[Music] May I part of the discussion is is related to the parah and secretary contract and there's two separate there were two separate
I changed my go to yes I see [Music] Good evening everyone. I'd like to call this meeting to order. May 21st is now 6:23. May 21st,
2025. In attendance with us is Miss Kelly Steele, Mr. Jack Higgins, Dr. Barbara Starky. Before we stand for the pledge of allegiance, uh while we're standing after the pledge, if we could just have a moment of silence. This district um
and our communities have had some significant losses over the last month, and I would like to acknowledge that. So, if we could all rise for the pledge of allegiance. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation
under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. If we could please have a moment of silence to jo. Thank you. I see Lee Kim is here as always. Thank you so much. Is there anyone else that is recording the meeting
tonight? Seeing none, go on to our next public input. Is there anyone here tonight for public input? Okay, seeing none, I'm going to go into chairperson's report. need to do a clarification regarding the
FY26 budget vote that occurred on May 7th, 2025. I want to clarify the May 7th, 2025 vote of the school committee regarding the FY26 budget. The vote involved the transfer of some funds from the excess and deficiency account to the
budget for the purpose of preserving several teacher and paraprofessional teachers without raising the member town's assessment. At the May 7th meeting, four members voted in favor, two voted against, one abstained due to potential conflict of
interest, and one member was absent. We believed at the time that the motion passed because of the four yes votes. Since that time, however, in light of rather unusual circumstances of this vote, we have sought further guidance from various sources, including
our legal counsel and Desi. Desessie's position which is shared by our attorney is that the vote on May 7th should have been for a revised or a new budget and not an amended budget. The reason comes down to semantics. In short, a budget can only
be amended after it is voted on or approved by the member towns. That has not happened yet. Town meetings are scheduled for early June. Rather, the school committee's vote should have been adopted a been to adopt a revised
budget. A vote to adopt a revised budget requires a 2/3 of this entire committee, the same as the initial adopt of budget. Twothird of the committee is six out of eight members. In this case, only four members voted in favor of the revised budget. Therefore, the motion did not
pass. Although we may revisit this matter in the future, no further action will be taken at this time. For items 2, three, and four, I will be seeking votes at the conclusion of each section. Moving on to the next uh we don't have all our students. We don't
have the students, Madam Chair, but I I think the next topic that you could reasonably cover while we wait to the wait for the students is the next thing on the agenda, which is the um meeting calendar. Yep. At our meeting, we provided Dr. Starky
with feedback. Here's the proposal SY 25 to 26 school committee calendar. Um, specifically taking note to how we are going to be doing our budget books a little bit earlier. We're going to do those in January and we are going to be
doing our votes in early March to make sure that we hit that March 31st deadline through the chair. May I may I add a little bit to that? You can. So, at the last meeting, we did look at this calendar and and in the interest of staying within the confines of what
we're expected to do uh for voting the budget. We did move the budget timeline up as Chair Blum is saying, we moved that up so that you get your budget books in January. Uh and you'd begin public discussion around the budget and having a public hearing in February. You would vote for the budget at the
beginning of March. We left room for an additional meeting in March should you need it. uh so that we could make it to the March 31st deadline to secure an adopted budget. In addition, in order to make that room in the schedule, we moved
some of the other topics around uh so that the meetings would be evenly dispersed. So the calendar is not identical to what you saw last time. We did move up, for example, the school improvement plan presentation from November to September. So there was some other jockeying of the calendar. So just
calling your attention to that. Okay. And as I previously stated, I would like to um I'd like to vote on these after each section. So I'm seeking a motion to approve the LRSC meeting schedule, calendar, and
events for two 2025 and 2026. Move. Second. I have a motion and a second. Do I have any discussion? Right. This needs a majority. So all I say all in favor say I. I. Any
opposed? I. Any abstensions? Great. Motion cares. Motion passes through the chair. Yes. May I also add that now that you have voted that calendar, it does affect your school
calendar that you had voted on previously in that we will now be identifying the new school committee meeting uh days on that calendar. So I believe it best that you vote right now on an amended school calendar that
includes the school committee meetings that you have just approved and that would be um a majority vote. So do I have a motion? I offer that to the chair. So move second.
Do I have any discussion? The only change to this is just adding rearranging the school committee dates. Nothing to like kindergarten start date. Not at all. Okay. All in favor say I. I. I. Any abstensions?
Any opposed? Any opposed? being none. Okay, that passes. Thank you. If I could through the chair, I'm sorry to keep interrupting, but it appears as though we have our students who are ready for their presentation and
out of deference to their study schedule, their AP exams, and all of the events they have coming up. I'm hoping that you would consider taking this out of order and hearing from our top 10. Absolutely. I think you need to vote on need to do a motion for that. So move
second. Any discussion? All in favor say I. I. Any oppose? I. Any opposed? Any abstensions? Great. Thank you so much. And with that, I'll call up principal dessert. Good evening, members of the school committee. We
thank you for allowing us this opportunity to present to you. It is my honor to introduce our top 10 students who have demonstrated exceptional academic excellence, dedication, and leadership throughout the year. Their hard work and commitment to excellence inspires us all and we are incredibly
proud to recognize their achievements today. We will start with number 10, Colby Blaze, please. Good evening everyone. My name is Colobby Blaze and I live in Freetown, Massachusetts. I am 18 years old and I'm ranked 10th in Aponquitz class of 2025.
In the fall, I'll be studying electrical engineering at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston. When I was 11, my family moved to Freetown from New Bedford, which meant a new school, new friends, and a new educational experience that I wouldn't trade for the
world. I am in many classes with these fine folks, but alongside my academics and such, I'm also a two-time physics Olympics build ahead winner, an Eagle Scout, an AP scholar with honor. I'm the
president of our choir, which recently competed and won third place in competition, an award-winning soloist from that same competition, and a member of four current choirs, including two atonicquit, one community choir, and my church
choir. If it wasn't already apparent, I love to sing. Some of my fondest upon memories are traveling across the state to audition for and sing in honor choirs like districts and all states. Specifically, Mr. Edward Ledwith, our ex band and
coral director, who retired last year, and Miss Kendall, our new director, have been some of my most invested supporters. Their help and support guided me down a path with two performances at the Boston Symphony Hall on the way. So I would truly be remiss
to not give them the biggest thank you in the world. Some other faculty that I would like to thank are Miss Morini, Mr. Lec, Miss Mills, and Mr. Morray. I only had Miss Mini once in my high school career, and it was for honors English 10. She was such a joy to learn from. In
fact, we had so much respect for her in her class that one day during an administrative error, we were left teacherless for a while. and we ran class just like normal by ourselves. When the sub came in later that class, I
don't know what they expected from a class left completely unsupervised for an extended period of time, but I'm positive it wasn't 20 sophomores sitting attentively in their seats acting out the Crucible. Another teacher, this one
who I've never had as an academic teacher, but I've worked with him multiple times, every year doing theater, is Mr. Lebec. During my freshman year, the musical was Legally Blonde. I auditioned for the lead male because what else is a freshman going to audition for? A supporting role?
Never. After the first round of auditions ended, I got called up to try my fit as a different character, a supporting lead. Despite my misreading, for Christ's sake, as for Chris Cake, he still gave me the role. I practiced so hard for
that role. I think I still have it memorized. I will never forget the opportunity that Mr. Levette gave to me. I've now played multiple leads and aquip shows all because he gave me a chance. He reignited a love in theater for me that still holds strong to this day.
Miss Mills is my physics teacher this year, but she has been an asset to me since last year doing physics Olympics. She's given me a great opportunity to thrive as a scienceoriented student. Her passion for learning is contagious, and her ability
to support her students is nearly unparalleled. Last year, some of my favorite memories were working with her and my friend Teddy on Physics Olympics Build-A- Ahead, a 10JWEL car. After Teddy and I ran through an exhausting number of design switches and
far too many test runs, her invaluable feedback seemed to pay off and we won that event in the games that year. Finally, Mr. Morray. I took my first class with him, engineering 1, my freshman year. It seemed like a fun
class and I gave it a shot. I have to say I have never made a better choice. Since taking that class, he has become invaluable to me. He has not only helped me with academics, specifically science. He has also helped me with physics
Olympics and even a project for AP language, allowing me access to materials like his 3D printer and laser cutter. But above all, when I needed some experienced help creating a design for the Eagle project I wanted to make, a composter for my church garden, he
gave me the insight I needed to design the very first draft. I made my Eagle Scout that same year. A symbol of his effect on my life is ever standing in my church garden and on the badge I wear every time I put on my
uniform. I could stand here for hours and rave about all the amazing teachers and the effects that they've had on me, but I will cut it short out of respect for your time. But before I do, I will leave you with this. One thing that our
community has never forgotten that I personally pride myself on is that education only happens with the teachers like ours. Our school is our greatest asset. They provide the children of our
community with lifelong connections and resources that play a role in every aspect of their lives. Every ach every achievement that I have mentioned today has been the direct result of one or more teachers that I have mentioned plus some that I have
not. The future of our community lies with these people and I hope that that is appreciated by all of us as much as it is by I know our students, our parents and every functional community in the
world. Thank you and good night. Take a walk and shake everybody's hand. Number nine, Lexi TR. [Applause] Okay. Good evening everyone. Uh my name is Lexi TR. I'm very excited to be here
tonight. Throughout my time at Aponoquay, I've been involved in an array of clubs, including being president of the drama club, vice president of book club, and a member of the cross country team, the select choir, and Portuguese club, among others. Uh, this winter I spent a lot of
time applying to scholarships. I ended up applying to about 30 scholarships, and I'm proud to say that so far I've won five of them. Um, my time at Upon a Quit has been full of great experiences and growth, but none of that would have been possible without the amazing
support I've received along the way. I want to start by thanking all of my teachers. Every single one of them have been have gone out of the their way in some shape or form to help with my visual struggles and that has been instrumental in my academic success. I'm also incredibly lucky to have great
friends who are willing to drive me to rehearsals, club meetings, and to school every day since they got their licenses. So, thank you all for your kindness. Uh, but my biggest support has always come from my family. They have been the ones who have ensured that I was able to
accomplish and experience everything I've wanted to do, and I'm extremely grateful for everything they've done for me throughout my entire life. I can still vividly remember sitting in Freetown Elementary School years ago and watching the seniors walk by in their caps and gowns. It's really only just
started to sink in that I'm going to be taking that same walk in my own cap and gown in just a few weeks. Uh in the fall, I will be starting at Roger Williams University as a political science and legal studies double major on a pre-law track. And even though starting a new phase of life is
extremely nerve-wracking, I'm grateful that my time at Aonoquit is something that I'm going to be able to look back on fondly for the rest of my life. Thank you. Number eight, Millow. Congratulations. Congratulations. Thank
you. Thank you. Hello everyone. My name is Ava Melo and I would like to thank everyone here today, especially Superintendent Starky, Principal Dessert, and the members of the school committee for giving us the opportunity to share our experiences in the Freetown Lakeville School District. I moved to Aona in fourth grade and
joined the district as I began middle school. From that very first day, I felt nothing but support from the staff. Starting with Miss Tulin and the 6,200 teachers. Like many students, my academic journey was disrupted by co. But thanks to dedicated teachers like Mr. Bosno, I was able to stay on track.
High school gave me the opportunity to grow socially, academically, and through extracurricular involvement. I embraced every opportunity, and I'm standing here today because of it. Some of my proudest involvements include serving as vice president of the student council executive board, acting as the community
service coordinator for our NHS chapter, competing nationally with our DECA team, playing varsity field hockey, and working a part-time job at Somerset Green. Through it all, I've maintained a strong academic standing, and I'm proud to be graduating eighth in my class. This achievement didn't come without
hard work and sacrifice, and I am deeply grateful to those who helped me along the way. To my family, thank you for always pushing me to be myself. And I love you guys. And to the teachers and staff who made all of this possible, Mr. Solomon, Miss Ferrer, Mr. Rosa, Senorinardi, Miss Cronin, and Miss Gray.
Thank you for your guiding presence in my life and the lasting impact you've had on my time here. My experiences at Aponquit have been nothing short of amazing. From countless DECA trips to late night stucco brainstorming sessions, some of my best memories were made here. Looking ahead, I'll be attending George Washington University
in Washington DC, where I'll be majoring in international affairs at their Elliot School. I'm incredibly excited for this new chapter. But before I go, I want to sincerely thank everyone who helped me write this one. Thank you for your time.
[Applause] [Music] Jillian Mah. [Applause] Good evening everyone. My name is Jillian Maher and I ranked seventh in the 2025 senior class. Throughout my
high school years at Aponquit, I have p participated in volleyball, varsity tennis, and DECA while completing 15 years of dance. I additionally received the president role of both Laker leaders and the green team and the data analyst role of the executive board of student
council. I have worked dig diligently for my achievements such as the AP Scholar Award, an ARHS science award, a South Coast Conference honorable mention, and the Laker Award for tennis. Alongside the praise I've received from for my successes, I have such fond
memories at Aponquit that I will never forget. One of my favorite memories, however, is the fun we recently had at prom. The music got everyone dancing. The delicious food kept everyone satisfied. And the patio was a beautiful location for all the photos taken. Every school sponsored event has been such a
special way to connect with my fellow classmates and peers. I want to give a special thank you to my mom, dad, sister, brother, my dog Cody, as well as the close friends whom I've spent my whole life growing beside. I would also like to thank Mrs.
dessert alongside the other wonderful staff here at ARHS. My achievements would not be possible without all of your support. Regarding my future endeavors, I will be attending the honors college at Fairfield University for the next 5 years with a major in finance and a minor in actuarial science
at the Dolan School of Business. I will also be receiving my master of business administration in my fifth year. I am forever grateful for the opportunities provided to me through the engaging and thorough programs here at Apon. Thank you for your time and have a
wonderful rest of your night hearing from these other lovely students. [Applause] [Music] Number six, Khana [Applause] Fontina. Hi, my name is Khana Fontina
and I am six in the class. During my time here at Aponquit, I have been a part of the varsity tennis, varsity volleyball, and winter track team, as well as DECA, Laker Leaders, and NHS. I have earned the role as National Honor Society vice president, and awards such
as the Honors Chemistry Award, the South Coast Conference Super Team, South Coast Conference All-Star five times, and tennis and volleyball MVP and captain's awards. While growing at this school academically, I have also been able to grow as a person by growing fond memories here as well. One memory that
has stuck with me was my volleyball senior night. I was able to reflect on all my accomplishments as a player here while also knowing that this that as this part of my life is ending, I also have lots to look forward to. Some teachers I would like to recognize that have helped me along the way are firstly
Miss Vitera who has given me opportunities to express myself through art. Miss Briggs who has helped me full feel understood through her kindness and in turn helped me understand the importance of pure generosity. And finally to my tennis coach, Coach Lion, who has also shown me how to find the
good in everything. I would also like to recognize my family and the impact they had on me as well. My father has always been my role model and someone I strive to be. My mother has been my inspiration through her bravery and courage she's displayed. My sister has been my support system because no matter how big or
small any event in my life was, I knew she would be there right behind me. Finally, my brother has been my sense of relief because no matter how stressed I got, he would always find a way to make me laugh or try to help me. In the near future, I plan to attend the University of Tampa, majoring in nursing and
minoring in Spanish. However, in the far future, I plan to become a pediatric oncology nurse. Thank you for your time and for creating the school the school system that has made me the person I am [Applause] [Music]
today. [Music] Number five, Alex [Applause] Keith. Good evening everyone. My name is Alex Keefe and I am fifth of the class for the graduating class here at Conquet. As someone who entered this
school system during 8th grade and did so in the midst of a global pandemic, it was scary starting over somewhere new. Even a year later, being a freshman was a terrifying experience and was amplified even more by the fact that I got lost my first day of school. But since then, I've come so far in both my
academic, personal, and emotional journey from that day in September 4 years ago. I am now the president and founder of the all book aonica high school book club member of deca national honor society and this year I was given the honor and privilege of being a part of the aonica players in both the
crucible and Chicago but I couldn't have made it this far however without the help and support of the amazing educators here at panonet for my freshman year with Dr. War Vanderden who helped me switch from Spanish one to Spanish 2 half through the year and still managed to win every cocoon we did for quiz review sophomore year Mrs.
Morini, who taught me the value of reading good literature, unlike our assigned reading of The Great Gatsby. My junior year with Mrs. Mills, whose lessons in physics taught me incredible valuable skills, such as running warm water under a tente jar when the cover is frozen shut. And my senior year with Mrs. Brown, who one time having had to
listen to me explain how Georgiana Darcy from Pride and Prejudice was a Christ figure and let me read War Peace from an outside reading book because I was going to read it anyways. It has been through these mentors and these experiences that I feel I've become into my own as an individual and develop my identity as an individual that I carry with me as I
continue to grow and experience both the rewards and challenges of growing up and becoming my own person. Finally, I'd like to say thank you to my mom, my dad, and my brother for their incredible support and love for these past four years, especially this year cuz I was out of the house for 13 hours a day. It
has been their support along with so many other people that has led me to where I am life now and speaking for all of you tonight. So, thank [Applause] you He's going
[Music] to congratulations. And number four, Ryan [Applause] Vincent. Good evening. My name is Ryan Vincent and I'm ranked fourth in the graduating class of 2025 at Aponicquit.
To start, um, besides my academics during my time here at Aonicquit, I have played three sports, varsity soccer, varsity hockey, and track where I've received many awards such as the coaches and character award for soccer, rookie of the year, defensive player of the year, and offensive player of the year,
as well as all-star my junior year for hockey. I've also been a member of DECA, NHS, Laker Leaders, and the Portuguese club for two years. Um, during my time here at Ponicquit, I received science awards and honors biology, Python
programming, AP biology, and AP physics. And during my summer breaks, I worked at Horses Neck Beach, where I also volunteered with Nomurf the Therapy. Some of my fondest memories during my time on Aponic have come from playing for our ice hockey team. Whether that be making it to the playoffs this past
year, the spaghetti dinners before games, or just spending time with the team. Throughout my four years at a panicquit, there have been many staff members who have contributed to me becoming the person I am today. But I would just like to recognize a few who have had the most significant impact on me. The first being Miss Herrera, who
ever since I had her for biology my freshman year, has been one of my favorite teachers ever. She has caused me to work harder than I ever thought I could and been a major inspiration for my future career. The others being Mr. Rosa and Mrs. Cronin who have done such an amazing job running and organizing our DECA chapter,
taking time out of their own days and lives to bring our chapter on many field trips throughout the year in the district, state, and national levels. I would also like to thank my parents for their constant support thus far in my life, the friends who I've made along the way, as well as the amazing faculty and staff here at
Ponquit. Next year, I plan to attend the University of South Carolina Honors College and pursue a dual degree in neuroscience and biomedical engineering with hopes to attend medical school post undergraduate education. Thank you for your time.
[Applause] [Music] third in the class. Lucas Source. Good evening everyone. I'm Lucas Source. I came back to the Freetown Lakeville district in my freshman year, returning
to the FLRSD grounds for the first time since elementary school after a 5-year hiatus during which I was homeschooled from 4th through 8th grade. My homeschooling experience was a unique opportunity that afforded me the freedom
to explore topics of my interest, learn in my own way, and develop an independent love of learning that remains with me today. I must thank the person who was my teacher through this process first and foremost who also happens to be my mother. Without the
values she instilled in me from a young age, I wouldn't have the drive or the curiosity that I do today and I wouldn't be where I am now. So wherever you are, thanks mom. After entering high school, I more than
most was a timid and shy little freshman. Knowing next to nobody, save the few who remembered me from third grade. I'd frequently get asked, "Aren't you Lucas from third grade?" accompanied by a quizzical expression upon their
face. It wasn't too long, however, before I decided that the best way to meet new people was to get involved in just about every extracurricular activity that I could. And so I did. Early on, I got involved in student council, something which was one of the
best decisions of my high school experience. Through student council, I learned the valuable skills of how to work as part of a team, how to lead groups on long-term projects and achieve goals, and most importantly, the teners the tenets of leadership, including
selflessness, pragmatism, creativity, and the willingness to uplift others. I'd like to thank the vibrant people who I've worked with on StuCo throughout the years as well as Mr. Solomon for being a standout mentor figure in my
development, helping to shape me into the adult today that I am. Not much longer into my freshman year, I went on to see aquit players fall play. This might have been the second best decision of my high school career, for I would go on to audition
for the spring musical that year, and I have acted in every production since. It was here that I got to meet some of my closest friends, fell in love with drama and performance, and learned to loosen up and embrace the aspects of myself that I hadn't been able to before. I'd
like to thank director Mr. Lec for always reminding me of my love for theater and for guiding me along my acting journey. Former music director Mr. Ed Ledwith for always reminding me of my love for all things music. Choreographer Sabrina Corger Corg for
being a source of joy and unity within drama as well as a true friend and all my fellow thespians past and present. Some of whom are here tonight for being my closest friends and creating the loving and welcoming environment that
theater has come to represent to me. I also wouldn't be where I am today without acknowledging the incredible teachers who have guided me throughout my academic journey. I'd like to extend dear thanks to Mr. Michael Pino who taught me chemistry both honors and AP in junior and senior years for helping
me to develop my critical thinking, conceptualization skills, passion for science, and most importantly, love for corny puns. Mrs. Bernardet Gray who taught me geometry and AP calculus for being my favorite ever math teacher and for her
unending kindness and for helping me sharpen my problem solving ability and solidifying my love for math which I have come to respect as the language of the universe. Additionally, Mrs. Julie Mills, who taught me physics and acted as adviser for physics Olympics for my
junior and senior years, for teaching me about the universe, respsparking my love for physics, and helping me redouble my commitment to pursue physics in the future. Throughout high school, I've had the pleasure to be involved in several different clubs and take active leadership roles in them, such as this
year becoming president of the Eboard Student Council, as well as having a supporting role in this year's musical. I've also achieved honors science awards in biology, chemistry, AP chemistry, programming, AP physics 1 and 2, as well
as being recognized for receiving a five on the AP science exams in junior year. For the fall, I was admitted and have committed to Harvard College and plan to study physics, concentrating in astrophysics. In the long term, I plan to p pursue a career in research,
endeavoring to pursue unanswered questions about the cosmos. To all the people, friends, family, and teachers who have helped me, thank you all. I could not have landed where I am now without your guidance and support. They say it takes a village, and I can definitely say that I have benefited
from the support of a myriad of sources within the school community. I hope that going forward this community can continue to support students through the teachers, clubs, activities, and resources that have helped me have an enjoyable and incredibly valuable high school experience. The youth are truly
our future, and education is the path by which we shape what kind of future we want to support. I hope we can continue to recognize this vital fact and uplift the future generations. Thank you. Congratulations.
Nice handshake. Good job. And number two in the class, Maline Polic. [Applause] Good evening everyone. My name is Maline Polic. I have been a threeseason varsity
athlete since freshman year and was nominated captain of the cross country and track teams. I received the 2023 cross country coaches award and was also named to the SEC All-Star team. I am engaged in various extracurricular activities including Laker Leaders, DECA
and National Honor Society. This year I also participated in the honor bowl. I was nominated to the principal and superintendent round table where I collaborate with peers and administrators to address equity and policy issues. I am also active in my community mentoring young athletes in
track camps and have volunteered with Walt's mobile closet, women and infants and New Balance Nationals. Currently, I am employed as a community organizer with Mass Now, where I work to address public health and equity issues. I have been a dedicated student throughout high school, maintaining highest honors every
semester while taking the most rigorous classes. I have received the science course awards in honors biology, chemistry, physics, anatomy, and physiology, as well as AP Chemistry and Biology. Last spring, I was honored to receive the Bosch and Lom Honorary Science Award. Some of my best memories
at Aponqua are associated with my participation in sports. I'll never forget my favorite cross country twilight meets at Barnstable Fairgrounds where the course was marked with strings of Christmas lights and loud music. Nor will I forget the girls cross country team winning the South Coast Conference
title for the first time in 30 years. I want to spec especially thank my parents and grandparents for their constant love and encouragement who have been my biggest supporters believing in me even when I doubted myself. I also want to thank all the teachers and staff at Aponquit. Dr. VK, thank you for being
such a supportive and inspiring teacher. I am grateful for all my science teachers especially Mrs. Ferrer and Mr. Pelino for inspiring me to be curious and for fostering my love of science. Your dedication, enthusiasm, guidance, and ability um to make um um complex um
complex concepts more accessible has been invaluable. I also want to thank for former superintendent, Mr. Alan Strauss, who always inspired and encouraged us, providing guidance and advocating for our civics action project, showing up for our sporting events, and valuing our voices by creating the principal and
superintendent roundt. I'm excited to graduate and start the next chapter of my life. I plan on attending the University of Hartford this fall where I will be majoring in nursing or and participating in the honors college. I am also grateful to be able to continue my running career as a member of the
women's cross country and track teams. My ultimate goal is to become a certified registered nurse and ethicist. Thank you for your time. [Applause]
in class of 2025. Validictorian Ne Gallagher. Good evening everyone. My name is Ne Gallagher and I am the valadictorian of the class of 2025. I have been a student within the Freetown Lakeville School District since kindergarten and have loved growing up within this community. In terms of accolades, throughout my
time at Aponoquit, I have received science awards in each science course, but on the honor role for every term and I was identified as an AP scholar by the college board. This past winter, I received the Francis W. Galashaw Junior Award and scholarship for my involvement at Aponoquit. Outside of academics, I have been a member of the girls varsity,
lacrosse, and soccer teams when they have won when they have each won the South Coast Conference Championship. Within the conference, I was a recipient of sportsmanship awards as well as an honorable mention for the All-Star team last spring for lacrosse. I am also a member of green team, Portuguese club,
Laker Leaders, Student Council, and other clubs as well. One of my fondest memories of my time in the Freetown Lakeville school district was the eighth grade social four years ago. Despite middle school being an uncomfortable and awkward time for many and the additional stress stress that was brought on due to the CO 19 pandemic, the eighth grade
social was one of the best times because of the sense of unity and togetherness it brought for myself and my fellow classmates. I cannot think of another time where everyone was so excited to finally see each other than when we were all together underneath the Candyland themed tent next to the next to a Ponquitz library. It was evident that there was a lot of hard work put into
that event from faculty and parent volunteers alike who wanted to create and host something special after the interesting and unique middle school experience we all had. I would like to take this time to recognize Mrs. Belli, Miss T, Senora Nardi, and Mrs. Day. These exceptional women have all had a
tremendous and profound impact on me. Starting in elementary school, Miss T and Miss Day helped foster a passion for learning and working with others through warm and welcoming classrooms, always being so joyful and eager to help students. Mrs. Bachelli and Senora Nardi are two need two teachers who have both
who have been the most encouraging and supportive of me throughout my high school time as they were always available to listen to me talk and help me with whatever I needed. It is because of these educators that I am able to stand before you all today with pride for all that I have accomplished here at Uponquit and with hope to continue to work hard in the future. I would also
like to recognize my parents, my siblings, and the rest of my family for providing me with unconditional love and support and for always pushing me to be my best self. Next fall, I will be attending Tus University where I will be majoring in international relations with a minor in Arabic on a pre-law track. Thank you all for your time.
[Applause] [Music] Thank you all so much for your presentations. At this time, we're going to take a fivem minute break so that we can congratulate our parents. I'm sorry.
I I just wanted to congratulate all of you. To to hear the accomplishments, the character, the appreciation for the district is so heartwarming. And on a personal level, I know many of you. I also have a senior. So, congratulations. Best of everything. The future is bright
and you certainly make this a proud night, but the district proud. Thank you. Thank you on so many levels. Great job. I also want to thank you as well because seems like all of you took this uh uh experience as a great journey and
is you milestone to go into a bigger places now. Thank you. Thank you. Would anyone else like to say anything? Okay, let's take a 5m minute break. Well, it's going to be hard to follow
that, that's for sure. Um, so I had a blast. I know you did. Um, at this time I'm seeking a motion to take action items out of order. Um, I would like a motion to move action items E, B, C, and D in in that
order at this time. Second motion and a second. Is there any discussion? Okay, this is a majority. All in favor say I. I. Are there any objections? Any extensions?
Okay, great. So first order of business is we are going to vote to transfer 665,960 from excess and deficiencies and D contingent upon one the ratification
of a two of the two one-year MOAs with the EAL and two the approval of a revised budget reflecting the amount necessary to fund the ratified MOAS. Do I have a motion? I'll move second.
Any discussion? So, this is just the vote for the financial monetary aspects of ratifying the agreements. Correct. So, we're going to vote on the monetary aspect and then vote on the
agreements second. Correct. That was under the adise if I may through the chair. That was under the advisement of Kelly Gonzalez, legal counsel. Okay. Can you just repeat that cuz I couldn't hear Margaret. I couldn't hear a word
you said. Um, which part? No, Courtney. Okay. Sorry. My question was, so this is being split up into two sort of separate votes and we're voting only on the monetary how we're going to fund the contracts if we
ratify them. That's what this vote is for. Okay? How we're going to fund them. And what I had said as a followup through the chair was that that was the advisement of legal counsel Gonzalez. Any other discussion? I have a question. Are we
using where we are getting this fund from from is in the budget or we are using well we're transferring $665,960 from END. Okay. Thank you. You're
welcome. Any other discussion? Go ahead. So, just just so we're clear, if this doesn't pass, then what is the implication? The implication is that we would fund we would approve the the contract with
the what's in it and then we would still have to fund that because we would vote to approve it. If we don't move E and D, we're not going to go back and ask the member towns to increase the assessments. So then through through the chair, Mr. Higgins will answer that question.
So, if you were to uh not fund the contracts and we were still going to operate on under the current voted budget, it would require significant staffing cuts in all areas in order to
come in under the budget number that we've already voted on. Okay. Correct. Any other discussion? Okay, this vote is require this vote requires a simple majority and this is a roll call vote. So, Jen Blum, yes. Steve
Sylvia, yes. Bob Clark, yes. Courtney Breman, yes. Crystal, couldn't hear you. Sorry. What? You just can't hear. Uh, yes. Karolina Hernandez. Yes. Melinda
Richards. Yes. Memory. Yes. Motion passes. Okay, motion passes. The second one is a vote to ratify a one-year MOA with the EFL teachers unit to authorize the chair of
the school committee to execute and the agreement and to authorize and delegate authority to the interimm superintendent of the Freetown Regional School District to affect and enforce this agreement. So move second.
Okay, that went faster than I expected. So, any discussion? See, seeing none. This is also a roll call vote and a majority is needed. Jen Blum, yes. Steve Sylvia, yes. Bob Clark, yes.
Courtney Breman, yes. Crystal Ing, yes. Carolina Hernandez, yes. Melinda Richards, yes. Tim Emory, abstain. some sold quilts. And this is where we need our two select board members. So, if you could please come up to the podium.
Here's Blanca. Uh, I vote no. And is Carlos isn't here? He's not here. Oh, boy. So, you have your majority. You have your majority. Okay. Motion carries.
Motion passes. Okay. Next up is to vote to uh vote to ratify the one-year MOA with ELA E AL prior professionals in the secretar's unit to authorize the chair of the sub
the school committee to execute the agreement and to authorize and delegate authority to the intern superintendent of the Freetown Lakeville Regional School District to affect enforce the agreement. So move second. Do I have any discussion?
Okay, seeing none, this again is a majority vote and we'll call for a roll call. Jen Blum, yes. Steve Sylvia, yes. Bob Clark, yes. Courtney Breman, yes. Crystal Inc., yes. Karolina Hernandez, yes. Melinda Richards, yes. Tim Emory,
yes. Chris Planca. My vote is no. So, motion passes. Thank you very much. Okay, next up is to vote to adopt and revise the FY26 budget in the amount of 48 million
6493 which contains the amounts necessary to fund the ratified contract. So moved. Second. Do I have any discussion? Hey, you look like you were going to say something. Okay, seeing none, this is a
twothird vote. Jen Blum, yes. Steve Sylvia, yes. Bob Clark, yes. Courtney Breitman, yes. Crystal Ling, yes. Karolina Hernandez, yes. Melinda Richards, yes. Tim Emory,
yes. Motion carries. Thank you very much. Motion carries. Now we're going back to you. I believe I believe it comes back to me. Unless you have anything else, chair. I do not. Thank you very
much everybody. Sorry about that. Just getting ourselves back in order here. I'm providing for you uh an update this evening. My first thing was to uh present the top 10. So I thank you for entertaining and listening to our top 10 this evening. The students who are very
excited to be to they're still here. They were very excited uh to present to you tonight and to have this uh bit of a ritual in the district continue. So uh please do let me know if you'd like to have it happen again next year. But I can tell you that the kids were very excited to prepare and present for you
this evening. So thank you for entertaining uh and hearing them. Uh the second report I have for you tonight is an update regarding transportation. This is a a bit of a blend of two items. I'm talking to you uh about the ongoing bus issue that we've had in particular with
the uh the bus lateness in the afternoon and also relative to the safety training of the drivers uh related to uh the new situation with trains coming through the towns. So just to let you know since we met last we've continued to monitor both
of those situations daily. Uh we've had a meeting regarding communication with uh Ken Resendes from first student and the principles and that is to uh to expedite communication in the afternoon in particular around the buses uh with our elementary
students that are arriving late. Uh and subsequent to that I believe there has been a bit of an acceleration in that daily communication to parents uh so that they know which buses are arriving uh later than expected. In addition to that, we've had uh another series of bus
evacuation drills with our students. And in alignment with those bus evacuation drills, we've also reviewed uh the behavior students are expected to have when we're at railroad crossings. And if you believe remember, we talked about that at the last meeting. So, I witnessed one of those today over at
Grace. uh and the students were very cooperative participants and jumping out of the back of the bus and then returning to the bus to learn uh or relearn what they should do when they cross uh the railroad tracks. Uh we also have continued railroad safety training scheduled at all of the schools. I
believe I spoke to you about that at the last meeting and I'm happy to let you know that all of our schools have those scheduled uh to occur between now and the end of the year. And then uh we have subsequent to our last meeting had a training for our special education van drivers to remind them uh of you know
the cautions we take around railroad crossings. So that has occurred and then our our current and kind of next steps we are creating an ARHS ridership survey for distribution at the high school level and that's to help us in planning for our bus routes for next year so that
we can try to curtail this issue uh with our elementary school students getting home. so late. We are currently working with the bus company to run some trials and potential routes based on residency this year so that we can take a look at
how we might be able to alter our routes uh in conjunction with the wrership survey so that we can we can uh deliver our children home earlier in particular in the afternoon. And then we are looking to uh come back to this meeting in June and announce to you some
alterations to the start and end time of the school day uh kind of across the board. So that's where we are in terms of an update on bus transportation to date and uh our rear crossing training for our drivers. And I'd like to just
offer my thanks uh to the patients for all of our parents and caregivers at home who are uh who are waiting for our young students in the afternoon to come home. And I thank them for their patience as we continue the the 20 days that we have left uh that we are dealing
with this issue and that we are really on it and trying to make sure this does not happen again. Thank you. Any questions? Thank you. Moving right along. Uh I just alluded to um some
changes to our start and end times. Uh and that like I said, we're looking to come back to you in in June with precise times for next year's start and end times. Some considerations we're making are relative to the contracts that you ratify this evening. Uh we have
additional learning time, which is always a good thing, uh happening at AES, fees, grace, and LMS next year. So when we're adding learning time to the day, we are changing either our start or our end time to the school day. So that's one thing we have to look at. We
are also being cognizant of our afterchool activities in particular at the secondary level. We have our student athletes. You heard from many of them tonight. uh they are engaged in afterchool uh athletic events and and we need to be cognizant of the time that
those events start and also how much time we leave between the end of a school day and perhaps the beginning of practice. Downtime is not always good. Uh so we're being cognizant of that. We're also mindful of our secondary level students who are responsible for watching their younger siblings at home.
So, we need to make sure that there's a, you know, a good gap uh in the time we're getting our uh our older students home before our younger students get there. We're also comparing our start and end times to our surrounding communities, in particular, those that have rural roots like ours. Uh we our
goal here is to address those PM late runs. As I said to you in the late arrival of our elementary students at home, we are now accounting for the trains uh and the amount of time that takes when the trains are coming through town. And we are making considerations for traffic and sometimes the un
unavoidable driver shortages uh that we have due to illness or absence. The length of time students spend on a bus is also something we're considering. The number of buses we have and the distance of our routes. So, that is kind of everything we're looking at right now as
we come up with what we believe will be uh start and end times to each of our buildings that will afford our students the learning time they need here at school and then an appropriate arrival time at home. So, thank you again and thank you to the community for your patience as we tease this out. Uh if you
have any questions, I could answer them now. Thank you. I know this has been a burden for so many people, so I'm really glad that we're working hard to get that taken care of. We we are and I thank you for recognizing that. And then I'll just be brief. Uh interim superintendent's
entry plan update. Uh I am really happy to say that I have uh I've been all over the district and engaging with our students uh daily. We have I I sound like a broken record when I say that we have wonderful students here in the district and an incredibly hardworking staff. And it has been a pleasure to be
welcomed into the classroom and to engage with our students. Uh and you can see we'll just pop through the slides. Um, in addition to that, I've continued with meeting with people. I've met with almost all the Freetown select people, almost all the uh, Lakeville select people and attended as many events here
in the community as I possibly can. It's been a delight to be back. Uh, the inclusivity is is almost beyond words and uh, I'm grateful for all the students I've had the opportunity to meet and have discourse with. Uh the kids are very willing to advocate for themselves, very willing to share their
thoughts and opinions about how school should run. And uh I'm more than willing to listen to them right now. That's for sure. Uh we were over at the uh round table today over at Fretown Lakeville Middle School discussing uh a policy that I'll be talking to you about a little bit later on the agenda tonight.
And we had nearly 4550minute meeting and I think I'd still be sitting there if we hadn't adjourned it. Uh the kids are very thoughtful about how they'd like to see policies set in the district and how they'd like to have their day run and and all of those things. So looking forward to sharing more of that with you. I miss hearing how many days you're
at. I was going to ask you to I I have stopped counting. You lost track. I started and I I haven't had time to count. How's that? Uh but uh Yeah, we like that. Settled in nicely. Yeah. Yes. Exactly. But I I have a a lot of
students to thank for that. The kids are absolutely wonderful and teachers who have been so welcoming and again our central office staff here. That's great. So, thank you. Thank you. I am functioning as our director of curriculum and assessment tonight. Uh
Miss Fleming had a family obligation this evening, so I was happy to relieve her from being here tonight, and I thank you for allowing her to not be here this evening as well. She was having me simply report on our homeschool families. We currently have 82 families who are engaging in the homeschool program. I did uh put a link to the
DESIE regulations there for you because Desi does oversee and set policy related to homeschooling. Um our homeschool families have their progress report due to uh Terry Fleming by June 30th of 2025. So anybody who's tuning in, that's
a reminder. They are sending in a progress toward proficiency report uh highlighting everything their students have accomplished at home this year academically, civically, and socially. Once those are received by Terry Fleming, she will review those and then uh she will communicate with the
families regarding their new intent to participate in homeschooling if that's their choice uh in advance of next year's academic year. And then she will send a letter of confirmation off to them. And certainly I would welcome any family who's currently homeschooling who's interested in coming back to the
district to contact us through Terry Fleming. We're happy to provide tours of buildings. We're happy to establish meetings with teachers or administration in advance. Uh Lucas was a a good example this evening of a student who took some time and engaged in homeschooling and determined to come
back to the district and had a wonderful experience here in the district. and we would welcome any homeschool family who would like to have those conversations with us to please do so. Thank you. All right. And uh with your permission, I'll turn things over to our director of
finance and facilities. Thank you. Um we um have several um items to update you on regarding uh facilities and operations in the district. Um the upon I'm sorry, the Asawset Elementary School generator installation has now uh been
completed. The final steps were this week which was the uh patching of the asphalt. Otherwise the during the April vacation the full installation was done with testing. Uh so we have a fully operation operating um whole building uh
generator at AES um which um can be useful not only to the district but also to town of Lakeville in the cases of emergency. Uh the fees uh HVAC controls project. We've I've given you updates on this project over the the past several
months. This project was to bring in a control system so that we could have a more efficient and comfortable um HBAC system in at FES. Prior to this, the controls that were under uh that that were we were utilizing were not connecting with all of the elements of
the HBAC system. In fact, very few of those elements. So in order to run the winter heat it was essentially turn it on you got one temperature and you you know then you open the windows when it got too warm. Um with the with the controls now we are able to not only
monitor obviously I like the thermostat but also um occupancy of the building. So when or even in classrooms. So if a classroom is uh not occupied, it will automatically go into a a quiet mode in which case it's not utilizing the same
amount of um fan service. And that's because when students are in a classroom, they create quite a bit of carbon dioxide. The adult the human beings create a bit of quite a bit of carbon dioxide. It reads that system, it measures it, and then it brings in more fresh air as necessary, but also heated
heated air as well if it need if it is needed. um at in the campus um HVAC system, we had several deficiencies that were identified as a part of this larger project and we've been um working on those over the last several years, but this year was a a big part of it. And
probably the largest element of that was putting all of the exhaust vans which had been brought into the into the district within the last 5 years but had not been fully operational. They brought them all online. that has made a a significant difference in the air
quality in all three of the buildings in the campus with the air circulation occurring. Um which we think maybe is one of the um unforeseen um consequences when we talk about the we've had uh three fire alarms or smoke alarms go off
at the high school over the last 3 weeks. They happened on May 2nd, May 9th, and May 15th. They happened around the same time late in the afternoon. um two Fridays and a Thursday. Uh when we brought our service company to come in and check, they identified that the the
system was working out correctly. All of the item, all of the uh nodes as well as the link loop were working correctly. There was nothing wrong. But what was likely happening is that pollen and particulates were getting into the smoke alarm. And it uses a laser and once it gets blocked in the same way it might block with smoke, it will go off and
then you know trigger the fire alarm. Um, we are looking into more detail, but we're speculating that in fact the exhaust fans are doing their job. They're pulling more air. It's warming up in the afternoon. The teachers are opening the windows as they should, as they would. It's pulling more air in because there's more air circulation. We
will have the service company come in and do a full cleaning of all the smoke alarms so that this should um not be a problem going forward. But we we we understand that sometimes when you know when you see pollen floating from the trees, it potentially could happen
again. So we keeping a close eye on it. Um and that's that's the facilities update at this point. Thank you. Click again. Turn things over to Kelly Ste. Sure. Um, so I'm shifting from my numbers report and kind of doing
um a combination of Special Olympics, which is my favorite day of the year, and then just a couple other updates and just some informative things people have asked me questions about. I felt this was the best place to kind of answer those questions. So, um, we had the Special Olympics last Friday. It was cloudy, which was great news for us
because when it's sunny, it's it's not so great. Um, and we had all of our schools participate. Um, FES had 11 students, Grace had five, FLMS had seven students, and ARHS had 13. So, we had a really good showing. Um, a lot of families, which was awesome, and then a
lot of our staff. So, I'll probably just show you this quick slideshow. Um, and I just did it by school. So, Freetown Elementary School, um, was first. You see my cute little identical twins on the left. Um, and this was just they did it by stations, which is great if you ever, you know,
see the Special Olympics. they did it so well in Dartmouth and they organized it. So, elementary was on one side and the far side um you'll see was the secondary level. So, you'll you'll see all of that. So, I did three slides for each school. Um and I think as much as you see the kids and how great they are, the staff are right with them, which I think
is really important to note. You're going to see a lot of staff um just participating. We have our related service providers on the right side with our Grace kids. Um we are our par professionals, BCBA on the left, and then we have everybody mixed in for their race in the middle. And then um we have our friend showing
her muscles on the left. Um and then this is the rest of Grace doing a little bit of an obstacle course that they had set up there for them on that side. And then our middle school starting at secondary, they did a little bit of a long jump. Um and then they did some other kind of field activities on their side. So some of them are the same, some
of them are different. Um our special administrator for secondary, Danielle Johansson, was there and and Shelley, one of our power professionals, and then they were also doing the long jump. and our high school team. Um, a little bit of our group in the middle and then soccer was a huge hit. Um, and then our
friend was running the race and then just kind of some activities between all of the different groupings. Um, I love that action shot by the way in the middle. It's one of my favorites. Um, but it was just great and every our PT there working over on that side. Um, just it was a great event and it was
great seeing other schools and some of the kids recognize other kids from events which was really nice. And then I just have a video at the end. Oh, you don't have permission. Um, that's too bad. I So, I'll just talk about it. There's a video. Um, it's like one minute long, but it's fees. They
have all their students go out. I don't know if anyone's aware, but they go out. So, when we come back on the bus with the athletes, all of the kids from the school have signs welcoming them back and then the kids get off the bus and they cheer every single kid that gets off the bus coming back into the building. So, I did have that video. I'm bummed. I thought it was going to go through, but it didn't. That is awesome.
We are going to work. That is so awesome. All right. See that? Yeah. Well, we'll close out the meeting because it's only a minute long, but I'll give you permission. Awesome. Yeah. So, I got a really nice video of that when it is just really great to see. So, I I do want you to see it so I can um I'll go on my email and give you access
or you can log in under me. Um Kelly will give us access. Oh, cuz you're signed in under Renee. That's why I'll share it with Renee. Um but I can just do that real quick. Sorry, I wouldn't be on my phone otherwise. Um, and then I'll
go into my other things. While we do that, I will fill the air by echoing Kelly's session. It was an excellent day to see our students, our special education staff, our par profofessionals, and our parents and uh the huge uh support from the Dartmouth
community for hosting and the uh state police who turned out to support our students. It was an excellent day. Uh, I showed up for lunch. The kids were so hungry by lunchtime because they had just participated in everything. And without
fail, when I was asking, "What was your favorite event?" I would get a mouthful of pizza telling me all of them, and how much fun they really had. Nice. Yeah. Yeah, they did. It was a It was great. It was great. And Dartmouth does do a great job hosting. They really do. They
put a lot of time and effort into it. You really do. It was just a day happiness and kindness and physical activity outside. And to the point about the weather, it was like just the perfect day. Wasn't too hot. Nice cover of uh
nice cloud cover over us. Can't ask for more on a field day. That's for sure. Ryan, it's your authenticator that's getting me. Just so you know. [Laughter] I keep doing it, but it won't let me.
We could probably move on. Kelly and I try to help. I I can't do it. Um, all right. So, CPAC, we are wrapping up. I can't believe we have one meeting left. Um, it's the 3rd, uh, June 3rd at 6:30. Um, I'm going to be working on summer planning, but they're going to be voting for their new CPAC positions, their board positions. So once I know who
those people are, um I will be doing planning over the summer to do agenda setting and talk about topics and guest speakers and all of those types of things. So um that we have one left. It would be great um for people to participate. And again, that's going to be at 6:30 here in the high school. There has been some conversation. We
haven't gotten further than that, but people have given ideas such as maybe shifting our location so it's not always at the high school and maybe that'll get other people more interested to going to different schools. So, I think we'll talk about a lot of those different options to increase participation. I'm not making there's no decisions made,
just conversation about how it would help. So, if anybody has ideas on what they'd like to see for CPAC, please reach out. Um, so that's the last meeting. I'll be at that meeting. And then I just had some clarification. People have been asking me some questions about evaluations in the district and who does what and the roles
and the responsibilities. So, I know I've missed a couple of meetings and I I do apologize for that. Um but I just wanted to kind of clarify the roles and responsibilities and who is doing what in the district. Um so I guess I'll start with school psychologists and this will just be a summary. Um so their job
is to conduct cognitive evaluations. So they don't conduct um neurosychological evaluations in the district and they don't conduct functional behavioral assessment FBAs. Um we don't do neurosykes in the district but we do conduct functional behavioral assessments that's done by BCBA. So we
do have a full-time BCBA in the district and then we also um contract out um for one day a week at Grace and one day a week at WAMST and the other BCBA covers the other schools. So we do have those in place and they do our um FBAs for the district but our school sites conduct
the cognitive evaluation so looking at those full scale IQs evaluations like that. They conduct rating scales with the school staff in home. Um they do classroom observations. They conduct academic achievement testing. Um and that to clarify that there's initial evaluations and reeval. So initial is
whether a school-based team refers a child for an evaluation or an outside person like a family member requests an evaluation. So that can happen at any time. We can't really predict necessarily the initial request. Then we have re-evaluations. Those are at least every 3 years. Sometimes they do get moved up, but they have to be done at
least every 3 years. So that's the combination. And then there's also additional requests for testing. So a student who might be on an IEP, but we want a clearer picture. there's additional testing that can be requested by the team or by home. Um so the school psychologist is doing all of that and on
top of that they are completing the specific learning disability eligibility forms and they're also um one of our school psychologist that we brought on this year is conducting all of our out of district evaluations for the programs that don't most of our out of districts don't provide those evaluations. We have
to send our own people out and it is some of the sometimes the drive could be an hour. It it is pretty extensive. So, um, that's kind of the the combo of things that our school psych our four school psychologists are doing. Um, and again to share, one is at fees and stays
there because Karen also does school. So, she's preschool and she's the elementary. Then I have Craig who goes between AES and Grace. I have Sue Clancy at the middle school because that is our biggest number wise. And then Noel Romeo does the high school and all of my out of district evaluations. So, that's
really school psych. So, I just want to clarify what they are doing in the district. Um, and then the special ed teachers are not doing testing in the district. I did come from a district where they did do testing. So, I understand the model. I've looked into it here. Um, concerns here are they don't have a testing block currently.
They'd have to have that change in their job expectation and then that would pull them from servicing students. They're booked tight. So, I looked at all their schedules. They don't have extra time in their schedule. Um, so we would have to somehow give service delivery to pull them out for a testing block and then they would have to write the reports and
do all of that. Um, and it's not just for reavals, it's also for initials. They would get assigned initial evals as they came in. Um, and then we're also doing testing on iPads. So I'd have to purchase pairs of iPads for the special ed teachers to be able to do that testing. So trying to be fiscally responsible, it would still make sense
for our school psychologists to be doing all of those evaluations at this current time. Um, the money is definitely staggering comparing making that switch. I think it's something that districts have done, but they've had to do it and plan it over time. And that's not something I would be against, but something that would take more planning
moving forward. Um, and then the last piece of that is just the like I talked about the BCBAS, they do all of our FBAs. Um, I do have broken down, we've had 34 FBAs in the district this year and across all buildings and then they write the reports and then they also write the behavior intervention plans if
they're recommended through the FBA. So, that's a bigger chunk of things um that they do. So, I just wanted to provide some clarity on what we're doing in the district evaluation wise and but also kind of why we're doing it the way we're doing it um to really support the kids and have teachers in front of the kids but also fiscally being responsible. So,
I don't know if you guys have any questions. I know I missed a lot of these conversations. So, I just wanted to give some info and we by by having the school psychologist we saved a ton of money by not outsourcing it because I remember before we were outsourcing it and we were spending ridic a lot of
money on that. So by having these school psychologists, we've cut that right back. Correct. Correct. So what I just looked last year, we if we just looked at what we had to do for our own district and have to look outside, it was $48,000, but on top of that, it was an additional about
$12,000 to do our outofd evaluation. So that hit us at about $60,000. Um, and then this year we haven't had to use and we had to use extra read slots that we pay for, which was another at least six or $8,000. So we
were at almost the $70,000 mark with that. Um, so yes, just that piece alone was well worth us bringing in a school psychologist and and doing the work for our own. Um, if we were to take that psychologist away, I'd have to pay out
more. And now we have the costs have gone up. They've just given me my new cost for next year and the the out of district sourcing is is pretty expensive. So, um it's more than a break even. We probably were about $5 to $6,000 savings by bringing in the school psychologist. Um I would expect that to
kind of track over time. Okay, great. Mhm. Thank you. Thank you for that clarification. I heard a couple acronyms and I'm not sure I know what they all mean. What What's FBA? Functional behavior assessment. Okay. So if a student's having some difficulty kind of modulating and self-regulating within
the classroom, they may the team may recommend or someone might ask for a functional behavioral assessment and it's really an observation in the classroom, multiple observations, taking data throughout the classroom, looking at anticedants and responses and in the behavior that comes with it and then reviewing that with the whole IEP team
and then developing if necessary a behavior intervention plan which then isn't an IEP. something that can be molded over time and it can shift according to the child's need and it gets shared with the family and also the school so that everybody's on the same page. So the BCBA behavior certified um
you know analyst is the one that puts all of that together and works with the team to implement it. Thank you. Thank you Kelly. Any other questions? Okay, we're going to move on to the subcommittee
reports starting with the regional finance committee. Uh nothing new to report. We do have a meeting scheduled next week. Okay. Interimm superintendent evaluation committee. Uh nothing at this time, but
we do u need to get um a meeting on the books and I'll reach out to Renee. Um looking forward to hearing goals for for the upcoming school year. Thank you. Yeah. Wellness, we have nothing so far.
uh policy committee. Nothing to a report through the chair. Yes. Uh I'm looking to uh to set up a policy meeting or have one set up. We are looking at a draft of an AI policy to be adopted by the district. It is currently being reviewed
by all of our school councils and by our students at their roundts. Uh so I'd like to bring that forward to the policy committee maybe at the beginning of June. Okay. Makes sense. Good. Yeah. Okay, moving on to the capital
committee. Nothing. Um, just a point on that. Could when the student councils or school councils are done rebooting, can we see a draft um at least the members or the policy subcommittee in advance of just the initial meeting, which I'm sure you
would do anyway. Yes. Thank you. And how about the pool subcommittee? Um, we uh we were in the process of identifying three more members to fill the committee. Uh, Renee, thank you for
forwarding over emails that had happened prior to the election. I was able to see a couple extra requests. So, um, we'll be in touch. Greg is not back yet from leave. So, we'll be reaching out to him as well to set up our initial meeting um, over at the pool and that'll be our
first step uh, in the right direction. and we're still waiting to hear on the funds um when they come in to be able to fund the uh engineering study and then we'll know better. Okay. So, I think
Greg still has some time, right? So, in the meantime from now until Greg comes back, we'll have those three community members. Yes. Okay. Excellent. Yep. And I've communicated with um uh with one of them so far. Okay. Okay. But with Crystal and I spoke and identified the
other two which will make a a full committee seven or seven. Okay. For now. Yep. Great. Thank you. I have a question. Yes. Why can't we take money from END to pay for the this what is it? A study. The
engineering study. The engineering study. There's no reason. I mean you would have to make that decision. Um quite honestly though, we as I shared with you, we weren't sure of the timing on the the money that's being set aside in the earmark, right? Um ultimately
that would be a decision the school committee could make if they wanted to set that money aside and then with the idea of it being moved back should the money become available. Right. Okay. Because it just seems like So that's something maybe we we can look
into. Yeah, we can discuss that. Right. Okay. because it just seems like I thought it was over and we were just waiting for results. I didn't realize it hadn't even started yet. Yeah. So, just to get some answers so we can just, you know, start moving it forward. Start
moving it. Absolutely. Go ahead, Tim. Um, without being too forward, could we add that discussion as an action item on the June meeting? Yes, I think that would be a good idea on it to move funds in advance of the
hopeful earark refund of it. Y do we know when we're going to hear back from the senator's office about the earmark? We don't. They're still waiting for the as it goes through through committees and votes. Um, but we have been, you
know, promised, but I can't give you any more than that. Promises, promises. That's a great idea. Yeah, that is a great idea. So, we'll get that on for June. Thank you. Okay. Any any subjects of discussion
come before the committee? I actually have a point of discussion through the chair. Sure, go for Um, Aushnet public schools, one of our neighboring communities is uh re-evaluating its agreement relative to high school selection for Aushnet
students. A Kushnet stops at grade 8. Currently, their grade 8 students have cho have a choice to go to either Fair Haven High School, New Bedford High School, Bristol Aggie or Old Colony. And recently, another neighboring high school secured a spot at a uh a Kushnet
school committee meeting this summer to present their high school as an option because they're re-evaluating their agreement uh with our outstanding academic programs, our stellar athletic programs, our pallet of extracurricular choices,
and our successful post-secary planning that you heard about from just a small portion of our population tonight. I think that ARHS would make an excellent choice for Kushnet students. Uh entering into an agreement with a Kushnet public
schools could uh provide a great opportunity for Kushnet students, a good opportunity for our students to meet some students they haven't been to school with. Uh and also could provide a funding source for Freetown Lakeville Regional Schools and could also address some of our enrollment concerns here at
the high school. Uh when I heard that they were re-evaluating and understanding that another high school had already uh communicated with their school committee, I reached out to Chair Blum and uh Vice Chair Sylvia and just asked permission to send an email asking
for information uh from the Aushnet School Committee. So they afforded me that opportunity. So I wrote to Dr. Paula Bailey who's the superintendent of Aushna public schools and just asked for information on our behalf. Uh Dr. Bailey
will be presenting our request for information to her school committee at a meeting coming up uh prior to your June meeting. It is my hope that they agree to send us information so that we could entertain the possibility of submitting a proposal and I look forward to coming
to you in June with some information about what that type of proposal would look like and perhaps gathering your support uh to pursue uh throwing our hat in the ring for lack of a better word to see if we could uh entice Okushet public
schools to have their eighth graders join us for nth grade. I don't know if anyone has any questions about that and I I'll be upfront beyond what I've just shared with you right now. I don't have much else to share because I don't have theformational
packet from Aushnet public schools yet. Well, I certainly look forward to getting that information. Any questions about that? Any comments? No. Okay. Moving on to our action items. Um we have already taken
care of the votes uh A through E. So let's move on to F. I'm seeking a motion at this time to approve the payroll vendor warrants from 514 2025. So move second. I hear it. So moved in a second.
Any discussion on this? This vote is a simple majority. All in favor say I. I. I. Any abstensions? Any objections? Moving on to G. I am seeking a motion to approve the regular session minutes from 5725.
So moved. Second. Hearing a motion and a second. Is there any discussion? Abstain. To abstain. Sorry. Okay. All in favor say I. I. I. Any objections? Any abstensions?
I wasn't here. Motion carries. Motion carries. At Nope. Go ahead. Did we do a the calendar and events? We did. We did. Okay. Yeah. Yeah, we did. You weren't here. Sorry. No, that's what
I seeing 757 on May 21st, 2025. I am seeking a motion to adjourn this meeting. Oh, go ahead. Sorry, Bob. I I was driving by the elementary school the other day, Brethan Elementary to re retrieve a ball that went over the fence
right where Memorial Drive lines with Bulock. And you know how you drive by something a hund times and don't don't see anything? At that end of the playground, there are some very large rocks that are just sitting there. And
and these kids, they're in constant motion. It concerns me that some kid could trip, fall, and fall into those stones. I I wonder if we might put them back on the wall where they uh I think originally came from. Uh I don't know
how long they've been there. Like I said, I've driven down there for years. But uh that made me look at it and say that's not such a good idea to have have those things there. When I was younger, I would have picked them up with one hand. Of course, but now it might take some takes
some effort for a couple of couple of people to put them back. I don't know how the committee feels about that, but it's a it's something that I don't think should be there. We will look into the rocks. Thank you. And before we adjourn, Renee would love to see this video.
[Music] Oh, that is so awesome. Look at it. Everyone lined up like that. [Music] [Applause] [Music]
[Music] Come [Music] on. Come on. [Music] [Applause] [Music]
And they were wrapped all the way around the school. That was just one angle. It was really capturing that, Kelly. That's That's wonderful. And we certainly thank M principal Ward. Yes. Staff and principal and all of his students. Can I just say about the civics? Yes. 8th
grade civic. Um I just want to say that that was awesome. Um Courtney was there with me. We could only pick one project from each room and I had my 2-year-old with me who says she's shy, but they
were very, very sweet, all of the kids. Um, and I just want to thank them all for doing such awesome projects. Thank you. And thank you for inviting us. Love to be involved. Anything
else? Okay. Seeing 8:00 p.m., I'm seeking a motion to adjourn this meeting 21st. So, move second. All in favor say I. I. Good.