Gill-Montague School Committee Approves Search Panel for Retiring Pupil Services Director

GILL — January 9, 2024 — Gill-Montague School Committee approves search committee for Pupil Services director and advances preliminary FY25 budget showing 2.5 percent increase. The committee voted unanimously Tuesday to fill the position of outgoing Pupil Services director Diane Ellis, who will retire June 30, establishing a broad search panel that will include an ESL staff member, two parents of students with IEPs, building administrators, and the district's community liaison Stacy. Finance Director Joanne presented a preliminary fiscal year 2025 budget projecting a $730,000 increase in Chapter 70 state aid, a $360,000 reduction in charter and choice-out tuition costs, and absorption of all positions previously funded by expiring federal ESSER dollars — with no staffing eliminations. The committee also accepted a $500 ExxonMobil grant for Gill Elementary math and science activities and approved five updated board policies on third reading, including a student harassment policy now explicitly covering race-associated hair traits. Irving representative Jacqueline raised legal concerns about how the six-town regional consolidation study's vote to advance a draft agreement could affect the district's existing five-year tuition contract with Erving, prompting the finance director to recommend pulling the agreement for committee review at the January 30 meeting.