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January 22, 2025 Budget Subcommittee Meeting

Weymouth School Committee

Budget Sub-Committee with Full School Committee
Adams Library Conference Room | 89 Middle Street, Weymouth
January 22, 2025 | 6:00 p.m

Agenda

  • Call to Order     6:00 pm
     
  • Grants & Gifts
     
  • Audits & Reports
    • Chapter 70
       
  • Contracts & Procurement
     
  • FY26 Budget Planning
    • Athletics game coverage rates and procedures
    • Review Proposals: WHS, CTE, Athletics, Chapman
       
  • Public Comment
    Public Comment shall be in accordance with Policy BEDH

The three members of the Budget Subcommittee wish to encourage all members of the School Committee to attend and participate in budget discussions whenever they like. Because the Open Meeting Law requires that any meeting that includes a quorum of school committee members (4) deliberating on matters under their jurisdiction be posted as a meeting of the full committee, all Budget Subcommittee meetings are listed as full School Committee meetings.

Pursuant to Chapter 2 of the Acts of 2023, this meeting will be conducted in person and, as a courtesy, via remote means in accordance with applicable law. Please note that while an option for remote attendance and/or participation is being provided as a courtesy to the public and School Committee, the meeting/hearing will not be suspended or terminated if technological problems interrupt the virtual broadcast, unless required by law.


To join the meeting via Zoom by computer or internet-enabled phone:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82812956009?pwd=WaGMd5lvSPAmpwjl2vvHTpTrnWml21.1


 

Meeting Recording


MINUTES

Weymouth Budget Subcommittee with Full School Committee
Adams Library | 89 Middle St., Weymouth
January 22, 2025 | 6:00 p.m

Members In Attendance: Danielle Graziano (Chair), Dr. Sherlock-Shangraw, Tracey Nardone

Members also present: Mary-Ellen Devine, Dana Scott

Also Present: Melanie Curtin, Superintendent; Brian Smith, Assistant Superintendent, HR Director Burm

The meeting came to order at 6:00pm

The Chair advised that the meeting is being recorded.

Dr. Verlicco shared answers to questions posed at the 1/15/25 meeting; IEE’s, BCBA caseloads, and nursing ratios. They will be posted to the school committee blog.

Grants & Gifts
The High School submitted an application for a DESE grant for safe and healthy learning; mental health first aid. If approved, staff would be trained for a ‘train the trainer’ model and would be offered to 10th grade students during their PE class.

Audits & Reports
Chapter 70 Funding came out late today so reporting will be pushed to the next meeting. Assumption is to receive the same $30 per pupil aid and for circuit breaker to be reimbursed at 75%. Weymouth is 1 of 211 districts which receives minimum aid.

Ms Harris will present the semi annual gift report at the 2/26 meeting.

Contracts & Procurement
No updates at this time

FY26 Budget Planning
The goal in building the FY26 budget is level service staff and level funded expenses.

Athletics gave coverage rates and procedures
HR Director Burm and AD O’Leary gave an overview of the hiring game worker procedures. Game workers are needed to support safety and security during sporting events. Game workers include Site admin, ticket taker, announcer, crowd control, clock worker, and scoreboard. Positions are posted and appropriate CORI/SORI/Fingerprints (applicants 17 years or older) are done. A person may only work 1 position per event however could take tickets first half and be prorated for second if working crowd control.. Rates are not part of union contracts. Rates will be brought back to the March 5, 2025 meeting.

Sport email groups have been created. Instead of emailing/texting a coach individually-group emails ie) football@weymouthschools.org will be used. The coaches and athletics staff are part of the email group managed by the AD.

Committee/Community Discussion:
Suggestion of students working, clock, ticket taking, scorebook was made. For crowd control, adults familiar with the high school students is helpful. Being short handed, filling in, equitable appointments was talked about. Qualifications (state/national license, Masters, PT) and the per diem for Athletic Trainer was discussed. Increasing the Athletic Trainer per diem to $60 was supported. Athletic Trainer vs. EMT services during events were clarified.
Request was made that during high profile games that the committee be advised of the site admin.

Athletics
AD O’Leary gave an overview of the level FY26 Operating Expense budget (attached) of $115,135.00. In addition he presented a proposed budget including revolving and operating funds. The redesigned proposal (attached) is for a reduction in competitive middle school sports (keeping fall cross country, winter boys and girls basketball, spring track) and increase in intramural sports. He and Principal Dolan looked at creative solutions for sustainable programs to save money with increased cost of transportation and loss of town funding (ARPA funds paid for 3 years-$60K each year of middle school sports). The proposal projects a deficit of $56K and an increase in hockey user fees by $50 and all other fees by $25.

Committee/Community Discussion:
Extensive conversation was had on the value of athletics, reducing middle school competitive sports as well as user fees and revenues. Strong support was expressed for not collecting user fees to play. Talk of sponsorship, projected revenues, MIAA revenues was had. It was stated that to address the structural deficit an increased funding ask will need to happen. Exploring a bigger conversation and more data (sport by sport breakdown, travel, cost by team, transportation) was requested. It was emphasized that the athletics subcommittee is the place for this conversation to take place. The next meeting is 1/27/25 at 6pm. Neighboring town user fees were mentioned (Braintree-900, Milton, 350, Medway-550). The current user fees are $200 for each sport, $250 for football, and $400 for hockey. Properly staffing the dungeon for strength and conditioning was confirmed. Cost of ice rental is hefty for hockey. Creative fi nancing was suggested-sponsorship, boosters engagement. It was reiterated that this topic be discussed at the athletic subcommittee meeting.

Chapman
Principal Dolan gave an overview of the Chapman proposed FY26 budget (attached) of $212,459. Increase is due $25K reallocated from the curriculum budget for meaningful curriculum (academic, social emotional, data inclusive). 6th grade history is a priority; a curriculum structure is being worked on. Shifts and prioritization were used in building the budget. Funds are allocated to field trips (STEM-Patriot Place, State House), increased chromebook damage were highlighted.

Additional staff being requested is for compliance; additional third grade SAIL (Student Achievement & Individualized Learning) teacher due to increased cohort size.

More STEM is being implemented in Fab Lab. Funds allocated to labs are appropriate.

WHS/CTE
Principal Monahan reviewed the proposed level service WHS FY26 budget of $287,363. With WHS Finance Analyst Terry Fitzgerald, they have work to properly allocate expenses to the correct lines. Curriculum, paper, and library lines were highlighted. Virtual Reality headsets are being purchased for anatomy/physiology and social emotional apps being used during finals was mentioned.

CTE Director DePina presented the level service CTE FY26 proposed budget (attached) of $92,536. Maintaining equipment, operating expenditures, consumables, vendor communication, renaming graphic printing program (includes design, fi lm, and animation), grant supplanting vs. supplementing was explained. Mention was made on adding CTE services to the community on the website.

Committee/Community Discussion:
Kudo’s was expressed for managing all the shops within the CTE program. Discussion was had on design hardware vs. software (MAC/desktop), removal or old workshop machinery, changing space for metal fab students, donation of materials, enrollment process (merit based and between 177-180 students), safety, and childcare coop students. It was mentioned that the St. Jerome School will be the new site of Don Bosco Tech School.

Assistant Superintendent Smith reviewed the ‘Needs List’ which will accompany the school budget submission to the town. The list is prioritized based on compliance, needs and future needs. January. Budget timeline from January-March was reviewed.

Thanks was expressed for the open format of public comment/conversation.

The Meeting adjourned at 8:18pm on the motion by Mrs. Nardone and seconded by Dr. Sherlock-Shangraw. Motion passed unanimously.