School Board — March 24, 2026
The meeting was largely procedural, focused on reorganization and policy readings, with only minor spirited discussion regarding policy definitions.
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Public impact
Operating Budget Implementation
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The board reviewed enrollment trends, expenditures for behavior technicians, and out-of-district placement costs. They also reviewed nutrition service finances including labor and inventory management.
The board authorized the Superintendent to implement the adopted budget and proceed with staffing.
Decisions logged
Topics discussed
▶ 01:20 Article 5 Recount Results
The School Moderator provided the final results of the recount for Article 5 following the March 10th election.
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Mr. Scanlon reported that a recount for Article 5 was conducted at Woodbury Middle School using the sort, stack, and count method. He noted that the new image cast ballot counting machine proved to be accurate.
The recount showed 1,669 'yes' votes and 1,688 'no' votes; therefore, Article 5 failed.
▶ 07:18 Student and Staff Recognition
The board recognized the achievements of the Salem High School wrestling team and individual athletes.
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Athletic Director Scott Insigna honored several state and New England champions, including Trevor O'Brien and Ella Paris. The board discussed the growth and quality of the wrestling program.
Athletes and coaches were formally recognized by the board.
▶ 14:17 Approval of Minutes
The board reviewed the minutes from the March 17th regular and non-public meetings.
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Attorney Bernard Campbell requested to table the March 17th regular minutes to correct a vote count (changing 5-0 to 3-0-2) and to ensure the names of all staff members who presented were included per Right to Know laws.
The regular minutes were tabled for corrections; the non-public minutes were approved as distributed.
The recording secretary will re-examine the tape to add missing presenter names; regular minutes will return at the next meeting.
▶ 16:28 Board Reorganization
The board held annual elections for officer positions and selected representatives.
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Nominations were held for Chairman, Vice Chair, and Secretary. The board also discussed the appointment of the district counsel and recording secretary.
New leadership was established, including Bernard Campbell as Chair, Kelly Moss as Vice Chair, and Aaron Kalil as Secretary.
Final selection of board representatives will be handled at the April 14th meeting.
▶ 26:00 Girls Ice Hockey Cooperative
Discussion regarding a proposal to form a cooperative hockey team with Londonderry and Alvirne high schools.
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The administration proposed a cooperative to ensure the program's health and competitiveness. Discussion covered transportation responsibilities, funding (pro rata based on student participation), and the 'no-cut' policy mandated by NHIAA.
The board approved the application to establish the cooperative for the 2026-27 school year.
▶ 26:14 Policy AC: Prohibition of Sexual Harassment
A second reading and discussion of a consolidated sexual harassment policy.
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The Superintendent explained that two policies were collapsed into one to include Title IX language and specific reporting requirements for law enforcement and DCYF. The board discussed the specificity of definitions and a minor typo in the purpose statement.
The policy was adopted with one minor grammar correction regarding the purpose statement.
▶ 41:02 Policy AC: Non-Discrimination (First Reading)
A first reading of the updated non-discrimination policy.
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The board reviewed revisions to the non-discrimination policy. Concerns were raised by Mr. Carney regarding the increasing number of specific protected classes and the definition of 'creed.' Kelly Moss suggested using 'including but not limited to' for hairstyles to avoid accidental exclusion.
The policy was heard as a first reading and will be reviewed further.
The policy will return for subsequent reading/action in April.
▶ 1:03:00 School Nutrition Report
An update on school meal participation rates showing improvements compared to the previous year.
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a speaker reported that high school lunch participation has increased to 46%, up from 41% at this time last year. Breakfast participation levels remained stable month-over-month, and lunch participation also showed a slight increase.
The report was presented for information purposes; no questions were raised by the board.
▶ 1:04:02 Field Trips and Student Activities
Updates on upcoming field trips, specifically a performance at Fenway Park, and student recognition for CTE competitions.
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The board highlighted that the Salem High School chorus and JROTC will perform the national anthem at a Red Sox game on April 21st; community tickets are available through Mr. Mundy. Additionally, the student representative reported on recent spring sports tryouts and successful participation in SkillsUSA competitions by various CTE programs, including Health Occupations, TV/Media, and FBLA.
The board noted the upcoming events and the scheduled state award ceremony.
The state award ceremony for CTE students will be held at Salem High School on April 2nd.
▶ 1:06:05 Meeting Schedule and Summer Planning
Review of upcoming regular meetings and discussion regarding a potential summer meeting date.
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The board reviewed the upcoming schedule, noting no meeting at the end of April due to school vacation. A suggestion was made to hold a single summer meeting on July 14th.
Board members were asked to check their calendars for the proposed July 14th date.
Board members are to notify the Chair or Mrs. Palmer if July 14th works for a summer meeting.
▶ 1:22:45 Budget and Financial Reports
Review of the operating budget, enrollment, and nutrition service finances.
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The board reviewed enrollment (net increase of 3 students), general fund expenditures (noting increased costs for behavior technicians and out-of-district placements), and school nutrition service reports (noting higher labor costs due to better staffing but improved food inventory management).
The board authorized the Superintendent to implement the adopted budget.
Controversy & dissent
Potentially controversial issues
Non-Discrimination Policy Revisions
Article 5 Recount Results
Split votes
Action items
Notable statements
I am going to continue the practice of having members introduce themselves... I used to feel that it was my job as chairman, but I'm going to continue that. — Bernard Campbell · Discussing new leadership and meeting protocol. ▶ 18:48
At what point do we just say we don't allow discrimination? Why do we have to keep adding more and more [classifications]? — Michael J. Carney, Jr. · Commenting on the increasing specificity of protected classes in the non-discrimination policy. ▶ 43:00
Something like this is really beneficial to the program in giving more girls an opportunity to play. — Mackenzie Donahue · Student representative sharing the perspective of the girls hockey team on the cooperative proposal. ▶ 37:00
I am happy to see we're either holding our own or actually far improved from this time last year. — Unidentified speaker · Commenting on the positive trends in school lunch and breakfast participation rates. ▶ 1:03:00
Member positions
Positions marked ~ are inferred from context and may not reflect the member's explicitly stated position. UNCLEAR means the vote was split but the record did not name how this member voted — it is not a “yes.”
Public comment
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grok-4.3, gemma-4-26b, grok-4.20-0309-reasoning, grok-4-fast · analyzed 2026-06-22.