The Chelsea School Committee voted unanimously, with eight members present and one absent, to accept a set of grant awards from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and other partners, amend its 2024'25 budget per the superintendent's recommendation, and approve a $440,000 internal budget transfer.

The committee approved the following grant actions by roll call vote (motion carries; 8 in the affirmative, 1 absent) as read into the record during the meeting: acceptance of $100,000 for fiscal year 2025 from DESE for a competitive grant supporting student social, emotional learning, behavioral supports and mental health and wellness; acceptance of $3,000 from DESE for the Influence 100 grant for FY2025; acceptance of up to $50,000 from DESE for a teacher diversification grant for FY2025; acceptance of $5,305.90 from the University of Massachusetts for a SNAP outreach plan for FY2025; acceptance of $25,000 for the Chelsea High School music program (FY2024'25) provided through DESE earmarked funds; and acceptance of a $10,000 award from Global Partners for FY2024'25.

In separate votes the committee also approved, by the same roll-call margin, an amendment described as "accept[ing] the recommendation of the school superintendent and amend[ing] the 2024, 2025 school budget as identified in enclosure 7k," and a budget transfer moving $440,000 from benefits, payroll adjustments and insurance accounts at Berkowitz Elementary School and Clark Avenue Middle School into accounts for Kelly Elementary School, district administration, instruction and assessment, and equity and wellness for FY2024'25.

The committee additionally authorized the district to enter into a "house doctor" agreement for architectural and engineering services for a period of up to five years; that motion also passed by roll call (8 yes, 1 absent).

The roll-call sequence for each motion appears in the meeting record; the facilitator announced each item, solicited roll-call votes, and stated "In the affirmative and 1 absent, motion carries" after each tally. The meeting record does not show a named mover or seconder for these particular motions in the excerpted transcript.

Why it matters: the DESE and partner grants supply targeted program funding (mental-health supports, teacher diversification, SNAP outreach and music programming) for the district. The $440,000 transfer reallocates salary- and benefits-related savings partway through the fiscal year to specific schools and central programs; the amendment noted the superintendent's recommendation and referenced enclosure 7k for program-level details.

What the record does not specify: the transcripted wording for the superintendent-recommended budget amendment includes a numeric transcription error for the revised total; the enclosure (7k) is referenced as the source of line-item program changes but the meeting transcript does not include the corrected or complete revised district total in clear form. The roll-call results were read aloud and repeated on the record as "8 in the affirmative and 1 absent."