10.7.2026 Fall River School Committee

Meeting summary The Fall River School Committee held its regular meeting on October 7, 2026, opening with a moment of silence in honor of former Superintendent James Gibney, who served the district for 32 years before his passing on September 28. During public comment, educators and community members advocated for the district's implementation of the state's PROTECT Act to ensure structured safeguards and safe school environments for immigrant families and students. Following discussions, the committee formally adopted the PROTECT Act policy and voted to appoint internal candidate Vanessa Pilar as the School Committee clerk and administrative assistant, contingent on successful contract negotiations. The committee received several detailed administrative updates, including a report on district-wide enrollment showing an approximate decline of 300 students, an update on strategic planning surveying over 3,600 community participants, and an in-depth presentation by Chief Academic Officer Brian Raposa on 2025–2026 MCAS accountability metrics and academic performance trends. Chief Financial Officer Aldo Petronio presented the first-quarter budget review covering the $225,832,464 general fund operating budget, reporting that salary and non-salary expenditures remained consistent with past fiscal trends. After substantive debate regarding governance communication protocols, the committee unanimously passed a new policy formally outlining expectations for superintendent-to-school-committee communications. Financial and operational actions included approving various travel requests, donations, revolving funds, and grants—including an earmarked state allocation of $170,000 presented by State Representative Carole Fiola for special education transportation and student field trips. The committee addressed tuition and vendor contracts, voting to refer an out-of-district placement contract with the Judge Rotenberg Center to the Special Education Subcommittee for further review, and approving facility contracts for glass installations at the Doran School and Bishop Connolly. Following an executive session, the committee reconvened to approve an ESL programming grant before adjourning. Topics discussed School District Enrollment and Staffing Leadership reported an approximate decline of 300 students district-wide compared to last year and discussed ongoing recruitment challenges for special education, multilingual, and secondary math educators. State Fair Share Earmark Grant Allocation Members discussed a $170,000 legislative earmark obtained by State Rep. Carole Fiola for special education transportation and field trips, debating internal committee communication around state funding requests. Approval of $170,000 legislative fair share earmark grant for special education transportation and field trips — approved Approval of $170,000 legislative fair share earmark grant for special education transportation and field trips Adoption of the district Massachusetts PROTECT Act policy — approved Adoption of the district Massachusetts PROTECT Act policy PROTECT Act Policy and Task Force Public speakers and administrators addressed implementation of procedures protecting immigrant students and families, and the school committee voted unanimously to approve the PROTECT Act district policy. 2025–2026 MCAS Accountability Presentation Chief Academic Officer Brian Raposa reviewed MCAS achievement, student growth percentiles, multilingual learner progress, and specific areas needing improvement such as cross-content writing and middle school performance. Durfee vs. New Bedford Thanksgiving Football at Fenway Park Dr. Kathleen Smith announced the 130-year rivalry football game against New Bedford will be held at Fenway Park on Wednesday, November 25, 2026, with tickets priced at $20. Appointment of Vanessa Pilar as Administrative Assistant to the School Committee subject to contract negotiations — approved Appointment of Vanessa Pilar as Administrative Assistant to the School Committee subject to contract negotiations Motion to table approval of 24 sets of minutes to the next meeting — failed Motion to table approval of 24 sets of minutes to the next meeting Approval of 24 sets of meeting minutes from January to September 2026 — approved Approval of 24 sets of meeting minutes from January to September 2026 Approval of travel requests 6.1 through 6.4 — approved Approval of travel requests 6.1 through 6.4 Acceptance of donations from Diman Regional, Stonehill alumni, and Horace Mann Insurance — approved Acceptance of donations from Diman Regional, Stonehill alumni, and Horace Mann Insurance Appointment of Deanna Furtado as district-wide school nurse, pending state waiver — approved Appointment of Deanna Furtado as district-wide school nurse, pending state waiver Strategic Planning Progress Assistant Superintendent Laurie Obenchain outlined progress with Great Schools Partnership, reporting over 3,600 survey responses collected to establish district priorities. Motion for leave to withdraw the work-from-home policy — passed Motion for leave to withdraw the work-from-home policy Approval of updated 2027-2028 CTE admissions guidelines — approved Approval of updated 2027-2028 CTE admissions guidelines FY27 First Quarter Budget and Financial Operations CFO Aldo Petronio presented the first-quarter spending trends on the $225.8 million general fund budget, detailing plans to align future facilities procurement with state contracts. Approval of the FY27 first-quarter budget update — approved Approval of the FY27 first-quarter budget update Approval of the FY27 first-quarter revolving fund update — approved Approval of the FY27 first-quarter revolving fund update Adoption of the Superintendent-School Committee Communication Policy — approved Adoption of the Superintendent-School Committee Communication Policy