Um, so I'm going to call to order the regular meeting of the Nishopa Regional School Committee at 6:31 p.m. on June 29th, 2026. And if you would all mute, you can follow along with me in the Pledge of Allegiance if you choose.
I pledge allegiance 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. So the first item is public comment. I do not have anybody who reached out
regarding public comment as this was a potfly meeting. So perhaps nobody even knows we're meeting right now. Um so no public comments today. The only item we have here, the the purpose of this meeting is to take care of the lease
agreements which are expiring on July 1. And so it's our responsibility to take a vote on whether or not to extend those leases for um a 20-year period. And so I'm going to turn it over to either Kirk or Ross to provise with a little bit more background and then you guys can
ask questions if you have them. >> I'll set it up and then turn it over to Assistant Superintendent Mo Karen. Thank you, Madam Chair. Um, and I want to thank the committee for coming together. I know, uh, you got notice that we needed to do this last Thursday. Um, so we were able to post it. Uh, but this is
a belt and suspenders meeting as we re, uh, received guidance from our attorney that it is best practice to get this done before the close of the current lease rather than wait till the fall and assume anything. So, um, there are absolutely no changes to consider in
these leases we've done. It is just simply exercising our right in the current lease to extend it again. And with that, um, I will turn it over to Assistant Superintendent Moar. >> Yeah, thank you, Superintendent Downing, and good evening, uh, to the school committee. So, exactly what
Superintendent Downing has said, uh, before you for your consideration is a end ofear housekeeping. Um, so we have three identical leases uh, with each of our member towns for the elementary and middle schools within those towns. Uh each lease began in 2006 for 20 years.
Uh included in the lease is the option to exercise a 20-year extension. So approving the superintendent to exercise these extensions is what legal counsel has advised in order to adhere the appropriate process and procedure here. Uh should it be necessary in the future,
this extension does not prevent any examination, modification or amendment of the leases in that future. So again, uh, legal council has provided the motion language before you this evening. What this would look like is simply a letter, uh, to each of our towns as
written by legal counsel notifying them of our wish to extend, uh, and go forward. >> All right. Thank you guys. Um, so we have a few motions, but I think it might be wise to take some questions beforehand. We're going to move on each
lease separately. So any questions? Yeah, Scott. >> Yeah. So, I'm troubled by the way this has come about whereby, you know, effectively 2 days
before we have to um sign this. We are provided with notification that we have to do this and a proposal that there be a um 20-year extension on the lease without having had any opportunity to discuss
if this if these terms are still appropriate for us, you know, for our situation with the towns. And um so I guess I just I I wonder if there's if it makes sense to do a term other
than 20 years so that we can have a more thoughtful deliberation and consideration of the situation before we commit to an extended period of time. >> I'll take that question, Mr. Pal. Uh that was the meeting that we called
today ultimately was upon my assistance learning from our attorney that it's best that we do this before the expiration of the current lease uh so as not to just open up uh an open renegotiation of the entire leases and
there is the clause within all the leases that allow us to do the very things that you're asking for. So, we're not losing uh our right to do the things that you want to do at all under the terms of the lease. We can still come
back and and relook at the terms and and renegotiate the terms within them as expressed in that clause. So, what does that mean? I mean, if we if it's a 20-year term, but we can negotiate in the middle of the 20-year term, what is the significance of the 20
years? >> Correct. I think that's a good question. I would turn that over to our our legal counsel, frankly, to answer that question. All I know is that it it is in our best interest, I believe, to to approve the leases under the conditions
that we know now because they are conditions that are working. I would say too that there is so even if I thought the terms of the leases needed revision, we not only can renegotiate them midstream, but we can
also terminate the leases. We just need to give a year's notice. Um that's kind of worked into the lease agreement. All of this is also wrapped into the regional agreement. And so if we were to make any changes to the lease agreements, we would also have to engage
in a regional agreement revision, which has to be approved at town meeting. Um, and that 20-year period is actually worked into the regional agreement, too, for better or worse. The leases were something that Desi took particular interest in as we just renewed the
regional agreement a couple of years ago. And um they were super particular about not only um it being in the regional agreement, but also they they looked at the leases with a fine tooth comb and they wanted
to make sure that all of the language matched. And so, not only can we trust Mike Macaro telling us that this is a good move to renew them and then if we want to renegotiate, we can, but Desi just took a really deep look at all of
these documents and gave us two thumbs up and the towns approved them too at town meeting. So, I think that there's there the leases, if any of you guys read them with any detail, they're actually super generic. Um, for, you know, I think that that's appropriate,
but um, this was something that we spent a lot of time looking at a couple years ago, and I feel confident that renewing them for 20 years is appropriate um, at this point in time, but if we want to change it down the road, we can. You can always do that midstream.
Uh Shandor, >> uh I don't have any concerns about the terms of release, but sort of to Scott's point, it would be nice not to be surprised like this and dealing with it at the last minute for something that we knew it was ending for the last 20
years. >> Yeah, Mr. Simon, I hear you entirely. And our plan was that was going to be our first agenda item in September. So when we received news from our attorney, no, get it buttoned up now, that's what put us in in in into a uh
the turnaround there. So uh you you can point that directly at me, Mr. Simon, as as we move forward. >> Uh Lexi, >> can you hear me? >> Yes. Apologies, my internet's unstable, but um I was wondering I noticed that
there was no reference to the high school in any of the three contracts. I assumed it would be in the Bolton one. Is that a separate contract? >> That's a great question. So the high school is actually the only building that the district itself owns >> owns an outstanding. Oh, completely outside of the town itself. Okay.
>> Yeah. So we don't lease it. Um we own that property. The school district does. >> Okay. Thank you. And I second what Scott said. Yeah, I think too that this is something that um this is a huger like a much bigger nut to crack maybe down the road.
Uh and that is you know like Actton Boxboro for example a couple of years ago opted to buy all of the buildings and so that the school district actually owns every single property that education is provided on. I don't know that we if we want to tackle that but
that that's something that some school districts do. they buy it for a dollar uh and the school just turns it over. You might notice that in these leases we lease the buildings for $0. Uh that's because we would just be charging it back to the towns anyway. So what's the point? >> Um
>> there is some there was some language in there though if we have any thing we can't pay that they the towns will pay. So I don't know if that's a good idea but anyway. >> Yeah. Yeah. And that was actually a humongous sticking point when we re renegotiated the regional agreement was
about capital costs and repairs. And I mean we went we went into it for probably a year over that that one item with Desi and with the select boards and the fincoms of the three towns >> because there is a bit of a catch22
there with the leases in the regional agreement that like let's say that the roof fails and we tell Bolton you need to repair that and the Bolton towns people say no then what? Um, so you know that that that is something that we paid
a lot of time and attention to and they're really the the terms that you guys see in all the documents is really as good as as Desi thought we were going to be able to get it. Um because the Bolton Select Board in in particular, members of the Bolton town government
were very concerned about the school district forcing them to pay for capital items without a vote from the people of the town. So it's very complicated in that regard. Um to this point, we have
never had a problem getting the towns to pay for capital costs. And capital costs are defined in Mass General law as well. Anything over $10,000 has to go on the capital repair and has to go to the town. It has to go to vote. Anything under $10,000, it allows us to fix it
and then just charge it back to the towns if we feel we need to. >> Okay. Thanks. >> Yeah, it's complicated. >> Yeah. >> But we we can renegotiate. Like I said earlier, all of this can be renegotiated. Um but it would trigger a regional agreement u review as well. Go
ahead, Scott. So, so I know you're just itching to start putting items in the parking lot document for next year. Um, so I would propose that this be a topic that we discuss at some point during the upcoming fiscal year so we can be more
deliberate in having made this choice. I mean, we're effectively committing this 20 years fine, but I don't know that we are comfortable that we have had this debate anytime recently and are comfortable with the choice we've made with respect to owning versus leasing the buildings and the terms that we're
under. So, I think that that should be a topic in the upcoming fiscal year. >> Got it. Um, Alita, would you mind putting that in the new planning calendar for us? Thank you. Any other questions or
comments? All right. Well, I think that we'll take motions and then we can vote. Scott, do you want to give the motions one at a time? >> Yep. I move that the school committee vote to extend for an additional term
for a term of an additional 20 years from July 1st, 2026 through June 30th, 2046. the lease between the town of Lancaster and the Nhoba Regional School District
that was originally dated July 1st, 2006 and to authorize the superintendent to take any action necessary to effectuate such extension, including providing notice thereof to the town pursuant to paragraph F of the lease agreement.
>> I'll second that. Any further discussion on the Lancaster lease extension? All right, let's take the vote. I vote yes. Scott, >> yes. >> Robin, >> yes. >> Jillian, >> yes. >> Matt,
>> yes. >> Shandor, >> yes. >> Lindsay, >> yes. >> And Lexi, >> yes. >> All right. So, that one passes and we shall go through the list now. You want
to give the next motion, Scott? I move that the school committee vote to extend the lease between the town of Stowe and the Neshoba Regional School District dated July 1st, 2006 for a term of an additional 20 years from July 1st,
2026 through June 30th, 2046 and to authorize the superintendent to take any action necessary to effectuate such extension, including providing notice thereof to the town pursuant to paragraph F of the lease agreement.
>> I second that. Any further discussion on that was the Stow one. I'm sorry. Right. >> That's correct. >> Any further discussion on the Stow lease? >> All right, I'll take the vote. So, I vote yes. Scott, >> yes. >> Robin, >> yes.
>> Uh Jillian, >> yes. >> Shandor, >> yes. >> Matt, >> yes. >> Lindsay, >> yes. and Lexi. >> Yes. >> All right, one more goound. Scott, take it away.
I move that the school committee vote to extend the lease between the town of Bolton and the Nshoba Regional School District dated July 1st, 2006 for an additional term of 20 years from July 1st, 2026 through June 30th, 2046
and to authorize the superintendent to take any action necessary to effectuate such extension, including providing notice thereof to the town pursuant to paragraph F of the lease agreement. >> I second that. And any further
discussion on the Bolton leases? All right, we'll take the vote. I vote yes. Scott, >> yes. >> And Robin, >> yes. >> Shandor, >> yes. >> Jillian, >> yes. >> Matt, >> yes.
>> Lindsay, >> yes. >> And Lexi, >> yes. >> Excellent. All right, guys. Well, it was a pleasure seeing you on the Pop Fly. Thank you to Kirk and Ross for bringing this to us just to make sure nothing falls through a crack.
I'm going to move to a journ. Do I have a second? >> Second. >> Second. >> Yes. Um, all right. So, let's take the vote. I vote yes. Jillian, >> yes. >> Robin, >> yes. >> Shandor, >> yes. >> Scott, >> yes.
>> Matt, >> yes. >> Lindsay, >> yes. and Lexi. >> Yes. >> All right, everybody.