News&Notes from the Superintendent

"Learning is not attained by chance; it must be sought for with ardor and diligence." — Abigail Adams

This week before the February Break is shaping up to be a busy one as we keep an eye on the weather, celebrate those we love on Valentine's Day, and continue to provide incredible learning opportunities for students and staff before we take some well-deserved days off to relax and recharge!

Please find below this week’s updates & events happening in our District ~

The Finance Subcommittee held its second meeting of the season last week. It was well attended by members of our school community who heard presentations by the Administrative Team on the operational funding needs for the Elementary, Secondary, Student Services, Maintenance, Technology, and Curriculum & Professional Development areas of the FY25 Budget Proposal. Members who attended were allowed to ask questions and afforded the chance to participate in the public comment segment. The next session is scheduled to take place on February 22nd at 5:30 pm.

The development of the budget proposal is an iterative process and is done in phases. At the next meeting, I will present the FY25 Budget Proposal Highlights which will give even more detail and include revenue, expenditure, grant, and reserve projections. I will also discuss the preliminary look at our proposed budget increase, our change in foundation enrollment, and the assessments for FY25. Again, I need to emphasize that these are all preliminary numbers, and we will continue to stick with our fiscal philosophy and commitment to be as effective and efficient with our resources and to align these resources with student needs while working hard to keep assessments to our member towns manageable.

Today, there has been a tremendous amount of student voice in my office lobbying for a snow day tomorrow! We will see if their advocacy works with Mother Nature!

The Superintendent Advisory Councils are continuing to work on some of the “big ideas” around improvements to the campuses that will require community support, and preparing ways to make their case, as we plan to share these ideas with the School Committee and the public to see if there is any interest in additional development of these projects down the road.

They have also chosen to form subcommittees to further their visions and elicit support for these upcoming presentations or acts of service that they have been planning! I am so very proud of them as they have such generous and giving hearts – it’s a joy to watch them bring their ideas and creativity to fruition – with a little help from their teachers and Administrators.

The Core Team is actively refining the proposed programming and has completed one piloting experience at the Middle School level. The Design Team will meet on March 12, and the Community Team is slated to meet on April 9, both charged with helping the Core Team move to the next phase that will include the formation of subcommittees to drive the initiatives forward. At the end of February, the Core Team will travel to Austin, Texas for the in-person Convening to finalize the preparations prior to incorporating the other teams into the plans!

More information about this incredible Initiative can be found by clicking on the link below!

This time of year is filled with many incredible things happening at our schools, and we would love to see you there! Some of this week’s events include Basketball, Cheerleading, Wrestling, Vex Robotics, Elementary Robotics, Berkshire Art Center After School, Drama Rehearsals, Poetry Workshop Grades 4 & 5, UME Garden Club, Girl Scouts, Policy Subcommittee Meeting, and a Movie Night Fundraiser on Tuesday, February 13th at 5:45 pm in the TACPAC! An additional note of reminder that there is a School Committee meeting tonight, Monday, February 12, 2024 at 6:00 pm. Please check the event calendar regularly as it will keep you up to date as will the weekly notes from the Principals.

Interested in learning more about our Early College program? Learn more through our website!

Mt. Everett's Innovation Pathway in Advanced Manufacturing focuses on building hands-on 21st-century skills in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). Students work out of the school's Makerspace Lab to build robots, rockets, and more! Learn more through our website.

Information Technology is a growing field! The Information Technology pathway at Mount Everett will allow students to earn several industry-recognized certifications, as well as provide them with a hands-on internship experience tailored to their growing skills during their Senior year. Learn more through our website!

Please feel free to reach out with questions or concerns as I welcome the opportunity to hear from you.

Best,

~ Dr. Beth Regulbuto, Superintendent of Schools