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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSchool Comm 04/28/2026Approved 05-26-26 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, April 28, 2026 In Person room 3AB and Virtually using GoToWebinar An Open Meeting of the Mansfield School Committee was held on Tuesday, April 2 3AB of the Town Hall. The open meeting session was called to order by Chair Tenn" '4T '� L�RKS OFFICE Members Present: Administration Present: 2OZf! JUN — $ A $�) Jenn Walsh, Chair Michelle McKeon, Superintendent Jenifer Sellon, Vice Chair Amy Bright, Assistant Superintendent of 7� a�ning Lynn Cavicchi Jessica Davis, Assistant Superintend �G it, U �,tf ye s Diane Ready Matthew Violette, Director of Finan�e F8lo ai itn"I s' i Jamie Vitonis Members Absent: None The chair asked for a motion to enter into Executive Session under Exception No. No. 3. To discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining or litigation if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining or litigating position of the public body and the chair so declares regarding the Mansfield Educators Association Negotiations and updates. Motion by: Jenn Sellon / Lynn Cavicchi ROLL CALL Vote: Lynn Cavicchi aye Diane Ready aye Jenn Walsh aye Jenifer Sellon aye Jamie Vitonis aye Motion Carries 5— 0 Return from Executive Session at 6:37 pm. Public Speak: Chair Jenn Walsh opened public speak by stating that she would allow comments from all who signed up to speak and allow the time of public speak to extend beyond the 15-minute time allotment. She also encouraged those in attendance to communicate directly with the School Committee or Superintendent if they would like. Chair Walsh stated that in early April, the Select Board voted not to put an override on the town ballot or town meeting this year for FY27. A successful override would have prevented over a million dollars in cuts. The budget cuts are extremely difficult and no member of the School Committee wants to see any of our dedicated and loved staff cut. The following Mansfield students spoke about performing arts / orchestra / chorus / theater tech and their concern with the layoff of one teacher and the transfer of another teacher. Andrew Fleischmann Anah Zahidh Hamsi Devineni Rym Hadjig Sarah Farley Nathan Kobs Hazel Vitonis Gwendolyn Low Nathon Santos Avery Therrian Parent Tenn Fleischmann spoke about her concern with staff cuts to the early literacy program. Parent Jen Hill spoke about her concern with staff cuts to performing arts. Page 1 of 5 Approved 05-26-26 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, April 28, 2026 In Person room 3AB and Virtually using GoToWebinar Administrative Reports: Superintendent McKeon opened by making a statement regarding the recent budget cuts. She acknowledged the impact of $2.4 million in budget reductions for our schools. We have had to make incredibly difficult decisions in response to the town's budget deficit. Despite efforts to reduce costs in other areas, we ultimately had to eliminate 22 positions and make additional staffing reductions and reassignments across the district. These are valued members of our school community who have dedicated themselves to our students. We continue to advocate for additional funds and try to save as many positions as we can. Michelle expressed her desire for us to come together as a community and support one another. Assistant Superintendent Amy Bright provided an update on Dual Enrollment and Early College. On April 9th MHS held a kickoff meeting with Quincy College. Through our partnership with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and the Early College Grant, forty-four students who successfully completed and met the requirements for dual enrollment in Entrepreneurship during first semester were celebrated for earning 3 college credits. Fifty-five students currently enrolled in English 12 and Entrepreneurship during second semester will have the same opportunity. Thirty-four students have been identified as part of our initial Early College cohort. She thanked all of the staff who have been involved in starting these programs and encouraged students to seek future opportunities at MHS. Assistant Superintendent Jessica Davis spoke about the programs that the district has run to strengthen the mental health supports for our students including increased wrap around services, transition counseling, and the recent parent presentation on anxiety in our students. Our Active Minds student group is sponsoring the "Send Silence Packing "exhibit at the high school which brings awareness to mental health and suicide. Director of Finance and Operations Matthew Violette provided a quick recap of our budget process to date. On March 2411 the School Committee held a public hearing and then approved two versions of the budget, one with an override and one without. In early April, the Select Board chose not to bring the override forward to town meeting leaving us with $2.4 million in budget cuts. This leaves our budget at a .5% increase over last year. However, the true number is really a decrease from last year's budget because we also had to move various items such as technology and other CIP items back to the operating budget. The budget drivers are: health insurance costs, contractual increases, vendor cost increases, reduction in state aid. Matt also highlighted the date of the town meeting. MHS Student Representative Update: Andrew Heischmann and Eva Sarianides spoke about events at MHS. It was also noted that Eva will likely take over as the school committee representative upon Andrew's graduation. AP exams take place over the next two weeks. Spring sports are in progress and our boy's lacrosse team is currently undefeated. The Mansfield musical ensembles are preparing for the end of year concerts; the percussion group was a semifinalist at the WGI World Championship in Dayton, Ohio and the Tri-M Honor Society is holding their end of year concert this evening. Senior activities and prom are highly anticipated events that start soon. Approval of Warrant: Goods & Salary & Goods & Salary & Services Wages Services Wages 2637S 2637PS 260395 2639PS 3110126 3/13126 3124/26 3127126 General Fund 504,105.27 1,754,589.70 610,720.00 1,804,643.86 Medicare - 2,800.00 - 2,800.00 Capital 1,640.00 - 51,784.30 - Revolving 284.10 43,695.92 32,498.03 52,020.26 Page 2 of 5 Approved 05-26-26 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, April 28, 2026 In Person room 3AB and Virtually using GoToWebinar Food Service 3,405.00 28, 187.97 122,715.00 42,512.30 Gifts - - - - Student Activity 6,763.51 - 6,121.00 - Granls 6,140.00 74,025.82 16,769.78 69,970.78 Prior Year 13,761.20 - - - 536,099.08 1,903,299.41 840,608.11 1,971,947.20 Motion to approve Warrant memo dated 04-10-26 by Jenn Sellon / Lynn Cavicchi Motion Carries 5 — 0. Approval of Minutes: Date 1st 2nd Discuss Y/N Vote 04-06-26 Town Budget Sub JS DR Confirmed Amy Bright's Attendance 5-0 04-07-26 Open JS LC N 5-0 04-07-26 Exec not to be released JS LC N 5-0 Acceptance of Gifts and Grants: Active Minds (MHS) is hosting a 5K in support of mental health. It has become a very popular event with over 100 participants and many sponsors. The list of sponsors is as follows: • Helping Hands of God & Mansfield Police Association — $10,000—$15,000 • KyleCares — $2,000 • The Kacie Project — $500 • Live Like Z — $500 • Soundminds Psychiatry LLC — $500 • American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) — $500 • Sarah's Village — $250 • Menchie's — $2S0 Motion to accept the sponsorship donors and gifts for the Active Minds 5K by Jenifer Sellon / Lynn Cavicchi Discussion Lynn Cavicchi asked for some clarification on where the money would be deposited and who was running the event. She indicated that if it is for a Student Activity Account, then the School Committee would not need to vote to accept as that is between the student activity and the donors. There was not a list of activity accounts readily available so the school committee did take a vote. If there is a student activity account, the money will be deposited there; otherwise it will be put in the gift account. Lynn asked for an estimate on the expenses for the event. The student representative for Active Minds (Autumn Reynolds) was present and noted that the expenses were minimal (approximately $3400.) Motion carries 5 - 0 The Jamie Fund has donated $2000 to our Special Education program to support Unified Art, Music and PE classes. The money will sit in the special education gift fund. Motion to accept the $2000 Jamie Fund donation by Jenifer Sellon / Lynn Cavicchi Motion carries 5 - 0 Page 3 of 5 Approved 05-26-26 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, April 28, 2026 In Person room 3AB and Virtually using GoToWebinar The Flutie Foundation has awarded Mansfield a grant for a playground communication board. This board is central to providing inclusive and accessible play by using images and symbols to aid in communication gaps. Jessica Davis has spoken with our facilities department for installation. There will be no ongoing upkeep and installation has no impact on the ADA compliance of the existing playground. Motion to accept the Flutie Foundation Grant by Jenifer Sellon / Lynn Cavicchi Motion carries 5 - 0 New Business: Superintendent McKeon District Entry Findings: As part of a new superintendent's start in a district, they are required to create a District Entry Findings Report, Last week Superintendent McKeon provided this report to the school committee and tonight is presenting a summary of her findings. She reviewed the process that she used during this year which included a variety of interactions with students, staff, parents and community members. The findings were categorized in five key areas: District Planning & Policy Documents; School Operations & Procedures; Student Performance Data; Evaluations & Compliance; Facilities, Budget & Operations. Dr. McKeon then identified key strengths as Strong Foundation for Academics: Dedicated Educators and Supportive Community; Student Engagement & Support. Opportunities for Growth include Learning & Engagement; Belonging and Student Support; Systems & Future Planning. Within each area she provided detailed examples. In closing, she expressed her gratitude for the community's engagement and input and is looking forward to developing a new strategic plan which will include strong student outcomes, focus on belonging and engagement and improve alignment across the district. Questions and Answers: Jen Sellon noted that during the interview process Michelle emphasized that she would spend her first year listening and learning about our district. Jen is pleased that this is the approach that Michelle has taken and that she will use the feedback to move ahead with a strategic plan. Jenn Walsh emphasized this point noting that while spending this year studying the district, Dr. McKeon has also made strides in moving the district forward. Lynn Cavicchi thought it was good to see the survey results align with the survey results a year ago during the superintendent search. The district has a good foundation in place and is excited to see the next levels of improvement even though budget concerns are eating away at this foundation. Diane Ready appreciated that Michelle took time to meet with each school committee member and incorporated their input into the entry findings. Jamie Vitonis highlighted the focus area of belonging, noting the strong presence of students here tonight and their emphasis on the importance of orchestra/performing arts as important opportunity for belonging. He asked if the DESE references to inclusion related to a specific school or districtwide. Dr. McKeon noted that it is across the district though the specific improvement areas differed among schools. Consideration to appoint Superintendent McKeon to the RICO Board of Directors for FY27: This is an annual appointment voted by school committee. Mansfield is a member district of BICO. Motion to appoint Superintendent McKeon to the BICO Board of Directors for FY27 by Jen Sellon / Lynn Cavicchi Motion Carries 5 — 0 Submission letter was signed by the Chair and will be sent to BICO along with a copy of the minutes. Page 4 of 5 Approved 05-26-26 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, April 28, 2026 In Person room 3AB and Virtually using GoToWebinar Consideration to exercise the 51h vear option on the Connolly Bus contract for FY27: Our transportation contract is for three years with the option to extend it twice. This vote is for the second and last yearly extension. Motion to exercise the 5t^ year option on the Connolly Bus contract for FY27 by Jen Sellon / Lynn Cavicchi Motion Carries 5 — 0 Consideration to approve Town Meeting article 22: The town meeting will be held on May 5". The district is requesting approval to go out to bid for a new transportation contract as the current one will expire at the end of FY27. The benefits of a longer contract are price stability, more competitive bids and operational consistency. It was noted that the way the article is written we may not need to go back to Town Meeting each time we need to bid a new contract. Motion to support the warrant article for the Mansfield Public Schools to enter into a new contract with a pupil transportation service for a term in excess of three years not to exceed five years by Jen Sellon / Lynn Cavicchi Motion Carries 5 —0 School Committee Business: Chair Jenn Walsh announced that the following executive session minutes have been reviewed and will be released. 10-22-24, 2-11-25, 3-4-25, 3-25-25, 4-29-25, 6-24-25. Others were reviewed but will be held until further notice. Lynn Cavicchi asked that the following be added to upcoming agendas: ADA Accessibility efforts and discussion of graduation progress for students impacted by the closing of evening school. School Committee Questions and Comments: Other- Items not anticipated by the Chair 48 hours prior to this meeting: Documents Referenced: Petition to save performing arts teachers Warrant Minutes Gifts Superintendent District Entry Findings Report and Presentation Town Meeting Warrant Articles Motion to adjourn: At 8:14 p.m., Chair Walsh called for a motion to adjourn. Motion to adjourn by Jenifer Sellon / Lynn Cavicchi Motion Passes 5 - 0 Respectfully Submitted, Diane Nugent, Administrative Assistant to Superintendent & School Committee Page 5 of 5