Ritamarie Benoit

The meeting began with the approval of the consent agenda, which included approving previous minutes from February 4, 2026, accounts payable warrants, payroll warrants, an FY'26 budget transfer, and several policy second readings including those related to library materials, public complaints, nondiscrimination, and tobacco use. Key new business involved student representative reports highlighting activities like rotations to Plimoth Patuxet and updates on course selection and basketball games. The committee voted to support the Duxbury Rotary Peace Pledge. An overnight trip for the DECA State Conference in Boston was approved. The second quarter Financial Report for FY'26 was presented, detailing year-to-date expenditures for salaries, general expenses, and encumbrances as of December 31, 2025. Updates were provided on the Superintendent's Goals and the School Committee's Mid-Year Goals, noting progress on the Alden Building Project funding and strategic planning. Discussions also covered updates on the Pilgrim Area Collaborative, DEI committee findings regarding school fees, report card review at Alden School, and concerns about the specificity of the strategic planning process, leading to a decision to invite TLA for further review. Strategies for the upcoming February 23, 2026, budget forum were finalized, including presentation content adjustments and broadcasting plans. The committee also conducted a first reading of several policies, including adopting MASC versions for various operational and conduct policies, and deciding to repeal policies related to Freedom of Expression as the language is covered by Massachusetts General Laws. The meeting concluded with adjournment.

The School Committee meeting agenda included several action items and discussions. Key agenda topics involved the Consent Agenda, which included approval requests for accounts payable and payroll warrants, a Student Opportunities Act (SOA) memo, and the second reading of several policies including JICH (Alcohol, Tobacco, and Drug Use by Students Prohibited) and GBED (Tobacco Use on School Property By Staff Members Prohibited). New business covered updates on Duxbury Youth Softball, liaison reports, discussion on the School Calendar and Good Friday, an update on Title I Funding, School Choice Hearing action, the FY'27 Governor's Budget, Governing Norms & Onboarding Guidelines, preparation for the FY'27 Budget and Annual Town Meeting, and the first reading of several new policies. Supporting documents detailed the SOA progress update, findings from the Tiered Focus Monitoring (TFM) review, requests for accepting gifts to schools (for softball helmets, lacrosse goals, and ice hockey jackets), and notification regarding the approved Duxbury Education Foundation grant for the Computer Science Innovation Lab.

The committee will convene to discuss negotiation strategies concerning the teachers' and administrative assistants' associations during an executive session. Business items include consent actions such as the approval of accounts payable and payroll warrants, acceptance of gifts to schools, and review of a memorandum regarding statewide graduation competency standards. Further discussion topics include student activities, an athletic department update, student achievement metrics, the budget endorsement, long-term communication strategies for the budget and building projects, the upcoming school calendar draft, and a first reading of several district policies.

The agenda includes a candidate forum, followed by a discussion concerning the FY'27 override budget questions, the FY'27 school budget, and the Alden feasibility study.

The Policy Subcommittee conducted a thorough review and comparison of several district policies against the MASC (Massachusetts Association of School Committees) versions. Key discussions involved Policy JICH (Alcohol, Tobacco, and Drug Use by Students Prohibited) and Policy GBED (Tobacco Use on School Property by Staff Members), with recommendations made to adopt the MASC versions, including a name change for GBED. For Policy AH and AH-R (Freedom of Expression and Educational Climate), the committee decided to recommend repeal due to redundancy with state law (M.G.L. Chapter 71 sections 82-85). The committee also recommended adopting the MASC versions for Policy BA (School Committee Operational Goals), Policy BAA (Evaluation of School Committee Operational Procedures), Policy BB (School Committee Legal Status/Elections), Policy BBA (School Committee Powers and Duties), and Policy BBAA (School Committee Member Authority), noting specific revisions for each regarding SMART goals, legal references, and personnel appointment clarifications (e.g., school nurses and Supervisor of Attendance). All recommendations are slated for the full School Committee review on February 10.