The Scituate School Committee opened the new year by celebrating record-breaking student engagement and expanding academic pathways for the 2026-2027 school year. A highlight for the community is the continued partnership with Cohasset for the annual high school French trip to Quebec City, scheduled for May 14–16, 2026. Organizers noted that the $750 trip typically adds eight to ten Cohasset students to the Scituate cohort to ensure the program remains cost-effective. Motion Made by Peter Gates to approve the Quebec City Trip May 14th through May 16th. Vote Passed 5-0.

The committee also addressed long-term regional stability by meeting with Michael Loch, Executive Director of the Southshore Educational Collaborative. Loch proposed creating a capital reserve fund, capped at $4 million, to prepare for future facility needs or a potential relocation when their current lease ends in eight years. "The purpose of the capital reserve fund is so that we're able to save funds from tuition... to be able to afford paying for capital projects," Loch explained. Peter Gates welcomed the transparency, noting, "I think you know every year we approve the collaborative budget and so on and we I don't think we've ever had representation. This is my ninth year. So I appreciate you coming." Motion Made by Peter Gates to approve the creation of a capital reserve account at the Southshore Educational Collaborative. Vote Passed 5-0.

Academic rigor was a central theme during the first reading of the 2026-2027 Program of Studies. Tammy Rundles, Chair of School Counseling, detailed a significant expansion of dual enrollment courses through Quincy College, including Anatomy, Physics, and a "Shark Tank" marketing class. "We have included a number of there's a dual enrollment credit option for honors investing in personal finance," Rundles said. This prompted a discussion on the practical benefits for students. Chair Nicole Brandolini asked, "is that advantageous... is this something that Scituate High students have taken advantage of and find useful?" while Maria Fenwick sought clarity on the curriculum, asking, "I was just wondering how is it like comparable to AP classes? Like is one better than the other?" Carey Borkoski advocated for future tracking of these credits, suggesting, "I think as you expand the program, it would be awesome to get data that shows students took the business and 50% of them were able to transfer." The business department chair added that Scituate's courses are often "far more comprehensive and has much more depth than the Quincy College semester course."

In district updates, Interim Superintendent Thomas Raab reported that the new school building project is moving "on time and under budget," with steel framing expected to begin this month. "The steel should be coming in the next couple of weeks and that takes about two months. So things will start to look like a school very quickly," Raab said. Assistant Superintendent Ryan Lynch also briefed the committee on a "Leading Strategically" workshop series aimed at improving implementation frameworks. "It's just about in a really specific type of work like in schools how to drive educational change," Lynch noted. During a review of the mid-year financial report, Janice Lindblom scrutinized regional costs, asking, "What's the tuition to mass public schools?" to clarify expenses related to agricultural school placements. Motion Made by Janice Lindblom to approve the school committee minutes from December 22, 2025. Vote Passed 5-0.

The meeting was adjourned at 6:46 PM.