The Chelsea School Committee voted on a series of budgetary and gift items at its meeting, approving amendments to the non‑bargaining salary and wage schedule for fiscal year 2024–25 and accepting multiple grants and gifts from state and private sources.

The committee approved an amendment to the non‑bargaining salary and wage schedule (agenda item 25 SC 13) as presented; a roll call recorded eight affirmative votes and one absence and the motion passed. The meeting transcript records the following roll‑call yes votes: Mister O'Regan; Miss Enriquez; Miss Cabral; Mister Gomez Pereira; Miss Balderas; Doctor Neville; Miss Coves Caraballo; and Miss Alfaro; Miss Hernandez was recorded as absent. The vote outcome was announced as "8 in the affirmative, 1 absent. Motion passed."

The committee also accepted a $3,000 gift from SRI International to support Chelsea High School student facilitators for a student summit; the vote was approved by roll call with the same eight yes votes and one absence. Committee members then accepted multiple DESE reimbursements and grants presented in the meeting including ESE emergency assistance shelter reimbursement payments (items listed on the agenda as FY24 and FY25 reimbursements), and a $40,000 DESE special education improvement grant described as supporting implementation of revised IEP forms and processes. Each of these items was approved by roll call with eight affirmative votes and one absence as recorded in the transcript.

Private and philanthropic gifts approved included an award of $25,000 in private funds for CHS music programming from a charitable trust (transcript referenced the "Moray Born Morstein Charitable Trust") and a $4,000 honorarium from Spring Point to support Chelsea High School participation in a fellowship; both items passed by roll call with eight yes votes and one absence.

The meeting transcript records multiple roll calls that used the same recorded sequence of votes for these agenda items; where the transcript lists roll‑call answers the eight affirmative voters are the same as noted above and the committee announced the motion for each item as passed. Several items — including the first reading of revised operating protocols (agenda item 25 SC 16) — were presented as first readings or procedural items and were not recorded as final votes at this meeting. The transcript also shows that committee members asked clarifying questions before some votes (for example, questions about how salary increases were determined and whether approved amounts were effective July 1, 2025).

Why it matters: the salary schedule amendment sets pay bands for hourly and salaried non‑bargaining employees ahead of a July 1 effective date; the ESE reimbursements provide retroactive state funding tied to students placed in emergency shelters; and the grants and private gifts provide programmatic funding for music, student summits and district improvement work.

Ending: Committee members recorded their thanks to staff during the votes and the meeting moved on to communications and announcements after the approvals.