Last evening, the SC presented the FY22 budget to Town Meeting. At the end of the budget presentation Superintendent of Schools John Doherty gave his final remarks to Town Meeting. Those remarks are below.

I want to close my presentation with a final set of comments.  This is my final budget presentation to Town Meeting as Superintendent of the Reading Public Schools.  Since this will be my last opportunity at Town Meeting to publicly make a comment, I want to thank Town Meeting for all of their support of our schools and our students and staff over the last 12 years.  During that time, Town Meeting and the Community has always had the best interest of our children in mind, even during some of the lean budget years.  To digress, I started my Superintendency during the great recession and H1N1 of 2009 and 2010 and I am ending with the pandemic of 2021.  During that time, Town Meeting has been supportive of many projects including, but not limited to a Proposition 2 1/2 override, curriculum initiatives for science, 9 modular classrooms to alleviate space constraints, a security project to protect our staff and students, numerous capital projects including Turf 2, multiple roofs and window replacements, new boilers, technology hardware, phone systems and performance contracting.  You have been extremely supportive during this pandemic, approving resources for us to use to keep our schools running strong.  You have supported the Reading Coalition Against Substance Abuse, now know as the coalition, and School Resource Officers, valuable pieces of our school culture.  You have always valued public education and I am appreciative of that.  That commitment is the investment in our future.

I have always said that what makes Reading unique is the collaboration between town departments and schools.  It has been so evident during this pandemic with our weekly Command meetings of Bob Lelacheur, Chief Clarke, Board of Health, Greg Burns, Jean Delios, Mark Dockser, Paul Jackson, and Gail Dowd.  It is that secret sauce over the years that has allowed us to maximize our resources in the best interest of the Community.  To that end, I want to thank the town officials that I started with, Peter Hechenbleikner and Chief Cormier who welcomed me and mentored me when I became Superintendent and Bob Lelacheur and Chief Clarke who are supporting me on my way out.  I also want to thank Chief Burns who has been the constant steady leader throughout my 12 years.  Your collaboration, support, and guidance has been invaluable throughout the years.

I also want to thank the School Committee, Finance Committee and the Select Board who have been very supportive of our schools and the Town Department Heads and Town staff for their collaborative approach in solving problems.  Finally, I want to thank the Finance and Operations team of Joe Huggins, Kevin Cabuzzi, Gail Lapointe, Sharon Angstrom, and Gail Dowd who have made me look good over the last several years.  I will miss working with all of you.

Finally, I want to thank you, Town Meeting members and the Reading Community for all of your support.  I have had many of you as parents, some of you even as students either at Coolidge or in the district.  I have had great memories that I will never ever forget.

As I begin to pass the torch over to Dr. Milaschewski, who will be an outstanding addition for this community and our school district, I wish the Town of Reading and the Reading Public Schools a positive future ahead.  Thank you for your support and the opportunity to be a member of this community for 34 years.