School Committee, March 5, 2025

The town published an agenda for this meeting. No minutes have been published; the recording is the only record, and what follows is a guide to it.

athleticsbudget fy26capitalchapter 70contracts and unionscurriculumenrollmentfacilitiesfeesgrantshealth insurancehigh schoolhiringlayoffsoverridepersonnelprimary schoolpublic commentspecial educationstaffingstate aidsuperintendent reporttransferstransportationturkey hill

Present: Mr. Beardmore (school committee chair (also chair of the athletic advisory committee)); Tony Scolbrini (school committee member); Carol Areno (school committee member); Brzozowski (school committee member); Ash Shambo (school committee member (name uncertain, addressed by Mr. Beardmore)); Dr. Burnham (superintendent); Dr. Gilson (business/finance director); Mrs. York (world language teacher, presenting Greece trip); Mrs. Radford (world language teacher, presenting Spain trip); Tim Sandry (principal, Lunenburg Middle High School); Normie Vaughn (principal, Turkey Hill Elementary School); Mrs. Hansum (Turkey Hill staff, spoke to special ed caseloads); Jordan (IT manager); Mr. Bigelow (athletic director); a student representative (student representative giving report). Names are the caption model’s hearing and may be wrong.

Votes

1. ▶ 14:05waive the 10-minute limit on public commentpassed
2. ▶ 1:05:38approve the Greece trip for April 17-25, 2026passed, one abstention
3. ▶ 1:08:31approve the line-item transfer from the capital security upgrade project to the exterior door project (Turkey Hill)passed
4. ▶ 1:09:15accept the business and HR reports as providedpassed
5. ▶ 1:13:23provide final approval for the Spain trippassed, one abstention
6. ▶ 1:14:08move the bus fee discussion ahead of the recommended budget itempassed
7. ▶ 1:33:32implement a $1/day bus fee with sibling and lunch-status reductions and a safety-valve appeal processfailed (no second)
8. ▶ 1:34:56do not implement a bus feefailed (no second)
9. ▶ 1:36:00table the bus fee proposal for further work on detailspassed 3-2
10. ▶ 2:48:05cut athletic coaching positions by one quarter, leaving allocation to the athletic directorfailed
11. ▶ 2:49:25cut the part-time athletic secretary positionpassed unanimously
12. ▶ 3:20:17convert the Director of Finance and Administration position to an accountant/business manager position with contracted HR support, saving $55,000failed 3-2

And 4 procedural: open the fy26 budget hearing (▶ 3:31:05); close the public portion of the fy26 budget hearing (▶ 4:48:27); skip committee reports for the evening (▶ 4:56:24); adjourn at 11:37 p.m. (▶ 5:05:28).

Transfers

The money

1. ▶ 43:32FY26 per-student state aid vs. neighboring districts

   The chair cited per-student funding increases for Fitchburg, Leominster and Gardner compared to Lunenburg's much smaller increase, tied to enrollment declines.

   as heard:11%$1,4269%9729%1,791%$75

2. ▶ 47:51FY26 town manager's target budget

   The chair walked through how last year's override-adjusted budget plus a town-recommended increase produces this year's target budget total.

   as heard:24.8 million3.63%about $900,00025.7 approximately 25.7 million2,787 474

3. ▶ 1:43:11FY26 town manager budget revenue allocation from the town

   The business director stated the town's allocated revenue figure for the FY26 school budget.

   as heard:$94,900

4. ▶ 1:44:18Health insurance line

   Health insurance is budgeted at a locked-in rate; the total line value was given for the town manager's budget.

   as heard:14.84%3,661 463

5. ▶ 3:31:47Health insurance percentage discrepancy between budget versions

   A resident questioned why the health insurance line shows different percentage increases across the town manager and level-service budgets; staff attributed it to differing headcounts of insured positions restored in each version.

   as heard:16.6%21%14%14.8%3.1 million3.8 million22%

6. ▶ 1:45:46Offsets applied to the budget

   Extended day and facilities revolving funds are applied as offsets in the budget.

   as heard:71,2 4725,000

7. ▶ 1:46:47General education (Durham) bus transportation

   The district bus service rate is increasing by this percentage, equal to this dollar amount.

   as heard:7.6%$69,500

8. ▶ 1:47:09Special education transportation

   Vendor rate increase is 7%, but the total special ed transportation line is rising more because monitors and vans are also being added.

   as heard:7%27%

9. ▶ 1:47:50Athletic transportation line increase

   The athletic transportation line is rising sharply because the revolving fund can no longer absorb the true cost; multiple offset scenarios were discussed and disputed by committee members.

   as heard:106%24%$140,000$150,000$40,000$136,000$50,000$55,000$59,000$99,000$9,000

10. ▶ 1:48:32Out-of-district tuition line

    This line is being reduced across all budget versions based on updated placement projections.

    as heard:310,000

11. ▶ 1:52:44Electricity line

    The electricity line is being restored to a fuller funding level after being underbudgeted the prior year.

    as heard:265,00026289

12. ▶ 1:55:29Needs-based and level-service budget comparisons

    Staff presented percentage increases and dollar gaps for the needs-based and level-service versions relative to the town manager's budget.

    as heard:99.9%1.511.32%1.911.8%

13. ▶ 59:08Greece trip cost

    The proposed Greece trip costs this amount per student with early-bird pricing; scholarships of this amount are being offered from company rewards and a company match.

    as heard:$4,927$1,0001,000

14. ▶ 54:31Warrants, February 24-March 3, 2025

    Total warrants for the period were reported for approval alongside a separate capital transfer item.

    as heard:$92,000$494

15. ▶ 1:19:10Bus fee survey results

    A family survey showed declining willingness to keep riding the bus as the proposed daily fee increased.

    as heard:$1 a day51%a125 a day36.3%a150 a day30.9%

16. ▶ 1:26:40Estimated bus fee revenue

    Staff estimated total potential revenue if a bus fee were implemented, noting actual yield would be lower given only 30-31% said they would still pay.

    as heard:$75,00030%31%

17. ▶ 2:15:03Curriculum office / Director of Teaching and Learning elimination

    Eliminating this position could save this amount but would shift PD and curriculum duties to building administrators and coaches.

    as heard:125,000

18. ▶ 3:04:28Director of Finance and Administration restructure

    A proposal to replace the position with an accountant/business manager plus contracted HR/legal support was estimated to save this amount.

    as heard:55,00050,000

19. ▶ 3:24:12Fifth grade band / THS music teacher restoration cost

    The cost difference to restore a partial music position was quoted, along with the cost of the fifth grade band line that had not been cut.

    as heard:$1,630$14,000

20. ▶ 3:53:04Elementary principal/assistant principal salary line

    The increase reflects two brand-new administrators being paid differently than their predecessors, not new positions.

    as heard:177%15.8%

21. ▶ 3:54:52Executive secretary line (superintendent's office)

    A resident questioned this increase; staff confirmed it reflects current, not new, unionized positions.

    as heard:17.4%$20,000

22. ▶ 4:04:02Networking/technology contracted services line 4400

    The large increase covers Comcast service moved fully into the local budget plus new data-backup and antivirus contracts; an E-rate reimbursement is expected.

    as heard:$21,000$72,00072,158$32,000

23. ▶ 4:31:45Building maintenance budget vs. building value

    A resident questioned whether the maintenance budget is adequate relative to the value and square footage of school buildings.

    as heard:$40 million$250,000224,000

24. ▶ 4:47:24Town-funded grant writing services

    The town funded grant-writing services last year, but traction has been unclear amid town manager turnover.

    as heard:$50,000

Settled without a vote

• ▶ 49:14Chair directed the superintendent to remove a school committee member's message that had been posted using district communication resources and to reinforce the policy against individual members using district channels.
• ▶ 1:10:39Mr. Beardmore and Mr. Scolbrini agreed to meet with the superintendent about the track and field program before the next night's finance committee meeting.
• ▶ 2:07:24Rather than fully cutting a Turkey Hill special education inclusion teacher and an MTSS teacher, the district will cut half of each position and combine coach support to cover both functions.
• ▶ 2:22:59The committee accepted that the athletic transportation line could not be reduced as previously discussed, given updated cost data.
• ▶ 3:03:03The proposal to restructure the curriculum office/coaching positions was set aside for a fuller written analysis rather than acted on that night.
• ▶ 3:25:35Since no consensus on cuts was reached, the superintendent will present the town manager's version of the budget to the finance committee the next night as the working baseline.
• ▶ 3:30:44Committee members will submit a prioritized list of what to restore first if additional funds (e.g., more Chapter 70 aid) become available.
• ▶ 5:04:46An additional joint School Committee/select board-related budget and override discussion meeting was set for the following Wednesday (March 12).

Public comment

1. ▶ 0:21opposes proposed per-activity fee increases and cuts to athletics and AP/honors courses — Ellie Zovich, as heard, student
2. ▶ 4:52urges cutting programs with the lowest impact, questions keeping athletics and social workers over teachers, and reinstating bus fees — Rond Delisia, as heard, resident, no longer has a child in the district
3. ▶ 7:59benefits of athletics for physical and mental health — Chad the Blank, as heard, resident, alumnus and assistant track coach
4. ▶ 11:14reads a letter from the LEA executive board criticizing lack of time for building administrators to explain cuts — Mary Foyle, as heard, LEA (teachers union) president
5. ▶ 14:22how high school sports shaped him — Nathaniel, as heard, student athlete
6. ▶ 15:09urges protecting sports funding — Lily Jordan Yates, as heard, senior
7. ▶ 16:27marching band participation statistics and impact of proposed cuts — Laura Brouge, as heard, president of the music boosters (music "gators")
8. ▶ 18:59impact of football and baseball on his life — Landon B, as heard, student
9. ▶ 19:52urges preserving both AP classes and varsity sports — Evelyn Maven, as heard, student athlete
10. ▶ 21:26urges thoughtful consideration of what programs to cut — Tatum Ferman, as heard, junior (via Zoom)
11. ▶ 23:08the athletic trainer Dave helped her recover from a serious ankle injury — l Santa, as heard, student athlete
12. ▶ 24:09argues music and other activities are as valuable as athletics — Cara Harowitz, as heard, student
13. ▶ 25:14asks the committee to notice that unaffected seniors are speaking up for others — LZ (Ellie Zovich), as heard, student, senior
14. ▶ 3:40:51testimony on the value of athletic trainer Dave as a mentor — H Lombardo, as heard, senior
15. ▶ 3:45:23thanks the committee for last year's override and supports another override — Isaac Scolbrini, as heard, resident
16. ▶ 3:47:26reiterates that cuts should not fall on teachers, paraprofessionals and coaches — LZ (Ellie Zovich), as heard, student
17. ▶ 4:02:33argues you cannot cut central office entirely and still run a district — Cara Hertz, as heard, resident
18. ▶ 4:08:33personal story about delayed dyslexia/dyscalculia testing, concern about special education program quality — Evin Mabin, as heard, student
19. ▶ 4:11:22questions librarian staffing costs relative to teacher cuts, and asks whether preschool is being cut — Sarah Call, as heard, resident
20. ▶ 4:18:43asks about carpooling as an alternative to athletic transportation costs — Vian Brown, as heard, resident (via Zoom)
21. ▶ 4:21:11questions about the six-week compressed budget timeline and whether extra meetings were added — TJ Laughlin, as heard, resident
22. ▶ 4:23:38asks whether there was ever a strategy behind teacher pay increases driving the deficit — TJ Laughlin, as heard, resident
23. ▶ 4:29:20challenges the committee on budget ratios (athletics vs academics, building maintenance vs building value, FTE vs headcount) — TJ Laughlin, as heard, resident
24. ▶ 3:31:47asks why the health insurance line shows different percentage increases across budget versions — TJ Laughlin, as heard, resident
25. ▶ 4:42:52asks who will pursue athletic bus advertising/sponsorships and about a dedicated grant writer — Tom Woodward, as heard, resident (via Zoom)
26. ▶ 3:56:39supports an override and stresses the importance of athletics coaching depth — Tom Woodward, as heard, resident (via Zoom)
27. ▶ 3:51:38supports restoring a grade 2 position, questions elementary principal and executive secretary line increases — Lauren Perilla, as heard, resident (via Zoom)
28. ▶ 4:08:12asks about cutting small materials lines like library books for one year — Stephanie Algarin, as heard, resident (via Zoom)
29. ▶ 4:41:51asks about projected kindergarten class sizes — Matthew Osgood, as heard, resident (via Zoom)
30. ▶ 4:57:26presents comparative median household income data for surrounding towns to explain their higher state aid — Mary Foyle, as heard, resident

Where the time went

Minutes of recording by subject, from the topic spans below. A topic with two subjects counts toward both.

• budget fy26248 min · 82%
• public comment104 min · 34%
• staffing84 min · 28%
• special education80 min · 27%
• layoffs57 min · 19%
• personnel50 min · 17%
• athletics48 min · 16%
• transportation45 min · 15%
• override35 min · 12%
• contracts and unions27 min · 9%

The whole meeting, in order

1. ▶ 0:00Public comment: students, parents and residents oppose proposed cuts to athletics, activity fees, AP/honors courses and staffinformational, no vote · 26:20 long · public comment, athletics, budget fy26
2. ▶ 26:20Committee members respond: approach to cuts, need for structural/long-term change, and frustration over the compressed budget processinformational, no vote · 20:27 long · budget fy26, override, personnel
3. ▶ 46:47Chair's report: override fund status, district-resource communication policy, joint meeting with Select Board, statewide funding advocacyinformational, no vote · 6:21 long · override, chapter 70, state aid
4. ▶ 53:08Student representatives' report on school activities and eventsinformational · 1:03 long · primary school, turkey hill
5. ▶ 54:31Warrants and line-item transfers for late February/early March 2025informational, referred to capital agenda item · 0:20 long · transfers, budget
6. ▶ 54:51Superintendent's report: green communities grant, DESE integrated monitoring review, calendar remindersinformational · 2:50 long · grants, special education, superintendent report
7. ▶ 57:41Initial and final approval of the Greece student tripvoted, passed · 8:18 long · budget, high school, curriculum
8. ▶ 1:06:27Capital line-item transfer for Turkey Hill exterior door security repairsvoted, passed · 2:48 long · capital, transfers, turkey hill
9. ▶ 1:09:15Business/HR report acceptance; questions on track and field program and Turkey Hill CSS studyvoted, passed · 2:25 long · facilities, turkey hill, personnel
10. ▶ 1:11:40Final approval of the Spain student tripvoted, passed · 2:06 long · budget, high school
11. ▶ 1:13:46Bus fee proposal debate, survey results, and tabling of a formal fee structuretabled 3-2 · 22:56 long · transportation, fees, budget fy26
12. ▶ 1:36:42FY26 budget overview: town manager, needs-based and level-service versions, and the list of proposed personnel cutsinformational, no final vote · 56:38 long · budget fy26, staffing, layoffs
13. ▶ 2:33:20Athletics budget debate: coaches, athletic trainer, athletic secretary, and transportation costsmixed: coach-cut motion failed, athletic secretary cut passed unanimously · 21:40 long · athletics, budget fy26, transportation
14. ▶ 2:55:00Central office restructuring debate: curriculum director/coaches and Director of Finance and Administration/legal counselone motion failed 3-2; curriculum proposal tabled for further study · 27:04 long · personnel, staffing, contracts and unions
15. ▶ 3:22:04Decision to present the town manager's budget as the working baseline to the finance committee given no committee consensus on further cutsno vote taken; decided by consensus · 9:01 long · budget fy26
16. ▶ 3:31:05FY26 budget public hearing: resident questions on health insurance, staffing lines, technology, special education, athletics transportation, and the state funding formulahearing closed, no budget adopted · 1:17:22 long · budget fy26, public comment, special education
17. ▶ 4:48:27Debate on whether to formally endorse the town manager's bottom-line budget number and the case for a town overrideno vote taken · 7:57 long · override, budget fy26
18. ▶ 4:56:24Superintendent search update: screening committee orientation scheduledinformational · 0:40 long · hiring, superintendent report
19. ▶ 4:59:34Future planning: proposed 'state of the union' report, listening sessions, librarian impact statement, request for FY23/FY24 actuals, and scheduling an additional joint budget meetingdecisions made informally, no vote · 5:54 long · budget fy26, policy

What the captions could not carry

• Exact vote tallies for several motions (waiving the comment limit, the Greece and Spain trip approvals, the capital transfer, and accepting the business/HR reports) were given only as voice votes, without a stated count.
• The town manager's exact FY26 target budget dollar figure was rendered inconsistently in captions (heard as "2,787,474" in one instance and as "approximately $25.7 million" elsewhere).
• Percentage increases cited for the needs-based budget (heard as "99.9%") appear garbled and could not be confirmed against other figures given for the level-service budget.
• The full name of the school committee member Mr. Beardmore referred to as 'Mrs. Ash Shambo' is uncertain; this may be a caption mishearing.
• The precise final dollar figure settled on for offsetting the athletic transportation line was not clearly stated, with several different numbers ($40,000, $50,000, $55,000, $59,000, $99,000, $9,000) discussed across the meeting.

Written 2026-09-14 by scripts/write_recording_minutes.py (sonnet) from sources/data/youtube-transcripts/school-committee/2025-03-05-SzmFOHNxXAc.json — 6,998 caption segments, sha256 87ac79d7632c…. All recorded meetings.