School Committee

LOWELL SCHOOL COMMITTEE SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES Date: December 11, 2023 Time: 6:30PM Location: Pawtucketville Memorial Elementary School, 425 W. Meadow Rd, Lowell, MA 01854 1. SALUTE TO FLAG 2. ROLL CALL On a roll call at 6:37 p.m., members present were, namely: Ms. Delrossi, Ms. Doherty, Ms. Thompson and Mayor Chau. Ms. Chhoun, Mr. Lay and Ms. Martin were absent. 3. NEW BUSINESS 3.1. Discussion of Mold Concern at Pawtucketville Memorial Elementary School Several City Councilors were present at the meeting, namely: Mr. Noun, Mr. Gitschier, Mr. Rourke, Ms. Scott, Ms. Mercier and Mr. Leahy. Registered speakers who spoke on this agenda items were: Ms. Marshall Ms. Landsteiner Ms. Thompson made a motion to suspend the rules to allow a parent to speak who wasn’t registered; seconded by Ms. Doherty. 4 yeas, 3 absent (Ms. Chhoun, Mr. Lay, Ms. Martin) APPROVED Mr. St. Cyr, DPW Director addressed the Committee, City Councilors, Pawtucketville Memorial staff and members of the public and stated they have funds to attack some of the issues in the buildings. He stated that many different vendors have worked at the Pawtucketville Memorial and contracts have been in place for all of the buildings. He stated that as of last Thursday, all the controls lost during the cyberattack are back online and we are now able to deal with the mechanical pieces again. He stated that there have been delays in getting materials and parts ordered. He stated that the ESSER and ARPA monies are a great opportunity for our schools and that we are headed in the right direction. Interim Superintendent Skinner stated that the administration at City Hall is working very hard and are very sincere around these issues. He stated that the experts and officials aren’t telling them it’s not safe. He stated that it needs to be kept in context. Lowell Public Schools • 155 Merrimack Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 2 of 3) Mr. Underwood, Facilities Director for the Lowell Public Schools stated that the school department has been doing a lot and that they’ve put a lot of pressure on the city to get things done. Ms. Thompson stated that her original motion was to have transparency and that the students and staff deserve to know what’s happening. She stated that the proposed suggestion of a centralized facilities department makes sense. She stated that an audit should be done to see what we need and who do we need, what expertise do we have and not have. She stated that we should have access to see what is going on. She stated that having a dashboard that shows what work is being done, what has been ordered and when they can expect resolution would also be good to have. Ms. Doherty stated that there is a disconnect and she wants to know what is being done and that she is not against a centralized department. Ms. Delrossi agrees that there is a definite disconnect and that transparency is needed. Councilor Mercier thanked everyone for attending the meeting and stated that this meeting is what democracy is all about. She stated that we need to know what is going on here. Councilor Scott stated that when she was on the Committee she felt like they always had to fight the city to have work done. She stated that it’s a shame all the years the city didn’t apply for MSBA funding. Councilor Rourke stated that the money that has been received has been a benefit and hopefully it will benefit the issue at the Pawtucketville Memorial. He stated that the questions asked deserve answers. Councilor Gitschier stated that nowhere in the city budget are funds put aside for this. He stated that he believes it is a problem when a principal can’t see and track the work orders. He stated that there is $1 million dollars per park put aside and believes that the money put aside could be put into schools and that these issues have been going on for a while. Ms. Bahou, newly elected Schol Committee member thanked all the elected officials for coming out tonight and stated that we need to get things moving forward. Councilor Noun thanked the Committee for calling this meeting. He stated that staff, students and teachers need to feel safe and that it’s the elected official responsibility to do that. Councilor Leahy thanked everyone also for coming and stated that a lot of good ideas have come out of this. He stated that an open dashboard is a good idea and we should look to see if there is some ESSER money available to do this. Ms. Golden, Director of the Health Department stated that everyone reacts differently to mold and that children and the elderly are the most vulnerable to it and that they’re concerned about this. Ms. Delrossi made a motion to suspend the rules to allow for more speakers; seconded by Ms. Thompson. 4 yeas, 3 absent (Ms. Chhoun, Mr. Lay, Ms. Martin) APPROVED Lowell Public Schools • 155 Merrimack Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 3 of 3) Ms. Doherty made a motion to have the Superintendent provide a report to the Committee with the answers to the questions asked by the teachers from the Pawtucketville Memorial School; seconded by Ms. Thompson. 4 yeas, 3 absent (Ms. Chhoun, Mr. Lay, Ms. Martin) APPROVED 4. ADJOURNMENT Ms. Doherty made a motion to adjourn at 8:01 p.m.; seconded by Ms. Delrossi. 4 yeas, 3 absent (Ms. Chhoun, Mr. Lay, Ms. Martin) APPROVED Respectfully submitted, Liam Skinner, Interim Superintendent and Secretary to the Lowell School Committee LS/mes Lowell Public Schools • 155 Merrimack Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us