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Holyoke School Committee approves field trips and staff travel, accepts grants and then votes to enter executive session
Summary
The committee approved multiple out-of-state field trips and staff travel requests, accepted gifts and grants and approved warrants and minutes; later the committee voted to enter executive session on bargaining units and the superintendent's contract and recessed until 7 p.m.
The Holyoke School Committee on May 11 approved several out-of-state field trips and travel requests, accepted gifts and grants listed in the meeting report, approved warrants and meeting minutes, and then voted to enter executive session citing bargaining and the superintendent's contract.
Chair called for approval of an out-of-state field trip for Ian White School to Playhouse On Park in West Hartford, Conn.; the motion was seconded and passed on a roll-call vote. The committee then considered travel permissions: Ida Rivera was authorized to attend the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth annual conference (Oct. 31–Nov. 3, Tennessee); the committee also approved travel for a list of staff to attend an art conference in Chicago (June 29–July 1) and approved permission for Stephanie Garcia to attend the national homeless-education conference. Motions were moved and seconded, and the committee approved the travel requests by roll call; one roll-call entry recorded an abstention by "Mister Garcia."
The committee voted to accept the gifts and grants in the attached report. A committee member asked whether the Lawrence School grant carried specific criteria; staff replied that the funding was a donation to the school's donation account and generally supplements purchases at each school, with no special restrictions noted in the meeting.
Chair moved to approve the warrants listed as REG0426AThroughF; the motion was seconded and approved on roll call. The committee also voted to accept subcommittee meeting minutes from Feb. 26 and March 23, 2026, after motions and roll-call votes.
Near the end of the public meeting the chair moved to enter executive session, saying an open meeting could have a detrimental effect on the committee's bargaining position. The motion specified the executive session would cover all bargaining units and the superintendent of schools contract and that the committee would not return to open session; the motion carried on roll call and the committee recessed until 7 p.m. for the executive session posting.
Several procedural items, including an announcement that the Finance and Operations subcommittee will hold a public FY27 budget hearing on June 8 at 5 p.m., were discussed earlier in the meeting.
