations are and what they're tasked with. Unless I'm reading all that wrong. >> Um that's a separate issue though. >> Yeah. So as far as like charging like and just making a description of this is the purview of this subcommittee I've already like yeah I I should be the one as chair to be providing that to you all and then you can choose to say yes and this is sort of like I think this is a thing that maybe only Greenfield does where
154we allow the subcommittee to redefine itself within certain parameters if it chooses but that's a discussion that then comes back to the full committee um for for a bigger discussion and then a full vote to charge that subcommittee with that item. Um and so at this moment I think within within some reasonable I think like you know budget and finance sort of knows generally speaking what you're supposed to be doing because it's the same thing you've been doing every year Pinky um trying to take over the school district. Uh but um but I think you're right for like the facility long-term facilities use. My intention was for that to be a successor to the ad hoc redistricting. Um because it seems like we've now gotten a ways away from the original data that we were
155using to make decisions. Um so that was my intention with that. But that should be written somewhere. You're right. >> Yeah. Not saying that I'm like not going to be for all of the things that are coming up. Like >> please don't like look at me like I'm the devil here. I'm literally could be for all of this, but if we don't know and we don't vote on it, then it doesn't exist. It's just it's just it's in our policy. It's that's just kind of how it is. I mean, >> and and I bet you anything there's going to be stuff down the line that we're going to do like the same thing with and we're going to have to rescend it and figure it out. Like it's just life. It's just what happens on
156committee. We don't always do the right thing or like we might mess up and this is our way out to reset ourselves and it's not saying that you guys like didn't do subcommittee work or aren't going to continue to do subcommittee work. It's just now you're going to get even more information and you're going to feel more empowered by what you can do. >> So I guess like can I ask a very leg like a a logistical example? Let's say we do vote to rescend this um and give me a month to bring at the next meeting all of these descriptions and we take um votes on those. Then what happens to the March 3rd budget and finance subcommittee meeting? >> They still meet. That's why I wrote out all of these motions because we
157don't necessarily need the charges tonight. We can vote to like we can vote to say we're interested in this and have you go off and craft the charge. We can say, "Oh yeah, we're interested in having the warrants in budget and finance." You can bring your rationale and we can we can second it and discuss it. You can say, "Hey, I want to bring forward a facilities use subcommittee. This is my dream. This is what I want." We can second it and discuss it. And then you can say, "I'm going to bring forward the charges next month." and then we can read them and vote on them. It doesn't stop the subcommittee work. There's no stopping the subcommittee. >> But if we resend the vote where we appointed subcommittees, doesn't that that effectively >> dissolve
158them? >> I guess I'm I'm I'm cur I like I genuinely am curious how this works >> because me if we nullify the vote then we nullify the action of the vote and the action was to create the and and put people into those roles. So if we rescend the vote, then we don't have the people assigned to the role. >> But I think that your motion wasn't to to create these subcommittees. You didn't make a motion to create these subcommittes. You your motion was to your your motion was are you all comfortable with where you've been slatted. Like it wasn't about the subcommittees like none no motion has been made. So maybe there isn't even a rescending that needs to happen. Maybe first motions need to be made. Maybe we're working without motions >>
159in the first place. >> Okay, >> this is all this is where knots get tied. This is just how Robert's rules are. This is just how it is. >> Robert's rules >> like Yes. I did. I see hands over here. >> Mayor, do you have a hand? So, I I think you could get attorneys in here that could look at all of the things and how we voted on that and find people who had different opinions on it or different interpretations of everything that we had done. I am still where I am. I think that rescending this is not what we need to do. I don't think it adds harmony to the group either. And what do we do about meetings that already happened and their work that was done a month ago or a
160few weeks ago that we I think we move forward. There is some definition and that's all. I'm done. >> All right, member Goodwin and then I think we should move to a vote on this. getting tired. Um, I'm going to be voting no. Um, and it's more about the the fact that we've started. Um, and I already feel like we're behind, especially like with budget season coming up and everything. I think I understand where you're coming from, but maybe we can address that by every subcommittee bringing forward. We have what we were charged with by a chair and I remember we took a whole meeting with community engagement talking about what we were given by chair Johnson MSAD and kind of getting the language the way we liked it and it coming back. Maybe that's
161the step that we need to do now. I know with budget and finance um Kate had all the goals. The last meeting we met was her and there was actually a formal passing of electronics to um yeah so I I think there is stuff and maybe we're we're not publishing it which is something we should do probably on our website. I agree. Um, and warrants came about because you all went to a training and heard about warrants and I mean came back saying we were doing warrants wrong. So I I I still don't know where that you know ends up but I do believe it is the role of the chair. Um, and I feel that that it was done with good intentions. Okay, I'm gonna call a question on this and would love a
162roll call vote, please. Member Webb. >> Member Dyman, >> abstain. >> Member Goodwin, >> no. >> Chair Ston, >> abstain. Uh myself I'm going to pass. Vice Chair Childs, >> no. >> Member Denive. >> Yes. >> Mayor Disorger, >> no. >> I am also a no. >> Right. The motion does not pass with one yes, two abstensions, and four nos. Thank you everyone for that like back and forth discussion. I do think that it is good and important that we have discussions that get into things. Um so I really appreciate it. Moving on. Um item F motion from chair ston to formally move the ad hoc handbook subcommittee work which was dissolved into the policy subcommittee. So basically this is formalizing a change that already occurred but I don't think we actually voted on it.
163Second. All right. So I made the motion measure seconded it. Any discussion order? I think it's wonderful when we combine things and we put an ad hoc in another committee so that there's because there certainly are a lot there's a lot of work to be done but it's combining it and having one less evening for people I think is a great idea. >> I won't take credit but I think I would agree. Any other discussion? >> All right. Member Webb, will you call the role? Member Dyman, >> yes. >> Member Goodwin, >> yes. >> Chair Ston, >> yep. >> Member Webb, I'm a yes. Vice Chair Childs, >> yes. >> Member Deniv, >> yes. >> Mayor Disorger, >> yes. >> All right, I think the motion passes >> Unanimously. Amazing. Uh, item G. Hold on.
164Hold on. >> Take your time. Let me know when you're ready. I'm good. >> Thank you. >> Okay. >> Pause. >> Yep. Item G. Motion from Chair Ston to have the Greensfield School Committee charge the budget and finance subcommittee with the work involved with warrants, including signing them. And so this would maintain our my rationale is this would move warrants, which it does involve financial matters into the subcommittee that deals with our financial matters. Um, it charges them with the work of reviewing the warrants. Um, and I I like having that to make sure that there's a consistent group of people looking at the warrants over time so that they can start to notice any patterns on our spending. Um, and making sure that they catch any items that we might want to ask more
165questions about, that sort of thing. Um, and then having one member of the three member subcommittee, it can still, we're still following the procedure that we have about having a member, one signatory, but making it to be one of those three folks and then trusting them with that work, understanding that they will have done the work to really look at the the warrants. Um, that being said, I think that if there is ever a catastrophic situation where all three of those people are down for the count, um, I trust that they will. I know it I wouldn't I don't want to think about it but anything is possible. Um that they will communicate their need to have somebody else fulfill that function. Um so I I I don't see it necessarily impeding the work of
166um our lovely warrants person and other uh other finance officer uh I think she what is our deputy or assistant business director Vera um in the office. I don't see this impeding her work as long as the budget and finance people can promise to answer her emails. >> Um second. >> So with that Okay. All right. I made the motion. Mayor disorger seconded. Discussion time. >> Okay. Going to hear from member Den and then she will be voting no because I think that the warrants need to be more widely available than they are. I think more members need to be looking at them than not looking at them. I and and former chair Johnson Mousad were the only ones who signed warrants for a long time. Um we were the only ones and I would
167wait and I would wait and I would wait until Vera's like we need one more signature. We need one more signature and then finally I would just be like well if nobody else is going to do it I'll just do it. So I want to encourage people to look at them like everybody needs to see them. And in fact, I have a motion that I want to bring forward next month that warrants that there's a place for warrants on our website so that the public can view it because this is public information and it shouldn't be confined into budget and finance. I understand the idea of regular people looking at it to see red flags, but those regular people should be all of you, I think, should be looking at them all the time. Um,
168and that's just what I think and that's also what I've learned from the training is that you need to encourage as many members as possible to look at it and or have somebody go down to central office and actually physically look through them. Many districts do that where somebody has to go down and flip through the book and make sure they have eyes on them before they sign them. We do it by email. >> Yes. I do want to make a just like a clarification about this motion that this does not mean that warrants will only go like they they will still be emailed to all of us. So we still will all have the ability to look through these warrants. I'm not restricting that in any sense. But I am saying that we are
169dedicating >> people's eyeballs and brains with specifically getting in there and looking at them. Um and that by definition will also mean that those will become part of your meeting records. They will become part of your meeting minutes. you'll report out about them to us which is more than we have done to the past. So I I totally agree. I think that they should be more transparent and accessible um because they are part of how taxpayer dollars are spent. So I just wanted to add that clarification in case that was like a question about the process if that part of the process was being changed. It's not. Okay. I advise Sher Childs and then member Goodwin. So procedure process question because we do have the policy in the handbook for how warrants are done now.
170Do we need to rewrite a new policy in order for this change to be made? That's an excellent question. Um looking for the warrants policy. I think we're making it now. We already have >> I don't see how this actually substantively changes the polic as currently outlined. It is still >> Yeah, please. >> Just u your policies that may need consideration would be DGA >> is one, DK is the other and then BBA. >> Yes. So, I'm looking at DGA, authority for the purchase of materials, equipment, supplies, and services is extended to the superintendent through the detailed listing of such items compiled as part of the budget-making process. The purchase of items and services on such list requires no further committee approval except when by law or committee policy, the purchase or services must be
171put to bid. So, I I don't see that changing I don't see that designating looking at the warrants to our budget and finance changes that policy at all. Um, and I am wondering is there a particular policy that we do think will actually be substantively changed by putting looking at warrants into the budget and finance subcommittee that will change? Yeah. policies in front. But when I called I was concerned and what I was told whoever signs for all of us. >> They represent all of us. I spent hours looking at every single time I had the right to sign because I was told that's budget finance because as you're budgeting to everything to staff. So I see it as a meware signature. Okay, I've got the mayor and then member Deniv um I'll be voting
172yes on this and I think it's a very good idea. Um like you I read the warrants. I have to sign them at the end as the mayor. But I will just say this. I've been on this committee for two years and two months. And when it gets to this full committee, we are not having discussions about things that are on the warrants. And I think that many of you may have questions. I've been on committees and subcommittees for like 25 years. The subcommittees are more relaxed. There's a little bit more discussion and I think that you'll have three people together that are looking at them and they're able to talk about things that they have a question about. And I think that most of us are looking through them, but I I would love
173to have that be done with three people looking at these on a regular basis. >> My my very first day on school committee, like literally day one, I got an email from Vera asking for signatures for the warrants and I said, "Oh my god, what is a warrant?" And I literally had to call MASC because I had no idea like and neither did Kate and both of us were like what are we supposed to do? What are we supposed to do? And then the chair I heard that the chair said that we were too new and we weren't allowed to look at warrants and we shouldn't even open such things. At that time it was a three signature requirement in 2021. That's what they needed, three signatures. And we would get these frantic emails saying
174we need two more signatures. We need one more signature. And the problem was that nobody got around to doing it. That was really why it got changed is that they couldn't get three signatures. Not enough people looked through them. So it was changed to one signature purely for uh efficiency, I guess, but nobody really talked about who that person would be or what that person should look for. There was really nothing in the policies about that. And so I was really heartened to find a class that covered that in Hyannas last year and took it. And everybody does something different. But the most important thing is that it's as accessible and transparent as possible. So I've ne I didn't vote for the one person sign ser. I thought that seemed a little wild. I definitely
175thought there should be more people and I still think that there should be more people. I just don't necessarily think that it should have to be budget and finance, but I like the idea of budget and finance reporting back because the other piece of the picture for me is not the I don't really care so much about how many signers we have as much as I care about the process by which we ask about warrants because last year we brought that up and we were told that we should just ask our questions by email or phone and then if we don't get a response in a week, we could ask again and not to bring up warrant questions in full committee. So for me, my problem is how we talk about the warrants, not really
176who signs it. So I'm fine leaving it at one sign signature, but I don't think it should have to be budget and finance to do it. Um I'm glad that budget and finance will take it on, but what I'd really like to see is a more substantive discussion about the process of talking about the warrants. When do we bring warrant questions to the full committee? When do we have a group discussion about particular warrants? Because we've never done that. In the entire time I've I've been here, not one warrant amount has ever come up ever. >> And I think that's the most egregious thing to be honest with you. >> Yeah. And so just again to be clear, this does not change the number of signitories required. And my goal with this is to have
177more substantive discussion about warrants starting with our budget and finance subcommittee and for them to raise issues up the flag pole. And if members if other members who are not part of that subcommittee have their own questions, send them to an >> okay >> send them to an so that they can get asked and hopefully provided an answer and then also subsequently reported on in this full committee. Whatever motion >> about other questions. >> Okay. Um >> yes. >> Yeah. Just >> I'm trying to >> superintendent >> understand the concept. I get the concept of it. Just the timing. Would this do anything with the timing in terms of paying these warrants? Um I wasn't sure if I was hearing I thought I might have been hearing two different things. Yes, definitely people in budget
178and finance maybe signing off and approving it. Do they have to wait for an official budget and finance subcommittee meeting to go through it and sign off or can they do it in between? Because if that has to happen, um we'd have to create a pretty good calendar of when we're going to be doing payroll, right, every two weeks and they have to meet on a certain day and then it has to get submitted by Thursday, blah blah blah. all those types of dates because I'm obviously open to that I always tell everybody right and we're in public service as much as people think there are secrets there's no secrets here ask for it and we're going to give it to you and we'll show you what everybody's getting paid down to the penny right
179so there's no secrets in that sense I just want to make sure that things are processed whether it's people's payroll obviously for their services and money for products that we've bought etc from creditors you know, people that were paying and not going over 30 days, 60 days incurring fines, those types of scenarios. >> I also just want to clarify the payroll warrants that is specifically reserved to the chair. >> Yeah. So, >> yeah. Yeah. Not payroll warrants. Those are separate and those those have not historically, I think, ever come to the full committee. >> Yeah. So this is specifically just the warrants that we all already have access to. Clarification member child. >> So my interpretation on how things would work would be that a member of the subcommittee will sign it within the time
180uh requirements so that Vera doesn't come to our house and and that uh we would also in regular meetings of the subcommittee go over the warrants, raise questions, discuss them. So, if there is something sketchy that comes up that we don't like because you've bought um a goldplated Ferrari for central offices, we we' >> Yes. to deliver the mail. We The bill would be paid so we don't go into collections, but we would give you a big no no finger and tell you no more Ferraris. Okay. Any more discussion? >> Thoughts, questions? Member Diamond, you're good. >> Did we Did we add anything to that motion or we let it standing how it stands? >> No, there was a part that we were adding. >> Okay. >> Now, I'm trying to remember what the wording
181of that adding was. sending warrant questions to the budget and finance. >> Yes. >> Yeah. >> So, sending Yes. Sending any questions that members who are not part of budget and finance have about warrants after reviewing them um will go to the chair of the budget and finance subcommittee which is currently Anchild's. Yep. Member Childs. >> So my last question on this, I promise. Uh because policy DK just says signed by minimum of one person, do we need to also update DK with these more restrictive laidout procedures or because these pre procedures do not contradict DK? It's you know this is the square rectangle question. So >> the way that I the way that I would ask that you allow this to be handled is when I come next month with the fully described laid
182out charges for each of these subcommittees, it will include the these detailed procedures that would become additive to our current policy manual. Um so we don't necessarily need to fuss with that right now. Does that make sense? Especially because these would not be we wouldn't have to strike any of the current policy out. We're we're just making additions. I saw a face. I see I see several faces. >> Call a question. >> The question has been called. Um discussion has ended. We are voting. Member Dyman, >> abstain. >> Member Goodwin, >> yes. >> Chair Ston, >> yes. >> Member Webb, I am a yes. Vice Chair Childs, >> yes. >> Member Denive, >> yes. >> Mayor Disorger, >> yes. >> Passes with Did you abstain? >> No. >> Yeah. Passes with one abstension. Um, all
183right. Moving on. Item H. So, this is a motion from Chair Ston to formalize the warrants procedure to wait 24 hours between a request for signature and anyone signing the warrant. This comes from a discussion that we had as a committee last year where we saw that some people were signing like immediately, which we felt wasn't giving members enough time to look at them before they were being signed, especially since a signature does mean we're all liable for that. Um, and so this is formalizing something that we had verbally agreed to but didn't actually take a vote or we could not find the record of a vote. So we are taking the vote now to formalize the thing that we already do. >> Um, second. >> Okay. I made the motion. Member Webb seconded discussion.
184Yes. Member Deniv. >> Oh my god, my brain just collapsed on me and I had a really good question. I'm sorry. Come back to me. I remember. >> Any other questions? I'm sorry. We're back to you. >> Oh, I do have a question. I do have a question. Yes. >> And I don't think this pertains to it, but I'm going to ask anyways. Say, for example, the warrant has already been signed. Okay. >> We can still ask questions about those warrants. >> Yep. >> Yes, we can. >> Oh, and we should. >> Okay. This should get loose. Um, okay. So, should we take this formal item and put it in the policy handbook for new members to understand that that is what they're supposed to do when they are looking at warrants? >> Yes. >>
185Okay, that was my question. >> Yeah, add that to the motion so that it goes somewhere because I know you all are tired and I know you're all looking at me like why why why? But >> it's good to have it. >> The mayor is nodding. But this is the thing. Past committees here didn't do this work and we have a mountain of debt to wipe clean. And I'm sorry that it's late and that it comes up. But I can tell you that all these things should have been handled years ago and they just weren't. And now to the credit of Chair Ston, we can actually put things on the agenda and get them handled. And so I'm sorry when they ask for new business, I have six things. I'm sorry, but >> this is
186just how it is. >> It will be less and less as we improve. >> Yep. >> Um, yes. So, it's a motion to formalize this warrants procedure for the 24-hour waiting period and also to refer that to policy for inclusion in our member handbook um and formal inclusion in our policy manual. So, it's two places policy. >> Well, it's get sent to policy because that's where the handbook lives and also to add it into our actual policy manual. So, there are two two >> I appreciate that. >> Yes, it is. Member Dyman. >> Yes. >> Member Goodwin. >> Yes. >> Chair Ston. >> Yes. >> Member Webbama. Yes. Vice Chair Childs. >> Yes. >> Member Denivive. >> Yes. >> Mayor Disorger. >> Yes. >> Passes. >> Excellent. >> Sorry. Passes unanimously. Wonderful. Thank you. Um,
187for item I, I actually will make a motion to table this or to postpone it until the next meeting at which time I will have a much clearer specific rationale. >> Second. >> Okay. Motion from me, second from Web. Any discussion? Seeing none, let's take a roll call vote. >> Member Dyman. >> Yes. >> Member Goodwin. >> Chair Ston. Yes. >> Member Webb. I'm a yes. Vice Chair Childs. >> Member Deniv. >> Yes. >> Mayor Disorger. >> Yes. >> All right. Passes unanimously. >> Um, next item. We are We are at our final item for new business. I'm so proud of us. Let me know when you're ready. >> It's all good. We've had longer meetings before. I promise. Um. All right. um discussion and possible revision of policy JA field trips specifically as it
188relates to outofstate day trips for students and needing school committee prior vote. >> Superintendent. >> Thank Thank you. Oh >> do a second. >> Okay. >> Yep. And then I I'll just um this may be some foreshadowing or maybe after hearing a lot of the discussion tonight, maybe it may need to go to a subcommittee to then come back out. But a little foreshadowing for you. We you just approved a trip tonight to New York City, a day trip that will be happening for our students to go down there, which is a great opportunity, right? That I always find it awesome that teachers want to actually take some of their time truly, right? and go on a bus with students and it's it's nerve-wracking at times, right? When you're responsible for 40 or 50 people
189in a big city and doing that and sometimes I always say like many of us live all of us, right? We live within three hours what plus rush plus or minus of one of the biggest cities in the world, right? And how many times do we really go there or see it or do it? So, as close as we live to a lot of these things, sometimes all of our students don't get these opportunities. Point of this being that um your policy JA the last paragraph says all outofstate or extended overnight field trips and excursions blah blah blah have to be approved by the school committee. My concern Ian I think is somewhat of a waste of your time and getting field trips off the ground is the wording out of state. Um I do
190agree with overnight. I do agree with international etc. This would be something that obviously might have to get referred to, but for example, um I did, as you know, I've spent the majority of my career in the lower Penny Valley in the Springfield area. Um students in the Springfield area, across the state line to Connecticut, right, for many things, the Hartford Science Museum, Science Center, um Native American museums down there, etc. Here you probably have opportunities to go to Vermont, New Hampshire, etc. >> Washington DC. So overnight, yes, you would still take take quotes, but a day trip to I say cross the border to go pet a cow and see a barn in in Vermont really is something I can handle. At least I think the superintendent can handle. So that may not be
191a tonight thing depending how we've gone with our procedures, but I did want to put that in front of you. So now it would be I guess where to go with it just to plot it along the proper lines. >> I do think that if we're following procedure then it does have to get routed to policy. So I think the motion then becomes uh moving yeah to go to to send this policy for revision to the policy of committee. >> Member Goodwin. So, I know I know from my time in front of school committees about taking kids to Washington DC that this was always had to be approved by the school committee and it always had to do with insurance like the buses and the like if something happens when you're not in Massachusetts. That
192was always the South Hadley discussion. look into that. >> I mean, I just know it was in our policy as well. And so for 10 years, I went forward, but I remember I used to have to have an insurance something for the buses or whatever. just >> yeah I think that makes sense to ask the if we're going to refer this to policy to ask them to better understand like why this policy originated to begin with and if there would be any ill effects of us removing the stipulation member child I just think it's really funny that we'd have to jump through more hoops to go half an hour away to Brattleboro than an hour and a half two hours to Boston >> I just think it's funny so yeah we should change the policy
193Make it humorless. >> Okay. Are we ready to take a vote to refer this to the policy and program subcommittee? Great. Will you please call the role? Member Webb. >> I just want to be clear because it says discussion and possible review. There really wasn't a motion, >> but I have made a motion. >> Okay. Second. >> Sorry. Made a motion. >> I thought we made a motion to discuss it. Who made a motion? >> Chair sex made a motion. >> Then I second it. >> I don't Yeah, I'm not sure that I made a motion to discuss, but if I did, then we did that motion completed. I guess um and I'll make a new motion to refer this item, this policy to the policy and program subject. >> Second. >> This is what
194happens when it gets late. This is why procedure is so important. >> All right, so we've had a motion. We have a second. I think we're ready to vote. Will you please call the role? >> Member Dyman. >> Yes. >> Member Goodwin. >> Chair Ston. >> Yes. >> I'm going to abstain. Member abstain. Vice Chair Childs. >> Yes. >> Member Dene. >> Yes. >> Mayor Disorger. >> Yes. >> Okay. Um before we move on, actually no. I want to get this vote done and then I will ask for items for next meeting. Um, all right. Old business. Item A, discussion and vote on the enrollment of Greenfield Public School students in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts virtual school and the district's option to restrict future Commonwealth of M Massachusetts virtual school enrollment. This is something that
195we talked about back in uh in January and I know that we'd received some subsequent information from the superintendent. Um, so at this point, um, I would make a motion to restrict Greenfield Public Schools students enrollment to the 1% cap. Um, >> second. >> Moving forward. All right. So, I've got a motion. I've got a second from the mayor. Discussion, mayor. So, um, thank you very much, superintendent, for sending us that information. Like 85% of the schools have 1% or less. And I think it's very important that we make wise decisions at this point. We're going to be on to budget discussions later. And I think it was very reasonable the way it's presented. There are 17 people right now. all of those 17 would be able to finish um attending through the end of
196them graduating at the virtual school. But in the end of this year, we're going to have to make decisions on things like perhaps the number of custodians or a program. So, I think we have to be wise now and I think that's a very good idea to make it 1%. Other discussion? Yes, member Deniv. >> I'm a little personally disheartened that the public didn't come to discuss this because I received a number of emails um and I had another number of discussions with constituents about this and I've been on this vote twice before and I would not like to restrict it because these are small numbers of kids. This isn't a large population that's going to this virtual school. And every parent that I've talked to said that their child needed that school for some
197particular extraneous reason. And that that school was a stepping stone to them re-entering public school and doing a better job because of it. So, what I've heard is that it is needed for whatever reason and it's not taken lightly. People don't just do it because they feel like it. It's definitely a choice that people have made. I've never talked to anybody who's who's made the choice um lightly. So, if this was a large number of kids, I would feel differently. But it's always been small. It's always been small. It's always been, you know, under 20. So, I will not be voting to restrict it. I think it's a necessary an important thing. And I think that one thing that we really forget about when we talk about school choice is that those school choice parents
198are GPS parents. The parents at Four Rivers are GPS parents. Those families have multiple children who are in our elementary schools and also in our middle schools. Some of those siblings go to Four Rivers and some do not. Some go to the virtual school and some do not. So if we're thinking about about like how could these you know people take their kids somewhere else which often kind of comes up like they're also using our schools. So this is just another pathway for them. And I think that we should always view it as innovation, as a way to interact with these families and bring them back around and create programs where they will come back to us and interact with us. So, I'm going to say no restriction. All right. I've got member Goodwin and
199then member Charles. So, I'm against restriction because I don't think we can restrict virtual school unless we can restrict every other choice. I think when choice came to Massachusetts, choice came and the virtual school is just another choice. And really, it's close to my heart because we gave birth to it and we made a lot of money off of it. And I was here when that happened. And I remember the children of Greenfield who benefited from the virtual school. Um, and they really needed that kind of a opportunity. Um, and as somebody who's been looking at chapter 70 and financing and everything else and and choice and how it's sort of financially becoming a problem for our state, um, I'm following Vermont who is getting rid of choice and saying it's fine wherever you want
200to go, but you're just going to have to pay for it. So, I think there's a lot of conversation about choice going on across um the states. So, yes, we're going into budget season and maybe that's another thing for Senator Kifford um because it's coming out of their offices too as well. So, um and I'm reading about that. Um, and Vermont is has just kind of said no to this choice because public schools are losing financial the financial impact on public schools is detrimental to all children. That is where they are at. So I will be voting not to cap it. I don't think we can cap anything. member child and then I would like to take a moment. >> Something that makes me uncomfortable is that we don't have other schools that people choice
201out of Greenfield into that we are putting a cap on. And it just doesn't sit right with me that the school that accommodates uh people who have very specific needs for accommodation would be the one that we cap. Um I mean I get it. It's it's hard when we lose even one kid because that is so much money that walks out the door. But I I think rather than cap it, I would rather try to talk to these families that are leaving for the virtual school and see is there a way we can accommodate your family? Is there a way we can work with you? I would rather win people back that way rather than force them back with a cap. Yeah. Um I I hear I hear these that you're saying. Um when the
202students who are already enrolled, they're not being forced back. We can't force the back force them back. They get to continue in their trajectory. Um and I would say that like really this this doesn't have I I don't see that we've had a whole lot of clamoring. The the enrollment that we've sent to the virtual school has actually decreased in recent years. I will say that of the seven past fiscal years, five of them we did send 20 or more students. So, so there is that there have been more than 20 students on many occasions. Um my I guess I'm also wondering and I don't know Roland if you have this data broken out in this way but one of the questions was or one of the points raised was students using the virtual school
203for maybe a year or two and then reenrolling in green field but I don't know if we have that information. Do we do >> no these numbers just indicate the number who have attended that fiscal year. >> Yeah. >> So as you've mentioned any of those students who are there um depending on which way you vote right would not be nobody would be kicked out of there are two virtual schools in the state. So this is not just one this there are two. This is the combination of all those stu all of the students attending either one or the other >> in that sense. And um obviously depending if you did vote to restrict 1% that number would be 12 just for your information. So, for example, if I'm making this up, seven, if 10
204kids graduated this year and the number went to seven, five would still have an opportunity to go in up to that 12, you know, and the and the reason you mentioned we don't have opportunity with school choice to limit because we don't because the state didn't give it to us, but the state gave you is or is giving you right the opportunity to do that here >> because they know that that they know that there's certain number restrictions, etc. And you saw the the numbers I sent you. Um, school choice when our money f our money follows right students to other districts that's $5,000 per student. For the virtual schools, it's $13,366 per student. >> Sure. So way back when the virtual school started in Greenfield, we had um I think of many of the
205students who accessed virtual school, we were struggling um with them being within the walls of a school and without virtual school, we would have ended up paying maybe $100,000 for out of district placement. Um we were struggling with behaviors. we were struggling with how to really work with the children and the families. So I think there is no one right school for a child whether it's virtual whether it's charter whether it's the center school or all we can do is make ourselves as flexible. It does what bothered me about what happened is we lost the virtual school. we created something and we created a charter within our public schools basically and you know we lost it because we did such a good job at it and the state was ticked off that we did a
206good job at it. Um, but I don't think, you know, if if tomorrow the state said you could go ahead and create a charter school within your public schools and we would we would be sitting down looking at technology again. Um, but I don't think we can say no. We can't say no to wanting to go to whatever type of school anybody wants to go to. The issue is that our public money follows them. Um, and I I just I really I'm I was a principle of choice. And I would say right now choice didn't do what it was supposed to do. Um, which was to make things better um through knowledge, innovation, competition. Um, all it's done is leave the public schools hurting. I really feel that now. I mean, here I am 30
207years later. But I don't think we should be capping this because first of all, Greenfield Public Schools created it and it benefited our students and I still value what it brought to Greenfield. Um, I am was appalled when the state took it away from us. because we were just getting rolling. Um but again, financially that hurt us a lot um to lose those funds, to lose those students. So we've we've we lost ELT, we've lost a lot of funding um for different reasons. So I think the state needs to, you know, consider that. So it's another picket sign thing. >> All right. I saw the mayor's hand. And then I also wanted to just acknowledge that the last time this was brought up, member Dyman asked for some of the specific information. So I want
208to give you an opportunity if you had further questions or want to weigh in on the discussion as well. Um, but All right, mayor first and then >> um so I just wanted to say when I asked about this early before I ever knew that we were going to have a vote on this um we talked like this is what I actually was thinking about was that the discussion was about that some people were doing this to for to accommodate sports schedule like to be on a ski team etc. I'm as sympathetic as the next person is. If your if my child needed that, needed to be in um a school because they were bullied at school, etc., etc. I'm delighted that there would be a place for them to be, but I did hear
209about people making a decision. I think that you had brought that up um superintendent as people >> that and I I think we are going to have choices to make. I would want everybody to have a school that was the best thing for their child. Um and it it it seemed along the line of an a recent vote that we' taken about um doing the meals for the charter school. I think we have to educate. Yes, we're obligated to educate everybody who's here, everybody that lives here in Greenfield, but maybe that that was being looked at closely, the rationale for why those students were going. That's all. >> Member Dyman. Yeah, my question last time was really about um the criteria for uh acceptance to the virtual school. Uh and I and looking at the
210website, I'm sorry, I I wasn't able to really find the information I was looking for on that. Was anybody else able to find that information or do we have any inform more information about well, you know, what criteria does a student have to meet to be accepted to that school? I do not have that information. Superintendent Joyel is shaking his head, so I don't think he has any additional information. My assumption is that they just apply. That it's not like a It's not a school that you have to meet a certain threshold of need or that you have to have these specific accommodation requests to get the school. That's not what it's for. more like any it's it's again just another school of choice that people can choose to enroll in if they'd like. Um
211assuming that their home district did not place a cap or they're below the threshold for the cap. >> Um are we ready to vote on this? >> Um just point of information there's a there's a there is a cap though. There's a standard cap, right? Can you remind me what that cap is? Two is it 2%? >> Yeah. >> Yep. And how many for us? So if if one% is 12, 2% is 24. >> So we could only we could only enroll up >> stateide. >> Okay. 2% state. >> 2% statewide. But no. >> Yeah. >> Like is 11% right. Florida's 2.9, Province Town two. So there are many over two. So it's a 2% statewide cap, not a >> 2% per district cap. Right. >> And also just reminding this is a vote that
212we are required to take annually. So we'll be coming back. When we exceed a certain number, we're required to take that vote. So some years you may not exceed the number, you may not vote, but other years you have to vote one way or the other. >> Yep. We've Yes, you have exceeded the 1% 1% threshold. Therefore, you have to vote and we just have to let the state know what you're going to do. >> Yeah. And we do have to vote tonight because the deadline is prior to our next meeting. >> Okay. Any other any other pieces of information that you would like at this time or or would like to ask about member Diamond? I I would like to propose the idea of setting a cap that is not 1%. I would like
213to propose setting a cap that is approximately at the level that we are currently serving. Um, so if if we currently have uh what what was it 17 students from Greenfield uh you know what percentage of if that was is that of our total um >> you see what I'm getting at >> like one and a half or one and something one and three quarters. >> I'm sorry to interrupt you but it's in there 1.32. >> Yeah. maybe set it at 1.5 so that you know there's there's some wiggle room, but we're still meeting the current need. I'm I'm amendable to any other percentage that folks would like to uh I'm seeing some affirmative signs from the second from disorder as well. >> I I like member Dman's idea. I think that's reasonable. >> Okay.
214So, new motion on the table is to restrict enrollment at 1.5%. And I get the sense just based on some of the arguments that people were making that that won't change their vote. Um, but member Webb, do you have a comment? >> Yeah, I think for myself to change the vote, I'd want to make sure that there was wiggle room within that 1.5% that if we did have two or students in Greenfield this year who wanted to join that it was accessible to them. >> Do we have an approximate how many kids does that actually represent that increase >> 2.28%. >> 17 equals 1.32. >> And so if we had 1.5 is that another one kid two kids >> who's our mathematician here. So because it would take if you subtracted five students, right? You
215get to 12, get to the one, right? >> So you're So 12. So you're right. At about every six, you're at a half. You're under that threshold. The seventh pushes you over. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Was it was it wasn't this were we talking didn't this come up that some people were doing this to accommodate travel or being on a ski team? >> That was I think a hypothetical or theoretical example. I'm >> I'm not sure if we do know currently. I mean, I'm sure that some of us might know individually, but I don't know if we know as a group who these kids are, why they are, etc., etc. I don't know if we have that data, and we certainly don't have it right now, which is when we would need it to have
216it be part of this discussion. Um, are we I I get the sense. Are we ready to call the question? I'm Let's call the question. Okay, will you please call the a motion on enrollment of Greenfield public school students in the comment of Massachusetts Massachusetts first school and then proposed a 1.5% cap Um, sorry. Before we vote, can I clarify the numbers here? Because by my um by my math, if we have 20 students, that would be an increase of three um divided by 1343. That would be under 1.5. >> 1285. What wise? >> If we if we added three more >> say more say more about the denominator you're using >> the number in the sheet I gave you the numbers. Yeah. that we're talking it's >> 1,285 students. >> Oh, >> my understanding
217would be that I I'm guessing that they generally don't count prek >> in here. >> I see. Okay, that's the number we need to work with. Thank you. Okay, so if we had 20 students at >> that would push you over. 19 keeps you under. >> Yeah. So I I would be happy to cap it at 2% then. You know, I I I just think that there should be some limit considering what we're what we're facing uh fiscally. Can can we amend the motion to to vote on it at 2% please? >> Would anyone second that? >> Technically, we have called the question that is like we're already giving little grace for allowing this discussion. if we're being sticklers for Robert's rules about it. Um, me personally, like I still don't think just based on
218the way people were talking, I still don't think that's going to change how a lot of people are voting. But I am I am amendable to amending the motion to a 2%. >> We could we >> That's why that's >> we could Okay. Um. >> Um. All right. We've called the question. Let's call the role. >> Member Dyman. >> Yes. >> Member Goodwin. >> No. >> Chair Ston. >> Yes. >> Member Webb, I'm a no. Vice Chair Childs, >> no. >> Member Dene, >> no. >> Mayor Dorger, >> yes. All right. The motion fails with four nos, three eyes. So we will not be we will not be capping virtual school enrollment >> for this year assuming assuming that the numbers are similar next year we'll be here again. >> May I just say one
219thing that perhaps we should be looking at that at another juncture because that was what swayed me to look at the criteria if anybody needed to be there but a choice for travel or a a sports. I would feel different about that. I just would like to know if there was any criteria if we could find that out maybe for next year. No. No, we'll never know that. Okay, fine. Great. Okay. At this time, I would like to call for items for next meeting. New new business for the March meeting. I've got member Den, member Goodwin. I'm sorry I cannot hear you. >> Sorry. Um it's very late. I forgot it. So in terms of the school tours, some districts utilize the yellow bus to uh shuttle electeds around. um having it at the same
220time as a school committee meeting would probably work for a lot more people. Maybe getting our food service involved. Um so I'll bring a motion for that. Um I also have a motion uh for the uh that's going to have a resolution to support the foundation budget uh review commission and member Dyman is writing the resolution. So that'll be the first resolution of the year. Um, we also have a motion to adopt a resolution to support bill H4361, which is the uh, teachers retirement. Uh, and member Diamond is writing the resolution for that. Those were both brought up by constituents who made public comment last month. And, oh, sorry, last one. I would like to bring forward a motion to find a place on the website for the warrants to live so that the public
221can access them. And then because I'm being so very wordy and doing too much work, Ann's going to take one. >> Much appreciated. >> I'll email them all to you next week as soon as uh member Dyman has crafted the resolutions. >> Thank you so much. Appreciate all the work. Have a good one. >> I have two. One, I've been waiting for over a year. >> I asked repeatedly, month after month, I would like a presentation on reading. Um, what is currently being used? What are the interventions being used and the data of our students and when a child is below grade level, what those interventions are taking place and how they're judging whether they're failing or achieving. I'd like to know in depth about our reading program and sec and I've been asking for
222that for over a year. Um second and that wasn't you superintendent. So um second I would actually like the principles to come to school committee and tell us about their schools. like I I met the preschool principal for the first time on a tour, which made me sad because this was the first time I met her and I've been on school committee. As a principal, I went to every school committee meeting. Um, and so I think I would like especially budget season like to hear what they dreams they have for their school or a description of their school like how many teachers they have, what what's working well, what's not working. Um, sure. That's a great idea. And uh, we can make that work. So, how about we how about we bring half in March
223and half in April? Not that I had that in the works or planned. No. So, it will be some of the school improvement plan. We'll kind of we know we have some busy meetings coming up. We have a transportation um presentation next month, but we'll have half the principles next month and half in April. Then we're going to have budget. So, I mean, yes, meetings do get lengthy and I understand that. I think I mentioned it to many of you last time that this body you should be commended because you have great attendance at your school committee meetings and I haven't seen that elsewhere as almost as perfect as you are perfect attendance in that sense and I always would tell people listen I do understand that it is late but personally I would rather
224I say kill one night at a long time versus two two nights at 30 minutes each or something because many many of your bigger school committ in your bigger cities do two plus meetings a month in that sense. So, thank you for hanging in there for the length of the meetings, but also for your attendance in that sense. >> Great. And then just a note about the transportation presentation, just making sure that we can get whatever materials or presentation he's presenting well ahead of time. Thank you. Uh, member Childs, >> I have two things. First is the stolen valor that I stole from Elizabeth. um to a motion I'll work on the language for this but the gist of it is is to appoint someone to liaz and figure out what's going on with yellow
225and the leadership conference at the high school and what kind of support if any they need from us given the current climate and um so there will you know with funding basically and organization uh because it's a great conference and I hope to actually go to it at some Right. Anyway, second one. Uh, this came out of Liz Leavon's presentation. I would like us to look at possibly changing the information we ask for people giving public comment so that we're no longer asking for people's addresses. Whether we're asking them for town or affiliation, I don't have a preference, but I like not asking addresses. So, those are my two things. Anybody else? All right, seeing none, you are still free to email me between now and the next meeting. Actually, let me rephrase. You are
226free to email me between now and a week prior to the next meeting if you would like an item to appear on that meeting. Otherwise, it will appear in April. So, just note um now is not the only time. So, thank you all. I appreciate those notes. I just like we can do this. We can do work. That's what we're here to do and we're doing it. Um so don't ever feel shy or bad about bringing so much stuff. We have the capacity. We can do work. Um we don't actually need to have an executive session. This was a placeholder just in case we had an update on the contract with our incoming superintendent. Um I will be meeting with her tomorrow morning. Uh so I hope I I know that I will be having
227something uh for our March meeting for executive session there. So, um, with that, I would look for a motion to adjurnn. >> So, moved. >> Second. >> All right. We got a motion from member Childs, a second from member Goodwin. Please call the role when you're ready. >> Member Dyman. >> Uh, yes. >> Member Goodwin. >> Chair Ston. >> Yep. >> Member Webb. Yes. Vice Chair Childs. Member Geneive. >> Yes. >> Mayor Disorg. >> The meeting is adjourned. meeting is adjourned at 10:21 p.m. Thank you everybody.