5.12.2025 Fall River School Committee - Public Hearing

I'd like to call to order the Monday, May 12th public hearing of the forever public schools. Deb, would you please call the role? Mr. A here. Mr. Bailey.

Mr. Das here. Mr. Corey here. Miss Laravey here. Miss Pereira. Mayor Kan here. Salute to the flag. 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.

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.

We have a couple of people that want to speak tonight at citizens input.

Remember there's a threeminut limit.

First up, uh Keith Michonne. It looks like your writing is greater than ever. Keith, uh Triion Avenue, East Proidence. Mr. Mayor, can I ask a quick question?

You want to interrupt citizen input? Go ahead. Thank you. I don't believe I was interrupting citizens input, but I just have a question on the threeminute mark.

Um our policy behings. I believe a public hearing is different from a public meeting. I'm just saying if any individual wishes to speak, it's my opinion that they would have more than three minutes because this is a public hearing on the budget and not just citizens input. So I I was just speaking out because if anyone wants to speak including Mr. Mishan over three minutes, I'm in support of that.

Mr. Mayor, I'm interrupting. I'm supportive of Mr. Mishan. One person. Go ahead, Mr. Mishan. I didn't see anyone else on the list, so I thought I'd have a full 15 minutes. No, you should get it. So, I'm Keith Michon, president of the Fall River Educators Association, and um I might be one of the few, but I look forward to the budget presentations each year. It is always said that the

budget is a moral document, and I fully believe that that to be true. There are certainly a lot of technical pieces of the budget, but ultimately what is being discussed is the services and opportunities our students have. Anyone with a vested interest in the school system should tune into this process and contribute their perspective when given the opportunity. I'd like to commend the

work of the administration to bring forward this budget and the committee's efforts to ask questions and make suggestions before taking their vote. I may not agree with every decision, but I appreciate all the thoughtful work that goes into this. That's just what it is.

We just accept it. I find that I find the school and the department presentations to be especially informative and the opportunity to promote the great work and plans to address the challenges. For the past two years, there have been some changes with this process and as a result, the public is not hearing from every school or department. I appreciate the effort to make this process more

efficient, but I think it's unfortunate that we did not hear from at at least an elevator pitch from some of the schools and departments. Luckily, we're not looking at a large number of position cuts like some of the other districts, but there are some conversions and eliminations which are especially hard when people hold those positions. The elimination of the technology library

media specialist at Sylvia is one that's concerning to me. This is a reduction that we have seen in too many schools.

Elementary students deserve access to working school libraries, and our digital literacy and media specialists serve an essential role in our society becomes more and more immersed and dependent on digital media. Since the budget presentations, I've heard of a few cuts that were not included in the presentation. Whether these were not included because they're not existing budget lines or previously

funded by grants. I feel these things should be mentioned at least for consideration to be included as a wish list. It has been stated that the district will no longer have lead positions. I don't know when or how this decision was made, but I think it's a disservice to eliminate broadly. These positions have been essential in supporting staff and bringing stability to our often stressed teams. Another

thing that has been mentioned is no longer offering summer enrichment opportunities, but this is also not exactly clear to me what this means.

This specific information should be shared publicly and with demand. I'm sure these things could be funded.

Lastly, I'd like to invent the invite the public to be more involved in this process. As the process begins next fall, I welcome invitations to collaborate and we'll likely be sharing opportunities for the community to come together in FREA sponsored events. Thank you. Thank you, Keith. Mr. Chair, Sheila Curtains um asks me, Mr. Das, I just had some um follow-up questions um but I I didn't

know there's other I'll wait till the end.

I'm Sheila Karns.

Good afternoon. My name is Sheila Karns and I am the ask me Council 93 Southshore Coordinator. Honorable mayor, Chair Coogan, and ladies and gentlemen of the Fall River School Committee. Ask me council 93 local 1118 is here this afternoon to address this committee regarding the process of approving the four memorandum of agreements that have been presented to you for ratification. There are members

of this committee who consistently overstep their roles and boundaries of their positions on the school committee.

The negotiated MOA MOAs that are before this committee are not complicated, nor is the information contained within them new to the school committee. The articles in these documents have been negotiated and agreed upon by both the school committee's negot negotiators and the union's negotiation team to present to the union membership and the school committee for ratification. The administration's negotiation team has

kept the school committee informed of what was presented and agreed to throughout the negotiation process. Both parties have also held labor management meetings to discuss articles and side letters of agreement as per the direction of this committee. These MOAs were overwhelmingly overwhelmingly ratified by the union membership. It is now the responsibility of this committee to do

the same. Ask me Council 93 has learned that not only are the MOAs being called into question, but the standing collective bargaining agreements dated July 1st, 2021 through June 30th, 2024 that were negotiated, ratified, implemented, and in effect for both parties for the past three years and are being questioned as well. Sorry folks, but you cannot call into question a collective bargaining agreement that has

not been negotiated, ratified, and implemented.

And that is not the process. If you wish to change or edit what is contained in the CBAs, it should have been done so by the submission of proposals during negotiations.

The union is not going to tolerate the stalling tactics that are being used to stroke a couple of members authoritative egos who are in contact and speak with certain bargaining unit members who have financially contributed to their election campaigns and feel that they have the right to have their individual issues, concerns or subjects of which are not in agreement with to be brought to this

committee. Again, these MOAs have been ratified by the members of local 1118.

It is now your responsibility to do the same. The Fall River Public School Committee meetings are usually not conducted by Robert's rules, nor they nor do they adhere to the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, otherwise known as mask rules and responsibilities. If there were certain members, if they were, certain members would not be allowed to overstep their duties. They would be ruled out of order

and their speaking times limited.

Requests like asking the union for the minutes of their labor management meetings should be made by the committee as a whole, not individual members. As established in the governance section of mask rules and responsibilities states, the school committee act only as a body as described by law and not as individual members. The school committee should familiarize themselves with the mask

rules and responsibilities and adhere and adhere to such as you are elected to do. It is beyond my comprehension as to why an individual member would request from the union minutes of labor management meetings. Why wouldn't this request be asked of your administration?

As a labor organization, minutes of labor management meetings are not kept and the union is under no obligation to do so.

The purpose of labor management meetings is to meet to address concerns or issues before they excel into grievances. If this committee cannot conduct the business that they were elected in accordance to the required laws, rules and responsibilities without all the drama and theatrics, then perhaps this committee should be dismantled and new members should be elected who can get the business of this committee

accomplished. The Fall River Public School committees need to do better. If this committee cannot find it possible to timely ratify the four MOAs before you, then perhaps the Department of Labor Relations can compel you to do what you were elected to do when charges are filed for violating Mass General Law 158. Thank you. Thank you.

Correct.

Anything further for the public hearing in accordance with Mass General Law Chapter 71 section 38N the fiscal year 2025 budget for the for public schools.

I think it's 2026. I'm sorry. Mr. um Das. Mr. Chair, there's a question on um two questions. One on the public hearing. Um, who do we send out the notice to? It was adjust the Herald News, I believe. So, I believe so. We sent it to the Herald News. I think that's the requirement that we send it. We advertise in a local newspaper. It is.

Yes. Um, I would just like to say as one member, and I mentioned at the last meeting as well, is we only had two individuals that um spoken out, and this isn't me saying anything against the Harrow News. However, there are multiple forms of media within the city and I believe going forward we should maybe send it to more organization other than just the Harrow news. We should go above

the bare minimum so we can have um more than two individuals sign up for a public hearing. I believe that was a sentiment that was um said the last meeting as well. I had one question on the first citizens input regarding um summer enrichment. Um, is it possible that we can respond to what we're doing with summer enrichment since it was mentioned by a member?

I think we're on a public hearing for the entire budget. Colin, okay, I I'll bring it up during the meeting. I yield.

Anything further, Mr. The um I think it's a valid question to ask and I don't I'm not sure why we can't get that information now because we can't start the next meeting till 5:30 anyway. But I think it's valid to ask questions at a citizen input whether it's in public hearing or not.

I don't know what we're going to talk about every issue. Curley has a clear answer. I think you gave us an answer on it. So why not I don't think it's a complicated question where we are in some of Sure. So um I had provided an update to the committee um over the weekend because this question had come up uh in terms of which of our programs we would um might be for pay this summer

versus not. So there is a summer enrichment program at Derby High School which historically has been for pay and that will continue. And then in addition um and this isn't necessarily an enrichment program but we had been um looking at re you know revisiting the former practice of kind of the the traditional summer school grade recovery credit recovery kind of work um at the high school being for pay as it had been

in the past. Um so we did have some um we did have a meeting recently to review um a suggested dollar amount for summer school. Um during that meeting it became apparent that the suggested summer school um you know forp pay amount was it looked to me much higher than it needed to be to cover the costs. So, we've, you know, asked to reconsider what that cost could be and and really

flesh that out so that if we are um charging students and their families that we could lower the cost um to be as low as possible and still cover all of our costs. And then um and I would say that part of the reason there is a cost attached is that throughout the school year there are those grade credit recovery opportunities for students at the end of every single quarter that uh

we do fund and they are free of charge and it gets to the point where if students have not taken advantage of those opportunities throughout the school year at what point um do we provide the service for pay? So that that's the discussion for over the summer. Um in terms of other enrichment opportunities, we have our 21st century programming um at some of our schools and that will continue and but the the

money that we have received like ESSER funding that had been available so that we could um put some of the afterchool and outside of other outside of school time programs into place. Um we were able for a number of years to offer those summer opportunities to students and their families free of charge. And with that money no longer available, we're in a position that not all the programs can continue to be available.

And if I Mr. Mayor, Mr. D, thank you.

Um, so that number that we have now from the programs that were available through EST grants and whatnot going into this year, do we have a dollar amount? Not that I know off the top of my head. I don't know if there's anybody here who knows it, but I don't I honestly don't know how much we've spent on summer programming for the past few summers. I don't the reason why I'm asking I'm in

favor as one member of potentially looking into adding that into the operating budget that to be covered. So that's why I'm looking for that number.

If we can potent potentially find out by the time the budget comes up, I'd be appreciative of that, especially if it's um something that's reasonable and within our unallocated budget already. I believe we have a few hundred,000 remaining from that unallocated school committee budget. I'm just speaking as one member. I'm I'm in favor of entertaining that. Um so if we can just get a number on that, I'd be

appreciative. I yield to Okay.

You have to read it three times, I think, which the budget. Okay. For the hearing, that's I've read it once. This is the public hearing. This is number two. In accordance with Mass General Law, chapter 71, section 38N, the proposed fiscal year budget, uh, 2025, the annual budget of the for public schools. I have to read it one more time. This is the public hearing. In accordance with Mass General Law,

chapter 7, section 38N, the proposed fiscal year 25, annual budget of the Far Public Schools. I'll entertain a motion to adjurnn. Motion to adjurnn. Can I have a second? Second. Motion second. Deb, please call the role. Mr. A, yes. Mr.

Bailey, yes. Mr. Das, yes. Mr. Cory, yes. Miss Laravey, yes. Miss Pereira, mayor Coogan, yes. Ajourned.