Bedford School Board approves course catalog updates, temporary p‑card limit increase, town MOU and tuition rate

The Bedford School Board on Monday evening approved several agenda items in unanimous voice votes, including an updated course catalog, a temporary increase to a high school procurement card limit for intersession purchases, a memorandum of understanding with the Town of Bedford, and the district's annual out‑of‑district tuition rate.

The board voted to adopt the course catalog that incorporated two new "unified" classes (Unified Humanities and Unified STEM) that were adapted from an earlier Impact by Design proposal. Principal Bob Zokas presented the revisions and said the unified courses were modeled on existing unified PE, art and music offerings; the catalog descriptions were rewritten to be more concrete so students would better understand what they would take. The board then moved and seconded a motion "to approve the course catalog as presented," and the chair called for the voice vote. The motion passed with board members responding "Aye." The transcript records a voice approval; no roll‑call tallies were read into the record.

The board also approved a temporary increase to a procurement (p‑) card assigned to the high school for intersession travel and event purchases. Business Administrator Lisa Ambrosio told the board that individual card limits across the district are set at $10,000 and the request was to double the high‑school intersession card limit for January and February to handle a high volume of flights, hotels and tickets tied to roughly 42 events where families had already paid. Ambrosio said purchases would be monitored by the business office, that the card can be closed at any time, and that transactions appear on a shared dashboard and are reviewed by multiple staff. The board moved, seconded and approved the increase by voice vote.

Separately, the board approved an MOU with the Town of Bedford clarifying de‑icing and related maintenance responsibilities after counsel recommended a formal agreement following a prior slip‑and‑fall incident at a district school. The MOU had already been reviewed and approved by the town council and was signed on the town side by Lori Radke and Rick Sawyer; the school board authorized its chair to sign the district's copy.

On finance items, the business office reported a corrected default budget calculation before the public hearing; Business Administrator Ambrosio explained that a cross‑check found special education transportation had been subtracted twice and was added back, increasing the draft default budget by roughly $400,000. The board also voted to set the 2025‑26 out‑of‑district tuition rate at $18,400 (the motion passed by voice vote). Ambrosio said the district's calculated cost per student remains below the state average and that special‑education costs are typically billed separately when applicable.

Other routine votes taken by voice included approval of the Dec. 9 minutes and acceptance of the manifest for the Jan. 14 accounts. The meeting record shows motions were seconded and carried; no roll‑call vote sheets with individual yes/no names were entered into the public transcript.

Procedural notes: the transcript records the board's votes as voice approvals ("Aye"). The meeting also included multiple first reads of district policy and several informational items (see separate articles). No item on the agenda was tabled or failed during the meeting.

Votes at a glance: - Approve course catalog as presented (includes Unified Humanities, Unified STEM): motion moved and seconded; outcome: approved (voice vote; "Aye" recorded). - Increase high‑school intersession procurement card limit (temporary doubling for Jan–Feb): motion moved and seconded; outcome: approved (voice vote). - Authorize chair to sign Town of Bedford MOU on de‑icing/maintenance: motion moved and seconded; outcome: approved (voice vote). - Set 2025‑26 out‑of‑district tuition at $18,400: motion moved and seconded; outcome: approved (voice vote). - Approve minutes (Dec. 9) and accept manifest (Jan. 14): both approved (voice votes).

The transcript does not include a roll‑call tally listing each board member's recorded vote. The actions above are recorded as passed in the meeting minutes and public transcript.