# school-committee — 8 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 : 2026-03-10-minutes-7706.txt BOARD : school-committee DATE : 2026-03-10 KIND : minutes OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/school-committee/2026-03-10-minutes-7706.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_03102026-7706 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== Tri Board Meeting Minutes March 10, 2026 Page 1 of 10 Town of Lunenburg Select Board Meeting Minutes School Committee Meeting Minutes Finance Committee Meeting Minutes Town Hall, 17 Main Street Tuesday March 10, 2026, 7:30 PM Note: References to the Tri-Board in the context of this meeting refer to Finance Committee, School Committee and Select Board Select Board Members Present: Vice-Chair Amanda Moore, Clerk Renee Emkey, Member Brian Lehtinen, Member Glenn McLeod (Absent- Chair Caesar Nuzzolo) School Committee Members Present: Chair Anthony Sculimbrene, Vice-Chair Laura Brzozoski, Secretary Mandy Gilman, Member Emily Young Finance Committee Members Present: Chair Chris Menard, Vice-Chair Jean Russell, Clerk Tom Gray, Member Tanya Dall, Member Jay Simeone, Member Ana Lockwood (Absent- Member Mike Rupp) Tri-Board Moderator: Tim Murphy, Town Moderator Also Present: Town Manager Jennifer Warren-Dyment, School Superintendent Dr. Jodi Fortuna, and School Business Manager Christopher McNamara CALL TO ORDER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE The meeting was called to order by Tim Murphy, who served as Moderator at 7:30 PM. He asked everyone to stand and address the flag for the Pledge of Allegiance. Mr. Murphy provided an overview of the open meeting law requirements, noting that the meeting was being recorded and broadcast live over the Lunenburg Public Access channel, Facebook Live, and would be uploaded to the Lunenburg Access YouTube channel after the meeting. After the Pledge, Mr. Murphy invited each Chair to officially open their respective meetings. Each board chair officially opened their meetings, with School Committee Chair Anthony Sculimbrene calling his meeting to order, followed by Finance Committee Chair Chris Menard calling his meeting to order, and Select Board Vice-Chair Amanda Moore calling her meeting to order. The Moderator also noted that Town Counsel Adam Costa was attending another meeting but would attempt to join via Zoom at some point during the proceedings, and that he might be recognized out of order to accommodate his availability. PUBLIC COMMENT Sarah Cammer, 304 Lancaster Avenue, addressed the board. She spoke not as a representative of any board she serves on, but purely as a resident and parent. Ms. Cammer opened by observing ===PAGE 2=== Tri Board Meeting Minutes March 10, 2026 Page 2 of 10 that Lunenburg has faced persistent budget challenges for as long as she has lived in town, roughly thirteen years, noting that even routine matters such as removing a hazardous street tree had been denied due to a lack of funds. She expressed appreciation that the Tri-Board was now addressing these issues collectively, calling it a positive development. Ms. Cameron reflected on the impact budget cuts have had on the schools over the years, including the elimination of a librarian position at the Primary school during her daughter's kindergarten year, a decision that contributed to her choice to remove her child from Lunenburg schools for a period of time. She stated that this decision, while ultimately beneficial for her child, separated her from the broader school community, an outcome she regretted. Turning to the substance of the FY27 budget, Ms. Cammer expressed her support for the Town Manager's budget requests, suggesting that the Town Manager had likely asked for less than was truly needed. She then directly addressed what she described as a troubling dynamic she had observed in both the School Committee meeting and the Finance Committee: a discussion about separating an override into tiers, with the suggestion that some departments, particularly the school, may be asking for too much. She argued that this framing reflected the very problem that has plagued the town for years: pitting the "town side" against the "school side." She stated emphatically that the schools and municipal services are part of one whole community, and that fragmenting an override based on distrust of any department's ask was counterproductive and harmful to the community as a whole. She cited that fifty percent of Lunenburg students are not meeting literacy targets, and called the school's requests for an interventionist, a kindergarten paraprofessional, a world language teacher, a teacher and paraprofessional for the bridge program, an English teacher, a part-time music teacher, an assistant principal, a literacy coach, and an assistant business manager entirely reasonable and defensible. Ms. Cammer also articulated her support for the Fire Department's fourth shift, stating that the town has needed it for years. She closed by warning that if the boards proceeded with a fragmented or piecemeal override strategy, she would urge residents to vote against all of the measures until the boards returned with a single, comprehensive override that addresses the full scope of town needs. FY27 BUDGET AND PROPOSITION 2 ½ OVERRIDE The Moderator opened the discussion by framing the central question before the Tri-Board: what form a Proposition 2½ override should take, and how it should be structured. School Committee Chair Anthony Sculimbrene was the first to address the Tri-Board. He opined that perhaps if the schools had requested a larger override two years ago, they would not be requesting as much now. He drew a parallel between the town's historical tendency to defer spending and the long-term costs that result. He used the air conditioning system at the Primary school as an illustrative example. In that case, the town had chosen not to install the system as originally designed during construction, and the subsequent cost of retrofitting it was exponentially higher. "We have always preferred to save a penny today even if it means we have to spend a dime tomorrow," he said. ===PAGE 3=== Tri Board Meeting Minutes March 10, 2026 Page 3 of 10 Chair Sculimbrene strongly advocated for an override large enough to carry the town through fiscal year 2028, noting the current economic uncertainty and potential recession. He observed that inflation has exceeded 2.5 % in virtually every month since approximately 2018, and argued that the town cannot count on external relief. He further commented that the picture was not going to get any better and that the School Committee had just learned that the District's federal entitlement grants had been cut by approximately $123,000, adding to the fiscal pressure. He argued that asking for only what is needed now would likely necessitate a return to the voters within two years, and urged the Tri-Board to think in terms of a longer-term solution. Finance Committee Member Ana Lockwood then spoke, recounting the failed 2012 override which she described as devastating. She stated that override had lost two to one and resulted in the Friday closure at the library and that staff took a ten percent salary reduction and given up hours. She noted that the more recent override in FY25, by contrast, was a smaller, targeted ask with no organized opposition and passed by only approximately 200 votes. She stated that her primary concern is not the amount of the override but the risk of failure. She argued that if an override was needed to maintain level services then that should be presented separately to the voters. She emphasized that she had not yet completed her own line-by-line review of the budget and therefore was unable to say whether she felt an override was needed to maintain level services as of yet. Her central argument was that whatever number is brought to the voters must have the best possible chance of passing, because the consequences of failure would be devastating. She commented that it was risky to put something in front of the voters that would not pass. School Committee Member Mandy Gilman followed, speaking with urgency about the timeline. Having worked in political campaigns throughout her career, she expressed alarm that the Tri-Board was still debating the structure of the override approximately six weeks before it would appear on the ballot, without a cuts budget, without a final override number, and without any meaningful public education effort underway. She stated, "We are currently waving in the wind six weeks before people are voting on this. We don't have a cuts budget. We don't have a list of things that are not going to happen. Nobody is paying attention." Member Gilman pushed back firmly against those who predicted that the previous override would not pass, noting that it succeeded because a committed group of parents invested significant time in direct outreach, standing in pickup lines, distributing flyers, and speaking with families at community events. She predicted the chance of an override passing, regardless of the figure, probably had a 50-50 shot. She called for the Tri-Board to settle on a number that evening if possible, warning that further delay was eroding the time needed to run an effective public education campaign. She predicted that voters would not be moved to vote based on $100 difference in their tax bill, but they would be moved to vote by knowing what would be cut if the override did not pass Select Board Vice Chair Amanda Moore introduced herself and agreed with Member Gilman's sense of urgency. She was careful to frame the conversation as one of structural math between available resources as opposed to competition between departments. She proposed a three-tiered framework for presenting the override to the community: first, a "balanced cut budget," representing the worst-case scenario with cuts across the board on both the school and town sides; second, a "core services override," a combined school and town ask with some reductions; and third, a full ===PAGE 4=== Tri Board Meeting Minutes March 10, 2026 Page 4 of 10 "restoration" override that would fund everything the school and town have requested. Vice Chair Moore acknowledged uncertainty about whether the full restoration override could pass, stating that she had heard concerns in the community about the larger number. She responded further to Member Gilman’s call for urgency in decision making, stating that the Select Board had not yet had the opportunity to go over the budget line by line as a collective and that additional budget workshop meetings have been scheduled for the Board to weigh in on the budget options as a body. Town Manager Jennifer Warren-Dyment provided during the discussion that the average single- family home in Lunenburg is assessed at $517,296, with a current FY26 tax bill of $7,444. The estimated impact of a $3,000,000 override on that average household would be an additional $636.27 per year, based on FY26 figures. She noted that the FY27 figure would be slightly higher once the standard 2.5 percent levy increase is applied on top. Select Board Clerk Renee Emkey spoke next and agreed that a balanced cut budget should be presented to the public, not as a scare tactic, but as an honest explanation of what would occur without an override. She supported a tiered override approach, describing it as a "plus and premium" model similar to fuel grades. However, she made clear that a true level-service override would not be sufficient, stating, "I don't think a true level service is enough. It's just there's too many critical gaps." She commented, “level services with a sprinkle of salt”. She cautioned against selecting a number for the override that members thought residents would pass as opposed to selecting a number based on justifiable needs. Member Emkey reiterated that the Select Board had several budget workshops scheduled to go line by line through the budgets. She also commented that the budgets were changing rapidly with the revenue figures having just been revised that day. Accordingly she was not prepared to commit a specific number to the override at this juncture. The Town Manager confirmed that revenues had been revised that same day, with investment income adjusted upward by $100,000 and motor vehicle excise tax by $75,000, meaning the balanced budget gap had narrowed somewhat. She also expressed concern for what happens in FY28 as the budget pressures were likely to continue. Member Emkey reaffirmed her intent to pursue a unified override with the schools- commenting that she had sat in the same room a year before and made that commitment. She returned to the schedule stating, that the Select Board had scheduled additional budget workshops on March 16 and March 23 to review the budget line by line. The Moderator then turned to members of the School Committee and inquired as to when they could be ready for final number. Chair Sculimbrene commented that the “cuts” budget would be presented on the 18 th. Member Gilman commented that she believed that the School had been waiting for the balanced budget figure from the Town Manager. The Town Manager responded that the school department had those figures for several weeks, but confirmed that the Superintendent had received the adjusted revenue (from investment income and motor vehicle excise tax) that day. Member Gilman commented that it would be helpful for the Select Board to publicly state they were planning for an override. Member Emkey commented on the lack of public engagement thus far. School Committee Vice Chair Laura Brzozoski spoke in favor of a single, unified override, arguing that the town is strongest when it approaches the challenge as one community. "We're one unit. We're one town." She expressed concern that a tiered structure would send the message that the ===PAGE 5=== Tri Board Meeting Minutes March 10, 2026 Page 5 of 10 higher-tier items, including positions the schools have identified as essential, are optional. She noted that the school's restoration budget was, in her view, already extremely conservative, restoring only positions that had been cut the prior year and whose absence has been demonstrably harmful to students. "Kids are in first grade once. They're in kindergarten once. They learn to read once. When we miss those windows, it affects them for the rest of their lives." She stated her preference for one override but acknowledged she could support whatever the body decided, as unity of message was itself important. Finance Committee Chair Chris Menard stated that he did not think that the group could walk out of the room with one number that night, but they could choose a structure. He stated that he trusted the data this year in a way he had not in prior years. He stated that they needed to continue to look at revenues. He stated that they could look at revenues to reduce the impact of the override but know that would impact Free Cash and other things. He presented a visual diagram he had prepared to illustrate the budget situation. He described the diagram as showing the FY26 budget as a baseline and went over the revenue sources. He showed that the revenue projection line, which increases modestly, cannot keep pace with the FY27 level-service budget. The gap between the revenue line and the level-service budget represents the amount that must be cut in a balanced budget scenario. He noted additional items shown in the diagram representing expanded service requests, including the fourth fire shift, an Assistant Town Manager, and the school's restoration budget items. Chair Menard reiterated that the Tri-Board should at minimum leave the meeting with a consensus on the structure of the override (one, two, or three questions) rather than a specific dollar amount, and said he personally was leaning toward recommending at least two override positions. He stated that a course should be charted and that the details of the budget could be discussed during the remainder of the month. Moderator Murphy asked when numbers could be finalized. Town Manager Warren-Dyment expressed frustration at the pace of the conversation, noting that both the school and town sides already have their balanced budget numbers and their request numbers, and that what staff need is direction from the elected boards: "We need to hear whether those numbers are what the override numbers are. We need to be reacting to you." She emphasized that staff are ready to produce the detailed documentation required, but they need the policy direction to do so. The Superintendent concurred. Member Lockwood responded that what she thought she heard was “level services with a sprinkle of salt”. She stated that she wanted to see the level services budget with the additional asks. She commented that she had sent the Town Manager 125 comments on the budget as well as her suggestions as to revenue. She said she would be “rigid about what is a level service” and that the town and school both had unused money in FY25. She commented that if the Town needed to borrow to get capital projects done, that was an available alternative. Member Gilman questioned whether if the pursuit is for a “bare bones level services override” would people be willing to be back next year again. Finance Committee Member Tom Gray urged the group not to over-engineer the process and to deal with the information they currently had before them. He argued that the best approach is honesty ===PAGE 6=== Tri Board Meeting Minutes March 10, 2026 Page 6 of 10 with the electorate: "We're just trying to deal with this year and we are going to try to deal with next year, next year." He acknowledged that he had watched the Fire Chief's budget presentation and found it informative, but commented how few members of the public had done so. He urged the boards to make a decision and commit to it, noting that public attention would not be captured until there are visible signs in the community and real information to react to. "We have to make decisions. We just can't sit there and pass it on." He also commented on the urgency, stating the group had been ahead of schedule, but was losing time. Member Emkey opined that true level services was not enough and that there were too many critical gaps. She acknowledged that the school needed an Assistant School Business Manager, that a principal should not be in a kindergarten class, and that she supported an Assistant Town Manager. She questioned whether 4th shift fire would be considered level services or not. School Committee Member Emily Young noted that as a parent who had watched the prior override process from outside the committees, the most powerful motivating factor had been the sense that the community was acting together with the town and schools in unison. She said that unity in messaging would be a significant asset in building public support. Vice Chair Moore commented that she viewed the ask as “core services” as opposed to “level services”. She commented that she would be willing to make cuts in areas of the operating budget to support the addition of the 4 th shift fire. She would like a restoration budget to pass. Member Emkey commented that the needs have changed and that cuts are being made to support those changes. Vice Chair Brzozoski cautioned that the two tiers may suggest that the higher tier included optional items. She was concerned that there would be a suggestion that the things in the higher tier would be considered perhaps “unnecessary”. Additional discussion ensued about core vs. level services. Chair Menard offered that a level services option should be offered. Vice Chair Moore responded that she felt like certain cuts should be made to support core services and that is why the term core should be used. Member Lockwood commented that she felt like core services was the right direction as she believes in a “zero-base budgeting” approach. Folks should look at actuals and be strategic as opposed to adding 2 % to everything. Moderator Murphy suggested that a group get together to work on messaging. A distinction was made between campaigning and messaging. Chair Menard offered that the Chairs will meet to discuss the messaging. Select Board Member Brian Lehtinen expressed support for a single override number and noted that if parents and students are directly engaged and asked to show up, they will come, as demonstrated in prior elections. He agreed that the numbers should be ready by the end of March and that the numbers must be justified and reviewed by the Finance Committee. He stated that he does not believe a level-service-only override is appropriate, and that it is ultimately the school committee's responsibility to determine what the schools need and to put that number forward for voters to decide. On the question of one versus two tiers, he stated he would support a two-tiered structure ===PAGE 7=== Tri Board Meeting Minutes March 10, 2026 Page 7 of 10 only if it were tied to a multi-year projection, and that for a single-year ask, one number is cleaner and more defensible. He affirmed that it was not just about level services, it is about the services that are needed. Finance Committee Member Tanya Dall agreed with the consensus that the override should encompass both the schools and the town as one community, including the fire department. She emphasized that if a tiered approach is used, each tier must be accompanied by very specific data showing the dollar impact per household and the precise service implications of each option. Chair Sculimbrene offered that he thought parents would not be motivated to vote for an override that keeps the status quo if the status quo is not good. He commented on the recent student performance metrics. He said an override based on level services will not pass and that it should be a “core function” override. Telling people to “spend more money on something that is not working is not compelling”. He said he is leaning towards core override and then a restoration override, but not an override for just level services. Select Board Member Glenn McLeod addressed what he characterized as the broader systemic cause of the crisis: insufficient state investment in communities. He noted that more communities than ever are expected to seek overrides this year, and that simply passing overrides does not solve the underlying structural problem. He urged that any public messaging acknowledge that Lunenburg is struggling as a result of inadequate state funding and that residents should hold the state accountable. Vice Chair Brzozoski said that they have been lean for years and that there was nowhere else to cut from. She stated that they have not heard the “cuts” budget yet, but that there was nothing unnecessary in their budget. She reiterated that one override supports the message that this what we need. Member Emkey commented that the Town was offsetting additions to its budget by making cuts in other areas of the budget. She asked that the schools look at their top priorities and perform the same exercise to come up with a “sub-restoration” budget. The Moderator called for a straw poll on whether all members present supported placing an override on the ballot. All members present indicated their support. The Moderator confirmed that this was unanimous among those in attendance and noted for the record that it was a non-binding straw poll. The Moderator then called for a straw poll on the structure of the override: one number, or two numbers. The count yielded approximately seven members in favor of a single override number and five members in favor of two numbers. The Moderator acknowledged the near-even split and noted that several members were absent, including Select Board Member Caesar Nuzzolo, who was away on National Guard duty. While waiting for Town Counsel to join, the Town Manager discussed override options and mechanics with the members. She stated that many communities are thinking outside of the box when it comes to the override approach. She suggested to start with defining what you want the ===PAGE 8=== Tri Board Meeting Minutes March 10, 2026 Page 8 of 10 structure to look like. The Moderator asked if anyone in the group was against either approach of an override (single vs. tiered). Member Lockwood commented that she was opposed to bringing forward a single override number. She stated that her children suffered from the failure of the 2012 override. She called the prospect of repeating that outcome “extremely dangerous” and "reckless," and argued that the voters of Lunenburg have historically supported schools, citing the approval of a new school building shortly after the 2012 override failure. Member Lehtinen reiterated support for a single number and suggested removing emotion from the process: the School Committee identifies its needs, the Finance Committee reviews the numbers, and the Select Board puts the article to the voters. Member Gray urged the group to commit: "Pick a number and go with it, and then be forceful and educate the people." Vice Chair Moore expressed concern about a single override. Member Dall expressed concern about a "trust issue" with residents stemming from recent years' budgetary events, and argued that having two options on the ballot could be framed as transparency and a good-faith effort to work with the community rather than a sign of indecision. Chair Menard commented that he hoped that all would support the Select Board’s decision regardless of what that decision may be. After some technical difficulty establishing audio, Town Counsel Adam J. Costa joined the meeting via telephone from his vehicle, having been at another meeting. The Moderator briefed him on the central question before the Tri-Board. Town Counsel Costa observed that the current override season is shaping up to be exceptionally busy, potentially surpassing even last year, which he described as unprecedented in his twenty years of practice. He noted that municipalities are actively seeking creative approaches but that the stringent statutory requirements governing Proposition 2½ overrides create real risk when communities try to deviate from traditional methods. He stated that he had recently had multiple conversations with the lead general counsel for the Division of Local Services (DLS) at the Massachusetts Department of Revenue regarding non-traditional override structures, and that even in those conversations, answers were not always definitive. He observed, "Thinking outside the box carries with it some risks." He reported that despite extensive internal discussion of tiered overrides, multi-year overrides, stabilization fund overrides, and other creative variations, most communities ultimately land on something "tried and true" in a general purposes override or a categorical override. Those approaches are the ones that voters understand and that can be executed without legal uncertainty. He said that communities seem to gravitate toward simplicity when the stakes are high. Member Emkey asked Attorney Costa to address the rules governing what elected officials and public employees can do in terms of informing the public about an override, conducting surveys, and using public access television. Town Counsel Costa responded that while he did not have all relevant materials in front of him, he could speak in general terms. He stated that the law regulates conduct, not speech, and that local officials are permitted to take positions on override questions ===PAGE 9=== Tri Board Meeting Minutes March 10, 2026 Page 9 of 10 and speak publicly in favor of or in opposition to them. He stated the use of municipal funds or municipal resources (personnel, supplies, facilities) to promote or oppose a ballot question is what is prohibited. He noted that public employees may work on an override campaign on a volunteer basis on their own time in any capacity except fundraising. He further noted the existence of a specific statute, which he did not believe Lunenburg has adopted, that permits municipalities to send a one-page informational summary to voters regarding override questions. He committed to providing specific guidance documents through the Town Manager, including materials from the Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF) and the Attorney General's office. Regarding Member Emkey's question about a public survey or poll, Town Counsel Costa indicated his belief that gathering information from residents through a poll is distinguishable from advocating on a ballot question, and that it is likely permissible, though he would confirm this in writing. Chair Sculimbrene asked for clarification on whether, as a School Committee member, he could tell parents that they should come to town meeting with a sponsor and vote for an override article. Town Counsel Costa read directly from the DLS Proposition 2½ guide: "The law regulates conduct and not speech. Thus, while local officials can take a position on an override or exclusion question and can speak in favor of or in opposition to it, they cannot spend public funds or use public resources such as personnel, supplies, and facilities to promote or oppose the question. Public employees may work on an override question or exclusion campaign on a volunteer basis on their own time in any capacity other than fundraising." He opined that providing informational context to parent groups, such as explaining town meeting procedures and the role of a sponsor, would not run afoul of the law, though he would verify this against available guidance. Member Emkey confirmed the key timeline constraint: the ballot question language must be submitted to the Town Clerk by April 11, 2026, which is thirty-five days prior to the election. Town Counsel Costa confirmed this, and also confirmed that if the override question fails at the ballot, the town has the option of bringing it back for a special election, provided that occurs prior to September 15th for appropriations made at the Annual Town Meeting. He noted that the thirty-five day notice requirement applies to each subsequent election as well. Town Counsel Costa also confirmed that the specific dollar amount does not need to appear in the printed warrant; it needs to be contained in the motion on the floor, but the motion's dollar figure must match the ballot question. Town Manager Warren-Dyment confirmed the April 11th deadline is to the Town Clerk's office, not a board vote. The Moderator thanked Town Counsel Costa for attending under difficult circumstances, and he disconnected from the meeting. Following Town Counsel Costa's departure, the Moderator attempted to bring the conversation to a close and identify next steps. He noted that the straw poll on one versus two overrides had yielded a near-even split, and that the group was not yet in a position to reach a binding conclusion. Member Gilman expressed urgency about the need to begin at least some form of public communication, proposing that the Tri-Board put out a statement indicating that an override is ===PAGE 10=== Tri Board Meeting Minutes March 10, 2026 Page 10 of 10 necessary. Vice Chair Moore raised concern about taking a formal vote without Select Board Chair Caesar Nuzzolo present, as he would be returning from National Guard service later that week. The Town Manager suggested that rather than taking a formal vote, each individual member and committee could use their own platforms to communicate that the Tri-Board had met and is actively working on the FY27 budget, noting that there is nothing improper about doing so. The Moderator noted that the April 11th ballot language deadline effectively means the Tri-Board must arrive at a final number by the end of March or very early April, and encouraged the chairs to keep that constraint front of mind. PUBLIC COMMENT Sarah Cammer of 304 Lancaster Avenue, returned to the podium for a second public comment period. She addressed the Tri-Board as a parent, stating that the schools are "not starting this process on equal footing with the town," noting that new hires had occurred on the municipal side in the prior year while the schools had been cutting positions. Referring directly to the diagram Chair Menard had presented earlier, Ms. Cammer took issue with the labeling of the school's restoration budget items in the highest tier, particularly the items listed as "x, y, z." She identified those items specifically: an English teacher and part-time music teacher to ensure adequate time-on-learning at the high school and middle school, an assistant principal, a literacy coach, and an assistant business manager. "These aren't x, y, z items to me," she stated. Chair Sculimbrene exited the meeting prior to end of the public comment period. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Member Lockwood to adjourn the Finance Committee meeting. Seconded by Member Dall. Call for the vote: Six-aye. The motion passed unanimously (6-0-0). Motion by Member Gilman to adjourn the School Committee meeting. Seconded by Member Young. Call for the vote: Three-aye. The motion passed unanimously (3-0-0). Motion by Member Lehtinen to adjourn the Select Board meeting at 9:53 p.m. Seconded by Vice-Chair Moore. Call for the vote: Four-aye. The motion passed unanimously (4-0-0). Respectfully Submitted, Jennifer Warren-Dyment, Town Manager These Minutes were reviewed and approved by the Select Board on: Tuesday June 16, 2026. ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2026-03-18-agenda-7719.txt BOARD : school-committee DATE : 2026-03-18 KIND : agenda OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/school-committee/2026-03-18-agenda-7719.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_03182026-7719 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== 129 Northfield Rd, Lunenburg, Massachusetts 01462 978 582-4100 ~ fax 978 582-4103 SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING Date: Wednesday, March 18, 2026 Time: 7:00 PM Location: LMS Collaborative Room #D132 Broadcast Status: HYBRID MEETING (in person and on Zoom) AGENDA School Committee Superintendent Anthony Sculimbrene, Chair Dr. Jodi Fortuna Laura Brzozoski, Vice Chair Mandy Gilman, Secretary Recording Secretary TBD, Member Courtney Fuller Emily Young, Member Guests: Christopher McNamara -Business Administrator , Carla Squier -Primary School Principal , Tim S antry-LMHS Principal, Norman Yvon-THES Principal, Christopher Stevens-Director of Facilities 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. Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83227847126 Meeting ID: 832 2784 7126 local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kdspPfhHCb This meeting will be broadcast at a later date through the local access cable channel and on the Public Access Facebook page (h ttps://www.facebook.com/Lunenburg-Public-Access-Cable-157427270975305/) and will be found on the Lunenburg Access 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 (3 min) 11. Public Comment for Issues Discussed Tonight 2. Pledge of Allegiance (3 min) 12. Reports from Sub-Committee 3. Public Comment for Prior Issues (3 min) 13. Topics for Future Discussion 4. Chair’s Report (3 min) 14. Adjournment 5. Student Representative’s Report (3 min) 6. Review & Approve Minutes (3 min) a. Regular Session 1/21/26 7. Review & Approve Line Item Transfers, Warrants 2/25/26 to 3/11/26 $298408.51 & Donations-Beth Curtis Scholarship (3 min) a. Warrants 8. Superintendent’s Report (3 min) 9. New Business Action a. Final Approval Greece Trip (3 min) b. FY27 Extended Day & ELC Handbooks (3 min) c. PEC-Health Insurance Opt Out (3 min) 10. Old Business Action a. FY27 Budget (3 min) Lunenburg Public Schools Dr. Jodi Fortuna, Superintendent of Schools ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2026-03-18-minutes-7719.txt BOARD : school-committee DATE : 2026-03-18 KIND : minutes OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/school-committee/2026-03-18-minutes-7719.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_03182026-7719 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== 1025 Massachusetts Avenue, Lunenburg, Massachusetts 01462 978 582-4100 ~ fax 978 582-4103 MEETING MINUTES SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING Wednesday, March 18, 2026 LMHS 7:00 – Hybrid School Committee Superintendent Anthony Sculimbrene Chair - Present Dr. Jodi Fortuna Laura Brzozoski, Vice Chair - Present Mandy Gilman, Secretary – Present Emily Young, Member - Present Member,TBD Recording Secretary Courtney Fuller Guests: Christopher McNamara – Business Administrator, Carla Squier – Primary School Principal, Tim Santry, LMHS Principal, Norman Yvon – THES Principal, Christopher Stevens – Director of Facilites In accordance with the requirements of the Open Meeting Law, please be advised that this meeting is being recorded and broadcast 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 at 7:00 by Mr. Sculimbrene 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Public Comment Ms. Brzozoski We need people to run for office, I'm not just talking about school committee. I'm talking about town wide. Up for election this year is select board, sewer commission, board of health, assessors, school committee, park commission, commissioner of trust funds, cemetery commission, library trustee, planning board, and housing authority. Some of those positions have nobody running for them. I know for us there are three seats up for election for school committee and there are only two people running for three seats. So we need people to run. You have until March 26, which is next week, to pull the papers. You go to the town clerk's office, get a form, you collect 50 signatures, you return it by Saturday, May 28th at 5:00 p.m., and then your name will be on the ballot. That's the easiest way to do it outside of caucus, which has already happened. If you need help getting signatures, you can email me and I will help you. And there are other people in town who will help you get 50 signatures if that sounds like a large task. This town is run by volunteers. If you're unhappy about how things work, you can make changes. This is a concrete action that you can take in your local community. I highly recommend that if you're watching tonight and you're upset by things, to consider running for office. Number two, tonight is going to stink. No one will be happy. We will all be upset. We sustained massive cuts last year. Cuts that affected our students in concrete, demonstrable ways. Cuts that put immense strain on the reduced staff. I cannot understand how we're going to possibly cut more. But we have to look at a balanced budget. That is our responsibility. We have to do it. The important thing I wanted to say was I am so grateful for our Lunenburg teachers and staff. This is what makes Luneburg schools great. You guys are the reason we have managed this long with so little. Your Lunenburg Public Schools Dr. Jodi Fortuna, Superintendent of Schools ===PAGE 2=== 1025 Massachusetts Avenue, Lunenburg, Massachusetts 01462 978 582-4100 ~ fax 978 582-4103 creativity, your dedication, and your caring for our students and for each other, is much appreciated. And I'm saying that as me, a school committee member, who is constantly impressed with what I see, and as a parent who has seen firsthand how talented and dedicated you all are. Third thing and last thing is that May 2nd is town meeting. You must go. Do not depend on other people showing up for you. This is not going to be an easy thing to get passed. No, it's not fun. It is always, for some reason, beautiful weather and the nice first Saturday in May. As parents, for some reason, it is a day that is constantly filled with every child having activities. It is a hard thing to attend. That is why historically parents don't go. But it is important you go. It is too important for you to sit out and hope for the best. You are the best hope. This is directly a way that you can make the town better. You can make our kids' lives better. This is one of the few times that we as citizens have a vote that very much counts. Saturday, May 16th is the town election. You must show up and vote in that election. You have to. An override needs to pass at town meeting and then it needs to pass at the polls. It needs to meet both of those obstacles in order to pass. It barely passed last time. Your individual vote will matter. Those individual votes absolutely mattered. So, I want everyone to put the dates in your calendar now. Saturday, May 2nd and Saturday, May 16th, put them in your calendar. May 2nd is the not fun day. That's going to take a lot of hours. May 16th, you just need to be in town and spend a few minutes voting. But both of those things are really important. You need to spread the word too because not a lot of people watch this as compared to who we need to show up. 4. Chairs Report – I want to make everyone aware all of the committees are working together, behind the scenes to try and things ready. We are working really hard to get everything ready for our side, so when we have the next tri-board meeting, we will be ready to go. I know the select board is working very hard. One of the things I want to highlight is that according to the budget presented last Monday, the fourth shift fire department two days ago, has moved from an override item to a regular budget item, while I understand the necessity of that, from my perspective as chair, it greatly weakens the ability for the override to pass. I wish that wouldn’t have happened, I understand why it happened, I understand the fire department still has needs, but it is hard to be this late in the process and have that big of a change. I am concerned that it will impact turnout and the vote count in a way that is bad. I am also a little concerned that this structure of the override has not been set, the amounts have not been set, hopefully, and when we finish tonight everything will be in. This is been a very difficult process and I am more concerned now than before. Renee Emkey, 6 Iris Court – Speaking as myself, I want to clarify one thing about the fourth shift fire that is in the no override budget, The fourth shift is included in the override budget, the full ask of the fire department is not. The per diems were cut in half that impact is that we cannot man two ambulances in the no override budget, so that is the missing piece. This impacts safety and services of the town. 5. Student Representative Report – Primary School and Turkey Hill hosted STEM nights, MCAS are also coming up for Turkey Hill, Middle School, and High School. Prom tickets went on sale Monday and will be on sale for 2 weeks. Course registration has just opened for the high school. Kids are scared again about the budget. Districtwide, we are currently hosting a food drive 6. Review and Approve Minutes a. Regular session 1/21/26 Ms. Gilman makes a motion to approve the minutes, Ms. Young seconds the motion, Ms. Brzozoski abstains, motion passes. , 7. Review and Approve Line Items, Transfers, Warrants a. Line Item Transfers - None b. Warrants 2/25/26 – 3/11/26 $298,408.51 ===PAGE 3=== 1025 Massachusetts Avenue, Lunenburg, Massachusetts 01462 978 582-4100 ~ fax 978 582-4103 c. Donations – Beth Curtis Scholarship This scholarship was awarded to two, 2025 graduates, it was $500 each, this works out to be a payment to the student, as it different than the usual scholarship donations. Town Hall wants approval to pay this out, and we need your signatures for that to happen Ms. Gilman makes a motion to approve the donation/award to be paid out, Ms. Brzozoski seconds the motion all approve. 8. Superintendents Report The high school very nicely created a schedule that would not require the movement of graduation due to the terrifically wonderful winter wonderland we had this winter. So this will keep our graduation on the 6th and keeps us within guidelines for the 12 school days between senior dismissal and district dismissal. The schedule would be senior's last day will be Tuesday, June 2nd, Wednesday, June 3 would be the motorcade, Thursday, June 4th would be rehearsal, senior awards and dinner, Friday, June 5th is senior sunset, and Saturday, June 6 is graduation. Obviously, we didn't want to move to graduation because of the number of snow days, even though we had that option. So, I really want to thank um Mr. Santry and Ms. Tousignant for us, working out a flexible schedule so that we could keep graduation on the 6th. One more thing that I wanted to make sure that you are aware of for our handbooks and registrations for summer programs and our early learning center, and extended day. For summer camp, the application is going to be put up around 5:00 p. p.m. on April 27th. For extended day, 5:00 pm on May 11th, and for early learning center, 5:00 pm on May 18th. These are all Mondays. Extended day will run as it ran this year, the early learning center is located at Primary school and summer camp at the Primary school. And then you have some images that were just in our folder of students enjoying decodable readers, which you approved the grant funding for. So, we wanted to show you that they are being used and how much our students are enjoying them. 9. New Business Action a. Final Approval Greece Trip Ms Ayer represents tonight for Ms. Yourk and gives a summary of the agenda. Ms. Brzozoski makes a motion for final approval for the trip, Ms. Gilman seconds the motion, all approve b. FY 27 Extended Day and ELC Handbooks Ms McCarthy-Gillette reports information is all the same, the only changes are days that the Lunenburg School calendar changed. Ms. Gilman makes a motion to accept the handbooks, Ms. Brzozoski seconds the motion all approve. c. PEC Health Insurance Opt Out Negotiations between the town and PEC are coming to an end, which includes an enhancement to the Opt out program, Right now employees must enroll in the town’s health insurance for at least two years and then are eligible to opt out, when they opt out the receive a one year incentive of $2,000 for individual plan and $4,000 for a family plan. For the new proposed program, employees must enroll in the town’s health insurance for at least one year and then they are eligible to opt out, and will receive a $3000 for individual and $6,000 for family incentive payment. Ms. Brzozoski makes a motion to approve the Superintendent to move forward with the opt-out program, Ms. Young seconds the motion, all approve. 10. Old Business Action a. FY Budget The superintendent goes through the reductions and increases that have been made in the proposed budget, with explanations. The committee discusses their override structure preferences. Mr. Sculimbrene makes a motion to provide the selectboard with one number for the override, Ms. Brzozoski seconds the motion all approve. The committee will draft a letter to clarify they believe it is in the best interest to have one number for the override, and for that number to be $1,601,140. Ms. Gilman makes a motion to accept the core budget as our suggestion to the select board for the override number, Ms. Brzozoski seconds the motion ===PAGE 4=== 1025 Massachusetts Avenue, Lunenburg, Massachusetts 01462 978 582-4100 ~ fax 978 582-4103 all approve The committee continues to discuss the projected reality budget, which will be the results is there is no override. The list of cuts and consequences are reviewed. The committee decides they do not accept the budget as it has been presented Ms. Gilman makes a motion to accept the balanced budget as proposed minus the athletic transportation, which the team will then make a recommendation that will accept. Ms. Young seconds the motion all approve 11. Public Comments for issues discussed tonight Renee EmKey, 6 Iris Court, speaking on behalf of myself, I first want to publicly thank the superintendent, Chris, and the town manager all who spent a lot of time Friday and over the weekend, looking at line items, expenses and looking into Munis and a lot of it was incorporated into the budget. Coming back to the fire conversation, I want to make it clear that in the no override budget that was discussed on Monday, it was a decision that the fire fourth shift career fire was a priority and we cut several departments to make that happen, library, additional fire, DPW, police, parks and rec, council on aging all took cuts. I want to be clear no one is happy with the no override budget. This is not what anyone wants. It is so critical that this override passes. We are not asking for money for frivolous things, we are not padding the budget. This year with all the new staff in place, it was a lot more work, but the work got done. I want the public to know that and to feel comfortable, the override that is presented is the override that is needed. If we go with the two tiers, it could be needed and then plus what we want. Public education is critical, this is a matter of priorities. We have to go to town meeting with a no override budget and present it, but we need to be very clear of what is lacking. Sarah Camer, 304 Lancaster Ave I wanted to speak here to parents who might be listening now. May 2 is a big sports day for a lot of people. I hope you are having a conversation with your student about how you might have to miss one of their athletic events. My daughter is going to states, I am not going, I have to go to town meeting. On average there are about 1540 students in Lunenburg, that means that every house sends 2.7 kids to school, that gives about 570 families assuming everyone is a single parent that means 570 parents need to be at town meeting and they need to vote for the budget and they need to get their extended family that live in town and they need to go to town meeting. The one at the beginning of the meeting, not the one that is causing all of us to tear up in this room tonight. I do find it really hard to believe that all the rest of the people in this town who may not be parents would jump on board with that budget either, maybe I am an optimist, I am an educator so I have to be optimistic. I have been working in climate change for a long time and I still think we can do something about that too. Having to talk about that balanced budget, the word “balanced” is wrong, that is the budget of no override, the budget of despair. We really as a town need to do better than that. We need to carry forward from your meeting today is what budget is essential, and that is what we need to talk about with the town, not the failures people have had in the past with overrides. It is not this group vs that group, it is what the whole town needs. I do believe that was part of the discussion at the select board with what the town needs budget-wise. Nobody wanted that first budget either, if you listen to that meeting they want the override also. We need to get this right the first time, this C budget is a good number, it is well designed and transparent and obvious that is what we need. Laura Barooshian, 389 Mulpus Road, here as a parent and as the president of the MusicGators. I want to thank you for everything you are doing. I think there is a different feel this year and how you are all working together and the conversations you are having. There is transparency, I don’t have to search for the budgets, and there is a hub on our town website that gives people, committees, and groups everyone’s budget, I think this is phenomenal for the public. We are at a crossroads, push has come to shove. These are the cuts that we are talking about at the end of 4 hours, 4 days later, and they will be the same thing next year. This is a rinse and repeat budget that is what is going to happen. This is the tip of the iceberg of what is going to happen. This impacts all of us, whether you have students in the school system now or in the past, you have benefited from your property tax, your property values go ===PAGE 5=== 1025 Massachusetts Avenue, Lunenburg, Massachusetts 01462 978 582-4100 ~ fax 978 582-4103 up. Look at the properties that are selling, I have a neighbor and saw the house for sale, we saw little kids and thinking, there is the next generation of Lunenburg. That is why we are here, whether we are here for music or chorus or arts or athletics, whatever it is, well-rounded students who go on and productive member of society, who can come back to our town and start that over again. That is our goal. We need to get there and this budget proposal that helps us get there and meet that goal. We need to be taking care of our kids. I have three other things on May 2nd but I will be sitting in the auditorium all day with the clicker and on the 16th, you just have to be there. The MusicGators appreciate this too, thank you for the restoring the music teacher back in, I will commit with my fellow officers to helping balance and make up for supplies, transportation and other needed things. Sarah Call, 11 Easterbrook Road I work at the Primary School and I am a parent of two high schoolers and a homeowner in town. The one thought that keeps coming back to me is last year we suddenly found almost $600,000 but then lost it and went to the town, I feel like before we move forward with another override, we should address how that money was lost and if there is a chance of getting it back. 12. Reports from Sub-Committees 13. Topics for Future Discussion 14. Adjournment Ms. Brzozoski makes a motion to adjourn at 10:46, Ms. Young seconds the motion all approve. Submitted Respectfully, Courtney Fuller ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2026-03-19-agenda-7718.txt BOARD : school-committee DATE : 2026-03-19 KIND : agenda OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/school-committee/2026-03-19-agenda-7718.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_03192026-7718 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== 129 Northfield Rd, Lunenburg, Massachusetts 01462 978 582-4100 ~ fax 978 582-4103 SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING NOTICE TRI-BOARD MEETING AGENDA Date: Thursday, March 19, 2026 Time: 7:05 PM Location: Town Hall –Bilotta Meeting Room Broadcast Status: In Person/Remote School Committee Superintendent Anthony Sculimbrene, TBD Dr. Jodi Fortuna Laura Brzozoski, Vice Chair Mandy Gilman, Secretary Recording Secretary TBD, Member Courtney Fuller Emily Young, Member In accordance with the requirements of the Open Meeting Law, please be advised that this meeting is being recorded and broadcast live over the Lunenburg Public Access channel, on Facebook Live on the Public Access Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Lunenburg-Public-Access-Cable-157427270975305/) and will be uploaded to the Lunenburg Access YouTube after the meeting. Additionally, please be advised that the Town of Lunenburg utilizes the Zoom platform as host for its hybrid and remote meetings; that the Zoom platform utilizes AI technology, known as "AI Companion," to create audio transcriptions of meetings to aid in the subsequent preparation of meeting minutes; and that AI Companion is activated immediately upon launching the Zoom application. You are hereby notified that this AI technology may capture audio prior to the start of the meeting and/or following the conclusion of the meeting. This meeting will be held in -person at the location provided on this notice. Members of the public are welcome to attend this in - person meeting. Please note that while an option for remote attendance and/or participation is being provided as a courtesy t o the public, the meeting will not be suspended or terminated if technological problems interrupt the virtual broadcast, unless otherwise required by law. Members of the public with particular interest in any specific item on this agenda should make plans for in -person vs. virtual attendance accordingly. The following information is also provided for members of the public that would like to participate in the meeting remotely: To Participate Remotely: From a computer, please use the link below to join the public meeting webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7663167607?omn=83933248201 or from a telephone, dial the toll free number (888) 475 -4499 and enter Webinar ID: 766 316 7607 # If you have not register ed with Zoom you will be asked for your name and an e -mail address. Note: No participant ID is needed, just press # when asked. Telephone users may dial *9 to request to speak after joining the meeting. Computer and app users may use the “raise hand” feature to request to speak. 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. I. TRI-BOARD CALL TO ORDER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE II. PUBLIC COMMENT- The Tri-Board seeks public comment on the FY27 budget. III. FY27 BUDGET AND PROPOSITION 2 ½ OVERRIDE IV. PUBLIC COMMENT VI. ADJOURN Note: a) References to the Tri-Board and Tri-Chair in the context of this meeting refer to Finance Committee, School Committee and Select Board b) Material discussed in the Tri-Board Meetings may be further deliberated in future, individual Committee meetings Lunenburg Public Schools Dr. Jodi Fortuna, Superintendent of Schools ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2026-03-23-agenda-7732.txt BOARD : school-committee DATE : 2026-03-23 KIND : agenda OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/school-committee/2026-03-23-agenda-7732.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_03232026-7732 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== 129 Northfield Rd, Lunenburg, Massachusetts 01462 978 582-4100 ~ fax 978 582-4103 SCHOOL COMMITTEE EMERGENCY MEETING Date: Monday, March 23, 2026 Time: 6:00PM Location: LMS Collaborative Room #D132 Broadcast Status: HYBRID MEETING (in person and on Zoom) AGENDA School Committee Superintendent Anthony Sculimbrene, Chair Dr. Jodi Fortuna Laura Brzozoski, Vice Chair Mandy Gilman, Secretary Recording Secretary TBD, Member Courtney Fuller Emily Young, Member Guests: Christopher McNamara-Business Administrator 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. Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7663167607?omn=81730698114 Meeting ID: 766 316 7607 One tap mobile +19292056099,,7663167607# US (New York) +13017158592,,7663167607# US (Washington DC) Join instructions https://us02web.zoom.us/meetings/81730698114/invitation s?signature=aR1cR9MHUpgUUfZwoGdTbXwOYg9kFOx AHICMs4_l40s The meeting will be broadcast at a later date through the local access cable channel and on the Public Access Facebook page (h ttps://www.facebook.com/Lunenburg-Public-Access-Cable-157427270975305/) and will be found on the Lunenburg Access 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 (3 min) 2. Public Comment for Prior Issues (3 min) 3. Chair’s Report (3 min) 4. Old Business Action a. FY27 Balanced Budget Vote Lunenburg Public Schools Dr. Jodi Fortuna, Superintendent of Schools ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2026-03-23-minutes-7732.txt BOARD : school-committee DATE : 2026-03-23 KIND : minutes OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/school-committee/2026-03-23-minutes-7732.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_03232026-7732 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== 1025 Massachusetts Avenue, Lunenburg, Massachusetts 01462 978 582-4100 ~ fax 978 582-4103 MEETING MINUTES EMERGENCY SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING Monday, March 23, 2026 LMHS 6:00 – Hybrid School Committee Superintendent Anthony Sculimbrene Chair - Present Dr. Jodi Fortuna Laura Brzozoski, Vice Chair - Present Mandy Gilman, Secretary – Present Emily Young, Member - Absent Member,TBD Recording Secretary Courtney Fuller Guests: Christopher McNamara – Business Administrator In accordance with the requirements of the Open Meeting Law, please be advised that this meeting is being recorded and broadcast 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 at 6:00 by Mr. Sculimbrene 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Public Comment Ms. Gilman makes a motion to extend the public comment section past 10 minutes, Ms. Brzozoski seconds the motion, all approve Casey McDonnell, 1024 Mass Ave I'm a teacher at Luneburg High School and I'm also the head football coach. I want to be very clear as the football coach, I'm not here trying to protect my puppy. I understand everybody needs to take some cuts and I'm in complete agreement with that, however, I strongly believe that a more creative avenue for further conversation needs to be had about the athletic transportation. It's a liability nightmare waiting to happen with what we're talking about by just making it completely cut. In my opinion, this fall I'm going to have 40 kids in the football program and I shudder at the idea that we are going to carpool and figure out rides to places like Gardner, Fitchburg, Worcester, Leicester, etc. There needs to be some sort of alternative option. I know Emily had talked about a one-way transportation last week, I have even talked with other coaches in the area about other programs that have done the purchase of one or two vans or buses. I'm going to leave them anonymous, but direct quotes that I've gotten from other coaches in other athletic programs in the area, “any school that wants to save money finds a way to get a van or two to supplement their travel”. Another coach that told me, "It's absolutely worth it. I would recommend every school having one. It paid for itself within two years”. Whatever argument against it, whether it be insurance, whatever the case may be, I promise you it is less than any lawsuit or liability that could fall back on Miss Burns, the coaches, myself. We can talk about if parents can be the ones that are responsible for bringing the kids to these games, but that's out of our control. And I don't want us to be on the other end of when a kid throws four other kids into his pickup truck, drives out to an away game that we told him to go Lunenburg Public Schools Dr. Jodi Fortuna, Superintendent of Schools ===PAGE 2=== 1025 Massachusetts Avenue, Lunenburg, Massachusetts 01462 978 582-4100 ~ fax 978 582-4103 to, and something bad happens. It is a legal nightmare. There are liabilities there that weigh far more financially and emotionally than us just being able to figure it out. I have full confidence and faith in our extracurricular community. I'm including band and music into this when I say this that we could come together and be able to raise funds and aid in the effort if needed. Like I said, it just requires more of a conversation and willingness to explore more creative options besides parents and families helping us to figure it out. Nathaniel Ayles, student athlete, I have comments on the busing, all of us understand how expensive busing is, but cutting both sports and band transportation from our budget would unfairly limit student access to essential extracurricular activities that build teamwork, discipline, and school pride. Many students rely on school provided transportation to participate, and without it, those who cannot drive or lack other options would be excluded, creating inequality among the student body. Athletics and music programs are not just extras, they contribute to students’ physical health, creativity, and overall academic success. Removing transportation risks lower participation, weakening school culture, and taking away opportunities that help students grow beyond the classroom Chris Sullivan, 108 Highland Street, I am not jealous or envious of anything you guys had to do here. I think Lunenburg needs to focus on educating our students and our obligation to do that. Our obligation should be educate the entire student that includes extracurricular activities. Classroom first and foremost obviously and it goes without saying but I'm a firm believer that athletics and other extracurricular here at Lunenburg play a significant role in student development and the life experiences extend far beyond the classroom. I have two students here at the high school a sophomore and a senior and those extracurricular directly impact their social and emotional well-being, they establish long-term relationships and friendly bonds. It builds their college resumes, it helps them understand what it means to be part of something special, to be part of something more than just your individual self. I haven't heard much in the way discussion of cutting middle school sports. I'm not sure where we're at with middle school sports if they're completely off the table, but when I looked at Dr. Fortuna's slide that came out today, we're talking about $2,400 for the ski team, $3,300 for golf, $4,200 for girls lacrosse, that's $9,976. We're presently spending $14,415 on middle school sports. There's a $4,439 difference between the two. I would be a proponent of cutting middle school sports before I would anything to do with varsity sports. Cutting varsity sports can have direct implications on kids’ college opportunities, not sure if you're aware, but our varsity lacrosse goalie is a D1 commit to Cal Berkeley next year, that opportunity goes away if we don't have opportunity here for girls to play lacrosse. Two of the sports that we're talking about, my son plays, so it hit me like a ton of bricks this morning when I got that email. He's been on the golf team since the eighth grade, he’s been on the ski team for two years. Ski team is a co-op. I'm not sure if we can look at other schools taking that on. Golf, I don't know what the solutions are, but we're talking about impacting kids opportunities here to enjoy school, to be off screens, to not be going home directly after school, to build these bonds. I think that's a travesty that we are here talking about that tonight. I know we got to talk about the position, athletic trainer, not the person, Dave obviously has established a great relationship with students but whoever the trainer is, the fact that kids have somebody here full-time that they can rely on for safety, for their health, and their emotional well-being is huge. Someone that's not here full-time, I can speak to it directly. My first track meet of the season this year, my daughter pulled her hamstring, she came home distraught, totally upset. Senior year, down and out, not sure what to expect. She realized that Dave was up at the school at a basketball game. She immediately came up to the school that night, saw Dave, came home with a stim machine for the weekend to start getting herself rehabbed, and then was able to get back to compete at states at the end of the season where they won the state title for the school. The impact that a trainer can have at a school on a full-time basis is huge. Not having a trainer here full-time is a massive detriment to our program here at the school ===PAGE 3=== 1025 Massachusetts Avenue, Lunenburg, Massachusetts 01462 978 582-4100 ~ fax 978 582-4103 Jim Broden, Ski Team Founder I’ve been involved with the ski team for over 20 years. What I would propose that we could do is if we raised that money, would you keep the team? We've done that before, we were a completely self-funded team and I believe that we could raise that money. If that wasn't an option the second thing that we could do is to go talk to Leominster High School and Littleton High School and ask if they want to be the host teams. We do not use school transportation and we make it work, everyone has insurance. When I started the team we did look up in the Massachusetts law if a parent has over $100,000 of liability insurance they can drive. So we've never had any issues with that. I think if it's no cost, we should be able to keep it. So that's what I propose. And it's really no different than when all the kids are younger, we pay for all of their sports and we believe that we could continue to do that. For the first 12 years that I was the coach, I had all of the funding. It was all reported to the athletic director at the end of each season and we had no problems with it. So, I hope you take that into consideration. Anna Lockwood I want to thank Mr. Broden for his comments, my daughter did the ski team when he was the coach and it was a self-funded sport, there was no cost to the school district at that point to have that team running. I think as parents we can do that again. I am looking for ways to support the school department and continue everything that's good about Lunenburg. I'd love to support any team including the golf which my son played as well. I made a comment earlier to a school committee member it's not that we don't want to support the sports I think we need to be pragmatic about it and if sports have less than number of kids then school department will not provide transportation might be a good rule to go by, so that we'll be funding sports that maximize the most benefit to the most kids. I was also very appreciative of the chair on that our last meeting where he said you know we need to focus on education. As hard as it is to admit to this, the outcome of any kid on their educational journey really has to do with social economics. I think we need to focus on doing the basics and doing the basics very well during difficult times and provide good education for the children. While the extracurricular benefits children but not as many I think we need to be frugal about it. So I do think I support the chair on his comments on focusing on education. I hope everything can stay. I hope parents can step up and gosh, I can step up, too. This is not easy. I don't envy you. Unfortunately, it seems to be a cycle that we go through every 10 years or so. Matt Snyder 985 Flat Hill Road I agree with and appreciate everything everybody said to date. I would argue that unfortunately education first doesn't go without saying because I think that is one of the areas we cut the most, because we don't want to lose some of the extracurricular items and the things that make a potentially better-rounded student. So, I think it does need to be said over and over again that the education does have to come first and we might need to make some difficult decisions in other areas. My kids happen to play sports and they're in the band. They're both very academically successful. We're going to be impacted no matter what we cut, right? It doesn't matter. So, I'm not here to make a plea for my own self- interest or anything like that. I'm really not even here to make a plea to you folks. I know this is a difficult and challenging decision. It's really a plea to the town, we keep going through this. I know the previous speaker said we go through this every 10 years. We're going through this every year right now. It's not every 10 years. It's every year, and the problem is that we either don't ask for enough money when we go for an override or we wait too long to ask for money when we go for an override. We make these death by a thousand paper cut type moves, we dwindle away what our school system offers and then eventually we pass a band-aid fix that solves that year. The next year we're making the same conversation. Maybe an override gets us a couple years, but it's rare in my time in town that we're passing an override that significantly carries the town to the next. We need to help change the mindset in town that if we're demonstrating a financial burden and a financial need, we need to fund that financial burden and financial need or we're going to lose programming and that you can't have all the programming you want without funding it. There's no way around it, so we're watching a slow fade turn into a rapid fade of services. Everything's falling off the edge right now, we're like lemmings. It's just everything's going right over the edge. When we came to town, we had a shop program. We had all kinds of things. We built a brand new ===PAGE 4=== 1025 Massachusetts Avenue, Lunenburg, Massachusetts 01462 978 582-4100 ~ fax 978 582-4103 school and didn't have a shop because we had to cut the shop. We now can't have a shop because we don't have a space to put it, the band has been under threat every year. Our son has played in a band of like six kids, right? We're finally seeing that return. Some of that was COVID. A lot of that was funding. A lot of that was cuts in the lower levels. A prior speaker talked about cutting middle school sports. Yeah, that's an option, but those are feeder programs that feed into your high school sports. So, you start cutting the lower level sports, your feeder programs go away. Sure, there's town sports. Sure, there's programs that people can put their own kids into programs, but if it's not run through the public schools, it's the people who can't afford it who can't do it. So, it's the haves and have nots. I graduated from one of the smallest public high schools in all of Massachusetts, it probably still is. We had one honors class. We had one AP class. We did still have a shop program. I don't know how, but basically you had two offerings maybe of each subject at each grade level throughout. As far as sports, we had a single sport per season per gender, right? We had a boys’ soccer, girls’ soccer, we had boys’ baseball and girls’ softball. We had very few extracurricular offerings there. When I went off to college, I was woefully unprepared in my exposure and background. I managed to be a successful student. I'm not going to say it was in spite of my education. I think I would have succeeded just aptitude, but my high school did not prepare me for college. Lunenburg is definitely heading down the path of not preparing its kids for college if we keep cutting programs. And it's not sports. It's not band. It's not education. It's all of it. So, it's not a message to you folks, you're doing what you can to fit a square peg in a round bowl. The town needs to step up and take care of our community because we're a community. Our kids, our school is a critical part of our community. And if it starts to go downhill, the rest of the community is going to follow. Kara Harunkiewicz, 165 Gilchrest Street I'm normally up there and trust me, I fully agree. There are many times I probably wouldn't have come to school if it wasn't for my extracurricular activities. I hate when I get a doctor's appointment that's scheduled the same day I have jazz band because then I'm not allowed to go to jazz band. But I would like to justify what I said the other day too about education coming first and why I made the comment up there about, hey, why are we cutting teachers when we aren't cutting athletic transportation. I work at a summer camp. For our kids from pre-k to first grade, our ratio is 1:7. And I mean, mind you, we're being paid minimum wage and are hardly trained, but still one of us to seven of them. The idea of it being one of us to 30 of them, I don't know how anyone could do that. It's hard enough as it is. I don't see how a primary school teacher can manage a classroom of 30 kids on their own, especially when some of those kids have special needs, can't learn the same way as the other students, and yet we'll get our football team to Martha's Vineyard. It doesn't make sense. And no one likes to come up here and advocate for the loss of extracurricular activities. It affects me too. I've done sports, not here in a while, but I have done sports through Lunenburg. It just you can't run successful sports programs when your lowest level of students aren't being educated. How is your first grader ever going to be able to play a sport if they can hardly spell their name? Which is what we're looking at when your first grade students are shoved 30 in a room. So, I would just like to justify what I said before for those who were like, why would she say that? Because I did get a few questions in school about why I would suggest cutting athletic transportation. Laura Barooshian, 389 Mulpus Road I was at the marathon meeting on Wednesday night and saddened to see that today's presentation had even more cuts than were being discussed on Wednesday. And I think it's just a testament to the fact that to make a balanced budget, it has to come from somewhere, I want to remind the public and all of the parents and the 117 people that are on this Zoom right now. I don't know how many in the room, but May 2nd is town meeting day and May 16th is voting day, 117 votes puts through an override that avoids these cuts. Parents and taxpayers, this is a balanced budget is a one-year fix. We will be back in this room and back on the Zoom this time next year. And there won't be an athletic transportation, there won't be a music transportation cut, there won't be a point to music teacher at the fifth grade, they'll be all academic cuts. There'll be the support services for the special needs kids. There'll be teachers. The cuts ===PAGE 5=== 1025 Massachusetts Avenue, Lunenburg, Massachusetts 01462 978 582-4100 ~ fax 978 582-4103 will be even more drastic. And this will just be on we are in a vicious circle over and over again. We have to do something to stop this. 117 voices plus those in the room and those that we can talk to in your neighbors and your other maybe your family, that's what needs to happen. We can avoid this. We have one thing that we can control. There's one thing that we can do in this world, is to make your voice heard and to stop this from happening and stop I will say the board school committee from having to put this forward. They have to put this forward but this is this is up to us. I will also say the president of music gators we have our biggest sixth grade band right now because the fifth grade band last year, I think I'm going to get this right, Mr. Ballister will correct me if I don't, but I think it was 90% of the kids that started with 5th grade band last year finished with the band. And that's what's got our biggest band program now. And the musicgators will step in where we need to. We've already communicated that to the school committee. We will fill the gap, but we will be asking our parents to fund that. We will be asking for financial support to do that. But I just remind folks, this is in our control. May 2nd you have to be at town meeting and May 16th you have to be voting. Mr. Sculimbrene reads aloud a letter from the first grade team. Dear members of the Lunenburg School Committee, the first grade team is writing to express serious concern about the proposed change from five first grade classrooms of approximately 23 students each to four classrooms of 30 students or more each. We want to begin by acknowledging and appreciating the difficult decisions you are facing and working within what we understand to be an extremely challenging and at times seemingly impossible budget. We recognize the care and thought that goes into balancing financial constraints with the needs of students, staff, and the broader community, and we are grateful for your continued commitment to our schools. At the same time, we feel strongly that this proposed change will have a significant impact on our youngest learners. First grade is a foundational year for literacy development. It is during this critical period that our students not only learn to read, but build their foundation for future learning and shape their entire academic trajectory. Increasing class sizes to 30 students significantly limits a teacher's ability to provide the instruction that early literacy demands. In smaller classes, we can more effectively deliver mandatory curriculum, identify gaps, and tailor instruction to meet diverse needs. With 30 students, that level of attention becomes extremely difficult, if not impossible. As classroom teachers with little to no support already, we feel confident that our struggling learners will not receive the individualized instruction and intervention they deserve and require. This poses tremendous long-term academic consequences. Research has consistently shown that early grade size matters most. Investing in smaller classes in first grade is not simply beneficial. It is essential. We are deeply concerned about changing the class size particular particularly as the number and intensity of student behavior challenges continues to increase each year. We are already supporting students with a wide range of social, emotional, and behavioral needs, often without staffing or resources for us to do so effectively. Many of our young students are arriving in our classroom needing support in managing big emotions, dealing with trauma, following rules and routines, and maintaining focus. Addressing these needs takes substantial time, and often disrupts instruction, reduce learn reducing learning opportunities for all students. While larger class sizes may seem like a practical response to budget or staffing challenges, they often lead to unintended consequences for teacher morale, effectiveness, and retention. As class sizes grow without additional support, we have less capacity to provide individualized instruction and are forced to focus on more classroom management than meaningful learning. This shift will increase stress, make student needs harder to meet, and will lead to burnout, frustration, and a diminished sense of effectiveness in our classrooms. We respectfully urge the committee to carefully reconsider this proposal and prioritize maintaining small class sizes in first grade, smaller class sizes in first grade. Supporting our youngest learners at this critical stage is one of the most important investments we can make in their future. Thank you for your time, your service, and your consideration. Sincerely, Christa Palma, Jackie Favreau, Kara Slattery, Pattie Kilcommins, and Mike Courtemanche ===PAGE 6=== 1025 Massachusetts Avenue, Lunenburg, Massachusetts 01462 978 582-4100 ~ fax 978 582-4103 Mr. Sculimbrene reads a letter from Nicole Bienvenu on behalf of the second grade team. Dear Mr. Sculimbrene, Ms. Brzozoski, Miss Gilman and Ms. Young. We are sending this to you today as a team of professional educators with a collective 71 years of teaching and practical experience at the Lunenburg Primary School to express both our unwavering commitment for to what is best for our second grade students and also our concern for those students due to potential staffing changes in the coming year. To begin, we want to thank you for the time for taking the time to hear our concerns and for your advocacy on our schools and students during this challenging fiscal time. We are aware of and understand the budget constraints all too well as we have been experiencing this difficult environment for some time. We appreciate the difficult situation you face balancing priorities and resources. We would like to emphasize and make you aware that any staff cuts resulting in class sizes of 30 or more students at the primary level will lessen our ability to educate students of Lunenburg effectively. The result of this student to teacher ratio will negatively impact our students, their safety and their academic, social and emotional progress. Currently the struggles we are facing in our classroom include substantial and growing number of students with social emotional dysregulation major unsafe physical and verbal behaviors and a lack of staff to support these ever increasing needs. The current staffing shortage has already made it very challenging to adequately meet academic, social, emotional, and behavioral needs of students at the primary school. Staffing reductions would only make that situation worse. We believe drawing on our extensive experience as educators that at those levels of student to teachers, it would become impossible to give our second grade students the focused instruction they require without even meeting the basic requirement for adequate space to safely educate our students. We are facing a current reality in education where every year our students come to us with more and more needs, specifically social, emotional, and behavioral needs. We need to acknowledge this reality and be proactive in supporting our student needs. Reducing staff at the Lunenburg Primary School will make an already difficult situation impossible. Our school is staffed by dedicated, experienced, and compassionate educators who consistently go above and beyond to ensure our students receive the support they need. We all agree our students deserve a robust and effective public education. We need and appreciate your support and advocacy in order to continue to deliver what our students need to be successful. For all of these reasons, we are asking you not to cut classroom educator positions at the Primary School. We have one more critical area of concern. Given the significant challenges we are facing in our school year, our assistant principal has been vital in supporting us. He consistently goes above and beyond to support staff and students. Our school would be less safe and less functional without a full-time assistant principal. Please also consider not cutting this full-time essential position. Our Lunenburg Primary School mission statement states, "Our mission, we prepare our students for lifelong learning and responsible community membership. Our vision, the Lunenburg Primary School is a child- centered school devoted to providing high quality early childhood education for all students. We're a community of teachers, students, and parents working together to create a safe and respectable, respectful learning environment”. Our current knowledge of child development guides the school's beliefs and practices and provides the foundation for student learning. Please help us and advocate for what our students deserve in order to learn at the Lunenburg Primary School and help us live up to our mission statement. Respectfully, Nicole Bienvenu, Melissa Bourgeois, Britney Gibbons, Julie Hudson, Sara Kenney, Laura Refrigeri, and Karen Hurley. Mandy Gilman I want to thank our educators for their thoughtful comments and feedback. I Laura Brzozoski First of all, everything that people said tonight, thank you. You also need to be saying it to the select board and the tri board meeting is tomorrow night. It needs to be said there, too, because we know that these cuts are painful. There's nothing that doesn't hurt, so send emails to people, advocate outside of just here, please. This is good, too, I love when our students come and talk as well. I think that's says something nice about Lunenburg. This weekend I did what I think many of you also been doing, I spun out a little. I'm a school committee member, but I'm also a mom and I need my kids to get a decent education. I went to open houses. I looked at the rich towns that I can't afford to live in, the ones with the ===PAGE 7=== 1025 Massachusetts Avenue, Lunenburg, Massachusetts 01462 978 582-4100 ~ fax 978 582-4103 that I can't afford to move to, the ones with the really nice fancy schools, and then I talked to people, to the teacher from Boxboro and Groton and people in Westford and Chelmsford and a lot of really nice towns. Arlington, a lot of very expensive places to live with very good schools, and the good news and the bad news, it's not just Lunenburg, it's like this everywhere. This is a statewide issue. It is horrifying as a school committee member to see it coming and know that it's about to crash down on Massachusetts and to see the state legislature doing very little. This is awful it's like screaming avalanche and nobody's listening, homeowners, taxpayers across the state are bearing the increasing burden of education without the state helping. Massachusetts is failing its students. Lunenburg is unfortunately uniquely poised to be closer to the edge of this cliff. We are too rich for state aid. We're too poor to fund this entirely ourselves. We're too small to be a gateway city. We're too big to be rural. It's really hard. We are a very fiscally responsible community that keeps a close eye on our budgets. The schools have been running very lean for a long time. I've been saying it for three years. It has not stopped being true. What we're seeing is the result of the leanness. I don't think it's so much that it comes in cycles it’s that the economy comes in cycles, but by the time it gets to the next cycle, we haven't built up from where we were before and now it's every year. What we're seeing is the result of the leanness. I'm watching what other districts are cutting first, as they hit this fiscal wall and it's usually things that Lunenburg either never had or trimmed years and years ago. We're cutting to the bone now because that's all that's left. The awful truth is it's a state issue, but we do not have time to wait for the state to fix it. I don't know if they ever will. We have to do for ourselves and take care of our own. But the good news is that doing for ourselves is a very Lunenburg thing to do. We are a community. We dig in our help our neighbor. So I need everybody listening to step in and help. An override is not a casual undertaking. It is not something that I want to be asking for year after year. It is a hard sell to ask people to pay more. We all have kids. So it makes sense to parents sometimes when you say pay a little bit more for your kids’ education, but it is a hard sell to ask people without kids in the system who don't have much money to also dig a little deeper. Part of why I like Lunenburg so much is our economic diversity, but that also comes with a responsibility to maintain a town that's affordable. But this is necessary. This is what it's going to take to avoid the cuts we're talking about tonight. The cuts we talked about last week and to give our schools what they need. Not more than they need, not extra, but enough to properly educate the kids of Lunenburg. I think we're up to the challenge. The history of this town is rooted in self- reliance and community connections. I've seen how we respond to disasters. I've seen how we've responded when our neighbors’ house catches on fire or people need help. That's what we do. The state is not going to come fix this this year. I don't think they're going to fix it anytime soon. We are a tiny demographic compared to the cities, but we have to do this. I'm not going to do it. The three of us are not able. It can't be just us. So this is the time if you are upset about the cuts, if you are upset about the future of Lunenburg schools, this is the time that you have to put in the effort and make a positive change in this community. So May 2nd town meeting, you have to go. Do not expect other people to go. Don't go and then be frustrated when it didn't pass because that is your fault. That's on you. Don't wait for someone else to do the work for you. You have to go to town meeting May 2nd and then you have to vote May 16th, which is the town election. Override has to pass at town meeting and then it has to pass at the town election. So May 2nd and May 16th, they're Saturdays. You’ve got to put them in your calendar and you have to go. And also, we need someone to run for school committee. It's really fun, that's a lie, but we do we have two people running for three seats. There are other boards and committees in town that have empty seats. No one is running for them. There are boards and committees. Right now, I don't think there's a single contested election where the citizens of Lunenburg get an option in who to vote for. That doesn't make for a good democracy. Thursday is your last day to pull papers. To get on the ballot, you need to collect 50 signatures and hand it in by Saturday. It's not impossible. You can email us. We'll help you figure it out. If you are sitting here frustrated because you have the answers and we're not seeing them, then you need to step up and run, please, and we need to work together on this override. This is going to be a team effort. ===PAGE 8=== 1025 Massachusetts Avenue, Lunenburg, Massachusetts 01462 978 582-4100 ~ fax 978 582-4103 Mandy Gilman I just want to say two years ago, I did a lot of screaming and yelling at the previous version of this board. Lots and lots of people told me that we could not pass an override in this town. And we did. We passed a million-dollar override. We won by over 90 votes. And we can do it. But that means that every single person listening to this call needs to talk to bring someone with them because we can win with 800 votes and we can get there and I do not accept that this is what our kids deserve. I just won't accept it. So I just hope each person listening understands how little I'm sleeping, how little I think Dr. Fortuna is sleeping, and how much we care about this. But we can do this. I don't want to hear people saying we can't do it because that, Tony, that is the worst way to be because we can do this. There are enough people that live in this town that believe in this community. I was born here. I was raised here. I love this place. 4. Chairs Report I just want to make four quick points. Number one, this has been an especially unusual form of torture. Making people who care a lot about education being legally compelled to disassemble the school district they send their children to is terrible. The balance budget that we put forward on Wednesday and the revised balance budget that we put forward tonight are mandated by the town charter. This is not something that anyone would choose to do or want to do. We met with the booster parents for athletics. We're going to meet with the booster parents for other extracurricular activities. Our hope is that the only time we talk about this balanced budget is when we are obligated to and that's it. It reminds me of the process of watching my grandfather die. My dad's dad, he was named Meyer. He was born in Italy and he came here when he was a young man and he had very serious diabetes. And I lived in Ohio and they lived in in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. And we would visit, every three months. And each time I would go, I would see him getting sicker and sicker. I would see, a toe get taken by the doctor and then a foot. And it just kept getting worse and worse and worse. And I think that what we need to understand is that there is a point of no return for the school district. And we are rapidly approaching the point of no return. It is a mathematical certainty at a certain point that this will not continue to work because funding from the state government is largely premised on the number of students. If we have a reason for some students to leave that would reduce funding and then that would in turn cause more students to leave. We need to be very careful as a community to avoid the death spiral and we are very close to being at that point. Second thing I want to say is the removal of fire. You know, I thought it was a negative. I still think that it was not great, but Anna Lockwood called me on Sunday and she gave me a pep talk. I am really grateful for the pep talk. Her pitch was this, a smaller override is more likely to pass. And I think that she is right. Anna is a unique person. I've never met anybody like her. I'm very glad that I can call her my friend. And I am very glad that on a Sunday afternoon when it should not be snowing, she can call and tell me, "Look at this differently. You may have been wrong." And I think she was right. The third thing is, as we sit here and talk about all the things that we would have to cut under a balanced budget, I am reminded of what our last great president said when people were booing. He said, "Don't boo, vote." So if we're complaining, go vote. If we are advocating to the school committee, go vote. If you need somebody to sponsor you to speak at town meeting, I will make sure that happens. But anybody who is agitated needs to be motivated. And the final thing is we have got to stop the process of doing this year in and year out. We need to engage in true long-term planning. That was the way I was sold on the tri-board meeting. Unfortunately, for a whole host of reasons, we didn't get to the point where we were engaging in long-term planning because the crises in front of us became too big. But we do need to go back to that model. I think the idea of bringing back things like vocational programs to the school, even if it means that we'd have to disentangle ourselves from Monty Tech that is something that has real long-term value. I think that looking at how we utilize school property has real long-term value. I think that one of the things that we could try to do is find other places where there is synergy such as if we have an athletic trainer could that person also provide some sort of basic callisthenic services at Eagle House. All of these things are things that we need to do and we need to do not just from February until May, but we need to do them all the time year round and we need to have long-term planning. I look at when we go to Fitchburg for ===PAGE 9=== 1025 Massachusetts Avenue, Lunenburg, Massachusetts 01462 978 582-4100 ~ fax 978 582-4103 track meets, they took out a huge amount of money and a huge amount of effort and they got the solar canopy built for their parking lots. We need to start thinking about things like that. All of those things planned out over 10 years will work. And the reason I know that is because when I started my law firm, I had a very nice job at a boutique firm and I decided that I was going to do it by myself with one of my very good friends and we planned and we saved and we went without a salary for almost a year to make it work. If we can if I can do that and I am not a great financial wizard, I know that we as a town can make this happen. We need to engage in long-term planning and stop crisis management. It is not a crisis if it happens every year. It's just what is expected. So, we've got to do better. 5. Old Business Action a. FY 27 Balanced Budget Vote Dr. Fortuna shares a slideshow to explain the consequences of the proposed balanced budget. Ms. Gilman makes a motion to not pay MASC dues of $6500 for next year, Ms. Brzozoski seconds the motion all approve. Ms. Gilman makes a motion to accept this budget as presented, Mr. Sculimbrene seconds the motion, all approve 6. Public Comment Mary Foyle, 985 Flat Hill Road As someone who's worked in this district almost 25 years, and who wears a few different hats. I do get feedback from a number of people, sometimes unsolicited. I do want to point out, we have been in this position before, I think data probably shows statewide that when we went through our first cuts in 2008 that some of us lived through I think we didn't get back to 2008 numbers till covid hit because there was covid money in there. So education is often first to be cut and one of the last to come back. But I will also say speaking generally just about public funds in general, I have students in the school system. I represent teachers across the school system. So I feel I can understand the many stakes that are involved in there. But I'm also a person who lives in the town and I really have to be cognizant of the fact that police will be looking at cuts in this like other places are looking at cuts without an override. So even if some people think, well, the school hasn't done this, the school hasn't done that. I know we keep talking about last year's cuts, but I sat in a department that took cuts in FY25 as well. So the cuts go beyond just last year and the impacts we're feeling go beyond just cuts from last year. And those cuts are only going to continue if we don't pass an override. This does somewhat give us a short-term solution. If we don't do an override, and I know this was spoken about at the last meeting, and this just doesn't mean for schools, it will cost the town more to not do an override than it will cost to do an override. That cost won't just be financial. That cost will be the courses students may not take. That cost will be a life that's not saved because an EMT cannot show up soon enough. That cost will be a car accident or a robbery or you fell for a scam and the police just simply cannot be responding to it. So those costs will hit in a variety of ways. In this town, even, if we look at the buildings this notwithstanding we keep making short-term decisions because we don't want to spend the money right now. But I think we can come up with a laundry list. I know Mr. Sculimbrene, you said one the other night, with the air conditioning in the other building. I think we can come up with a laundry list of times we try to save money across the town and you end up paying for it far more down the road. So, I would encourage people that are on the fence, come give me your unsolicited comments. I will say things back as well, I'll put myself out there, but it will I will guarantee if the override does not go through, it will cost the town more. Chris Sullivan 108 Highland Street I will plead and say show up on May 2nd, show up on May 16th, show up in November. Yes the people we elect have left us out to dry and yet continually year after year in this state, we show up and we elect the same damn people again and again and this is the impact. If this goes through as it is, the golf team, just to point out they are Midwach C League champs, the last two years, so yes we are a small team, but historically lately successful programs for the school. I am solely speaking of the experience of my kids, I can’t begin to understand what other families might need ===PAGE 10=== 1025 Massachusetts Avenue, Lunenburg, Massachusetts 01462 978 582-4100 ~ fax 978 582-4103 to deal with with their kids and in their classrooms. I can speak to what we have dealt with in this town. We have had great teachers, we have had amazing aids in our classroom, I still get texts from an aid when my daughter is doing a presentation or something my son is doing, we have had the fortunate experience in our family, a lot of what we have experienced in town at the high school with our buddies. We have amazing coaches, and yes we have an amazing trainer, I can personally say that his impact has made my daughter chose to go to school next year to be a trainer. That is far beyond sitting on a bench. I toured colleges with her this summer with not much of an idea of what she wanted to do, we got through the fall and continued to work with Dave through soccer and made some decisions where she wanted to go academically and now she’s accepted into Masters programs to become an athletic trainer, that is the impact things can have at this school. People need to show up now May and November. Matt Snyder 985 Flat Hill Road Sixteen years ago, when we moved to town, we did so proudly. We did so because we knew what a great school system it had and we were excited our kids would go through it. Today the only reason I would recommend that somebody move to town for our school is because of the staff we have, no for what we offer, not for how the town supports the schools, not for how we are funding the schools. Unless we get our act together, I am going to tell people not to come to Lunenburg for the schools because we are failing the town with how we are funding our schools, 16 years, totally different perspective. Our son it is too late he is going to be a senior, our daughter, maybe we will make different decisions. Griffin Case, 305 Wayland Road I am a custodian at the high school, my wife and I moved here in August I grew up in New York and my wife in New Hampshire, two very different places and this place is amazing. You have farmland 5 minutes away, city 5 minutes away and the community rail to Boston, it is everything we both wanted in one place. I have a 4 year old and a 1 year old, I think an override is an increase in our taxes. Based off Google AI, there are 5000 houses in Lunenburg taxed $1.6 million dollars, that is $350 dollars. If you have a leaking toiler or sink, I will come fix it for you, just say hello at Market Basket. I think this budget has been a little scary, but this place is amazing and I am so happy we moved her, my wife is also a teacher here, she is the new art teacher, so we are all in for our kids. Jim Broden 24 Autumn Road I have been here since 1993, my oldest daughter graduated here, went to UMass and in now w CPA, my son went to UMaine, and my daughter went to UPenn, all out of this school, she got accepted into the doctorate program and the nursing school she graduated from was voted number one in the world. She just accepted a job at Boston College as a Nursing Professor. I say that because I live on a road with 15 houses, one of our neighbors went to Harvard, another one went to MIT that is two Ivy League schools, that is how good the school has been. I love living in this town, I think it is great and I have done lots of things here to participate in the public. One thing I wonder about is the business revenue that we bring in, is that an issue from the town growing side, I just have this perception that we want a quiet little town that has no business, which doesn’t make anything easier for the school system. As far as my ski team, we already offered that we don’t need any money, if we come up with a plan, that we can still function as a team with our two co-ops, can we submit something to say that we can continue to operate? 7. Adjournment Ms. Brzozoski makes a motion to adjourn at 7:39, Ms. Gilman seconds the motion all approve. Submitted Respectfully, Courtney Fuller ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2026-03-24-agenda-7727.txt BOARD : school-committee DATE : 2026-03-24 KIND : agenda OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/school-committee/2026-03-24-agenda-7727.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_03242026-7727 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== 129 Northfield Rd, Lunenburg, Massachusetts 01462 978 582-4100 ~ fax 978 582-4103 SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING NOTICE TRI-BOARD MEETING AGENDA Date: Tuesday, March 24, 2026 Time: 7:00 PM Location: Town Hall –Bilotta Meeting Room Broadcast Status: In Person/Remote School Committee Superintendent Anthony Sculimbrene, TBD Dr. Jodi Fortuna Laura Brzozoski, Vice Chair Mandy Gilman, Secretary Recording Secretary TBD, Member Courtney Fuller Emily Young, Member In accordance with the requirements of the Open Meeting Law, please be advised that this meeting is being recorded and broadcast live over the Lunenburg Public Access channel, on Facebook Live on the Public Access Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Lunenburg-Public-Access-Cable-157427270975305/) and will be uploaded to the Lunenburg Access YouTube after the meeting. Additionally, please be advised that the Town of Lunenburg utilizes the Zoom platform as host for its hybrid and remote meetings; that the Zoom platform utilizes AI technology, known as "AI Companion," to create audio transcriptions of meetings to aid in the subsequent preparation of meeting minutes; and that AI Companion is activated immediately upon launching the Zoom application. You are hereby notified that this AI technology may capture audio prior to the start of the meeting and/or following the conclusion of the meeting. This meeting will be held in -person at the location provided on this notice. Members of the public are welcome to attend this in - person meeting. Please note that while an option for remote attendance and/or participation is being provided as a courtesy t o the public, the meeting will not be suspended or terminated if technological problems interrupt the virtual broad cast, unless otherwise required by law. Members of the public with particular interest in any specific item on this agenda should make plans for in -person vs. virtual attendance accordingly. The following information is also provided for members of the public that would like to participate in the meeting remotely: To Participate Remotely: From a computer, please use the link below to join the public meeting webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7663167607?omn=83933248201 or from a telephone, dial the toll free number (888) 475 -4499 and enter Webinar ID: 766 316 7607 # If you have not registered with Zoom you will be asked for your name and an e -mail address. Note: No participant ID is needed, just press # when asked. Telephone users may dial *9 to request to speak after joining the meeting. Computer and app users may use the “raise hand” feature to request to speak. 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. I. TRI-BOARD CALL TO ORDER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE II. PUBLIC COMMENT- The Tri-Board seeks public comment on the FY27 budget. III. FY27 BUDGET AND PROPOSITION 2 ½ OVERRIDE IV. PUBLIC COMMENT VI. ADJOURN Note: a) References to the Tri-Board and Tri-Chair in the context of this meeting refer to Finance Committee, School Committee and Select Board b) Material discussed in the Tri-Board Meetings may be further deliberated in future, individual Committee meetings Lunenburg Public Schools Dr. Jodi Fortuna, Superintendent of Schools ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2026-04-01-agenda-7748.txt BOARD : school-committee DATE : 2026-04-01 KIND : agenda OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/school-committee/2026-04-01-agenda-7748.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_04012026-7748 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== 129 Northfield Rd, Lunenburg, Massachusetts 01462 978 582-4100 ~ fax 978 582-4103 REVISED SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING Date: Wednesday, April 1, 2026 Time: 7:00 PM Location: LMS Collaborative Room #D132 Broadcast Status: HYBRID MEETING (in person and on Zoom) AGENDA School Committee Superintendent Anthony Sculimbrene, Chair Dr. Jodi Fortuna Laura Brzozoski, Vice Chair Mandy Gilman, Secretary Recording Secretary TBD, Member Courtney Fuller Emily Young, Member Guests: Christopher McNamara-Business Administrator, Christopher Stevens-Director of Facilities 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. Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83227847126 Meeting ID: 832 2784 7126 local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kdspPfhHCb This meeting will be broadcast at a later date through the local access cable channel and on the Public Access Facebook page (h ttps://www.facebook.com/Lunenburg-Public-Access-Cable-157427270975305/) and will be found on the Lunenburg Access 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 (3 min) 11. Public Comment for Issues Discussed Tonight 2. Pledge of Allegiance (3 min) 12. Reports from Sub-Committee 3. Public Comment for Prior Issues (3 min) 13. Topics for Future Discussion 4. Chair’s Report (3 min) 14. Adjournment 5. Student Representative’s Report (3 min) 6. Review & Approve Minutes (3 min) a. Regular Session 2/4/26 & 2/25/26 7. Review & Approve Line Item Transfers, Warrants & Donations- Betsy B. Parker Scholarship (3 min) a. Warrants 3/18/26 to 3/27/26 $368414.29 8. Superintendent’s Report (3 min) 9. New Business Action a. Congressionally Directed Grant Funds (3 min) b. Monthly Spending Report (3 min) c. Spring Athletics Report (3 min) d. Food Exemption-ATM (2 min) e. Bus Fee Decision (5 min) f. Life Long Learning Program Decision (3 min) g. Draft Letter for Legislature h. Vote to cosponsor the warrant article for Kid's Kingdom with the Selectboard 10. Old Business Action a. Facilities & Grounds Report (3 min) Lunenburg Public Schools Dr. Jodi Fortuna, Superintendent of Schools