Following most regular meetings, School Committee News will be sent to the GMRSD community to summarize the discussions and actions that took place, and provide a glimpse of what’s ahead. The newsletter is also posted on the School Committee’s webpage. Translation and accessibility options are available at the top of the page. Please reach out to school_committee@gmrsd.org with any comments or suggestions.
Meeting Spotlight
Recent School Committee Meeting: August 19, 2025 (agenda & video)
Mark your calendar!
| ➜ Important District Events – 🗓️ District Calendar 8/21 – 🧭 GFMS/TFHS New Family Orientation, 5:30-7pm 8/25 – 🍎 First Day for Staff/Convocation 8/26 – 🍦 Back to School Ice Cream Social at Gill Elementary, 5-7pm 🚦Traffic Garden Coming to Sheffield Elementary 8/28 – 🚌 First Day of School for Grades 1-12 9/1 – 🏝️ Labor Day, No School 9/3 – 🚸 First Day of School for PreK and Kindergarten 9/10 & 24 📌 are half days for professional development |
Superintendent Report
- Administrative Retreat
The three day Executive Leadership Team Retreat was held at the Gilder Ctr at the Northfield Mt Hermon School; space, technology, refreshments and lunch were all an in kind gift of the Head of School, Brian Hargrove; the group focused on team building, communication and professional culture as well as special education, technology, finance and school law.
Throughout the retreat, the executive leadership team engaged in intensive discussions and workshops focused on several critical areas. A significant portion of the agenda was dedicated to strengthening internal dynamics, with emphasis on enhancing team building initiatives, improving communication strategies, and fostering a positive and cohesive professional culture. Additionally, the team delved into key operational and strategic topics, including a comprehensive review of special education programs, advancements in educational technology, financial planning and resource allocation, and a review of current school law and its implications. The retreat proved to be a highly productive and invaluable opportunity for the leadership team to align on shared goals, refine strategies, and solidify their commitment to the continued growth and success of the institution.
- Opening of School
Convocation will be held in the theater at Turners Falls High School on August 25th; we are still working on various new hires; I will share my slide deck, etc.. with the committee later in the week
- Declining Enrollment in 2nd and 3rd grade at Sheffield
The ongoing challenges in recruiting and retaining highly qualified classroom teachers at Sheffield Elementary have necessitated a comprehensive reevaluation of our enrollment projections and the demographic composition of our student body. After a period of thorough analysis and careful consideration of all contributing factors, we have reached the strategic decision to “right-size” two specific grade levels. This initiative entails a reduction of each of these grade levels from three sections to two sections, a move designed to optimize resource allocation and maintain educational quality in light of current staffing realities.
Grade 2 will have 17 and 20 students.
Grade 3 will have 20 and 22 students.
Grade 4 will have 18, 21 and 20 students.
Grade 5 will have 18 and 18 students.
- SRO will be back!
Officer Dan Miner, courtesy of the Montague Police Department, will be back in our schools with Mac two days per week. We are most appreciative!
- Veronica Hirst’s Capstone Project is benefiting GMRSD!
See her descriptor below:
Since the 2023 school year, I have been working towards achieving a Master in the Arts of Teaching Mathematics through Mount Holyoke College. The program focuses on investigating and examining how students make sense of mathematical concepts, how these concepts and skills build from kindergarten through eighth grade, and how they apply to our state standards for mathematics. Another major component of this work revolves around exploring and identifying different expressions of authentic leadership as a math educator. As I enter the final year of this venture, I will be working closely with the Gill-Montague Regional School District’s administrative team regarding the district’s current math practices within the elementary classrooms and the potential to infuse my new understandings in order to help provide our students with current, engaging, best practices in mathematics that build conceptual understanding over rote memory tasks. This work will help me complete my capstone project while introducing further student-centered teaching practices within our classrooms. To this end, we have created a “Math Liaison” title, and I’m both honored and excited to be able to continue to advocate for our students in this role. I look forward to working with our administrative team, my fellow math interventionists, and our classroom teachers as we continue to work towards instilling further perseverance, curiosity, and critical thinking amongst our math learners!
In addition she has updated the elementary math plan:
Business & Operations
After the financial scare mid-year last year, we are expecting to close the year with a surplus of approximately $250K that will flow into E&D. Our School Choice Revolving and Circuit Breaker Revolving accounts year end balances are as anticipated.
Some of the more significant budget swings are as follows:
- Revenue:
- Chapter 70 – Final Cherry Sheet was higher than Governor’s original Cherry Sheet
- Chapter 71 – this was a surplus – we moved $100K to Transportation Revolving to cover FY26 transportation costs
- Erving Tuition – significant changes in enrollment changes
- Expenses
- Instructional – Unfilled positions
- Special Education Transportation ovaries
- Health Insurance overage
- Tuition – Enrollment changes throughout the year
- Revolving Accounts
- Athletics – minimal collection of gate receipts
- Circuit Breaker – Ending balance as anticipated – Our current year submission is lower due to the significant changes in enrollments throughout the year, which will lead to lower revenue in FY26 (and less available for expenses in FY27)
- Cafe Revolving – They broke even in FY25 – May and June revenues were not received until July
- School Choice Revolving – ended as anticipated
Ryan is looking to establish a new banking relationship with Eastern Bank to further diversify our funds. This is to notify you, no vote is necessary at this time. Expect updated banking resolutions next month to add this new bank and to also add new principals and admin assistants to the Student Activity accounts.
The facilities team is putting the finishing touches on the floors. Several summer projects are underway, funded by the Towns of Montague and Gill, the IVAQ grant, and general fund projects.
Business
- Handbook updates
- Handbooks can be found in each school’s Family Resources page in the district website. Elementary schools collaborate and share a single handbook. Middle & High schools collaborate and share a single handbook.
- Hillcrest Elementary School
- Gill Elementary School
- Sheffield Elementary School
- Great Falls Middle School
- Turners Falls High School
- Preschool Report Cards
- Pre School Report/ Developmental Milestones
- Hillcrest Elementary School 2025 Preschool Report Card Rationale: The preschool team worked with SLP, Jasmine Smith, and the interim principal to develop the report card during the 24-25 school year. They revamped the 3 year old developmental milestone report card to include standards that are on the Rediker report card. The current report card does not show growth for all students, especially those with disabilities. By providing differentiated ratings, parents would be able to see their child’s growth rather than only seeing that they have not progressed through the rating scale on the Rediker report card. This new report card shows the growth of the whole child, developmentally and academically, not just academic standards.
- Policy updates
- MASC for hire in Superintendent Search
- Search is to begin in the fall
- School Committee calendar review
- 2025-2026 Annual SC Meeting Agenda
- Jane may propose the restructuring of the committee’s annual agenda, suggesting a compression of all standing items into a single monthly meeting. The rationale behind this proposal is multi-faceted: it aims to consolidate the committee’s efforts and optimize meeting availability. This strategic realignment is crucial to dedicating more focused energy and time towards two paramount ongoing initiatives: the critical superintendent search, which requires extensive deliberation and careful consideration, and the simultaneous collective bargaining negotiations, which demand dedicated attention to ensure successful outcomes for all parties involved. This proposed shift underscores a commitment to efficiency and strategic resource allocation in addressing the committee’s most pressing responsibilities.
Upcoming School Committee and Subcommittee Meetings
Regular School Committee meetings are scheduled for 6:30pm on the 2nd & 4th Tuesdays of each month in room 228-M at Turners Falls High School. The next regularly scheduled School Committee meetings are:
- Tuesday, September 9
- Tuesday, September 23
The calendar of all School Committee meetings is available in the left sidebar on the School Committee’s webpage. As each meeting approaches, the agenda and supporting documents are uploaded. Meeting agendas will always include the time, location, method of access, and (for regular meetings) details for public comment. Meeting recordings and meeting documents are also posted on the School Committee’s meeting materials page.
Click here for the School Committee News archive.