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Committee approves high school rodent‑control pilot, rental fee changes, gifts and grants
Summary
The School Committee approved a summer pilot using interior bait boxes at Beverly High, updated building‑rental fee rules, and accepted small grants, transfers and a new class activity account.
The Beverly School Committee’s Facilities & Finance standing committee brought several operational items to the full committee on March 12 and won approval for a high‑school rodent‑control pilot and a set of finance and operations updates.
Pest‑control pilot approved: the committee voted to temporarily suspend the district pest‑control policy in order to run a summer pilot at Beverly High School that uses interior bait boxes containing an anticoagulant product. The motion — presented by the standing committee on finance and facilities — requires signage around the high school perimeter warning pet owners and restricts the pilot to summer months. The motion passed by the committee with an announced 7–0 outcome.
Committee members discussed possible risks for pets, the likelihood rodents will die within the building, and other mitigations such as securing food and door sweeps to remove long‑term rodent food sources. The district’s buildings & grounds staff reported they will combine the bait‑box pilot with standard exclusion and sanitation steps and return summer results to the committee.
Building‑rental fees updated: the committee approved a revised rental form and fee schedule that introduces graduated setup/breakdown fees for tables and chairs and clarifies a three‑hour overtime minimum for custodial overtime tied to the custodial contract. Technology support and other services have separate fee rules.
Finance approvals: the committee approved acceptance of gifts to schools totaling $7,153.40, approved two budget transfers (numbers 1033 and 1554), accepted other state and federal grants totaling $7,900, and approved creation of a new high‑school activity account for the Class of 2028. Each item was presented by the standing committee, moved and approved in committee action and recorded as passed by voice/roll call.
Ending: The finance chair said the district will report back on the rodent‑control pilot results at the end of the summer and that rental‑fee changes are intended to better align charges with staff and custodial overtime costs.
