Minutes of the
Monson School Committee
Regular Meeting
January 8, 2025
Present: Chair Alison Morgan; Vice-Chair Jamie Murphy; Secretary Karen Nothe-Valley; Committee Member Colleen Flynn; Committee Member Peter Wiggins; Director of Business and Operations Leah Zippin; Interim Superintendent Roland Joyal and Recording Secretary Haley Ketterman
Note: This meeting was video recorded.
Mrs. Morgan called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM.
Mrs. Murphy read off the MPS mission statement.
Mrs. Morgan welcomed Mr. Roland Joyal to Monson Public Schools.
Superintendent announcements and updates :
-Mr. Joyal thanked staff at Monson Public Schools for welcoming him in during his first week.
-IRS mileage rate has gone up from $.67 cents to $.70 cents per mile.
-This weekend Granite Valley will be the host site for an Active Attack Integrated Response Training. The Monson Police and Fire Department along with several surrounding communities will be participating in this two day training in the facility. Mr. Joyal wanted to give the public a heads up due to the large number of emergency response vehicles at the facility.
Student Representative report:
Julia Royce - ECC
-This week at the ECC, eight more Pre K and Kindergarten students were rewarded with Super Star of the month, students received lawn signs and certificates.
-The next PBIS event will be on Friday January 31st, they are hoping for snow so it can be an outdoor snowball event.
-Students have been working hard with reviewing the Super Star Expectations in the New Year. Students have fun earning special pink tickets that they can turn in for a prize from Mrs. Brin’s fun prize box.
Sophia Galarneau - GV
-At the end of December students in grades 1 and 4 participated in an event called, Hour of Code. This is a worldwide event that introduces students to Computer Science through one hour coding activities. Grade 1 participated in an unplugged activity where they created algorithms that became dance routines. The 4th graders used code to make animated characters dancing to their favorite songs.
-December PBIS event: Students had the choice of the chill zone with games and coloring activities, or a snowball dance party in the gym. Students had a great time!
-Two new after school clubs starting up at Granite Valley: The Sewing Club and Chess Club.
-On Thursday Granite Valley will be welcoming National award winning author, Reneta Bowers of the Frieda B. book series. Ms. Bowers will be conducting small group sessions with grade five students and will be encouraging them to identify what they’re uniquely good at and care about. This is through a Mass Cultural Council grant and will be followed up with a visit to The Story Barn in March.
Julia Royce - MHS
-Student Council is currently planning Winter Carnival for the week before February break. There will be more information to come.
-The Disney Learning Experience trip leaves in two weeks.
-The Travel Club will be heading to Galapagos Island this year, and have a trip to Spain planned for next year - sign ups are now open.
-Midterms and finals start at the end of next week.
-Work Based Learning is wrapping up for the first semester - congrats to all of the students who worked hard.
Minutes approval
December 19, 2024 minutes approval
Mrs. Morgan makes a motion to approve the December 19, 2024 regular business meeting minutes.
Mrs. Murphy seconds
Mrs. Morgan amends motion to approve December 19, 2024 minutes with the stated grammatical revisions.
Line #52 - Correct PK to Pre-K.
Line #60 - Capitalize Grade 1.
Line #138- Please start with: Ms. Nothe-Valley reported that the
Roll call was placed:
Mr. Wiggins - Yes
Ms. Nothe-Valley - Yes
Ms. Flynn - Yes
Mrs. Murphy - Yes
Mrs. Morgan - Yes
Motion carries 5-0
Public session opened @ 7:06 PM
Closed public session @ 7:07PM
Subcommittee and Liaison reports
-Mrs. Murphy updated the School Committee on the Policy Subcommittee meeting that they had this evening. The two topics that they touched base on were the Therapy Dog Update and MCAS Graduation requirements.
Therapy Dog Update: There will be more to come - the Committee wants to keep the therapy dog positive and will be emailing the attorney for some clarification. The Policy Subcommittee will be following up at their next meeting.
MCAS graduation requirements: The Policy Subcommittee is going to make some adjustments to the current policy, and will bring it to the next meeting for review.
Disney Learning Experience Trip Update:
Mrs. Walker thanked the School Committee for allowing them to take the trip, the Town of Monson for their support, and the businesses in town that have helped our students fundraise for this unique opportunity. Mrs. Walker is happy to report that with the help of fundraising, all of the students have come in well below the amount of the entire trip ($1,500). Mrs. Walker proceeded with the itinerary (trip dates:1/23/25-1/28/25) as well as the educational aspects of the trip.
New Business
Permanent Superintendent Search:
-Mrs. Morgan stated that she shared with everyone the different options that the School Committee has for the search, and that there are basically three options:
1 - MASC - Massachusetts Association of School Committees
2 - NESDEC - The New England School Development Council
3 - Do it ourselves (School Committee)
-Mrs. Morgan acknowledged that the conversation of what's possible in terms of money, time and all of the things to ensure that this process is not only equitable, but that we are getting a good candidate to be our next Superintendent at Monson Public Schools is necessary.
Ms. Flynn states that she does not believe that the School Committee should conduct the search due to time or resources that are properly necessary. Ms. Flynn would like to keep their discussion to just choosing between the two options of outside organizations.
Ms. Flynn appreciated that MASC gave the School Committee an actual quote of $12,000 for conducting the search if selected to do so, and up to $2,000 in incidentals - so this process won't happen for less than $14, 000. Ms. Flynn commended the clear cohesive plan for conducting the search that was presented to them, and also likes that Tracy from MASC has worked with us as our Field Marshall and is familiar with the needs of Monson Public Schools. NESDEC did not give an all out quote for their services, and was more of a tier option based search that could go up to $20,000. Mr. Wiggins followed up with questions regarding the NESDEC quote and the different options that they offer for their services. Mrs. Morgan stated that NESDEC is not as in depth or explanatory of what specifically they’re doing and appreciates the transparency from MASC.
Ms. Flynn reiterated that the School Committee needs an outside agency to conduct the search, this is such a drastic important decision for the district.
Ms. Nothe-Valley agrees with Ms. Flynn regarding an outside agency for the search, and has full confidence in MASC. Ms. Nothe-Valley has had dealings directly with Tracy from MASC in the past and is an organization that we rely on and work with regularly.
Mr. Wiggins asked the committee, that by going with an outside organization for the search, that they would be the ones to select the next Superintendent? Mrs. Morgan followed up that the decision would still be the School Committee, that an outside organization would help create everything; such as surveys to stakeholders, public forums, ensuring that advertising is definitively outlining what we’re looking for, and bringing in quality candidates that we have to choose from.
-Mrs. Morgan agrees that utilizing MASC is the way to go, but need to realistically figure out how we can do that? Mrs. Zippin said that she has some concerns.
-The Finance Subcommittee will meet on January 16th @ 5:00 PM to discuss the financial side of the permanent superintendent search.
MPS FY 26 Budget Process - Presentation of the initial budget submission.
-Mrs. Watts shared the process that the Administration team has started for next year's budget.
Administration from each school met and discussed with each other about: visioning, aligning, budgeting together, discussing ways to help out one another regarding supports, software usage, ways of improvement, etc. The Town of Monson has asked for the Schools report to be as transparent as possible, with every line number item listed. Historically speaking software or curriculum items would be purchased with School Choice money, but everything is listed this year.
MHS Vision of a Graduate - Mr. Fontaine
-Mr. Fontaine presented what the Vision of a Graduate is and what 5 traits and skills they’d like for them to be once departing Monson High School: engaged global citizens, critical thinkers, career ready, accountable, and financially literate.
-The four things they wish to accomplish at the High School with next year's FY 26 budget.
Early College Pathway Program through Business and Health Sciences (about a two year process but opens up to grant funds.)
Create an Innovative Career Pathway - ICP. Administration sent out surveys to families and students at the High School and Granite Valley to see what the interest would be on a pathway, and based on the responses the Engineering Program came back as number one.
This budget cycle maintains the current programs and Work Based Learning.
Grow elective offerings for High School Students.
-With completing these goals the High School would be putting in for two and a half positions - a half time Band teacher, Health/Science teacher, and an Engineering teacher as well.
ECC - Mr. Trivisonno
-Full time Principal (this replaces the structure that has been in place for the previous 3 school years.) There would just be a Principal at the ECC.
-Increase in Social Emotional/Behavioral Support to .75 from .5 position.
-Maintains the same number of classroom teaching positions (8)
- Based on enrollment projections in the Spring, the decision would be made regarding Preschool and Kindergarten homerooms.
- The goal is to have a minimal Preschool waiting list.
-Maintains instructional aide positions
-Maintains current special programs
GVS - Joe Trivisonno
-Principal positions not shared between schools
-Maintain class sizes
-Specialized programming for Special Education students in lower grades.
-Maintains current Specials programming
-Includes a .5 Health Teacher
-Music not shared between schools
-Maintains Instructional Aide Positions
Special Education - Colette Bidus
-Build on Specialized Programming at Granite Valley to support students' needs in lower grades.
-Increased community connections in the VIP/Life Skills program.
-Continuing to build capacity for behavioral supports across the district.
-The goal is to reduce out of district placement.
-Continue specialized reading support (grades Kindergarten-8) and training initiatives.
-The VIP Program will do trips to the laundromat, grocery store, etc once a month to access community resources.
Curriculum & Instruction - Mrs. Watts
-Mrs. Watts stated that Monson Public Schools are always striving to have the best curriculum that they can provide. Mrs. Watts has developed a purchasing cycle and tries to pull in as many grants as she can. The one curriculum item that recently needed to be updated was Math, and they decided to go with Reveal Math. Mrs. Watts said that the transition has gone well and has Professional Development planned for the teachers in the Spring. With a major curriculum purchase it’s typically a 3-6 year implementation and about $20,000 a year.
District Programs & Initiatives - Mrs. Watts
-Family and Community Engagement Opportunities - always trying to have as many opportunities as they can to have families engaged.
-Schoolwide Title 1 Programming - Fully funded with the support that they currently have.
-English Language Learners / Seal of Biliteracy: We currently staff a full time ELL employee. Mrs. Langone meets with students regularly based on their access score. Almost all of the students are making effective progress in accessing testing each year.
-Multi-tiered Systems of Support: We leverage this data team leader position to make sure we are able to pull data for the Principals and the Schools.
-Summer Acceleration Academy - Mrs. Watts is unsure if they are going to offer it this year, but she did leave it on here because they have been able to engage families and students in a meaningful way. Last year 165 families participated in the Summer Acceleration Academy, and did a wonderful job of letting the students continue to learn over the Summer as well as providing social and emotional support, along with peer interaction. This wasn’t really a cost to the district per say - but if we don’t get a grant to be able to have this program, this would be something to take into consideration.
-Mrs. Morgan inquired about the team leader position mentioned regarding the data and MTSS grant. Mrs. Watts stated that it was originally posted for two positions but only filled one, and it is a High School teacher who helps her collect data for a variety of different reasons. Mrs. Watts confirmed that he does get a stipend, that it is pretty much an ILT member, but as a data team leader.
Quick overview of some recent grants - Mrs. Watts-PLTW Grant - Recently received $10,000 - Project Lead The Way is used in the High School and also for the younger grades.-One8 foundation grant
-MTSS grant - Some of the money from this grant will be used for a Family Night with activities at Granite Valley such as, math night, literacy night, etc.
-Appleseeds - Kindergarten-Grade 2 Foundational Reading - final year of grant support with Appleseeds.
Mentoring program - Mrs. Watts
-Mrs. Watts ran through what the Mentor Program is: onboarding support for new staff, receiving training materials - slide deck, work books, tutorial information, etc. Mrs. Watts likes for staff to have items accessible to them for training and getting new staff acclimated within the district and specific curriculum. Two reading specialists are employed with a grant - without that funding it would be difficult to fund these positions
Ms. Nothe-Valley asked about the Summer Acceleration Academy and when would we know the status of that program? Mrs. Watts stated that we wouldn’t know for a while regarding what we’ll receive from the State level and what they’ll be offering. Mrs. Watts stated that we received $106,000 the first year and this past year was $201,000. Mrs. Watts stated that she will vigorously pursue whatever avenue she has to, to ensure this summer program runs for the students.
-Ms. Flynn asked regarding Reveal Math and what the cost of that is? Mrs. Watts said that we have a three year quote but can’t remember the numbers off the top of her head and will send a copy of the quote over to Ms. Flynn.
-Mrs. Watts said that for curriculum updates the next up is ELA, we currently have Wonders 17 and also use Newsela as another resource, but would like something more competitive.
-Ms. Flynn confirmed with the Administration team that this presentation does not reflect any cuts within the budget? (Other than the Assistant Principal at the ECC.)
-Mr. Trivisonno: At Granite Valley they had a counselor who did not return from maternity leave and planned on not filling that position.
-Mr. Joyal thanks all of the Administration team for their hard work in the budget so far and reiterates that the numbers will reflect everything in the budget.
-Mrs. Morgan asked if this is the presentation that will be presented at the Tri Board Meeting on Monday? Mr. Joyal said that he’d like to have a conversation with Mrs. Morgan to see what her plan of action is? Mrs. Morgan and Mrs. Zippin have made a list of the changes in the budget from last year vs this year's projected budget.
-Mr. Joyal stated that when looking at the historical budget at Monson Public Schools, it looks to have stayed the same across the board with some changes here and there, but with the cost of things rising it would make sense for the budget to go up as well.
-Mrs. Morgan and Ms. Flynn asked Mrs. Zippin if the numbers from the past years would be available for Monday’s meeting, specifically contract/negotiation raises throughout the years to show X amount off the top? Mrs. Zippin said that she would be sure to have those numbers for Monday.
-Mrs. Zippin presented the School Committee with the line item numbers that they have so far for the upcoming Tri Board meeting on Monday, 1/13/25.
-Utilities are up about $120,000 on the budget from last year (Mrs. Zippin confirms that this number comes from the town that they recommended. The numbers do fluctuate about every 6 months) -Ms. Flynn asked for the historical numbers to also be prepared for the Tri Board meeting as well.
-Ms. Flynn asked why the trash line has increased to $25,000? Mrs. Zippin stated that it was never added and is now a line number.
-Mrs. Murphy inquired about uniforms for athletics? Mrs. Zippin said that there is a rotation for new uniforms, and looks to be Girls Soccer and Unified Basketball up next.
-Ms. Flynn asked about transportation? Mrs. Zippin confirmed that it is a separate operating budget. -Mrs. Bidus touched base on how transportation works with homeless students vs foster care students, and how the district has to be mindful of those unexpected costs that may come up.
-Ms. Nothe-Valley confirmed with Mrs. Zippin that Sports Transportation has its own separate line from Transportation? Mrs. Zippin confirmed that it’s merged with athletics, and that’s why that line increased so much.
-Mrs. Morgan asked where the fees from athletics go? Mrs. Zippin stated that athletic fees go to the revenue section of the operating budget.
-Mr. Joyal brought up the option of raising PreSchool tuition or if classes should go back to AM and PM classes? Mr. Trivisonno said they’d have to look at union contracts for prep time, etc, and stated that families would rather not go in that route, but understand if they have to.
Scheduled Meetings:
-January 13th Tri Board Meeting @ 7PM location @ the town hall
-January 16th Finance Subcommittee @ 5PM
-January 22nd Policy Subcommittee @ 5PM.
Mrs. Morgan asked the Policy Subcommittee to check out policy GBEBD: (Crowdfunding school district employees shall not utilize online fundraising, online solicitation and/or the use of crowdfunding services for school-related purposes.)
-January 22nd Curriculum Subcommittee meeting @ 6pm
-January 22nd Regular Business Meeting @ 7PM
-February 5th & 26th Regular Business Meeting @ 7PM
-March 12th Regular Business Meeting @ 7PM.
Mrs. Morgan makes a motion to adjourn to executive session at 8:18PM (Second by Mrs. Murphy)
Motion Carries 5-0
Documentation for this meeting:
Agenda January 8, 2025
Distributed at meeting:
Meeting minutes for approval: December 19, 2024
Approved by Committee:
________________________________________
Ms. Nothe-Valley, Secretary
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