Greenfield School Committee Meeting - April 9th 2025

001Heat. Heat. Good evening and welcome to the Greenfield Public Schools School Committee meeting for Wednesday, April 9th, 2025. This meeting is being recorded by Greenfield Community Television. If any other persons are doing the same, you must notify the chairperson at this time. Okay. Um, Secretary Den, will you call the role? Yes. Chair Johnson Mad here. Vice Chair Ston here. Secretary Deniva, I'm here. Member Goodwin here. Member Childs here. Mayor Disorger, I see you. You're mut. Do you want to say hear? Mayor, can you hear us? Seems like the mayor can't hear us, but other people in the chat report they can hear us. So, mayor. Oh, okay. I've heard from the mayor and member Martini. Okay. All present. and accounted for except for member Martini and we have a quorum. Thank you. We'll move on

002to um public comment and uh the secretary has the list. I can bring that to uh Jenny says that she cannot hear us. Oh, that's I just unmuted. Can people hear us now? Yes. Excellent. Oh, Susan's here. Solved. Oh, yes. Good evening. My name is Ian Degan and I live at 16 Lovers Lane. I am a sixth grade student at Greenfield Middle School. I have known Mrs. Patnau since I was 5 years old. She has been very kind, caring, and welcoming, and is always concerned about my well-being. In her current role as superintendent, she is forced on what I am. She is forced on what I need to learn and what my school needs to support that learning. She knows that she knows what is best for all Greenfield students. Please support her vision and

003work for Greenfield Public Schools. Thank you. [Applause] Good evening. My name is Sha Degan and I also live at 16 Lovers Lane. I'm in third I am a third grade student at Four Corners Elementary School. I have known Mrs. Patnode since I started kindergarten. She always had has a smile and a hug. As our superintendent, she always she knows what the students of Greenfield need. She has a vision for Greenfield public schools and should be a part of designing our future. Please support her in her work. Thank you. [Applause] Hi, Margaret Rancor Greenfield. I'm here as a fourth grade teacher from Four Corners and I thought I was just going to talk about a real asset we have in our fourth graders. And I was going to talk about my 26 fourth graders that are

004amazing human beings. They're hardworking. They're resilient. They're compassionate. And they had to have a lot to deal with this year. They went from being in a class of 16 to a class of 26. And they're thriving. And I'm amazed by them. And that's the same for Miss Murdoch's class. 26 kids. It's a lot. And they're thriving and they're amazing. And then I got to meet some fourth graders from the other schools because I was backstage at the Susicle. More amazing fourth graders. And then I did backstage at the all band. I met more amazing fourth graders. And I could tell you their names. And I met some of their families. And they're amazing. And we need to take care of them. And right now we're in flux and we don't know what's happening. They think

005they're going to stay in their elementary school. Maybe they're going to go to the middle school. I don't know. But I'm imploring you to think about all of those fourth graders that I love with all my heart. The ones I've just met, the ones that are in my class, they deserve to know what's happening to them. And we probably should have known months ago because whatever happens, there's a lot of pieces to the puzzle to figure out. So, I'm asking you to think about those fourth graders that I love and care about, and they have worked themselves silly to learn this year. I could not be more proud of them, and they need to know what's happening, and I would like it to be decided tonight so we can get this ball rolling. Thank you.

006My name is Ann Valentine and I reside in Hatfield. I am presently completing my 32nd year as an educator here in Greenfield. In these past 32 years, I have worn many hats. I was a resident. My children attended the schools. When I moved, I choiced my children into Greenfield. I even coached a little field hockey. Over the past 32 years, I have seen as well as participated in many ups and downs here in the Greenfield school system. I'm probably one of the few who are still here who experienced the first shuffling and closings of buildings in 2007. I was a fifth grade teacher at Newton in late March. We fifth grade teachers were told we we'd be moving to the middle school. There was no prior discussion. There were no surveys that were done. We

007were just told to start packing. Needless to say, this was a very stressful and anxious time for the staff as well as the students. No one really knew how to go about moving six classrooms into a um in a non-kaotic way with little time. As the teacher, trying to pack up my room and figure out what I might not need for the next three months was a challenge. For those of you who know me, I'm a packrat like many teachers are. I had put 14 years in at Newton and by that time it was really difficult on the students watching their classroom being dismantled. We packed boxes, put them in the hall for custodians to move over to the middle school to be put in the mini gym until location to where the fifth grade

008classes might be placed. The reason why I am bringing this up to you at this time, it's my understanding that a new ad hoc committee is going to be formed to study the redistricting once again. Besides being an educator here for the past 32 years, I have also been the union president for about 10. Recently, I've received many emails, text messages, as well as personal stops in the halls and at meetings from staff asking me, "Am I going to have my job next year? Is my position going to be here next year?" I have to be honest with them. I don't know. Many people assume that I have that knowledge. I don't. Not many of us have any of that knowledge yet because things have not yet been solidified. I wanted to share with you

009what I went through in 2007 as well as 2008 when the district then brought up the fourth grade to the middle school. At that point, many families started to leave. Most choiced out due to the uncertainty of what was going on in the district. Families and staff do much better when things are stable as well as predictable. We lost many children in those years. As you all may know, students who choice out rarely if ever come back. My request as someone who's experienced the upheaval in 2007 and 2008, seeing our district struggle with the closings and movings, please put these decisions on hold. The variables are changing. They are different from where they were before. You know that there's going to be some changes happening to our educational foundations in the very near future. Having

010a stable school system can allow informed decisions to be made carefully. It's getting too late in the school year to be making these decisions right now. Please try and hold off this decision for a year. Thank you. My name is Jessica Pollock. I am a Greenfield resident, a homeowner, taxpayer, Greenfield High School employee, and parent of a third grade greater in the Greenfield public schools. For nearly 25 years, I've been a Greenfield City employee and have worked at GHS for the past 15 years. I have worked under several mayors, including the first, a a couple of town department heads, four superintendent, and five principles. I've seen leadership that works and leadership that fails. I understand the roles and responsibilities for the different positions in our city and how difficult it is to manage a department

011and a city of our size. I'm here tonight to express my concern about what I've seen happening at recent school committee meetings in regards to the budget and redistricting. Superintendent Pat Node is a veteran educator with 25 years experience in education on all levels from classroom teacher to principal to assistant superintendent and now to superintendent. She has two master's degrees including one specifically in public school administration. If you ask anyone who has worked under Superintendent Pat Node or any student who has had her in their life, they will tell you that she is truly a remarkable leader. She is smart, compassionate, unbelievably dedicated, has incredible management skills, and is deeply devoted to our community, a community where she lives herself. Miss Patnon has a rare talent that we are fortunate to have leading our school

012district. Yet, what I have witnessed at these meetings is Miss Patnode's leadership being questioned and undermined. She is more than qualified to make difficult budgetary decisions, which we all know need to happen. She is thoughtful and deliberate in how she communicates to staff and families when changes need to occur. Unlike the sudden and unsettling proposals to alter the redistricting plan and possibly close Greenfield Middle School that Mayor Dorger has recently made. With respect, Mayor, the way you have introduced potential budget cuts to school to the schools and proposed large-scale redistricting without input from those who would be impacted is irresponsible. Your approach has been destabilizing to our school community and I fear that we may lose excellent educators and families may choose to send their children to other districts because our city appears disorganized. I

013urge you all to give Miss Patnode the ability to lead in the way that is most beneficial for our community, our students, our family, and the staff of GPS. While none of us look forward to budget cuts, I feel confident in Superintendent Patnode's ability to include all stakeholders in the decision-making process and ultimately make the hard choices in a way that causes the least amount of damage to our schools and community. Thank you, [Applause] Hello, my name is Eric Leaper. Um, I'm here from the high school. I'm an English teacher. I'm also the boys soccer coach. I'm a drama club director. I'm the class adviser for the juniors. I do the trivia team. I do a lot of things there. And I'm also a PhD candidate at UMass Ammerst. So, I work a lot And

014I do a lot specifically because I think about these kids in this school most of my day. I I care a lot about what goes on here. Um I'm not originally from Greenfield. I'm from Chabe, but since I got to Greenfield, I have felt very welcomed by this community. Uh the parents are amazing. Uh the kids that I work with are incredible, Shane and Nate being two of them. Uh, a lot of I love a lot of my co-workers. I get along really good with them. I think there's a lot of really awesome things that happen in this district. Uh, frankly, I wish that I was taught the way that a lot of the teachers in this district teach. I I don't regret the education I got, but I appreciate a lot of the education

015that happens in this district. And I know there's a lot of teachers here that work really, really, really difficult hours and put in a lot of work. And um it kind of just does not feel like the community sees a lot of that. And I don't feel like the perception of the schools is what it should be based on the way that we do a lot of the things in this district. Uh we had a rap party for the the play which we had over the weekend which was incredible if anyone saw it. And uh while I I was getting some food for the rap party and while I was at Big Y, someone was asking me like what I had going on and I mentioned I was with the high school and this person

016just kind of goes like gh greenfield high school and like that really sucks to hear when you're someone who puts in a lot of work in this district and it feels like there's this perception of our schools from people who don't know what goes on in the schools. Um, and I'm here to say that I put my support behind uh, Superintendent Patnode because I wouldn't be here without her taking a chance on me in this district. And I think I've tried to work really hard to honor that. Um, and I know that she knows what these schools are like. She's not It's not just that she knows like, oh, the buildings and like this is the schedule and all that. Like she knows the kids, she knows the teachers. She's our representative in this district.

017and I do believe she's doing the best possible job she can given the situations of the country we're in. Um, and I just think she's someone and so is um, Mr. Sullivan who really understand what is in our district and they understand like everything that goes on with like where are teachers place like these are real lives that are involved and teachers who work a lot and it's like it's it's difficult when you don't know what it's going to be next year to really put in your best work. And I know um I kind of want to just put that out there that I believe these two really believe that they know what's going on. Thank you. [Applause] Luke Hi, I'm Rose Scroff. Uh I live on Lyndon Avenue. I teach fifth grade math and

018science at the middle school. Um, and in wake of the uncertainty on where fifth grade is going and the possibility that fifth grade is going to stay, I really wanted to speak and voice for the families. Similar to what Eric was saying, I think there's a lot of negative perceptions around what fifth grade is like at the middle school. Um, this is my first year teaching fifth grade. Um, I've taught eighth grade in the past. I was a math interventionist and um in all of my years of teaching, this is the first year of teaching where I look forward to going to school every day. I look forward to waking up at 6:00 in the morning, which most people don't. And I just am excited and invigorated and just I cannot wait to work with

019the kids, to see them, to talk to them, to offer them support. Um and uh we work really really hard as a fifth grade team to make sure that all students are heard, that they are cared for, and that they get what they need. Um and I I just love what we do. I like today we were taking sugar cubes in a container to show weathering and erosion in science and we were playing Jump in the Line by Harry Bellfonte and I had kids jumping around the room with joy shaking containers of sugar cubes and it just it sometimes is hard to hear the perceptions from the community which I completely understand. Greenfield was in a different place a couple years ago with the middle school. People were fleeing the middle school because of you

020know different things that were happening but that's changed. you know, we are we are sort of leading the pack as far as the growth that's happening in this district and the progress that we are making. And a lot of that comes from not only what we're doing inside the classroom, but outside of the classroom. The fifth grade has a huge hand in all of the uh community events that we have been putting on over the last three years. Um, and it just is a really good place to be. And I know that we are used to fifth grade being at an elementary level, but we escort them everywhere. They do not have to do anything by themselves. We coach them and support them in becoming independent and being able to advocate for themselves and to

021stay organized and learn how to, you know, do homework and and all of that. We we are so careful in everything that we do. And um we are a very caring team. So, I don't know what's going to happen tonight. Um, I do hope that you uh take into consideration all of the things that Superintendent Pat Node and um Steven Sullivan are um sharing because they are putting so much time and effort into their considerations. Um I I feel like you could tell me Karen that we were going to build a school in the sky and I'd be teaching 13th grade and I'd be like sure sign me up when because I have so much trust in in the decisions that you're making. Um, so that's really all I have to say. I hope that

022you um My time's up, so I'm just not going to finish that sentence. Thank you for your time. And then Hello, my name is Luke Martin. I live in Greenfield and teach at the high school. I have kids in second and fourth grade. Um, first I'd like to thank the superintendent for a budget that represented the true cost of educating students. Um, nobody expects a rubber stamp from the mayor or the city council, but as a teacher and a parent, I I for one am grateful for a superintendent who first thinks and who first prioritizes what it will actually take to educate our children. Anyway, as I was shocked as everyone else to hear about the mayor's new plan for our schools, I was shocked as a parent who closely followed the more than two

023years of meetings, forums, research, planning, and preparation to implement a change for next year. I gave input whenever possible in that process. I advocated for my kids' best interest as so many others did as well, only to hear recently that it may all be thrown out the window in favor of a plan that absolutely nobody had proposed or considered or even a whole new process to reconsider everything yet again. All while my nine-year-old daughter wonders where she'll go to school next year. I was also shocked as an employee because I was here 10 years ago when the new school was designed and built and the mayor's suggestion that we can fit 788 kids into that building didn't sound right to me. Sure enough, a 10-second Google search revealed that it was built for 585 students,

024not 788. So, where did that number come from? It came from the NASDAQ report, the consultant you hired to analyze possible reconfigurations of our district. So, I'd like to remind folks that that very NESD study proposed four feasible options for Greenfield, none of which included cramming the middle school into the high school. Mayor Dorger, it is dishonest at best to cherrypick one number from that report that you like and then ignore the report's actual recommendations. Uh, about that number though, it's from page 79 of that report. And they also state their assumptions which were 25 kids in every room at every hour of the day. That means teachers sharing classrooms. That means teachers on carts without their own desks or resources or a place to do their planning or grading. And what happens when 40

025kids need to take my history class? We have one class of 25 and then another of 15. And what do we do? Because we need 25 in each room. We fill it with 20 more kids doing something else. It doesn't make any sense. What about lunches? We would need four or five lunch periods. Means the first one probably starts at 10:00 in the morning. Any of these issues would have been more than immediately apparent in any conversation with a staff member or especially the superintendent if there had been any conversation. So my point is that we may be able to fit physically 788 students into that building, but we cannot educate 788 students in that building. Um, I guess if we're not planning with students education in mind, but only cost savings, I can probably

026solve all your problems right now. The cheapest option, just fill the auditorium with a thousand kids, give them a Chromebook, hire four or five of us to supervise. We'd save millions. Your budget crisis would be over. Kids won't learn much. But right now, it does not feel like that's our main concern. Nearly done, if that's the timer. We've put a tremendous amount of time and resources into this process of reconfiguration. Please stay the course. No magical reshuffleling of people and buildings is going to solve a budget crisis. But restarting this process, what it will do is create uncertainty and anxiety and flight. Parents won't keep their children in a district that sees those kids mainly as a financial problem to solve and not as developing humans to educate. Parents want stability. Parents want to know

027where their kids will go to school next year. Please stay the course. Implement the plan that the entire community has already agreed upon. Thank [Applause] you. Good evening. Pamela Goodwin um taught in this school system at Pioneer Mohawk. I could go on and on about my years of an educator. I want to first say that every year we have a problem with how to fund education. This has been going on since 1971 when I was hired here and it was called a junior a junior high and not a middle school. So, and also through a bunch of my years of education, including classes um with people who are working on their master's degree, teachers would be asked, "You're not teaching the sixth grade anymore. We're going to ask you to teach the third grade." And

028you have your whole curriculum, you have your whole thing, and then all of a sudden, oh, now we're going to ask you to do this. And that usually comes from the principal in the school, not necessarily the school committee. So when we talk about stability for kids or teachers, I think we need to think about what causes the instability like the state not funding the chapter programs. That's not going to change. And Doug Swellen wrote a wonderful email that I saw that said, you have to have your school districts band together statewide because you do care about the emotional and and physical well-being of the very child that you're educating. I don't know if you saw it, but I'm happy to send it to you if you'd like because he is right on and he

029has been up in front of you people on a steady basis, which I have not done. I will also say that the mayor proposed something and the last school committee meeting I attended. I was thrilled to in the round robin which surprised everyone hear various school committee members saying they were willing to think outside of the box. there was some other ways to look at these things and yet nothing was proposed because they know they're not going to get the majority. It's like the majority of the people aren't going to go with that particular idea, this particular idea. So, if closing the middle school and doing what the mayor proposed is such a nasty thing, there's all kinds of other proposals that have been coming out in my from what I can tell and I'm

030not on the school committee, but there are other ways to reconfigure things and I get that parents want to know what their kids are going to do. I think um Mohawk is trying to figure out what they're doing about Hollowmon. Like, this is an annual occurrence and I have been pink slipped. so many times in April that I get how upset everybody is, including parents who thought that this is what's going to happen. I think at some point we have to say put on our big girl pants or big boy pants and face the music and think together as we have been talking about a team effort from the school committee to the assistant superintendent to the financial director. what can be done in a timely fashion that's going to house x number of children

031and then think about where else that you the bill can be tightened. Nobody wants to see teachers and TAs laid off. It's a fact every spring and it has been since 1971 when I started educating out with a plan that helps kids. That's all I care about. And I don't want to disparage the superintendent because we've had a number of people saying what a wonderful job she does. But there's money somewhere. Maybe we'll grow on trees. Thank you. Is there any other public comment in the room? Please come forward and say your name and the town where you live. My name is Kirsten Kinsmith. Uh, I am a resident of Brattleboroough these days. Uh, but I was a Greenfield resident for 20 years. I continue to be a taxpayer and I've been a teacher at

032the high school, a math teacher since 2003. I didn't plan to be up here. My Apple Watch is discouraging me saying my heart rate is about 120 right now. So, please bear with me. Um, so I, you know, I'm very invested in this community as a parent, as a teacher. Two of my kids graduated from Greenfield High School and we lived through that 2006, 2007 insanity. Uh, it was a battle in my house to keep my kids in this district and I won that battle and I'm proud of it and I'm proud of them and I'm proud of this place. Um, but I'm very concerned with the the instability that's been caused and continues to be caused by the recent uncertainty around redistricting. Um, seems like we studied the plan, we agreed on the plan,

033we had another vote to affirm the agreement on the plan, and yet the plan still continues to be in flux. Um I'm really concerned that this is going to lead to more exodus uh by students, families, uh perhaps educators as well. Um I I understand the budget challenges, you know, at the state level, at the federal level, at the local level. I realize that they're there. We all understand that. We all realize there's a possibility that programs or positions will be cut. Um and that there's certainly a need for thoughtful planning and as the previous speaker said, thinking outside of the box. But I think it's imperative that this process includes super superintendent patent. Um she is the most competent uh superintendent, educator, human, one of the most competent humans that I've ever met. Um

034I've known her for 15 years. I've known her as a colleague, as a principal, and now as superintendent. And I just hope that whatever conversations are happening include her as an expert because as Luke mentioned, uh, making these proposals based purely on numbers doesn't make a whole lot of sense. You know, I have a small calculus class. We have nine kids in class. So, there's 15 extra desks, but I can't fill them with seventh graders. Okay? So we we just because we can hold the students in the building doesn't mean it makes practical sense the way that our school works, the way that schedules work. And I think it just you really need to include some of the the folks who know how these things work in the conversation. Um and I think it's frankly

035insulting not to. Um so I hope that moving forward, you know, we can collaborate as a team, right? We're all on the same team and not make any quick decisions. I understand for next year like the way I see it, we've got two choices. Move ahead with the current plan or maintain status quo, but coming up with some third option doesn't make a whole lot of sense right now. It's April. We've usually run schedule scenarios by now. We can't do that because of the chaos that's happening. So, I just I hope that it can be settled and that all the stakeholders can be invited to the table for those conversations. Thank you for your time. I'm going to go take a breath now. [Applause] Anyone else in the room who would like to make public

036comment? Anyone on Zoom who'd like to make public comment, you could raise your hand, your digital hand. You could put a note in the chat. I will look for you. I am not seeing any requests for public comment from Zoom. Thank you very much for sharing your views with us. Um we'll now hear the report of student representatives to the committee. So it is my understanding that this report is included in all of your meeting materials and it is posted to the public as well. So with that in mind, I will not be reading the report tonight. um I feel that it is only going to serve to distract and detract from a lot of the messages and stories we've heard from educators and from students today. And I think that that is the most

037important report that all of you could be hearing today. So what I will be doing is jumping to the final item which is student life where we are going to be highlighting Nate Woodard um who is a member of the city's human rights commission. He is a co-founder of the students of color club and he is um a recipient of the Martin Luther King Jr. Award. So Nate Woodard, would you please come and take the public comment stand? Hello. Hi. This is loud. How's everybody doing? Good. How are you? I'm good, thank you. Um, I'm very pleased to be here. Um, I'm very happy that I was received the award. Um, I remember when I first came to the district, I was a fourth grader. Um, coming from being homeless for two years. Um, Miss

038Goodman was my principal and um, I was loved by so many people and I continue to be loved by so many people. Um, with Miss Patnode and Mr. Sullivan and Miss Pollock and Mr. Martin, everybody that's here tonight, uh, I love them all because they support education and it's very important. Um, these two pe these two young folks are very important, too. Um, we as city officials want to hear from the youth. And that is one thing that I am pleased to say and very happy to say that I'm very excited to hear from the youth today because their voice matters. Um, not someone from the street, but their voice matters for what they're going to see for their country and what they're going to see for their district. And it's very important that you

039the people, you the mayor could stand up and speak to those students will be very appreciative. Um, Monday, next Monday, I'll be receiving the award. Um, very classy little get together, I guess. Um, uh, I'm very happy for what I do with the marching band as drum major, with the vice president as students of color group, um, with the youth leader at the CTC youth coalition at the fur cog. I'm very happy for what I do. People tell me I should probably stop doing things, but I really don't know what I would do if I stopped doing what I do. Um, I probably bored and playing video games like everybody else. Um, but I'm very happy to see um everybody here supporting me. Um, and so yeah, I'm here to answer questions if needed or

040comments. Questions or comments? Member Stton and then member Childs. I just wanted to thank you again for being here. I know I've come I've run across you at a couple of other events outside of school committee stuff, but um we love having you in the district. You're a bright spot. Um and just I hope you do continue to do all of the work that you do um now and into the future. Thank you. Appreciate it. Similar to that, I want to compliment you on how much you do manage to get done and also thank you because what you're doing matters to so many people in the community. So you are excellent example of what Greenfield can and does produce. So thanks for keep being and keep on being awesome. Thank you. I appreciate that. Um,

041one thing I will also say is that um, my grandmother passed away about a year ago and she was a big powerful person in my life. She always taught me of how to speak on my mind and how to be a better person and how to be a nice person. And for me, the one thing was to be involved in everything because not only was it making other people happy, it was also representing my brothers who are two students of the district who are in sixth and seventh grade and who play sports and they play basketball and you know, do they get annoying? Yes, they do. But they are the light of my life and they support me through everything and my parents as well. Um so it's very important that today as you heard

042from all these teachers and these two wonderful students who are here that it's education is very important and actually we wouldn't have teachers or superintendent without students. So let's think about that. um you know so I just want to make that very known and very clear. So thank you. Appreciate everybody. I have some questions. Oh sure if you don't mind. I was wondering if you could talk a little bit about what your experience has been like on the human rights commission and over any overlap you see between the commission's work and the Greenfield school committee. Um so uh I was elected in October. Um, I was selected vice president about a month or two ago. Um, I guess my work is really amazing. Um, I get to hear from people all over um, the city

043about what they want in their community. Um, I also think that it's very important to um to, you know, co with the school committee is to um, have like I said youth voice is very important. Um, and for me to be a youth on a city official board is actually cool and it's very, you know, amazing. Um, so I feel like if we had more space and more, um, time for students to potentially be a member of the school committee or potentially be a member of the economic committee. Um, those are things that you're going to need in the future to see and hear for what people are actually going to want to hear. Because to be honest with you, youth hear more than adults. They hear it every day when they walk in the

044hallway. They hear it every day when they go to the store. They hear it every day when they do a jog around the track. They hear it from other people. Um, and for me to be there and representing them is amazing. So, yeah. Thank you. Thank you. Anyone else? Well, yeah. Remember, I used to see you every day as I dropped off a bus of very loud children at the YMCA and every day you would get on that bus and you were able to they'd immediately listen to you and you were able to gather them all together and they really looked up to you. So, it seems absolutely fitting that you should be the one winning this award and I just congratulations to you. you are always on the go and it's wonderful to see

045the things that you're accomplishing. So, congratulations. Thank you. Appreciate that. Okay. Thank you very much. So much. [Applause] Um while folks are still here um would like to move up the item about the donation from the Donna Woodcock Woodcock Trust. Um so I think I'm just going to say let's go ahead and do that. Go ahead. I'm not going to do it. Um, while so many of my GHS colleagues are here, I wanted to be sure that you were here for this agenda item. Um, I will for I'm going to cry too, so I apologize, but I will forever be grateful to Donna Woodcock. She's the reason I am in Greenfield today. She was the principal at Greenfield High School and hired me in the summer of 2010 along with Miss Creek, a history teacher

046at the high school still, and Miss Pollock, our librarian. I still recall our first new teacher meeting with Donna. It was just the three of us, and we had never quite met anyone like her. And yet, we all grew to love and respect her. She was a strong, fearless leader who loved Greenfield to the core. Every decision she made was made with the best interest of kids at heart always. She was a fierce supporter of women in sports and how being part of a team built character and strength and camaraderie for our students. She was also a very dedicated supporter of school libraries and what a powerful impact a school librarian has on the culture and success of a school in life and now after her passing. Her legacy and commitment to Greenfield High School

047community remains steadfast and true. In your packet this evening, you will see Donna's last will and testament included donations to the GHS library and nine different GHS girls sports teams to continue to uphold the value and importance of all of these areas that impact students in such positive ways. Thank you. [Applause] I'd like to hear a motion to accept the donations totaling $46,000 from the Donna Woodcock Trust to the Greenfield High School library and sports teams as presented. So moved. Second. Um, okay. I heard a motion from member Ston and a second from member Goodwin and appreciate member Childs as well. Any discussion? Um, Secretary Den, will you call the vote? Yes. Chair Johnson Mousad? Yes. Vice Chair Ston? Yes. Secretary Den, yes. Member Goodwin, yes. Member Childs, yes. Mayor Disorger, yes. Member Martini, yes.

048Passes unanimously. Thank you. We'll move on to the reports of the administration, starting with Andy, our business manager. Good evening everyone. You have in your packets the monthly report as of for April 2025. Um I'll walk through again the highlights that we have now as we continue especially a hard push on end of the year review of encumbrances and purchase orders. And you have a summary as to what it is that we're looking at for a balance to cover any other end ofear expenses that are not necessarily encumbered as of right now. Uh just as an FYI, for example, we had a meeting with special education director Messing. Uh there are going to be coming down the road some special education expenditures primarily in the area of equipment and materials that he needs to purchase

049in order for us to maintain what's called our maintenance of effort. So those are going to be forthcoming that are not necessarily reflected in here as of right now. So that balance that you see at the end will be reduced by those purchases as well. Um, I can answer any questions you might have on the report. Uh, and then I can go through there was another chart that I included in there for information purposes as well. Member Goodwin, did you Yes, I just have some questions about revolving accounts, Sandy. Yes. I'm hoping you can answer those for us. Um, one of the things, um, can you tell me how much currently is in circuit breaker? Uh, that is an interesting question because I'm, uh, we do have, there is an error on the circuit breaker

050revenue. Uh, the town has posted two receipts of $317,213 has been posted twice. So, that needs to be reversed out. We've been in touch with them regarding that. So, if you give me a second, I will tell you once I back that out uh how much is in there. But also, if you were to look at and this kind of your a sneak preview of the um the chart that I showed. So, hold on a second here. So, are you saying the state paid us twice? No, I'm saying that the town posted the town posted two monthly revenues and so it's a it's a misposting. They're too they So, I was going to say take it and run. Sorry, I just had the report up and it's missing. So, as of right now, and it's

051$1,415,112, but then if you look at the cover memo, there's still another just under $600,000 that's going to be reclassed as we normally we do two reclasses of special education tuitions. One time sometime in the middle of the year and then one time as we get closer to the end of the year. And in addition, we will get another quarterly payment from the state. So when you say reclassification or reclass, what does that exactly mean? It goes again the practice here in Greenfield for when we've been here and when Mr. Barber was here and Mr. Number was here and stuff was that they charge everything. We put everything to the local budget first. Okay. And then come periodically two times a year for circuit breaker, we reclass expenses that were put to the local budget

052into the circuit breaker revolving account. So that's what we do. Okay. Okay. And the sped revolving account, not the circuit breaker. See, I always knew about circuit breaker, but I didn't know there was another special ed revolving account. So how much is in that one? There is1,1,91.15. Then again, just a we are planning on as of right now $73,934 of expenditures to come out of that that have not yet been charged to that. Okay. and the school choice revolving account just for I I can read it off to you but it is in a report the so but the school choice just for everybody as of right now it's $97,78.76 with again projected use of $300,000 for FY25. Okay. And transportation revolving account. transportation or revolving account 1,3,598.98 sentence with so the math teacher in

053me the number person in me sees you know $4 million in revolving accounts which are going to be I hear reclassified to there are things coming out of the local budget that are going to be I'm getting that. So, I guess I sit here as an educator and as a taxpayer and I wonder why people are worried about losing their jobs and I wonder why people are hearing about cuts when there's $5 million that is sort of floating out there and that's why I'm asking this question for you. So, if I may clarify, uh, this is where if we could go to the chart. Sure. Because when you look and see, we we have this planned out for two years for FY25 and into FY26. When you look at the funds that are available out

054of those accounts that you listed, those are the primary revolving accounts that we have available to us. We are reducing our available balance of all those funds by 27%. Okay, starting. So yes, there it is the balance that every organization, a school district, municipality has to do. It's no different than hearing what the mayor is saying about the fact that as she released her budget book, they are not using stabilization or free cash for FY26. We are using planning to use for FY26 $2.2 million of of reserves already available to us. We're reducing the funds we have available to us in neighbor 27% from what we're starting 25 with to what it is that we're projecting to use for FY26. So here's the confusion. I just want to you can help me understand. So in

055the budget for this fiscal year, there was a request for 1,714,846 for transportation out of local funds, but in the revolving account for transportation, there's a million dollars. So you're asking for local funds of a,700,000 but in that revolving account is a million dollar. So I guess to me and this is just you know as a a person who looks at numbers I'm seeing you asking for an amount a million7 and then holding on to a million in a revolving account. So, as a taxpayer, I'm going, you know, yeah, I want to give the children and the teachers everything they need, everything. But there's still this money that why are you asking for it when there's already money that has been generated somehow for transportation by ch transportation? So, if you're asking for the 1.7,

056you receive that in the budget from local funds. I guess I'm seeing every year there's like $4 million left in revolving accounts and I'm hearing you say you're reclassifying it or taking money from there. Um, I did ask the mayor to look back over the last couple of years and I was very proud that she didn't charge me $25 an hour for information. Um, and I found out that there's always like in circuit breaker and I understood your point of view which is you kind of pay it forward. Are you close to your question? I need to to finish this. So that there's always over a million dollars in circuit breaker for the last three years in the revolving account. There's always been $800,000 in this bed revolving account for the last three years. There's

057been $500,000 in the school choice revolving account for the last three years. And in transportation, we've gone from 261,000 to 723,000 to over a million dollars in the revolving account. And I hope that's because of the fleet of vans because the original plan was for those to be self, you know, they were supposed to save us money or at least have us break even in transportation. And then there's also ESSER money that still exists um that hasn't been spent. And so we met with the superintendent, we heard about cuts and I guess there's this money. Why are we which is $25,000 when there's all this money sitting here and cutting things that teachers need? I would say that in the past three years, I know things have been cut from our schools that this money

058could have paid for. I like to think of my tax money going to the children and the teachers in the classroom the year I pay it, not three, five years down the road. So, I guess I'm asking this this money has been sitting there for the last three years not being used and if it's a rainy day fund, the rain has come is what I'm saying. That's where I'm at. Mayor, yes, please. So, I need to take we need to take the circuit breaker off the table because that's statutoily required as to what it is that we're allowed to carry over. Okay. And regarding the the prior year that goes to again I'm going to say the practices that have been in place here even when we haven't been here the two times previously previous

059and even when Liz Gilman was the business manager and when Liz Gilman went over to the city side was if indeed there was surplus available in the local budget come end of the year. The practice is and I in the May meeting of May 2024, the mayor asked the question of me as to what is the order in which we spend our funds and I answered we spend the local first to try and conserve and save what it is that's available. So to say that the quote unquote money is quote unquote just sitting there belittles the practice of what it is that we are doing. We are doing sound fiscal practices that I'm hearing the mayor and Mr. membercow saying they are doing on the city side as well. There is absolutely nothing wrong with

060that. We are statutoily allowed to do what it is that we are doing. Now to go to the discussion as to what is it quote being used. The reason why we had the balance as we did at the beginning of FY25 was because of the ESSER funding and because of the fact that one of the outcomes of ESSER was to, as we all know, to address the learning loss and things that came to light in school districts out of the pandemic that weren't being addressed even before the pandemic. But an outset of it was that they wanted school districts to then therefore use the ESSER funding to help build up their reserves to have available to them when the ESSER funding goes away. This is exactly what it is that we are doing at the

061end of FY26. 27% of the balances that we have available out of those accounts that you bring up are going to be gone. Okay. And we're hearing from the mayor, and I don't disagree with the mayor on the fact that FY27 is going to be worse. So, if we were to use the full 1.8 million just to get us to level funding and stuff, that gives us to a projected balance available to us for 63026 of about $600,000 combined in all those accounts because we're ending the year with two projected projected now of FY 63026. if you go to that chart of 2.5 million. So reducing it by the 1.9 million because it's 1.88 million for the level C with the the budget that's being presented. So 1.9 from 2.5 that's $600,000 when if you

062look at the plans that we have for use in FY25 2.2 million of those accounts are to be used to offset FY25. Our FY26 budget is bu built on 2.2 2 million going into FI27, we would only have $600,000. That's creating the gap that the mayor is already talking about on the city side. What we are doing is sound fiscal practice of management at the same time trying to balance the needs of the district for FY26, FY27 and beyond. There's no shenanigans here going on regarding what it is that we're doing with these revolving accounts. Any other questions from any other members? Member Den. Andy, I have a question that might be really silly. It's just a question about the chart. Your percentage change. Are these just positive changes? Is this a positive number? Brackets

063or negative? Yeah, brackets. Okay. Okay, you're higher than number 16. Thank you. I'm Yep. You know, math was a while ago. Thank you. So, these are negative numbers, right? If you look and see, but I I want to It's worthy of going account by account in two years from our school choice balance that were projected to use at the beginning of FY25 to the projected ending balance as of FY26 is a 48% decrease in the funds available in school choice. circuit breaker even though again it's statutory regarding what it is it and how it is we use it is a 3% decrease from the beginning of 25 to the projected end of 26 transportation is an increase in funds available for it and that is mainly because as we've reported out before we had one

064the cosmascus overbuild the district on a run that wasn't included so we had a credit which is why when you look at this chart there are no expenses that we have coming out of the transportation revolving account. Again, the all funds approach, we could have we could have allocated 200 grand, 400 grand out of the transportation revolving account, but with the credit, we chose not to to then help us out in future years for transportation. And that's so that's a 7% increase from the beginning of 25 to the end of FY26. The total of that overall is a 27% decrease in the funds available out of those accounts that are being used for FY25 and projected FY26. It's worthy of repeating. Yeah. No, thank you. I just want to make sure I was reading this

065correctly. I appreciate it. Yep. Any member who hasn't had a chance to ask a question yet? I have one. Okay. to Mayor and then to member Ston. Go ahead, Mayor. So, Andy, thank you for explaining some of that. Um, and I see that you um have a chart here on what you planned to do. Okay. So, what you you planned to do this in 26 and 27. So, we we we don't know what will happen with that yet. 25 and 26, your honor. 25 and 26. Yes. Okay. Um, well, you plan to do that in 20 the rest of 25 and then in 26. So, I want to go backwards though because we also planned um to use uh this was part of the budget process and you said this in meetings um 300,000 from

066uh special ed revolving. I have this here in front of me for fiscal year 24. Did we use that? No, we did not. And did we use it the year before? I would have to double check on that, but I'm going to say possibly not. Um, you're asking a question. I'm imagining you already know the answer, but I can explain why if you'd like an explanation as to why. No, I I don't need to know why. I just I do think I actually, with all due respect, I am going to explain why. So, here's the issue that happened in those years. Continuing my my sentence. Could I just finish my sentence? Sure. And then I'll answer. I'm sorry. I just my my point was that we say that we're going to spend that and we

067may, but um the past couple of years we were told that that was going to happen and it did not as far as that one went. and it is that one has over a million dollars. And I'm delighted that we have a wonderful reserve in the circuit breaker. I think that we're going to need it. And I'm glad that we have a reserve in um in the special ed revolving. I just think that to have a chart that says that we this is what would happen if I drained my whole bank account, I would be down to zero tomorrow. But there's no guarantee that I'm going to do that. So I'll let you finish what you wanted to say. Okay. So the reason why when it is and I go back to the workshop we

068did where we went through the bud I did the thing on budget management and the financial management. The cliche I like to say is a budget is a plan and plans change. And what ended up happening in the past years was that we wrote the Easter grants for specific purposes that when they did not come to fruition we had two choices. amend the grant or we turn the money back to the federal government because we didn't spend it all. I don't think anyone here would want us to turn back the money to the federal government. So, we amended the grant and we did what I remember I called the legitimate shell game of moved expenses that were originally planned from whether it be the local funding or one of the other revolving accounts. We moved

069it to the ESER grant to fully expend the ESER grant and therefore free up money in the local budget or the other revolving accounts to use as statutoily allowed. I need to state that over and over again as statutoily allowed to do what school committees can do with these funds. We did and it allowed us the flexibility to again have the beginning balances in these accounts that we had for FY25. And I'll be perfectly honest with you, come the closing of FY25, some of these things may end up looking differently as well, either up or down. But it's the nature of ed reform that gives school districts the flexibility to do this. And that is exactly what it is that we are doing. It's sound fiscal management under the opaces of providing the best education

070we can currently and going forward into the future. So yes, previous years absolutely there be changes but again I it is worthy of repeating and it's this is Andy on repeat. It is worthy of repeating that this has been the practice of the district even when we haven't been here to fully expend the local budget. And if there's any funds available at the end of the year, I went back because I anticipated this coming up. I have found emails between Liz Gilman and the business office and myself about the fact that she's bringing to our attention even though we knew it that there is a balance that is left in a local budget. What are you going to do with that? So, it's a practice to zero out the local. And as I said to

071you, mayor of your question in May of the 2024 meeting, I told you the order we spent it. I took grants off the table because the grants are spent in accordance with the parameters that the grant was written. Then we spend the local first which is why as I'm a broken record every report that I give to say we charge everything to the local first. So it's local first grants in accordance with the grants and then revolving accounts as needed. So absolutely we have a plan to use the revolving accounts as you're saying this $300,000 that keeps being thrown out there. If we didn't need to use the $300,000 then we're not going to. were going to carry it over to use in subsequent years. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that being done on

072a school side as there is nothing wrong with it being done on the city side. I'm going to continue. I have one another question if I may. Um, Chair Mad. Yep. Go ahead. Um, so I was I'm curious about the transportation uh the receipts uh where where the credits were actually from. Yes. Uh I know you you sent that about 4:30 this afternoon, Mayor. I was able to get that. If you got a pen, get ready. Yes. 35,52.50 was from Conway. 28,655 was from Frontier Regional. 9,025 was from Deerfield. $59,422.50 was from Gil Montigue. $19,620 was from Pioneer Valley Regional School District. $42,900 was from Mohawk Trail Regional School District. $27,13464 was from Athal Royalston Regional School District. $2,400 was from Springfield. $5,400 was from Pittsfield. And then the balance of $65,525 was state transportation

073reimbursement for homeless. That totals $295,58464. Thank you, Andy. Member Ston, I have a question which hope is unrelated to anything we've been talking about and then um I would like to also make a comment just about what's being discussed. Um first I'm just noticing $22,000 uh additional for the Federal Street School elevator. Is that more than what we budgeted? we need to like approve any of that. So we did approve the base contract increase because the bid came in higher and then what you have in addition to that is there is a change order that is required because the state regulations regarding the I'm going to really above my pay grade but the casing of the elevator needed to be changed due to the timing in which the repairs were being done versus what the

074original rules were statewide. So that required a change order. As you can see from the report, we have the funds available to cover that. So that's what that is for. Okay, great. Thank you. Y So do we have an estimated timeline about that elevator? This this gives me hope that it's actually progressing, which is great. Yes, it is progressing timeline. I would have to get back to you on that since uh Mr. Number since this is a capital, he's overseeing that. So great. We can find out. Thank you. Um, the other the comments that I just have to make about this discussion of having balances or not and whether or not that is a good thing for us to do. I I can't help I I can't help but hear your comment that as a

075taxpayer to the city, you had hoped that your tax money monies that particular year would go to that year's expenses. But I I just can't think that that actually is sound fiscal practice. And I don't actually think that it would be possible to have your tax receipts and your tax expenditures happen all at the same time. The timeline of how things happen just doesn't work that way. I also am thinking about, you know, the question of it for a school committee. We love all of our kids right now and we love all of our future kids just as much. Even the ones we don't have yet, the ones we hope to have, the ones we plan to have in the future. And it is our job to plan for them right now. Even if they're

076not the students who sit at our tables with us or who are getting the awards or lighting up our fourth grades, you know, we are planning for the fourth grades five years from now. You know, the ones who might be in AEL hopefully or the ones who are coming into EEL. And so I don't think that it is prudent for us to completely drain any reserves we have now and shortch change those future kids. I just I don't see that that is going to be a solid move for us especially if we know or we can suspect or we are even being counseledled by other members of our own committee that the future years are going to be worse than they are even right now. And so it is prudent for us, I think, to

077continue to have some funds available to us to lessen the damage um as it gets thrown at us. So that's that's sort of how I'm how I'm viewing that particular practice. Thank you. Anyone else who hasn't spoken yet? I'll speak um or ask I guess because we just as a reminder to members um we're actually not deliberating about the budget tonight. It's not on our agenda. We're currently on the item on your agenda business manager fiscal year 2025 year-to- date budget update budget reports review. So questions should be related to those items. Um I guess Mike I just have a question. Um Mr. Pquette if you could um remind us uh whether you are available for us to ask questions to you in advance of uh public meetings. I'd be more than welcome to. Okay.

078So if we have like good faith questions about revolving accounts and the ins and outs of them and how they work, we can pick up the phone and just call you. Absolutely. Okay. Thank you, member Goodwin. I guess we put a budget forward. The superintendent puts a budget forward every year. Um, for the last three years, there's been 4 million in revolving accounts. Each time that budget is made, when that budget is made, I think as a taxpayer, I have the right to know that there's four million sitting in a revolving account. whatever you want to call it, whether it's rainy day money, whatever. But not knowing that there's $4 million sitting in the school accounts when you're asking for more money each year is offensive to me. It is not good practice for the

079taxpayers in this town who are requesting transparency. We want to know where our money is going. So I would ask that that is included in every budget going forward that is presented to the public. How much money is sitting in accounts not being used because it's not fair to be asking for additional funds. And it's also not fair to teachers and students to know that we're getting a cut. We're going to cut music, but we have Goodwin. I think that um you've we've heard these comments before. They're not particularly on topic for the question. I'd like to move on. Does anyone else have items related to the the current item on the agenda? I do. Me mayor disorder. This is my last question for Andy. Um in any of the other districts that you work

080at or or just your opinion, do you think we should have a policy on revolving accounts? Have you seen that in other schools? All revolving accounts are governed by uh Mass General law. So I think it's chapter 44. I would have to check. Some of them might be under different ones. So uh I would say statute dictates what it is as far as that whether or not you want to have a policy, but it's I'm going to some specifics. I mean, you're not going to use your transportation revolving account for anything other than transportation. you're not going to use, you know, school choice technically is to be used to offset the expenses for educating kids that choose to choice into the district. There are some allowable exceptions to that. So, it's all dictated by uh

081the statute that governs each of the revolving accounts as to a policy. I've never seen a policy uh per se as to use or anything. Um I have seen committees talk about the practice of only using prior year balances for uh next year receipts always using having a year in a rears. Uh and the goal quite honestly is to have maybe two if if possible. I've also seen a percent where along the lines is similar to cities and towns free cash is like a used be a 5% cap. That's what I've seen in other places too that they hold the school districts to the same standard or whatnot. So long answer your honor is it varies. I I think in the past we had a policy and we no longer have it that's you know

082including what the suggested balances. So I just wanted your your opinion on that. Thank you. Any other questions besides from me? I have one. Um, the amounts in our revolving accounts are in the reports you give us every month, right? Am I missing something? Yes, they are. Okay. So, so we actually do know how much is in the revolving accounts. It's not being hidden from anybody. Correct. Okay. That's what I thought. So, thank you very much for clarifying that. Um, think I had another question. Okay. Thank you. All right, let's move on to the report of the assistant superintendent of teaching and learning. So tonight's report just includes um two topics. One is again title one supported events upcoming. We have some vacation challenges uh at the elementary schools. They're doing Busybe vacation challenges at

083GMS. They're doing um a bingo challenge and also a read naturally challenge. So, uh Title One is supporting students both in continuing their literacy and math development even when they're on vacation. We appreciate the interventionists and teachers for encouraging students to participate in those um and supplying incentives for such. also have a grants update. Um, pleased to report that we recently received a $35,000 equipment grant to support the development of our advanced manufact manufacturing innovation career pathway at June at the Greenfield High School. Um, I'm optimistic about a innovation career pathway designation based on that, but we have not heard officially about that. Um I had hoped to be able to report on that out on that tonight. Um we also received an innovation uh I'm sorry the investigating history grant there being there are

084updates being made to that HQIM in the seventh and sixth grade curriculum. So this will support teachers in understanding and internalizing and implementing the changes to the curriculum. and we are about 10 days away from launching our second acceleration academy during the April break. Again, it will be focused on literacy. We have approximately 20 students in grades one through four from across the district who are signed up to participate. So, looking forward to having them back. Thank you very much. Superintendent have an update on the restorative practice committee. Um, the director of behavior services, Sheri Picarski, has been leading the work along with the collaborative for educational services. The committee's had three meetings thus far and have been working really hard. They're also um going to be joining the Franklin Regional Council of Government's full

085coalition meeting this week and uh talk about all of the initial steps that Greenfield Public Schools has uh taken thus far and they are um being recognized for the hard work that they're doing. So, I just want to thank um Miss Picarski and the committee for the work that they've begun. You'll see an enrollment update from March to April numbers. Um, and I just want to highlight that as many of you know, we have not had a um SIMS database manager for quite some time that our former person had resigned in November. Um, and we have recently hired someone who has really been a rockar, uh, boots on the ground getting things in order. And one of the things that we have been doing is just trying to clean up some of the errors that

086have been left behind because of no one in that position. So when you see the decrease to Greenfield High School, it's actually celebratory because many of those students were January early grads and they just weren't coded accordingly. So, I didn't want anyone to think that it was just a mass exodus. The other shifts have just been um we had a student age out and we've had a few that have moved out of state. And then at Discovery, you'll see we had an increase. We actually had a student return from homeschooling. So, just wanted to document that. And then last but not least, um been getting many calls on kindergarten registration, especially with all of the um inconsistency on what we're doing with redistricting and where folks are going to enroll their kindergarteners. So, um I

087think we can hopefully put to bed some anxieties tomorrow, but Newton School will be having a open enrollment tomorrow night from 4:30 to 6 and then Discovery will have one next Thursday at the same time, but you can always call central office if you have a kindergarten that you need to register and we can certainly help you at central office as well. Thank you. Thank you. questions for the assistant superintendent and superintendent. Member Ston, can you tell us more about this advanced manufacturing pathway that we're that we're working on? So this year we received a grant to plan a pathway and essentially the way the innovation career pathways work are you have two technical courses that are related to the industry sector, two advanced courses and then it leads to either a 100hour um internship

088or a capstone project. So if we receive the designation from DESIE that allows us to begin this work next year, but it's it's like a building block. So we would start with nth grade and then build each year. So it's not like next year all of a sudden we have the internships and the capstones, but we would begin recruiting immediately for students who might be interested in ad advanced manufacturing. anything. We've looked at equipment from milling equipment to crickets for um like t-shirt and graphic design and things like that. So, we're trying to be thoughtful about having a variety of options as we build it up, but um the pathway also doesn't keep students from taking other courses of interest. So, it is different than a chapter 74 where you're really in that industry. This

089you're dabbling in it. And if you're interested, you could take additional classes or pursue additional internships, but you can still take other electives and other courses that you might be interested in. Great. Thank you. Of course. Um and I also just wanted to uh um would love whenever this uh restorative practice committee gets like a shared definition or there's some other substantive would love to invite folks to come and share that with us either through you or you know even have other people as well come and share the good news. Happy to invite them. Thank you. Great. Any other questions or comments? Questions. I mean, I just wanted to u appreciate you, superintendent, for um meeting and spending so much time one-on-one with um school committee members um this month. And you've been making it

090a a regular practice, which is new for us under your leadership to have someone taking initiative in our direction and giving so much time to one-on-one connection with us. So, I wanted to appreciate you for that. Um, okay. Uh, we'll move on to the consent agenda. Can I hear a motion to approve the consent agenda as presented? So moved. Motion from member Deniv. Is there a second? Second. Second from member Childs. Any discussion? Secretary Dun. Will you call the vote? Hold on a second. Yes. Uh, Chair Johnson. Yes. Member sex. Vice Chair Saxon, yes. Secretary Denim, yes. Member Goodwin, yes. Member Childs, yes. Mayor Disorger, yes. And member Martini, yes. Motion passes unanimously. Okay. Um, for our next item, I have um prepared some comments which I'm trying to find right now. They were here

091not too long ago. Here we go. So, our next uh agenda item is um redistricting. And we've reached a c crossroads where our redistricting plans are coming up against new data and new financial challenges. As a school board that is always focused on the best interests of our students and our citizens, we need to be able to adjust in these fluid times. In light of the mayor's proposed reductions in the school budget, the superintendent met with school committee members individually to discuss the impacts of this reduction. The discussion focused on two things primarily. First, what is the best path forward for the 202526 school year considering the timing of this change? And second, what is the most efficient and sustainable path forward beyond 2025 to 26? We are fully aware we need to pivot as

092the landscape is very different. Now we have two needs this evening. How to best move forward for the 202526 school year considering the current budget realities. We recognize any changes could significantly impact our students, staff, and families. But we also want to be cognizant of the decisions today having continual impacts into the 202627 school year. Considering all that has changed in the past few weeks, we may need to entertain an option that minimizes disruptions to students, staff, and families while maintaining support and services aimed at meeting the needs of all GPS students. Secondly, um so I guess I'll stop there and make a a motion um that we can discuss and then um you'll see depending on what comes of this motion, there's um another motion around um and some other framing around redistricting and

093reorganizing ad hoc committee. So the motion would be to continue with redrawn lines with a hold on moving any grades out of their buildings for the 202526 school year. So and this is bas based on um that we did do significant work on two areas of re redistricting. One was the grade changes, but the other really significant and important one was re redrawing the geographic lines for greater equity. Um, so I would like to hear a motion uh for us to consider continuing with the redrawn geographic lines with a hold on moving any grades out of their current buildings for the 202526 school year. So moved. Is there a second? Bring it up for discussion. I'll second for discussion on that. Okay. Um I'll say a little bit more. It's just that I think that

094the um if we we're not expecting uh enormous increases in funds for the year after this one. We're actually expecting it to possibly be even harder. Um, I think that there were many problems that I had with the mayor's statement and certainly with the number that she put forward to us. But, um, I think it it is true that given the these numbers, uh, the concept of keeping all five schools open looks pretty untenable to me. Um, so that's why I will I think we need to take a fresh look at redistricting um in light of the new economic realities uh that we're faced with and um the enrollment trends. Any other discussion, questions, comments? Um member Denife. Um, so I am the current chair of the redistricting and reorganizing ad hoc committee and we

095are pulling for a meeting to happen shortly with the mayor, myself, vice chair ston, superintendent patode, and Steven Sullivan. So I believe that it is the correct practice according to our handbook and our policy manual to have those discussions begin in their subcommittees and then bring them to the full committee. So we are going to have agenda items where we bring forward out of the box thinking ideas to that meeting. [Music] So I guess I'm just making that as a statement more than a discussion option. Just saying that we are going to discuss it in the same careful thoughtful manner that I think that we did before and we'll have some ideas and options to bring to the full committee. Yeah. And I I have two responses to that. The first is just that um

096the school committee needs to give you all a charge as a subcommittee um to actually take on a project. So um that's part of what tonight's discussion will lead to hopefully would be what is the school committee actually asking you to do as an ad hoc uh committee. But we do not have time for the um 202526 school year to engage in a a long deliberative uh process or even a short deliberative process. the superintendent and the school committee leaders, the school leadership needs to know and parents and families and students need to know basically tonight what is happening for the 202526 school year. We can't really wait any longer on that. And so the proposal is to continue with redrawn geographic lines, but to put a hold on moving any grades out of their

097current buildings in light of the fact that we may need to look at closing a school and that none of our redistricting plans um involved that possibility. Do we have any information about the economic um the financial implications of doing that? Um, superintendent, can you speak to that? I think that the I think it's basically what our current I mean the the imp the financial implications are we're going to have to create a a budget that meets whatever comes out of the city council after the the mayor's proposed number. And that's going to involve uh significant cuts. And the cuts could be here or they could be there. But it all depends on what we decide in terms of whether we want to uh whether we think it's responsible to continue forward with our full

098redistricting plans, including moving students around in terms of grade levels to different schools when we are in a period of financial and enrollment uncertainty. That makes it look likely we might have to close the school for the 26 27 year. And so then why would we move all those all those people around just to have to move have to change the plan again the following year. Member Goodwin. So I know there was a second. I was hoping for a vote so the people who are here would have an answer to the question and all the families would have an answer to the question. So, I'm hearing leaving the kindergarten redistricting the same um but putting a pause and everybody remaining where they are currently to give the district a year to look at um the

099possibility of closing a school. That's the motion on the table. Correct. Is it correct? Yeah, I can reread it to you. The motion is to continue with redrawn geographic lines with the hold on moving any grades out of their current buildings for the 202526 school year. Second. Third. We have a second. We're in the discussion period. So, just checking to see if people have questions or or things they want to share before we vote. Um uh chair mayor. Um so, I heard an awful lot of people talk tonight Um, and one in particular is sticking with me, the teacher who'd go teach him up in the sky in grade 13 if it happened. I'd like to hear from the superintendent if um what she because she's has so much experience here. What does she think

100this is our best move for next year? I'd like to hear from her. Superintendent. So, um, with the unexpected reduction to the proposed budget that I put forth in the $ 1.9 million range, that offers significant challenges for us and considering the amount of time since July 1 that we've put forth in building a budget based on the option to be adjusting to this new reality, it is essential that we consider carefully what the impact of all of these budget reduction uctions is not only this year but in the years ahead. And while we understand there is declining enrollment and um a redistricting model is not costneutral, we really want to talk about stability for the district and providing that for folks. And if these budget cuts are ultimately going to lead to school closures

101in 2026, which seems to be a very real possibility, um the current redistricting plan seems um not viable or chaotic. And what I'm getting every day is just people wanting stability and knowing what's happening for their students and their families. I know that the work that we do every day, regardless of the decision you make tonight, will be for the best interest of staff and students. And we will continue to make sure that the engaging, the comprehensive, and the experience that our kids get is not only fiscally responsible, but educationally sound and supports their needs. and we will figure out how to make it happen because that is what Greenfield educators do and we want decisions that will at least lead us in a direction where there is not such instability and people can feel

102that we are supporting them. Member childs. So, speaking as a parent of a Greenfield student, um I am comfortable with the fifth grade at the middle school, even though fifth grade going to the middle school does seem scary. And I'm comfortable from experience for the same reason why I wish eighth grade would move back to the middle school so that he could stay there longer. Um, so that I do find a little sad from a personal note, but the amount of labor that we would be asking teachers to do if they're going to move now and then next year move again and possibly year after that move again, that's not sustainable for teachers that we already ask so much from. Um, so I'm sad that we can't move the fifth and eighth grade back and

103have the plan cost the same as it would if we're not moving them right now. So numbers and heart are at war for me here. Few other questions or comments? Secretary Dunive, I was just curious about the um job losses that we discuss we discussed at the last meeting. it. Maybe I don't have them correct, but if we do the redistricting that we have planned with the budget cut in place that we're faced with, we would lose 19 jobs, right? As opposed to 25, but you're using more of your savings reserves because you needed the additional teachers at the middle school. So you're not comparing apples to apples, but in order to run the plan, you did need additional teaching staff. Okay. All right. I just wanted to make sure that I understood that. Okay.

104Other questions or comments? Um Ston. Yeah. So just for the for the audience watching in the room and the audience listening at home, um we school committee members did have access to certain budget implication information that was not presented tonight in our in our files because the reasons that I were given was because it might change and because it is of a sensitive nature i.e. it talks about you. Unfortunately, not you personally. I don't think that it talks about any of you who are in the current room, but um that it would be painful to for you to see. Um so, I just wanted to you to know that that we are not making this decision out of nowhere. We all did see certain financial information. I do wish that it had been here knowing

105even that it would have been hard. It still seems more transparent that way for me, for my perspective. Um, and so again, we we I want to be clear from you all that neither one of these choices saves us money because we are being cut a certain dollar amount no matter which way we decide to go. Um, and I also want to say that of when you hear 25 jobs lost, I need you to know that that is unit positions. That is not you sitting in this room. These mean that some positions are going unfilled, which means you might not be getting the support you desperately need, unfortunately. But it is not as if we are turning 25 people out um away from employment out on the streets. So, I just I really want to

106be clear about that with you all. Um it doesn't make the job any easier because we know that you need that support. Like, we know that we wouldn't have been asking for those positions. We would not have them in our budget if we didn't need them. Um but unfortunately we are going to have to go without uh for certain for certain positions in order to make this budget tenable. Um, it seems to me that we're either damned if we do, damned if we don't, um, in either direction, but one of them uses up more of our savings that we might be able to use to cushion for the future, um, and potentially stave off further losses. And that for me means that I would support the proposal that is currently on the table to leave

107status quo except for the redrawing of uh transportation boundaries for kindergarten. So that's yeah thank you. Other questions or comments? Uh, I'll just make a comment um that as soon as you get that number in the mayor's budget, you know, you're headed for really devastating times for our educational community. Um, and I know that the the mayor didn't necessarily want to make um devastating cuts to the to our educational system. she's in a situation with insurance rates that can just go up by, you know, double digits, um, with no transparency and I think from my own perspective fueled by a pharmaceutical industry that's making a fortune. Um but um so so then if we're looking at basically devastating cuts of which way we go if we keep if we pause on redistricting do the geographic

108redistricting and take a look at this basically brand new environment that we're in. I I think both in terms of enrollment and in terms of budget, I don't think it would be responsible for us just to continue as though 26 27 we're going to have we're definitely going to have the same number of schools and that is what the all the two and a half years that I was here for doing that plan. It would all assuming that we would have five schools available. Um so uh this one hurts. I don't like making this motion. I appreciate the members for for um making the motion and seconding it and discussing it. Um and um I hope that as a nation we can uh pivot to being a country that prioritizes educational funding so that district

109after district doesn't have to be making these heartbreaking choices. So with that, I guess I would uh like to hear the vote. So just to repeat, the motion is to continue with uh on a redistricting to continue with redrawn geographic lines with a hold on moving any grades out of their current buildings for the 202526 school year. Secretary Den, will you call the vote? Chair Johnson Massad, yes. Vice Chair Ston, yes. Secretary Denm, yes. Member Goodwin, yes. Member Childs, yes. Mayor Disorger, yes. Member Martini, yes. It's unanimous. Thank you. Um so as I mentioned um the redistricting and reorganizing ad hoc committee uh doesn't meet unless the school committee uh or the superintendent uh has a need for them to meet. And um clearly with this vote tonight, we do need uh you all to

110to to meet to address how the loss of 30,000 students from public schools across the state continues to affect Greenfield's enrollment numbers and how we plan for the future to accommodate future potential reductions in the school budget and to maintain the geographic redistricting GPS has already done while minimizing disruptions to families. If the committee agrees, the reinvisioning our school's ad hoc committee, which includes school committee members and mayor disorder, will work alongside the superintendent to identify the most sustainable and efficient path forward for our schools in light of our current challenges. So, there's two motions I have for you tonight on this ad hoc committee. One is um basically very slight language change to the uh the functions and duties documents for the redistricting and reorganizing ad hoc committee which basically is uh as presented.

111It just changes um from recommend changes to redistricting policy. Instead it says recommend changes to redistricting plan to the full committee on an as needed basis. And in one other place it changes the word p uh policies to plans just to make it clear that this is not part of our school committee policies. It's part of a a strategic plan we made basically as a as a committee. So I'd like to hear a motion to approve the revised functions and duties uh document as presented. So moved. Motion from member Martini. Is there a second? Second it to bring it to discussion. Okay. Uh any discussion? Changing word policy to plan. Member Stton. I don't have a specific comment about that in particular. That's fine for me. But I would suggest we revisit the second bullet

112point where it discusses who actually can convene this ad hoc subcommittee. If it is true as we are saying that we are going to essentially have to do what the prior ad hoc committee did but in half the time then I think that it would be prudent to give the chair the opportunity to call the meeting. Not just to have us as a full committee have to vote to say they can meet or only have Karen have the option to call the meeting. I think Elizabeth should be able to have the right to call that same meeting. Um, can I just respond to that? Yeah. Just that that the next motion is basically where we're going to charge the the the ad hoc committee with with a project. And yeah, it I I agree if

113the that I don't think that lang language was meant to imply that each time the committee wanted to meet for an individual meeting that they would need a vote by the full committee. I think it just meant that the the ad hoc committee was essentially dormant for a while except by a charge of the school committee and that is what the next motion is for the school committee to uh ask or tell the ad hoc committee to do a project. Does that answer your does that address that concern at all or No, maybe I'm just being particular, but the an ad hoc subcommittee means that it it meets until it's no longer needed and then is gone. It's essentially temporary. And having now been the chair of several ad hoc subcommittees, I do not and

114have never been aware of not being able to call a meeting of your ad hoc subcommittee without being told that you could by the full committee. So if that is in fact the case, then we need to perhaps discuss that and make sure that that is outlined in the policy in the handbook. We as a committee um approved this current subcommittee functions and duties document except for the change to the one-word policy to plan at prior meetings. So, I think that um I certainly would be um happy to have the ad hoc committee um in addition to the work we're tasking you with tonight on um on the redistricting to also um put forward uh recommended changes to the um functions and duties document. But just to be clear, this is something that this committee

115has voted on in the past. Can I Yeah. Member St. I think that's why I'm sort of asking about it because last time we did vote on it, I was the chair that was basically being told I couldn't call my own meetings at that time, which I did note and that was the reading at the time. So, if the reading of that wording has changed, great. I fully support that um and would be very happy for that to be the case. But I do just want to clarify that that is what's happening. At at the time of the meeting, the ad hoc committee did not have a charge either from the full committee or from the superintendent. So subcommittees, all subcommittees basically do work that this full committee tells you to do. Um and so

116no, there should not be meetings of ad hoc committees when the when there when the work that the full committee has charged you with doing has been completed and a new charge has not been given. So that is the that's the that's the purpose of that language and the purpose of tonight's vote is to say thank goodness we have a redistricting and reorganizing ad hoc committee already existing because now tonight we as a committee can charge you with taking on a project on behalf of the full committee and to report back to us and bring us that work. But be becoming a member of an ad hoc committee is not licensed to meet whenever you want for whatever you want. You have to actually be told to do something by the full committee. You're an

117agent of the full committee essentially. Member child's. So the reinvisioning our schools our school facilities committee was not an ad hoc or is it this ad hoc? I'm a little confused. I might be scrambling things. So I wanted to make sure I had things straight. Sure. So each year um the the chair puts forward a list of committees and committee assignments and now also now that we're trying to adhere to our committee policy on providing lists of functions and duties, we're doing that work as well. At the time that I formed the uh redistricting and reorg the the I basically took the reinvisioning schools and renamed it redistricting and reorganizing and yeah so it's basically and so it is the same one. Yeah maybe different people. I can't remember who was on it last year

118versus this year. Um this year the current members are different people. I was just trying to figure out if it was the same committee that we voted on under that name or not. That was where I was confused. So, thank you for the answer. Yeah, we don't have another one called uh reinvisioning anymore. Yep. Any other questions? I just have a comment. Um I had my hand up. Um so, I'm going to vote in favor of this, but I do remember what U. Member Ston was saying that um this a little difficult. That's why I I didn't even know that we had this new thing because we actually wanted to keep going and that wasn't how it came out. So, but we're going to I'm going to kind of put that behind because it's time

119to move forward. But, um I'm glad Mayor because you know we all voted together on the assignments of this committee including the one with your name on it. So, yeah. I'm gonna vote in favor of this. I just I'm just was validating what member Stone was saying. That's all. Thank you. Okay. Thank you. And just to just to say that um I as a chair I'm pretty proud of um how I encourage every member to have a chance to speak. How open I am when members email me and ask to have items on the agenda. I've put items on the agenda which I did not like um and that I did not think were a great use of our time as a committee. Um so if anybody, you know, if you're on the redistricting and

120reorganizing ad hoc committee and you think there's a need to meet, you want to be put on the full committee agenda so that we can give you a charge, by all means email me. I'm happy to put that on the agenda. we can discuss it and the committee as a whole can determine if we um agree that that project should be taken on in our name. Um okay. So any other discussion on the the uh revision to the um functions and duties document? One last question. Um, so I read it uh online in advance, but I didn't have it in my packet. Is it in someone else's packet that I could just look at the text of quickly? Thank you. We'll walk around. I just like having it in front of me for this. Yeah,

121that makes sense. Do you not have it in yours either? Last thing I had in mind was that collaborative so we can look at it together. Okay. Any other questions or comments? Secretary Denive. Um, after we vote, can I add something to new business? We have an item on the agenda for new business. Yes, we can discuss that at that time. Anything else? Okay. Secretary Gene, will you call the vote? Chair Johnson Msad. Yes. Vice Chair Saxon, abstain. Secretary Denim, I will also abstain. Member Goodwin abstain. Member Childs abstain. Mayor Disorger. Yes. And member Martini. Yes. Okay. Passes. It does with Yeah, because abstension is is saying that you're not Oh. participating. Okay. Thank you for that point of clarification. Appreciate that. All right. It passes with three votes. Um, let's see. I'd like to

122hear um um a motion to charge the redistricting and reorganizing ad hoc committee with revising redistricting and reorganizing plans to include the elimination of one or more schools in light of reduced budget and enrollment numbers. I'll make that motion. Motion from member Charles. Is there a second? Second. Any discussion? Can I ask a clarifying question? Yes. Is that description as read, does that mean that any plan that this committee or this ad hoc subcommittee puts forward must include a building closure? Um, let's see. I think it well, we might want to revise it if it if you're having that question. I think that we want you to we I my intent was that the the ad hoc committee include in its deliberations the possibility of the elimination but it not not that it not that

123we are necessarily charging you with eliminating one or more schools. Okay. Thank you for that clarification. Okay. I have a question along those lines. Glenn. Yes. Would you accept a friendly amendment to add the word possible? Gladly. Possible elimination. Yes, that motion. Thank you. That's very helpful. I appreciate it. Wait, that was I asked someone else to make the motion. That was member Charles who made I enthusiastically accept adding possibly. Okay. Sorry. Sorry, Member Childs. I've mixed that up. No, it's fine. And who seconded it? Uh Daisy, it was you seconded it. Okay, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You're okay with that? Okay, great. Okay. Uh any other um discussion on that motion? Um does that include a specific timeline based on our earlier conversation? It was it it seemed as if the sort

124of target date that we are working toward is that the anything that that we would recommend would be effective in the 2627 school year. Is that accurate? Does that is that the timeline we're are working against? The um the motion the charge does not include a timeline. So it's really Yeah, I was just thinking I mean the plans have already been from earlier parts of the discussion tonight. I guess it it would um would do you want to do a friendly amendment to say um No, I just wanted to get more of your thoughts as you as you were putting forward this I just wanted to like clarify what is being included and not that we're not looking at anything beyond geographic redistricting for 2025 26 and that the committee can recommend anything it wants

125for 26 27 and beyond. Okay. But we but we're not being asked to put forward a report by that time. There isn't there isn't a request for a report in the motion. No. Okay. Thank you. Doesn't stop the committee from you know requesting certain deliverables from you in the future. But as of now you have a pretty broad mandate. Okay. Um, we ready to vote? Secretary Denive. Chair Johnson Massad. Yes. Vice Chair Ston. Yes. Secretary Neim, yes. Member Goodwin, yes. Member Childs, yes. Mayor Disorger, yes. Member Martini, yes. Passes unanimously. Thank you. Um, I have another motion on this, um, which is to charge the redistricting and reorganizing ad hoc committee with putting forward any recommended changes to their functions and duties. I'll make that motion myself. Is there a second? Second. Second from Mayor

126Disorger. Any discussion? Secretary Deniv, will you call the vote? Hold on a second. The motion is for to charge the redistricting and reorganizing ad hoc committee with putting forward recommended changes to their functions and duties document. Okay. Who who made them? Who? Uh, Glenn and Jenny. Glenn and Jenny. [Music] Okay. Okay. All right. I'm sorry. Yes. I I got it. Thank you. Okay. And will you call the vote? Yes. Chair John Smith? Yes. Vice Chair Saxon? Yes. I'm a yes. Member Goodwin. Member Childs. Yes. Mayor Disorger. Yes. Member Martini. Yes. It's unanimous. Okay, thank you. Um, it's 8:30. Um, I guess I would propose that we keep going um through new business and then take our break between the new business and our um executive session. Does anyone have a problem with that? Okay. Uh

127any requests for uh new agenda items for future subcommittee me school committee meetings? Secretary Deniv. Yes. I would like [Music] to I would like to have us all look over the um functions and duties of subcommittees. You mean you want to look at all the functions and duties of the committees that have been presented and approved by the school committee? Um, no. Let me see how to phrase this. Um, I want to make sure that we understand how ad hoc subcommittees work and have that uh crystal clear and put in our handbook and our policy. Okay. Um maybe we could just um vote now on charging the um policy subcommittee with taking a look at that and coming forward to the full committee with um with re or with a review of that. Yes. Okay.

128Uh that motion was clear as mud though. So I guess I'll try again. Sorry. I'll move that the school committee uh charge the policy subcommittee with reviewing our policies on um ad hoc committees. Great. Is there a second? I'll second that. Second from member Childs. Any discussion? Okay. Secretary Den, will you call the vote? Hold on a second. Second was Child's. Okay. Um, Chair Johnson, yes. Vice Chair Ston, yes. I'm a yes. Member Goodwin, yes. Member Childs, yes. Mayor Disorger, yes. Member Martini, yes. Okay, the motion carries. Thank you. Any other requests for uh future school committee business items? Secretary Deniv, I'm sorry. This isn't a new business item. I just realized that I do have a very very short legislative report. Could I give it very quickly? Uh yes. Seconds or less? Yes, absolutely.

129Yeah, we can consider an item unanticipated. Thank you. Um we have the day on the hill coming up on May 6th. So if anyone on the committee would like to attend, uh you will need to get on the MASC website and uh register yourself and build to the district and then come and uh talk to us as we are putting together a group comprised of school committee members from various different districts. Um we had a meeting on Monday night at the collaborative uh zoom meeting and we made plans to make appointments with various legislators and we identified the things that we wish to discuss um that was most top of mind and um we expect to be there as a large collective contingent. So if you would like to participate, please uh register and reach

130out. And tomorrow is the YLO uh conference at the high school, the youth engaged legislative officials and um Vice Ston and I will be present and um talking to the youth and we will bring back a report on that. Thank you very much. Uh member childs. Um, so can any of us show up and join you there or is it really just you guys that will be there for that? You would have had to have they uh they sent a sign up sign up sheet out. Sign up sheet. I only saw one. Please use I'm sorry. Please activate your mics and Oh, sorry. I didn't see the sign up. I only saw what day it was. So, Whoops. My bad. I am sure that if you we could give you the email and you could

131email the Americanore volunteers and they would probably be very happy to have you involved. I think we can handle it offline from from there. Yeah, we can talk about that after the meeting. I'll give you the email. Any other new business? Okay, great. Um, I'd like to hear um motion to enter into executive session pursuant to Mass General Law Chapter 3A subsection 21A2 to conduct strategy sessions in preparation for negotiations with non-union personnel or to conduct collective bargaining sessions or contract negotiations with non-UN personnel. Three, to discuss with respect to collective bargaining or litigation if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining or litigating position of the public body. And seven, to comply with or act under the authority of any general or special law or federal grant need requirements. The

132committee will not return to open session. So moved. Second. Motion for member Ston Ston and a second for member Den. Any discussion? Secretary Duniv, will you call the vote? Chair Johnson Mousan, yes. Vice Chair Ston, yes. Army, yes. Member Goodwin, yes. Member Childs, yes. Mayor Disorger, yes. Member Martini, yes. All right. It's unanimous. Okay. And now, um, we'll move to adjournment. I'd like to hear a motion to adjourn the meeting. So moved. Second. Motion from member Ston, a second from member Goodwin. Is there any discussion? Secretary Den, will you call the vote? Chair John Musad, yes. Vice Chair Ston, yes. Yes. Member Goodwin, yes. Member Childs, yes. Mayor Disorger, yes. Member Martini, yes. Unanimous, we're adjourned at 8:37 p.m. So, take a five minute break and we'll see you in executive session. Mayor, mayor and

133Kate online. Yeah, you want to turn on your mic? Um,