Dec. 18, 2025 - Regular Meeting
Middletown
Minutes · December 18, 2025
MIDDLETOWN SCHOOL COMMITTEE
Thursday, December 18, 2025
Regular Meeting 5:30 PM
MINUTES
1.1 Call to Order: Chair Gregory Huet called the School Committee meeting to order at 5:30 pm at Michael S. Pinto Conference Room, 26 Oliphant Lane, Middletown, Rhode Island 02842.
1.2 Determination of Quorum: School Committee Members – Chair Gregory Huet, Vice-Chair Wendy Heaney, Theresa Spengler, Tami Holden and Clerk William Nash
School Department – Superintendent Willliam Niemeyer, Assistant Superintendent and Director of Teaching and Learning Michelle Fonseca, School Business Administrator David Alves, MHS Principal Donna Sweet, GMS Principal Gerald Haas, GLA Principal Katy Gibbins, Aquidneck Ave Principal Erica Bulk, Forest Ave Principal Rebecca Silveira
REGULAR SESSION
1.3 Pledge of Allegiance: The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
1.4 Moment of Silence
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Ja Lamond, Middletown School Teacher for over 30 years
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Victims of the Brown University tragedy
1.5 Public Forum: No Comment
MOTION: 1) Wendy Heaney, 2) William Nash
That the School Committee approve the Consent Agenda. Unanimous vote.
3.1 Vouchers
3.2 Invoices
3.3 Minutes Regular Meeting, November 20, 2025
Policy Sub Committee Meeting, December 10, 2025
3.4 Review and minor modifications of Policies:
3600 Video Surveillance on School Transportation, 7040 Concussion, 9030 Key and Access, 9040 Recycling, 9100 Green Cleaners, 9110 Integrated Pest Management, Archive - 5100.5 Addendum - Outbreak Response Protocol COVID
3.5 Approval of homeschool instruction requests: 25-26-50
3.6 Custodial Contract (Council 94) Fiscal Impact Statement
3.7 Approval of the 2026 School Committee Calendar
4.1 Consider and Vote on first reading of Policy 6100 Curriculum Management System
MOTION: 1) Wendy Heaney, 2) William Nash Unanimous vote.
Comment by Superintendent Niemeyer, this system is to capture and house curriculum purchased plans.
4.2 Consider and Vote on second and final reading of Energy Benchmarking and Performance Tracking Policy #9240
MOTION: 1) Wendy Heaney, 2) William Nash Unanimous vote.
4.3 Consider and Vote on Surplus of Facilities Equipment
MOTION: 1) Wendy Heaney, 2) William Nash Unanimous vote.
Comment by Superintendent Niemeyer, obsolete shop equipment that has scrap metal value.
7. Student Representative Report/Update: MHS Band and Chorus Holiday Concerts were on December 8. They will also be visiting Blenheim and all the district school buildings for caroling to share the Holiday spirit. MHS celebrated the holiday spirit with their door decorating contests. Fun was had by all.
8.1 Enrollment
8.1 Financial
1. June GF Budget: $42,356,384.00
2. GF YTD Expenditures: $42,210,317.80
3. GF YTD Revenue $42,715,304.85
4. GF Encumbrance: $ 4,158.95
5. Total YTD Expenditures: $46,869,182.70
6. Total Encumbrance: $ 7,205.15
7. Total YTD Revenue: $46,789,375.02
8.1 Personnel
RESIGNATION EFFECTIVE November 26, 2025
Patrick Stahl, Night Custodian, AQ
NEW HIRE EFFECTIVE December 1, 2025
Ryan Gross, Boys Assistant Varsity Basketball Coach, MHS
Donald Corcoran, Split Shift Custodian, MPS
NEW HIRE EFFECTIVE December 8, 2025
Ashley DeMerchant, Speech and Language Pathologist, MPS
Lilieth Esparza, 4hr Teacher Assistant, FA
APPOINTMENT EFFECTIVE December 1, 2025
Jamie Comeau, ELA Grade 2-3 Content Lead, AQ
Alison Belcher, ELA Grade 1 Content Lead, AQ
Alana Gugliemo, Science Grade 3 Content Lead, AQ
Elizabeth Fenster, ELA Grade 3 Content Lead, FA
RESIGNATION EFFECTIVE January 9, 2026
Shannon Kennedy, Teacher Assistant, GLA
APPOINTMENT EFFECTIVE December 10, 2025
Dylan Medeiros, Night Custodian, AQ
8.3 Status Report
Curriculum Michelle Fonseca, Assistant Superintendent and Director of Teaching and Learning
Middletown Beyond the Bell Outcomes- We partnered with the Annenberg Institute at Brown University to take a close look at our student data pre and post our summer beyond the bell program. As you know our summer program is a 4 week intervention program focused on ELA and Math. Its goals are to deliver explicit instruction and increase academic achievement related to individual student goals. The study was focused on PK-8 students, this summer we had 223 students that attended.
Below are some highlights from the study.
● Attendance was high. On average participants attended 13 out of the 16 program days.
● In math, summer program participants saw improvements in their scores from spring to fall while non-participants’ scores decreased.
● Students who were struggling in math saw large improvements compared to non-participants.
● Older participants saw larger improvements compared to non-participants and students in other grades.
Grants received this month
Learn 365- $20,000
Round 4 Learn365RI funds will be used in Middletown to offer April School Vacation Camp for students in grades K-5 with an explicit focus on math and ELA.
In addition, funds will be used to support high-quality and engaging math focused after school programs for students in K-5. Dates of programs will be as follows:
April Vacation Camp: April 20-24, 2026,
● After School Programs: 1 at each school
FREE April Vacation Camp K-5
Student Services Leslie Brow Director of Student Services
Student Services submitted the Middletown Census on December 1, 2026. Over the past several months, the team has focused on graduating eligible students and exciting students who have moved out of the district. These efforts were effective and resulted in a decrease of 20 students from the June census count of 430. The district is currently serving 410 students.
The Special Education Local Advisory is hosting a Family Support Night on January 6, 2026, at 6:00 p.m., featuring a presentation by RIPIN.
Technology
Interviews continue to hire a Director of Educational Technology
Facilities Ed Collins, Director of Facilities
The first round of surveys are back from the students and staff from our furniture demo projects. All this info will be used when we start designing classrooms at Valley Elementary school.
The department is ready for the winter. We are still out performing the gas market with our current contract.
Cleaning of the greenhouse is complete, we will be gearing up for opening it back up for use in
the spring
**Director of Family and Community Engagement ** Meghan Mainzer
Applied for a VBCF grant for $14,850 to train Middletown youth/ staff at MHS for greater understanding of mental wellness and resources with Bradley Hospital.Bradley Learning Exchange will provide trainings to Middletown Public Schools in calendar year 2026: Three teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA) courses for an estimated 45 students at Middletown High School.
10-14 MLL students to a photography exhibit at Salve Regina by nationally known Mexican Photographer Graciela Iturbide. This field trip was sponsored by the partnership with Salve Regina’s Art History Department and Fundacion Magdalena, an organization founded in Colombia that uses art work as a method to build connections between people and as a form of change. These students then participated in 3 workshops with writing prompts and conversations about the themes in the photography exhibit Childhood using the 5 senses and how it triggers our memories of childhood.
9.1 Aquidneck School Cafeteria Food Waste Diversion Program
ADJOURN FROM MEETING
MOTION: 1) Wendy Heaney, 2) William Nash
To adjourn from the School Committee Meeting at 6:06 p.m. Unanimous vote.