Committee discusses warrant oversight and document access; superintendent proposes shared Google Drive

Committee members raised questions about warrant signatures and oversight after the committee expanded in size. Mayor Cahill noted that three named school committee signers plus the city's chief procurement officer typically sign warrants, and members discussed whether a "view-only" DocuSign option or another mechanism could allow the full body to monitor expenditures.

Dr. Cushing proposed a concrete, lower-cost approach: "What I'd actually like to do is to set up a shared Google Drive with view-only access that really organizes all of our school committee documents," he said, describing a folder structure by fiscal year and meeting that could include executive session folders as needed.

Members discussed trade-offs between dedicated board-management software and simpler solutions. Dr. Cushing said BoardDocs is "exorbitantly expensive" and suggested Google Drive could achieve similar effects for hosting and sharing materials. President Visnick said she would cross-reference policies to confirm signature requirements and promised to pursue options that balance oversight and practicality.

The group agreed that warrants are presented monthly on the agenda and that it is important for members to be able to see how budgeted money flows to vendors, transportation providers and other cost centers. No formal vote on a new document platform occurred; staff will continue exploring options and report back.

The discussion also included a recommendation that warrants include clearer summary pages to improve readability for members who are not signers.