The Chelsea Public Schools School Committee on Jan. 2 unanimously approved a package of grant acceptances, a $440,000 budget transfer and authorization to enter a multi‑year architectural and engineering agreement.

Two parents who spoke during public comment urged the committee to prioritize student‑facing positions when reallocating vacancy savings. Catherine Anderson, who identified herself as a special education liaison at Brown Middle School and president of the Chelsea Teachers Union, said she was “concerned that we're not living up to the spirit of our public budget process” after the district moved funds mid‑year. Vanessa Mendoza Mercado, a Chelsea resident and parent, asked whether vacancy savings “are supporting the students in the schools that are missing these staff members?”

The committee proceeded through a series of roll‑call votes on grant awards and budget items. All roll calls on new business passed with eight yes votes and one absence. The items accepted included competitive and earmarked grants from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and awards from other partners; the committee then approved a $440,000 transfer of funds and authorized a five‑year house doctor agreement for architectural and engineering services.

Votes at a glance

- Accepted $100,000 from DESE for a competitive grant supporting student social, emotional learning, behavioral and mental health and wellness (roll call: 8 yes, 1 absent; motion carries).
- Accepted $3,000 from DESE for the Influence100 grant (8–0, 1 absent; motion carries).
- Accepted up to $50,000 from DESE for a teacher diversification grant for FY2025 (8–0, 1 absent; motion carries).
- Accepted $5,305.90 from the University of Massachusetts for a SNAP outreach plan for FY2025 (8–0, 1 absent; motion carries).
- Accepted $25,000 for the Chelsea High School music program (DESE earmarked award) for FY2024–25 (8–0, 1 absent; motion carries).
- Accepted a $10,000 grant award from Global Partners for FY2024–25 (8–0, 1 absent; motion carries).
- Voted to amend the 2024–25 school budget as recommended by the superintendent (roll call recorded as 8–0, 1 absent; motion carries). Specific amended total was not specified in the roll‑call wording recorded in the meeting transcript.
- Approved a $440,000 budget transfer moving funds from benefits, payroll adjustments and insurance at Berkowitz Elementary School and Clark Avenue Middle School to Kelly Elementary School, district administration, instruction and assessment, and equity and wellness programs for FY2024–25 (8–0, 1 absent; motion carries).
- Authorized the district to enter into a house doctor agreement for architectural and engineering services with a term of up to five years (8–0, 1 absent; motion carries).

What the votes mean

The accepted grants will provide targeted funding for mental‑health and SEL programming, teacher recruitment/diversification activities, SNAP outreach, music programming at Chelsea High School and a small community partnership grant. The approved $440,000 transfer reallocates vacancy and benefits savings from two schools to other school and central office functions; public commenters raised concerns that some of those savings were being used to support central‑office positions rather than replacing student‑facing staff in the schools.

The five‑year house doctor authorization allows the district to enter a continuing agreement with an architect/engineer to provide planning and technical services as needed; the motion authorized the district to negotiate and execute that agreement but did not include contract details in the public roll call.

Details and clarifications from the meeting

- Public comment: Catherine Anderson and Vanessa Mendoza Mercado both urged the committee to prioritize classroom and student‑facing positions when reallocating vacancy savings. Anderson said the district had “added 3 positions … all at the central office” since the budget was set and said she expected the committee to honor priorities identified during the public budget process. Mendoza Mercado asked whether redistributed funds “are supporting the students in the schools that are missing these staff members?”
- Budget amendment: The transcript records a motion to amend the 2024–25 budget “to increase funding from $140,307,816 to” a figure that was not clearly captured; the roll call as recorded in the minutes shows the motion carried but the explicit amended total was not specified in the audible roll‑call text in the transcript. Public comment earlier referenced a proposed increase in the district total (figures stated by a public commenter were presented as observations from the public comment period).
- Budget transfer: The $440,000 transfer was described on the record as moving funds from benefits, payroll adjustments and insurance at Berkowitz Elementary School and Clark Avenue Middle School to Kelly Elementary School, district administration (instruction and assessment), and equity and wellness; the roll call approving that transfer passed 8–0 with 1 absence.
- Grants: Each grant acceptance was presented as an individual roll call and annotated in the public record as awarded to the district for FY2025 (or FY2024–25 where noted). The roll calls did not include motioners or seconders on the recording.
- Contract authorization: The house doctor authorization was limited to permission to enter an agreement for architectural and engineering services for up to five years; contract value and vendor name were not stated on the record.

Next steps

- The superintendent and district administration will process the accepted grants and implement the budget amendment and transfer as recorded. The house doctor agreement will proceed to contracting steps where details such as vendor selection, scope and value will be determined and posted according to district procurement rules.

Sources and provenance

This article is based on the public comment and roll‑call votes recorded in the Jan. 2, 2025 Chelsea School Committee meeting transcript. Topic‑relevant transcript excerpts begin with a public comment raising budget concerns (Catherine Anderson) and conclude with the final roll call in new business approving the house doctor authorization.