Superintendent and district directors used their administrative reports to update the committee on staffing, curriculum, mental‑health partnerships, grants and facilities projects.

Mental‑health partnership: The superintendent said the district’s new social worker, Liz Ortiz, has arranged an agreement with UMass Memorial Health to send on‑site clinicians into district schools for families who report barriers to accessing outside counseling. The superintendent described the arrangement as referral‑based; clinicians will provide half‑hour sessions on site and administrators will coordinate scheduling. The program is expected to begin within weeks and staff will report back on utilization numbers.

Grants and technology: The district is preparing to submit a grant request for a $100,000 fair‑share earmark to refresh Chromebooks; the superintendent said the district received a call from a state office and finalized the priority request. Officials were preparing the application and routing it through GMS/DESE for approval. The district also noted it has not yet received rural school aid award figures; the administration expects those amounts to be released soon.

Curriculum and professional development: The curriculum director reported that Quabbin was invited to serve as an OpenSciEd showcase district on Nov. 20, with classroom visits and professional development that could be cost‑shared with neighboring districts. The district is participating in multiple trainings related to science curriculum adaptation for students with special needs and will follow up with root‑cause analyses and action plans to address dropout/graduation and MCAS performance concerns.

Facilities and energy projects: Facilities staff reported a National Grid rebate of $62,500 toward the USDA HVAC and ventilation package for the district, covering the expected district share on that project. Staff provided an extended summary of summer maintenance and upgrades across multiple buildings, including flooring, lighting retrofits to LEDs, pump replacements and HVAC work; project details and costs were summarized for the committee.

Other items: Staff announced a job fair scheduled for Oct. 23 to recruit LPNs, substitutes, paraprofessionals and food‑service staff. The administration also noted MCAS results were mailed to families and that DESE’s parent portal rollout has been delayed.

No committee action was requested during the administrative reports; multiple items will require follow up by staff for grants, procurement and program rollouts.