All right, the time is 7:32 a.m. on Monday, July 13, 2026. Calling this meeting of the Westport School Committee to order. Uh if we could rise for the pledge of allegiance. Pledge allegiance to the flag of the
United States of America >> to the republic stands. One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Under man general law chapter 38 section 20F. This meeting is being recorded in person with Governor
Healey's approved legislation H62 a bill extending authorizations for all local boards commissions and committees to hold public meetings remotely or in a hybrid format extended timeline amending section 38 of chapter 20 of the act of 2021 21 most recently amended by section
40 of chapter 2 of the act of 2023 and replacing the expiration date of March 31st 2025 with June 30th 2027. Therefore, this meeting is being conducted via remote participation in order to ensure public access and explorations. Okay. Just for um background for members and the public's
uh knowledge, this meeting is held every year routinely uh to close out the books on the fiscal year as we enter fiscal 27. So, that's what we're here today doing. Um first on the agenda, comments from the public.
Seeing none, we will move to our action agenda. Starting with item A, fiscal 2026 year-end transfers incumbrances based on the superintendent's recommendations. We'll start with number one to encumber fiscal year 2026 funds to be expended for salaries and goods
and services. Uh so in your packet you'll see in the first item there's a memo from the superintendent recommending the school committee vote to approve 2 million 59,8802 cents as a total incumbrance for the
fiscal year 2026 as enclosed. Um are there any comments or questions from the committee? >> None. >> Okay. Seeing none, we'll take each of these five items separately. So I will entertain a motion to approve the uh
recommendation of the superintendent for the total incumbrances for FY26. >> Second. >> Okay. Motion made and seconded. Is there any further discussion? Hearing none. Given we are in a remote meeting, we'll take a roll call vote.
>> I Caitlyn Sampers. >> I Christopher Thrasher >> and I have a gender. Thank you. All right. Uh item number two, the second item in your packet is the to approve fiscal year 2026 line item transfers. The superintendent's recommending that
the committee take the following action to balance the close out of balance and close out the FY26 budget. Transfer $200,260.37 from various line items and regular ed salaries to various line items and sped expenses. transfer $11,69727
from various line items in regular item transportation to various items line items and special education expenses and to transfer $344,373.70 from various line items and spend salaries to various line items expenses there any comments questions from the committee
>> none >> hearing none we will I will entertain a motion to approve the fiscal year 2026 line item transfers as recommended by the superintendent I don't know if you're on mute or not, Chris. But so
>> I was gonna say after you uh second. >> Who made the Is there a motion? >> I moved it. Chris seconded it. >> Perfect. All right. >> Okay. Motion made second. Any further discussion? Hearing none. Uh we'll take a roll call. >> I Caitlyn Sampers. I Christopher
Thrasher >> and I carri is joined but he's on mute. >> Welcome Fred. >> Hi Fred Malik. >> All right that carries. We are moving to
item three on the agenda which is to approve the uh total expenditure for fiscal 2026. the school u the superintendent item one on that memo is uh recommending the approval of 23,734,2848
as the total expenditure for the fiscal year 2026. Is there a motion to approve the total expenditure as recommended by the superintendent? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Motion made second. Any further discussion? >> Uh yes, Mr. Chair. What is the tur the
total surplus because we have a different I think we have last year's so I just want to double check the exact >> uh that's the next item on the memo. >> Ah I see. Okay. Thank you. >> $158.92 which we'll be approving next.
>> Gotcha. All right. Thank you. >> Yep. Anything further? All right. Hearing none. We'll take a roll call vote. >> I Caitlyn Sampers. I Christopher Thrasher >> I Fred Melnik
>> and Iro. >> Okay. Uh moving to item four which is the second item on the same memo from the superintendent to approve returning fiscal year 2026 unexpended funds from fiscal 2026 town meeting appropriation
to the town of Westport general fund. Um, so the superintendent is recommending that we declare $658.92 a surplus transportation regular education expenses unexpended funds from fiscal 26 town meeting appropriation to be returned to the town of Westport
general fund. Um before we take a vote on this, I just want to again uh thank the voters of the town, uh the select board, the finance committee, and of course our business department, uh at the in the district, Melissa and Michelle and everyone else who works so
hard to make sure that these dollars are being spent wisely um and that we spend them account, you know, accountably and that they're being spent for the good of the district and to serve our students. So, I just want to note that before we take this action. So, with that being
said, I will entertain a motion to approve returning fiscal 26 unexpended funds from fiscal uh 26 time being appropriation to the town of Westport general fund as recommended by the superintendent. >> So, moved. >> Second. >> Motion made second. Any further
discussion? Hearing none, we'll take a roll call. >> I Caitlyn Sampers. I Christopher Thrasher >> I Fred Melnik >> I have a Jendro. Okay moving to item
five on the agenda to approve returning fiscal year 2025 unexpended in encumbrances to the town of Westport general fund and prior year grants and articles unexpended funds to the town of Westport general fund. The superintendent is recommending that the
school committee vote to return surplus from prior year incumbrances of fiscal 25 in the amount of $48644 to the town of Westport general fund and recommending that the school committee
vote to return the surplus from uh the following grants and articles to the town of Westport general fund. There's a STEM grant award uh with $529 remaining. There's uh annual town meeting school articles. There was an
FY24 new vehicle with $4,85867 remaining and fiscal 25 generators $2755 remaining. So this is uh and please correct me if I'm wrong or add information, but these are articles that are that were approved at town meeting
previously and grants that were received. We have a once the money is appropriated by town meeting that that authorizes the school department to spend up to that amount when in the event that that number is not met or something comes in lower if there's a in this case a vehicle cost that was lower
than the appropriation that surplus is still with the school department. So we're voting to transfer it back to the general fund. So that's the action that we're taking. So are there any questions comments from the committee? None.
>> All right. Uh, I will entertain a motion to approve returning fiscal year 2025 unexpended in encumbrances to the town of Westport general fund and prior year grant and articles unexpended funds to the town of Westport general fund as recommended by the superintendent. >> So moved.
>> Second. >> Okay. Motion being seconded. Any further discussion? Hearing none. We'll take a roll call. >> I Caitlyn Sampers. >> I Christopher Thrasher. >> I Fred Melik. I have agendro. Motion passes.
All right. We'll take items C from theformational agenda and item B from the action agenda as one. If there's no objection. So we at at our previous meeting had a first read of proposed policy EFBA,
school food and nutrition. And these were practices that were already happening within within uh the district, but it was recommended that we incorporate these into our policy as well. Um are there any questions or comments from the committee on the on
the final read of the policy before we approve it? >> Okay. >> No. >> All right. Hearing none, I will entertain a motion to approve policy EFBA school food and nutrition meal modifications. >> So moved.
Second >> motion made second. Any further discussion hearing? None. We'll take a roll call. >> I Caitlin Stampers. >> I Christopher Thrasher. >> I Fred Melnik. >> I general. Okay.
Moving to item C act on superintendent contract. So the committee had been meeting uh in executive session for uh I think one or two sessions and this was part of the agenda. Under open meeting law guidance from the office of the attorney general, final
votes on non-UN personnel agreement should occur in open session. So while the terms can be discussed uh and agreed to u in executive the fin the final vote has to occur in open session. So that being said, you know, this is a a public
document. It's a it's a contract that the school committee approves every year. So there's a there's just a no other change to the contract other than the overall salary figure which is amended for the following two years of the contract to put the superintendent
on the same schedule as the other administrators in the building. So with that being said if there are are there any comments or questions from the committee before we approve the agreement. >> Just a comment Fran, we appreciate all
your hard work over this last year. Oh, thank you. >> Here, here. And I still think we're getting off cheap. So, thank you. >> Yes, I will note too that this is a the discussion that occurred with the committee previously was that the superintendent is is doing a great job
here in the district and I think is really serving the needs of our students and staff and the committee is seems to be in unanimous agreement of that and hence the discussion that we're having today. So, thank you. As always, Evan put it way more eloquently, but
we appreciate everything you're doing. >> It's a great team and you all are part of that really. Um, it's it's wonderful to work in such a collaborative environment. So, I appreciate you all. >> Thank you. >> All right. With that being said, I will
entertain a motion to approve uh the superintendent's contract. >> So, moved >> and second. >> Okay. Motion made second. Any further discussion? This was the lang the language of the pre the committee previously saw. So all right hearing none. Uh we'll take a roll call.
>> I Caitlyn Sampers >> I Christopher Thrasher >> I Fred Melik >> Iendro and that motion passes. Moving to item D on the agenda. Review and act on school committee meeting minutes for
Wednesday June 10th 2026. Is there a motion? So moved. >> Second. >> Motion man seconded. Any further discussion? >> Hearing none. We'll take a roll call.
>> I Caitlyn Sampers. >> I Christopher Rasher. >> I Fred Mullik. >> I All right. Moving toformational agenda. We >> Is there a superintendent report today? Dr. W? >> Uh no. Well, I think the only update that I'd like to give you is that we uh
did hire a career pathways coordinator. So, thank you so much for the support of that position in the budget and and to the town for supporting that position. And we're very excited. He he's coming in I think mid August, but he brings
experience in both innovation, career pathways and vocational education, which is exactly what we were looking for. So, we're very excited about him >> coming on board. >> That's great. Thank you. I think uh if there's no objection from the
committee, I think it would be good for the committee to hear from him after he >> when he comes >> after he settles in and gets going. I think it would be helpful for us. >> Lack of experience. >> Where is he coming to us from? >> Um it's it's another I forget I forget I
don't have in front of me what district he's coming from. It's a smaller district like ours. It's it's a similar district to our size and he described it as in terms of the innovation career pathways. When he entered that district,
>> he we were in we are currently in the same place that that district was. We just launching the innovation career pathways and he was able to uh expand that work and and make it more sustainable. So um we're excited about that.
>> That's exciting. Yeah, I agree with Evan. I'd love to hear from him once he's on boarded. >> Yeah, absolutely. >> All right. Thank you, Dr. Roy. >> We'll move to item B on theformational agenda, ask me contract. So, um again,
under opening law guidance from the office of the attorney general, public bodies can approve final terms, uh and execute a collective bargaining agreement in executive session, but should disclose the agreement in open session. So that's why it's on our agenda today. We spent the last couple
of months uh working with ASME on uh their new contract for the next three-year contract. So that again is a will be a public document. Um but I want to thank ASME for their partnership and their collaboration throughout the
process. Amy Ruda and the ASME board for uh their work, their advocacy. Uh I think this agreement really does good by our staff to the extent that we can having limited resources as a as a district as we all know. Um but I think
it it does good by uh our staff who are deserving uh and work so hard for our district every day. So I want to recognize them and thank ASME and also thank uh our administrators for bringing a wealth of knowledge to the table as we went through the discussions. I think we
landed in a good place. This was the agreement that was previously signed um uh by the or approved by the committee in executive once the final terms were were set. So this is just the disclosure of the agreement in open session now. Um
and again that that document will be public. So um is public record. So again thank you to everybody. Are there any comments questions from the from the committee? >> I just will comment Evan thank you for your hard work. I know like we don't
really we get the final product for the most part. So we appreciate the work that you put into it. >> Appreciate that. Thank you. >> All right. We'll move to we completed item C on theformational
agenda. So we'll move to item D. acknowledgement of the Westport Community Schools bill warrant dated 6:30 2026 in the amount of 277,94122 and 710 20226 $17,78.72 members received copies of these
documents. Are there any comments questions for the business department now? Right hearing none, I'll move to routine matters, correspondences and notices. I have none discussion of future agenda items. We just addressed one uh in the
probably sometime late in the fall having the new career pathways coordinator come in which we're excited for. >> Topics the chair cannot reasonably anticipate 48 hours in advance of the meeting. I have none there as well. With that being said and having dispensed with all items on the agenda, I will
entertain a motion to adjurnn. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Motion made and seconded. Is there any further discussion? Hearing none, we'll take a roll call. >> I Caitlyn Sampers. >> I Christopher Thrasher. >> I Fred Malik. I
>> Venro. Thank you very much. We are adjourned. The time is 7:50 a.m. Thank you.