Gill-Montague Schools Committee Sets Aug. 18 Vote on Remote-Only Start

GILL — August 11, 2020 — Gill-Montague School Committee backs superintendent's recommendation for fully remote school opening and schedules Aug. 18 vote. Superintendent Brian Beck told the committee Tuesday that the district's buildings cannot safely accommodate all students at six-foot distancing and recommended starting the 2020-21 year entirely remote, with grades 1 through 12 set to begin September 14 and pre-K and kindergarten September 21. The committee unanimously approved a revised fiscal year 2021 general fund budget of $21,300,387, buoyed by a $480,000 Chapter 70 state aid figure that came in well above projections. Two federal COVID-19 relief grants totaling $479,884 — an ESSER grant of $252,634 and a CVRF reopening grant of $227,250 — were accepted to fund technology, PPE, HVAC testing, and bus disinfection. The board also ratified a three-year Unit A teachers' contract providing raises of 2 percent, a sliding-scale increase tied to Chapter 70, and 1.5 percent in successive years, and voted 7-0 with one abstention to close remaining school choice seats for the year.