The Duxbury School Committee signaled a firm stance against a proposed tax increase this week, pushing back on town-level recommendations to fund a critical $870,000 Alden School feasibility study through a debt exclusion. During a review of the $3.175 million prioritized capital budget for FY27, committee members argued that the study—a mandatory step in the Massachusetts School Building Authority process—should be funded through town stabilization or free cash rather than a ballot question. Vice Chair Matt Gambino expressed concern over the shifting financial strategy, noting, I don't know of a feasibility study in the past, at least in Duxbury, that's been funded through a debt exclusion and a ballot question. Member Laurel Deacon warned that subjecting the engineering study to a tax vote could unintentionally jeopardize the project, stating, To have to stop a process because it's a debt exclusion and have the voters decide that just doesn't seem quite like it makes sense.

The funding debate overshadowed a celebratory report on the district’s 2024-2025 MCAS results, which saw Duxbury 10th graders rank first among all public schools in Massachusetts for mathematics and fourth in English Language Arts. Despite these accolades, the committee weighed an additional $400,000 request to implement a new math curriculum at the high school to ensure vertical alignment across grades. Chair Kellie Bresnehan questioned the fiscal necessity of the change given the current success, asking, What are the real benefits of spending $400,000 to bring a curriculum into a school that is already performing really well? Student Representative Addie offered a boots-on-the-ground perspective on school culture, reporting that the district’s cell phone policy is gaining acceptance despite initial friction. I do think that last year like my grade was definitely very angry with the policy... But now this year I feel like a lot of people are more neutral, she remarked.

Infrastructure and technology remain significant pillars of the capital plan, including $400,000 for staff laptop replacements and critical HVAC repairs. The Chief Technology Officer explained that faculty devices are reaching a six-year limit, making them ineligible for security updates. The infrastructure at this point—the wired and wireless networking and where our security sits—are all in good shape, he noted, but emphasized that end-user workstations require a three-to-five-year refresh. The Director of Facilities highlighted more urgent physical needs at Chandler School, where 42 of 60 exhaust fans are currently non-functional. Right now, they're not maintainable... we don't have enough staff, enough funding to just kick away at them, the Director of Facilities warned. Principal Cotton Herman reinforced the need for administrative support during the meeting, particularly regarding travel oversight, stating, We really all need to be a united front and be a team in this.

In a major move toward transparency and accessibility, the committee approved a complete overhaul of its policy manual. Led by Matt Gambino, the district will transition from a system of 280 individual PDFs to a single, searchable digital master document. Gambino, who developed a new priority matrix for policy maintenance, explained, I just took a stab at creating some sort of strategic direction for how the policy subcommittee could begin to look at the pipeline. Member Kathryn Marshall praised the initiative and the inclusion of student data in recent reviews, noting, It’s good to get the student perspective... I appreciate the time that you guys took to do it. Member Jen Weedon underscored the importance of resolving the Alden funding dispute before the capital plan moves to the select board, stating, I agree with you guys that we probably can't march too much more forward unless we have this part clarified. The Director of Business and Finance reminded the committee that Duxbury has traditionally funded their feasibility studies through town funds, providing a historical benchmark for the upcoming discussions with town management.

Motion Made by Matt Gambino to approve the policy prioritization review schedule as presented. Vote Passed 5-0

Motion Made by Matt Gambino to direct the superintendent to replace the individual PDF system with a single policy document at a time that is convenient for her office. Vote Passed 5-0

Motion Made by Matt Gambino to formally endorse the 26 to 29 strategic plan engagement plan as presented. Vote Passed 5-0

Motion Made by Matt Gambino to approve the superintendent goals for 2025-2026. Vote Passed 5-0

The meeting was adjourned at 5:15 p.m.