The subcommittee reviewed proposed revisions to policy KJA, which governs relations with school booster organizations, and agreed to seek broader input from existing booster groups before finalizing the policy.

Attorney Ian Keith explained that the revised draft removes a blanket requirement that booster organizations be 501(c)(3) nonprofits. Instead, the policy would require groups that represent themselves to donors as tax-deductible charities to maintain appropriate federal tax status, and would require registration with the Commonwealths charitable organizations office if a group raises more than $5,000. "If they're going to tell people who are donating that these are attached deductible donations, they would have to be [501(c)(3)] certified," Keith said.

The draft also proposes an affiliation application and agreement process: booster groups would submit an application to a district designee (superintendent or board designee) and the principal would review and forward the application to central office; the district would draft the terms of an affiliation agreement. Members discussed limiting conflict-of-interest risks by clarifying roles of staff and family members in booster activities but voiced concern about unintentionally excluding long-standing volunteers. "It feels really tight," one member said, asking that the district solicit feedback from booster volunteers about operations and potential unintended consequences.

The subcommittee agreed to place the draft on the full school committee agenda as a discussion item, to ask the athletic department and central office to convene booster organizations for input, and to delay an effective date to allow outreach and refinement of guidelines. Staff will circulate the proposed guidelines and recommended language to booster groups and schedule community meetings so the policy can be refined before a formal vote.

Ending: The committee prioritized community outreach and agreed the policy should be implemented only after receiving input from existing booster organizations and making any needed adjustments to avoid disrupting volunteer support.