Gill-Montague School Committee Clears Warrants, Advances Policies at Summer Session

GILL — July 23, 2024 — Gill-Montague School Committee approves roughly $462,000 in warrants and reappoints district physician at summer meeting. The committee voted 9-0 to approve four warrants — three fiscal year 2024 cleanup warrants totaling approximately $454,546 and one fiscal year 2025 accounts payable warrant of $7,668 — and unanimously reappointed Dean Singer as school district physician at an approximate annual stipend of $6,000. Business and Operations Director Joanne defended the fiscal year 2025 budget against community criticism, saying staffing gaps stemmed from difficulty filling positions during contract negotiations, not from an underfunded budget, and warned that the district's end-and-deficiency draw of $500,000 in fiscal year 2025 will need to decrease in future years to avoid a funding "cliff." The committee also advanced a third reading of G- and H-section policy revisions on a 9-0 vote and received an update on new Title IX regulations taking effect August 1, with guidance from the district's law firm still pending.