3.26.2025 FRPS Parent and Community Outreach Subcommittee

going to call this Wednesday, March 26, 2025 parent and community outreach subcommittee meeting to order. Roll call. Mr. A here. Mr. Das here. Mayor Ken. Yep. And just so the public is aware, u Mr. Cory was not able to attend and he had the mayor come in his place.

Salute to the flag.

And Mr. Bailey. Oh, I did not. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

And Mr. Bailey as well is on a conference and had Mr. Aguard attend as well. Thank you for the correction. Open meeting law. Pursuant to the open meeting law, any person may make an audio or video recording of this public meeting or may transmit the meeting through any medium. Attendees are therefore advised that such recordings or transmissions are being made whether perceived or unpersceived by those

present and are deemed acknowledged and permissible. Do we have any citizens input today? We do not.

Moving on to section three 3-1 discussion convene with the administration to discuss community project funding proposals for April 1st and any other community project ideas.

Um if I can lead the conversation. I know this was something that was sent to us by um member Aenclaus um from the federal from the federal delegation. It was an email sent to the school committee with an application that should be in everyone's agenda. Um, again, I believe it's imperative and I believe it's the fiscally prudent decision to make if we are offered to apply for some sort of

either grant funding mechanism that we should take advantage of that opportunity. And as I just said, um, Mr.

Rocky Cross's office sent an application to the school committee to the Florida public schools to apply it for funding.

Believe um this has been funding that um the city on city side they've used in the past. It's been used to fund several projects in the past whatso as well. Um yeah, I just can't think of why um we wouldn't apply for it. I mean the worst, you know, the federal delegation could stay as numb. I understand there were um last year or last fiscal year it was not this funding mechanism wasn't included

in the budget or I think they're using continue resolution still. Um but hopefully if this is something the SP public schools applies for it can really help move some money around that can go to benefiting the kids and the students and the educators of our city. Um, I'll open up. I don't know if the administration has anything to say or if anyone has any questions.

Um, oh, I think I I have a question probably. Um, and maybe it's for you.

I'm I'm wondering about what we what the city I guess has already applied for. Um, yeah, we and whether or not there's any crossover in any of those things to the schools. Um most of the things that we that I've applied for have been to help the uh city. Um I actually gone over going over them this morning. They got to go back in by the first uh with uh the city engineer uh Kev Kevin's brother

Danny this morning because we have to resubmit them all. They told us they're all going to be rolled in. Um so these were previous So this last year we put them in but all the money was frozen.

They allocated none under the eararks. I I talked to the congressman.

Highly unlikely there's any ear marks going out again this year. Um Okay.

But things happen when you need votes.

So maybe we'll get something. We put in for the um the parklet at Columbia Street for $300,000. Um, at Bsentennial Park, there's that little dock that's right at the end of uh the street where Kathy uh Viver lived on. National Grid owns it.

They're going to give it to us. We can put parking in there which would then help uh handicapped get to the wall easier and Aroima monument like 25 spots. We put in for 1.7 million. We're staying with something that everybody in the city should have done. Lead service line replacement for 4 million.

Um the waterfront cultural district uh street scrapes improvements. Again, I'm pretty sure that was uh Danny. And if the last one we put in for was the southwest upper pond phosphorus inactivation project for 2.4 4 million so that we can uh get the water clean at Southwest Tapper for boating, fishing, and hopefully someday swimming. Uh it's a huge project. Uh those were the ones they cleared down from us from um the

original ones we sent. We sent two or three to Marky War and Antin Claus and they paired it back to this. Last year I thought we had a real shot at some of these, but everything was frozen.

Um I can ask a question for Mr. Pico. Um and thank you for providing this um the capital improvement plan. So the BMS improvements um for a million. What would that be for? So it's controls. So it's a building maintenance system. So basically it's controlling all of the HVAC fresh air uh uh equipment for the entire building um automated. So, uh, we just did Spencer Bordon and Sylvia as part of, um, the,

um, ISA grant along with a couple of other items. This would bring green, um, up to those standards, uh, of operation.

That's on our HVAC list. That would be one of the big priorities um to have that building so that it's automated completely automated um and that whole system be brought up to uh the new standards that we have in the other schools. And that's something we're looking to fund in FY27. It's it's as we built the as you look at this um 5-year plan um each year we're putting in items

that we feel take a priority to others.

Um and and that is one on on um the 26th school year, right? Um what would be the funding mechanism if So currently there is we don't have a funding mechanism. So when sending this to the city, we would basically be looking to see if there was anything on um available in capital funds. Uh currently um normally these things would get funded um through grants grant opportunities but also um if there was

um cash that wasn't spent uh not allocated funds uh within budgets that's when we would use that. Sure. Thank you for that. So, I mean, I think looking at that one, looking at um the modular classrooms for the prek center, instead of um putting the financial strain on the city, we have an opportunity right here with this funding um proposal, we can put in the application, hopefully go

go through that instead of going through the city or going through um our operational budget. I um I mean looking looking at that one looking at again the modular classrooms um renovating child middle school um I think some of these are prime candidates to just put in the application and I think the worst that we could that they could say is no um what is the April 1st deadline is that

coming from the congressman or from actual project. Like I'm a little confused on the the sheet that says community project funding request form. Is that requested to them? So are we on an April 1 deadline for this? And then yeah, I think another one I think it's more of of a an intent than it is the actual application because I think the application is going to be much much more tedious. This is to me looks like

it uh it's just a question you for the congressman not like so to kind of get his whatever throw them all on the table by April one and they have a month to figure out what because I think that's just a different between April 1st it's already the 26th of March. So I I I agree with me. I don't think we're going to get they're not going to get all their projects and

nobody's going to get it under the current uh setup of government. Right.

But at the same time, I think it's valid, you know, to suggest that we should look at throwing a a project on it like the mass. It might take two years, three years, but if we throw it in, I think it's valid uh to do. We got the email from the rep. So when we get it, it was like I agree with Mr. Das that it's worth looking at and exploring

and if they don't get it, we don't get it. And it's not that we have to compete with the city. if we have a project that they want to fund and then they you know so I think it's worth looking at but if April 1st is the deadline I think we're just a little beyond I I I I thought I was told I have to have everything by April 1. We had to redo them all and

then resubmit them by April one. Now, I don't know if that's a hard deadline like Kenny said or they'll float on it, but that's what they told us. The way the senators were the 31st and Jake was April one, but but what the communication that was sent out with a link. I had taken a look at it and that's what's printed here. It's it's a like a Google form type situation that's

pretty much a letter of intent, right?

You know, you you click on the buttons.

maybe that in it. I would I I was told the grants, but maybe that's sufficient.

I don't know. I never did that. I Right.

I was under the impression that if we like made the cut somehow, I don't know.

I must have read this somewhere that um right if your community funding request is selected for further review, you will be required to submit additional information in documentation beyond the scope of this form, likely within a very tight time frame. So we could get the nod like, "Yep, we're gonna move you forward." And who knows, it could be a week or two weeks for something lengthier. If that checkbox thing is

sufficient, we send that in. No problem.

Right. A representative will off will reach out for this information should you be selected kind of. So, um, so I think when what I had done was gone and I took a look at other projects that had been funded and it's either because of the way potential applicants had interpreted the the, you know, community funding project either either because of a an interpretation across the board or

because there's something about the spirit of this funding that it is to the benefit of the wider community that would like would make me think that some of the things in our capital improvement plan they they're they're of the benefit of like our school community or a particular school but maybe not the community at large and I didn't know so I have I had never I wouldn't have thought about some of the stuff on the

capital improvement plan. One of the things that we we talked about today that's not here is something like the um the auditorium over at CUS which is going to be you know cost millions and we don't um have a funding source and people have looked into um oh I'm sorry yeah I'm thinking I was like what's wrong with cuss the old cus I'm sorry old cus old dery yes I'm sorry I'm I don't want to

say it was molded though. No, no, no.

Sorry. Former Derpy former CUS currently RPA. Um that that auditorium even though it's within a school feels very much like a community project. So that's one of the things I I thought about in the meantime. So something that would certainly be of um value to us as a part of the city but then there a larger scope um in terms of discussions we've had with you know the historical society and various other

groups in the city. So that was one of the things that um we discussed as a as a possibility. Right. And just to add to your point superintendent I mean we we do have a um community use of our schools. We have a policy for that. So c I mean RPA auditorium I mean just fully renovated that could be something that could be used for community use. So there is that community aspect in there

as well. And just to add to earlier point that you made on the email that we all received I believe it was sent directly to the school committ. The email chain I believe it was Yeah. No and I've never seen it before. So I I'll say this. So I think that given you know we've never we've never been in receipt. I was never I've never known not that I would that the

school committee has ever received any outreach about this funding source before and knowing from once we got it and I looked up um you know did a little research about what is this thing it does seem like um towns and cities are applicants and not necessarily school departments within you. So that's it. Just I wasn't sure if it was um because of how people have interpreted it because it says community

project funding that has always like been within like city and town government for the applications. Um but certainly there is some signal here because it was received by the school committee. So there's some element to this that would signal to us that it is there is funding available to us as a department within the city. um filter.

So I I agree with what you're saying. So I think that uh we should look at if they're able for us is to fill out the Google doc. I think we should have at least one project submitted. Sure. That at least get the dialogue going and you know you can contact or Mr. Chico can contact the congressman's office to get clarity that what are these projects for because they did send it to the school committee. So

it's incumbent upon us to act on those things. So kudos to Mr. Das for picking that up and you know all that stuff. So I think asking those questions is a good thing, but I'd like to make a motion that we authorize the superintendent to place whatever project that her and Mr.

Pinko and her team feel could go in that by the deadline. And uh because we're not going to have a full school committee meeting until uh after after the time, we would authorize you to do it. And then at that point, you could report back this at the to the full committee saying this is what we kind of I doubt that it's going to get funded, but I do think it's worthy of looking

at. Okay. Yeah. So, right. So, we recommend to superintendent to submit this proposal, then report back to the next school committee, see what happens.

I'll second that.

I don't think it hurts anything. Just going to check it out.

I would probably just get that tick sheet in with your proposal just to see what you're thinking. You know what I'm saying, Kenny? At least it's in their hand by the first. They won't throw us out for the date. Yep.

Um, so we have a motion and second discussion on the motion. Roll call. Mr.

Yes. Mr. Das. Yes. Mayor Kugan. Yep.

Okay. Thank you. So, moving on to the next item on the agenda, um 3-2, um a presentation from the state delegation on what bills have been filed that will have an impact on students and parents.

Um take a little bit of a hit for this.

Um I I did ask um our secretary to send out the invitations. I want to say last minute, but I would say next to last minute. Um so obviously it's no fault and most of the um delegation has responded so obviously no fault of their own for giving them a few days notice if they can't attend. However um while we're discussing this issue um I believe it's important and something my

colleague um to my left here has mentioned before we should be engaging more with our state delegation. I know my um colleague had um brought up the point of having um a yearly meal or some sort of yearly dinner to collaborate with them. So um I like to make a motion that we refer to the full committee that school committee host a yearly meeting with our local state delegation to discuss legis legislative matters.

Second second on that discussion I think it's just good to have dialogue and um allow them to present and open up the lines of communication. So there's a lot of bills that are filed that are um not going anywhere and some that are not beneficial but we don't necessarily get as a body the list of those. So we can offer it up to them. they can come to present to us like here's the things

that are pressing this stuff's going to committee. I think it it's definitely a good process to get into and then every several years in the cycle rather than them send to us a month before the bills are due and say what do we think the bill should be we would have it already in place to say okay we threw it on the table that this is an issue and what are

the what is the delegation going to do to file certain things you'll have some we have some I I happen to see them periodically here and there and I say well this should law should change on at the McKini Vento is not 100% funded and you know but we don't necessarily get a chance to sort of sit with them. So I think it's a good suggestion and timing wise they can figure out what's the best

time for them and uh we can advocate for what we need. Yeah. No, I 100% agree.

And just to add to that as well, if we're looking to them to get their support on and even on the city side as well with transportation, trying to get some of these unfunded mandates funded, like I know there's that line item from the governor that hasn't been funded in years for transportation. I agree with the mayor 100%. That's something that should be funded. It'll help the city

and hopefully help the schools as well.

So, um I agree with Mr. Aar's idea. I think more um communication and having more events with them is a good thing.

So I yield.

Um see no further discussion. Roll call.

Mr. Hag. Yes. Mr. D. Yes. May cooking.

Um yes. Okay. Um 3-3 is just a discussion only item um with the administration to um contact representatives from FIFA the 2026 World Cup offering our sports facilities for their use. Um if I could start with this um this isn't um a random idea out of the book. Um I know um going back many years. I think back to 2012, the mayor at the time um was looking to submit a bid to have um the

city come in to have the um what's this the national sport not not the FIFA but um the world the Olympics no the Olympics come in into the city because there was um a potential bid for the United States. I don't think it came to fruition at the time. Um so the World Cup is coming next year. Boston is one of those sites. I think it would be a good thing we just

reach out and you know offer you know the derby football field it can be used for soccer as well and um I think that would be even if it's just even if we don't hold a match but if it's just for training um it'll be good to have the teams come in and potentially you know they'll bring in their families and representatives from their from their countries and I think it'll be a good

thing for Paul River and be a good tourism event and as we discussed prior Um I didn't know. Um so I I I will say that I did make some inquiries um just you know uh people you know here around here and and and others kind of in the soccer world. And I did learn that the the matches are played on not on turf which is what we would have to

offer that they're in in arenas they're actually they put sod down because the preference is for um for grass fields.

And so I'm not sure I'm not entirely sure that there'd be an interest in terms of their own training to use our facilities that they'd be looking for grass. Um I I think there could be some merit. I would feel less like making them an offer um to come use our facilities, but more of a, you know, an ask of a a tour of goodwill potentially from a a particular team or, you know, sports organization to

have people come down here for some kind of expo while they're in the States or something like that. But I just I don't know the value really of um of offering our facilities. I did, you know, look at the site. It's like contact us if you have questions or you want lodging or, you know, um it wasn't obvious who we would contact to offer. I I think and I

really don't know. I mean, in my mind, I think that part of a bid um that was made for the this kind of event included all of the um facilities that would be needed that that would be part of like look, we can support this and that a year out um they wouldn't still be looking for facilities, but I can see, you know, in terms of an ask of some

kind of goodwill um that we would invite them and I think it would take, you know, letting letting teams in certain from certain like a particular country or two, you know, about the population here in Fall River and, you know, the number of people that we have from different um different countries that are here and there might be some interest in coming to a local community that has a large number of Portuguese um

speaking people and things like that.

So, and I know 100% agree that and I like that idea a lot. Um, and just to add, this is a community that plays a lot of soccer. So, um, may even be the Portuguese national team coming to Fall River or just um, any any different team that would love to explore. Um, and again, I think that even just going to the tourism aspect, having them visit is a good thing. And yeah, so no, I'm

really happy you came up with the idea.

Okay. Thanks.

Discussion. anything I I whether it works for this or not, I think we should have a marketing plan or whatever to talk about how do we advertise that we have beautiful facilities that are open.

We look at we know how much it costs.

We've changed those pieces, but I do think that we can do a better job of marketing to whether it's the baseball field or other programs so that we can actually have the events here and actually make some money on the on the facilities to put back into fixing the turf, fixing the I look at that baseball field and I think it's probably the best looking baseball field in Massachusetts

as far as I'm concerned. Like I it's very impressive. We should have that used for not for free. you know they right so they want to have a tournament.

So I think we should look at some sort of a marketing plan. Maybe you can do a report at some point to the committee to say this is what we currently do what we can try to you know even if it is something to hire somebody to to whether it's a combination between the city and I think we can market our facilities better. So FIFA might not come to um

place but I think it's good to bring it up now we can look at it and say what are we going to do for marketing. Sure.

Sure. Any other comments? Seeing none, please move to the last item and just a discussion only on the update for the duties and function it says of the subcommittee, but I know you um call me about that. But really just discussing um this just this subcommittee as well.

I know we discussed very briefly, superintendent um I believe you had more of like a grand plan um to address this in policy.

Yeah, it's not a grand plan, but I will I can talk a little bit about what we've discussed. So, I think um when this subcommittee first got up and running again with um with your leadership, I had a moment of pause like I don't really think that's what this subcommittee is for. Right. In the past, it had been used as an opportunity to um you know, for departments, you know, whether it was um you know, Dr.

Bronhard's um uh you know, to talk about uh initiatives through PACE and what we were doing, it was more of an opportunity to come forward and say like we you know, we'd like to run this event or we want to tell about this event and things like that and kind of vet some ideas potentially. um it had not been used as a public forum. And so when when we first over the summer, maybe it was

early fall, we were putting together, you had asked to put out some um flyers, some pamp, you know, some announcements of of big community forum. I was like, this is a subcommittee meeting. What are we doing? At that time, I looked up the function of the committee and realized that what you were proposing was more closely aligned to the um to the spirit of what this subcommittee was about and

that it made sense that this was going to be an opportunity to engage different um facets of of the public in different ways. So, but it also gave me an opportunity to look at the fact that I I think at that time there were not and which means there still aren't there wasn't necessarily a description of every single committee and some of them were outdated because they reference um expectations from like you know two

the 2014ish 2012. Um, so at that time I just had expressed that I thought it would make sense for all of the subcommittees to revisit their descriptions. Maybe some needed to be created and that would be an opportunity for this committee to revisit the description to see that it was, you know, make sure that it was going to meet the needs and also use it as an opportunity to then publicly put

out there the function of the committee.

set up a, you know, more of a plan in terms of quarterly opportunities, who would be invited to the table and so on and so on. No. Yeah. No. Yeah, I agree.

And just to maybe speak about one part you just said, um, it's the marketing aspect. I think, um, for all subcommittees, but just speaking just for this one, especially since it deals with the parents and the community, I think, um, there's a lot more room that we can do to advertise our subcommittees. Um hopefully in the next few weeks to months we'll have live streaming which I think will open up a

lot of avenues. Um and I think um we should utilize social media more to um to to post our like when I mentioned that earlier in the year last year. I think that's something we should do with all our sub committees is to advertise them more not just through the minimum which is the required um publication of the agenda and the posting of notice. I think um we should definitely do a

little bit more with that. Um but no, I 100% agree with you. I think there's um um definitely some outdated language in there and that can just be tidied up.

Sure. Um and one more thing as well and hopefully when policy subcommittee meets, we can arrange something where we can have um some of our the CPAC and some of the parent committees um be more involved in the subcommittees where all the discussion happens in some way. So I think I think there's some good things that could happen there. Discussion.

So the uh I think it's good to look at that. We shouldn't have antiquated anything on the agendas and uh the websites need to be updated and all that. So that's sort of a no-brainer.

But I think when we look at the duties and functions of the subcommittees, one of the things we have to look at is making sure that when we refer something from the full committee that before the next full committee, it gets addressed.

And if it doesn't get addressed, it needs to be addressed with the chairman, chairwoman, because we can't have things going on and on, right? So I believe firmly minimum quarterly meetings for every subcommittee should be the rule.

That's what I believe personally, but I'm not in charge of the committee. But yeah, but four a year wouldn't cover the next meeting. No, I'm saying if something was referred. So let's say there was nothing referred to committee, right? I should still have quarterly meetings just so that it updates quarterly. But then you said you wanted it on the next meeting of the school committee which would be fairly leg. So

now if I like for instance we have several things that we've gone to the policy subcommittee. We shouldn't by the next meeting we need to have the policy subcommittee meet before this meeting.

That's what I'm saying. So when something gets referred you might have more than a quarterly but a minimum of quarterly. So now this would take over my let's say it was my committee. If I'm in special education, something gets referred to us. I have to have the meeting between now and the next meeting. Once I have that meeting, now that buys us three more months because if that was the meeting, every 3 months,

we have to have another one if we're doing quarterly is the way I would think it should be. But I think it's too open-ended for us to be wondering who's responsible. So, I'd like to make a motion that we refer to the full committee the following. If any item gets referred to a subcommittee, said subcommittee has to meet before the next regularly scheduled school committee meeting. All right. To that end though,

if we have a meeting in January, school committee, we refer to the policy committee. What if the policy committee was meeting March 10th? They have to meet before the next schedule.

Okay. So then February, they meet before February 10th and they do that piece of legislation.

If February refers something to policy, they got to have another meeting before March, but that wouldn't be quarterly.

That would be 12 meetings a year if things were referred. Correct. But then they would then the let's say the regularly scheduled quarterly. We don't schedule the chair schedules. So under the case you were saying, so if we have a January and a February policy subcommittee because things get busy, they wouldn't need another one for three more months. But what if something was referred? Then they have to meet. That's

the nature of the policy. I I do wonder though if in situations where it's not like some emergency situation where the referral might if if we came into the year with some quarterly meetings planned that that referral might be to the quarterly meeting but we don't have that is my point but I feel like if we don't have a problem quarterly but I'm not going to do 12 a year because something gets deferred every meeting

but what I'm saying is I don't think I have the authority or we have the authority to mandate that they have a quarterly meeting.

No policy is they got to address it before the next meeting. So if this gets referred to the full committee, this motion at the full committee, then we have this dialogue that we're having with the full body to say what do we want to do? Do we want to morph this into the rules of the committee as you have quarterly meetings set up pre-planned so that we know what's going on for every subcommittee meeting? That

would take care of a lot of it. Well, it would take See what what you're saying though, if you think it out, that would mean that the parent subcommittee would meet in March 10, then they would take care of anything referred in January, February, March. Then the next one would be April, May, June, but they'd be in three month increments. But if someone refers something in January, he's not

going to move the March meeting back to January 15th, the color what was referred because then if it's in February, they're going to get the same thing again. So the quarterly I really don't have a problem with but if it's by referral it's going to be every meeting.

It could it could potentially be every meeting. Yeah. And the only other thing I would say is that it could be if someone referred something if if Colin said refer that to again or you just when you refer it you say we're going to refer this to the next quarterly meeting. That's that's legit. But ultimately the real issue here if we're just being honest is the fact that we sit here secretary has to try to

schedule a meeting. And if the chair of the committee doesn't want to send it or doesn't give any dates or doesn't want to do the job, we lose out another month and then what ends up happening is that's frustrating for the administration because we need to get some stuff done and they don't have the authority to tell the chair you have to have the meeting this month. That's sort of where I'm getting at with what's

currently. I'm okay with the quarterly.

But I I I do I do hope you see what I'm talking about cuz it could you could get popped. If you said policy has to have four meetings a year, one every 3 months and anything referred must be addressed before the third month, then it goes on the next agenda.

That's legit. But I don't see every time something's referred to have a meeting because it could get unwieldy.

But I part of me wants to I just push the envelope right now. I know. But we make that No, but we make this policy because it's not a it's only a subcommittee. we put it on the agenda.

The chair of the subcommittee is going to see that on the agenda and say, "Oh, I better have this meeting in the next two weeks." That's what I'm hoping happens because we can't go another time without policy. And then we have people at meetings rolling their eyes saying, "I got too many meetings and I got to go home and everything else." You keep saying got to go home. I don't know who

says that. People may want to go.

Several members say I want to go homely.

They they don't want to participate.

They don't want to listen to subcommittee meetings. There's too many subcommittee meetings. And I say to them, here over there, wherever you don't want to do the job, then don't run. You do the job, you run, you do it now. We need a policy subcommittee meeting before April 10th. What's your What's your motion? I I'll second your motion. I I don't I want to know what the motion is, please. I I What was your

motion? My motion was to make sure that we have whatever is referred gets done before the next meeting. Now, at the time, we can do whatever at the next meeting. This is just putting it on a placeholder in the meeting. So, and and I'll amend it to add to it that we'll have quarterly mandatory quarterly meetings for all subcommittees. I'll support that, but I won't support the every after every I'll motion and have

this motion. The new motion is we mandate to quarterly meetings for every subcommittee. We're referring to the full committee that we mandate quarterly meetings for every subcommittee. Yep.

I'll second it.

I don't have I really don't have a problem with that as long as as long as it's what Kevin described something.

Keep with the simpleness. Something's referred in January going to March. Some referred in February, March before.

Those are all addressed in the in the third, but they're in that that forum a year and they come to and I think the minimum it puts it on notice. Now we have something heavy, something pressing that a member or the superintendent feels needs to be that person would have an extra like I did. We have a technology meeting coming up. I have to wait around, you know, so it's going to

be after the limit. really wanted it to be before but you know there's things happen so we move the table but we can discuss but I think you can have more than you don't have I agree but the minimum is quarterly correct it means that the minimum I'm not complaining there'll be a meeting every single week either a school committee a full committee or a subcommittee meeting there are nine

there are nine subcommittees times nine times four times four my My my my concern is not the members, it's them.

Oh, the evaluate. I didn't like what I would if the motion passes at full committee. We schedule them not at the same month. So you you could schedule them accordingly. So they're quarterly, but it doesn't all like January doesn't have to be the first quarter for everyone as we go forward moving forward. Three of them could be January as they're meeting. Three of them could be February. three of them if

there's none right there just be a meeting six meetings and how many subcommittee meetings do we have right now here I mean just a guess are we anywhere near the 30 are we near 20 as we are and actually I just literally counted included in the nine our evaluation which doesn't necessarily mean quarterly but I it probably should um and then also the grievance which potentially could be quarterly because

it but it could that's really as needed with doesn't have to be a quarterly meeting. So there are seven others so 28 meetings plus the school committee meetings up to 40 um specials and then any of the special meetings. So um it's it would be I think it will be difficult only really if we're looking at quarterly meetings plus whenever someone says I mean this like this particular meeting did not

require a vote of the committee. It didn't take a referral from the full committee. It was literally the chair wanting to have a meeting and as far as I know there's not an opportunity to say no to that. Right? If the chair of a subcommittee wants so it's like people if I'm a if I chair a committee and maybe I maybe maybe I feel like meeting every month then it would it forces 12

meetings. Do you know what I mean? So in addition potentially to quarterly but the flip side of it I would say is that we get elected to do a job and we need to so and and you get paid handsomely to you know so like I'm not saying you're not saying this but at the same time is we can use our heads to either map it out when we do the organization of the

committee we should look at those lists to make sure that we've added like special education alternative education and whatever the early childhood so if I chair that one committee that's three topics in on maybe there's things that we can do with those to say we got to look at what we do what we don't do the one for grievance should say as needed because what are we going to sit here

and ask is there any grievances so like I think it's going to create good dialogue for leadership to say what is that maybe that needs to be revamped and at that point you you know you get that down I I just don't want I don't want Deb and I don't want Tracy I don't want Kenny at every meeting I think that they could send Amy Brian And you can send an assistant superintendent. We're not

trying these these people have to have a life, too. And someone else is going to find a way to do minutes and get the um you know what I mean? Really, it's just it it can be unwieldy for these people to have another life. And I you want everybody working in the schools to have another life. They got to be able to get out here and go play with their kids. I

don't mind doing it. That's why I'm here. I'll come I go to go to stuff every day. So, this doesn't bother me.

This is just work. But at the same time, I'm not trying to burn out anyone to follow me around either. And that's what I worry about. The other people that have a regular 8 to four job, 8 to five, you know, like Kevin said, we have the 12 meetings, subcommittees meet quarterly. I don't have a problem with the three of us getting together quarterly that. But I don't want to I'm

not looking to burn out staff. I just am not. If I can add to that, and I I don't know if they do this on the city level for um your boards and commissions, um but I think they're required to have a chair, a vice chair, and a secretary. Um like like a like an official has to be the secretary or I don't know if they have their own secretary or it may

depend on the board. Um the sub the subcommittees of the council have a person who is working in the clerk's office. What about the water water board, sewer commission, and all?

They they have their own people. It's normally someone out of their office.

It's normally somebody out of office.

Yeah, that's what I'm saying. We have someone come. It's not one of the board members that some of the charters probably call for a person called the treasurer, the secretary, but in essence, there's a another person recording, you know, recording it and doing it or or something like that. But I think it's just a good personally I think it's a good thing to have. I've always said

subcommittee meetings are the best way to get to the, you know, bottom line on issues, ask questions, which I think are good. administration gets the guidance to come back with information. So then when we have a full school committee meeting, it's going to be more like bing bing bing and things are going to be said and done in a more efficient way.

What we get now is a lot of times something comes up and valid questions come up and then people start getting hot under the collar over it and it this will allow I think it'll alleviate some of that and then you know hey every quarter I have to present moving forward this this this it it becomes like second nature. Your people are going to know that you you know you got to tell your

people hey don't forget the special ed alternative ed subcommittee is coming in March. Yeah, she can go to that meeting.

Three or four. Three or four. So could you say I want to do tech at five and I want to do parent engagement at six?

Yes. Okay. So that's what I mean. That way Yeah. It it it alleviates and I also think to Mr. the dasis point on that same exact thing which I was talking to somebody about the live he wants to have the meetings live like the city council does even though it might get more engagement people do it so I believe firmly that on the tech agenda in April 28th whenever it is that we should look

at that I've believed for a long time that we need to have one place you know where Matt Malone said a lot of things I totally disagreed with one of the things that he actually brought up that was important was to have us have our school committee room cameras everything this where every subcommittee believing it's going to go. So, these guys don't have to keep tracking that stuff back and

forth. It goes live. We put a onetime investment in and then they those tech guys are going to come to us and tell us what it cost cuz now it's helping. And I think that's to to the mayor's point. If we did it in a place like that, you have one meeting from 4:00 to 5:00. We did it last week with the instructional after.

I think it helps to put everybody in a room for two hours, get one done, get the other one done. So, there's ways to streamline it. It doesn't have to be uh contentious. I think it's a good thing to just get it out there. And the other piece is that we finally changed the rule so that we can have people serving like I'm covering for Mr. Bailey. He's covering for Mr. Cory. That was a good

policy because now it's no longer Deb can say, "Well, I can't make it. I can't make it." She's trying to like fit a square peg in a round hole. Now we say, "Well, you can't make it, Kevin. I'll call Colin. I'll call the mayor. You want to cover for me?" We So, I think it's going to alleviate some of our own struggles. Yeah. If I can just um add one more point to that as well. Policy

subcommittee I think my my own opinion is one that I think should be maybe not every month but you look at the referrals from our committee most of it is policy school committees are primarily supposed to be creating revising policy.

Um so that's one that should be meeting a lot. I know instructional stuff committee we just had one scheduled um for April. That's one that meets a lot because things come and I understand there's some deadlines from the administration as well. So I understand there's some they either don't meet at all or meet sparingly grievance um evaluation. Um so yeah I think there's um I think that Mr. Agar I think

there's some um I think this will lead to some good things and I think we'll have a good discussion at the meeting.

Everyone ready for a vote? Mr. A. Yes, Mr. Das. Yes, mayor.

Just quarterly sub all subcommittees should meet quarterly. Is that it? We'll discuss the minimum. No, I understand.

But I want quarterly. Yeah. I just want to make sure it wasn't that other. Sure.

Um, last item, new business. Do we have any new business today?

Okay. See none. Very good meeting. I just motion chairman. Second. All those in favor I. All those opposed. Awesome.