===PAGE 1=== 1025 Massachusetts Avenue, Lunenburg, Massachusetts 01462 978 582-4100 ~ fax 978 582-4103 MEETING MINUTES SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING Wednesday, September 20, 2023 6:30 p.m. LMHS Room D 132 School Committee Superintendent Carol Archambault, Chair - Present Dr. Kate Burnham Brian Lehtinen, Vice Chair - Present Business Manager/ HR Director Anthony Sculimbrene, Secretary- absent Michael Cassidy Peter Beardmore, Member - Present Laura Brzozoski, Member - Present Recording Secretary Courtney Fuller Guests: In accordance with the requirements of the Open Meeting Law, please be advised that this meeting is being recorded and broadc ast live over the Lunenburg Public Access channel, on Facebook Live on the Public Access Facebook page. (http://www.facebook.com/Lunenburg-Public-Access-Cable-157427270975305/) and will be uploaded to the Lunenburg Access YouTube after the meeting. The agenda lists all the topics which may be discussed at the meeting and those reasonably anticipated by the Chair. Votes may be taken as a result of these discussions. Not all items listed may in fact be discussed and other items not listed may be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by Open Meeting Law 1. Call to Order - by Carol Archambault at 6:30 2. Executive Session – to conduct strategy sessions in preparation for negotiations with nonunion personnel or to conduct collective bargaining sessions or contract negotiations with nonunion personnel Mr. Beardmore makes a motion to enter executive session, Ms. Brzozoski seconds the motion, All approve 3. Chair’s Report Ms. Archambault reports meetings sessions have a new platform. In an attempt to save time we may refer to reports we have been given, you can find these reports online under the school committee, hoping that sho rter meetings will improve public engagement. At the Sept 5 Select Board meeting, ARPA funds were approved for the Athletic Field Study for $50,000, Sidewalk request $101,640 and also the request for the Artist-in-Residents Program for $22,500 4. Public Comment - none 5. Review and Approve Minutes a. Regular Session 8/28/23 Ms. Brzozski makes a motion to approve minutes, Mr. Beardmore seconds the motion. All approve. 6. Review and Approve Warrants & Line Item Transfers a. Warrant Total 9/1 to 9/12/23: $237,048.13 – Committee has reviewed 7. Superintendent’s Report – Dr. Burnham reports transportation continues to be working well, we have only 2 students awaiting bussing. All 7 students from the last report have been placed. Dr. Chandler will be meeting with art teach ers tomorrow regarding Artist in Resident. Update on the Director and Facility and Ground s search, we have hired Eric Levy, he will begin in a few weeks, anticipated for October 23. Water testing has been done and results will be sent home via email Friday and posted on our website. I attended a volunteer opportunity fair at Eagle House, we shared opportunities available in our district for volunteers and will also be sharing the flyer we created on our website. Governor Maura Healy declared this week Sept 18 – 22 Adult and Family Literacy Week, for more information and opportunities, please go to Mass Department of Education website. MCAS 2023 results are now available, overall results are lower than 2019, but all levels Lunenburg Public Schools Dr. Kate Burnham, Superintendent of Schools ===PAGE 2=== 1025 Massachusetts Avenue, Lunenburg, Massachusetts 01462 978 582-4100 ~ fax 978 582-4103 have remained the same or increased over the last year. We will be presenting our own reports and provide zoom forums covering MCAS, Fall iReady, and the new curriculum in the Middle School Next week our fifth graders are off to Natures classroom October Reminders 2 – PTO Meeting 7 pm at LMHS 4 – School Committee Meeting 6:30 p.m. Town Hall Hybrid 9 – Schools and Offices Closed for Holiday 18 – Early Release Day for Middle High School Only – Afternoon Parent Teacher Conferences 18 – School Committee Meeting LMHS Hybrid 19 – Evening Parent Teacher Conferences for Middle High School 8. Student Representative’s Report – None 9. New Business Discussion a. Fall Athletics Report – The committee has received a report with all updated numbers for fall sports and is also posted online. We are trying something new for parents and fans we are offering Season tickets to be purchased online. b. Keystone Collaborative Update – A report has been provided to the committee and is available online for the public to view c. Bullying Prevention and Intervention Plan – We spoke about this in June, there is video on the web site from out school district attorney. The new plan has been sent home and is also posted online. This plan was put together in collaboration with the school departments’ attorney. Any questions can be sent to lps@lunenburgschools.net. Ms. Brzozoski questions the language in the document using the word “programs” as a vague description. Dr. Burnham reports that it is intended for school programs, however, if we are made aware of any bullying, at any program or location we are legally obligated to investigate the claim. Mr. Beardmore asks how does the document become “enshrined” as it is not an official policy. Dr. Burnham replies that we are legally required to have this plan , we have our policy and our handbook that outlines our bullying plan. d. Personnel Report – Mr. Cassidy reports that we have resignation of Geri Sampson coming up as of November 1, 2023 she has been part of our district for 32 years. Ms. Brzozoski makes a motion to accept the personnel report, Mr. Beardmore seconds the motion, all approve. Old Business Discussion e. FY25 Draft Capital Plan – Dr. Burnham reports that we have made some adjustments. Mr. Cassidy has made the report up to date and removed some of the columns with the old projects. Some items to note is replacement of playground equipment at the Primary School, we broke it out into two phases. Phase 1 is to hire a playground designer and phase 2 is the meet with the community and to discover what their needs and wants are. Then cost estimates by next fall. Installation of AC has changed, year 1-Safety Film $38,120 at the Primary School. Turkey Hill FY26 Window Replacement – MSBA requirement is that the municipalities must have plans and specifications when requesting funds. LMHS, safety film is now on this draft $42,618. Turf field, this yea r we will use ARPA funds to do a feasibility study, proposing thru capital funds for surveying. Ms. Brzozski brings up ideas of a few different options at the Primary School replacement of the Playground and expansion of the driveway and possibilities of changing the traffic problem, to make it easier to maneuver while keeping safety a priority. f. Strategy Action Plan – Dr. Burnham has shared the report for families and staff, the work outlined is currently ongoing. Ms. Archambault questions the definition of VOCAL, Dr. Burnham shares that is a student survey administered with MCAS, which gives us information on student climate. Also Ms. Archambault notes under Culture and Climate 2, and applauds the teachers for all the research and the specialist working to get this plan amped up. g. FY24 School Committee Goals – Ms. Archambault suggests that without a full committee we shouldn’t do a discussion, and instead she and Mr. Lehtinen will put together a list from all suggestions for the next meeting, all in attendance are ok with this. Action h. First Read Non-Discrimination Policies – Policy is posted for the public, if there are any comments or questions, please send them to lps@lunenburgschools.net. Ms. Brzozoski makes a motion to waive the reading of non- discrimination policies, Mr. Beardmore seconds the motion, all approve via roll call. ===PAGE 3=== 1025 Massachusetts Avenue, Lunenburg, Massachusetts 01462 978 582-4100 ~ fax 978 582-4103 10. Reports Mr. Lehtinen reports the Finance Committee met last Thursday. The town manager awarded the trash/recycle vendor, it s a supportive business option, they were the sole bidder, and will be working with the citizens, this is the last year of the pa y as you go bags. Page Street culvert is complete, on time, and under budget. LED Street light project began last week, they ran into some wiring issues price is still TBD. Senior center should be done by the end of the month and a ribbon cutting is scheduled for 10/11/23. TCP roof leak continues and includes the public access room, there will be an article at the town meeting for a partial repair. Our new website should be up and running on 10/10. The upgrade for Munis is ongoing and training is continuing. 925 Mass Ave, EPA has approved additional funding for soil, well installation, lift removal, and floor drain and tank. The underground storage tank has already been removed. This year there will be a re certification of real estate, the vendor is Vision. Third quarter taxes were matched to 1 st quarter, and once values are certified the 4th quarter bill will go out. Health insurance budget is projecting a 10% increase and a 5 year projection shows 8 -10% increase. ARPA has $58,000 left and will be meeting with the interim finance director. Building Design committee met on Monday the new Town Facility Director was there, they are looking at a 3 phased approach: first is TCP roof repair, Ritter renovations for a n expansion for town hall and the driveway in that area. Second is Town Hall and third is TBD, potential for a community center. Ms. Archambault reads Mr. Sculimbrenes reports: The Policy subcommittee has two policies coming up for first read after consultation with the attorney. The PTO update: the Hollis Hills event went very well, despite the rain, and they are working on future events, such as, stock the lounge movie and someone special dance. Ms. Archambault reports the Master Plan Committee met this week they reorganized their committee, Josie Gilchrest is the Chair and Tim Wilmer is the Vice chair. The consultants were present at the meeting and discussed what they will be focusing on and will present them in three phases, first is discovery, second is recommendations and third is report. They will have a website in the next few weeks planlunenburg.com. They plan to have a public meeting in October or November and will be meeting on the first Thursday of each month at 6 p.m. 11. Public Comment Sibyl Kaufmann wanted to share some positive things in our school system. Her young son came in for a speech assessment and the team was fantastic. Ms. Kaufmann would like to thank Heidi Champagne for all her work and coordinating the meetings. Ms. Kaufmann also thanks Jessica Coelho and Julie Dewalt for their time and providing a great experience during the assessment process and conferences. 12. Topics for Future Discussion Capital Plan, School Committee Goals, Approve Strategy 13. Adjournment Ms. Brzozoski makes a motion to adjourn at 8:20p.m. Mr. Beardmore seconds the motion. All approve via roll call. Respectfully Submitted, Courtney Fuller