At its Dec. 4 meeting the Chelsea School Committee approved a package of financial acceptances, personnel wage-schedule changes and a series of policies required or prompted by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).

Consent agenda and gifts: The committee accepted multiple monetary and in-kind gifts and grants, including $650 in Market Basket gift cards from the Zonta Club of Chelsea, $252 in Boston Symphony Hall tickets donated by Rodman for Kids, $5,000 to Chelsea High School’s class of 2026 from the Robert Hildreth Foundation, and a $5,000 grocery-card donation from Soccer Without Borders for district families. The committee also accepted a $3,000 FY26 Influence 100 grant and up to $75,000 from DESE for a Transforming Diverse Educators Pathways grant, and approved an increase to the Supporting Students SEL/Behavioral and Mental Health grant to $44,910.

Salary schedule: The committee approved amendments to the 2025–2026 non‑bargaining salary and wage schedules for hourly and salaried positions, effective July 1, 2025; HR Director Christine Lee said hourly employees who had not received earlier increases would receive retroactive adjustments, and ranges were updated to mirror negotiated unit increases. Roll call recorded 9 in the affirmative.

Policy adoptions: In separate roll-call votes the committee adopted a new Career and Technical Education policy (required because the district sends students to Northeast Vocational Technical School), an updated civil rights policy (adding language for pregnancy-related conditions and veteran status and updated contact information), a bullying policy that extends protections without regard to legal status, an updated physical restraint policy clarifying no use of time-out spaces and the application of safety-care procedures, a DESE-required no-vehicle-idling policy for school grounds, and an annual program access and equity policy to identify and remove obstacles to equal access. Each policy vote carried 9–0 on roll call.

Other approvals: The committee approved two homeschool petitions for the 2025–2026 school year and an overnight field trip for four students and eight chaperones. These passed on roll-call votes recorded in the meeting minutes.

Provenance: topicintro SEG 1284; topfinish SEG 1853.