During the superintendent’s report, the district’s chief executive discussed two governance issues that members raised at the meeting: state attendance data and a town‑commissioned financial review known locally as the Collins report.

The superintendent said DESE has resumed public release of student and staff attendance data and noted the district ‘‘feels very comfortable about our data’’ while expressing concern about how the state’s published numbers treat paid leaves. He read into the record a definition the district used to decide what counts as an absence for staff (personal days, sick days, jury duty, bereavement, paid maternity/paternity leave and unpaid leave), and said that, in his view, the state's reporting approach can skew comparisons because it may not exclude approved leaves such as maternity or bereavement.

‘‘I am concerned,’’ the superintendent said when asked by a committee member whether the staff‑attendance figures warranted alarm; he added that principals have conducted one‑to‑one conversations with employees whose attendance patterns are concerning and that the central office now distributes individualized attendance reports to staff to increase transparency.

Committee members asked whether the district should be worried about media stories; the superintendent said Stoughton’s numbers did not trigger the most negative public attention because they fall within state thresholds, but cautioned that inconsistent reporting across districts can lead to misleading headlines. Assistant administrators and committee members recommended tracking trends over multiple years and focusing on patterns rather than single‑year anomalies.

On policy, the superintendent said the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) had circulated suggested revisions to several policies (relations with parent/booster organizations, student fundraising and staff gifts/solicitations). The superintendent asked the committee’s policy subcommittee to review those suggested changes and directed staff to coordinate with the district’s policy working group.

Regarding the Collins report — a town effort to produce a comprehensive financial and policy review — the superintendent said he had been told by the town manager that the committee would receive the report before any final town vote and pledged to share it promptly with the committee for review. He also reported on Stoughton Academy planning, including working‑group meetings and an early commitment from Bridgewater State University for early‑college partnership opportunities.

Members said they want to review any Collins report during its drafting so the committee can flag potential impacts on school budgeting and operations before the select board votes on any related recommendations. The superintendent said staff will circulate the report as soon as it is received.