School committee approves early release and multiple donations; trip to Woods Hole cleared

At the close of its Nov. 17 meeting, the Nantucket School Committee took a series of procedural votes.

The committee approved an early release day on Dec. 23 for all staff; the motion carried with an affirmative voice vote. The committee also approved several donations to the Nantucket Community School and NHS programs: a $5,000 gift from the Nantucket Triathlon Club to family swim, $3,000 from Skonset Union Chapel to the Community School summer program, a $10,000 donation from the Nantucket Wine & Food Festival to the NHS Student Culinary Arts account, and multiple smaller gifts totaling several thousand dollars for the NHS music program and other student activities as listed in the meeting packet. Committee members moved and seconded the motions and recorded unanimous 'Aye' votes for the listed donations.

The committee approved the NHS trip to the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole (students will study CRISPR as part of the program) and approved the transfers and invoices motion. Minutes for several September meetings were tabled to the Dec. 8 meeting. The meeting recorded no roll‑call tallies in the transcript; votes were taken by voice and recorded as 'Aye.'

Listed donations and approvals were read from the agenda and accepted as presented; the committee asked staff to ensure accounting records correctly reflect the gifts and any conditions attached to them.