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East Bridgewater School Committee approves student trips, raises substitute pay and clears routine warrants
Summary
At its Sept. 16 meeting the East Bridgewater School Committee approved several school trips (Disney, Washington, Paris/Rome), authorized routine warrants and minutes, declared surplus playground equipment and voted to raise substitute pay to attract more substitutes amid regional competition.
The East Bridgewater School Committee on Sept. 16 approved a series of routine financial warrants and meeting minutes, authorized multiple out-of-state student trips and raised daily substitute-teacher pay to remain competitive with surrounding districts.
The committee approved payroll and accounts-payable warrants dated Aug. 27 and Sept. 3 and accepted committee meeting minutes from July 14 and June 18 (with abstentions recorded on some votes). The committee also approved homeschool education plans as recommended by Assistant Superintendent Jennifer McPartland.
On student travel, the committee approved three out-of-state trips: a high-school drama club trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida (April 2026 school-year trip), a Grade 8 trip to Washington, D.C. (June 2026), and an East Bridgewater Junior–Senior High School proposed trip to Paris, France, and Rome, Italy in April 2027. Drama coordinator Mickey Lashley and teacher-chaperone Cassie Lassley presented the educational rationale for the Disney and Europe trips, highlighting workshop and museum experiences.
The committee also voted to declare certain playground equipment at Gordon W. Mitchell School surplus/obsolete for disposal or recycling.
The most substantive personnel-related vote raised substitute pay. Superintendent Dr. Williams introduced recommended increases after a district survey showed nearby districts pay more: she proposed raising the daily substitute rate from $90 to $125 and increasing the building-based substitute rate from $125 to $200, with long-term substitutes remaining at $200. Committee members negotiated a compromise: the committee voted to raise the daily substitute rate to $125 and to set the building-based substitute rate at $175 per day, effective immediately; long-term substitute pay remains $200 per day.
Dr. Williams said the increases are intended to broaden the pool of available substitutes and reduce the frequency of pulling staff from planning time to provide coverage. The superintendent noted district practice includes building-based substitutes scheduled daily and long-term substitutes covering longer leaves; she said a higher daily rate makes the district more competitive with neighboring towns.
The committee tabled adoption of updated operating protocols to a future meeting so members could review the document and return a signed copy. At the end of the meeting the committee voted to enter executive session under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 30A, Section 21(a) to approve executive session minutes; the committee did not return to open session.
Votes recorded during the meeting were largely voice votes with a small number of abstentions; roll-call tallies with individual yes/no votes were not provided for most motions.
