School Committee Adopts Five-Year Strategic Plan

School Committee · Meeting of September 8, 2026

Somerset School Committee adopts five-year strategic plan, presses pause on elementary design concerns. Superintendent Dr. Jeff Schoonover reported a school bus carrying 11 students was struck by a car on the second day of school with no injuries, while member Mr.

Machado warned that class sizes vary by nine students between elementary schools and estimated the district could save nearly $400,000 by consolidating to grade-level buildings. The committee also learned a disputed $520,000 change order on the middle school project, TCO 195, has been negotiated down to roughly $300,000. Members voiced discomfort that CGA, the North Elementary building project's owner's project manager, is also developing that school's schematic design, with Machado saying "I don't feel warm and fuzzy knowing it's coming from CGA and not from actual people who build schools." The district also disclosed a $217,500 PRISM literacy grant continuation and a steady 9.4 percent chronic absenteeism rate, against a 17.1 percent state average.

The committee voted unanimously to adopt its 2026-2031 strategic plan and a new policy on staff interactions with civil immigration enforcement officers, then entered executive session, 5-0, over AFSCME collective bargaining.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 3,168 words

Source: the School Committee meeting of September 8, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.