Salem School Committee approves Bentley Innovation Plan, removes provision to retain unspent funds

Salem — The Salem School Committee voted unanimously May 19 to approve the Bentley Innovation Plan after removing a requested autonomy that would have allowed the school to retain unspent funds from one fiscal year to the next.

Member Manny Cruz moved to approve the plan with the specific change to “strike the section that notes that balances on the budget could carry over to future fiscal years.” The motion was seconded by Member Cornell and passed by roll call (Cruz, Miranda, Campbell, Cornell and the chair all voted yes).

Why it matters: Innovation plans can grant schools additional operational autonomies; the committee and district leadership said the modified plan keeps school‑level flexibility while preserving district budget policies and helping avoid unintended inequities between schools.

Discussion and changes: Committee members and district staff said they adjusted language in the plan to make clear that: - Carryover of unspent district funds from one fiscal year to another is not permitted under city policy, so budget retention language was removed from the plan. - Any changes to the length of the school day, schedule or calendar would be developed in consultation with the district, the teachers’ union and the school committee to avoid creating systemwide inequities. - The innovation team would act in a site‑council role for advising the principal on working conditions rather than having unilateral authority.

Committee members said they were comfortable voting after a final review confirmed the carryover language had been removed from the version presented to the committee. The committee recorded the motion on the public record before the roll call vote.