11 Takeaways from the May 22 School Committee Meeting

It was a night for end-of-year recognitions.

1. The annual Ginsburg Family Award was presented. The family makes a donation annually in the name of the award recipient, who can donate it back to the school to benefit any program of their choice. There were two recipients this year. First was Carolyn Gaglione, nominated by Deborah Adams. Gaglione has made a significant impact on the schools over the last 14 years through her volunteering and as a PAC board member. In addition, the Ginsburgs gave a second check to Corning Life Science, which was nominated by IT Director Jason Stamp, with Brent Lanterman present to accept. Corning Life Science has shown a commitment to STEM education in Tewksbury by donating $49,000 over the last five years to the schools.

2. The Krissy Polimeno Outstanding Educator Award was presented to Graca Dudly, TMHS Spanish teacher, and Susan Hogan, Ryan School Case Manager. Like the Ginsburgs, the Polimeno family generously doubled the 2024 award grants.

3. There were also multiple club and athletic recognitions, including Boston Globe All Scholastics, Boston Herald All Scholastics, the Wynn Drama Club, and the Robotics Team, seen above at the Wynn Food Truck Festival that also ran Wednesday night. The successful Rocket League Esports team will be recognized next month.

4. Results of the Homework Policy Survey were presented by Literacy Coach Felicia Cenanovic and IT Director Jason Stamp. The majority of students in grades 5 – 12 responded that there is too much homework but also recognize that it can aid in learning. Parents want to see a reduction in quantity of homework to alleviate stress on families but do think homework policy objectives support student learning. Teachers also agree that the objectives support learning, and a slight majority think timelines are not appropriate but also believe homework is a valuable tool for classroom learning.

Experts who have studied the issue say that quality of homework is more important than quantity and that it should be individualized to meet the needs of individual students. Based on feedback, there is an updated policy that can be found on page 57 of the packet.

5. IT director Jason Stamp also had a cyber security update. Stamp began by recapping the various threats, like phishing, ransomware and spam, facing the district. He then discussed some of the steps the district has taken to combat these issues, like anti-malware software, antivirus and software updates and having the student accounts be in walled garden. Recommendations he offered include continuing to have a secure network; removing the staff table on the website and maybe having a list of names or department instead; more training for staff; two-factor identification for Aspen; having students learning about cyber security in school; and regularly updating student passwords.

6. Superintendent Brenda Theriault-Regan discussed the decreasing enrollment at TMHS, which the district has been tracking throughout the year. There has been a decrease of 350 in students in the last 10 years, and there will be fewer than 700 students total at TMHS, with the freshmen class only 150 students. The overall district enrollment is down 1,000 students in the last ten years also.

There are some classes so under-enrolled that they could have 0 students, single numbers or just in the teens. Regan says the district owes it to taxpayers and students to consolidate these classes. She noted they are not cutting any classes, and TMHS continues to expand opportunities, including through online course offerings.

Any decisions on reductions are not taken lightly, she said, and principals have been tracking enrollment data. Regan herself met with any staff members that will be affected by reductions disclosed by the TTA or that will be moving schools.

And while enrollment is up in the lower elementary, it continues to decline at the high-school level, and the teacher licensures for those grades are not the same, so unfortunately some of those teachers can’t be moved to fill the holes. She also shared that general TMHS class sizes are never above 25 students; AP and PE are capped slightly higher, at 29 students.

7. Absenteeism is declining in the district. The attendance rate is 94.6% versus 93.6% last year at this time. The average number of absences went from 6.0% from 10.7%, and students absent 10 or more days went down to 17%. Regan feels this is due to staff and administrators supporting students and families.

8. Business Manager Dave Libby had an update on district projects. The Wynn HVAC has started, and the contractor is currently doing night work to avoid class disruptions. The Heath Brook project is being rebid because there were no general contractor bids the first time. There are some bids that just came in, and there is a high level of interest this time. Some of the work covered by insurance from the flooding that wasn’t completed will be done after school gets out.

9. School Committee Member Reports:

Tewksbury SEPAC: There were congrats to the new board members and a think you to the Mancinis, who have been on the board for a number of years but are moving on. TSEPAC leaders are looking for new PALS to go to PAC meetings to represent the TSEPAC. They have a library night coming up and are are looking into a caregiver CPR and first aide class. Board members will also be reaching out to find ways for better inclusivity in afterschool events.
Policy Sub-Committee
- Informal reading, reviewed and recommended to revise
  - - IKB – General Homework Policy
- First reading, revised and recommended to revise
  - ADF – Wellness Policy

10. In School Committee matters of interest, Vice Chair Rich Russo sent well wishes to the class of 2024. Member Chris Moncada thanked residents at town meeting for voting to pass the budget and articles for building repairs. Katie Anderson also thanked residents for voting to fund the repairs. Chair Bridget Garabedian noted that the School Committee continues to bargain in good faith with teachers and ESPs. Members have also had some meetings with union reps for the secretaries, custodians, TAG and nurses. She also suggested possible office hours for residents to meet with School Committee members.

11.Future Meetings: