001Start with the pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, liberty, justice for all. >> Welcome everyone. We will start as usual with comments from the audience. Is there anyone out there who would like to make a comment this evening? >> Hi, I'm Kate Duffy. I'm here on behalf of B High School's Project Graduation and I'm here to request of you guys to set a graduation night so or graduation date so that we can move forward with um project grad planning and events. Is there anyone else who would like to make a comment this evening? Okay. Additions to the agenda. Do we have any of those? Moving on to routine business and the approval of minutes. Do we have
002a motion, please, to approve the minutes of the August 21st, 2025 board of education business meetings? So move. A >> second. Uh, does anyone have any questions, comments, or edits on these minutes? All those in favor of the motion, please say I. >> I. >> Anyone opposed or abstaining? On to board of ed committee reports and finance. >> Sure. So, the finance committee met today. Um, four things to go over. The first thing um is the board of ed transfers listing. So in new materials you should have the transfers. There's nothing significant there requiring individual approval. Um but looking for a motion for approval of these transfers. Andy motions. Um, we have a motion, please, to approve the July and August transfers. >> June June, I'm sorry. June transfers rather what that word says. Uh,
003do we have a second? Thank you. Uh, does anyone have any questions or comments on these? >> The only thing I'd point out is the larger item for about $1,000 is just transfers within transportation. So, it's just between transportation on home to school versus transportation um with um boag and tech school transportation. But all of all the all their transfers are below $50. >> Yeah. >> Does anyone have questions? >> Hearing none. All those in favor of the motion, please say I. >> I opposed or abstaining. >> All right. Is there more on this? Uh so the second item is just closing out the prior year budget for FYA 2025. Um in your packet you will see that as well. Um no surprises there were about 98% expended. Um so that leaves $236,000 um remaining.
004That returns to the town uh for contribution of the next year budget. So not no nothing to vote on there, but just an update as we close out the fiscal year. [Music] I think you already agreed to that >> that we already. >> Okay. >> And then as it relates to the current year budget, so FY26, um projecting full expenditure there. Um again no surprises especially given here we are you know in the fiscal year at this point um we are projecting 5% um expenditure and that is very consistent with the prior year you know as well. So no significant unexpected um expenses have have come up so far to that and then the last item um there also is an item in or a um sheet in the budget packet for district activity funds.
005So every year around this time we do look for approval um of the board for approval of activity funds. Um so at BCS we have about 15,000 and then at BHS there's about 25,000 and those are um you know unrestricted non-fiduciary type you know funds. So um you know student collection on you know um sports you know type of of items. So um Andy I think there's a motion. >> Yes, that was that was my confusion. Um uh so we're looking for a motion to approve the non-fiduciary fund balances as of June 30th, 2025 and be carried over to the fiscal year 26. >> Uh are there any questions or comments about any of these figures or funds? Yeah, there's a pretty good amount of money in like when and how do we spend it
006down and what are we what are we looking to do for that like events student events or >> are we talking about the beta plan? >> Yeah. >> Okay. Those are basically all they go back to the athletic program. So >> okay >> but if you look you see what the sources are. So you see that that account is paytoplay and then you see that the source of the funds are the paytoplay fees and then you see that the uses are as >> so the money goes back into the program. >> Correct. >> Okay. Any other questions or comments? >> And then nothing else from >> uh all those in favor of the motion please say I. I >> I oppose or abstaining. All right. Thank you. Um community meeting reports. Is there anyone who
007will spend any of those or talk about PTA since there's no one here? >> Uh sure. I was not at the meeting. I was coaching soccer, but um I heard it was a great meeting. Superintendent Cruso was there. There's lots of new faces. Um, he asked me to mention they have first bingo this weekend uh that they're working with the Lions Club on. They have the walk-athon which is their biggest fundraiser of the year on October 16th. Uh, trunk retreat that they're they partner with the ref department is um October 24th and that's at BCS. Um, and if they have scheduled Cory the dribbler September 22nd coming and they are schedule I think they're in the works of scheduling an author visit for the center school. So doing a lot of things. >> Thank you.
008Those are all things more than what I did a better job than I could have. Is there any other meetings to report on? Chris wasn't here for scholarship. So, yes, nothing composed. >> All right, we'll now turn things over to the superintendent for tonight's superintendent reports. >> All right, thank you. Good evening, everybody. Um, feel like a lot has happened since the last time we met, including the opening of school, which started with uh a great convocation day. I felt like uh the energy um the staff coming back was really positive. Um, I think people are excited to get back. As much as I think educators like the summer, I think they really enjoy, uh, getting back and seeing the kids, um, and getting back into routine. So, that was really good. U, Mr. Duffy
009did an awesome job welcoming the staff back and and giving some awesome comments from from the board of education, uh, which was really nice. Lindsay Pellet, teacher of the year, gave an amazing speech. um I thought it was really inspiring and talked a lot about um self-care and balance and um the power of relationships and the power of connections that she has with students and we know that um in classrooms in schools uh it all starts with relationships with with our students making those positive connections so that they feel a sense of belonging and support all the way through. So that was really good. Um student council in at the high school decorated the hallways to welcome ninth graders in. I know that could be a little intimidating for them to come into the school,
010but I thought uh the current high school kids did a great job welcoming the ninth graders into the school. That was really nice. Um again, kids getting back into routines and structures with their classes right away. I was able to visit every classroom on the first day. Uh, and it was really neat seeing them get right into having the kids get into the structures, get the routines because, you know, that sets the foundation for for success in the classroom, be able to be have really productive learning activities from here at the end of the year. So, they set a nice tone early on, which was great to see. Um, PTO PTO meeting was uh was unbelievable. It's probably the the most impressive PTO meeting I've ever been to. Um, the energy in that room was
011through the roof. Um, I it was probably partly because of the pizza and the snacks. Um, but the the uh the energy from the adults there was was amazing and the amount of time and energy that the PTA puts into um providing awesome things for our kids is really amazing. So kudos to them. Um we had uh our last hire, our instructional coach started at BCS today's yesterday. Um and so we're looking forward to the contributions she's going to make um to instruction in the classroom, providing really integral support to our teachers in implementing the new reading program, um looking at student data, and really being able to dig into uh how our kids are doing, what they need, and and how we're going to get them what they need. So to make sure that
012all our kids are performing uh to their ability and where we want them to be. So really excited to have that coach in place. Um I think she's going to be a really key part to what we're doing at that school. Um really looking forward to her contributions. Um athletics is in full swing. So soccer, soccer, volleyball, cross country. Um good participation. Kids are really excited and energized to get going. Um boys soccer had an awesome win today. The girls volleyball is currently playing in the gym right now. Um, and so that was it's really nice to see our student athletes participating in getting the whole school experience and not just the classroom, which is I think is really nice. Um, class of 26 has already started to celebrate their senior year. Hard to believe,
013but uh, they made a sunrise visit to Rose Farm one morning for a nice photo last week. Um, the picture came out. It was one of those, and we've had a lot of really good mornings, but this was a pristine morning. Perfect. And I thought, uh, that was a really nice way to kick off their senior year. So, so that was really nice. Uh, K5 meet and greet was really, really well attended. Um, I I was really happy to be able to meet a ton of families. Um, and to see them come in and get excited about seeing their teacher and their classroom and and their locker and they all had their little backpacks and it was it was really cute. So, that was that was really nice. Um, also we got to ride the
014kindergarten bus on the first day of school. That was a highlight of the school year already. Um, that was awesome. Um I I I've heard before and I know this is true now. If you ever have a bad day, go visit the kindergarten classes. So um it was it was really neat being with them and hanging out with them and they were great. They did a nice job and not having any idea what's going on for school and and they were they were fantastic. That was that was really neat to see them. Um let's see. Early state early release PD day uh that the board has um has fully supported. Our first one's tomorrow and I know the staff is really looking forward to having that time to uh to look at data to look
015at student um student samples that they have right now and then really game plan next steps. I think that's one thing in that in a regular school day that can get lost and I think teachers never have enough time and that planning piece is critical and so those half days really come in handy for them to get together and collaborate um and talk about how their kids are doing, what they need and next steps. Uh looking ahead, BCS open house is September 25th. Um the high school open house was last Thursday. My days are running together last Thursday. Again, pretty well attended. Um it was neat seeing um the seniors in the hallways helping the tour guides. That was neat to see. Um and it was great again seeing the the families come in and
016and tour around the school and see where the kids go to classes and meet teachers. So >> anyone have any questions? >> I love the kindergarten question. Yeah, that's >> pretty good to open house was great too. All right, have no unfinished business. We do have a little bit of new business and that is the DHS graduation date that we heard about in public comment. Uh do we have any information? So our looks like our current 180th day of school is Tuesday, June 9th. Um, so we're looking for a motion to set the graduation date for Tuesday, June 9th, 2025 for Bolton High School. >> Someone second. >> I'll second. >> Um, questions, comments? I, you know, a couple years ago, I think was the first time that we did this prior to the winter
017time when we had an idea of when um the actual last day of school was going to be. And I always wondered why it needed to be so early that we did this. So, I guess I was wondering if like instead of a Tuesday, we can assume we'll have some snow days. Would we want to set it later than that? How did it work out last year? It was a Monday night. I mean, Katie is still, right? But you were a graduating parent last year. >> Yeah. I thought it was all right on Monday. It wasn't wasn't a big deal. And we had always heard that well the seniors are mostly done by then and they are not missing instruction time. But I guess I'm wondering since last year we did have Monday and then
018the last day of school was Thursday. What happened on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday? >> Oh weird. >> What do they do? What do they do for those days? A lot of times seniors have exams and if you have a certain GPA you don't have to take exams. >> Mr. Chairman, are you asking about the Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday after the graduation day? >> Yeah. >> The seniors are done. They've met the requirement of 180 days and they are they're done. So the rest of the students are here and the seniors are not. >> But did they have 180 days? If school got cancelled like for three days or whatever. That's the that's the new law that came in three years ago that led to the conversations at the board level of the state now allows us
019to lock in as long as the the vote say tonight is for 180 days. Cancel days do not impact that date. Basically the number of required days for seniors is lowered based on the original date that you set. >> So they really had 177 days >> correct at that time. But I mean, not that they're I know that the last few weeks of school, >> oh, they were here or there. >> I guess it comes down to are people okay with having a Tuesday versus a Thursday or a Friday. >> But if the actual, you know, we can usually assume some I mean the last few years we've been cancelling school quite a lot. So like we can assume that the last day of school would actually be a Friday. Would the parents really rather
020have it be on a Friday? Is that better for traveling family members that you know I mean we hear that we have to set the day this early for planning purposes because people are coming from out of town and you want to get a venue for the party afterwards like is that >> I'm just trying to understand this. The only the only thing is is I don't know how the track schedule is going to work out this year, but um it's a it's a little bit earlier than you know in a date than we had last year. The class s um statement for track was June 2nd. So I I don't know if you're getting a little close to that. >> You're going back. >> I'm going I'm going back and looking right. Yeah. the
021this past year. Were we going to run into anything that you know there was one thing where it was like um the field day for this come out the field day landed on a track meet the uh you know the senior whatever so all the track kids couldn't go to their offsite field day or whatever track. So, I'm just looking like >> you want to leave some room for for track stuff or something. This should be done by >> I was just trying to wrap my head around how the whole thing works out, you know, because this was a new thing a couple of years ago and I was like, well, do we really need to plan this far ahead? We don't know. What if we have a 10 >> cancellation winter? Then, is that
022too far in advance? Well, I guess we have a really bad winter or say an October snowstorm or whatever. >> Can I ask a question? What about I mean why was the state picked >> the n why was it not maybe the 10th or the 11th of snow days? It must have been a rationale around this date. >> It's the 18 number of >> it's just 180 days from our birthday. >> It doesn't matter now because of the change in the law. >> Correct. Don't make the senior stay one extra day until graduation yet. >> That's what they're trying to figure out. Exactly. They need booked a place. >> They need that. >> When's it easier to book a place? Is it easier to book a place midweek or or is it easier to book
023a place on a Friday night? >> I think that it would be probably more expensive to do it on a Friday night. >> Oh, there you go. >> It's consideration, too. Yeah, for me it's just what what is the preference of families? Is it a Thursday, Friday or is it just a week or maybe don't care? >> Yeah. Coming from out of town, you know, they make it easier for them. But then again, if there's no cancellation days, then all of a sudden they're graduating three days after the last day of school, they come too. So it's kind of good in the middle of the week in case people were I mean if they're coming from out of town but if people have weekends a lot of people have weekend plans then it's like oh
024we got graduation >> yeah somebody wants to boogie out for their summer >> in the weekend they're going to be there and then folks coming from out of town well we're out of town folks so >> I I think probably way is >> sure 180 change the phone. >> I mean, in the past, it's been different days of the week and there's never been a real problem, right? >> Yes. So, again, this would be the third year that we've done, those are different days. >> Um, the feedback I've gotten from families, if if you if I may, is they are grateful that regardless of the day of the week that they know in September >> for traveling purposes. Um, and then the added layer of the project graduation folks who knowing the parents who have
025stepped up to lead this, my guess is there'll be if if you take action tonight, there'll be a deposit tomorrow >> so they can get that locked in. There's one venue that allow that only allows one high school at a time, which is very important for our safety. So, we like to, you know, take advantage of locking in the state. Not all schools do. Um but that has been a huge change in the in the workflow and the um the stress level on the project graduation period >> in some respect. >> I wonder over the last three years since the law was changed how many schools are setting their graduation date in September or maybe more are doing it each year now that they're now. Anyway, I was just trying I just wanted to think
026aloud and like work it out how how it works in my head. But does anyone have any other questions or comments? All those in favor of the motion, please say I. >> I posit away. All right. Uh future business think we have any of that. All right. So, uh, we are now in record time looking for a motion to go into executive session for the purpose of finishing our discussion on the superintendent's goals and to invite the superintendent. >> I make a motion. >> Second. >> Any questions, comments? Um all those in favor please say I >> I posting >> who seconded >> thank you >> thanks guys >> thank dip.