SC Meeting October 27 2026

The Pawtucket School Committee meeting on October 27, 2026, included several procurement and funding items. The superintendent recommended a three-year, districtwide Branching Minds MTSS platform agreement totaling $191,616, funded with federal Title dollars; the transcript does not clearly capture a vote on that recommendation. The audit presentation reported approximately $76 million in bonds issued, plus about $5 million in bond premium, for the new high school capital project. The committee also heard that a contractor completed a change-order repair sealing the top of Jensen Middle School, though no contractor name or cost was provided. A speaker’s earlier request to review the district’s First Student bus contract and bus-monitor responsibilities was corrected in the meeting record; no contract-review action was recorded. An Employee Assistance Program agreement was approved by roll-call vote at $16.80 per employee per year; the transcript does not clearly identify the vendor or total contract value. The committee also heard about a Growing Friendship program seeking Community Development Block Grant funding, but the transcript does not establish a funding award.

The committee approved first passage of a template contract for principals and assistant principals, with further discussion planned before second passage; this was a governance action rather than a vendor award. The independent auditor reported two material weaknesses and one significant deficiency in the fiscal year 2025 audit, including issues involving grant reporting, expenditure cutoff, and reconciliations. Other discussion covered school improvement and accreditation, teacher-assistant recruitment and training, staffing and attendance reporting, and virtual instruction plans. The committee approved the virtual instruction-day plan and a first-passage revision to its governance and operations calendar policy.