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LEXINGTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Town Offices Building, Selectmen’s Meeting Room
1625 Massachusetts Avenue
5:45 PM
Present: School Committee Chair Mary Ann Stewart; Vice Chair Alessandro
Alessandrini; and School Committee Members Bonnie Brodner, Margaret Coppe
and Noah Coolidge, Student Representative and Dr. Paul B. Ash, Superintendent
The minutes were taken by School Committee Chair, Mary Ann Stewart.
The Chair called the Meeting of the Lexington School Committee to order.
1. Discuss Possible Use of Excess Health Care Funds
The Committee reviewed the Summit Meeting VII Agenda documents prepared by Town
staff in advance of the Summit Meeting (at 6:00 PM) and discussed the use of the
“savings” the Town anticipated realizing from joining the GIC. Based on the earlier
Summit discussion and comments at Town Meeting, a revised proposal for consideration
has been drafted, which includes a property tax relief component. The Committee
discussed the fact that there are compelling, unmet needs across Town facilities and
roads, and noted that we are not completely clear of the challenging economic
environment of the past few years. Also, the campaign for the debt-exclusion vote in
January educated residents about the increase in taxes and the vote passed with broad,
overwhelming support. The tax relief would be approximately $32.00 per household in
FY13.
Motion that the health savings not go toward a “debt-exclusion offset”
(Alessandrini, Brodner).
Member Jessie Steigerwald arrived to the meeting at 5:56 PM, just after the motion had
been moved and seconded, and she had not been part of the Committee’s discussion on
the matter.
The Motion passed (4-0-1, Steigerwald).
The Committee remained in session throughout the Summit Meeting discussion,
recessing at 7:23 PM to relocate to Cary Hall for the purpose of discussing Annual Town
Meeting Articles and adjourned at the end of Town Meeting.
Documents: Agenda; memo from Carl Valente, Town Manager, and Rob Addelson,
Assistant Town Manager for Finance; Estimated Five-Year Health Insurance Savings for
Transition to GIC; Version 2: Funding Budget Priorities; Option for $3,2000,000 in Tax
Relief for Excluded Debt Service.
Voted by the School Committee May 8, 2012