[{"_1":2,"_107":-5,"_108":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,87,97],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6123349,"mediaKeyId","2690036-98be5acdd218f6919a07a3c5e8bf5e48","parentId",2690036,"title","School committee approves leases, curriculum pilot and transportation contract; votes on several budget items","audioSeconds",5462,"startMs",5462000,"endMs",-1,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2690036-98be5acdd218f6919a07a3c5e8bf5e48&start=5462&end=0","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2690036-98be5acdd218f6919a07a3c5e8bf5e48/thumbnail_5462000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6123349/Massachusetts/School-committee-approves-leases-curriculum-pilot-and-transportation-contract-votes-on-several-budget-items","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6123349-b0d9a077b352be4cbc09640ae1c22a05/orig.mp4?Expires=1770442620&Signature=Y4bjXykr4~84BOs7OpVkuKzG3U15ljfk7-JkFOnS2-3EXg~jir5VoHvaWaaHMZ7Wc4tLElp~u-8RqrTEmIxrnk4JzUpXZigecbGz6PjALMr1Mi2xvnouYNdwW5MLateAGt9DrpP4yGL-UelRy7fByjtj2BmSE~5xAhItzlD0elPHb51gOcg0vPJQXLZBwvXS4wfyE8yRspdhuzjCDCzhqt5AS6olQh40rynN3oZwZZGWTsdYsWaPV5IYmblj73Kk4xyWLH~7ACy1BzIAMmVfFplY~ypAnmwyA3PoPDrjecozvzqmJKep6uuV2br9MdwL3lzclU9S7JSEJyQoPSobhA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Fall River Public Schools, MA","date","2025-03-18T00:00:00Z","article","The Fall River School Committee on March 18 approved a series of consent and operational items, including lease renewals, curriculum pilot programs and a multi-year transportation contract, and later approved a separate motion to add a visual-arts teacher for Robert L. Medrís Resiliency Preparatory Academy.

Committee members voted by roll call on multiple items early in the meeting. The committee approved the Fall River Youth Soccer Association lease renewal; a pilot of the grades 3–5 health curriculum; an international teacher partnership; a three-year contract covering yellow bus service, McKinney-Vento student transportation and athletic/activity trips; and the first amendment to a lease between the Catholic Bishop of Fall River and district schools. Each of those motions was made, seconded and carried by roll call recorded during the meeting.

Later in the meeting, members voted to add a visual-arts teacher position at Robert L. Medrís Resiliency Preparatory Academy using available “buffer” funding discussed in the FY26 budget hearing. The committee also passed several governance motions: referring a proposal on policy BDE to the policy subcommittee (consideration carried to the next meeting after an objection), directing the policy subcommittee to review CPR/first-aid training and AED certification for staff and students, and asking the City Council to file an unfunded-mandate petition with the state auditor’s office regarding student-transportation reimbursement.

Votes at a glance
- Fall River Youth Soccer Association lease renewal — Motion approved (roll call recorded: Mister Agui — yes; Mister Bailey — yes; Mister Dias — yes; Mister Corey — yes; Miss Larabee — yes; Miss Pereira — yes). Motion and second recorded during committee of the whole. (Agenda item 3.1)

- Grades 3–5 health curriculum pilot — Motion approved (roll call recorded; motion moved and seconded). (Agenda item 3.2)

- International teacher partnership — Motion approved (roll call recorded; motion moved and seconded). (Agenda item 3.3)

- Three-year transportation contract (yellow bus, McKinney-Vento, athletics/trips) — Motion approved (roll call recorded; motion moved and seconded). (Agenda item 3.4)

- First amendment to lease agreement (Catholic Bishop of Fall River and district schools) — Motion approved (roll call recorded; motion moved and seconded). (Agenda item 3.5)

- Policy BDE (housekeeping referral) — Item referred to the policy subcommittee; an objection under rules was raised and the question was carried to the next meeting for further consideration. (Housekeeping discussion; evidence in meeting discussion.)

- Addition of a visual-arts teacher at Robert L. Medrís Resiliency Preparatory Academy — Motion made to add the position using available buffer funding; motion passed by roll call (members recorded yes). Principal Riley and several members discussed scheduling and conversions before the vote.

- CPR / AED / first-aid policy referral — Committee voted to refer questions about required CPR/first-aid/AED training and certification to the policy subcommittee for further development. (Motion carried by roll call.)

- Request to City Council to file an unfunded-mandate petition on student transportation reimbursement — Motion passed (roll call recorded: committee members voted in favor); plan to forward item to the City Council for consideration.

What the votes mean
- Operational approvals (leases, contract, curriculum pilot, partnership) clear short-term path for the district to continue existing vendor relationships and pilot a health curriculum for grades 3–5.
- The RPA visual-arts position was added as a discrete budget priority; the superintendent’s office indicated conversions and enrollment will be monitored to implement the hire.
- The committee asked the policy subcommittee to develop concrete recommendations on CPR/first-aid/AED training for staff and students, and separately to review policy BDE after objections and procedural questions delayed final action.
- The committee unanimously asked the mayor and City Council to pursue a state-level unfunded-mandate review about transportation reimbursement for students; the motion will be transmitted to the council.

The meeting included a longer FY26 budget review and extended discussion by principals and central office staff on staffing priorities, vacancies and program conversions; that topic is reported separately.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","3.18.2025 Fall River School Committee","oneSentenceSummary","The Fall River School Committee on March 18 approved a series of operational items — including lease renewals, a grades 3–5 health curriculum pilot, an international teacher partnership and a three-year transportation contract — and later added a visual-arts position at Robert L. Medrís Resiliency Preparatory Academy.","taxTitle","Fall River Public Schools, School Boards, Massachusetts","taxId",13236,"location","Massachusetts","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6123334,"Committee refers CPR/first-aid/AED questions to policy subcommittee after health, nursing staff describe training plans",0,5114000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2690036-98be5acdd218f6919a07a3c5e8bf5e48&start=5114&end=5114","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2690036-98be5acdd218f6919a07a3c5e8bf5e48/thumbnail_5114000.jpg","/articles/6123334/Massachusetts/Committee-refers-CPRfirst-aidAED-questions-to-policy-subcommittee-after-health-nursing-staff-describe-training-plans","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6123334-2d9d39cbd98ab6b1784ff338eeec6861/orig.mp4?Expires=1770442620&Signature=jttHMRmzH-ydhEkGoiWBs4xDaAJs4U5~5ztmcWkZLbiY5NRAPjU1oebxPRVi4roME-QsvLu5oOudklgMJiei-m57gwJAupMFT4dbtcyw5AYdQRcXnc3fyUiwHyu2uLq8jSj3fsjTw5Kl0hnneb7sN6g-It9-6er5o7pxpbNBqUbcsW45-tNCPOkBPPwqX6A3W8VAGpF9UQbLgYtaAvMvDdRXI2iQjmeAk5VXnUfAC94URWZg2y7N8A5f9Hc8YerjMFKmyke1GI3lbIEEBfgk-iIpD0xob-nT89V9eAbdfz51WYz8YAQMeanCpiywxMYl2tpm~y0LTZd0Y-j-ItrILA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Fall River School Committee voted on March 18 to refer questions about required CPR, first-aid and AED training and staff certification to the policy subcommittee for further work.

What staff reported
- Dan Fitzgerald, director of health and physical education, described plans to certify an instructor so the district could deliver CPR instruction to students and make trainings available to staff. Fitzgerald said the district planned student instruction in a staged rollout (fourth grade and sixth grade with a full American Red Cross certification for ninth-grade health students) and that staff training could be offered during professional development or after-school sessions. He cited a per-card cost for American Red Cross certification and described adding practice trainers (EpiPen trainers, AED trainers) for hands-on exercises.
- Nursing staff said that school nurses are certified in CPR and first aid and that a safety plan in each building lists staff who are certified; a nurse explained that not all staff in every building are currently CPR-certified and that prior practice relied on a smaller cadre of certified trainers.

Committee action
- Committee members voted to refer the question of whether staff beyond nurses should be required to hold CPR/first-aid/AED certification to the policy subcommittee. The motion passed by roll call.

Why it matters
- The referral asks the subcommittee to define scope (who must be certified, training frequency, costs and how student certification fits into curriculum). Staff said they will develop cost estimates and an implementation plan for subcommittee review.","The committee voted to send required CPR, first-aid and AED training requirements to the policy subcommittee after health and physical education staff described plans to certify instructors and expand student instruction at selected grades.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":79,"_43":90,"_45":90,"_47":91,"_49":92,"_51":93,"_53":94,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":95,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":96,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6123339,"School committee debate over subcommittee attendance, open-meeting law and 'gotcha' accusation delays policy action",236000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2690036-98be5acdd218f6919a07a3c5e8bf5e48&start=236&end=236","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2690036-98be5acdd218f6919a07a3c5e8bf5e48/thumbnail_236000.jpg","/articles/6123339/Massachusetts/School-committee-debate-over-subcommittee-attendance-open-meeting-law-and-gotcha-accusation-delays-policy-action","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6123339-ace6b4db3528cd8ab5e89412bb3dd55c/orig.mp4?Expires=1770442620&Signature=QEDJldVzsmEMgbZ6d-x8BhbTAo--UmlSkIjdQo2Z3s8rx4lNE11ja90n1LUO3HJlFcugSt5hw6L7~iUhVkwzlJAn5rQ7vTmmos9lFbzXWp2aDOjEzKr6vVS-rqFi08RKqRYNEvbobNsaiGMphyccXrfTyCUwRwgLL-aYCIP1Bu0XWlv3h39lMHISGgRcZDOG0v4TyWOXMxMICvnh~T-e0X0UjsKfO~CS3w4lduhJXNfxJJwFPg2G7pnrAsUU7alNQRa0-40SCsdl8ia7bpEiMMKNIp6jOsQ8sF2s3aMNWBQjlS0pYLk~6wNS4mHmLHpItRn6RWGOD9g~0Ler47InNw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A motion to refer policy BDE to the policy subcommittee sparked an extended debate on March 18 about whether school committee members who are not on a subcommittee should be allowed to attend and participate in subcommittee meetings.

At issue was a change proposed after a facilities and operations subcommittee meeting. Committee member Mimi Larabee presented the referral of policy BDE for further vetting. During discussion several committee members said the prior subcommittee had raised an Open Meeting Law concern; others said the division of open government had issued a determination that the issue was resolved and that restricting members’ attendance would be inappropriate.

Motions and objections
- A motion to refer policy BDE was made; a committee member then raised a formal objection to immediate consideration under the committee’s rules (citing Robert’s Rules procedures), and the objection was carried to the next meeting. The transcript records repeated statements that the Open Meeting Law had been discussed with legal counsel and that several attorneys (named by members as Attorney Assad and Attorney Macy) said participation by non-subcommittee members was permissible.

Positions expressed in the meeting
- Mister Dias said he had obtained a determination by the Division of Open Government that settled the Open Meeting Law concern and argued the item was an emergency that should be addressed promptly; he said he would vote no on any motion that limited members’ ability to attend and ask questions at subcommittees.
- Mister Agui and other members said they believed it was legal for members to attend and participate and that doing so could improve the quality of subcommittee deliberations.
- Mister Corey and other members argued for more focused subcommittee meetings and expressed concern that broad participation could lead to unwieldy meetings; he said subcommittee discussion should be concentrated and that questions could still be asked at the full committee when items were referred.

Outcome
- The objection under committee rules prevented the immediate final action on the referral; the matter was carried to the next meeting for further review. Several members asked that counsel or a written opinion be circulated before the next meeting.

Why this matters
- The debate turned on the practical balance between encouraging member engagement at the subcommittee level and avoiding quorum or procedural concerns under the Open Meeting Law. The committee asked for clear counsel and for the policy subcommittee to vet the matter further before a full vote.","Committee members sharply debated a housekeeping motion to refer policy BDE to the policy subcommittee after a subcommittee vice chair raised an Open Meeting Law concern at a prior meeting. Members disagreed about whether attendance and participation by non-subcommittee school committee members at subcommittee meetings should be limited.",{"_33":98,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":99,"_41":79,"_43":100,"_45":100,"_47":101,"_49":102,"_51":103,"_53":104,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":105,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":106,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6123344,"Committee grills central office and principals on FY26 staffing, vacancies and proposed conversions",642000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2690036-98be5acdd218f6919a07a3c5e8bf5e48&start=642&end=642","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2690036-98be5acdd218f6919a07a3c5e8bf5e48/thumbnail_642000.jpg","/articles/6123344/Massachusetts/Committee-grills-central-office-and-principals-on-FY26-staffing-vacancies-and-proposed-conversions","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6123344-0430305dbd648192b31a96656e2d1ccb/orig.mp4?Expires=1770442620&Signature=GkWNXavwuUFxDM356soFAm7~FBiNQuk8qqfQQsZmWXvF2O9OkVVLLqFdKHKcJgbx5mIkZhx5tqq7pZZWjKQl6akXjlxFLvGRmzAs3IgIJ2l3ClkNH2WAP2cQlLFH-roufXKwlJSXjti9xz-~ZLEtFw9HO7kcCuAETe-ph2Ih5lV8cmvL740B~JUUIEyJd6oCAGaPRAye6MT9LuTygTr5DlYHeANjs5n405ub0PDe30IHkho5509c7FTGHXnOEf5gSXU0N2YVb-YxzOd6aXPPFuGGyMDFQc--YxxfLWnxaKh6GCmV4S4ziPt-t1CsiLLf31JRN7Ose4CvGTmuShe-VQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Fall River School Committee spent the bulk of its March 18 meeting on the proposed FY26 budget, with principals and central office staff answering sustained questions about staffing conversions, unfilled positions and program priorities.

Superintendent Dr. Mary Curley told the committee she provided principals a standard presentation template as a guide for budget requests and said principals used it “for consideration” while preparing their school budgets. She said the administration encouraged conversions of existing positions rather than adding entirely new roles where possible. \"I did... send it twice out to the school leaders and departmental leaders and there was definitely some language in there that said like it would be a tough sell really to just create new positions that we didn't already have,\" she said during the meeting.

Why the debate mattered: several principals described specific requests that did not make the prioritized budget list — requests for unified-arts (visual/performing arts) teachers at Stone and RPA, conversions from itinerant positions into full-time unified-arts roles, and additional instructional-support staff. Committee members repeatedly pressed whether vacancies were being filled and whether any hiring freeze or holding of postings had occurred.

Human resources and central office responses
- A central-office HR representative said the district had intentionally held some open postings during the year to manage carryover positions and to coordinate recruitment partnerships with higher-education institutions; the HR director said some positions were not posted or were held while the district explored partnerships that would support candidates.
- The human resources manager said the district had about seven or eight open budgeted positions being monitored and that some vacancies had not been advertised because of planned reconfigurations or anticipated partnerships.

Principals' priorities and clarifications
- Stone School principal Mary Ellen explained a request for a unified-arts/visual-arts teacher. Stone had relied on two itinerant art and music providers who worked part time; the principal said a full-time unified-arts teacher would allow therapeutic art groups and more in-house continuity. The budget binder showed the unified-arts request on a wish list rather than in prioritized funding.
- CUS (middle school) principal described converting a vacant literacy-coach line into an ESL (English learner) coach in response to a marked increase in ESL enrollment; the principal said about one third of CUS students now receive ESL services.
- Morton Middle School leaders described multiple SEL supports in place (vice principals, school adjustment counselors, SEL liaisons) and said they were converting one coaching role into an ESL coach while keeping a literacy coach in place; committee members questioned why coaching and intervention staffing differed between buildings with comparable student loads and low MCAS percentiles.
- RPA principal Riley asked the committee to prioritize a visual-arts position for programming parity; committee members discussed conversions and noted the superintendent’s office would look at unified-arts staffing across district schools.

Vacancies and hiring
- Principals reported multiple vacant instructional-support-liaison (ISL) and paraprofessional lines; several said positions had been difficult to fill. HR confirmed some postings had been intentionally held and that the department was pursuing targeted recruitment and university partnerships (UMass Dartmouth, Bridgewater State, Roger Williams) and a “grow your own” program to develop local candidates.

Costs and next steps
- Committee members signaled they expect central office to return with specific conversion plans and staffing sources when positions are added (for example, the RPA arts position). The central office said it would report back on how conversions and hires would be implemented.

Why this matters locally: hiring, conversions and vacancy management affect whether students receive direct services (coaches, SEL liaisons, unified-arts teachers) in each school; several committee members framed their questions as equity concerns — asking why schools with lower assessment percentiles or larger enrollments did not receive comparable intervention staffing.

The budget review continues at future meetings; several votes at the session directed the superintendent and staff to bring clarifying plans to the committee for implementation.","School leaders reviewed FY26 budget requests and responded to committee questions about unfilled positions, conversions, SEL staffing and unified-arts requests. HR and central office explained a temporary hold on some postings and plans to recruit and pursue partnerships to fill vacancies.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

School committee approves leases, curriculum pilot and transportation contract; votes on several budget items

Committee refers CPR/first-aid/AED questions to policy subcommittee after health, nursing staff describe training plans

School committee debate over subcommittee attendance, open-meeting law and 'gotcha' accusation delays policy action

Committee grills central office and principals on FY26 staffing, vacancies and proposed conversions