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School Committee — February 10, 2026

Beneath procedurally smooth unanimous votes, the meeting carried real tension: union representatives described educators in financial crisis and schools 'on the edge now,' a major budget document was found to be mislabeled, six agenda items silently disappeared, and fee increases were approved without a completed equity safety net — all in the context of the district's most constrained budget in recent memory.

Date Tuesday, February 10, 2026 Duration 1.7h Speakers 12 Public comments 2 Decisions 5 Contentious
📄 Agenda ▶ Video

Decisions ⁠logged

Every recorded vote, with timestamps and dissents.
Approved consent agenda including payroll warrants and meeting minutes
Approved with amendments to correct potential warrant errors, including payroll of $5,384,280.58 and multiple AP warrants
Passed 5-0
Authorized superintendent to reopen prior year purchase order for settlement agreement
Part of new transparent approach to special education settlement payments
Passed 5-0
Authorized purchase of Arts and Letters K-5 literacy curriculum
One-time cost of $700,000 secured, with potential additional $250,000 for five-year coverage if available
Passed 5-0
Approval of transportation and athletic fee proposal
Transportation fee set at $450 with elimination of two-tiered system; Athletic fees increased to $450 per sport with $900 annual cap
Passed 4-0-1 (Freeman abstained)
Approval of revised FY2027 superintendent's recommended budget
Budget total of $151,729,248 representing 3.9% increase, with additional funding allocated toward tuition to reduce reliance on circuit breaker funding
Passed 5-0

Topics ⁠discussed

Click a topic to expand quotes and full context.
▶ 01:27 Consent Agenda Approval

Approved payroll warrants totaling over $8.3 million and meeting minutes from January 13 and 22, 2026, with corrections for potential warrant duplications.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 09:33 Public Comment on Budget and Educator Compensation

LEA representative John Goodwin expressed concerns about inadequate budget funding for educator living wages and potential additional cuts beyond placeholder 2.5% cost of living increases.

Speakers: John Goodwin
▶ 26:52 Settlement Agreement Authorization

Vote to authorize superintendent to reopen prior year purchase order for special education settlement payment as part of new transparent budgeting processes.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker, Dr. Hackett
▶ 29:43 K-5 Literacy Curriculum Selection

Comprehensive presentation on the three-year process to select Arts and Letters as the new K-5 literacy curriculum, including pilot results showing 74% staff preference over EL Education.

Speakers: Sarah Kalea, Katie O'Hare Gibson, Dr. Hackett, Unidentified speaker
▶ 1:07:34 Transportation and Athletic Fee Proposal

Dr. Scully presented proposals to increase transportation fees to $450 (eliminating two-tier system) and athletic fees to $450 per sport with $900 family cap to address revolving fund deficits. The current transportation fee has been lower than it was 20 years ago despite rising costs.

Speakers: Dr. Scully, Unidentified speaker
▶ 1:19:09 Financial Assistance for Fees

Discussion of ongoing work to create consistent and fair financial assistance processes for families who cannot afford transportation and athletic fees.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 1:33:16 Revised FY2027 Budget Approval

Approval of the revised superintendent's recommended budget totaling $151,729,248, representing a 3.9% increase over the current year's budget.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 1:35:19 Community Comments on Budget Cuts

Public comments from LEA members expressing concerns about the impact of budget cuts on students, staffing, and educational programs.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker

Controversy & ⁠dissent

Where the board, the community, or the agenda diverged.

Potentially controversial issues

01

FY2027 Budget: Educator Compensation and Staffing Cuts

The LEA union representative and its president delivered urgent, emotionally charged warnings that placeholder 2.5% COLA figures are below market rates seen in neighboring towns, that any higher contract settlement will trigger additional cuts on top of already severe reductions, and that educators are financially struggling — one reportedly living in a car. The LEA president declared the schools are 'in crisis now,' not in the future. This directly pits educator livelihoods and student support levels against fiscal constraints, with no board response offered to the union's core concerns.
Board position: Passed the $151,729,248 budget 5-0 with the 2.5% placeholder intact, acknowledging that higher settlements will require further cuts but not signaling any flexibility.
high concern
02

Transportation and Athletic Fee Increases

Transportation fees are being restructured (eliminating the two-tier system) and athletic fees are doubling or more for some families, raising equity concerns about access to school activities. One board member (Freeman) abstained rather than voting yes, signaling unresolved reservations. Financial assistance processes were described as still being developed, meaning families in need do not yet have a clear safety net.
Board position: Approved the fee increases 4-0-1, with the board majority arguing fees are long overdue for adjustment and that revolving fund deficits must be addressed.
Internal dissent
Freeman abstained (not identified by name in the vote record) — the sole dissent, reason not explicitly stated but likely tied to equity or process concerns given the ongoing financial assistance discussion immediately preceding the vote.
medium concern
03

Budget Mislabeled as 'Level Service' Despite Containing Cuts

A public commenter (Dr. Avon Lewis) flagged that the superintendent's budget document is titled a 'level service budget' when it demonstrably involves reductions in staffing and programs. Mislabeling a budget that will go to Town Meeting undermines public trust and accurate civic deliberation. While the board acknowledged the error, it was a community member — not the administration — who caught and surfaced it.
Board position: Dr. Hackett acknowledged the mislabeling and committed to correcting the cover page, framing it as a clerical error.
medium concern
04

K-5 Literacy Curriculum Adoption (Arts and Letters, $700K–$950K)

While the three-year process and 74% staff preference lend credibility to the decision, the one-time cost of up to $950,000 during a budget cycle defined by severe cuts creates a tension between long-term investment and immediate fiscal pain. The superintendent explicitly noted this decision locks in the curriculum for roughly a decade. Some student subgroups are underperforming in literacy, raising stakes for getting the choice right.
Board position: Approved unanimously 5-0, viewing the adoption as a necessary, well-researched investment in equity and student outcomes.
low concern
05

Superintendent's Report Items Dropped Without Explanation

Six of seven listed Superintendent's Report agenda items — including High School Building Project Updates and Kindergarten Registration — were never presented. The High School building project is particularly notable given the LEA representative's pointed remark about 'the most expensive high school project in America.' Residents who attended specifically for those updates received nothing, and no explanation for the omissions was recorded.
Board position: No board position taken; items were silently omitted with no recorded acknowledgment or rescheduling.
medium concern

Split votes

Approval of transportation fee restructuring ($450 flat, eliminating two-tier system) and athletic fee increases ($450/sport, $900 family cap)
4-0-1 (Freeman abstained)

Community vs. board tension

Action ⁠items

Who owes what, by when.
Correct budget document cover page that incorrectly states 'level service budget'
Assigned: Finance team · Due: Not specified
Send community communication about Arts and Letters curriculum adoption
Assigned: Sarah Kalea · Due: Following school committee approval
Begin early adoption implementation of Arts and Letters curriculum with 33 volunteer teachers
Assigned: Administration · Due: Immediately
Continue monitoring early childhood education revolving fund during three-year tuition increase phase
Assigned: School Committee · Due: Ongoing
Notify transportation and athletic departments of fee changes and communicate changes to families
Assigned: Dr. Scully · Due: Starting tomorrow morning

Notable ⁠statements

We can't survive in a system that votes to fund the most expensive high school project in America, but then won't fund to vote, won't vote to fund the educators that actually do the teaching. — John Goodwin (LEA representative) · Public comment on budget concerns and educator compensation ▶ 09:33
Any contract settlements higher than this number [2.5%] will result in more cuts beyond the severe ones that are already planned. — Dr. Hackett · Explaining budget constraints and potential impact of union negotiations
There are some specific groups that we are not seeing the results that we really want to... there are some groups of students who are not achieving reading in the way that they need to. — Speaker G (Ms. Carter) · Justifying need for new literacy curriculum to address achievement gaps ▶ 47:00
You don't do it [curriculum adoption] all the time. You do it with great thought, and it's very expensive... you're not going to have this conversation about another adoption for probably another decade. — Dr. Hackett · Explaining the significance and permanence of curriculum decisions ▶ 49:36
The transportation fee is actually lower today than it was 20 years ago for families who sign up in the first phase, despite general cost increases and transportation cost increases of 10% at a time — Unidentified speaker · Justifying the need for transportation fee increases ▶ 1:07:40
Staffing issues are human issues. There are real people whose real livelihoods are impacted by these cuts. There will be loss of student supports. — Unidentified speaker · LEA member commenting on budget impacts during community speak ▶ 1:35:19
We are in crisis now. Not five, three to five years, but now. And if you haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary, it is because your children's teachers are making themselves sick in order to maintain the optics of the status quo. — Unidentified speaker · LEA president describing current state of schools during community speak ▶ 1:38:00

Member ⁠positions

5 issues · 1 explicit · 14 inferred
Larry Freeman
Vice Chair
Present
Consent Agenda Approval YES ~
Settlement Agreement Authorization YES ~
K-5 Literacy Curriculum Selection YES ~
Transportation and Athletic Fee Proposal ABSTAIN ✓
Abstained; likely equity or process concerns given incomplete financial assistance framework.
Revised FY2027 Budget Approval YES ~
Unknown
Consent Agenda Approval YES ~
Settlement Agreement Authorization YES ~
K-5 Literacy Curriculum Selection YES ~
Transportation and Athletic Fee Proposal YES ~
Revised FY2027 Budget Approval YES ~
Present
K-5 Literacy Curriculum Selection YES ✓
Emphasized need for new curriculum to address persistent achievement gaps for specific student subgroups.
Consent Agenda Approval YES ~
Settlement Agreement Authorization YES ~
Transportation and Athletic Fee Proposal YES ~
Discussed ongoing work to create fair financial assistance processes for families.
Revised FY2027 Budget Approval YES ~

Positions marked ~ are inferred from context and may not reflect the member's explicitly stated position.

Public ⁠comment

What residents said — verbatim, with timestamps.
2
Total speakers
1
Addressed
0
Partial
1
Not addressed
John Goodwin
▶ 09:38
Not addressed
John Goodwin, an LEA district representative and member of the bargaining team, expressed gratitude for the school committee's budget advocacy but warned that the proposed budget uses placeholder numbers for cost of living increases that are significantly lower than other towns' recent settlements. He emphasized that educators are struggling financially, with some living in cars, and that the final contract settlements will likely require additional cuts beyond those already planned. Key concern
The proposed budget's placeholder numbers for educator cost of living increases are too low and will result in additional severe cuts when actual contracts are negotiated
No board members responded to his comments about budget concerns or educator compensation issues
Dr. Avon Lewis
▶ 12:59
Addressed
Dr. Lewis pointed out that the superintendent's budget document is labeled as a 'level service budget' when it clearly involves cuts and is not actually maintaining level services. He urged the school committee to label the budget appropriately when forwarding it to town meeting. Key concern
The budget is mislabeled as 'level service' when it actually involves cuts and reductions
Board response
Dr. Hackett acknowledged the issue and said they would definitely get the title page updated
The superintendent directly acknowledged the labeling error and committed to fixing it

Accountability ⁠flags

Documented procedural gaps. Each item links to its source.

Agenda items not discussed

Topics discussed — not on agenda

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Report composed by claude-sonnet-4-20250514, claude-sonnet-4-6, claude-opus-4-6 · analyzed 2026-04-02.