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New Shoreham Town Council Meeting with the Block Island School Committee
Block Island School, High Street, Block Island
Monday, December 15, 2025
7:00 PM
MINUTES
1. Call to Order — Roll Call
Present for School Committee: Chris Willi, Greta Heinz, Ryan McGarry, Anne Hall, Charles Weber, Superintendent John Martin, Finance Director Melanie Reeves.
Present for the Town Council: Keith Stover, Bill McCombe, & Tristan Payne
Administrative Assistant Angus Brouillard was present to record the joint meeting minutes.
C. Willi called the meeting to order at 7:01 pm.
K. Stover called the meeting to order for the council at 7:02 pm.
2. Public Comment
None.
3. Hold annual pre-budget meeting with the Town Council for discussions of the FY2027 Budget Needs
K. Stover wanted to thank the Committee for having the Council.
J. Martin introduced himself to the council; he prepared a few statements. At the last School Committee
meeting, it was stated that we are running at a $46,000 deficit, but hoping to close it through a spending
freeze. Fund balance should be able to fulfill whatever remains outstanding.
K. Stover asked if it was one big expense.
J. Martin stated it was a multitude of new staff hiring demands.
J. Martin started the budget discussion within the building. He will be meeting with Melanie and Pam to
further analyze the input from the in-building survey and will present the budget at the Jan. 12th meeting.
Regarding the unknowns in building the budget, administrative contracts are up in at least two areas.
Town employees are looking at a new contract. The big-ticket item is the new building.
B. McCombe asked if we would put the bus back out for bid.
J. Martin stated we could put it out again. B. McCombe surmised that the minimum bid may need to be
reevaluated.
K. Stover asked how it was all going at the school.
J. Martin stated he believed it was going very well, but believed his lack of time here may hinder his view.
He stated that Pam had more boots on the ground. He hoped to build a collaborative workplace
relationship within the building. He related to P. Austen, finding that certain things needed to be
tightened, but making sure that the change is positive, slow, and effective.
J. Martin hoped to have an open communicative relationship within the school and with the Town Council
as well.
4. Minutes Presented for Approval — The minutes of November 17, 2025 and December 3, 2025 are presented for discussion/possible vote.
C. Willi made a motion to approve for Nov. 17th and Dec. 3rd as presented, seconded by A. Hall.
5 ayes, 0 nays
5. Reports
a. School Committee
None.
b. Superintendent
Reviewed the standing of accounts, reiterated that he hoped that a spending freeze would eliminate the deficit. Attendance is still a mixed bag; looking at the student numbers, the number of absenteeism went up 11%, but the non-traditional absenteeism went down 113%; tardies went down 40%. Admin attendance is down from 100% due to one absence; teacher numbers are up from October to 94.22%. He still hoped to gather more longitudinal data to look further into this.
C. Willi asked regarding the standing of accounts what the red items meant. M. Reeves stated those were projections that would be over for the budget. C. Willi was curious how we did not project enough for the sub pay. M. Reeves stated we have had a long-term absence that was not planned and the employer is looking to extend that absence, and the long-term sub is paid double compared to the regular sub pay.
M. Reeves stated that this year we have had issues with the heating. C. Willi echoed that a lot of our overages are due to the facility itself. M. Reeves stated that we had work done on our alarm panel, waiting for further detailed invoices; when received, the committee will be able to review them.
B. McCombe asked how it is broken down regarding the alarm and heating.
C. Willi stated it was broken down to electrical, HVAC... etc.
B. McCombe asked how it was covered.
M. Reeves stated it was all covered by the school. Historically, she added, we have had overages regarding facility issues in the past. M. Reeves stated that many of these weren’t planned and were things that came up that required immediate attention.
C. Willi made a motion to accept the standing of accounts, seconded by A. Hall.
5 ayes, 0 nays
1. Standing of Accounts as of November 30th, 2025
See Superintendent Report
2. Attendance Reports — the Superintendent will update the Committee on Student, Staff, and Administrator Attendance
See Superintendent Report
6. Old Business
a. Building Committee Update — The Committee will be updated on the recent School Building Committee meeting: Tecton Architects Necessity of School Construction Application Stage II — Cost Proposal.
The committee was provided with the Tecton proposal; they, along with Peregrine and Civic, are trying to put together a plan to visit the island for the next meeting on Jan. 12 and present and discuss with the committee. The plan is in motion.
K. Stover asked A. Brouillard when that meeting was held to reach out to the council, as their members would like to also be present there.
C. Weber updated the council as we received 13 applicants for the bid. We narrowed it down to four; after meeting with all four in Providence, they decided to pursue Tecton, especially after many of their projects had been previously done on other New England islands.
C. Weber stated they will look at possibly making an entirely new building. We have only hired them to pursue either adding on to the current facility or a new building entirely. The plan is still on to have this all ready for the Town Financial Meeting in Feb.
C. Weber stated that the first Stage II process was far less than the current price ranges provided, given the previous Stage II was purely HVAC and on a much smaller scale. C. Weber believed that the money
came from the previous $4 million.
B. McCombe asked what the ballpark was for Stage II. C. Weber stated it was around $800,000 allocated, but it should be around $700,000. This would cover all things for us to go into Stage III. It would give us enough to give us a proper budget; once we reach that stage, we have until Sept. 2026 to tweak it and then present it to RIDE.
B. McCombe asked if they came back with a number off the charts, could the number be refigured and we would not have to restart Stage II. C. Weber stated that it very much could be refigured without having to go back out to bid. C. Weber stated that even if it is not accepted as of this year, the plan can be presented next year.
B. McCombe asked if they come in and have the preliminary work done, what is the timeline for them to confirm that this is feasible. C. Weber stated that it would happen rather fast and would be happening over the next few weeks, most likely by the second week in Jan., as two site visits should have occurred by then. They will make a recommendation to the School Building Committee, and the Building Committee will present it to the School Committee.
7. New Business
a. Recommend a motion to establish the Block Island School Marine Club as proposed by Sophomore Miles Willi: Discussion and vote.
A. Hall made a motion to appoint Miles Willi.
C. Willi recused himself.
J. Martin stated he met with M. Willi last week and he has an adult sponsor and was very well prepared and versed. He believed this had an immense value to our extracurricular program. K. Stover spoke highly of M. Willi’s sponsor, Katie Cass.
R. McGarry asked about the pricing. J. Martin stated that K. Cass was volunteering her time and the money for materials is to be fundraised.
Seconded by C. Weber.
4 ayes, 0 nays
M. Willi presented to the committee and stated he had thought about this club at the beginning of the year and saw a need given the class or a similar one is not offered at the school. After speaking with some sponsors and many at BIMI, he created this club. He hoped to create a mini ecosystem and hoped to involve the younger children doing beach walks and incorporating some of the programs that BIMI operates.
M. Willi added that the club would meet during lunch like the Student Council and would be open to grades 8-12 and would be working with the younger grades to educate them. He wanted to thank L. McTeague for her help.
J. Martin hoped that this club could positively impact or even allow for more clubs to grow down the road.
b. Recommend a motion to appoint Robert Closter, Boys Middle School Basketball Head Coach:
Discussion and vote.
C. Willi made a motion to approve R. Closter for Boys Middle School Head Coach, seconded by A. Hall.
5 ayes, 0 nays
c. Recommend a motion to appoint Michael O’Brien, Boys Middle School Basketball Assistant Head
Coach: Discussion and vote.
C. Willi made a motion to approve M. O’Brien, seconded by C. Weber.
5 ayes, 0 nays
d. Recommend a motion to appoint Paul Hemingway, Boys Varsity Basketball Head Coach: Discussion and vote.
C. Willi made a motion to approve P. Hemingway, seconded by C. Weber.
5 ayes, 0 nays
e. Recommend a motion to appoint Johnny Dominguez Sanchez, Boys Varsity Basketball Assistant Head Coach: Discussion and vote.
C. Willi made a motion to approve J. D. Sanchez as assistant coach.
Seconded by C. Weber.
5 ayes, 0 nays
f. Recommend a motion to appoint Bethany Petrik, Girls Middle School Basketball Assistant Head Coach: Discussion and vote.
C. Willi made a motion to approve, seconded by C. Weber.
5 ayes, 0 nays
g. Recommend a motion to appoint Max St. George, Concert Band Instructor. Per stipend matrix, to be compensated $30.00 per hour up to 40 hours per year: Discussion and vote.
C. Willi made a motion to appoint M. St. George, seconded by R. McGarry.
5 ayes, 0 nays
h. Recommend a motion to appoint Catherine Cowen for Occupational Therapist for the 2025-2026 School Year: Discussion and vote.
C. Willi made a motion to appoint C. Cowen, seconded by A. Hall. Start date Jan. 13th.
5 ayes, 0 nays
i. Recommend a motion to approve the 2025-2026 Program of Studies: Discussion and vote.
J. Martin requested P. Austen summarize the changes.
P. Austen stated that this occurs every year; this keeps all the course offerings, grades, and types of grades for K-12. As of 2028, RIDE is giving more options for students to graduate. For the students graduating that year, students no longer have to take Algebra II or Precalculus; they can take a more general education math course if they choose not to pursue a four-year program. The two-year language requirement is also being reevaluated. Students can opt out of that track, which was not the case before. She stated we have very few students that fall into that category. P. Austen stated that this was all a part of the reimagining graduation proposed by RIDE.
J. Martin talked about alternative programs and the possibility of them being set up. We will be able to offer an internship if the programs are not able to be provided. The other minor changes were certain teachers assigned to certain fields. Certain courses were removed that are not being offered for this year, but we can offer them for the following year.
C. Willi asked about the RIDE changes. P. Austen stated that it was for the students graduating that year; two years of the same language and Algebra II are being waived. He asked what would be the replacement. The two-year internship could fulfill the void; the general education math class could be offered online.
C. Willi was worried that if a student opts out of this and then decides later that they want to go to a four-year program. P. Austen stated it was a good question and the school would be actively pushing students to pursue math and two years of language. She added that two students of the current graduating class have decided not to pursue college.
J. Martin stated that our counselors are very involved with our students and will be able to positively guide them to the route they want along with the necessary courses.
P. Austen added that we have had students that simply want to pursue a trade, and we don’t want to not encourage them.
C. Willi asked how they decide to remove certain classes or allow for them to be optional or have the ability of the student to opt out. P. Austen and G. Heinz added that these were higher-level classes that they typically take later in high school.
A. Hall asked about the possibility of students struggling online.
G. Heinz asked if there was a math class offered last year that was similar to other non-traditional math courses.
J. Martin stated they had some work to do regarding providing a better curriculum if a parent were to ask for one.
C. Willi made a motion to approve the program of studies as presented, seconded by A. Hall.
5 ayes, 0 nays
j. Request for Maternity Leave extension by Madison Carey until May 15, 2026: Discussion.
J. Martin stated that on further review the new date is the 16th. M. Carey originally intended to come back on Jan. 5th but instead is asking to come back May 16th. By contract, he stated she was entitled to that time. He stated that per contract this can last up to one year for leave.
Seconded by C. Weber.
A. Hall asked if this would impact the budget. M. Reeves stated this should be covered.
5 ayes, 0 nays
k. Oakley Home Access assessment of BI facilities: Discussion.
On Saturday, Oakley Home Access was at the school for a tour. J. Martin stated he did not have a written report. We do have an access issue at the school; some of the other items are far more minor. Once he has a formal report, he would share it with the committee.
C. Willi asked when the report came out, are there numbers associated with it? J. Martin stated that they don’t provide estimates, more of a list of items. He added that T. Risom has already contacted the necessary parties.
A. Hall asked if the money can come from the money left over from other projects.
M. Reeves stated it was already being used for Stage II, but we could look into grants. However, we don’t know the current pricing, so the grant may not be enough to cover it.
C. Willi asked when we received the report; he thought that there would be items on there that had been disregarded in the past, implying that many of these might be expensive, but many of these items we are familiar with.
8. Correspondence
None.
9. Executive Session Pursuant to RIGL§ 42-46-4(a) and § 42-46-5(a)(9).
10. Adjournment
C. Willi made a motion to adjourn at 7:53pm Seconded by A. Hall 5 ayes 0 nays.
The committee may choose to take a vote on any item listed on the agenda if needed.
Some portions of this meeting may go into executive session in accordance with 42-46-4 and 42-46-5 of the Rhode Island General Laws, as amended Block Island School is a handicapped accessible facility. Those individuals requiring interpretive or hearing impaired services should contact the Block Island School via Relay Rhode Island at 1-800-745-5555 (TTY) at least 72 hours before the meeting date.
Respectfully Submitted,
Angus Brouillard
School Committee Clerk