The Select Board voted 5-0 to create an advisory committee to provide recommendations to the board regarding the best use of more than $7 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grants that the town has received. The original proposal, developed by Chair Karen Herrick and Select Board member Mark Dockser called for a seven-member committee, with two members each from the Select Board, the School Committee, the Finance Committee (FinCom), and one member of the Library Board of Trustees. This idea was amended by a 3-2 vote to expand the committee to eight members adding an additional FinCom member. Herrick and Dockser were the dissenting votes on the amendment. Select Board member Chris Haley encouraged the change as the FinCom had already proposed a committee that included three of its members, who the FinCom had already appointed. The committee is expected to do community outreach to develop recommendations for the use of the funds by October 31. The Select Board will make the final determination as to how the ARPA funds are spent.
The Select Board also voted 5-0 to appoint Dockser and Haley as its appointees to the advisory committee. FinCom, the School Committee, and the Library Board of Trustees will be asked to make their own appointments to the ARPA advisory committee as soon as is reasonable. [Read More]
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After four weeks of discussion and by a 6-0 vote, the School Committee approved the Superintendent’s Recommended Fiscal Year 2023 Budget of $51,783,363 on Thursday. Chair Thomas Wise explained that this budget includes using $1.1 million from the revolving fund to subsidize a reduction in the tuition for full-day kindergarten from $4,450 to $3,600. This reduction is part of a plan to ultimately offer universal full-day kindergarten at no cost to parents by FY 2026. After Finance Committee member Jeanne Borawski questioned the committee regarding the plan’s sustainability, Wise committed to working with the Finance Committee, the Select Board, and the Town Manager to determine how the goal will be achieved.
In his report regarding a recent meeting of the Coalition for Prevention and Support at which the number of mental health referrals in town was discussed, School Committee member Chuck Robinson commented, “I realize how important the new [mental health] positions we added are . . . it is a well-crafted budget by the administration.” The Finance Committee is scheduled to review the approved budget on March 2. [Read More]
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Dear Neighbor,
I am optimistic about Reading’s future.
Over the past three years, I have had the great privilege to serve Reading as your Select Board member. During that time, we have set the Town up for future success in a number of ways: maintaining a strong financial position, adapting delivery of government services and protecting the public health in the face of a global pandemic, funding additional mental health services in light of a burgeoning society-wide mental health crisis, and establishing the position of Health Director to respond to the public health needs of the community.
In recent months, I was particularly grateful to have been entrusted with the responsibility of chairing the Town Manager screening committee and leading the Board’s search for a new Town Manager. That search resulted in the Board’s unanimous selection of Fidel Maltez to lead the community as the new Town Manager, and I could not be more thrilled with our choice.
Throughout my term in office, fostering a welcoming and inclusive community has been a top priority, a priority that preceded, but certainly came into sharper focus with, our recent and overdue national racial reckoning. I am particularly proud of the leadership role I played in co-chairing an ad hoc committee that led to the creation and funding of an Equity and Social Justice Director position for the Town, as well as the groundwork I laid in drafting a Pride month proclamation and organizing an inaugural Pride flag raising on the Town Common in 2021. At our most recent meeting, the Board voted to update the personnel policies to recognize the Juneteenth holiday. [Read More]
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Mark your calendars!! Join the Reading Trails Committee and Walkable Reading for the Tenth Annual Winter Walk on February 6, 2022. This year’s walk will begin at 1:00 PM at the entrance to the Town Forest across the field from the Wood End School. Come out, get some exercise, and enjoy the fresh air. There will be refreshments and a chance to warm up near the campfire. Learn more about the Reading Trails Committee, their past projects, and how you could support and be involved in future projects.
The walk is suitable for all ages. Be sure to wear appropriate clothing and footwear for walking in the winter woods. If there is enough snow on the ground, then strap on your snowshoes. We might even find tracks of some of the critters that frequent the area. [Read More]
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The Reading Cultural Council (RCC) has awarded $23,500 to support the arts and humanities programming of thirty (30) organizations and individuals for activities that take place during 2021 and 2022. The Reading Cultural Council received 34 requests totaling $44,040 for this funding cycle. Awards from the Reading Cultural Council are competitive based on the number of requests and the funds available. The RCC tries to at least partially fund worthy projects.
“This fall our committee received a large number of funding requests,” notes Brian Kimerer, committee Co-Chair. “Thanks to the generosity of Reading Town Meeting, which donated $8,000 to our funds, we were able to grant more funds than we have in previous years. However, because of the large number of requests, we were still limited to partial funding for some projects. However, many of the smaller requests received the full amount of their request. ”
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The Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) elected new board members at its January meeting. Eunice Kenyon, Laura Joelson, and Maria Morgan hope to engage new and current members and provide a supportive, welcoming space for parents and caregivers of children with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and 504 plans, or who are in the process of determining special education eligibility.
The Reading SEPAC works for the understanding of, respect for, and support of all children with special needs in the community. SEPAC promotes a network of parents of children with special needs, provides a forum to share information, advises the Director of Student Services, School Committee, and Superintendent on special education programs and policies, and parent and teacher training needs, promotes communication and sharing of information to encourage understanding, acceptance and inclusion of students with special needs, and provides informational workshops.[Read More]
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Calling all booklovers! Mark your calendar for a fun night of speed-dating style book reviews from your friendly Reading Public Library staff. That’s right, Virtual Winter Warmers is back, with our special Hot Date Edition, perfect for Valentine’s Day. So, on February 14, at the stroke of 7:00pm, head on over to our YouTube channel to check out staff reviews of some of our favorite new books.
The first ten folks to watch and reach out will win the Winter Warmer book of their choice. Email: rdgref@noblenet.org with the subject line Winter Warmers after watching the recordings with your book choice. No registration necessary!
This event is generously sponsored by The Friends of the Reading Library. February 14 | on RPL’s YouTube channel | from 7:00pm [Read More]
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Highlights from the Reading Police & Fire Logs
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