Brookline School Committee News

School Committee News

Following most regular meetings, School Committee News will be sent to the PSB community to summarize the discussions and actions that took place, and provide a glimpse of what’s ahead. The newsletter is also posted on the School Committee's webpage. Translation and accessibility options are available at the top of the page. Please reach out to school_committee@psbma.org with any comments or suggestions.

Recent School Committee Meeting: May 22, 2025

Update on the Process to Identify an Interim Superintendent

The School Committee agreed on the framework for a process to identify an Interim Superintendent, and a Preliminary Screening Committee has been created. The School Committee discussed the process at the May 22 meeting, including the likely timeline. The first meeting of the Interim Superintendent Preliminary Screening Committee was held on Thursday, May 29, and the next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 3.

Celebration of Former School Committee Member Helen Charlupski

The School Committee Room was filled to capacity as the community celebrated Helen Charlupski’s 33 years of service to the Public Schools of Brookline. First elected to the School Committee in May 1992, she was a stalwart supporter of the school district, the School Committee, and all of our students throughout her tenure. One after another, the speakers expressed their gratitude to her for over three decades of exemplary public service, and the School Committee and Superintendent presented her with a proclamation.

Exterior Camera Policy (new policy)

The School Committee had a second reading of this proposed policy that is intended to guide the scope and use of exterior surveillance cameras in the school district. The Committee referred it back to the Policy Subcommittee for further review. It is expected that the Policy Subcommittee will take this up in early June, after which it will be scheduled for a third reading and possible vote before the School Committee at the June 12, 2025 meeting. The School Committee welcomes feedback on policies under review. Please send your comments to school_committee@psbma.org

Review of School Budget Deficit

CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA) was engaged by the Brookline Town-School Partnership Committee to evaluate the school district’s fiscal year 2025 cost overruns, fiscal year 2026 projected budget deficit, and related school finance controls, processes, and procedures. The final report is available here. The School Committee discussed the report and plans to continue to review and discuss it at an upcoming meeting with a member of the CLA team in attendance.

Gifts to the PSB

The School Committee reviewed proposed gifts to the school district at the May 22 meeting. Several gifts were accepted, including the annual donation to support Brookline Early Education Program (BEEP) financial assistance from the Lauren Dunne Astley Fund. This annual donation honors Lauren’s memory; her mother, Mary Dunne, is a retired BEEP teacher. The School Committee voted against accepting a gift from the Brookline Community Foundation, Brookline for Racial Justice and Equity, and the Brookline Asian American Family Network. That gift, in the amount of $188,455, represented donations from community members to replace district funds cut from the Office of Educational Equity (OEE). The OEE reductions were made as part of the process to address the FY26 projected budget deficit.

PSB FY2026 Budget

At the first evening of Town Meeting, School Committee Chair Valerie Frias presented the district’s budget for review. On the second evening, May 28, 2025, Town Meeting approved the FY2026 School Budget of $142,792,591.

Upcoming School Committee Meetings

The School Committee’s upcoming regular meetings are scheduled for:

The Thursday, June 5 meeting is cancelled due to a conflict with Brookline Town Meeting.
Thursday, June 12, 6:00pm*

*NEW DATE:

The School Committee’s celebration of 30-year staff has been moved to the June 12 meeting. All are invited! Join us in the School Committee Room to honor our colleagues for their service and dedication: reception at 5:30pm, speaking program at 6:00pm. Click here for the invitation.

At the June 12 meeting the School Committee will also congratulate the 2025 Brookline Education Foundation Caverly Award winners, say farewell to outgoing student representative Kiran Bhatia, and welcome the new student representative Adithi Jayashankar.

The schedule of all School Committee meetings is available on the Town's agenda center. As each meeting approaches, the agenda and supporting documents are uploaded. Meeting agendas will always include the time, location, method of remote access, and (for regular meetings) details for public comment.

If you would like to receive meeting agendas as soon as they are publicly available, sign-up through the Town’s Agenda Center. Sign-in, click the “subscriptions” button, and toggle the School Committee option. You can use this feature to receive meeting notices for any of the Town’s public boards and commissions.

Subcommittee Corner

Interim Superintendent Preliminary Screening Committee: Tuesday, June 3, 3:30pm, Town Hall and Remote via Zoom (open session)
Finance Subcommittee Meeting: Wednesday, June 11, 5:00pm, Zoom
Curriculum Subcommittee meeting: Tuesday, June 17, 4:00pm, Town Hall and Remote via Zoom

For the most current agendas and meeting documents, check the Town’s agenda center.

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Recent School Committee Meeting: May 22, 2025 Recent School Committee Meeting: May 22, 2025