School Committee votes on school choice

WILMINGTON — The School Committee re­ceived the superintendent’s report, public comment, and a budget re­port and later voted on school choice during their meeting on Wednesday, April 10.

The committee observed a moment of silence in honor of Wilmington High School senior Kevin Stano who tragically passed away earlier this month. Chair David Rags­dale shared his deepest condolences to Stano’s family and friends.

Middle school student representatives Sarah Na­jarian and Jen Corby informed the committee about recent student ac­tivities including Eng­lish/Language Arts MCAS, the Gay/Straight Alliance’s Day of Silence, advisory door decorating themes, the STEM fair, a junior jazz band performance, and a student leadership conference.

They then recognized Wilmington Veteran El­mer Drew with his high school diploma. Rags­dale provided the law al­lows service members who withdrew from secondary school before graduation to serve in the armed forces and who were later honorably discharged to re­ceive a high school diploma as of 2006. He also described that Elmer Drew joined the US Navy at the age of 17, arriving one month before D-Day, and he was killed as a result of German artillery.

Committee member Stephen Turner added that the 1945 yearbook was dedicated to Drew for his supreme sacrifice made for the country.

The committee voted in favor of awarding the diploma to Elmer Drew, which was given to War­ren Drew on his behalf.

M.J. Byrnes said that she was grateful for his sacrifice and sorry for the pain of his loss.

Lou Cimaglia, who was present in the audience, promised that Wilming­ton would never forget Elmer Drew.

The next item on the agenda was a public hearing held relative to the district’s participation in school choice. Superintendent Dr. Glenn Brand explained that Massachusetts General Law allows families to enroll students in any school district other than the district in which their child lives, unless that district has elected not to participate in school choice. He said that if the committee wishes to vote to withdraw, they must do so by June 1.

Turner clarified that the choice only prevents students from choosing to enter Wilmington and does not affect the ability of those from Wilming­ton to attend school in another district.

Jay Samaha said that he felt unprepared to vote at this time. He asked for more information from other districts that do participate, although he said he was inclined to vote against it.

Dr. Jenn Bryson commented that she was open to the recommendation to not participate, but for next year she agreed they would need more information from other districts. Jesse Fen­nelly shared a similar sentiment.

Turner also agreed that deciding based on more evidence would be wise. He suggested they reach out to state representatives to see if there is a chance of increasing the funding provided under school choice, as he previously stated that this would affect his willingness to vote to participate.

Ragsdale doubted that they could gather the in­formation necessary by June 1 to make a more informed vote, and they voted to not participate for next year.

The superintendent’s re­port for that night pertained to the last day of school and summer en­richment. Brand declared that the last day of school was currently scheduled for Friday, June 14, which would be a half day.

WHS history teachers Matthew Hackett and Mike Jones discussed their plans for the summer enrichment program this year. Hackett de­scribed how they began recruiting teachers and structuring the program in the fall, and they open­ed registrations in Janu­ary.

They had 14 total classes scheduled: Introduc­tion to FTC Robotics, Ex­perienced Robotics, Ro­botics Programming, Computer-aided Design, Elementary STEM Ex­ploration, Python Pro­gramming, High School Drama Workshop, Mid­dle School Drama Work­shop, Elementary Drama Workshop, Intro to BBQ and Grilling (Ribs), Intro to BBQ and Grilling (Chic­ken), Chess, Music & Move­ment, Music & Dance, and Music & Drumming.

Bryson said that she saw this as a great way to get students to want to be in the high school building.

Ragsdale asked about the range in price for these classes, and Hackett mentioned they wanted to provide a pricing structure that would be affordable and allow a stipend for the teachers.

The only public comment that night came from resident Kevin MacDonald. He asked the com­mittee several questions, the main one being for the amount of money left over from the school budget last year that was moved into free cash.

Ragsdale merely stated that the School Committee does not respond to public comments, but the space is open for residents to express opinions and thoughts. He invited MacDonald to email or call the committee members to get a response to his question.

In the revolving budget report, Director of Admin­istration and Finance Paul Ruggiero said that he was confident all accounts would end the year in the black. He stated that revenues received can only be used to support the ac­tivities associated with that account and can’t be moved for other initiatives.

The committee’s next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 24 at 7 p.m.