Middletown School Committee approves routine policies, personnel actions and budget amendments; tables lunch price change

At its July 16 meeting the Middletown School Committee approved a package of routine and operational items recommended by the superintendent.

The committee voted to complete the annual review of Title I parent and family engagement policies (policy 1098.1, 1098.2 and 1098.3). It also approved declaring two Middletown High School pianos surplus and the revised job description for a CTE teacher in computer science and engineering (grades 9'012), which the superintendent said had been negotiated with the union through impact bargaining.

On staffing and compensation the committee approved an increase in substitute nurse pay. The superintendent said the district had been at $175 per day and that the rate was not competitive with neighboring communities, which made recruitment difficult. "It's just not enough to draw in substitutes," the superintendent said, urging an increase to improve operational reliability.

The committee also approved an adjustment to administrators' health-care cost-sharing to align co-shares with other municipal bargaining units; the superintendent said the change affects co-share amounts only and does not change the health plan itself.

The committee approved fiscal year 2026 budget amendments described as minor year-end alignment items to prepare for audit.

On school lunch pricing, a committee member asked to delay action after contacting the vendor Chartwells and finding the provided data may not be current. The member moved to table the lunch-pricing item until the next meeting so the district can confirm comparable community pricing under the vendor's new statewide contract; the motion to table carried.

Most agenda items were recorded in the transcript as passed by voice vote; the record does not include a full roll-call tally for each motion in the published transcript.