# school-committee — 7 documents, concatenated for reading and search # # This is a CONVENIENCE BUNDLE, not a source. Every document below is # published separately and byte-identically; cite the individual file, # whose path is given in each header, rather than this bundle. # Index of all boards: https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/minutes/INDEX.txt # The town's own scanned original is linked per document. ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2024-01-03-agenda-6153.txt BOARD : school-committee DATE : 2024-01-03 KIND : agenda OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/school-committee/2024-01-03-agenda-6153.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_01032024-6153 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== 1025 Massachusetts Avenue, Lunenburg, Massachusetts 01462 978 582-4100 ~ fax 978 582-4103 REVISED MEETING NOTICE SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING Wednesday, January 3, 2024 Town Hall 6:30pm Hybrid Meeting AGENDA School Committee Superintendent Carol Archambault, Chair Dr. Kate Burnham Brian Lehtinen, Vice Chair Business Manager/HR Director Anthony Sculimbrene-Secretary Michael Cassidy Laura Brzozoski Recording Secretary Peter Beardmore Courtney Fuller Guests: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ In accordance with the requirements of the Open Meeting Law, please be advised that this meeting is being broadcast live over the Lunenburg Public Access channel. Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86530494155 Meeting ID: 865 3049 4155 One tap mobile +13052241968,86530494155# US +13092053325,86530494155# US 888 475 4499 US Toll-free • 877 853 5257 US Toll-free Meeting ID: 865 3049 4155 Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/ki2E1wi3H This meeting will be broadcast live through the local access cable channel , and on the Public Access Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Lunenburg-Public-Access-Cable-157427270975305/) and will be found on the LunenburgAccess YouTube channel within 24 hours after the meeting.The agenda lists all the topics which may be discussed at the meeting and are 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 also be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by Open Meeting Law 1. Call to Order 2. Executive Session: to discuss the deployment of security personnel or devices or strategies with respect thereto; 3. Pledge of Allegiance 12. Reports 4. Public Comment 13. Public Comment 5. Chair’s Report 14. Topics for Future Discussion 6. Review & Approve Minutes a. Regular Session 11-1-23 15. Executive Session: to discuss strategy with respect 7. Review & Approve Warrants & Line Item Transfers to collective bargaining or litigation if an open A, Warrant Total 12/19 to 1/2/24 $28,591.11 meeting may have a detrimental effect on the 8. Superintendent’s Report . bargaining or litigating position of the public body 9. Student Representative’s Report and the chair so declares; 10. New Business 16. Adjournment Discussion a. 2024-2025 School Calendar Action b. Donation 11. Old Business Discussion a. FY25 Budget Development Lunenburg Public Schools Dr. Kate Burnham, Superintendent of Schools ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2024-01-03-minutes-6153.txt BOARD : school-committee DATE : 2024-01-03 KIND : minutes OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/school-committee/2024-01-03-minutes-6153.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_01032024-6153 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== 1025 Massachusetts Avenue, Lunenburg, Massachusetts 01462 978 582-4100 ~ fax 978 582-4103 MEETING MINUTES SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING Wednesday, January 3, 2024 Town Hall 6:30 p.m. - Hybrid School Committee Superintendent Carol Archambault, Chair - Present Dr. Kate Burnham Brian Lehtinen, Vice Chair - Present Business Manager/ HR Director Anthony Sculimbrene, Secretary - Present 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 p.m. Mr. Beardmore makes a motion to move the first executive session to begin after the first public comment and student representative report, Mr. Lehtinen seconds the motion, all approve 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Public Comment – Mr. Beardmore makes a statement based on his past discussion with the state ethics board and his position with the school committee, he was under the understanding that even though his ex -wife works in the school system and they share a minor child, he has made full disclosure, that he in fact was able to participate in LEA negotiations. He recently reached back out to the ethics committee at Ms. Archambault request, and it appears that this is not the case, he ma y not participate in contract negotiations or votes regarding LEA, he will not make any comments publicly or privately. 4. Student Representation Report Tatum Furman reports, across the district is high morale coming back from a much needed break. Semester 2 will wrap up on January 19th. Report cards will be available at the Primary School on January 30 th. Spirit week was very successful during the week leading up to winter break. Fourth graders are starting their work with recorders in their music class. At the Middle High school winter sports are in full swin g. There will be a meeting for the Spain trip on January 4th 5. Executive Session to discuss the deployment of security personnel or devices or strategies with respect there to: Ms. Brzozoski makes a motion to enter executive session, Mr. Lehtinen seconds the motion all approve 6. Chair’s Report Ms. Archambault wishes everyone a happy and healthy 2024. She reports the letter to MSBA that Mr. Beardmore wrote has been amended as suggested, a copy is in the folder, and will be sent out this week Lunenburg Public Schools Dr. Kate Burnham, Superintendent of Schools ===PAGE 2=== 1025 Massachusetts Avenue, Lunenburg, Massachusetts 01462 978 582-4100 ~ fax 978 582-4103 7. Review & Approve Minutes a. Regular Session 11/01/23 – Mr. Lehtinen makes a motion to approve minutes, Mr. Sculimbrene seconded the motion, all approve 8. Review & Approve Warrants & Line Item Transfers a. Warrant Total 12/19/23-1/2/24 $28,591.11 no questions from the committee. Ms. Archambault has signed the warrant. No line item transfers 9. Superintendent’s Report Dr. Burnham wishes everyone a happy New Year. Kindergarten registration is now open and Pre - K registration will open on March 1st. There will be a kindergarten readiness meeting via zoom on January 30, 2024 at 6:30 p.m. Upcoming Dates January 12th is an early release day PD day for staff January 15th All schools and offices will be closed in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day January 17 School Committee meeting at the Middle High School 6:30 10. New Business Action a. Donation A donation from box tops for education in the amount of $32.20 will be put into the gift account for Turkey Hill Ms. Brzozoski makes a motion to accept this donation, Mr. Sculimbrene seconds the motion. All approve Discussion b. 2024-2025 School Calendar We are piloting a different model for parent teacher conferences. We will most likely be publishing the finished calendar for everyone without the dates of the conferences, once we have everything settled for the new program we will amend the calendar. Also there is discussions going on currently about the winter break for next year based on when the holiday falls. Some options are two full weeks off, or coming back to school on Thursday January 2nd and have a 2 day school week. Factors that are taken under consideration are students with food insecurities and the potential of them going two full weeks without care kids or our breakfast/lunch program, with kids’ home so long the costs of heating could be a problem. Also MCAS dates are set and determined by the state, the more pre-MCAS days we can have the better. The committee discusses a few different options as opening on Monday December 23, and the likeliness of very low attendance. How it will affect seniors and our planned graduation dates. Dr. Burnham shares that a seniors last day of school cannot exceed 12 days from the last day of the rest of the school. Would there be a financial budget to leave the school closed for the two full weeks, based on heating. Dr. Burnham states that we have other sports that use our facilities during that time and expecting them to put their activities on hold for 3 weekends is a lot to ask, so we would most likely be having the heat on anyway. 11. Old Business Discussion a. FY 25 Budget Development Dr. Burnham shares a slide that shows the details of the breakdown of positions with expected amount of cuts by department, based on the assumption we receive 2.5% state funding and will have a 10% increase in health insurance costs. Mr. Sculimbrene asks what is included in the extracurricular category, will that affect coaching, Dr. Burnham replies, this category is people who solely work in athletics. Administration cuts has more flexibility, we’ve been re-negotiating contracts and have been able to save money and the positions. The committee discusses how are these people going to be chosen is it a dollar amount and roles selection? Dr. Burnham shares that it is more about looking at the district as a whole, and how we are going to makes this work, principals will be part of the conversations as they know what roles are an absolute necessity to keep the school running. The majority of the cuts we make will be included in the 5 year staffing plan as we know we need them, and will continue to bring them back. 12. Reports Mr. Beardmore reports the Capital Planning Committee met on December 21 st, we finalized our consolidated recommendations. The town manager will be publishing her proposed capital plan in the next couple weeks. Our items did move down a little bit on the list, Turkey Hill design schematics and assessment moved to #4, Turkey Hill safety window film moved to #7 and the dump truck with plow moved to #14. Our committee will continue to meet through the spring and try to come up with a 5 year plan or at least put together some guidance to do so. ===PAGE 3=== 1025 Massachusetts Avenue, Lunenburg, Massachusetts 01462 978 582-4100 ~ fax 978 582-4103 13. Public Comment - None 14. Topics for Future Discussion FY 25 Budget 15. Executive Session to discuss strategy 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 the chair so declares : Mr. Lehtinen makes a motion to enter executive session at 7:45 and adjourn immediately following, Ms. Brzozoski seconded the motion, all approve 16. Adjournment Respectfully Submitted Courtney Fuller ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2024-01-17-agenda-6337.txt BOARD : school-committee DATE : 2024-01-17 KIND : agenda OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/school-committee/2024-01-17-agenda-6337.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_01172024-6337 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== 1025 Massachusetts Avenue, Lunenburg, Massachusetts 01462 978 582-4100 ~ fax 978 582-4103 MEETING NOTICE SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING Wednesday, January 17, 2024 LMS Collaborative Room #D132 6:30pm Hybrid Meeting AGENDA School Committee Superintendent Carol Archambault, Chair Dr. Kate Burnham Brian Lehtinen, Vice Chair Business Manager/HR Director Anthony Sculimbrene-Secretary Michael Cassidy Laura Brzozoski Recording Secretary Peter Beardmore Courtney Fuller Guests: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ In accordance with the requirements of the Open Meeting Law, please be advised that this meeting is being broadcast at a later date over the Lunenburg Public Access channel. Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86530494155 Meeting ID: 865 3049 4155 One tap mobile +13052241968,86530494155# US +13092053325,86530494155# US 888 475 4499 US Toll-free • 877 853 5257 US Toll-free Meeting ID: 865 3049 4155 Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/ki2E1wi3H This meeting will be broadcast at a later date through the local access cable channel , and on the Public Access Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Lunenburg-Public-Access-Cable- 157427270975305/) and will be found on the LunenburgAccess YouTube channel within 24 hours after the meeting.The agenda lists all the topics which may be discussed at the meeting and are 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 also be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by Open Meeting Law 1. Call to Order 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Public Comment 4. Chair’s Report 5. Review & Approve Minutes a. Regular Session 11-15-23 6. Review & Approve Warrants & Line Item Transfers A, Warrant Total 1/3/24 to 1/9/24 $187,556.74 7. Superintendent’s Report . 8. Student Representative’s Report 9. New Business Discussion a. Proposed FY25 Budget 10. Public Comment 11. Adjournment Lunenburg Public Schools Dr. Kate Burnham, Superintendent of Schools ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2024-01-17-minutes-6337.txt BOARD : school-committee DATE : 2024-01-17 KIND : minutes OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/school-committee/2024-01-17-minutes-6337.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_01172024-6337 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== 1025 Massachusetts Avenue, Lunenburg, Massachusetts 01462 978 582-4100 ~ fax 978 582-4103 MEETING MINUTES SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING Wednesday, January 17, 2024 LMS Collaborative Room #D132 6:30 - Hybrid School Committee Superintendent Carol Archambault, Chair - Present Dr. Kate Burnham Brian Lehtinen, Vice Chair - Present Business Manager/ HR Director Anthony Sculimbrene, Secretary - Present 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 f or discussion to the extent permitted by Open Meeting Law 1. Call to Order by Carol Archambault at 6:30 p.m. 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Public Comment - None 4. Chairs Report I am working with the finance committee to schedule our budget meeting, they have us scheduled with them on the March 14th, and we will need to move our public hearing from March 20 to March 13, if the members of the school committee could let me know by 4 pm tomorrow if they are available to attend. 5. Review & Approve Minutes a. Regular Session 11/15/23 –Mr. Sculimbrene makes a motion to approve minutes, Ms. Brzozoski seconded the motion, roll call, Ms. Archambault – yes, Mr. Lehtinen – yes, Mr. Sculimbrene – yes, Mr. Beardmore – Abstain, Ms. Brzozoski - yes 6. Review & Approve Warrants & Line Item Transfers a. Line Item Transfer $14,840 To transfer money from Capital Improvements to Maintenance of Building Contract Service for the High School elevator repair. Mr. Beardmore makes a motion to approve the line item transfer, Mr. Sculimbrene seconds the motion, roll call, Ms. Archambault – yes, Mr. Lehtinen – yes, Mr. Sculimbrene – yes, Mr. Beardmore – yes, Ms. Brzozoski –yes b. Warrant Total 1/3/24-1/9/24 $ Mr. Beardmore requests the warrant information get into the folder with more time prior to the meetings, no questions Ms. Archambault has signed off on warrant 7. Superintendent’s Dr. Burnham reports Kindergarten registration is open, pre-k registration will open March 1. There will be a kindergarten readiness meeting via zoom on January 30, at 6:30. There is a delay is the start day of our new Director of Finance, we will need to hire consultants for the interim time until the position is filled. A note on inclement weather delays and closing decisions, I work very closely with the town DPW and Police department for advisement on current and anticipated road conditions. I also communicate with our Grounds and Facilities team on conditions of our schools. My Lunenburg Public Schools Dr. Kate Burnham, Superintendent of Schools ===PAGE 2=== 1025 Massachusetts Avenue, Lunenburg, Massachusetts 01462 978 582-4100 ~ fax 978 582-4103 responsibility is to educate our students and to that we need to be open and provide a safe arrival and dismissal. If there are any parents that have student drivers, they can use their best judgement to drive them to school that day or keep them home. Reminders Feb 7th School Committee meeting 6:30 Town Hall Feb 19th All offices and schools will be closed due to Presidents Day Feb 19-23 All schools are closed for school break Feb 28 School Committee meeting 6:30 LMS 8. Student Representative Report – None 9. New Business Discussion a. Proposed FY25 Budget Ms. Archambault takes a moment to remind the committee of the budget goal they have set. A presentation is given in part by Dr. Burnham, Julianna Hanscom – Director of Special Services, and Annica Scott-Director of Teaching and Learning. The presentation is available on the website for everyone to view. A comparison of what we had available for services, staff, and academic plans in 2019 vs 2024 is shared. We are anticipating a 10% increase in health insurance to be $500,000, Contractual increases of $400,000 and the loss of ESSER funds of $600,000. While we knew ESSER funds would not be continuing, the increase in health insurance was unexpected. Each school was then discussed with potential positions to be cut. Mr. Be ardmore expresses this is a lot of information to digest, he disagrees with moving our meeting and public hearing dates, it has been scheduled this way through out time, we need to express to the finance committee that we need to keep our meeting on the originally set date. Mr. Lehtinen agrees with Mr. Beardmore, we need to explain all the factors that are in play and that we need to keep our date of March 20th. Ms. Archambault will speak with town manager and fincom to discuss the need for the date of the 20th. Ms. Archambault also brings up the option of scheduling an additional meeting to continue the discussion on the budget, it is determined an additional meeting will happen on January 24, 2024. Ms. Brzozoski questions will there be more potential cuts on top of these. Mr. Sculimbrene suggests a dollar value be included next to the positions up for potential cuts, while Dr. Burnham can make that happen, this process isn’t just about eliminating a dollar total, but also we need to make sure the impacts are not detrimental. Mr. Beardmore wants to assure staff, families and the community that we as a school committee have a hard task in front of us, we thank the administration and the superintendent for putting all this information together for us, and we will move forward to ask lots of questions and clarifications and make the best decisions we can. Mr. Lehtinen appreciates the time put into this and is really concerned with a loss of the athletic director and what that means for our student., to put the position into the hands of an administrator is going to be really hard for them to keep up and make sure our department is running at its best. Paraprofessionals are another support system we need to keep, as our classrooms are going to potentially be larger. Ms. Archambault states this is with no AP classes being cut, approximate class sizes are pretty stable at 25, and we haven’t taken any programs away. If anyone has any questions please email them to lps@lunenburgschools.net 10. Public Comment – None 11. Adjournment makes a motion to adjourn at 9:35 seconds the motion, roll call, Ms. Archambault – yes, Mr. Lehtinen – yes, Mr. Sculimbrene – yes, Mr. Beardmore – yes, Ms. Brzozoski – yes Respectfully Submitted Courtney Fuller ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2024-01-24-agenda-6375.txt BOARD : school-committee DATE : 2024-01-24 KIND : agenda OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/school-committee/2024-01-24-agenda-6375.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_01242024-6375 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== 1025 Massachusetts Avenue, Lunenburg, Massachusetts 01462 978 582-4100 ~ fax 978 582-4103 REVISED MEETING NOTICE SCHOOL COMMITTEE SPECIAL MEETING Wednesday, January 24, 2024 LMHS Auditorium 6:30pm Hybrid Meeting AGENDA School Committee Superintendent Carol Archambault, Chair Dr. Kate Burnham Brian Lehtinen, Vice Chair Anthony Sculimbrene-Secretary Laura Brzozoski Recording Secretary Peter Beardmore Courtney Fuller Guests: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ In accordance with the requirements of the Open Meeting Law, please be advised that this meeting is being broadcast at a later date over the Lunenburg Public Access channel. Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7663167607?omn=89806937118 Meeting ID: 766 316 7607 One tap mobile +19292056099; 7663167607# US (New York) +13017158592,,7663167607# US (Washington DC) Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/keEQiMHAD5 This meeting will be broadcast at a later date through the local access cable channel , and on the Public Access Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Lunenburg-Public-Access-Cable-157427270975305/) and will be found on the LunenburgAccess YouTube channel within 24 hours after the meeting.The agenda lists all the topics which may be discussed at the meeting and are 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 also be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by Open Meeting Law 1. Call to Order 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Public Comment 4. Chair’s Report 5. Review & Approve Minutes a. Regular Session 12/6/23 6. Review & Approve Warrants & Line Item Transfers a. Warrant Total 1/10/24 to 1/22/24 $243,517.32 7. Superintendent’s Report . 8. Student Representative’s Report 9. New Business Discussion a. FY25 School Choice b. FY25 School Calendar Action c. Donation 10. Old Business Discussion a. FY25 Proposed Budget 11. Reports 12. Public Comment 13. Adjournment Lunenburg Public Schools Dr. Kate Burnham, Superintendent of Schools ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2024-01-24-minutes-6375.txt BOARD : school-committee DATE : 2024-01-24 KIND : minutes OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/school-committee/2024-01-24-minutes-6375.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_01242024-6375 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== 1025 Massachusetts Avenue, Lunenburg, Massachusetts 01462 978 582-4100 ~ fax 978 582-4103 MEETING MINUTES SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING Wednesday, January 24, 2024 LMS Collaborative Room #D132 6:30 – Special Meeting School Committee Superintendent Carol Archambault, Chair -Present Dr. Kate Burnham Brian Lehtinen, Vice Chair - Present Business Manager/ HR Director Anthony Sculimbrene, Secretary - Present 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 Ms. Archambault would like to thank everyone involved for helping us be able to change the location of our meeting to the auditorium, thank you to the junior play practice for ending early and allowing us to use this space. Thank you to everyone that has reached out with questions, comments and concerns regarding the budget. 2. Public Comment Mr. Beardmore makes a motion to extend public comment past 10 minutes, Mr. Sculimbrene seconds the motion all approve via roll call Mandy Gilman, 186 Reservoir Road I am a lifelong Lunenburg resident. I'm a parent of a kindergartener and a third grader, I come here as a parent and also as someone who has worked in government in the past. Just a few things; I know many of you agree but the current shortfall is really alarming and it's really disappointing that this appeared to be something that we have found out about so suddenly and/or at least shared publicly so suddenly, I do hope that while we're working on this year, if this is going to be something we're going to have to keep addressing because it seems like we should be planning for more than one year at a time. My child didn't have kindergarten he and his peers have had really benefited from a lot of extra reading help and I know that's one of the teachers and the specialist that's on the chopping block and that's really alarming to me, he's doing pretty well but he can still use the extra help. I would say he's average - talking to other parents of third graders it's a pretty average response I get. I'm hoping this committee will consider things like transportation fees, look at sports fees, and really connecting with our state officials. It feels like there's a disconnect with the legislature and the people in the legislature. You know that is where more money is and they can bring more money to the town so we need to be begging them for more money. I have friends who work in Special Ed and many of the proposed cuts - they think leave us open to litigation and large costs issues. I guess I'm coming here asking the leadership of the schools and the school committee to “Be a Champion” for our students and if what we need is more money from the town we need you telling the town that as a united voice, and telling the finance committee, and the selectman that more money is needed that what you are being offered right now is not enough, and if that means an override that's something I think you need to consider. I know it's not going to be super popular with everyone but we need to put it on the table because cutting over 20 positions in my opinion and many parents in this room is just not acceptable. People move to this town for the education and it would be wildly disappointing if we aren't able to live up to our standards Lunenburg Public Schools Dr. Kate Burnham, Superintendent of Schools ===PAGE 2=== 1025 Massachusetts Avenue, Lunenburg, Massachusetts 01462 978 582-4100 ~ fax 978 582-4103 Louis Franco, 250 Arbor Street I just want to note people are trying to get in to the meeting from the waiting room Michael Harunkiewicz 165 Gilchrest Street I have a daughter who is 15 and a three-year-old son so you could say that I'm invested in Lunenburg School, both the short and long term. I also understand that all industries and services are facing the same economic pressures with rising labor expenses, record inflation, and other market factors and that difficult decisions are being made in organizations across the country to combat these forces. According to US News and reports Lunenburg High School is ranked 67th out of 401 schools in Massachusetts. According to Massachusetts State reports Lunenburg per pupil expenditure is listed 361 out of 401 districts in Massachusetts. This means that we're in the top 20% for school performance while being in the bottom 10% for spending now I think that we should applaud that because we're obviously getting more for less and it's great that we can do so much with so little but doesn't it also mean that we really can't afford to make cuts to essential personnel and services. I work for a local nonprofit Healthcare organization and we're facing the same pressures as our schools but if we balance the budget by laying off doctors and nurses and shuttling essential services then I would be out of a job and we would be out of business. The answer in these tough times is to take full stock of the business and get creative, identify operational expenses that can be reduced, take stock of non- essential personnel, limit capital expenditures, and most importantly identify additional revenue streams. Now I appreciate the work done by the superintendent team to prepare their recommendations but I cannot support them. Academic teacher’s, guidance programs, music and arts programs, and school athletics are all essential to the school community. In my view they literally are the products that the school sells, I believe we as a town and community must take a look at what can be done to support the school's budget even if that means an increase in taxes or an impact on other town departments. It's what's best for our children and our own personal investment in this community. Shoshana Mulè 139 Cove Road My daughter is a senior in Lunenburg and I have a son in middle school in Fitchburg, the situation that our town is facing is a surprise and not a surprise. The specific numbers were a surprise to all of us and I know that a lot of people have spoken in general and discussed that. I'm here because I am the President of the Music Booster program, a support group for the music program. Music has been a huge part of my family's life and specifically for my daughter. She started out in kindergarten in Lunenburg and there was only one year where there was no music and we sent her to a private music program because it was so important. It seemed from the presentation that there was the idea of fairness and cutting a little bit of everything , I understand that perspective however, and I’m not sure how strategic it is my particular interest in the music program. The cuts are very small dollar-wise and they will have a huge impact on the future of the music program specifically the 5th grade band program that was reinstated a couple of years ago, now the enrollment in middle school band and chorus is much higher than it was because of the fifth grade band program. Additionally there's a proposed cut to the high school music teacher which also is not a huge dollar amount. I do want to emphasize though the extreme importance of keeping the 5th grade band and chorus-very small dollar very big impact. Sophia Mulè 139 Cove Road These kids are passionate and they care and they are dedicated and this is their place and they wouldn't have gotten here without the program early on in fifth grade and before that. I see it in them every day and if any part of that was stripped from them it would be different and it would be detrimental Kara Harunkiewicz 165 Gilchrest Road I’ve had a similar experience, I'm a freshman and this is my year participating in the music program. I also direct a lot with the middle school students. In jazz band I help to run sectionals, but we've seen these students are all very dedicated to this and, like she said, it is something that does change who you are as a person. You know it's a passion for a lot of these kids and this could be taking that away. There are also a lot of kids who have had to make sacrifices due to the scheduling to be a part of band, I have a friend who couldn't take honors bio this year, I wasn't able to take my Latin course regularly this year and so taking away that program would make those sacrifices obsolete there would be no good reason for them anymore . So if you were to take this away now it would make a lot things feel like worthless sacrifices. Kerri Speck 475 Reservoir Road I have two children that have been in Lunenburg school system my son is now a freshman at Monty Tech, my daughter is a seventh grader, and my husband is a teacher at the high school so we are very invested in the Lunenburg school system. I feel like I need to speak on behalf of the special education department, I myself am in special education and my husband is too, and the cuts to paraprofessionals is very concerning to me, they are the backbone of special education and without them the department cannot run and I've been in a school that has not had a lot of para professionals and the students suffer I feel like if we're looking to cut so many it's going to really affect not only special education but general education students and their ability to function in the classroom. In addition to the special education with my daughter being in 7th grade she is concerned about the cuts to foreign language and the middle school sports. That really takes away some of the experiences that she's been really excited about, she has been practicing French for the last three years hoping to take French and was pret ty devastated hearing that might not be a possibility for her. I just wanted to kind of put that out there but, in terms of Special Ed I think we really need to consider what we can do to keep paraprofessionals because they really are the people that run our program and make it work. Mike Macklin, 26 Cortland Circle Some of you may know me I was former Chair of the School Committee and Chairman of the school Building Committee. We faced this before in the past there was just a couple of observations; one is you know there are things ===PAGE 3=== 1025 Massachusetts Avenue, Lunenburg, Massachusetts 01462 978 582-4100 ~ fax 978 582-4103 that we can't plan for like the economy and tax revenues, there are things that we can plan for expenditures. At some point I think we need to reflect on some of the choices that were made that got us to this point, I think it's good to search from time to time It is a fact that when we last faced this in 2012, a great deal of time was spent on trying to make sure that the classrooms were affected the least. Was there affect - absolutely there always hard choices when these things happen, but, we made choices like looking at fees, looking at other expense lines, we looked at Administration. I know schools are incredibly complicated to run now and state requirements are very demanding, but I think we have to look as hard as possible at areas that don't impact where the rubber meets the road, which is the teacher in the classroom. I'd encourage you to keep thinking about this idea and whatever we do we want to drive as much dollars to the classrooms. The last thing I want to say very quickly is there has been a structural problem within Lunenburg for years, we have been held to a level of funding through the town that has not kept pace with all the expenses that have increased, electricity has not gone up 2% a year, Personnel costs have not gone up 2% a year, Insurance certainly hasn't gone up 2% a year ,and I think that although it's unpopular, it's difficult , and it will take a great deal of effort, there must at some point be a plan to look for those additional town revenues. Laura Barooshian 389 Mulpus Road I have a son who has special needs in the10th grade and my daughter is 8th grade and I wanted to first I second everything that Shoshana Mulè shared about the music program I have had the privilege of seeing the kids compete this past year and they're just tremendous and losing the culture that fits that group that they have together would really be a loss for our community. They were at the football game where they were just playing their hearts out in the rain and it's really something to see to have them come together. Academically the music programs support so much, their math skills and their just their leadership skills as well. I'd really like to see if there are other ways that we can generate the types the revenue that we need to support these programs. I think one of the things that we're seeing is just the impact on the band program of having it be a smaller program than maybe some other schools and really seeing the impact of the pandemic and seeing that there are so many kids in the 7th and 8th grade that are coming up that fifth grade program. The students that represent us out in the community and I just encourage the committee to advocate for additional funding from the town and other my sources that we may be able to generate to support these programs. Amy King 3 Gabe’s Place I have two students in the high school both of my students are student athletes who participate in three sports, one each season I would like to express my concern about the budget and some of what other people have said about how do we have this type of a surprise and that I think we really do need to look at the numbers and understand some of the increases and looking at the high level line items that Dr Burnham provided. We have a decrease in our salaries but a very substantial increase in our expenses and these aren't really laid out very well for us to understand what those increases are. I think a little more sharing of the budget would be helpful for the analysis. I haven't actually submitted a letter yet because I really don't know what to say because I'm trying to understand the numbers, the key point that I did want to speak to was the proposed cuts for the athletics department I think that that is extremely egregious considering the fact that what we're talking about is cutting the entire department, if we were to look at the fiscal year 23 school year through the three seasons of sports we had 45 to 53% of our students participating in high school sports that's an extreme percentage of people who would be getting a very unequitable cut if we cut our athletic department. To Miss Gilman's point I'd like to stress our athletes pay substantial fees if you were to look at the fiscal year 23 revenue that should have been collected for athletic fees and I know this isn't 100% accurate because of people who may have waivers for fees but that's $184,000 that can support our athletic budget, so I want to make sure that those factors are taken into consideration as we consider these cuts for athletics. I'd also like to point out the social emotional benefit our athletes get from participating in well-managed sports without an Athletic Director there can be a lot of chaos out there with scheduling with bussing stress associated with getting to games on time. The current Athletic Director and trainer that we have are phenomenal if you were to understand their re sume we have a trainer that years ago used to be in professional sports and an Athletic Director that has worked in a college atmosphere, they have significantly improved our Athletic program in Lunenburg these past two years and I'm fearful of putting cuts like this on the table, that we could lose them and that would not be fair to 50% of our student population. I think we need to think through some of the other benefits of Athletics including academic motivation. Sondria Harp, 20 Pratt Street I'm coming out here with my heart beating out of my chest because I never do anything like this but I felt like I needed to speak. I have a daughter in the special education program in the Primary School and I have a son in the 7 th grade. I saw the proposed cuts to things in the special education department that really shook my soul a little bit, number one cutting of the paras I think anybody who has any child in the special education program knows how important paras are, even when for the smaller kids they're just imperative and the fact that they're already not paid what they should be but now we're trying to cut their po sitions is really disturbing to me. I believe I saw on there a cut for a BCBA, which really surprised me, I think they're really essential so I'm hoping that I misread that or that was the piece of misinformation but those were some of the things that wer e really concerning Noah Lind 95 Gilchrest Street I am a freshman in high school and I've been in music program for five years I was in fifth great music program and it really inspired me to learn more about music and join band. I hear the very program that introduced me and many other kids to music might be cut breaks my heart, there aren't many of us but we are dedicated and passionate. I really hope we can find other ways ===PAGE 4=== 1025 Massachusetts Avenue, Lunenburg, Massachusetts 01462 978 582-4100 ~ fax 978 582-4103 Chris Sullivan 108 Highland Street I’ll kind of echo a little bit of what Mrs. King was saying. The athletics cuts were what really stood out the most. For me it's the world that I understand, it's what both my kids are involved in a lot with after school activities, to see an entire department cut - first didn't seem equitable, but the bigger thing for me that stood out and what I have a big concern is the social emotional piece of what that means, I saw it during Covid my daughter started in 6th grade, she did cross country it was a great introduction to the Middle School athletic program we're hearing a lot about middle school kids that are involved in music and sports. The confidence that it gives them, the confidence it gives them to come here and speak tonight, and the confidence it gave my daughter to take the next step and go out for high school sports. We saw the impact of the social emotional piece with my daughter during covid and found some outside soccer activities and so forth to kind of get that going and bring some of that social emotional connectivity back. These kids take a lot of pride not just the athletes but the students in general that show up and stand on the side of the track or stand in the bleachers cheering their friends on they're in the stands in the basketball courts, those are outlets that these kids need and to think that there's a possibility that a n athletic staff could be cut I have grave concerns about what that would mean to the overall quality of the program that these kids. These kids show up day in and day out and put in the work and these a re the outlets these kids rely on after school and evening. To understand what it means to be a teammate, to be a friend, to take pride in the town and come together and be part of a community. Angel Wilgus 17 White Tail Crossing I'd like to know how it is that we continue to cater and what amount has been spent on all of the diversity and equity trainings you have planned for this town because they cater to your politic al views that affect maybe 1 to 2% of students. Yet you are okay with cutting sporting events and all of the sporting staff that caters to the majority of our students and is essential to their mental health. I'd also like to know how you're okay cutting any teachers when we're in the worst economy right now in the worst inflation on record, but you Kate have taken over a 15% raise over the past three years Ashley Braun 607 Reservoir Road I am the proud parent of a second grader, I think the reason a lot of us are on zoom and a lot of us are here in this room is because we want the best opportunities for our children and we talk about, when we want to fill out those college applications: music, sports, the ability to get the extra help from the special education program, or any of the other teachers is vital for this school system it's vital for this town. We are asking the school committee, the superintendent to go back to the drawing board to look at how we can maybe avoid cutting some of this personnel and these programs and if that means going to the state and asking for money or going to the town and asking for money, we are here to support you in that I know I am, but we need some direct action steps, we need to know what opportunities are available, and I fully understand that you can apply for state aid and not get it and you can go in front of the town and not get more money but we all need to try. The school committee, the superintendent, and the administration are the best ones to try to guide us down that path Chris Gorman 29 Burrage Steet I would like to echo the sentiment of the woman before me I think the decisions that are being made in the budgeting process were really difficult there's certainly a lot of things that could be cut -none of which are good decisions, none of which are easy to make, I wonder what we can do to support you to get more funds how do we use our voice if we have one Joseph Jordan 59 Goodrich Street I just want to say thank you to all the people that spoke before me to express their concern about our children and what the future looks like moving forward. I have one son that graduated from the school he's doing very well. I have two other children I have a daughter who is a sophomore and I also have a son who is in a seventh grade so I'm very invested in my kids’ education as much as everybody else is here and this budget shortfall The action to remediate it by preventing some of these programs for example my son is very big into the music program he loves it and he's been in the program for a few years and he really enjoys it and that's one of the things he look forward to. I even had a conversation with him today about what's going on and he said no he doesn't want the program to be eliminated, so with that said I just want the school committee like everybody said to go back to the drawing board and let's figure out exactly what we need to do to keep these programs because our kids are our future and we need to make sure that they have all of the best tools to be able to be successful people in our society Anastasia Grady 109 Young's Road Admittedly I have not been involved in school committee or finance committee town meetings to date. I think to a lot of parents who are busy these budget cuts that have been proposed come as a surprise, so we've had a lot of conversations on Facebook some of you may be a part of those groups. What I'd love to understand what the plan is to address some of these rising contract costs, health care costs, operational expenses, utility costs. The economy is changing, it's growing is there a plan to address by asking the town for more money? Is there a plan to address this by looking for additional grants? Is there a position that's is applying for these grants? What is the plan is moving forward because as costs continue to rise this means additional budget cuts every year, additional positions being cut, you've heard from a lot of people the music program, social emotional learning, special needs assistance for our special needs students, athletics programs all of these contribute so much to our community, to the sense of belonging that our kids have and especially after this covid environment that we're in that's so important toward building community in our town and in the school community Overall academic success is just as important as emotional and social success. I would love to understand specific questions: has the health care increase of 10% is that something that came as a surprise or was that anticipated and planned for? It's about half of our allotted 2.5% increase that we get from the town and so was there a plan to address that? What is the towns’ positions on non-personnel costs, technical costs, and transportation, utility, those have gone up significantly is there a plan to address those as well long term? Can we put solar panels on the schools? I would like to get a better understanding of ESSER ===PAGE 5=== 1025 Massachusetts Avenue, Lunenburg, Massachusetts 01462 978 582-4100 ~ fax 978 582-4103 - was that funding factored into the budget total because it was a temporary grant to fill our full-time permanent positions or was that always kept as a separate line item Alma Notaro 484 Holman Street I want to speak a little if I may from a teacher perspective I want to echo the gentleman earlier who mentioned that while Lunenburg is in the bottom 10% of spending, the teachers have managed to educate our children to the top 20% of the state which is not an easy task. The cuts will gravely impact not only our students in terms of services and class sizes but also in our ability to attract and to more importantly retain the best possible educators as we have been so lucky to have so far. A lot of us bought homes in Lunenburg specifically for the schools and the teachers are the backbones of that success. I hope that as these budget cuts are put forth the needs of teachers in the classroom, specifically, in terms of class sizes which are already big in comparison are also taken into consideration because we need teachers desperately. Ms. Archambault thanks everyone form their comments and they will be addressed during the budget presentation. Mr. Lehtinen echo’s Ms. Archambault, thanking all parents and staff. It is important for us to hear from everyone. This is not finalized toni ght, it will continue into March. There is a Finance Meeting tomorrow night. Ms. Brzozoski, thanks everyone that has emailed and thank you for participating, this is a huge indicator for our success. Mr. Beardmore thanks everyone for coming tonight, I am so impressed and I am inspired by many of the comments. I urge you to stay involved. I have been where you are and I have also served on many committees and sub committees, we are just like you, we have students in the schools, we have jobs, we have family crises. Lunenburg decided to not regionalize and to stay a small school, so scheduling in our middle high school is so hard a nd there isn’t really a clear path to fix that. ESSER funds were put to use we knew that ESSER funds were a l ifeline to deal with serious social and emotional issues that were showing their face before covid but accelerated rapidly during and after covid. We spent that money knowing that it was going to expire because that was the best place to spend it at the time. Slide 36 of last week's superintendents presentation showed exactly what we did, we're cutting four or five positions, we're transferring two to the local budget we're moving four to a restructuring of our Title One Grant. We're also living in a period where we're feeling the effects inflation. Our out of District placements have skyrocketed, our transportation has skyrocketed, we've had budget issues with our utilities, I mean these are not costs that are discretionary we have to pay them. Chapter 70 increased by 11% two years ago if it's been flat since and it will continue to be because it’s a result of the way our state formulas are set up. We're kind of locked from a revenue perspective. The question was asked what can we do I would absolutely encourage everybody to contact your legislators and harass them, I have done so myself and I have not seen success. I've done so continually over the last 5 years in addition to that we do have a capacity in Lunenburg to town meeting and ask for more money but that's a limited amount of money and it's going to cut from other departments. I can tell you that we have vacancies all over the town of Lunenburg largely because we're not paying enough to our town employees. Things are tough all over Lunenburg with respect to finances and I would not support that quite frankly. The other option is a proposition two and a half override and I know that's what people were alluding to a little bit earlier and truth be told if somebody brought that into town meeting and put it on a ballot I would vote for it, but the problem is that there isn't a political appetite in my opinion in Lunenburg to do that right now. We went through a tax debacle in this town that I would say a great number of residents in our town think that they got screwed by the town government I don't know if they did or not. I don't think they did and I think that the issues have been resolved or are being resolved. I'm a parent I have a kid who's a freshman and he's doing great and these cuts are going to affect him too. I'm also an alumnus of this school and I was an athlete and a musician so I I'm right in it and we need your help we need your continued advocacy. Ms. Archambault It’s tough all around obviously I don't have any kids in the school district, but I'm a lifelong educator doing this kind of thing is very difficult for me as well. What we're going to do is we're going to go through the rest of our agenda I have a brief chair's report we have some very quick business issues and then we're going to open up the budget discussion once again. 3. Chairs Report There is a Finance Committee meeting at 7 p.m. tomorrow at Town Hall. There will be an open question and answer section, emphasis will be on the process of the budget. The Chair of the Select board has told us the 2.5% is a hard number and to not expect any more. February 1st is a Capital Planning Meeting will be holding two identical meetings at the Adult Activity Center at 4:00 and 6:30 4. Review and Approve Minutes a. Regular Session 12/6/23 – Mr. Beardmore makes a motion to approve minutes, Mr. Lehtinen seconded the motion, all approve via roll call with Mr. Sculimbrene Abstaining 5. Review & Approve Warrants & Line Item Transfers a. Warrant Total 1/10/24-1/22/24 $243,517.32 No questions from the committee, Ms. Archambault signed warrants No line item transfers 6. Superintendent’s Report Kindergarten Registration is open. Kindergarten Readiness meeting will be held on January 30 via zoom, information is available on the website. Pre-K registration will open on March 1st. Extended day summer registration will open April 22 and that program will run during the weeks of July 8, 15, 22, 29. Before and after School registration will open Wednesday May 1st and Early Learning Center registration will open Monday May 25. ===PAGE 6=== 1025 Massachusetts Avenue, Lunenburg, Massachusetts 01462 978 582-4100 ~ fax 978 582-4103 Upcoming Dates February 2 Next School Committee Meeting Hybrid from Town Hall 6:30 February 19 All Schools and offices will be closed Feb 20-24 February Vacation February 28 School Committee Meeting Hybrid from LMS 6:30 7. Student Representative Report - None 8. New Business Discussion a. FY25 School Choice Dr. Burnham presents the option to open school choice for incoming 9 th graders for 5 spots. Mr. Beardmore asks if we filled all the spots from last year. We filled 4 and currently have one left. Ms. Brzozoski asks what the reimbursement is from the state for school choice, and can we reserve those seats for employees? Reimbursement is $5000 and no we cannot. Mr. Lehtinen makes a motion to table this discussion to the next meeting, Ms. Brzozoski seconds the motion, all approve via roll call b. FY25 School Calendar Dr. Burnham shares a draft of the calendar, the parent teacher conferences will be added at a later date, as we are working on piloting a new platform for conferences. Also this draft has us coming back on January 2, 2025 from winter break. If there are any thoughts regarding this calendar please send them to lps@lunenburgschools.net Action c. Donation A check for $82.70 from Box tops across America will be deposited in to the Primary Schools Student Activities Account. Mr. Sculimbrene makes a motion at accept the donation, Mr. Beardmore seconds the motion all approve via roll call 9. Old Business Discussion a. FY25 Proposed Budget Dr. Burnham shares a presentation of alternate and additional proposals, this presentation is available online. Julianna Hanscom reports on the costs of Special Education. Mr. Beardmore shares concerns over the maintenance cuts. We are cutting 4 down to 2 and what about plowing and lawn services in the summer, are we going to be contracting these services out? Dr. Burnham responds with we may not have the equipment to maintain our needs, this past week one of our trucks broke. Last year we had to ask DPW for help and this Fall, DPW suggested we look for contracted services as they are down equipment and man pow er. Mr. Beardmore says the truck we asked fro has fallen below the line and probably won’t be funded, they will be discussing this tomorrow at the Finance Committee Meeting. I am also no comfortable not filling the Director of Finance position and using contracted services instead. Ms. Brzozoski thanks Dr. Burnham for the alternatives, we really are working hard toward a solution. I would really like to save the BCBA’s and I am glad you have come up with an alternative. I am also not happy we do not have a Director of Finance, and am not comfortable using contracted service. I am nervous about the maintenance positions as the town is putting more on us to take care of. Mr. Lehtinen agrees with Ms. Brzozoski and thanks the superintendent for the improvements and adjustments. Is it possible we could do a work study program, where students help out with the grounds? I also agree with the previous concerns over contracted services vs. hiring a Director of Finance, I would like to see data to see if cont racted services have been effective. We really need to advocate for the dump truck and reach out to the Town Manager. Mr. Sculimbrene thanks all the kids that have come out and have shared their concerns. Their feedback helps show us what is actually working. Lunenburg has truly extraordinary teachers, we ask so much of our teachers and we really need to think of other sources of revenue. This town needs to change how they fund the school at least temporarily. Studies show money spent on education helps increase values to your home. I am deeply concerned about using contracted services for a Director of Finance, We need a person with experience in this position. Mr. Beardmore reminds everyone that the Chair of the Select Board nor the Town Manager approve the budget. The budget is brought forward and voted on as a majority. The people of Lunenburg approve the budget. Ms. Archambault the decision regarding music position at the high school was based on enrollment. Chorus and Band would not be affec ted, it will be an elective. If there is anything we can do with 5th grade music program, it is worth another look to see if it can be saved. Thank you for trying to keep BCBA, Athletic Director, and Trainer. Mr. Beardmore states given the feedback regarding the elimination of middle school sports, it is a high priority to restore these positions. Ms. Archambault says at this point there is nothing we can do but use a consulting service for Director of Finance. 10. Reports Mr. Sculimbrene makes a motion to table reports until next meeting, Mr. Beardmore seconded the motions, all approve via roll call ===PAGE 7=== 1025 Massachusetts Avenue, Lunenburg, Massachusetts 01462 978 582-4100 ~ fax 978 582-4103 11. Public Comment Mandy Gilman 186 Reservoir Road Thank you for all your hard work on this I know this is not an easy conversation and I don't want you to feel I'm not expressing that I think you guys do amazing work with very little money and this is a wonderful place to live. I want to keep it a wonderful place to live so it is a little bit disappointing coming and hearing just discussion about cuts. I was hoping for a little bit more of a rallying cry from the committee and from the leadership. We need to be bold, we need to be advocating for more money because the problem is we are going to be right back here next year discussing the same exact thing if we don't do something really big. It is very frustrating that the board of Selectmen has already said oh don't come to us for more money. Don't worry I will reach out to them and I will encourage people to do the same, I started a Facebook group a week ago and I had almost 500 people join it, so I think it is you know doesn't mean there isn’t a silent majority out there of parents who are ready to support our school district. I would just encourage the committee not to end the leadership, not to make it seem like we're just taking this laying down because I think that it is very scary for many people to be involved. There are people that care about this deeply who have come to me and I've seen many of them in town and different places and have told me how nervous they are about this. They don't come to meetings they don't stand up here and take the fire like you all have to, but they care about this stuff and I just wouldn't want us to automatically think that there aren't people out there who would vote for an override or who wouldn't go to the selectman's meeting and I've sat here for two and a half hours or three hours and you guys do this all the time but it's honestly a little frustrating because I want more passion, more energy more fire we have wonderful teachers they don't deserve to have to live in a two and a half percent increase every year. I would like to encourage people as well as the state leadership. I have worked for a state senator and a State Rep, we need to be specific, we need to meet with them, we need to go and see them as a group and say we need more special Ed funding. I was told that we don’t see them very much as a district I was told by more than one staff member that they don't know you so that's a problem. You guys need to go see them and talk to them there's special Circuit Breaker money for specific situations, there's the regular Special Ed Circuit Breaker I was told there's a grant to apply for with extenuating circumstances that was just open. The school applying for Mass Health reimbursement for the social workers that are doing Mass health work that is a pot of money that schools can get. A lot of schools use social workers that work at agencies, so if you're cutting social workers from the school you could work with an agency. Community Health Link, is one of those agencies they might come into the school and do work with students especially if they can bill Mass Health if there are kids who on Mass health or even on private insurance I think that's something you should be looking at to address social workers being cut. Regional Schools get transportation money they get paid a good portion, we should be knocking on the legislators doors to find out, why can’t we get the same. I don't want any of this to be disrespectful but I feel like we need some passion here because this is depressing. Mary Foyle, 985 Flat Hill Road I thought I wasn't going to speak and here I am, so for those who don't know I am a resident, I'm a parent, I'm an employee, I'm our president of the Lunenburg Education Association and I'm the chair of person for the Public Employee committee that handles health insurance. I do want to speak as a parent and an employee who's been here for over 20 years, I've been in this scenario before, I appreciate the work so far and I understand we have a bit of the process to still go but I'm really concerned over and would love more details as to what is our plan for FY 26 and FY 27 I think if we're not actively looking at that as we're moving forward we are really missing the forest through the trees Louis Franco, 250 Arbor Street I just want to clarify one major thing - the Select Board hasn't said anything, the Chairman of the Select Board sent an email. There are five members on that board, it's a body so the Select Board hasn't said anything, and I’m here listening. For the people that don't know I'm the Vice Chair of the Select Board and I am I'm listening. I don't know what the solutions are; I'm here collecting data, I'm a big supporter of public education and I say that as a person who has a child who never attended Lunenburg Public Schools. He's in college now. I support the public schools it was better for him to do what he did, but that doesn't mean I ignore the public schools and I agree with Mr. Sculimbrene, that yes where the rubber meets were very pragmatically speaking that is a good case to make and I've thought about that too. That you make the case to people that their property values do increase when their school system is good, but there's a much more abstract and to me more important reason and maybe this doesn't sell with a lot of people but our constitutional republic depends on an educated populace and most people get their education from public schools, so we have to support the public schools we are all customers of the public schools the entire populace and I robustly support them now. I don't know what that means in terms of any kind of override talk or anything like that, but I'm just telling you that I'm receptive, I'm listening, the Select Board's made up of five people. Kara Harunkiewicz 165 Gilchrest Street I wanted to address some concerns from a student who's in the building some of the things that you guys have said regarding maintenance we're all already having things that aren't being fixed appropriately, Miss York, the Latin teacher, her room has had a leak in the ceiling for years and they just keep replacing the tile, so I don't think cutting maintenance should be the right move when we're already struggling to keep up with our maintenance. Another thing is a lot of high school students are working in that extended day program and I've seen a lot of them walking there to go to work, so putting it at the Primary School might not make sense, while I understand the transportation but would there be a way to even flip the bussing so that way you're doing the same exact thing but at the Turkey Hill which is a walkable area from the high schools. The music electives they have higher numbers than those band and chorus programs and I'm a student who is in band and choru but there are kids who that means a ===PAGE 8=== 1025 Massachusetts Avenue, Lunenburg, Massachusetts 01462 978 582-4100 ~ fax 978 582-4103 lot to I know people who want to go into sound recording, so a class like Music Tech would be the perfect class for them, so why are we cutting that especially when I highly doubt that the music program is eating up a whole lot of this budget but, it's just an easy thing to cut. Anna Lockwood 91 Main Street I don't currently have children in the school district but they were there for many years, so I waited for my comments because I wanted to see the updated presentation. Lunenburg has a long and well established history of spending little per pupil and still having an amazing school district and what's interesting is I actually knew that when I moved to town about 20 years ago, as part of my due diligence moving to town I was buying the local paper and that was also the year that we were opening the Library and the new Police Building, it was also the year that you started talking about the turf field, which was a volunteer-based effort at the time. My next point which is Lunenburg has a very long history of Volunteering Community participation, one thing I know it was true when my kids were at school was there used to be an option for parents to volunteer and to offer services as part of the school day-to-day life and I think perhaps that's something that can be explored that maybe we can go back to. As volunteers began the work for the turf, the teen center, Wallace playground it helps to make meaningful contributions to your school and community. I know you have a policy subcommittee one thing I would make a suggestion is perhaps you want to have a grant writing subcommittee we have a lot of people that are very talented in town that could volunteers to get grants. The Parks Commission have received a couple grants and it’s been done by volunteers. My last suggestion, I did hear commentary with the DPW requested a truck and it came in behind your truck so I can see why th e DPW director would suggest that you look for your own contracting services, but what I hear is the town is losing some of its energy on working together, so we may need to take a step back and it isn’t about who get the truck, but how that truck can work for multiple departments. You brought up that you could be reducing your maintenance staff, we have school facilities and we have town facilities and they are both very small groups, I feel that somewhere we should explore some synergy between the two de partments so we aren’t at a point of each having multiple pieces of the same equipment, but working together maybe we can reduce that and have the best for both. Sophia Mulè 139 Cove Road I have a few things to say but I want to say thank you for just calling this meeting it was labeled as an emergency meeting and it’s very good to inform the public I know I'm glad that I'm being informed about all this stuff and I also value it, and I want to recognize those on the school committee, they have a very difficult position here, I want to thank everyone who spoke on behalf of the music program that means a lot. I have a few more comments about the electives which Kara spoke a little bit about, they are more important than people may realize. I was put into a new elective that was just implemented this semester titled Music in Modern Media and it goes into Music Technology and the History of Music Film Literacy and all those things we had four people when that elective was implemented on the first day eight people showed up, there is more interests and it was not advertised in a great way but there is more interest. I plan on being a major in Sound Recording Technology, which is Music Technology in college and I can say without a doubt that we don't have too many resources for that in this school it's not a really a popular field I'm not going to lie, but, there are small things like electives that do support those people who are looking to maybe explore those things a little bit more as a department. We don't really have something as concrete, like an Athletic Director right we don't have that higher up person we don't necessarily need that kind of person, but you need that Athletic Director to have Middle School sports. If you cut out the fifth grade band you're basically projecting a setup to cut the numbers of the participants in mid dle school music so that cut would directly affect the numbers. In terms of cutting teacher positions right every department is losing a teacher whether that's from retirement or they have to reduce a position which is difficult however, the music department is the only department in the entire High School where there's actually only one teacher for that subject, there is one high school music teacher and there are two art teachers. Michael Harunkiewicz 165 Gilchrest Street. Thank you everyone from the superintendence office, the school administration, and the school committee for putting this meeting together and trying to look at alternative options to the original proposed cuts. I do want to reiterate the fact that we're looking at proposed cuts when we're in the bottom 10% of per pupil expenditure while still performing highly is just asinine all right there's no meat on the bone for us to be taking. I'm new to this so I don't know if it's our job as citizens and parents to necessarily initiate a proposition two and a half override or if we're supposed to rely on the school committee to work towards making those recommendations and although I respect the opinions that have been expressed by the school committee I do not appreciate the fact that five member committee is deciding what the political appetite of this town is when it comes to funding our schools. I think we should let the voters and the citizens of this town decide because I think most of us realize how important having a strong public school system is. I want to reiterate that not only are we at the lower 10% for per pupil expenditures but we're doing that as a small school with low enrollment so as you stated we have certain fixed costs that are going to be what they are regardless so I mean we're truly doing more with less. I've lived in communities before that they were threatened to lose their accreditation not because of the level of education that they were giving but because the school facilities had fallen into a state of disrepair because of under investments for decades on end and what had to happen were major capital investments to build new schools in order to save them. If Lunenburg loses accreditation our property values go to zero folks like I mean this is a real threat it's not just about our children and the community that we're raising them in, it's also about the investment that we've made. I'm here to do whatever is necessary to try to move forward to find out how we can appropriately fund our schools both in the short term and the longer term because as other people have said we're going to be in the same position fiscal year 26 fiscal year 27. If we just keep making cuts, at what point do we no longer have a school, do we no longer have a school community. I'd also advocate for looking at other options as well you mentioned that the transportation fees have risen exorbitantly most communities are charging people a transportation fee ===PAGE 9=== 1025 Massachusetts Avenue, Lunenburg, Massachusetts 01462 978 582-4100 ~ fax 978 582-4103 right; there’s no reason why the school as a whole be responsible for that, I mean if parents want their kids to take the bus you pay a fee right I mean things like that just getting creative to say how can we increase revenues without losing necessary staff. There’s no such thing as is 6 FTE right one person Ms. Archambault responds to one thing that you did say anybody can organize an override it doesn't have to come from this group just like anybody can bring something to town meeting, one woman decided that she didn't think we should be using those plastic reusable bags at the grocery store she got it changed. Anybody can bring an override so speak to like-minded people go talk to the Town Manager find out how to do it. Mrs. Hanscom reports some things were brought up earlier as options or suggestions, are things we currently are doing. We do fill out all necessary paperwork for Medicaid reimbursement, over the last two years we have been able to secure over $100,000 eac h year towards Medicaid reimbursement, but that money goes directly to the town and does not come into our budgets. That is something that is decided per town, whether monies will go back to the town or if it comes to the school districts. We do get reimbu rsed for transportation through Circuit Breaker, for our Special Education transportation, last year that was about $80,000. However, the extraordinary Relief Fund, we are not eligible for, I have been a part of Circuit Breaker since inception. I have never been able to take advantage of the Extraordinary Relief Fund in any district I have ever worked in, you need to have 100 -125% additional expenses above your budgeted Special Ed out of district, it is really meant for bigger schools. I think that's something we should tell the legislators because, that's what they told me when I asked them. I'm suggesting conversations because legislative staff they don't know the details of this kind of stuff, they just know the high level details. Say to them hey, it's great that there's this fund but Lunenburg doesn't qualify -so why don't we qualify, why aren't we changing the rules so that we do qualify. 12. Topics for Future Discussion 13. Adjournment Mr. Beardmore makes a motion to adjourn at 9:53, Ms. Brzozoski seconds the motion all approve via roll call Respectfully Submitted Courtney Fuller ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2024-02-07-agenda-6395.txt BOARD : school-committee DATE : 2024-02-07 KIND : agenda OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/school-committee/2024-02-07-agenda-6395.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_02072024-6395 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== 1025 Massachusetts Avenue, Lunenburg, Massachusetts 01462 978 582-4100 ~ fax 978 582-4103 REVISED MEETING NOTICE SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING Wednesday, February 7, 2024 Town Hall, 6:30pm Hybrid Meeting AGENDA School Committee Superintendent Carol Archambault, Chair Dr. Kate Burnham Brian Lehtinen, Vice Chair Anthony Sculimbrene-Secretary Laura Brzozoski Recording Secretary Peter Beardmore Courtney Fuller Guests: Julianna Hanscom-Director of Special Services _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ In accordance with the requirements of the Open Meeting Law, please be advised that this meeting is being broadcast live over the Lunenburg Public Access channel. Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86530494155 Meeting ID: 865 3049 4155 One tap mobile +13052241968,,86530494155# US +13092053325,86530494155# US This meeting will be broadcast live through the local access cable channel , and on the Public Access Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Lunenburg-Public-Access-Cable-157427270975305/) and will be found on the LunenburgAccess YouTube channel within 24 hours after the meeting.The agenda lists all the topics which may be discussed at the meeting and are 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 also be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by Open Meeting Law 1. Call to Order 12. Old Business 2. Pledge of Allegiance Discussion 3. Executive Session: To discuss the reputation, character, physical condition, or mental health, rather than professional competence of an individual, or to discuss the discipline or dismissal of, or complaints or charges brought against, a public officer, employee, staff member, or individual. 4. Public Comment a. FY25 Budget Update 5. Chair’s Report 13. Reports 6. FY25 Budget Q & A 14. Public Comment 7. Review & Approve Minutes 15. Topics for Future Discussion a. Regular Session 1-3-24, 1-17-24, 12-20-24 16. Adjournment 8. Review & Approve Warrants & Line Item Transfers a. Warrant Total 1/23/24 to 1/29/24 $87,144.85 9. Superintendent’s Report . 10. Student Representative’s Report 11. New Business Action a. FY25 School Choice b. FY25 School Calendar c. FY25 Preschool Tuition Increase d. Donation e. Donation of Days f. Appointment of Paraprofessional Representative for Negotiations Discussion g. Chapter 766 School Approval h. ACE Program and MAICIE Lunenburg Public Schools Dr. Kate Burnham, Superintendent of Schools