Gill-Montague School Committee Unanimously Ratifies Unit C Collective Bargaining Agreement

GILL -- February 13, 2024, Gill-Montague Regional School District School Committee ratifies Unit C contract and reappoints Carol Jacobs to a vacant seat. The committee voted unanimously Tuesday to authorize Chair Jane Donahue to sign the collective bargaining agreement with Unit C staff after Heidi, a union representative, announced the membership had ratified the deal by roughly 98 to 99 percent following a tentative agreement reached January 18. Business Manager Joanne Bler presented a preliminary fiscal year 2025 budget totaling $27,667,000, a 7 percent increase, after the district cut approximately $500,000 from an earlier draft when anticipated Chapter 70 and ESSER funds failed to materialize; Bler projected the current fiscal year will close with a roughly $500,000 general fund surplus. The committee also unanimously reappointed Carol Jacobs, a retired superintendent, to fill a vacant Montague seat after a prior appointment was voided when Jacobs was found to be registered to vote in Newburyport rather than Montague. A $1,000 donation from Norm Eland to the district's Helping Hands Athletic Leadership Council, coordinated by Turners Falls High School senior Owen Lavali, was accepted unanimously.