Everett School Committee
Wednesday March 6, 2024
Clickable Transcript Printable Transcript Agenda
The order of items in transcripts appear in the chronological order in which they were taken up. Some Agenda items may have been skipped.
Agenda Item III.
In a session on February 27, 2024, involving Everett Public Schools, William Hart was acknowledged during the segment for Roman numeral III, which was focused on the reading of records. Cristiano initiated and received a second for a motion to waive the reading of these records and to instead place them on file. Following a call for votes, those in favor unanimously agreed (Aye), with no opposition, effectively passing the motion to waive the reading and file the records without further review.
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Agenda Item IV.
In a public hearing segment dedicated to public comment, various community members voiced their concerns and suggestions to the council. Nancy Sanchez, a local resident, emphasized the need for clear educational goals and standards to ensure students graduate with necessary life skills, criticizing the system for pushing students through without adequate education. Steven Lanacco raised concerns about the proposed $11,400,000 spending to repair the old high school's roof despite its uninsurability and potential safety risks, suggesting relocating students to a better facility. Paula Sterite highlighted issues with the school committee's adherence to open meeting laws and the handling of the superintendent's contract, urging transparency and lawfulness in operations. John Poppolo advocated for addressing school overcrowding by vacating the old high school in favor of utilizing Pope John, to avoid financial entrapment in a deteriorating building. The session concluded with a motion to close public comment, which was unanimously approved.
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Agenda item V.
Salvatore DiDomenico, the student representative, reported on various school activities and achievements including the Everett Crimson Tide percussion ensemble's success, participation in Read Across America Day, and the celebration of National Music Month with several events. Upcoming events include Everett Vocal Night, the Everdott talent show, and Ever Band Night. The Everett Crimson Tide Winter Guard won first place in their recent competition, and the EHS Theater Company is set to perform "Augusta in Noble." DiDomenico also announced spring sports registration, encouraged participation in Everett Little League, highlighted a fundraising event at Chipotle for the junior class, and congratulated Mr. O'Brien for receiving the Irish American Person of the Year award. The motion was made to accept and file the student representative's report.
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Agenda Item VI.
Superintendent Hart commenced his update by acknowledging the participation of four Everett High School juniors, Nick Machado, Evan Hubbard, Alexis Aguilar, and Josh Aruvelo, who supported the TV coverage of the meeting. He highlighted recent school district activities such as the Everett High Percussion Ensemble and the Colored Guard performance, and the Vision of the Graduate ceremony at the library, which celebrates exemplary students. Hart announced plans to broadcast public service announcements about the school system and highlighted a free performance by the theater company. He also discussed a recent ceremony recognizing students' achievements and noted the community's involvement in shaping the district's budget and initiatives through public hearings and surveys. Additionally, he mentioned an upcoming bi-literacy night at the Caverion School, expected to draw a large attendance. Hart emphasized the importance of community feedback in directing the district's efforts and encouraged participation in ongoing surveys, available on the district's website and promoted at the bi-literacy event through the distribution of QR codes for easier access.
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Agenda Item VII. 1.
During a public hearing, a motion was made by committee member Samantha Hurley to postpone the discussion on the bimonthly meeting with the full student advisory council, originally offered by Vice Chairperson Lambert. The reason for the postponement was due to Vice Chair Lambert and the student advisory council being unable to attend the meeting that night. The motion to lay over the item to the next scheduled meeting on March 18 was segmented by Cristiano, put to a vote, and approved by all present members, with no opposition.
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Agenda Item VII. 2.
Committee member Marcony Barros, standing in for Vice Chairperson Lambert, advocated for the approval and payment of $10,500 for the full policy review service offered by the Mass Association of School Committees. Emphasizing the importance of updating the school committee's policy manuals to reflect current laws and educational standards, Barros highlighted the body's long-standing failure to maintain updated policies, affecting contracts, handbooks, and general procedures across the district. The discussion included confirmation of a previous $3,000 payment made towards this service, clarification on the review process involving both subcommittees and the full committee, and strategies for tackling different sections of policy in stages. Committee member Margaret Cornelio motioned for favorable action, which was seconded. Cristiano, chairing the meeting, called for a roll call vote on this financial matter, resulting in approval of the order.
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Agenda Item VIII.
In this section of a public hearing, there were no reports from any subcommittees under agenda item Roman numeral VIII (HART).
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Agenda Item IX.
During a public hearing, a discussion on bills and payroll occurred, initiated by Hurley who motioned to submit bills and payroll totaling $3,963.22. Cristiano corrected the amount to $2,436,527.22, which was unanimously agreed upon. Subsequently, Hurley motioned to pay bills and payroll in a different amount of $2,001,963.22. Cristiano then restated a motion to pay bills and payroll, combining the figures inaccurately to $2,000,004,100 and $36,527.22. Despite the confusion in numbers, the motion was passed unanimously with an 8-0 vote.
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Agenda Item X.
The Everett School Committee addressed three open meeting law complaints filed against it by attorney Fried and Ms. Stereedy, detailing steps taken following the complaints. Cristiano acknowledged an error in not conducting a roll call vote before entering executive session on January 11, 2024, and assured it would not recur, emphasizing the committee's commitment to adhering to parliamentary procedure and noting ongoing retraining for members. The committee responded to the complaints, admitting failure in promptly approving and responding to requests for meeting minutes by the search committee and promising a comprehensive review of executive session minutes. A motion was made and approved to send the committee's responses to the attorney general's office for final resolution, in addition to the previously sent responses to the complainants.
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Agenda Items XI., XII., & XII.
Item 11 on the agenda indicated there were no new business items to discuss, no scheduled hearings for the evening, and no matters necessitating an executive session.
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Agenda ITem XIV.
The section concludes with Cristiano announcing the adjournment of the meeting.
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