Committee OKs $18,750 strategic-plan contract and a five-year Xerox lease; PaperCut, staffing changes discussed

The Berlin-Boylston Regional School Committee on June 10 authorized $18,750 to hire the Teaching Learning Alliance to run focus groups and gather stakeholder input for a district strategic plan. The authorization was unanimous, 6–0, though members raised concerns about committee time commitments during the ongoing superintendent search.

The committee also approved a five-year lease with Xerox for printing and copying services at a monthly cost of $2,650. Director of Finance and Operations Aaron Osborne described the lease as part of an effort to reduce costs; he also discussed a possible print-management software solution, PaperCut, saying the tool could reduce waste and produce cost savings. "There will not be student access at this time, but [the system] has the capability to in the future if needed," Osborne said; Chair Michael Totman expressed security concerns about the software, and Jessica Deglialberti raised concerns about potential lost staff time.

Interim Superintendent Albert G. Ganem Jr. introduced Robert Pelczarski as the new principal at Boylston Elementary School and announced that Sally Stukuls, Director of Curriculum and Grants for grades 6–12, will move to another district; Renee Legendre will assume the Director of Curriculum and Grants role and the Tahanto assistant-principal position will be posted on June 11. The committee also heard that Tahanto High School had 56 graduates at its June 1 ceremony.

Votes on the strategic-plan contract and the Xerox lease were both recorded as 6–0 in favor. Committee members asked that contracts be vetted by the district attorney and reminded members to avoid participating in staffing rumors.