August 28 School Committee Recap

Hello North Andover Families,

As previously mentioned in the last Knightly News, one of my goals as School Committee Chair is to improve our communication with the community. After each meeting, I will be sending out a quick recap of 3-5 key takeaways. *This is in addition to the official communications that we are required to have by law, including the posting of the meeting and its anticipated agenda 48 hours in advance, and the publishing of official minutes after a meeting.*

Key Takeaway #1:

The SC accepted a grant from DESE for $40,000 for Genocide Education. Additionally, we thanked the Town for providing the schools with the entirety of the Digital Equity Implementation Grant in the amount of $60,000. These funds will be used to purchase over 200 Chromebooks for the schools. 

Key Takeaway #2:

We took votes on the following items:

1. Approved a series of Overnight Field Trip Requests
2. Approved a revision of our Residency Policy
3. Approved the SY 2025-2026 Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook

Key Takeaway #3:

We had a presentation from Rick Galante on the Program Fees for Breakfast Club and Kids’ Stop. The proposed increase is 10% and would go into effect on October 1st. Here is the information that Mr. Galante shared with the School Committee.

The committee will discuss and vote on the proposed new fee schedule at our next meeting on September 11th. To share feedback, you can either send an email to hicksj@northandoverpublicschools.com or speak during public comment on the 11th. There is also a link on the School Committee website that allows you to easily email all members of the committee. 

Sincerely,
Joe Hicks, Chair
NA School Committee