Name: MSC Special Meeting
Uploaded: 2024-12-11
Duration: 58 min 41 s
Description: The School Committee met to select an interim leader for the district to ensure continuity during upcoming budget and facility projects. The Committee appointed Assistant Superintendent Dr. Suzanne Galusi to the role.

AI-generated summary. Written by gemini-3-flash-preview from the transcript below, which is the record. It may be incomplete or wrong; it does not report votes. Every item links to the moment it began.

The School Committee met to select an interim leader for the district to ensure continuity during upcoming budget and facility projects. The Committee appointed Assistant Superintendent Dr. Suzanne Galusi to the role.

0:00 Discussion of Interim Leadership Requirements — Members discussed the importance of continuity and specific leadership qualities needed to manage ongoing contract negotiations, budget cycles, and school building projects.
3:10 Appointment of Interim Superintendent — Appointed Assistant Superintendent Dr. Suzanne Galusi as Interim Superintendent effective January 18, 2025, through June 30, 2026, contingent on successful contract negotiations.
9:36 Executive Session — Entered executive session to discuss contract negotiations with no intent to reconvene in public session.

[Member Paul Ruseau]: short of Herculean compared, I mean, frankly, compared to most years as in COVID, this is a monumental amount of work. We have the negotiations, we have the MSBA project, which will, I think, really be kicking off once we're through eligibility. We have the supplemental budget, which I mean, we've probably never done a supplemental budget because we've never had a surprise, not surprise, but a mid-year influx of money. And we have the regular budget as well. And so with those gigantic things, And those are all individually an enormous amount of work, in addition to the everyday running of the district.

That's why continuity and minimal disruption in my mind, at least around those things, is important to me. So that's where I'm coming from. And I'll let other people talk.

[Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Just from the chair, add to all the work that needs to be done, the maintenance of our schools, the continuation of the MSBA project. I know that we are actively working on 20 plus million HVAC project, which we hope to include solar on one of the roofs of one of our middle schools. And I'm sure we can all add a whole, keep going on the list of things that need to get done. So we need somebody, yes, that's gonna continue the hard work of Dr. Edouard-Vincent and move us along.

[Member Paul Ruseau]: I'm ready to make my motion if nobody else wants to speak.

[Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Member Intoppa, and then I'll turn it over to you, Member Ruseau.

[Member John Intoppa]: If I could just add, you know, I share very similar thoughts of minimal disruption, you know, in particular with students. When I think of who I would want in the role of the interim, you know, I want someone who I'm trying to figure out a way to really phrase this, but, you know, someone who during negotiations can work with our, with our, with our, you know, bargaining units, someone who can really work to striving some repairing some relationships and just working towards, you know.

just again, like while we're going through all of this, just minimal disruptions. And I guess I just echo a lot of the same, but wanted to throw my two cents in there of, you know, observing behaviors, looking at who, you know, embodies that spirit of the Mustang Way and the spirit of who can lead, you know, the district in this interim period and possibly, you know, if they choose to apply and get appointed through the search. So those are my thoughts.

[Member Paul Ruseau]: I will make a motion. Is there a hand from Member Reinfeld?

[Member Erika Reinfeld]: Yeah, I just wanted to relay from a comment that I received from the public of looking for somebody who's going to prioritize some of whom maybe are more vulnerable populations. I know that is something that Dr. Edouard-Vincent was very committed to as well, but to really make that explicit, that we are potentially looking at a fair bit of turmoil as changing federal and state regulations come down, filter down to local districts. And so, being on top of that and aware of how it affects the wide range of populations within our schools.

[Member Paul Ruseau]: All right, I'd like to make a, and I'll explain my motion. There's some parts to it. I'm sure some of you will want to know more about, but my motion is to appoint assistant superintendent, Dr. Suzanne Galusi as interim superintendent of Medford Public Schools effective January 18th, 2025 through June 30th, 2026 contingent on a successful contract negotiation. I guess I have a second before we talk about it.

[Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Thank you, Member Ruseau. There's a motion on the floor by Member Ruseau and seconded by Member Graham to appoint Assistant Superintendent Dr. Suzanne Galusi as our interim. If there's no questions or comments. Member Intoppa?

[Member John Intoppa]: Could I just, you know, point of clarification ask how, because we mentioned us all giving nominations. So, if our nominations differ, how do we go about. Presenting that effectively and how do we do that as a motion? Do we just do we vote on. Do we do 7 different motions is that 1 motion to a point if you could just clarify that would be great. So I fully understand what is going on.

[Member Paul Ruseau]: Yes, just it's like any other meeting, frankly, as weird as that is, because it's not like any other meeting. But I've made this motion, and it's been seconded. So it'd have to be voted on. It could be amended if there was something you wanted to amend, and we'd have to vote on that. And then if you have a different motion, you can make that as well. I think that if this motion is called and passes, you making a different motion for a different person Uh, I'd have to ask Howard how we handle that because we will have voted already, but.

[Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Yeah, so and member Graham will hold the roll call. Do you have additional comments member and topic that you like to just or additional nominations that you like to discuss before I call the roll?

[Member John Intoppa]: Yes, I would like to additionally nominate Mr. Paul Teixeira to be our interim superintendent of schools. I really liked Member Ruseau's language of, I believe, effective January 18th through June 30th, 2026, contingent on a successful contract negotiation.

[Member Paul Ruseau]: Okay, one second, I gotta write this stuff down, people, one second.

[Greenspan]: Yes, Mayor, just to add that in another district that I represent, when these type of issues come up,

[Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Yep. Yep. That's where I was getting going to go. I think, um, cause if there's only, I'll just say hearing and seeing two, um, names for nomination, uh, we'll call the role. And if there's no further debate, please state either Dr. Suzanne Galusi or, um, Mr. Paul Teixeira for your nomination as, as interim. Member Ruseau, will you call the roll?

[Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Dr. Galusi. So that's five for Dr. Galusi and two for Mr. Teixeira. Thank you for your votes. A decision has been made. Member Graham.

[Vice Chair Jenny Graham]: Attorney Greenspan, do we have to take an affirmative vote now that we've gone through that straw poll process, or is that sufficient?

[Greenspan]: That's sufficient unless anybody would like to... Sometimes I've seen committees make a motion after that vote to make it unanimous, but that's sufficient.

[Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Member Branley or Member Intoppa, would you like us to take a roll call vote for Dr. Galusi or leave it as is?

[Member John Intoppa]: Yeah, I don't think that's going to change, so it's fine leaving it as is.

[Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Okay, I knew it wouldn't change, I just didn't know if you wanted to make it unanimous.

[Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Okay, is there a motion to go into executive session?

[Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Yes, seven in the affirmative, zero in the negative. We can move to executive session and we will not reconvene in public session following this executive session.

Paul Ruseau total time: 2.36 minutes total words: 366	Breanna Lungo-Koehn total time: 2.55 minutes total words: 375	John Intoppa total time: 1.88 minutes total words: 309	Erika Reinfeld total time: 0.64 minutes total words: 99
Jenny Graham total time: 0.25 minutes total words: 30	Nicole Branley total time: 0.27 minutes total words: 34	Aaron Olapade total time: 0.01 minutes total words: 2