Ipswich School Committee Newsletter

Each year the School Committee sets annual goals to reflect the priorities and vision of the district. This year’s goals include:

• Creating greater engagement with students, parents, guardians, and the entire town.

• Ensuring building upgrades, maintenance, and environment initiatives are in good standing.

• Responsibly managing the fiscal year ‘24 budget, and developing a budget and strategy for the upcoming years.

• Reviewing and updating our district policies, including Feoffees’ distributions to assure there is guidance to cover a variety of grant requests, and the mission of the trust is being best fulfilled.

See the full set of detailed School Committee goals here.

In the Spring, voters generously approved additional funding for the much-needed roof repairs at both elementary schools and the middle/high school. Since then, the architectural work has been completed, the projects have gone out to bid, plans are being finalized, and the work is scheduled to take place this fall. More details will be provided by the Administration when dates are finalized.

On August 22nd, the School Committee Chair, Vice-Chair, Superintendent, Chair of the Select Board and the Town Manager participated in a conference call with staff from the Massachusetts School Building Authority (“MSBA”) as part of MSBA’s due diligence for the 2023 Grant Program to fund school building construction throughout the Commonwealth. This year, the MSBA received sixty-three statements of interest for the Core Program, two of which were submitted by our District for the Winthrop Elementary School and Paul F. Doyon Memorial School. The MSBA confirmed its receipt of the Districts’ SOIs and stated that they are very familiar with the condition of our current buildings. As such, the MSBA will not conduct another site visit to our schools as part of its diligence.

The MSBA asked us what has changed in Town and what steps the School Committee and Town have taken since the failed school construction vote in 2018. In response, we were able to tell the MSBA about significant projects the Town has completed, including the development of a Town Strategic Plan and the approval of funds to build a combined public safety building on Linebrook Road. The School Committee was also able to highlight several steps taken over the past two years to better guide the School Committee in addressing our elementary school buildings, including community listening sessions, community and staff surveys, two School Committee workshops, completion of a demographic survey and a non-binding ballot question taken in May 2023.

The call was concluded by the MBSA offering two pieces of advice to the School Committee as we await the MSBA's decision on acceptance of our priority SOI later this year. It was suggested that we focus on deciding what is right for Ipswich, in terms of addressing our buildings, not what MSBA will or will not fund, and second, that we identify our guiding principles as we re-embark on this process. The MSBA offered examples from other cities and towns which have overcome a failed vote and subsequently successfully completed a project. During the next two months, the School Committee will resume efforts to develop a consensus plan for replacing or rebuilding our elementary schools.

• The School Committee toured the school buildings in August to inspect the upgrades and repairs completed in preparation for the new school year.

• Building administrators presented updated handbooks, which were reviewed and approved in September.

• Subcommittees, Working Groups and Liaison roles have been formed and are working towards the newly approved goals.

• Thursday, October 5th - School Committee Meeting - 7pm in the Middle/High School Ensemble Room and online
  
• Monday, October 9th - No School, Indigenous People’s Day
  
• Tuesday, October 10th - No School, Professional Development Day
  
• Thursday, October 19th - School Committee Meeting - 7pm in the Middle/High School Ensemble Room and online
  
• Tuesday, October 24th - Special Town Meeting - 7pm in the Ipswich Middle/High School Performing Arts Center

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