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Enrollment losses dominate the night
The meeting’s most consequential item came early, in a standing report rather than new business. The district’s enrollment report showed a drop between July and September that Kim Alcantara priced at roughly $900,000 before the committee corrected the count mid-discussion to 33 students, not 43, putting the figure closer to $700,000. Alcantara said the district had never previously lost more than 10 to 15 students in a year. (5:18–8:40)
Members named suspected causes but also cautioned that the picture is more complex than any one or two factors, like last year’s staff reductions or the elimination of third grade at New Marlborough Central. Alcantara asked for raw individual survey responses rather than a summary. Nanci Worthington proposed bringing a draft exit-interview survey to the next meeting for committee input before it goes out. Added as a future agenda item.
Stipend package approved, unanimously
Ricca’s memo covered three changes, all funded from savings realized by bringing speech-language pathologist assistant (SLPA) supervision in-house. The district spent more than $31,500 last year on outside SLPA supervision; a licensed staff SLP will now supervise both assistants at roughly 7.5 hours per week each. (46:21–59:14)
Athletic director stipend: +$2,500 this year, raising it from $8,000 to $10,500, with an additional $3,000 to be built into FY28 planning (to $13,500).
Ricca said $8,000 made the position the lowest-paid athletic directorship in Berkshire County; the increase leaves the district in the lower half of comparable teacher-plus-stipend models.
$10,000 ($5,000 each) to the supervising SLP for the two assistants.
Replacing a hockey coach line that corresponds to no existing position with an outdoor track coach line — cost neutral.
Total draw: $12,500, leaving roughly $19,000 unspent.
Alcantara used the discussion to call for a full review of the stipend schedule, arguing some lines are two decades stale and others should be eliminated. The question was called 8-0 and the motion passed unanimously. Ricca will ask Mr. Coleman to draw up an MOA.
AASA conference tabled after Founders Day bus dispute
The sharpest exchange of the night came when Ricca’s request to attend the AASA national superintendents conference in Atlanta in February reached the floor. Alcantara said she had been told this week that there is no money to bus students to the Founders Day parade and questioned funding a Georgia conference weeks after laying off staff. (1:44:09–1:47:58)
Alcantara noted the district band has attended for decades at roughly $500 per bus. She said she had been told Ricca knew about this; Ricca said the issue had not been raised with him and invoked the committee’s “no surprises” understanding. The conference vote was tabled pending total cost figures, and the bus question was added as an urgent follow-up.
Members also noted they have historically approved conference attendance without ever seeing a cost.
Public comment moves to one session, later in the meeting
On an amendment from Alcantara, seconded by DiPisa, the committee voted 8-0 to hold one public comment period placed after new business, with the chair retaining the option to add a second when circumstances warrant. (59:22–1:10:47) Amy Bainbridge-Jordan argued for keeping it at the top so input precedes votes; Ricca and Miguel Mir split on placement. Alcantara pushed back on any attempt to restrict comment to agenda items, noting Massachusetts law permits time limits but not content limits. The policy subcommittee will need to amend the written policy, which currently specifies the beginning of the meeting.
Lateral movements — and an unusual credit load
Nine teachers were approved for lateral salary moves, 8-0. Alcantara and Hannum questioned one showing 30 credits, and Victoria Alden — on Zoom — was put on the spot to explain: she frontloaded graduate coursework before starting a family, taking four courses in the fall, one over winter term, and five over the summer. (1:11:14–1:17:28) Members remained mildly concerned that a prior step increase may have been missed.
Other votes
May 14 minutes: approved 5-0, two abstentions (Kilmer, Alcantara).
May 28 minutes: approved 5-0, two abstentions (Kilmer, Alcantara).
FY26 warrants: approved 8-0, after the motion was withdrawn and re-made to separate the fiscal years. Confined to the child care fund, an early college planning grant, and school lunch.
FY27 warrants: approved 8-0. First appearance this year of Berkshire Regional Retirement System payments.
Rural School Leadership Academy, Cohort 14 (Nov. 4–7): approved 8-0 for both Ricca and Tetrault. Teach For America program, fully funded, no district cost. Conflicts with the MASC conference, which Ricca will skip; five committee members are registered, two registrations comped.
MASBO membership for business administrator Matthew Myers: approved 8-0 at $6,275, from an existing districtwide admin line. Myers reported 141 of 300 required hours logged, a mentorship with Eric Jestner of Lee, and new accounting systems coming for student activity and revolving funds.
One prekindergarten out-of-district student: approved 8-0, assigned to Undermountain.
Reports
Superintendent (Brian Ricca): Staffing update as of Sept. 10 — the only position still unfilled from last year’s reductions is a music position, which was actually offered to the person who’d been laid off.
Rehired: librarian, PE/health, secondary science, secondary ELA, data coordinator, early college coordinator (grant-funded). Reductions that held: grade 4, grade 3 at New Marlborough Central, grade 2, secondary history (moved to ELA), art (covered internally), 0.5 tech support, support services administrative assistant, school psychologist, and Jonathan Bruno’s former 0.5 special ed / 0.5 administrative position.
Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Professional Development (Sarah Tetrault): Eighth-grade math teachers invited into a WestEd research study granting access to a Concord Consortium curriculum, “Mathematical Foundations of AI” — six one-hour activities over 8 to 12 weeks, complementary to existing curriculum. All K-5 classroom teachers participating in agency PD; Transcend returns Sept. 23 for learning walks. Seven educators are redesigning advisory, now held Tuesdays and Thursdays secondary-wide.
Alcantara relayed student feedback that upper-grade advisory felt like busywork; Tetrault acknowledged differentiation needs more unpacking with teachers.
Director of Student Services (Jonathan Bruno): Reviving the CPAC, a state and federal requirement dormant since before COVID, with a target of next month. MassAbilities transition services begin next month for 11th and 12th graders. The civil rights portion of the coordinated program review starts, with a liaison meeting next week. Grant allotment rises from $279,521 to $288,382. Bruno clarified 504 plans are not run through his office — Kim Alcantara shared from personal experience that Julie Sternagle handles grades 6-12, and Principal Retzel at the elementary level.
Chair (Hannum): A 9/11 remembrance opened the meeting, along with a request that members keep phones away. The PROTECT Act policy vote was missed before the Sept. 1 deadline and will be read and approved in one sitting at the next meeting. Mohawk Trail Regional and Hawlemont Elementary visit Oct. 8 with BerkshireK12 to study SBRSD’s prek-12 single-campus model; Hannum is seeking one or two members to join.
Deferred or unresolved
School committee goals — held until the superintendent’s goals are set. Alcantara flagged the grant-seeking objective as outside committee scope; Hannum flagged language about organizing community events.
‘North Star’ exercise — members opted to take the worksheet home and do the facilitated version at the next meeting. Tetrault, Ricca, Alcantara and Myers shared drafts.
Candidate forum — Oct. 22 or Oct. 7 under consideration; candidates will be polled first. No vote required. Candidate bios to run in the October newsletter.
Meeting times — regular meetings at 6:00; workshop nights at 5:30. Oct. 8: superintendent evaluation training with Sean Costello. Oct. 29: finance roles and best practices with Tracy Novick.
Self-evaluation — SurveyMonkey responses due Sept. 15.
Public comment
One speaker: Kenn Basler, newly seated on the Monterey Select Board, said residents are raising concerns about the schools, that declining enrollment worries the town at the select board level, and that New Marlborough Central functions as a transition school for Monterey children.
Future agenda items
Enrollment survey follow-up; comprehensive stipend review; a full report on grants written last year (Alcantara pressed for this and it was moved to finance); first reading and approval of the PROTECT Act policy; money for Founders Day buses question; AASA conference costs; request to consider using the remaining ~$19,000 for an aide, a position, or a part-time rehire; and exploring the district’s own fleet for event transportation.