SAUGUS — School officials on Wednesday night unveiled six proposals for using Chapter 70 money placed in a student support reserve fund created by Town Manager Scott Crabtree last fall. Proposals included installing radio systems at each school building, creating a family resource center, and retrofitting classrooms as clinical spaces for students.
Crabtree said the fund was crafted specifically for one-time expenses to avoid creating a structural deficit in the school budget.
The proposals put forward total a fraction of the $3.1 million fund, with a combined price tag of $136,005.
Deputy Superintendent Margo Ferrick walked the Finance Committee (FinCom) through the proposals, explaining how each one fits the fund criteria put forth by Crabtree.
“These proposals were put forth by decisions from multiple people on the team around certain needs that we have that we believe fit the criteria to be able to access the supplemental student support reserve fund,” she told the committee.
Finance Committee Chairman Kenneth DePatto indicated support for each proposal, though no formal vote was taken. Other committee members praised Ferrick and Acting Superintendent Michael Hashem for the presentation.
The first article asks for $6,000 to outfit a space in each school (at a cost of $1,500 per school) for clinical services for students as part of a program that brings outside counselors into the school. Essentially, Ferrick explained, the money would be used to make each space more comfortable for students, removing a classroom environment and installing comfortable furniture and therapeutic tools.
The next article asks for $70,000 to fund the installation of a communication system at each school building to streamline communication with the police and fire departments. The system would include repeaters, antenna systems, a control system, licensing, radios, and installation.
“We have been running drills in all the buildings, what we’re finding is we’re not able to communicate well within the buildings and amongst buildings,” Ferrick said. “What we’re asking for is a high-quality radio system that would include antenna and repeaters on our buildings so they can talk not just to each other when there’s situations but also talk directly to the police and fire.”
A financial quote from Woburn-based Northeast Two Way Radio Corp. is attached to the article. DePatto told school officials to ensure that all the funding requests were as accurate as possible, as the committee does not have the authority to increase monetary requests.
The next proposal put forward by Ferrick seeks $8,125 to hire Carolyn Rocheleau Feeney to help school officials write a grant that, if secured, could enable them to build a “deep, rigorous extended day program” at the Belmonte STEAM Academy and the middle school. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education makes “significant, recurring” funding available through the Federal Government for such initiatives via the 21st Century Grant process.
Ferrick said the grant is a “big lift,” and should the district receive the funds it could really transform the way Saugus provides after-school programs — particularly considering the district’s growing population of English language learners and students who speak a first language other than English.
“We’re not just talking academics, we’re talking social-emotional, we know by research that when we give a child who’s struggling a little bit, even just a connection with another adult, a connection with an activity that inspires them, their student outcome data goes up,” she said.
The district is in the process of surveying families — particularly the families of middle schoolers — to get a sense of what they need and want from afterschool programs, Ferrick said.
The next article put before the committee seeks $5,000 to build out the district’s family resource center at 25 Dow St. within the school administration building, which sits adjacent to the Belmonte STEAM Academy. The center would be a one-stop shop for families seeking information about the district. It would also seek to boost the district’s standing within the community, creating a more welcoming environment.
“It’s really to support the schools, to support the families, and really try to get everybody to feel welcome,” Ferrick said.
Ferrick also walked the committee through a proposal put forward by Executive Director of Pupil Personnel Dawn Trainor for a one-year pilot after-school special education program for some of the most high-needs students in the district.
“This is really for the students … between 18 and 22. They’re a little bit older, and they need to learn life skills and different experiences,” she said.
The final request reviewed Wednesday was a $30,000 ask for translation services, initially included in the proposed FY24 budget by Superintendent Erin McMahon but removed by the School Committee, to ensure all school handbooks and other materials are translated into Spanish and Portuguese.
The district is “100 percent behind the game” in having everything translated, Ferrick said.
Each proposal will go before the FinCom again for a final review as articles on the Town Meeting warrant, where it will vote on whether or not to recommend the articles to Town Meeting members.
