Gill-Montague School Committee approves warrants, endorses remote learning plan

GILL — March 31, 2020 — Gill-Montague Regional School District School Committee approved two financial warrants and reviewed a sweeping remote learning plan at its March 31 videoconference meeting. Superintendent Michael Buoniconti walked the committee through a draft 10-section emergency closure plan calling for three hours of daily elementary instruction between 8:30 and 11:30 a.m. and a simplified no-credit, partial-credit, or full-credit grading scale for secondary students; the plan has not yet been bargained with district unions and is targeted to launch Monday, April 6. The committee voted unanimously to approve Warrant 3041 for $47,516.89 and Warrant 3042 for $64,914 — the latter covering a debt payment on a window project — as well as the minutes from February 11 and February 20. Business and Operations Director Joanne Pentowski reported a clean audit with no findings, calling it "huge," and said meal distribution has grown from roughly 250 to approximately 400 meals per day, now consolidated to three delivery days per week. The district also ratified a memorandum of agreement with UFCW Local 1459 and confirmed a signed contract with incoming Superintendent Brian Beck.