June 18, 2026
At the June 16th School Committee meeting there was discussion of the Pollard Middle School Schematic Design and the Superintendent’s 25-26′ performance evaluation.
School Committee Chair & Subcommittee Updates
-Thank you to School Committee members Liz Lee and Andrea Longo Carter for all the work in negotiations for Unit C, D, and E staff.
-Needham was selected by Preservation Massachusetts for an annual historic award for the restoration and preservation of the Emory Grover building.
Superintendent Comments
-Needham Girls Rugby Team was awarded the MIAA Sportsmanship award in Rugby
Discussion Items
Pollard Middle School Project Schematic Design Update
-Pollard Middle School first and foremost will serve an educational plan to reunify 6th-8th grades and allow better access to the existing educational programs.
-Pollard Middle School sets up the ability for our town to solve issues at Pollard, High Rock and Mitchell schools. This is all part of the large school master plan that was studied in 2022.
-Pollard Middle School Exterior Renderings were presented
-Under Schematic Design, the project’s estimated cost is $325.4 million which includes owner’s contingency of 7%. Value engineering (VE) was able to save the town $6 million from the initial estimated cost from Schematic Review. A full breakdown of costs can be found on page 34 of the packet.
Superintendent’s 25-26 Performance Evaluation
Previous Chair Michael O’Brien shared survey results and comments from other school committee members. School committee members are required to complete surveys of the superintendent to DESE and Needham Public Schools. Dan Gutekanst is serving in his 20th year as superintendent of Needham Public Schools.
DESE focuses on 4 standards for SC members to evaluate. Each section can be given a score of 0 (not observed or unsatisfactory) to 4 (exemplary).
Each standard and Dr. Gutekanst’s average score:
Instructional Leadership: 3.83
Management & Operations: 3.8
Family & Community Engagement: 3.54
Professionalism & Culture 3.83
Needham Public Schools scores are based on specific year goals and can be heard during the meeting at 55 minutes. They range from 3.53-4.
Action Items
School Committee votes 7-0-0 for submission of Schematic Design to MSBA
School Committee votes 7-0-0 for submission of Superintendent’s Performance Evaluation
School Committee votes 7-0-0 to approve the District’s 26-27′ Strategic Action Steps
School Committee votes 7-0-0 to approve change in Yellow Bus service from Michael J Connolly to NRT for the next 3 years (NRT bid was $320,000 less than Michael J Connolly)
School Committee votes 7-0-0 to approve 3% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for non-contracted and non-unionized employees
School Committee votes 7-0-0 to increase 3% COLA of superintendent’s salary
School Committee votes 7-0-0 to appropriate a one time, 1% merit increase to superintendent based on performance evaluation
School Committee Comments
Next School Committee meeting will be July 13, 2026.