Menu

Wilmington School District committee meeting, Sep 23, 2026

2 h 37 min · 1 public speaker

This board doesn’t post agenda times. Click a board member to jump to where they first speak; we list only members whose voice our check named. Video length 2 h 37 min.

  1. Who spoke · first speaks at
What happened

What happened at this meeting

School committee hears updates on phone restrictions and fall athletics 3:56

  • The Wilmington School Committee heard an update from school administrators on the first weeks of the Doorman phone app, including that about 2/3 of high school students use the app and 86% of surveyed staff agreed this year's phone policy works better than last year's. 25:47
  • The committee set a plan to collect name suggestions for the new elementary school through an online form, with a public hearing on 10/21 and a vote on 11/18. 2:10:12
  • The committee unanimously approved FY26 fair share supplemental budget education earmarks totaling $110,000. 2:19:19

Until Nov 4, lines where a board member takes a side don't name the member. Why →

Item by item (15)
  1. Opening and Pledge of Allegiance 0:02
    • The chair said all members were present except one member who was unable to attend. 0:02
    • The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance. 0:18
  2. Student academic excellence award 0:35
    • A district staff member presented the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents Certificate of Academic Excellence Award to a high school student. 0:53
  3. Fall athletics update 3:49
    • The athletic director described the work of a new full-time athletic trainer and said the athletics app has almost 2,700 downloads and 815 active users. 3:56
    • Stephen Turner asked about co-op teams, and the athletic director said there are none in the fall and three in the winter: swim, girls hockey and gymnastics. 13:34
    • Jennifer Bryson asked what the department needs, and the athletic director cited turf for the baseball, football and softball fields and a bigger weight room now under a feasibility study request to the town. 23:12
  4. Phone restriction app update 25:30
    • A high school administrator said about 2/3 of high school students use the Doorman app and 96.1% of surveyed staff rated this year's policy equal to or better than last year's. 25:47
    • One board member said they are a big supporter of phones being unavailable and asked what the actual policy is, and another board member said Doorman is an implementation choice under a policy that students cannot access phones during school. 43:52
    • One board member asked staff to consider replacing the word violation, and a staff member said parents are contacted whenever staff speak with a student about a concern. 54:46
  5. Consent agenda 1:00:13
    • The chair called the votes on the September 9th, 2026 minutes and a $2,500 WEF grant for an administrators' conference unanimous. 1:00:13
    • The Italy trip was tabled until a person expected to arrive around 7:30 could attend. 1:01:28
    • The chair called the vote on the warrants unanimous. 1:01:33
  6. Superintendent's report 1:02:09
    • The superintendent said MCAS data was released and a presentation on it is being prepared for October. 1:02:09
    • The superintendent's mentor from a state induction program described the program, and the superintendent outlined an entry plan built on 6 questions with findings expected by the end of February. 1:06:51
    • The superintendent introduced a new assistant director of special education with 5 years of experience as a special education administrator. 1:22:54
  7. High school trip to Italy 1:26:22
    • The orchestra and strings teacher proposed a trip to Italy for students in grades 9 through 12 in spring 2028, with stops in Milan, Florence, Cremona and Venice. 1:26:47
    • Stephen Turner asked about cost, and the teacher said performance tickets and moving between cities add to it. 1:30:08
    • The trip for April 2028 was approved unanimously. 1:34:11
  8. Public comment 1:34:39
    • A speaker at public comment raised crowding on morning buses, saying students on Route 15 have had to stand in the aisles. 1:35:32
  9. Staffing overview 1:36:36
    • A district staff member said an open high school teaching position was filled and the hire starts October 13th, while a 0.8 COTA position remains open. 1:37:27
    • Rebecca Lord asked which positions are hardest to fill, and the staff member cited educational assistants at West and the middle school and a behavior interventionist position. 1:41:54
  10. Budget process calendar 1:45:07
    • A district staff member said district leadership and department heads will be asked on October 28th and 29th to list their needs for their schools. 1:45:16
  11. Naming the new elementary school 1:47:17
    • The chair said the committee's policy places naming of the new elementary school with the committee. 1:47:17
    • A district staff member said the Google Form would list North Elementary School, Salem Street Elementary School and Northside Elementary School, plus an option to provide another suggestion. 2:09:51
    • A district staff member said the form was tentatively planned to open no later than September 28th and close on October 14th, with a public hearing on 10/21 and a vote on 11/18. 2:10:12
  12. State earmark grants 2:11:46
    • A district staff member described a $35,000 grant to support athletics, a $25,000 traffic study and a $50,000 grant earmarked for curriculum work, particularly at the high school. 2:11:58
    • Stephen Turner asked whether the district was the right authority to receive the traffic funds, and a district staff member said the district had been assured it would be the recipient. 2:13:48
    • The committee unanimously approved the earmarks totaling $110,000. 2:19:19
  13. School committee protocols 2:19:42
    • The chair reviewed four changes, including allowing public comment on items within the committee's authority rather than only agenda items. 2:21:01
    • The committee unanimously approved the 26⁠-⁠27 protocols as amended. 2:23:14
  14. Outreach subcommittee communication plan 2:23:29
    • One board member proposed adding member headshots and links to meeting recordings, minutes and the calendar on the website. 2:25:59
    • Michael Mercaldi said the district IT department would own new Facebook and Instagram accounts and give access to the committee chair and outreach subcommittee chair. 2:29:15
  15. Other reports, dates and adjournment 2:35:13
    • Stephen Turner said the Budget and Facilities Subcommittee met before the meeting to discuss the budget process and facilities topics. 2:35:17
    • The chair said the next regular meeting is October 7th at 6:30. 2:36:39
    • The motion to adjourn was called unanimous. 2:37:03

Written by software from the meeting's transcript and checked sentence by sentence against it.

Other meetings

Other meetings of this board

Video: posted by the district as “School Committee Meeting - September 23rd, 2026”